theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Sarah Bool:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to provide additional funding to support community transport services in market towns and villages in South Northamptonshire constituency. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government recognises the vital role community transport operators play in connecting people with their communities, enabling access to employment, education, and other essential services such as healthcare.

The Department makes available up to £3.8 million each year through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) to community transport operators. An uplift of 60% has been added to BSOG claims for community transport operators until 31 March 2026. This means community transport operators will receive £1.60 for every £1 claimed, reflecting the increased costs faced by the sector.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding applications her Department has received from Artemis Technologies in each of the last three years; and which of those projects (a) have not been supported and (b) are being considered by her Department. \p Mike Kane: In financial year 2024/25 the Department for Transport received no funding applications from Artemis Technologies.

In financial year 2023/24 the Department for Transport received six Artemis Technologies applications to the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) R&D Programme. Of these, three have been accepted whilst three were rejected. One of the accepted projects was subsequently withdrawn during project setup.

In financial year 2022/23 the Department for Transport received six funding applications, via the UK SHORE from Artemis Technologies. Of these, five were accepted and one was rejected.
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Cat Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to publish a new road safety strategy. \p Lilian Greenwood: Improving road safety is one of my key priorities. Too many people are killed and seriously injured in road traffic collisions, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users. That is why we are developing our Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course. At the Transport Select Committee in April 2025, the Secretary of State set out that we hope to publish the Strategy later this year.
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Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Mayor of London on the potential impact of (a) unlicensed and (b) unregulated pedicab operators on (i) public safety and (ii) anti-social behaviour in central London. \p Simon Lightwood: The Pedicabs (London) Act 2024 conferred powers onto Transport for London (TfL) to regulate London’s pedicab industry for the first time, giving TfL the tools it needs to tackle the unsafe, anti-social and nuisance behaviours of certain pedicab operators and drivers. TfL is currently analysing responses to a public consultation in order to inform the design and implementation of future pedicab regulations. Department for Transport Ministers and officials have regular conversations with the Mayor of London and TfL on a range of matters including pedicabs.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many settlements do not have a daily bus service in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department for Transport does not readily hold this information, however local bus timetable data is available to download from the Bus Open Data Service: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-and-use-bus-open-data.

The government believes that local transport authorities, working with bus operators, are best placed to determine and design local bus networks in their area. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December 2024 to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of communities that rely on them, including in Fylde and across Lancashire.

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, of which Lancashire County Council has been allocated over £27 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce improvements to bus services and infrastructure to best meet the needs of passengers in their local area.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to introduce a public awareness campaign on road safety in Fylde constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government's longstanding road safety campaign, THINK!, aims to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. The campaign currently runs across all of England and Wales, including the constituency of Fylde. The campaign uses highly targeted channels to reach 17-24 year old men, who are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than other drivers, prioritising issues such as speeding and drink driving.
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Juliet Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to prevent the use of illegally modified e-bikes. \p Simon Lightwood: Only e-bikes that comply in full with the requirements of the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983 can be legally used on public roads. This is the case regardless of whether the e-bike has been modified.

Where an e-bike does not comply with these Regulations, it counts as an e-moped or motorbike and must therefore be registered, taxed and insured. The rider must wear a safety helmet and hold the appropriate driving licence. Enforcement is a matter for the police.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to expand public campaigns to improve driving safety awareness. \p Lilian Greenwood: THINK! is the Government’s flagship road safety campaign. The campaign prioritises budget where it can have most impact, targeting priority issues such as drink driving and speeding and focusing on young men aged 17-24, who are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the road than drivers aged 25 and over.

We continue to adapt and evolve our campaign strategy and will consider any requirements aligned to the future Road Safety Strategy. Campaign scope and priorities will also be set in line with wider departmental budget decisions.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) she and (b) officials in her Department had discussions with LNER on the (i) commissioning and (ii) publication of the report entitled “Impact of Open Access Operations on LNER – at stations with direct LNER services”, published on 10th April 2025. \p Simon Lightwood: Train operators are not required to seek the Department for Transport’s approval for business-as-usual research funded within their approved budgets.
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James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the terms for Network Railcards to enable them to be used by commuters who need to travel before 10am. \p Simon Lightwood: The Network Railcard is designed to stimulate leisure travel and timed to encourage travel outside of the busy morning peak. There are no current plans to review railcards in advance of the transition to Great British Railways but it will have the opportunity to take a fresh look at the justification of the eligibility and restrictions of some railcards. Any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy will require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.
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Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to promote UK-sourced renewable fuels in public transport. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) supports the use of low carbon alternatives to petrol and diesel in surface transport and covers relevant public transport modes such as buses and diesel trains.

The market for renewable fuels is competitive and global. The RTFO scheme allows suppliers to fully embrace the global market by supporting renewable fuels produced from UK feedstocks and also those from outside the UK to minimise the costs passed on to end users of fuel.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much LNER paid for the report commissioned from Jacobs consultancy entitled Impact of Open Access Operations on LNER – at stations with direct LNER services, published on 10 April 2025. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department does not hold this information.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's publication Network North transforming British transport published in October 2023, when she plans to release this funding. \p Simon Lightwood: The previous government announced investment for several transport capital schemes which were unfunded, and this government has had to make difficult decisions about priorities for infrastructure and transport investment. This process is still continuing, and further plans for investment in transport infrastructure will be set out at the multi-year spending review next month.
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Paulette Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities in improving road safety on residential road near schools. \p Lilian Greenwood: Active Travel England and my Department published joint School Streets Guidance in November 2024. School Streets schemes restrict motor traffic outside schools during pick-up and drop-off times; improving safety, reducing congestion and enabling more pupils to walk, wheel or cycle.

School Streets Guidance can be viewed at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-streets-how-to-set-up-and-manage-a-scheme/school-streets-how-to-set-up-and-manage-a-scheme
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Christine Jardine:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what is the average waiting time for a practical driving test in the UK. \p Lilian Greenwood: As of April 2025, the average waiting time for a car practical driving test in Great Britain was 22.3 weeks.

The attached Excel document shows the average waiting time for a car practical driving test at each driving test centre in Scotland, as of 26 May 2025.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.

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

Further information on these actions and progress of DVSA’s plan to reduce driving test waiting times, which was announced in December 2024, can be found on GOV.UK.

To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, DVSA continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests across the country and has announced further measures to review the driving test booking system.

DVSA deploys enhanced bot protection to help stop automated systems from buying up tests unfairly. These applications, however, are constantly evolving and changing, and DVSA’s work on this is ongoing.

On 28 May 2025, DVSA launched a public consultation on improving the rules for booking car driving tests. Views are being sought from the driver training industry, learner drivers and other interested parties on changes which aim to prevent learner drivers being exploited by those who resell tests at a higher price.

This consultation follows the agency’s recent call for evidence. The call for evidence, about the rules and processes for booking and managing practical car driving tests, received almost 27,000 responses.

On 6 January 2025, DVSA introduced new terms and conditions for use of the service driving instructors and trainers use to book and manage practical driving tests for their pupils. Since this change DVSA has issued 44 warnings, 120 suspensions, and closed 270 business accounts.

Scotland  (xlsx, 16.7KB)
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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the impact of (a) usage, (b) year-over-year spend and (c) potential dependencies of the Government's current software assets on cost efficiencies. \p Feryal Clark: His Majesty's Government monitors the usage of individual and enterprise licenses across a wide variety of products
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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of restrictive software licensing on the ability to achieve the digital transformation of public services. \p Feryal Clark: Government procures software via a number of agreed frameworks which are tendered via the Crown Commercial Service and are awarded under the relevant procurement regulations. The introduction of the new procurement act 2023 will provide government with an ability to consider how such services are contracted in the future.

The creation of the Digital Commercial Centre of Excellence is overseeing the development of sourcing/category strategies to co-ordinate how we shape demand, drive down usage and optmise the way such assets are used. This work is currently underway.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Freedom Fibre on  Project Gigabit contracts since 1 January 1 2025; and whether he will publish the minutes of those meetings. \p Chris Bryant: As the executive agency responsible for delivering Project Gigabit, Building Digital UK (BDUK) holds regular meetings with suppliers, including Freedom Fibre, to discuss their progress with delivery of their Project Gigabit contracts. Ministers have had no such meetings with Freedom Fibre since 1 January 2025.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 51546 on Broadband: Lancashire, if he will list which specific areas within the Fylde constituency still lack access to gigabit-capable broadband; and what is the expected timeline for extending coverage to those areas. \p Chris Bryant: Building Digital UK (BDUK) collects data at premises-level, rather than by area. On 13 March, BDUK published data about the status of all premises in England and Wales, which can be accessed on: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/premises-in-bduk-plans-england-and-wales. This data is designed to help technical users, including broadband suppliers and local councils, understand which premises are included in BDUK’s plans.

This includes information about which premises are currently included in the Project Gigabit contract for Lancashire. Openreach is due to deliver the improved coverage under the contract by the end of 2030.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has made and assessment of the suitability of Freedom Fibre to deliver the Project Gigabit contract in North Shropshire constituency since the termination of Freedom Fibre’s Project Gigabit contract for Cheshire. \p Chris Bryant: The Project Gigabit contract for North Shropshire was awarded following a procurement which was compliant with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Officials in Building Digital UK (BDUK) meet regularly with Freedom Fibre to oversee its delivery of this contract.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many properties had been connected to full fibre under the North Shropshire Project Gigabit contract on 1 May 2025. \p Chris Bryant: As part of Project Gigabit, Freedom Fibre was awarded a contract to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to premises in North Shropshire that were not expected to be reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout.

As of 1 May 2025, Building Digital UK (BDUK) had received reports from the supplier confirming the delivery for 845 premises under this contract in the North Shropshire constituency.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with local authorities on the availability of books in public libraries which feature (a) characters, (b) storylines, (c) lives and (d) the history of the LGBTQ+ community. \p Chris Bryant: The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires all local authorities to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. Public libraries are funded by local authorities and each local authority is responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within available resources.

It is for each local authority to determine its stock management policy, including which books and other materials are made available for the benefit of its residents. We expect library collections to represent a variety of perspectives and topics.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases to betting levies on employment within the horseracing industry. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government recognises the contribution made by horseracing to our regional economies and national cultural life. We are committed to bolstering and protecting this contribution and continue to engage with racing stakeholders on such matters to ensure a secure, sustainable future for the sport.

Future proposals on Gambling Levies are a matter for HMT, and we would encourage all interested parties to engage with ongoing consultations on the matter, which runs until the 21st of July. Should legislative changes come about following this consultation, we expect them to be accompanied by tax and impact notes from HMT, as is standard practice.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of funding available through the Supporting Grassroots Music Fund for (a) non-electronic and (b) electronic music venues in each English region. \p Chris Bryant: The Government is providing Arts Council England (ACE)’s Supporting Grassroots Music Fund with £2.5 million funding in 2025-26. This supports grassroots music venues, festivals, promoters and recording and rehearsal studios, all for both non-electronic and electronic music, across England. Applicants can apply for grants of up to £40,000 to develop new revenue streams, make repairs and improvements, and enhance the live music experience for fans.

The fund does not draw a distinction between electronic and non-electronic music.
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John McDonnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to PIP on people claiming benefits. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Alongside Spring Statement 2025, the Department published an Impact Assessment which assessed the impact of the changes to be made to PIP as part of the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper reforms.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

Changes to PIP will only apply at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years. At the award review, claimants will be considered by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstances. We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including ensuring health and care needs are met.

After taking into account behavioural changes, the OBR predicts that 9 in 10 of those receiving the PIP daily living component at the point that any changes come into effect will still be receiving PIP by the end of the decade.

We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I will lead. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress.

Even with these reforms, the overall number of people on PIP and DLA is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this parliament and spending will rise from £23bn in 24/25 to £31bn in 29/30.
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John McDonnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if (a) he and (b) his officials will have an on-line meeting with carers that have been unable to secure a place at the Pathways to Work consultation meetings. \p Sir Stephen Timms: We are holding a series of face to face and virtual public consultation events across the country in relation to the Pathways to Work Green Paper, to help us hear from people directly. Details of the events are advertised online and can be found at Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK. These events are held at venues undergoing stringent health, safety, and risk assessment to ensure their suitability for DWP staff and members of the public attending these events.

The consultation will run until 30 June 2025 and members of the public are welcome to share their feedback on the proposals in the consultation in writing, online and via email, in addition to in person or virtually at these ticketed events. We have conducted five in person and three virtual events to date, which approximately 130 participants have joined. The consultation events have facilitated group discussions which will feed into the consultation response analysis. A full list of upcoming events can be found on gov.uk.

We hope a wide range of voices will respond to the consultation and we welcome all views, including those of carers, who provide invaluable support to elderly or disabled people. Carers have also attended our events.

In addition to the Green Paper consultation and the accompanying events, we are continuing to facilitate other ways to involve people in our reforms, especially disabled people and their representatives. This includes through the PIP assessment review that I am leading, the Disability Advisory Panel we announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, and our ‘collaboration committees’ which will bring groups, including disabled people and other experts, together for specific work areas.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 51543 on Cost of Living: Fylde, how the new Fair Repayment Rate for Universal Credit debt deductions is being implemented; and how this will ensure that people who are struggling with debt are adequately supported in Fylde constituency. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Fair Repayment Rate was implemented from 30 April 2025. This measure reduced the overall deductions cap taken from the Universal Credit standard personal allowance from 25% to 15% enabling approximately 1.2 million UC households retain, on average, an additional £420 a year or £35 per month of their award. This change will be applied to assessment periods starting on or after the 30 April 2025.

The Department encourages anyone unable to afford the proposed rate of repayment to contact Universal Credit or DWP Debt Management at the earliest opportunity. The Department will seek to do as much as they are permitted to do to support customers through the recovery of their overpayments.
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Alex Sobel:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page 326 his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24, HC 314, published on 18 December 2024, what recent progress has been made on (a) creating a natural asset register presented within an accessible geospatial mapping format and (b) other aspects of the cross-government nature strategy; when he plans to publish these maps; whether these maps will be available on the Multi-Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside website; and how the cross-government nature strategy relates to the forthcoming land use framework. \p Mary Creagh: Defra is making progress on creating a natural asset register presented within an accessible geospatial mapping format and developing a cross-Government nature strategy.

A geospatial natural capital register of the Defra group estate has now been developed. Defra is leading on expanding the geospatial natural capital register for the government estate. Defra is considering the publication of the geospatial natural asset register on the Multi-Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside (MAGIC) website. No date for publication has been set.

Defra is leading the development of a cross-Government nature strategy. The strategy will apply the principles of the land use framework.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to introduce legally binding biodiversity targets beyond those in the Environment Act 2021. \p Mary Creagh: There are no plans to introduce legally binding biodiversity targets beyond those in the Environment Act 2021.This Government is committed to delivering the 13 legally binding environmental targets set under the Environment Act 2021, which include water, biodiversity, resource efficiency, marine protected areas, and tree and woodland cover.

The Government commissioned a rapid review of the existing Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23) to ensure the right policies are in place to deliver our targets. A statement of the rapid review’s key findings was published  in January 2025. Later in 2025, we will publish a revised EIP, setting out important delivery information for the ambitious Environment Act targets.
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Sadik Al-Hassan:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how the £360 million Fishing and Coastal Fund will be allocated. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Fishing & Coastal Growth Fund will be investing £360 million over the next 12 years. We will work with industry to target investment where it matters most. For example, by considering investment in new technology and equipment to modernise our fishing fleet, training and skills to upskill the workforce and back the next generation of fishermen and promote the seafood sector to export our high-quality produce across the world.
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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 (a) flood resilience and (b) coastal erosion defences along the Fylde coast. \p Emma Hardy: The Environment Agency regularly provides information to community emergency response and flood action groups within Fylde. Coastal communities have been identified as a priority and are included in the Environment Agency’s engagement planning strategy.

The Shoreline Management plans set out a planned approach to manage the flood and coastal erosion risk.

The Environment Agency is working with partners on the ‘Our Future Coast’ project to design and test new approaches to coastal flood risk management.

The Fylde coast is currently protected by several coastal flood defences from Blackpool to Warton. The Environment Agency is working with the Local Authorities to identify funding streams and opportunities for future schemes along this coastline to further enhance existing defences. An example of this includes the Fylde Sand Dune project.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to review extended producer responsibility fees. \p Mary Creagh: Producers were required to submit their final 2024 data by 1 April 2025. Following this deadline, we are conducting regulatory checks. Once checks are conducted to an appropriate level, we will use 2024 data and insight from regulator checks to publish pEPR base fees in June 2025.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what is the timeline for local authorities to incorporate biodiversity targets into their local plans. \p Mary Creagh: Public authorities play an important role in improving nature. The strengthened biodiversity duty came into force in 1 January 2023 and requires public authorities to consider how they can improve biodiversity through the exercise of their existing functions. Public authorities must also regard Local Nature Recovery Strategies, Species Conservation Strategies and Protected Site Strategies in complying with the duty.

All public authorities are required to consider actions they can take to comply with the biodiversity duty before 1 January 2024. After this, public authorities must reconsider their actions within five years of their previous consideration.

All local authorities and local planning authorities must report on the actions they have taken in accordance with the biodiversity duty by 1 January 2026, and then at least every 5 years. Defra does not intend to extend the reporting duty to additional public authorities.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to balance (a) public and (b) private sector responsibilities in achieving net-zero targets. \p Emma Hardy: Both the public and private sector will play a key role in achieving net zero targets.

Private investment will be crucial to delivering net zero, building climate resilience and supporting nature’s recovery.This government is committed to building a robust and stable policy framework so that all parties – from farmers and land managers delivering improvements on the ground, to businesses and investors financing high quality projects – can do so with confidence.

We are working at pace with the private sector to help farmers transition to greener practices, establish a taskforce to plant millions of trees to help remove carbon from the air and move towards a circular economy to reduce our demand for raw materials that destroy the environment. To take this forward, a Taskforce has been established comprising members from industry, academia, and civil society, to lead the development of a Circular Economy Strategy

At the last budget in 2024, the Government secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with £5 billion committed in the farming budget over a two-year period. The Environmental Land management schemes (ELM) are critical to supporting farming and landowners in their low-carbon practices. There is now a record 50,000 farm businesses in ELM schemes and more than half of all farmed land is now managed under schemes.
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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 he plans to also introduce a (a) cross-Departmental and (b) long-term strategic plan for the fishing and seafood sector. \p Daniel Zeichner: This Government will always stand up for the British fishing industry and coastal communities. Launching the “Fishing & Coastal Growth Fund” and investing £360 million over the next 12 years will support the next generation of fishermen and breathe new life into our coastal communities.

We will be engaging with other Government Departments to target investment where it matters most. For example, continuing our work with the Department of Business and Trade on promoting the seafood sector to export our high-quality produce across the world.

We recognise the calls from across the sector for a long-term strategy for fisheries and seafood. We are keen to engage with stakeholders to explore this further and shape a strategic approach that supports the industry's future.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-04)

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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) amend and (b) pause the extended producer responsibility scheme to mitigate the impact on pubs. \p Mary Creagh: The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 came into effect on 1 January 2025, PackUK, the Scheme Administrator has been appointed, and producers have started to accrue scheme costs from the 1 April 2025. pEPR has been subject to extensive consultation and stakeholders have had ample opportunity to understand the design of the scheme. We will be consulting on potential amendments to address the issue of dual use packaging.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to introduce a requirement for tethered caps on drinks before 2029. \p Mary Creagh: There are no plans to introduce a tethered caps requirement before 2029.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-04)

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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his speech at the 2025 Oxford Farming Conference on 9 January 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed permitted development rights on farms. \p Daniel Zeichner: Ministers are holding Ministerial round tables in June with a diverse range of agricultural stakeholders to understand how existing planning measures are supporting farmers and to better understand the key asks to go further.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-04)

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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to review the inclusion of (a) plastic containers and (b) metal cans in the extended producer responsibility scheme following the rollout of the deposit return scheme in 2027. \p Mary Creagh: The Government is not currently considering changes to the scope of pEPR or Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).

The DRS regulation sets out the requirement for the Government to conduct a post implementation review of the DRS to consider its effectiveness, costs, and benefits. This will be conducted once the scheme has been operational for enough time to allow sufficient data to be available.

When considering whether the scope of the scheme needs to be updated, the department would be open to considering the views of those managing the DRS and those who represent materials which could be considered as part of the scope of a DRS in the future. Any changes being considered would be subject to the standard practices of consultation and analysis / impact assessment development.

Such reviews would also need to consider associated policies, such as extended producer responsibility for packaging, which captures all non-DRS packaging. Potential changes to the materials scope would also need to reflect the additional costs from infrastructure requirements such as changes to collection, logistics, retrofitting, and equipment lifespan.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2025 to Question 50256 on Farms: Lancashire, what (a) criteria and (b) priorities his Department will use to guide the reopening of the Capital Grants in summer 2025. \p Daniel Zeichner: The improved Environmental Land Management standalone Capital Grants scheme will introduce maximum thresholds to ensure funding goes further. This will provide better value for money and ensure funding goes on the right environmental projects.

The limits will be:

The priorities of the Capital Grants scheme will be to focus on projects that help the environment, for example, planting hedges or improving natural flood management.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-04)

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Steff Aquarone:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to support communities affected by coastal erosion through the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund. \p Emma Hardy: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is committed to supporting coastal communities and providing a strategic plan to manage flood and coastal erosion risks including the use of Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs).

The new £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund will provide investment in our coastal communities to help revitalise communities and support tourism. We will be engaging with local authorities, coastal community groups and local industry associations to understand how we can best target this funding to where it matters most.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2025 to Question 53009 on Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands, for what reason her Department does not hold this information. \p James Murray: Every individual in the UK has a Personal Allowance which they can set against their own income, for Income Tax purposes. The Personal Allowance is the amount of income a person can get before they pay tax. The Personal Allowance threshold was set at £12,570 is for the 2024 to 2025 tax year.

HMRC does not hold the information on the number of taxpayers with earnings below the Personal Allowance for 2024 to 2025 because the Self Assessment filing deadline of 31 January 2026 has not yet been reached and it has not yet received complete end of year reconciliation information for individuals in PAYE.
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Connor Naismith:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the loan charge on the mental health of loan charge users. \p James Murray: In January, the Government launched an independent review of the Loan Charge. The Government believes the most important outcome of the review must be to bring the Loan Charge to a close for those people who still owe substantial amounts of money but can see no way to resolve their debts.

The Government recognises the impact that large tax bills can have on taxpayers, especially those who are in vulnerable circumstances.

HMRC continues to provide support for those affected, with agreed manageable payment plans and a well-established Extra Support Service. It has guidance and training in place for all customer advisors or settlement teams on identifying taxpayers who need extra support and providing reasonable adjustments to meet their needs.

Where appropriate, HMRC will signpost taxpayers to voluntary and community organisations and where needed, to a dedicated Samaritans helpline for specialist emotional help, where taxpayers can talk through their concerns and worries.
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Katie Lam:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason HMRC Policy did not meet (a) 100 and (b) 87 per cent of her Department's target response times to correspondence from MPs and Peers in (i) Q3 and (ii) Q4 of 2024. \p James Murray: I refer the honourable member to the answer to question UIN 54166.
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Claire Hanna:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the redevelopment of Casement Park. \p Hilary Benn: I am continuing to engage with all partners involved in the Executive-led Casement Park redevelopment, including the Northern Ireland Executive and the GAA, to assess the options available regarding the project.
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Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 52588 on Terrorism: Northern Ireland, what his Department's planned timeline is to complete its exploration of lawful measures to prevent (a) Gerry Adams and (b) others interned without trial in the 1970s receiving compensation following the proposed repeal of sections 46 and 47 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023. \p Hilary Benn: The original Supreme Court ruling in this case was in 2020, and in February 2024 the High Court in Northern Ireland found the provisions in S.46 and 47 of the Legacy Act 2023, which concerned Interim Custody Orders, to be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), alongside other provisions such as those relating to immunity from prosecution.

In line with our commitment, the Government tabled a draft Remedial Order in December 2024 to repeal parts of the Act that were found to be incompatible by the Northern Ireland Courts. The Government will bring forward legislation to make further changes when Parliamentary time allows.
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Mark Ferguson:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-India free trade agreement on Scotland. \p Ian Murray: Our trade deal with India is great news for Scotland, increasing exports, growing our economy and securing jobs.

Scottish products will benefit from significant tariff reductions. That includes whisky, where the current 150% tariff will be halved from day one, and reaching just 40% after 10 years. The Scotch Whisky Association has described this as ‘a once in a generation deal and a landmark moment for Scotch Whisky’.

Other Scottish exports including chocolate, biscuits and salmon will reduce from a 33% tariff to 0%.

And did the SNP back this transformation deal for Scotland? Of course not. They didn't back the US or EU deals either.