theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mr Will Forster:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the extra cost of car insurance premiums faced by (a) all drivers and (b) those drivers who have not previously claimed. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government committed in its manifesto to tackle the high costs of motor insurance. Our cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce, launched in October, is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority.

This Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments aimed at stabilising or reducing the cost to all drivers, including those who have not previously made a claim on their motor insurance.
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to prevent foreign lorries without adequate safety features using UK roads. \p Lilian Greenwood: All lorries using GB roads must meet safety standards. The Driver and vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) conduct enforcement of this, including roadside checks.

DVSA use data and intelligence to target those vehicles that present the highest risk to road safety. Where vehicles do not meet standards, they are prohibited from continuing their journey until the defects are fixed and until any penalties are paid.
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Jack Rankin:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department holds data on noise readings from Heathrow Airport on (a) 21 March 2025 and (b) average on other days. \p Mike Kane: The Department does not hold data on individual noise readings from Heathrow Airport.

We expect airports to help local communities understand their noise impacts through monitoring, provision of information and communication. Heathrow publishes a wide range of noise data on its website including real time data from its noise monitors and annual reports which detail its noise impacts.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department. \p Mike Kane: The response below covers the central department (DfTc) and the five Executive Agencies: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Active Travel England (ATE).

Please note: DfT(c) handle all IT devices for Active Travel England (ATE) and so they are included in the returns for DfT(c).

The median age of computers issued is below:

DfT(C) (inc. ATE): 1.6 years old.

DVLA: 2 years old.

DVSA: 2.5 years old.

VCA: 4.16 years old.

MCA: 2.5 years old.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost was of providing translation services in her Department in the last year. \p Mike Kane: The total spend on Translation Services by DFT in the last financial year (2023/24) is £74,575.16
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve bus services in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England, including in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.

In addition, the Government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Buckinghamshire County Council has been allocated over £6.7 million of this funding, with Milton Keynes Council allocated £3.6 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.
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Brian Mathew:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve bus transport for people with hidden disabilities. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government is committed to improving bus services right across the country, so they are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity, including people with hidden disabilities. On 1st October 2024, the first phase of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 came into force, meaning that newer vehicles providing local services must provide accessible audible and visible information on stops, destinations and diversions. The majority of services will need to comply by October 2026.

On 17th December, the government introduced a new Bus Services Bill that will give local leaders the freedom to take decisions to deliver their local transport priorities and ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them, including for disabled people. The Bill includes measures to make the design of bus and coach stations and stops safer and more accessible, and sets requirements for training for staff on disability-assistance and disability awareness to ensure bus drivers and staff dealing directly with the travelling public are better informed of the rights and needs of disabled passengers.
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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to extend free bus passes for over 60s across England. \p Simon Lightwood: The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as lowering the age of eligibility, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.

Local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations such as lowering the age of eligibility. Additional local concessions are provided and funded by local authorities from local resources.

The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available in the local area.
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Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to publish the guidance entitled Manual For Streets 3. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department is working to bring together and update the Manual for Streets and Manual for Streets 2 to ensure the advice within them is still relevant and enables those designing streets to do so in a way that contributes to sustainable, healthy and active communities. A date for publication has not been set.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of East West Rail on Thameslink services (a) from London to Bedford, (b) from Bedford to London, (c) northbound on the East Coast Main Line and (d) southbound on the East Coast Main Line. \p Simon Lightwood: EWR Co’s proposals to use six tracking north of Bedford have been designed to mitigate impact on Thameslink services from Bedford to London. EWR trains will provide an interchange at Tempsford with East Coast Main Line services but will not run on the East Coast Main Line. There may be a slightly additional dwell time on some East Coast Main Line Thameslink services to accommodate the new stop at Tempsford.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2025 to Question 30410 on Govia Thameslink Railway and London Northwestern Railway: Nationalisation, what the relevant circumstances considered are. \p Simon Lightwood: A range of factors will be taken into consideration as Ministers go through a process of decision-making on further transfers into public ownership, following the transfers of SWR’s services in May, c2c’s in July and Greater Anglia’s in autumn 2025. We expect further transfers to follow the order in which operators’ current contractual minimum terms expire, unless an operator defaults on its contract to the extent that there is a contractual right to terminate, or other extenuating circumstances arise. Other factors for Ministers to consider could include, but are not limited to, operational factors and relevant circumstances prevailing at the time.
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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 38013, what steps she plans to take ensure Highways England and its contractors meet the legal requirements in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for the removal of litter, debris and detritus from the highway, reservations, slip roads, embankments and verges (a) nationwide and (b) on the M60 and M67 in Gorton and Denton constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Environment Protection Act 1990 governs the responsibility for clearing highway litter and sweeping carriageways. National Highways is responsible for litter collection on motorways and some ‘A’ roads while the relevant Local Authority manages litter collection on the rest of the roads in England.

National Highways undertakes weekly safety inspections on the M60 and M67. National Highways’ most recent inspection of the M67 and M60 in Denton took place on 20 March 2025. The performance of contractors and their completion of maintenance activities are reviewed and monitored monthly by National Highways.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department plans to take to improve rail accessibility via its consultation entitled A railway fit for Britain's future, published on 18 February 2025. \p Simon Lightwood: Accessibility is a priority for this Government and will be for Great British Railways (GBR), and we are committed to delivering a rail system which allows disabled people to travel easily, confidently and with dignity. The consultation states this, with accessibility listed as one of our six objectives. The consultation also includes proposals for a powerful passenger watchdog, with an explicit role on accessibility, that will act as a strong advocate for passengers. The proposed watchdog will have the ability to monitor how services are delivered to disabled passengers, escalate concerns to the regulator for enforcement, and could have a role in setting standards.
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Mr Paul Foster:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on when accessibility improvement works will commence at Chorley railway station. \p Simon Lightwood: Northern Trains Ltd and Network Rail took the decision to remove the previous contractor due to serious on-site safety concerns and remedial works have taken place. Urgent work is underway to consider how best to deliver accessibility improvements at Chorley station – MPs and other stakeholders will be updated once a viable strategy has been identified.
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John McDonnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with GWR on reducing the size of the ticket office window at stations. \p Simon Lightwood: Any changes to Ticket Office opening hours, in relation to regulated stations covered by Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, must be made following the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement conditions and Secretary of State guidance. The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with Great Western Railway on changes related to Ticket Offices at any of its stations.
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Noah Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to (a) support the development of battery-electrified trains and (b) ensure that those trains are made using British critical minerals. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government is supporting the development of battery-electric trains as they are an integral part of the plan to decarbonise the railway network by 2050. This includes innovative projects such as the Greenford fast-charge battery train trial, a recent battery trial on a TransPennine Express unit, as well as the full deployment of multi-mode trains with batteries by Transport for Wales and Merseyrail. We are progressing work on a whole systems approach to decarbonisation, ensuring both track and train are considered.

The Government published a Critical Minerals Strategy in 2022, which sets out its approach for ensuring the secure supply of critical minerals for key technologies including batteries.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of running East-West Rail to Stansted Airport. \p Simon Lightwood: There are currently no plans to extend the EWR service outside of its core scope, but through services may be an option in the future.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing funding for new railway stations that offer a direct route to London in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government believes that local leaders are best placed to prioritise and take forward regeneration projects which are most appropriate for the areas they serve, particularly where they will support economic growth, job creation, more and better housing. I would encourage you to engage further with local planning teams and local stakeholders to make the case for funding new railway stations in the Surrey Heath constituency.
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Mims Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the (a) closure of Oakwood theme park and (b) potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions on the (i) hospitality and (ii) tourism sectors in Wales. \p Jo Stevens: I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of matters, including those affecting the Welsh economy.

I was saddened to hear about the closure of Oakwood Theme Park. I understand this will be a concerning time for workers at the park and their families.  However, Wales's tourism and hospitality offering continues to be among the best in the world, and both the UK and Welsh Governments are committed to supporting these sectors.

Regarding the impact of changes to National Insurance contributions on the sector, the UK Government has protected the smallest businesses by more than doubling the Employment Allowance to £10,500, ensuring over half of small and micro businesses pay less or no national insurance contributions. Small and Medium sized enterprises account for 99.3% of total enterprises in Wales.

The UK Government is committed to supporting the Welsh tourism and hospitality sectors. In February, we announced a £15 million investment for Venue Cymru and the Newport Transporter Bridge. These are two key projects that will help boost the tourism and culture sectors in Wales.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the relationship between the UK and Israel. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK government has taken action in response to the egregious activity of the Israeli government in Gaza and the West Bank. The actions of this Israeli government are isolating Israel from its friends and partners around the world and in response we have suspended negotiations with the Israeli government on a new free trade agreement. We will also review cooperation under the 2030 Bilateral Roadmap.

The decision made by the Israeli Government on 8 August to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately. This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed.

Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions. What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution. Hamas can play no part in the future of Gaza and must leave as well as disarm.

Together with our allies, we are working on a long-term plan to secure peace in the region as part of a two-state solution, and ultimately achieve a brighter future for Palestinians and Israelis. As part of this, on 29 July, the Prime Minister announced the UK will recognise the state of Palestine in September before the United Nations General Assembly; unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza and commits to a long-term sustainable peace. These actions do not undermine our support for the Israeli people, our commitment to their security, and standing with them against the evil of antisemitism.

This financial year we have allocated £101 million for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, covering our significant humanitarian response in Gaza and the West Bank, our support for Palestinian economic development, reform of the Palestinian Authority, and supporting Palestinian refugees in the region.
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Kate Osamor:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the Defense for Children International – Palestine's report entitled Starving a generation: Israel’s famine campaign targeting Palestinian children in Gaza, published on 24 June 2025. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: We are appalled by the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where famine is now unfolding, as confirmed by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) on 29 July. This is unacceptable. While the Israeli Defence Forces' "tactical pauses" are a necessary step, they are long overdue. We highlighted the critical situation for Gaza's children through our statement at the UN Security Council on 30 June and at the International Development Committee on 16 July. The UK continues to demand that a full and unhindered resumption of aid into Gaza takes place immediately. Israel must immediately allow the UN and aid partners to safely deliver aid at scale and in line with humanitarian principles. We remain committed to ensuring UK support reaches those who need it - including our £101 million package of financial support to the Occupied Palestinian Territories this Financial Year.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department provides funding for the Inter Mediate office assisting the Syrian president. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funds a number of different civil society and non-governmental organisations for our mediation and conflict resolution work, including Inter Mediate. We have partnered with Inter Mediate for over 10 years to advance peace efforts in conflicts around the globe. Funding of Inter Mediate began under the previous government. We do not disclose details of the individual projects funded.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to raise concerns about the treatment of (a) Christians and (b) other religious minorities in Mali at the United Nations. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK strongly condemns attacks on religious minorities in Mali. We have consistently called on all actors in Mali to respect human rights and adhere to international human rights law. For example, at the April 2025 Security Council briefing on the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, the UK expressed concern at the human rights abuses committed in the Sahel and called on the UN to lead the way in emphasising the importance of international humanitarian law. Through the Magna Carta Fund, the UK has also promoted ancient Malian texts enshrining progressive values such as religious tolerance. This has helped to underline that such values have local roots and undermine the notion that human rights are a Western import.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many active sites being developed by private housebuilders the Minister of State for Housing and Planning has visited since 6 July 2024. \p Matthew Pennycook: I have visited seven active development sites in a ministerial capacity since 6 July 2024 as per the table below. I have also visited a number of active development sites in my own constituency during that same period
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent progress her Department has made on reform of the leasehold system. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government took swift action in the early months of the Parliament to implement provisions in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 relating to rent charge arrears, building safety legal costs and the work of professional insolvency practitioners.

On 31 October 2024, the government commenced further building safety measures.

On 31 January 2025, provisions to remove the two-year qualifying rule in relation to enfranchisement and lease extensions came into force.

On 3 March 2025, the right to manage provisions (expanding access, reforming its costs, and voting rights) came into force and we published the Commonhold White Paper, which is a crucial first step in ensuring commonhold becomes the default tenure for flats.

On 4 July 2025, we published a consultation on Strengthening Leaseholder Protections for charges and services. It can be found on gov.uk here. It can be found on gov.uk here. The consultation seeks views on how to implement the relevant measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, and includes proposals to extend aspects of it to social housing tenants.

We will publish an ambitious draft Leasehold and Commonhold reform Bill later this year.

For an overview of the government’s approach to leasehold and commonhold reform, I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she will take to tackle the impact of furniture poverty on children in low-income families; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of furnished tenancies in social housing on reducing the impact of furniture poverty. \p Matthew Pennycook: On 2 July, the government opened a consultation on a reformed Decent Homes Standard (DHS) for the social and private rented sectors. It seeks views on a range of issues including whether landlords should provide suitable floor coverings in all rooms at the start of every tenancy. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 60503 on Housing: Construction, what steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) prevent future cost pressures on materials that may impact housebuilding targets. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government is working with industry to ensure the housebuilding sector has access to the construction materials needed to build 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this parliament.

We expect suppliers to increase capacity to meet demand and there is evidence that they are doing so. For example, we have seen deliveries of bricks in England, Scotland and Wales increase by 23% in the year to May 2025.

Construction materials prices are stable, rising only 1% between January 2024 and January 2025, far below the rate of inflation for the wider UK economy.

We will continue to closely monitor the cost of building materials.
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Rachel Blake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the tax revenue from ensuring compliance with rules on eligibility of short-term lets for business rates. \p Jim McMahon: Before a short-term let can be assessed as a self-catering accommodation (short-term let) for business rates purposes it must have been available to let for at least 140 days in the past year and demonstrate at least 70 days of actual letting activity in the last year.

It is for local authorities to bill and collect business rates. The government does not make an estimate of the number of short-term lets who choose not to be assessed for business rates or do not meet these criteria. However, the government does collect data on the number of short-term lets assessed for business rates. The latest available data from March 2025 shows that there are 65,380 short-term lets assessed for business rates in England.

Where a property does not meet these criteria, it will usually be considered domestic, and liable for council tax in the same way as any other domestic property.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support her Department provides to local authorities to (a) build and (b) maintain sports facilities. \p Jim McMahon: The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25.

The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.

DCMS and its ALB provide direct funding to sports facilities. The government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. Additional funding for grassroots sport facilities is also delivered through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, which is providing £98 million across the UK in 2025/26 to support new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities.

In June the Culture Secretary announced another £400 million to transform community sport facilities across the whole of the nation following the Spending Review. We will now work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2025 to Question 62956 on Waste Disposal: Birmingham, when Ministers in her Department last met with the Leader of Birmingham City Council to discuss the waste collection industrial dispute. \p Jim McMahon: All details of ministerial meetings with external bodies are published on gov.uk.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the cancellation of the communications campaign entitled, Better Health - Every Mind Matters: Loneliness, on mental health outcomes. \p Stephanie Peacock: Whilst the Better Health - Every Mind Matters: Loneliness campaign is no longer running, information, advice and signposts to organisations which can support people experiencing loneliness remains available on the Better Health – Every Mind Matters website. The website receives an average of over 150,000 visits per month. In the last full year, this figure exceeded two million visits. Indicative evidence demonstrates that Better Health-Every Mind Matters is improving the nation’s mental health and wellbeing; 2 in 3 of those who complete the Mind Plan email programme report measurably better wellbeing than when they started.

In addition, a campaign toolkit on loneliness for use by local authorities, NHS organisations and community groups is available on the Department of Health and Social Care’s Campaign Resource Centre. The toolkit includes key messages and social media assets that can be used in locally-run campaigns.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help improve access to sport for (a) children and (b) young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in South Holland and the Deepings constituency. \p Stephanie Peacock: Every child should have the opportunity to play sport and do regular physical activity including those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Prime Minister recently announced a new School Sport Partnerships approach and a new Enrichment Framework for schools to ensure all young people have equal access to high-quality sport and extracurricular activity. The ongoing independent expert-led review of the curriculum will ensure that all children can engage with a broad range of subjects, including PE and sport.

On 20 June 2025, the Culture Secretary announced that following the Spending Review, at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will now work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs, including for children and young people, and then set out further plans.

In the last financial year, 2024-25, Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body for community sport, invested £43,803 into South Holland and the Deepings constituency to improve access to sport and physical activity.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department plans to take to support the development of padel courts in Eastleigh constituency. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the nation following the Spending Review.

We will now work closely with sporting bodies - including the Lawn Tennis Association - and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. Sport England provides long term investment to the LTA, which receives up to £10.2 million for 5 years from 2022 to invest in tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit as many people as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-11)

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Josh Babarinde:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support grassroots sports clubs in Eastbourne. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. This funding builds upon the additional £100 million that was announced for the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in March. Details regarding funded projects can be found via the recently updated 2024/25 project lists, which are publicly available here - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/multi-sport-grassroots-facilities-programme-projects-2024-to-2025 - and is also available in the Library of the House.

The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sports and health club facilities in England, through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions.

We will now work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, and then set out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-11)

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Melanie Onn:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of the closure of the FA Futsal Committee on futsal governance in England; and if she will publish a long-term development strategy for the sport. \p Stephanie Peacock: I recognise the passion within the futsal community in England and the importance of effective governance for the sport's development. Last year, the Football Association (FA), as the sport's National Governing Body, evolved its structure for futsal, integrating its oversight within the Football Development Committee and collaborating with "England Futsal" for delivery.

Ultimately, the governance and strategic direction of futsal in England, including its long-term development, are matters for the recognised National Governing Body to lead. The Government continues to observe their progress and engagement with the futsal community as they implement their plans for the sport.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-11)

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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Draft Enterprise Act 2002 (Mergers Involving Newspaper Enterprises and Foreign Powers) Regulations 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the partial ownership of UK newspapers by foreign governments on (a) democracy and (b) national security in the UK. \p Stephanie Peacock: The new foreign state intervention (FSI) regime, set out in the Entreprise Act 2002, seeks to preserve the freedom of the press. It applies to all foreign powers that may seek to acquire control or influence a UK newspaper or news periodical and will be applied case by case based on the facts presented.

Our assessment on the potential impact of foreign states investing in UK Newspapers can be found in my Written Statement Ministerial of 15 May 2025 - Official Report Vol 767 Col 17WS.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-11)

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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much funding has been allocated to the Post Office in each year of the 2025 Spending Review period. \p Gareth Thomas: The settlement following the Spending Review provides investment of over £500 million over the Parliament to modernise the Post Office, including £86 million from the Transformation Fund. This will allow the Post Office to implement its Strategic Transformation Plan, including the replacement of the legacy Horizon computer system, and will put the Post Office and the crucial services its network provides on a more sustainable footing.

The Spending Review settlement also ensures the Department will have maximum capacity and flexibility to provide full redress to the victims of the Post Office Horizon IT Scandal as quickly as possible. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government set aside £1.8 billion of funding for redress payments from 2024-25 in addition to around £200 million that had already been distributed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-11 conversation_16

Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many claims have been (a) made to and (b) rejected by the compensation schemes for sub-postmasters impacted by Horizon IT; and what proportion of those claims have successfully concluded. \p Gareth Thomas: Claimant eligibility for each redress scheme is confirmed before claims are progressed. No eligible claims have been rejected. We have made significant progress in delivering redress to victims of the Horizon scandal. The table below demonstrates the progress made as of 30 June 2025, however there is still more to do:

Scheme

Full & Final Claims received

Full & Final Offers made

Full & Final Offers accepted

Full & Final claims paid

Proportion Concluded (claims paid/claims received)

Horizon Shortfall Scheme: eligible claims before deadline

2,417

2,417

2,122

2,119

88%

Horizon Shortfall Scheme: eligible late claims

7,750

5,160

4,774

4,732

61%

Group Litigation Order Scheme

460

452

336

334

73%

Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme

416

410

401

397

95%

A further 71 full and final payments have been made to 71 (of the 111) postmasters whose convictions were quashed via the courts.

In total, approximately £1,098 million (over 1 billion) has been paid in redress across all schemes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-11)

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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that small businesses have input into Departmental regulatory consultations. \p Justin Madders: For regulation to be effective, it must be created in partnership with businesses. To support this, the government initiated the Invest 2035 call for evidence from key stakeholders, including small businesses, providing input on where regulation can be reformed across our key growth-driving sectors to help encourage growth and innovation.

These responses informed our Modern Industrial Strategy published last month, as well as the Government’s Action Plan for Regulation, published in March. We are continuing to engage with SMEs, via a dedicated forum chaired by Minister Thomas, which will directly inform our forthcoming SME Strategy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-11)

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Dame Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many and what proportion of Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme payments have been paid to the loaning bank following (a) default and (b) bankruptcy by the business to which the loan was made; and what the value was of each of those loans. \p Gareth Thomas: As at 31 March 2025, 8,755 (9.0% of the total) Coronavirus Business Interruption Scheme (CBILS) loans have had the government guarantee paid out. The monetary value of the guarantees paid out is £996.3mn, or 3.9% of the total the CBILS draw down value. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not hold data detailing the reason for borrower default, including where bankruptcy is the reason for default.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-11 conversation_19

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62768 on Pay: Publicity, what the aggregate value was of the payments to the six digital influencers; and if he will name those influencers. \p Justin Madders: Influencer marketing is a credible paid communications channel, which is considered for government advertising campaigns and can be an effective way in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

We used this channel to raise awareness of the new National Minimum and Living Wage rates to ensure audiences such as young people, part-time female workers, ethnic minorities and disabled groups are paid correctly.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-11)

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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to improve the (a) effectiveness and (b) availability of Government support for small businesses in Northern Ireland. \p Gareth Thomas: The Business Growth Service and the broader SME Strategy, to be published later this year, will help small businesses including in Northern Ireland, grow, innovate and thrive.

The Government is committed to supporting small businesses across the UK, including Northern Ireland. As a result for example, 320 SMEs in Northern Ireland - 3% of the national total, have benefited from the Help to Grow: Management (HTGM) programme, as of 31 March 2025.

Invest Northern Ireland (InvestNI), the national counterpart to the Business Support Service, offers extensive support in areas such as Entrepreneurship, Exports and Funding. In 2024 –25, InvestNI backed 726 Innovation and R&D projects representing £245m in investment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-11)

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Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the UK fashion industry’s contribution to (a) economic growth and (b) employment in the UK. \p Gareth Thomas: The department engages with key businesses and trade associations across the UK to support the fashion and textiles industry’s resilience and growth, including export support. The department has strong relationships with the British Fashion Council and the UK Fashion and Textiles Association (UKFT). The latest report from the UKFT estimates the industry contributed around £62 billion to UK GDP in 2021, supporting 1.3 million jobs across the country.

Our Industrial Strategy will support fashion and the whole economy through an improved operating environment, long-term stability and greater dynamism for new entrants to emerge.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-11 conversation_22

Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK Export Finance expansion reaches small businesses. \p Gareth Thomas: Recognising the impact of the support it offers, the government recently increased UK Export Finance’s maximum commitment limit to £80 billion, enabling it to expand its finance support for UK businesses of all sizes.

In 2023 to 2024, 88% of the businesses UKEF directly supported were SMEs. Its most popular product was the General Export Facility, which helped businesses to access around £576 million in working capital support.

UKEF has an ambition to support over 1,000 SMEs by 2029 and will continue to innovate and launch new products, working with a wider range of banks and non-bank financial institutions to tailor the financing support that the UK’s SME exporters need.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-11 conversation_23

Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will include the role of the UK fashion industry in the Invest 2035 strategy. \p Sarah Jones: The Industrial Strategy will support the whole economy, through an improved operating environment, long-term stability and greater dynamism for new entrants to emerge.

As set out in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, DCMS will invest in the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN programme, backing emerging UK designers with funding for London Fashion Week. DBT will continue to champion international trade promotion for the fashion sector through initiatives like guest programmes and key international trades shows.