theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Sir Mel Stride:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make a comparative assessment of the outturn and forecast data for public sector net (a) borrowing, (b) debt, excluding Bank of England debt, and (c) financial liabilities for each financial year from 2024-25 until 2029-30 (i) before and (ii) after 29 July 2024. \p Darren Jones: The information requested is publicly available. Forecast data is published on the OBR’s website https://obr.uk/publications/. Outturn public finances data is published on the ONS website https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/publicsectorfinance.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the government put the public finances on a sustainable path by strengthening the fiscal framework, including announcing new fiscal rules, and taking difficult decisions on tax, welfare and spending.

In March 2025, the Office for Budget Responsibility confirmed that the government is on track to meet its fiscal rules.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Lee Anderson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many referrals has HMRC received from local enforcement authorities in relation to the penalty regime introduced through the Tobacco Products (Traceability and Security Features) (Amendment) Regulations 2023. \p James Murray: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has received 312 referrals from local enforcement authorities in relation to the penalty regime introduced through the Tobacco Products (Traceability and Security Features) (Amendment) Regulations 2023.

These regulations extended powers to enable Trading Standards to tackle non-compliance with the UK’s Tobacco Track and Trace system, which regulates tobacco at all stages of the supply chain, from manufacture through to retail. Trading Standards can make referrals to HMRC on potential breaches of the law, for HMRC to impose penalties.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Katie Lam:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason HM Treasury did not meet (a) 81 and (b) 77 per cent of its target response times to correspondence from MPs and Peers in (i) Q3 and (ii) Q4 of 2024. \p James Murray: Since July 2024, Treasury ministers have received over 7,000 pieces of correspondence from Members. That is significantly more than usual, creating a significant backlog.

Officials and Private Offices are working hard to reduce the backlog and clear outstanding cases as quickly as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Nadia Whittome:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) creditors and (b) debt collection agencies (i) respond to customer enquiries and (ii) amend credit files in a timely manner. \p James Murray: Consumer credit lenders and debt collection agencies are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and must comply with its rules. Under the FCA’s Consumer Duty, providing effective customer support is a key requirement. Regulated firms must provide customer support that is prompt, accessible, and easy to understand. The FCA also expects firms to regularly review and improve their customer support processes.

In accordance with data protection laws, a person’s credit file must accurately reflect their credit history. If a consumer thinks their credit record is inaccurate, then they should first contact their lender or the relevant reference agency (CRA) and ask them to update their details. If a consumer believes these organisations have not corrected the inaccurate information they have reported, they can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO enforces data protection laws and may take action if it finds the CRA has failed to make necessary corrections.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 39391 on Cars: Credit, whether she has had discussions with stakeholders on the future sustainability of the motor finance market. \p James Murray: The government recognises the critical role the motor finance market plays in allowing people to own their own vehicle.

The government is engaging with a broad range of stakeholders to monitor issues in the motor finance market.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will meet with the hon. Member for Christchurch to discuss the Bank of England (Inflation Targets) Bill. \p Emma Reynolds: I would be happy to meet with the Honourable Member for Christchurch to discuss the private members bill he introduced on Bank of England (Inflation Targets) as the Chancellor’s parliamentary deputy on economic issues.

My office will contact the Honourable Member in due course to arrange a meeting.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the costs for the UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia [CS Mauritius No.1/2025] are accounted for under his Department's Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit; and what estimate he has made of the potential impact of these costs on (a) his Department's operational budget and (b) the Government’s commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027. \p Luke Pollard: These are being considered as part of the wider Government engagement on the second phase of the Spending Review, which concludes on 11 June 2025.
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Darren Paffey:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to (a) review and (b) remove the upper age limit for entry into flying and other officer roles in the armed forces. \p Luke Pollard: The Department is assessing current policies and identifying those which obstruct individuals from joining the Armed Forces. It is essential that new entrants to the Armed Forces meet set requirements so that they are capable of successfully tackling the various challenges of Service life and the roles in which they will be expected to deploy. As part of this assessment, regulations concerning eligibility requirements, plus those supporting Armed Forces recruitment processes, will be revised and promulgated once finalised. I hope the Hon. Gentleman will understand that where policies are found to be reasonable they will be kept, and where changes are recommended, they will be enacted.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, whether the content of the policy paper was discussed with the lead members of the Strategic Defence Review team prior to its publication. \p Luke Pollard: The Strategic Defence Review was published on 2 June 2025. It sets out the roles, capabilities and reforms required by UK Defence to meet the challenges, threats and opportunities of the twenty-first century.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of this on the recommendations in the Strategic Defence Review. \p Luke Pollard: The Strategic Defence Review was published on 2 June 2025. It sets out the roles, capabilities and reforms required by UK Defence to meet the challenges, threats and opportunities of the twenty-first century.
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David Chadwick:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether representations have been made to his Department on the potential impact of energy parks and associated infrastructure on the Welsh Military Tactical Training Area. \p Maria Eagle: Without details of any specific development being referred to, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) are unable to confirm whether we have been consulted upon a particular development.

The MOD is a statutory consultee in the UK planning systems to safeguard operational defence sites (such as aerodromes, technical sites and explosives storage sites) as well as defence capabilities such as defence radar coverage and the UK military low flying system.

The MOD routinely responds to representations and will raise objections to any development that may adversely impact Defence activities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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David Chadwick:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had on the impact of the proposed green energy network on military aircraft operating in Brecon, Radnor and Cwmtawe constituency. \p Maria Eagle: Without specific details of the proposal referenced, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) are unable to confirm whether we have been consulted on this potential development.

The MOD is a statutory consultee in the UK planning systems to safeguard operational defence sites and routinely responds to representations. The MOD will raise objections to any developments that may adversely impact Defence capabilities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2025 to Question 52039 on Armed Forces: Housing, when the 19 void properties in Huntingdon constituency are due to be refurbished. \p Al Carns: We are unable to provide information confirming where the 19 void properties are in the Huntingdon constituency as this would potentially put at risk the security of our Armed Forces personnel and the safety of their families and dependants.

To provide specific addresses would provide public confirmation that the address provided is a home for Armed Forces personnel. Providing such confirmation would give anyone with malicious intent the address of a Service person which would potentially place them and their family, or indeed anyone who occupied the property in the future, at risk of harm.

We are currently undertaking an extensive review of our entire Service Family Accommodation portfolio to determine how we will utilise our properties including those reacquired from Annington Homes Ltd. Until this review is completed, we are unable to provide details of our future intentions.

All options will be assessed during the review to ensure a strategic and structured approach is taken.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps his Department has taken to help support the mental health of veterans in Northern Ireland; and what support his Department is providing to affected veterans. \p Al Carns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 28 May 2025 to Question 53212.

Veterans: Northern Ireland (docx, 16.4KB)
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with SMEs on barriers to defence procurement. \p Maria Eagle: As part of our development of the Defence Industrial Strategy I have attended a series of Roundtable events with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across the United Kingdom. These events provide an opportunity to engage with SMEs across the defence supply chain, and to receive feedback on their experiences of doing business with defence, including the challenges which they encounter.

In addition to this, planning for a new SME Support Centre for SMEs has started. Officials have held multiple consultation events with SMEs and defence industry to ensure that the new service meets defence SMEs needs. We will be holding more consultation events in the coming weeks.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the stability of the semiconductor supply chain for the UK defence industry. \p Maria Eagle: The Department is actively engaged in de-risking critical defence supply chain vulnerabilities, including for semiconductors, working collaboratively with industry and our international partners to mitigate risks. We aim to identify critical pinch points in our supply chains, for example, critical components, to enable us to make informed decisions around how and if to intervene. The Strategic Review and Defence Industrial Strategy will restate the importance of robust and resilience supply chains to ensure the delivery of critical defence outputs and keep the UK safe and secure.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with defence manufacturers on skills levels in that sector. \p Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Defence is working closely with the defence industry to ensure we have the skilled workforce we require across the defence sector and this is an important focus in the upcoming Defence Industrial Strategy.

We will continue working with industry, including through the newly established Defence Industrial Joint Council, to ensure the sector has access to the skilled workforce it requires now and into the future.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he is taking steps to increase the number of apprenticeships within the defence sector. \p Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is one of the largest providers of apprenticeships in the UK with over 25,000 apprenticeships across the Armed Forces and Civil Service in 2024. The MOD is working closely with the Department for Education and with the defence industry to ensure we have the skilled workforce we require across the defence sector. This is an important focus in the upcoming Defence Industrial Strategy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of animals used for Defence Science and Technology Laboratory research in 2024. \p Maria Eagle: The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory’s (Dstl) remit to provide safe and effective countermeasures for UK Armed Forces could not currently be achieved without some use of animals. The Ministry of Defence does not conduct animal experiments for the development or testing of offensive weapons.

Dstl is committed to the principles of Reduction, Replacement and Refinement (3Rs) in its use of laboratory animals, and only use animals where no feasible alternative methodologies exist.

In 2024, Dstl used 679 animals in procedures regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Sir Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of expenditure by his Department on businesses in the West Midlands. \p Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Defence spent £1.6 billion in the West Midlands in 2023-24, which equates to £260 per person in the region and directly supported 7,100 jobs. This includes £137 million spent directly with SMEs in the same period.

Through the Defence Industrial Strategy, we will continue to engage with industry, devolved governments and local authorities to better understand the regional opportunities and barriers for growth in the defence sector.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 45917 on Armed Forces: Equality, if he will publish the training manuals and documentation prepared for each of those courses provided by the Defence Academy. \p Al Carns: No. The course material is subject to Crown copyright. There are many companies that deliver ED&I training who could financially benefit from copying our course material.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of including directors’ dividends in the initial calculation of child maintenance payments. \p Andrew Western: Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the latest tax year available. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Any income subject to income tax, including bonuses and overtime received by an employed paying parent, is included within their gross weekly income when calculating a child maintenance liability.

Where a paying parent is the Director of their limited liability company, they are legally an employee of that company and are treated the same as any other employee for child maintenance purposes. If the receiving parent believes that the paying parent has additional income from dividends, they can apply for a variation to take this into account.

Variations can be requested on grounds of unearned income, where the paying parent receives extra unearned income of at least £2,500 a year. This includes rental income from property or land, dividends, and interest from savings and investments.

Cases involving complex income can be investigated by the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU). This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions (such as banks, investment companies and mortgage companies) to check the accuracy of information the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is given.

The Child Maintenance Service has committed to reviewing the child maintenance calculation to make sure it fits current and future social trends. This review looks at fairness, family relations, sustainability, compliance, simplifying rates, work progression, including unearned income and assets, and how it interacts with other policies, such as Universal Credit.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Gideon Amos:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will meet with the hon. member for Taunton and Wellington to discuss delays to the monthly retirement benefit payments suffered by his constituent. \p Torsten Bell: I am always happy to meet with colleagues. I will ask my office to contact the Hon. Member to arrange.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Alison Hume:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled Government to launch £360m Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, published on 19 May 2025, whether the £360 million includes funding for offshore wind developments. \p Emma Hardy: We have launched the £360 million “Fishing & Coastal Growth Fund” to support the next generation of fishermen and breathe new life into our coastal communities. We will work with the fishing and seafood sector and coastal communities to understand how to target investment where it matters most.

Alongside this, on 21st May this Government published a working paper setting out proposals for mandatory community benefits for low carbon infrastructure and Shared ownership in Great Britain. Under the proposals developers would be required to contribute a set amount to a community fund. This work is being led through the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The Government supports offshore wind projects through the Contracts for Difference scheme, which guarantees a set price per MWh of electricity for 15 years, indexed to inflation.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of extended producer responsibility on pubs in Epping Forest constituency. \p Mary Creagh: The Government has worked closely with industry, including the pub sector, throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging. In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not split the assessment by constituency. We do not intend to do any specific analysis on pubs in the Epping Forest constituency.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the further roll out of Multi Banks. \p Mary Creagh: This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy – one that stimulates growth, reduces waste, and alleviates pressure on household bills. By keeping our materials in use for longer, we can strengthen supply chain resilience, attract investment in modern manufacturing and processing infrastructure, and create skilled jobs across the country. A circular economy also means less waste going to landfill or on our streets, and more value returned to businesses and consumers alike.

Defra recognises the opportunities and benefits Multi Banks could play in redistributing surplus goods to those that need them. As we develop our Circular Economy Strategy for England, we will consider the evidence from right across the economy and evaluate what interventions may be needed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the glass manufacturing sector on the potential impact of extended producer responsibility on glass packaging since 14 May 2025. \p Mary Creagh: Officials also joined a panel for the Wine and Spirit Trade Association on 21 May, and have met with the Food and Drink Federation and the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the (a) Extended Producer Responsibility and (b) Deposit Return Scheme thresholds for beverage manufacturers are applied (i) per‑brand and (ii) according to the size of the parent company. \p Mary Creagh: If a business is the brand owner of the packaging, then they must include this when determining how much packaging they handle. There is guidance available on gov.uk and the ‘Extended producer responsibility for packaging: Regulators’ agreed positions and technical interpretations’ guidance to support producers in understanding their obligation. Businesses should continue to send their compliance queries to the regulators.

We have included in the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in England regulations, a low volume products exemption to support micro producers selling less than 5,000 units per product line per year. These products can be exempt from DRS if the producer chooses to, by registering those products with the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO).
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Fabian Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure local authorities have (a) clear guidance and (b) funding to meet the March 2026 deadline for collecting (i) food, (ii) drink, (iii) liquid cartons and (iv) other core recyclable materials under Simpler Recycling reforms. \p Mary Creagh: We have published guidance to assist local authorities, other waste collectors and workplaces implement the Simpler Recycling requirements on GOV.UK. This includes guidance on:

We welcome stakeholder feedback, and we are working with our networks of local authority and waste collector stakeholders, as well as sector experts the Waste and Resources Action Programme, to identify and develop additional guidance where appropriate.

Regarding funding, Extended Producer Responsibility payments will be provided to local authorities for the costs of collecting and managing household packaging waste through efficient and effective services. This includes the collection of additional packaging materials for recycling such as plastic films and flexibles.

We have provided local authorities in England with £261.66 million in capital and £56.2 million in resource funding for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years for the weekly collection of food waste from households. A second resource funding payment will be provided in the 2025/26 financial year. Ongoing resource funding from 1 April 2026 is subject to an agreement through a further spending review.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether a UK-based beverage manufacturer can accept returns of all recyclable product packaging to offset their Extended Producer Responsibility levy. \p Mary Creagh: Existing provisions in the pEPR regulations only allow for offsets from disposal cost fees for:
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support farmers to transition to sustainable agricultural practices through the Environmental Land Management schemes in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire. \p Daniel Zeichner: At February’s NFU Conference, the Secretary of State announced a raft of new policies to put money in the pockets of farmers in Fylde, Lancashire, and across the country.

We remain committed to investing £5 billion of funding in the farming budget over two years and are on track to do so.

We will be working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future SFI offer that fairly and responsibly directs funding. Further details about the reformed SFI offer will be announced following the spending review in summer 2025.

We plan to launch the new Higher Tier scheme later this year; Capital Grants will re-open in summer 2025; we continue to move forward with Landscape Recovery; we are increasing payment rates for Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement holders to recognise their ongoing commitment to delivering environmental outcome; and we are making £110 million available for new grant competitions to support research and innovation, technology and equipment for farmers.
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Noah Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to conduct a consultation on (a) modernising UK Waste Codes and (b) redefining (i) waste classifications and (ii) permitted (A) disposal and (B) recovery methods. \p Mary Creagh: Prospective changes to the List of Waste in England will be considered as we develop proposals for our Circular Economy Strategy. Any specific regulatory changes should be subject to consultation.
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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of (a) health certification requirements, (b) other veterinary and (c) customs requirements on cross-border movement of endangered species between the UK and the EU. \p Mary Creagh: An SPS Agreement will establish a UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Zone aimed at reducing trade barriers and facilitating the safe and efficient movement of terrestrial and aquatic zoo animals. Our ambition is to reach an agreement that reduces administrative burden by streamlining SPS checks and certification, while upholding the UK’s commitment to ensure its biosecurity is protected within this future framework.

Defra continues to work closely with the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) to address immediate challenges to the cross-border movement of endangered species, including the availability of Export Health Certificates and Border Control Post capacity.
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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) zoos and (b) aquariums on the inclusion of conservation animal transfers in a future UK-EU veterinary agreement. \p Daniel Zeichner: As announced at the UK-EU Leaders’ Summit on May 19 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Area, aimed at reducing trade barriers and facilitate the safe and efficient movement of zoo animals. With the principles and framework of a deal agreed, we will now negotiate the detail of an agreement that reduces administrative burden by streamlining SPS checks and certification, while upholding the UK’s commitment to ensure its biosecurity is protected within this future framework.

We continue to work closely with zoos and the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) to address challenges related to the movement of animals between the UK and the EU. This includes the availability of Export Health Certificates and to expedite requests for new EHCs, for breeding programmes where welfare concerns may arise.

Ministers have actively engaged with the zoo and wildlife sector through multiple visits and discussions to understand its challenges and opportunities. This dialogue will continue as we work together to support ongoing improvements.
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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that any future UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) veterinary agreement supports the vital role of (a) zoos and (b) aquariums in international conservation breeding programmes. \p Daniel Zeichner: As announced at the UK-EU Leaders’ Summit on May 19 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, aimed at reducing trade barriers and facilitating the safe and efficient movement of terrestrial and aquatic zoo animals. With the principles and framework of a deal agreed, we will now negotiate the detail of an agreement that reduce administrative burden by streamlining SPS checks and certification, while upholding the UK’s commitment to ensure its biosecurity is protected within this future framework.

We continue to work with the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) to address immediate challenges regarding EU trade– such as the availability of Export Health Certificates and Border Control Post capacity. However, our primary focus is on securing a long-term, sustainable solution through a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement with the EU.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-03 conversation_85

Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has updated its contingency plans following foot and mouth disease outbreaks in mainland Europe in 2025. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra’s approach to foot and mouth disease (FMD) control is set out in the Foot and Mouth Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England.

Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) keep preparedness under continual review but have refocused efforts following the recent outbreaks of FMD in mainland Europe. To this end, the FMD Control Strategy is being reviewed and will be published on GOV.UK in due course. The Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England is reviewed annually, and the next update is due to be laid before parliament in late autumn this year.

APHA, which leads Government action on animal disease control in Great Britain, is in the planning stages of a national tier 2 exercise to test and validate our response to an outbreak of FMD, scheduled for late 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-03 conversation_86

Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce (a) delays and (b) administrative burdens on zoos undertaking international animal transfers for conservation purposes. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra continues to work closely with the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) to address immediate challenges to the cross-border movement of endangered species, including the availability of Export Health Certificates and Border Control Post capacity.

An SPS Agreement will establish a UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Zone aimed at reducing trade barriers and facilitating the safe and efficient movement of terrestrial and aquatic zoo animals. Our ambition is to reach an agreement that reduces administrative burdens by streamlining SPS checks and certification, while upholding the UK’s commitment to ensure its biosecurity is protected within this future framework.

Where animals are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), permits will be required to ensure specimens have been legally and sustainable acquired. These are typically valid for 6 months and can be applied for in advance of any planned move to avoid delay. The application process is digital and live animal movements are prioritised to avoid welfare implications. We are currently in the process of reviewing existing CITES regulations to ensure they support conservation and sustainable trade and minimise administrative burdens on businesses.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-03 conversation_87

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when pet passports will be available for travel between the UK and EU. \p Daniel Zeichner: We have agreed to establish a UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Zone, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will be easier and cheaper.

Instead of getting an animal health certificate each time you travel, you will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU.

It’s important that we get the right agreement for the UK, so we will provide more information on pet passports valid for travel to the EU in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-03 conversation_88

Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on helping tackle cases of adverse events in dogs which have been administered Librela. \p Daniel Zeichner: Librela Solution for Injection for Dogs is an authorised injectable veterinary medicinal product containing the active substance bedinvetmab. It is indicated for the alleviation of pain associated with osteoarthritis in dogs.

We continue to actively monitor the reported adverse events in dogs that have been administered Librela.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-03 conversation_89

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-US trade deal on the UK sugar beet farming industry. \p Daniel Zeichner: On 8 May, the UK Government announced a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump. This delivers on the commitment by the Prime Minister and the President on 27 February to agree an economic deal in our respective national interests.

The deal protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK. For the first time ever, this deal will also open up exclusive access for UK beef farmers to the US market.

We are working closely with the ethanol industry and engaging all affected industries to understand and manage impacts. The deal does not specifically cover sugar.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-03 conversation_90

Adrian Ramsay:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the food strategy complies with the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022. \p Daniel Zeichner: The food strategy will articulate outcomes required to deliver food system change, and all outcomes will comply with the law.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-03 conversation_91

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2025 to Question 42383 on Farms: Domestic Visits, if he will list the (a) farms and (b) food production premises visited by the Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs since 5 July 2024; and what dates those visits took place on. \p Daniel Zeichner: Since the election, the Minister has visited farms and food producers across the country on a regular basis. Since the election, the Minister has visited 14 farms in various regions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-03 conversation_92

Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has produced a risk assessment in relation to the potential spread of foot and mouth by hostile actors. \p Daniel Zeichner: Maintaining biosecurity is a key priority for the Government and biosecurity risks are assessed on a regular basis, including through the National Risk Register, to ensure preparedness plans align with the threat landscape. The Biological Security Strategy provides an effective framework to ensure UK resilience against a range of malicious and naturally occurring biosecurity risks.

Defra possesses effective measures to detect new and emerging threats, including the incursion of FMD and actively works with other government departments and the sector through the Veterinary Risk Group (VRG) and the Human and Animal Infections Risk Surveillance (HAIRS) Group. Defra continues to adapt its policies as required and remains committed to protecting the UK’s biosecurity and livestock sector.

Robust measures to maintain and improve Defra’s ability to understand, detect, prevent, respond and recover from foot and mouth disease outbreaks are set out in the Foot and Mouth Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-03 conversation_93

Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will review the adequacy of his Department's guidance on the (a) labelling and (b) information on country of origin for beef products in (i) food service and (ii) retail. \p Daniel Zeichner: The UK maintains high standards on the information provided both online and on food labels and packaging so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy.

A range of Defra guidance is available on the Gov.uk platform for both consumers and retailers. This guidance sets out the requirements for general food labelling and specific product labelling, including details on the country of origin for beef and other meats.

Defra guidance on food labelling, including country of origin for beef products, is kept under regular review to ensure it remains accurate, up to date, and in line with current labelling regulations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-03 conversation_94

Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the new Food Strategy Advisory Board will make assessment of the merits of the association between higher consumption of ultra-processed foods and adverse health outcomes. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Food Strategy Advisory Board will stress test ideas and provide advice to shape the outcomes the food strategy should deliver, including looking at ways of improving health outcomes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-03 conversation_95

Josh Newbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of vehicles rented by her Department are electric vehicles. \p Janet Daby: 0.11% of cars rented by the department were electric vehicles over the past two years, which equated to a total of five.

The department will have a new vehicle hire contract in place from 2026 and, working with suppliers and other government departments, it is our intention to update our current vehicle hire policy to include a strategy of ‘electric first’. This will direct our drivers to seek electric vehicles as a first option, hybrids as a second option and finally combustion engine vehicles where there are no alternatives available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-03 conversation_96

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken for education, health and care plans on children not in school (a) nationally and (b) in Cambridgeshire. \p Catherine McKinnell: All pupils of compulsory school age are entitled to a full-time education. For those who would not get this at school because of illness, exclusion or other reasons, local authorities must arrange suitable alternative education.

Where a child may require an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment, the department wants to ensure that these are progressed and, if an EHC plan is needed, it is issued promptly so that the child can access the support they need. EHC plans must be issued within 20 weeks of the needs assessment commencing.

The department works with local authorities that have issues with EHC plan timeliness, helping them to identify barriers and put in place an effective recovery plan, including securing specialist special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) adviser support where needed.

The department does not collect data specifically regarding the time taken by local authorities to issue an EHC plan for children who are not in school.

Data shows that in 2023, 64.9% of plans in Cambridgeshire were issued within 20 weeks and 2.6% of all new plans in Cambridgeshire were issued for children and young people who were ‘educated elsewhere’. This includes those who were not in school at the time.

Nationally, 50.3% of plans were issued within 20 weeks and 3.1% of all new EHC plans were issued for children and young people who were ‘educated elsewhere’ in 2023.

Data for 2024 will be published in June.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-03 conversation_97

Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprenticeship starts there were in the hair and beauty sector in (a) 2023-4 and (b) 2024-5; and what estimate she has made of the number of apprenticeship starts expected in the hair and beauty sector in 2025-6. \p Janet Daby: The number of hair and beauty related apprenticeship starts in England is published in the apprenticeship accredited official statistics publication, which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/aab773ca-8918-4c57-2ec9-08dd9836fa33.

These were last published in March 2025 and include full year figures for the 2023/24 academic year and year to date figures for the 2024/25 academic year (August 2024 to January 2025).

Apprenticeships are jobs and starts are dependent on employers choosing to offer apprenticeship opportunities, as well as individuals choosing to undertake them.