theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Jim Allister:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle (a) Fulani militants, (b) Boko Haram and (c) other Islamist extremists in Nigeria. \p Chris Elmore: Nigeria is witnessing rising conflict and insecurity, including violent extremism and intercommunal violence. Violence in Nigeria's North-East is driven by terrorist groups including Boko Haram, who target all those who do not subscribe to their extremist views. These attacks are distinct from the intercommunal violence across Nigeria's Middle Belt. The UK Government is committed to supporting Nigeria to address these challenges by working with Nigeria's security forces, and through peacebuilding efforts to tackle the root causes of violence. Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we are supporting Nigeria to tackle insecurity and promote human rights. This includes facilitating civil-military cooperation within North-East communities and utilising UK experience to strengthen the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC). Additionally, the UK's Strengthening Peace and Resilience programme ('SPRING') works to address the root causes of intercommunal violence across Nigeria's Middle Belt, through collaboration with local communities to support productive livelihoods for both farmers and pastoralists.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Dr Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason the UK opposed advancing discussions on a new optional protocol on free education at the Intergovernmental Working Group on Free Education in September 2025; and whether she plans to review that decision. \p Chris Elmore: The UK is committed to investing in children and promoting equal access to education. The UK already provides free primary and secondary education and has been supporting partners globally to deliver education for all. We challenged the need for a new optional protocol as free secondary education is already provided for under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. States Parties to these treaties should already be providing free education.

We do not believe the resources required to develop a new treaty solely on free pre-primary education are justified when they could otherwise be used to implement existing international obligations.

This position is in line with several UN entities, including United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the leading actor on child rights with a global presence and understanding of lived realities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Anna Dixon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK will maintain its contribution to the Eighth Replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. \p Chris Elmore: I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 31 July to question 69165.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department is taking to help protect Nigerian Christians. \p Chris Elmore: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 20 October to Question 81931.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason her Department reduced ODA spending on global health from £974.9 million in 2024–25 to £527.3 million in 2025–26; and whether that includes reductions to (a) pandemic preparedness and (b) maternal health programmes. \p Chris Elmore: Our 2025/26 Official Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend on global health reflects multilateral payments which were brought forward to 2024/25 - including Gavi and the World Health Organisation (WHO) - to support effective ODA budget management across financial years.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the conflict in Sudan on children. \p Chris Elmore: The conflict in Sudan has had a devastating impact on civilians and especially women and children. According to UNICEF, six million children have become displaced and approximately 23 million children are exposed to violence, abuse and exploitation. Conflict Related Sexual Violence is endemic and young girls continue to be targeted. UNICEF also assessed that nearly 90 per cent of Sudan's school age children (17 million out of a total of 19 million children in Sudan) are no longer in school with armed violence cited as the main reason. The UK continues to support children through the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund which provides support to local responders, such as the Emergency Response Rooms, who provide humanitarian assistance across Sudan. We also support UNICEF who are providing lifesaving nutrition programmes to some of the most vulnerable children. We consistently use our position as penholder at the UN Security Council on Sudan to push the warring parties to honour the Jeddah Declaration and uphold humanitarian law and protect civilians. As leader of the Core Group on Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council, we spearheaded the renewal of the Fact-Finding Mission's mandate which investigates human rights abuses and violations across Sudan. Those suspected of targeting, abusing or exploiting children must face justice.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps she has taken with humanitarian organisations to prevent sexual violence in conflict-affected areas in Ethiopia. \p Chris Elmore: Combatting conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) within Ethiopia continues to be a key focus for the UK and we work with UN partners as well as NGOs and the Red Cross in order to support those affected by these particular human rights violations. Civilians across various regions have been severely impacted over many years of conflict and the number of people affected continues to rise.

The UK has prioritised healthcare, psychosocial support, access to justice, as well as policy efforts to increase accountability. In the last financial year, we allocated £4.6 million to deliver Gender Based Violence (GBV) and child protection services in Tigray, Afar, Amhara, Oromia and Somali regions. Between June 2023 and January 2025, GBV and child protection services reached over 50,000 women and girls, across 19 health facilities in affected regions. The UK remains committed to preventing CRSV and funding for GBV prevention and response has increased this financial year. Funding for future years has not yet been allocated.

Civilians in Amhara region have been severely impacted by over two years of conflict between government forces and 'Fano' militias. The ongoing conflict has led to significant humanitarian need and widespread conflict-related human rights violations and abuses, including extra-judicial killings, sexual and gender-based violence and attacks against civilians. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has called for full investigations into abductions and killings of civilians and for perpetrators to be held accountable. Humanitarian indicators are deteriorating with 68 per cent of children now acutely malnourished and diseases, including cholera, spreading. The UK has consistently called for civilians to be protected, human rights abuses to be independently investigated and for the conflict to be resolved through dialogue.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether overseas aid provided to the Safe Abortion Action Fund has been given to Las Libres since 2022. \p Chris Elmore: The UK provides overseas aid to the Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF), which works to expand access to legal, safe and life-saving abortion services in low- and middle-income countries. SAAF is a pooled fund which supports a number of partners globally, details of which can be found on its website.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on maintaining the UK’s role in tackling antimicrobial resistance internationally. \p Chris Elmore: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 September to Question 69322.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to provide humanitarian support to the Government of Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa. \p Seema Malhotra: The welfare and security of British nationals is our highest priority. We have 24/7 consular support in place for those affected by Hurricane Melissa, and the UK is in close contact with travel companies who are working to restore flights for holidaymakers and British nationals. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has chartered a limited number of flights from Jamaica for British nationals who are unable to fly home commercially. British nationals in Jamaica are encouraged to register their presence via the "Register Your Presence" link on our Travel Advice for Jamaica to allow the FCDO to share important updates, including information on UK government charter flights.

The UK has been steadfast in its commitment to provide support to Jamaica's recovery. We are mobilising emergency humanitarian assistance to support regional efforts to recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.  This includes providing emergency supplies such as shelter kits, water filters, and blankets, and deploying a team of humanitarian specialists to ensure critical supplies reach the hardest-hit communities. The UK is working with the Jamaican authorities and its international partners, including the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and UN agencies, to ensure humanitarian assistance is delivered to the worst affected areas and meets the immediate needs of the most vulnerable.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made provision in her departmental budget for the cost of payments to Mauritius under the UK-Mauritius Treaty in 2025-26. \p Stephen Doughty: The payments to Mauritius will be split between the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Ministry of Defence. They will be published in the normal manner alongside other departmental spend in the annual accounts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 74773 on Civil Servants: Resignations, whether any civil servants have resigned in response to the letter from the Permanent Under-Secretaries. \p Seema Malhotra: It is the longstanding policy of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office under successive governments not to comment on internal HR matters.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in Vietnam on the arrest of Montagnard Pastor Y Nuen Ayun on 8 October 2025; and whether she is taking diplomatic steps to ensure his release. \p Seema Malhotra: We raise human rights concerns with the Vietnamese Government, including freedom of religion and belief bilaterally and multilaterally. The Foreign Secretary emphasised the importance of protecting religious freedom with Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung on 30 October, following my own discussions with the Vice Foreign Minister on 13 October. Our new UK-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership includes cooperation on human rights, particularly it notes that the 'UK and Vietnam will cooperate to foster inclusive societies that embrace and provide equal opportunities and respect for the human rights of all people, without discrimination of any kind.' Through the UN Human Rights Council we regularly raise specific cases of concern.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Sammy Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Chinese counterpart on reports of attacks against Christian communities in eastern China; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure the protection of those communities. \p Seema Malhotra: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 14 October to question 77079.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve (a) diplomatic and (b) development cooperation with Pacific Island nations. \p Seema Malhotra: The UK has resident diplomatic missions in six Pacific Island Countries (PICs) and we are also non-resident accredited to six additional PICs. The UK is committed to working with PICs to support their priorities, as set out in the Pacific Islands Forum's 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. The UK is supporting PICs in areas such as regional security, economic resilience and growth and tackling the climate and nature crisis. Examples include: improving and enhancing regional maritime security; strengthening preparedness, response and resilience to humanitarian crises; and investment into PICs through multilateral and other funds to achieve better infrastructure and development outcomes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Stephen Gethins:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) civilian conflict resolution and (b) peacebuilding funding. \p Seema Malhotra: I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 20 October to question 80942.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Sarah Champion:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking with partners to increase access to education for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. \p Seema Malhotra: The UK Government remains committed to improving the situation of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. In September, the Foreign Secretary announced £27 million in new funding, bringing the UK's total support to £447 million. This includes assistance to help refugees access to essential services, including education.

We will continue working with the wider international community and our partners to improve access to education and skills training for the Rohingya.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Alex Ballinger:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has considered dissolving her Department's Migration and Conflict Directorate. \p Seema Malhotra: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 11 July 2025 to Question 64725.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Sir Iain Duncan Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the report by (a) the Australian Strategic Policy Institute entitled Scamland Myanmar: How conflict and crime syndicates built a global fraud industry, published in September 2024, and (b) the US Institute of Peace entitled Myanmar Scam Hubs Revive Fast After China Eases Pressure on Junta, published on 26 September 2024. \p Seema Malhotra: The UK is acting in concert with our allies and partners to combat the growing transnational threat from scam centres, including by joining the US in sanctioning the multi-billion-pound Prince Group network in October, and sanctioning 3 individuals in 2023 for their involvement in trafficking to Myanmar-based scam centres. By exposing and severely disrupting such actors, our sanctions act as a strong deterrence and put pressure on the wider scam economy and its enablers, supporting the efforts of affected countries in the region. We keep all evidence and potential designations under close review. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.

Scam centres operating in Myanmar are likely to target a wide range of nationals, including British nationals, as victims of scams and potentially for recruitment into the centres themselves. It is crucial that all British nationals carefully consider job offers in the region, especially where the offer appears too good to be true.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Vietnamese counterpart on reports of attacks against (a) Khmer Krom human rights defenders and (b) Theravada Buddhist monks. \p Seema Malhotra: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to question 85114.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Fabian Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to support the (a) mandate and (b) recommendations of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. \p Seema Malhotra: The UK supports both the mandate and recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. As penholder on Myanmar at the UN Security Council, we have convened four meetings this year to maintain international focus and press for accountability. We co-sponsored a Human Rights Council resolution in April and coordinated a joint statement in May calling for an end to violence. We remain deeply concerned by ongoing violations committed by the Myanmar military, including airstrikes on civilians, sexual violence, and forced recruitment of children. Since the coup, the UK has provided over £190 million in humanitarian aid, including healthcare, education, and support for civil society. The UK continues to lead efforts to keep Myanmar on the international agenda and advocate for human rights.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she will consider the potential merits of commissioning a study of the environmental condition of the Marine Protected Area around the Chagos Archipelago prior to the transfer of sovereignty under the UK-Mauritius Treaty. \p Stephen Doughty: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to question 70431.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has had discussions with the Government of Mauritius on the potential presence of third countries in the Chagos Archipelago following the transfer of sovereignty under the terms of UK-Mauritius Treaty. \p Stephen Doughty: The treaty contains robust provisions to protect the base, including a 24 nautical mile buffer zone around Diego Garcia and a ban on foreign security forces anywhere in the archipelago. Any suggestions that Mauritius has been negotiating a lease on Peros Banhos are false. This was confirmed by the Mauritian Attorney General in a public statement on 20 October 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether a representative of the government of Mauritius enquired with her Department about visiting the Chagos Archipelago prior to sovereignty being transferred; and whether her Department has been asked to facilitate visits with third countries participating. \p Stephen Doughty: I refer the Rt Hon. member to the answer given to question 69814.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to her (a) Indian and (b) Chinese counterparts on comments by the representatives of Mauritius on the lease of land in the Chagos Archipelago upon the ratification of the 2025 treaty on the British Indian Ocean Territory. \p Stephen Doughty: The treaty contains robust provisions to protect the base, including a 24 nautical mile buffer zone around Diego Garcia and a ban on foreign security forces anywhere in the archipelago. Any suggestions that Mauritius has been negotiating a lease on Peros Banhos are false. This was confirmed by the Mauritian Attorney General in a public statement on 20 October 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will hold discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of imposing a full arms embargo on Israel. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 18 September to question 72500.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the Israeli Government's approval of the E1 Construction Plan. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 3 September to question 71442.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Bob Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications of her policies of the death of Somayeh Rashidi in Iran in September 2025; and what discussions she has had with her Iranian counterparts on taking steps to ensure there is an independent investigation of his death. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: As we set out in the answer of 6 August 2025 to question 67434 we remained concerned over the arbitrary detention of women and other political prisoners in Iran, and we were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Somayeh Rashidi, and other women in detention.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Alex Sobel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of supporting the call for the renewal of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara mandate. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK has consistently voted for UN Security Council Resolutions that renew the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, including the latest Resolution adopted by the UN Security Council on 30 October 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential of agricultural land in Gaza to grow adequate quantities of food to support the population. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK is deeply concerned by the collapse of Gaza's agricultural sector and the impact the destruction has had on food security. Recent assessments by the UN indicate that 86 per cent of cropland in Northern Gaza has been damaged. In response, we have scaled up our support for the World Food Programme (WFP). On 13 October we announced a £20 million humanitarian aid package, including support to the WFP to deliver vital assistance to thousands of civilians across Gaza. We are also supporting the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) pooled fund, which has provided funding to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).

The UK stands ready to take a leading role in support of Palestinian-led early recovery and reconstruction efforts from phase 2 of the ceasefire through to sustainable peace.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the scope of the College of British Diplomacy will be. \p Chris Elmore: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 20 October to Question 79228.
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John Glen:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with international partners on measures to provide support to the Hazara Muslim population in Afghanistan; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to ensure their protection. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Ministers do not engage with the Taliban, but Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials regularly press the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans, most recently in October. The Government is working with international partners to maintain collective pressure on the Taliban to reverse their inhuman restrictions. We continue to support the UN Special Rapporteur and his mandate to document human rights abuses in Afghanistan. Upholding human rights and gender equality is not only a moral imperative but also essential for building a stable, inclusive and prosperous country for all Afghans.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Israeli counterpart on increasing the number of evacuation days for (a) recipients of the Chevening Scholarship and their dependents and (b) medically vulnerable children and their dependents to the UK. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: We continue to work with international partners to facilitate departures from Gaza where possible, and the Foreign Secretary most recently spoke to her Israeli counterpart, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on 18 October about the importance of opening more crossings.
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Zarah Sultana:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which (a) financial institutions and (b) private corporations attended the Wilton Park conference on the reconstruction of Gaza. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK co-hosted a conference at Wilton Park with the Palestinian Authority and Egypt on mobilising private sector finance in support of Palestinian-led planning for the Recovery and Reconstruction of Gaza. Wilton Park Protocol means that we cannot provide exact names or institutions, but the attendees included international investors with particular focus on development impact, multilateral institutions, Palestinian private sector representatives, and our international partners, including European and Arab Governments.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the US has had decisions with her Department on US strategic objectives in tackling drug smuggling in (a) Venezuela and (b) the wider Caribbean. \p Chris Elmore: We have extensive discussions with the US on a wide range of shared security objectives, including on counter narcotics but specific operational activities undertaken by the US military in the Caribbean and the Pacific are a matter for the US.
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Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria her Department applies in classifying a country as (a) posing a threat to and (b) constituting an enemy of the United Kingdom; and whether those criteria include (i) hostility to democratic polities, (ii) possession of nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles, (iii) totalitarian domestic repressiveness and (iv) adherence to Marxist-Leninist communist ideology. \p Stephen Doughty: National security is the first duty of any government. The National Security Council ensures that Ministers consider national security in the round and in a strategic way. Robust intelligence analysis of any activity that might undermine our security underpins any judgment about national security threats. Formal assessments draw on multiple sources, taking into consideration a country's capability, intent, behaviours, and impact across a range of national interests. The Government is committed to countering state threat activity to protect our country and secure the national interest.
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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Nicaraguan counterpart on the imprisonment of Efrén Antonio Vílchez López. \p Chris Elmore: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer of 17 October 2025 to question 81287. We remain concerned by the harassment and arbitrary detention of members of the Church in Nicaragua and urge the Nicaraguan authorities to release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally.
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Susan Murray:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) Dr Abu Safiya and (b) other Gazan healthcare workers who remain imprisoned in Israel are (i) released and (ii) allowed to return to providing healthcare in Gaza. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 6 August to question 68153.
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Dr Rupa Huq:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Pakistani counterpart on the destruction of two Ahmadiyya places of worship in Chahur Mughliyan and Chahur Kotli on 2 September 2025. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer on 29 October to question 83844.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-03 conversation_63

Sarah Coombes:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many suppliers on the register of number plate suppliers have been found to be failing to carry out legal checks before selling a number plate. \p Lilian Greenwood: The information requested about the number of people with criminal convictions, including fraud, is not held by the Department.

The DVLA supports Trading Standards and the police in prosecuting suppliers who fail to meet the requirements of the relevant legislation. During 2025, the DVLA has supported Trading Standards and the police in the successful prosecution of 14 suppliers. These included offences of not keeping records and failing to ask for the required documentation. The DVLA also carries out audits of registered number plate suppliers and sends warning letters where appropriate. Over the last five years the DVLA has carried out 7,993 audits and sent 3,759 warning letters. The warning letters issued are related to not keeping the required records, supplying number plates without seeing original documents and for being an unregistered supplier.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-03 conversation_64

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prevent taxi drivers being licensed in one authority and operating in another. \p Lilian Greenwood: I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave on 18 September 2025, to Question UIN 76341.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-03 conversation_65

Robbie Moore:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, published in June 2025, what progress she has made on implementing recommendation 11. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department for Transport will legislate to address the important issues raised in the report, tackling the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. We are considering all options – including out of area working, national standards and enforcement – seeking the best overall outcomes for passenger safety. Careful consideration of the options is needed as we do not want any change to decrease the availability of highly vetted licensed drivers and vehicles and inadvertently increase the use of those offering illegal services that evade these licensing checks.

We intend to consult shortly on making all local transport authorities responsible for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. Administering taxi and private hire vehicle licensing over larger areas could greatly increase consistency in standards across England, reduce out-of-area working and result in a better match between licensing revenue and compliance and enforcement burdens.

We are also reviewing licensing authorities' compliance with existing DfT guidance and considering how the statutory guidance can be strengthened to further protect the public. As part of this work, all licensing authorities in England have reported that they require the highest level of criminal background checks for taxi and PHV driver licence applicants – an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check with a check of the children’s and adults’ barred lists. Where other recommendations are not being followed, particularly those linked to safeguarding, we intend to hold authorities to account.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-03 conversation_66

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2025 to Question 76344 on South Western Railway: Personnel Management, which organisation provided payroll services for South Western Railway (a) prior to and (b) following its transfer into public ownership. \p Keir Mather: South Western Railway has managed payroll services internally prior to and following the transfer to public ownership.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-03 conversation_67

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78691 on Railways: Concessions, whether Great British Railways plans to use ticket pricing to (a) manage demand and (b) reduce crowding on trains. \p Simon Lightwood: Great British Railways (GBR) will be empowered to deliver industry-wide modernisation and fares reform, including considering the most effective ways to manage issues such as crowding.

We are already making progress in considering options to address this, including through supporting LNER in trialling easier to understand fares on their long-distance network between the London area and Edinburgh and the North East. This aims to address the inefficient and unacceptable situation where some ‘peak’ trains run nearly empty while some ‘off-peak’ trains are crowded. We are doing this by moving towards more flexible, demand-based pricing – a model commonly used for long-distance rail in countries such as France, Italy, and Spain. The results of this trial will be carefully considered before any decisions on next steps are taken.
wrans/answers2025-11-03 conversation_68
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-03 conversation_68

Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the availability of driving tests in St Albans. \p Simon Lightwood: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.

On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.

These actions include incentivised additional testing offers for driving examiners, doubling permanent training capacity for new driving examiners, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests.

DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country to provide as many tests as possible. Since July last year, DVSA has recruited and trained 290 driving examiners (DE) who are now in post and delivering driving tests.

St Albans driving test centre is part of a cluster of test centres, including Stevenage.

A new entrant examiner has recently passed their training course and is now testing full time and conducting driving tests at both St Albans and Stevenage driving test centres. A further new entrant examiner is in their final week of training, if successful they will begin conducting tests at St Albans and Stevenage from 3 November 2025. DVSA has also made offers to one further new entrant examiner, DVSA will arrange their training course as soon as they have accepted.

On 28 May, DVSA launched a public consultation on improving the rules for booking car driving tests. The consultation closed on 23 July. DVSA will review the feedback given and announce next steps as soon as possible. Further information on the consultation can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-car-driving-test-booking-rules/improving-car-driving-test-booking-rules
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-03 conversation_69

Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2025 to Question 67160 on Whitchurch Station: Access and with reference to the announcement on railway stations awarded Access for All accessibility funding, published on 24 May 2024, when she plans to announce the timeline for completion of Access for All construction at Whitchurch Railway Station. \p Simon Lightwood: We are committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognise the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

Since 2006 the Access for All programme has installed accessible, step free routes at over 270 stations plus a range of smaller scale access improvements at around 1500 stations.

In May 2024, the previous government agreed the publication of a list of 50 additional stations selected for initial feasibility work, which included Whitchurch railway station.

Network Rail have now completed all 50 feasibility studies and we will shortly be announcing which of those stations will progress.
wrans/answers2025-11-03 conversation_70
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-03 conversation_70

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answers of 20 October to Questions 82468 and 82466 on Unmanned Air Systems: Delivery Services, whether the Department’s review will consider (a) standardised template Airspace Change Proposals for Beyond Visual Line of Sight corridors, (b) reusable safety cases, and (c) predefined temporary segregated airspace models for (i) humanitarian and (ii) medical logistics use cases. \p Keir Mather: The review to the regulatory framework which I referred to in my response to questions 82466 and 82468, relates to amending the Air Navigation Directions and Air Navigation Guidance. These are the Department for Transport statutory documents issued to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to instruct and guide them on how to carry out their air navigation functions. We intend to launch a public consultation on these changes by the end of the year. The consultation will be followed by an impact assessment prior to any changes coming into effect.

The consultation will include potential measures to provide the CAA with greater flexibility and discretion to expedite and support trials of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations.

On 25th September 2025 the CAA launched its consultation on proposed changes to their airspace change process (CAP1616). This consultation will run until 18th December 2025. As the UK’s independent regulator for civil aviation, the CAA owns this process, as such I am not able to comment on any questions relating to this consultation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-03 conversation_71

James Asser:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people held pilot licences issued by the Civil Aviation Authority permitting them to fly commercial passenger flights on (a) UK-registered aeroplanes and (b) aeroplanes operated by UK-licensed airlines in each of the last 10 years (i) in total and (ii) broken down by (A) type of licence, (B) sex, (C) age and (D) ethnicity. \p Keir Mather: We have provided the attached spreadsheet showing the pilot licences issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) over the last ten years categorised by type of licence, sex and age. However, the CAA does not hold data on pilot licences categorised by ethnicity.

Table of Pilot Licence data (xlsx, 323.7KB)

Notes for Pilot Licence data (docx, 48.9KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-03 conversation_72

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to raise awareness among motorists of their responsibilities when passing horses on public roads. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government’s flagship road safety campaign, THINK!, is currently running a Sharing the Road Safely radio advert via the Fillers service, which enables broadcasters to air public service messages at no cost. The advert promotes safe driving speeds and passing distances, reminding drivers to leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists and to give adequate space to horse riders.

In 2022, the Highway Code was updated to improve the safety of all road users, particularly the most vulnerable. Key changes included the introduction of a Hierarchy of Road Users, which places greater responsibility on those who can cause the most harm, and strengthened guidance on safe passing distances and speeds when overtaking horse riders.

THINK! ran targeted campaigns to alert road users to these changes and broader behavioural campaigns to encourage understanding and compliance. We will continue to promote the Highway Code changes through THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as via partner organisations.

The Government takes the safety of horse riders and other vulnerable road users very seriously and remains committed to reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on England’s roads. My Department is currently developing our Road Safety Strategy, and further details will be set out in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-03 conversation_73

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road incidents involving horses have been reported in each of the last five years; and how many of those incidents resulted in (a) injury and (b) death to (i) riders, (ii) drivers and (iii) horses. \p Lilian Greenwood: The number of reported personal injury road collisions involving horses and the numbers of killed or injured casualties in these collisions by road user type are shown in the table:

Year

Collisions involving horses

Killed horse riders

Injured horse riders

Killed drivers or riders (excluding horse riders)

Injured drivers or riders (excluding horse riders)

2020

82

1

78

0

4

2021

78

0

76

0

2

2022

72

1

70

0

3

2023

53

0

52

0

5

2024

63

0

66

0

5

STATS19 only records horses as vehicles and therefore the number of killed or injured horses cannot be calculated.