theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the planned termination of the Minor Eye Conditions Service in Coventry and Warwickshire from 1 November 2025 on (a) GP workloads, (b) A&E workloads, (c) patient outcomes and (d) meeting the objectives of the NHS Long Term Plan to (i) expand community-based care and (ii) reduce unnecessary hospital attendances. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NICE appraisals for (a) Duchenne muscular dystrophy and (b) other rare, progressive conditions take into account urgency of access. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Steff Aquarone:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support community-based preventative services for older people in Norfolk. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Steff Aquarone:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the availability of research into less survivable cancers; and what steps his Department is taking to incentivise people to undertake research into this area. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) women of child bearing age, (b) girls, (c) boys and (d) men are receiving prescriptions for sodium valproate as of 11 September 2025. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the closure of NHS England on levels of NHS service provision, in the context of (a) the closure of the NHS and Care Volunteer Responders programme and (b) and reductions in levels of availability of hyperbaric chamber services. \p Karin Smyth: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

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Alison Hume:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children from Gaza have been accepted into the UK for medical treatment since July 2025. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Julia Buckley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the provision of healthy food options in hospital vending machines. \p Karin Smyth: National Health Service hospitals are required to meet the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services through the NHS Standard Contract. They are also required to develop and maintain a food and drink strategy which focuses on healthier eating across the whole hospital community, including for their vending machines.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support access to healthcare services during winter in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Karin Smyth: The National Health Service is already preparing for winter this year with the development and better testing of winter plans. This includes the surge capacity and escalation plans in place across urgent and emergency care services.

Further details of the actions being taken to support patient access to services this winter are set out in the Urgent and Emergency Care plan for 2025/26, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/urgent-and-emergency-care-plan-2025-26/
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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to counter disinformation pertaining to the MMRV vaccine. \p Ashley Dalton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Fylde on 5 September 2025 to Question 73639.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the level of available resource within the NHS of (a) resident doctors, (b) consultants and (c) nurses in the event of strike action. \p Karin Smyth: The National Health Service makes every effort through rigorous contingency planning to minimise disruption as a result of industrial action and its impact on patients and the public. Assessments are made by local Trusts about the level of resourcing, and they can escalate via regions and nationally, where appropriate.

NHS staff are not obliged to inform their employer that they will be taking part in strike action ahead of strike action taking place.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide up-to-date clinical guidance on the age groups that should receive the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) ensures commissioners, providers, and relevant healthcare professionals have access to the necessary resources to communicate accurate information, including age groups, about the routine childhood immunisation programme. UKHSA writes the national clinical guideline ‘immunisation against infectious disease’, known as ‘The Green Book’, which includes up-to-date clinical guidance on eligibility for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in the relevant chapters. The Green Book is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5e021b9140f0b6665e80187b/Greenbook_chapter_21_Measles_December_2019.pdf

From 1 January 2026, general practitioners will offer eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) as part of the routine infant vaccination schedule.

The eligibility criteria for children will be set out in clinical guidance, which will be published in due course, covering which birth cohorts will get the MMRV vaccine and when, to ensure the most effective protection for children.
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Sarah Hall:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the new NHS workforce plan. \p Karin Smyth: We will publish our 10 Year Workforce Plan by the end of 2025.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the (a) quality and (b) availability of stoma care services. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to ensuring patients across the United Kingdom have access to high quality care, including those who need stoma surgery. As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029.

No recent assessment has been made about the quality and availability of stoma care services. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and assessing the quality and availability of stoma care services at a regional level and in accordance with their local populations’ health needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of jobs for newly qualified nurses. \p Karin Smyth: On 11 August 2025, the Government announced the Graduate Guarantee for nurses and midwives. The guarantee will ensure there are enough positions for every newly qualified nurse in England. The package of measures will unlock thousands of jobs and will ensure thousands of new posts are easier to access by removing barriers for National Health Service trusts, creating opportunities for graduates and ensuring a seamless transition from training to employment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Imkaan report entitled Why should our rage be tidy, published in November 2024, what steps his Department is taking to increase the diversity of the NHS therapeutic workforce. \p Karin Smyth: The National Health Service has an incredibly diverse workforce with over 75% of roles filled by women and over 25% of roles filled by people from an ethnic minority background. We expect NHS organisations to work to address inequalities that exist in the workplace to ensure the best outcomes for patients. As part of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Improvement Plan, employers across the NHS must embed fair and inclusive recruitment processes and talent management strategies that target under representation and lack of diversity in the workforce. Local NHS leaders remain best placed to take an evidence-based approach to recruitment and resourcing decisions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to ensure equal access to stoma care across all regions of the UK. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to ensuring patients across the United Kingdom have equitable access to high quality care, including those who need stoma surgery. As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029.

Demand for stoma care services will vary across regions. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and assessing the quality and availability of stoma care services at a regional level and in accordance with their local populations’ health needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department is taking to reduce treatment waiting times for people with prostate cancer in the South East. \p Karin Smyth: The Government understands that more needs to be done to improve outcomes for all patients with prostate cancer, including in the South East.

NHS England has introduced a best-practice timed pathway for prostate cancer so that those suspected of prostate cancer receive a multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging scan first, which ensures that only those men most at risk of having cancer undergo an invasive biopsy. The AI in Health and Care Award has also been established, which aims to accelerate the testing and development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. £113 million has already been allocated to support 86 AI technologies, and three of these projects specifically relate to prostate cancer, one of which is the Paige prostate cancer detection tool, developed by the University of Oxford.

The Department will publish a National Cancer Plan which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across England, including the South East, speed up diagnosis and treatment, and ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average reduction in waiting time achieved through the Advice and Guidance scheme was for patients registered with GP practices in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency in April 2025. \p Karin Smyth: No assessment has been made of the average reduction in waiting time as a result of Advice and Guidance in April 2025 for patients in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for resident doctor strikes since July 2024. \p Karin Smyth: The National Health Service makes every effort through rigorous contingency planning to minimise disruption as a result of industrial action and its impact on patients and the public.

Resident doctors in England went on strike for five days from Friday 25 July to Wednesday 30 July 2025. To prepare, NHS England analysed previous strike data to assess financial, operational, and patient impacts.

In response to this assessment, NHS England worked hard to ensure that resources were prioritised to protect all patients using its services during the period of strike action, in particular emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and to ensure we prioritised patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery.

NHS England will continue to iterate its approach based on the most recent industrial action to ensure the NHS continues to deliver for patients.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

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Sarah Hall:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of waiting times for cardiac care in the North West. \p Karin Smyth: Tackling the waiting list is a top priority for the Government. This includes decreasing wait times for those accessing cardiac care. We have exceeded our pledge to deliver over two million more elective care appointments. More than double that number, or 5.2 million more appointments, have now been delivered in England.

On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan. This sets out a whole system approach to delivering on the commitment that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, in line with the National Health Service constitutional standard, by March 2029.

As of the end of July 2025, compared with the end of June 2024, the overall number of people waiting for cardiac treatment in the North West has fallen by 7,536. However, performance against the 18-week target has decreased by 0.3 percentage points over the same period, namely 56.2% in June 2024 and 55.9% in July 2025.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve career progression pathways for NHS nursing staff. \p Karin Smyth: The Government has accepted 36 non-pay recommendations from workstreams committed to in the 2023 Agenda for Change (AfC) pay deal. Some of these recommendations include specific measures to improve career progression for nurses, such as reviewing Annex 20 of the AfC contract to ensure nurses are not inadvertently excluded from the development of professional roles and developing guidance to help employers support the career progression of ethnic minority and internationally educated nurses. Implementation of these measures will take place over the next two years.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many UK-trained junior doctors were unable to secure NHS training placements in 2024. \p Karin Smyth: In 2024, 14,620 graduates from United Kingdom medical schools applied for medical specialty training posts. Of these 1,299 were unsuccessful and deemed unappointable in any of their applications. A further 1,476 UK graduates were deemed appointable at interview but did not receive any offers due to post availability.
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Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Minister for Secondary Care plans to respond to the correspondence of 28 July 2025 from the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells on the Dashboard for Accelerated Discharge. \p Karin Smyth: I have received the hon. Member’s correspondence and will reply in due course.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support the (a) health and (b) wellbeing of the NHS workforce. \p Karin Smyth: The health and wellbeing of National Health Service staff is a top priority. NHS organisations have a responsibility to create supportive working environments for staff, ensuring they have the conditions they need to thrive.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out Staff Treatment Hubs to ensure all staff have access to high quality occupational health support, including for mental health. To further support this ambition, we will work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals, support to work healthily and flexibly, and tackling violence, racism and sexual harassment in the workplace.
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Navendu Mishra:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking to improve (a) awareness, (b) diagnosis and (c) access to fertility treatment for men affected by infertility. \p Karin Smyth: We are developing a Men's Health Strategy which will seek to improve the health and wellbeing of all men in England, and which will be informed by the call for evidence. This includes finding the right ways to promote healthier behaviours, improving outcomes for health conditions that hit men harder, and improving engagement with healthcare. The call for evidence closed on 17 July 2025 and we are now analysing the responses to inform development of the strategy.

Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. We expect these organisations to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.
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Clive Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) the number of contracts for imports of US Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) and (b) LNG import infrastructure. \p Michael Shanks: Liquified natural gas (LNG) is bought and sold on the global market by commercial organisations and, as such, the government does not play a role in securing or assessing contracts. The government works closely with the gas system operator and is confident that they have the tools they need to effectively balance supply and demand in a wide range of scenarios, as they have done in previous years.

The government annually reviews the availability of gas for meeting the reasonable demands of consumers in Great Britain (GB), considering the short and long-term, through the Statutory Security of Supply Report. This includes an assessment of the adequacy of LNG import infrastructure, and notes that GB will continue to benefit from a diverse set of import routes and the second largest LNG import infrastructure capacity in Europe.
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Clive Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will publish the (a) start date, (b) end date, (c) annual gas volume, (d) contract value, (e) supplying country, (f) supplying company and (g) importing company of contracts for the import of gas to the UK. \p Michael Shanks: This is not information the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero owns.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

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Sarah Dyke:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help support agricultural buildings to be fitted with solar panels. \p Michael Shanks: The Government is looking to facilitate and promote extensive deployment of rooftop solar on industrial and commercial property.

Commercial rooftop solar panel installations, which includes agricultural buildings, already benefit from permitted development rights. This mean there is no limit to the capacity of a solar installation or a requirement for planning permission, though prior approval is required for installations greater than 50kW.

The UK’s overall approach to Net Zero commercial buildings will be set out in the government’s Warm Homes Plan strategy later this year.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71955 on Compressed Natural Gas: Huntingdon, what steps his Department is taking to help to continually (a) improve and (b) maintain the (i) resilience and (ii) security of Huntingdon Gas Compressor. \p Michael Shanks: The Government takes the protection and resilience of energy infrastructure incredibly seriously. We continue to work extensively with the energy sector, industry and other key stakeholders to identify and implement improvements to ensure energy infrastructure, including Huntingdon Gas Compressor, can safely operate and are resilient both now and in the future.

Ofgem is currently developing the RIIO-3 price control framework 2026–2031, which will set the level of permitted investment in maintaining and upgrading the gas network. This ensures companies can continue to invest in safe and reliable infrastructure, while keeping costs fair and transparent for consumers.
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Sarah Dyke:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of discontinuing energy discount schemes on (a) apple and (b) pear growers. \p Martin McCluskey: No such assessment has been made. However, the Government believes our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently.
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Sarah Dyke:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to help ensure that local communities benefit from hosting ground mounted solar farms. \p Michael Shanks: The Government is determined to ensure that, where communities host clean energy infrastructure, they benefit from it directly.

We recently published a working paper on community benefits, in which we proposed making it mandatory for developers to provide community benefit funds. The working paper was also a call for evidence about whether/how to expand shared ownership of renewable generation technology. We are currently analysing responses and will issue a response in due course.

In the meantime, Solar Energy UK, the industry trade body, will publish a voluntary community benefit protocol later this year.
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Jenny Riddell-Carpenter:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the consultation on the renewable liquid heating fuel obligation will be launched. \p Martin McCluskey: The Government recognises that renewable liquid heating fuels (RLHF) could play a role in heating. As it is a limited resource, the Government expect sustainable biomass to be prioritised where there are limited alternatives for decarbonisation. RLHFs are also much more expensive to use than other heating solutions.

Before taking decisions on whether to support the use of RLHFs, including the introduction of any obligation, the Government would require stronger evidence on their affordability for consumers, and the availability of sustainable feedstocks.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the Climate Change Committee’s report entitled "Progress in reducing emissions – 2025 report to Parliament”, published on 25 June 2025. \p Katie White: We thank the Climate Change Committee for their report which highlights the significant progress this Government has made to reduce emissions over the past year. We are now considering their recommendations and will respond by October.
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Brian Leishman:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the press release entitled Supporting Grangemouth workers, published on 26 August 2025, how much additional funding has been allocated; and how much and what proportion of that funding has been provided by the (a) UK and (b) Scottish Government. \p Michael Shanks: The extension of the Grangemouth Training Guarantee to support INEOS Olefins & Polymers shared services employees directly affected by the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery builds on support put in place earlier this year for Grangemouth refinery workers. This brings the total projected investment in the Grangemouth Training Guarantee from UK and Scottish Governments up to £2 million. The Grangemouth Training Guarantee is a joint project between UK and Scottish Governments and both governments will provide equal funding.

We are working closely with Forth Valley College who will mapping workers skills and qualifications, and training needs to identify and deliver re/upskilling support and training. UK and Scottish Governments will use the findings of the Training Need Analysis to fund the delivery of training. Final costs are dependent on the outcome of the Training Need Analysis.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of a just transition for climate policies on (a) rural areas and (b) Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency. \p Michael Shanks: The transition to net zero is the economic and industrial opportunity of the century. The government's approach is built on fairness and it is committed to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to access the benefits. The upcoming publication of the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan and the Clean Energy Workforce Strategy will outline this approach further. This includes ongoing work supporting both rural and urban communities and working with Devolved Governments to ensure a prosperous and fair transition for all.

In particular, the Clean Energy Workforce Strategy which will set out our approach to upskilling and reskilling the workforce into clean energy roles through initiatives including the Energy Skills Passport, in collaboration with industry. The skills system is delivering training for existing workers looking to retrain or upskill into clean energy.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts in preparation for COP30. \p Katie White: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero engages regularly with his international counterparts on a range of departmental priorities and interests, including on COP30. During London Climate Action Week, for example, he met with counterparts from a range of countries, and he will meet others in the coming weeks.
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Clive Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policy on LNG imports to the UK of the report entitled Energy, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of U.S. LNG Exports, published in 2024 by the US Department of Energy. \p Michael Shanks: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is aware of the report published in 2024 by the US Department of Energy. DESNZ monitors developments in the global Liquified Natural Gas market closely and considers a wide range of sources in doing so. The USA is, and will continue to be, an important supplier of LNG for the UK.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 64767 on Waster Charges: Social Tariff, what recent estimate Ofwat has made of the (a) average cost to households of the cross-subsidy for social tariffs and (b) potential impact of proposed changes to social tariffs on the average cost to households in each year between 2025 and 2030. \p Emma Hardy: At PR24 Ofwat challenged companies to address customer concerns about the affordability of water bills in the 2025-2030 period and asked them to set out the measures that they would take and how they would fund these measures.
wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_414
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_414

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 64768 on Water: Prices, what estimate Ofwat has made of the average increase in water bills for homes with gardens affected by seasonal water metering. \p Emma Hardy: Ofwat has not conducted a specific bill impact assessment for homes with gardens for companies trialling this method of charging.

South West Water estimated that 55% of household customers would save on its seasonal saver tariff and 95% of customers would save on its summer peak tariff; South West Water has designed the trial to be revenue neutral within the trial groups. Anglian Water has estimated that 2 out of every 3 customers would be no worse off or marginally better off under its seasonal tariffs, compared with its standard charge.
wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_415
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_415

Helen Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) recover retention payments issued by Thames Water and (b) ensure this money is reinvested in customer services. \p Emma Hardy: Under the Water (Special Measures) Act, the Government has given Ofwat new powers to block unjustified payments.

The Government will not tolerate any company attempting to circumvent the ban on executive bonuses for poorly performing companies by introducing mechanisms such as salary increases or payments through parent companies. Ofwat’s definition of performance-related pay is clear; any payment, consideration or other benefit provided as a result of meeting targets and performance standards. Government is clear that it is important for water companies to be guided by the letter and spirit of this definition.

Ofwat has been asked to assess the legality of these arrangements: should Ofwat find any rule breaches, companies will face enforcement action which can include financial penalties.   Whilst Ofwat is closely monitoring the effectiveness of its rules on executive remuneration, the onus remains on companies to fully comply with both the rules and the intent behind them; namely, that executive pay should reflect company performance. The Secretary of State has written to all water companies reiterating the firm expectation companies are fully transparent over the entire remuneration package for executives.

The Secretary of State has been clear that customer money must be ringfenced and used solely to improve services and protect the environment. Ofwat has confirmed that infrastructure investment funds cannot be diverted to bonuses, dividends, or salary uplifts. These safeguards are part of a wider reform agenda to restore public confidence in the sector.
wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_416
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_416

Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will invite (a) Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency, (b) textile traders, (c) recycling operators and (d) designers to participate in a (i) collaborative pilot and (ii) formal working group on international textile value chains. \p Mary Creagh: The UK Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy domestically, and support this transition globally, to deliver growth, green jobs, and promote efficient and productive use of resources including in the textiles sector. The UK is modernising its approach to international development, moving from an aid donor to an investor. We want to partner with countries like Ghana to create economic growth and trading opportunities for both our countries.

The UK and Ghana share a long-standing mutual relationship built on trust, openness and partnership, and this is something we will continue to strengthen together.

While the department does not currently have any specific plans to support and co-finance textile recycling and waste infrastructure in Ghana, the UK Jobs and Economic Transformation (JET) programme has mobilised over £125 million in investment across key sectors like garments, automotive, and pharmaceuticals, creating 5,000+ jobs and enabling exports of textiles across Africa and to the UK. Through the JET programme, the UK is supporting Ghana to deliver a Textiles and Garment Policy. The draft policy is currently under public consultation before submission to the Ghanaian cabinet. The policy includes prescriptions for regulatory and other policy incentives to encourage private investment into recycling plants or other investment in support of a circular economy. This aims to enhance public-private partnerships.
wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_417
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_417

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with Surrey County Council on flood resilience strategies in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Emma Hardy: The Environment Agency’s flood risk management teams maintain a close working relationship with Surrey County Council, including sitting on the Surrey Flood Risk Partnership Board where they help to shape local flood risk strategies and work with other risk management authorities, including Surrey Heath, to agree priorities that help make local communities more resilient to flooding.

The Environment Agency’s local Flood Resilience Team also works with Surrey Prepared, a subgroup of the Surrey Local Resilience Forum that looks at flood resilience across the wider county. Further information is available on their website - Welcome to Surrey Prepared - Surrey County Council.
wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_418
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_418

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to mitigate risks to delivery of proposed water infrastructure upgrades arising from the financial instability of water companies. \p Emma Hardy: Water companies’ delivery of infrastructure and improved water demand management to secure our water supplies is a top priority and will be supported by our reforms of the sector.

Defra work with regulators to closely monitor delivery through annual reviews of how companies against their targets. If they are not meeting their targets, they will receive a joint regulators letter setting out what they are failing on and when they must rectify these issues.

We have established a ministerial Water Delivery Taskforce to monitor and intervene in projects that are essential for growth.

This will also work alongside the regulators to hold the water companies to account to deliver their PR24 plans and scrutinising the costs of major projects in PR24.
wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_419
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_419

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen flood resilience in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Emma Hardy: The Environment Agency’s flood risk management teams continue to work with partners, providing advice, support and guidance to flood groups and communities in the key flood risk areas in Surrey Heath. This includes Chobham, Pirbright and Normandy. Environment Agency representatives attend biannual flood forum meetings with those communities, providing ongoing support and guidance on flood resilience within the borough.

Residents in communities at risk of flooding from rivers can also sign up to the Environment Agency's free Get Flood Warnings service, which sends alerts by phone, text, or email.
wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_420
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_420

Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) location and (b) number of animals affected by outbreaks of botulism was in each month of 2025. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Information from the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) surveillance network indicates one botulism outbreak in GB in 2025, affecting 712 cattle between August up to 8 September. The cases have been spread across Derbyshire, Essex, Northants, Pembrokeshire and Shropshire. This incident is currently being investigated by the FSA who have taken precautionary action to protect animal and public health, including the removal of an animal feed product from the market and the prevention of animals showing signs of botulism from entering the food chain.

When large scale or serious incidents are reported, Defra and APHA take a One Health response and work collaboratively cross-agency to manage any threats.
wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_421
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_421

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the capacity of water companies to meet demand arising from new housing developments in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Emma Hardy: Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) are responsible for delivering housing allocations included within their Local Plans, including relevant infrastructure to support growth.

Surrey Heath District Council produced a Water Cycle Study (WCS) in March 2025, to provide an evidence base to show the environmental constraints from their proposed housing allocations. This study, reviewed by the Environment Agency, highlighted additional capacity is likely required at two sites across Surrey Heath, Lightwater STW and Camberley STW, to support additional housing without causing deterioration to water quality.

This matter has been raised by the Environment Agency as a 'point of soundness' for further consideration by the LPA, within their emerging Surrey Heath Local Plan, and is due to be heard at the Surrey Heath Local Plan examination which begins on 16 September.
wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_422
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_422

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that unitary authorities have the (a) powers and (b) resources to develop effective strategic flooding plans. \p Emma Hardy: The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 requires lead local flood authorities – which include unitary authorities – to develop, maintain, apply and monitor a strategy for local flood risk management in its area.

Local authorities receive revenue funding to deliver local services, including local flood risk management, through the Local Government Finance Settlement. For 2025-26 this makes available over £69 billion, a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024-2025.
wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_423
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_423

Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to further restrict the (a) sale or (b) use of (i)perfluorooctanoic acid and (ii) products which contain it. \p Emma Hardy: Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts, and related compounds are already banned in the UK under the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Regulation 2019/1021, as amended. That legislation prohibits the manufacturing, placing on the market and use of POPs, including PFOA.
wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_424
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-16 conversation_424

Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the total number of households in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency that remain without access to central government-supported flood resilience measures. \p Emma Hardy: Flood Resilience Measures include Natural Flood Management, Property Flood Resilience (PFR), and Sustainable Drainage Systems. These can be effective at reducing the impacts of flooding but are always considered against a range of flood risk management options.

The National Flood Risk Assessment identifies 196 properties at high or medium risk from fluvial flooding within this constituency. The Environment Agency are undertaking a new 'Initial Assessment' for Buckingham which will look at flood risk data and create a high-level evaluation of potential mitigation measures.

A further 2629 properties are identified at high or medium risk from surface water flooding. Surface water flood management is the responsibility of the Lead Local Flood Authority. The FCRM Investment Programme includes the following projects to reduce risk from surface water: