Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what upgrades will be made to increase the a) power and b) torque of the Perkins CV12-6A V12 diesel engine as part of the Challenger 3 programme.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As a precursor to the conversion of Challenger 2 to Challenger 3, the Heavy Armour Automotive Improvement Programme introduced a series of upgrades to the automotive system, including bringing the Perkins CV12‑6A engine to a common build standard. Options remain available should additional power be required in the future.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the extent to which large-scale fly-tipping incidents, including transit van loads, tipper lorry loads, and significant or multiple-load incidents, have occurred on woodland habitat.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents to Defra, which are published annually here. Data for the 2024/25 reporting year is currently being processed.
Local authorities are required to report to Defra the size of a fly-tipping incident, its waste type and the land-type where it occurred. However, this does not cover if the area is a particular habitat or a woodland.
Defra regularly evaluates the data on fly-tipping incidents we collect from local authorities. There are no current plans to require local authorities to report additional data on fly-tipping to Defra.
While the Environment Agency (EA) collects data on the land type at the location of an illegal dumping incident and its environmental impact, the EA does not routinely collect data on whether it is a woodland area or the specific habitat type.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Environment Agency records information on habitat type or proximity to woodland when investigating fly-tipping and illegal waste dumping incidents.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents to Defra, which are published annually here. Data for the 2024/25 reporting year is currently being processed.
Local authorities are required to report to Defra the size of a fly-tipping incident, its waste type and the land-type where it occurred. However, this does not cover if the area is a particular habitat or a woodland.
Defra regularly evaluates the data on fly-tipping incidents we collect from local authorities. There are no current plans to require local authorities to report additional data on fly-tipping to Defra.
While the Environment Agency (EA) collects data on the land type at the location of an illegal dumping incident and its environmental impact, the EA does not routinely collect data on whether it is a woodland area or the specific habitat type.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2026 to question 101527 on Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Procurement, by when he plans re-publish the 2024-25 Ministry of Defence Accounts and publish a public correction.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I will write to the hon. Member shortly with a full response and place a copy of that letter in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2026 to question 101527 on Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Procurement, if he will take steps to revalidate all information in the 2024-25 Ministry of Defence Accounts.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I will write to the hon. Member shortly with a full response and place a copy of that letter in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the status is of the community rail programme; what changes have been made since 1 July 2024 to (a) the community rail recognition process, (b) guidance issued to train operating companies on community rail engagement and (c) the Department’s objectives for community rail; and if she will publish a summary of those changes.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department continues to support the accreditation process for Community Rail Partnerships (CRP). The Community Rail Network (CRN) reviews processes, accounts, and governance and recommends to the Department when a CRP has met a certain standard of operation to receive accreditation. The Department works with the CRN to continuously improve this process while maintaining the aims of accreditation.
The Department engages with train operating companies on Community Rail on a regular basis, and train operating companies continue to provide funding for the CRPs they support.
The Government is committed to supporting Community Rail in the longer term, and the establishment of Great British Railways provides the opportunity to improve how we support this important programme. The Department will provide an update if there are any changes to the way in which Community Rail is delivered.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to funding for schools on the development of young children.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The additional funding announced at the Spending Review will deliver an above real terms per pupil increase up to 2028/29. Core school funding is increasing by £1.7 billion in the 2026/27 financial year to a total of £67 billion.
This investment is a critical step forward in our mission to support all children and young people to achieve and thrive and will support teachers and leaders to deliver high and rising standards.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to require supermarkets to publish data comparing food price increases with payments to suppliers.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has no current plans to require supermarkets to publish data comparing food price increases with payments to suppliers.
The Government continues to work closely with retailers, suppliers, trade associations and regulators to monitor developments in this sector and to understand any issues that may affect transparency, competition and outcomes for consumers and businesses.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding her Department has provided to support community rail, including (a) community rail partnerships and (b) station adopter schemes, in each financial year since 2019-20; and what funding is planned for 2025-26.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Community Rail Partnerships (CRP) are awarded funding from both the Community Rail Network (CRN) and train operating companies. CRPs then allocate funding to station adopter groups within their catchment. Funding has remained at a consistent level since 2019-20.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the complaints system through the Legal Ombudsman in cases where large numbers of consumers are affected by the collapse of a single legal firm.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) is the independent body responsible for administering the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) scheme. The Legal Services Board (LSB), as the oversight regulator, has statutory duties to monitor the OLC.
The collapse of a law firm does not prevent complaints being investigated by the LeO or any remedies it might direct from being recovered. Although the LeO requires each affected consumer to raise a complaint about the law firm, it has procedures that can be put in place to manage situations where a large number of consumers may be affected. These include the ability to prioritise cases where it is appropriate to do so and to work with other bodies, such as the Solicitors Regulation Authority, to ensure consumers are supported and appropriately signposted.
While the OLC and LeO remain independent in their decision-making, the Ministry of Justice provides additional oversight and accountability to ensure they operate effectively and in the public interest. For monitoring purposes, the OLC reports regularly to both the LSB and the Ministry of Justice on performance, including information on demand, backlogs and timeliness.
The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment of LeO’s complaints system in cases involving the collapse of a single legal firm affecting large numbers of consumers. However, the Government recognises that the LeO has faced wider operational pressures in recent years and continues to monitor the performance and resilience of the complaints system by engaging the LSB and the OLC Board through existing oversight arrangements.