8 Jun 2026·Department for Science, Innovation and Technology·Answered
AskedInnovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with under 16s on online safety.
ReplyThe Secretary of State has engaged extensively with children and young people as part of the Government’s Growing up in the Online World consultation and National Conversation.This has included speaking with students aged at Hammersmith Academy, Richmond ...
8 Jun 2026·Treasury·Answered
AskedWhether she she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a business rates holiday for small businesses in areas that have received Pride in Place funding.
ReplyThe Government has introduced new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new multipliers are worth nearly £1 billion per year and benefit over 750,000 properties. The new RHL multipliers replace ...
8 Jun 2026·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
AskedWhat steps he is taking to provide support to Citizens Advice in North Staffordshire.
ReplyCitizens Advice is an independent charity funded from a range of sources. The Department for Work and Pensions awards a grant to Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland to provide practical, tailored support to help individuals make a new claim to Un...
8 Jun 2026·Ministry of Defence·Answered
AskedWhat steps he is taking to strengthen defence cooperation between the United Kingdom and members of the Commonwealth.
ReplyAs set out in the Defence Diplomacy Strategy, the UK Ministry of Defence is taking a more deliberate, targeted and coherent approach to deepening its international relationships with a range of allies and partners, including members of the Commonwealth.
8 Jun 2026·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
AskedWhat specific measures he is taking to support young people into a career in cooking in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.
ReplyThere are well‑established local pathways into cooking, hospitality, and chef careers for young people claiming Universal Credit in Newcastle‑under‑Lyme and the wider Staffordshire and Stoke‑on‑Trent area. Hospitality SWAPs (Sector-based Work Academy Prog...
5 Jun 2026·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·Answered
AskedFood and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to ensure effective action is taken against organised criminal networks in the waste sector.
ReplyDefra works closely with the Home Office and National Police Chiefs’ Council to ensure an aligned and effective response to waste crime. The Home Office sets the overarching serious and organised crime strategy and tasking framework, with waste crime trea...
5 Jun 2026·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·Answered
AskedFood and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to prevent victims of waste crime having to bear the cost of any required clean-up in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire.
ReplyLandowners are responsible for preventing and clearing illegally dumped waste on their land. While landowner responsibility protects against perverse incentives, we recognise that innocent landowners can and often do face unaffordable remediation costs. T...
5 Jun 2026·Home Office·Answered
AskedWhat steps she is taking to tackle national security threats from China.
ReplyChina poses a range of security threats to the UK. The Government will continue to tackle activity that threatens our national security and infringes on sovereign affairs.Where there are individuals who pose a threat to our national security, we are commi...
5 Jun 2026·Church Commissioners·Answered
AskedRepresenting the Church Commissioners, what recent steps the Church of England has taken to help support Christians living in Palestine.
ReplyThe Church of England and the Anglican Communion continue to support the ministry of the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem and the Diocese of Jerusalem alongside the Anglican Mission agencies operating in the region who largely provide healthcare and educa...
5 Jun 2026·Church Commissioners·Answered
AskedRepresenting the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to help support victims of genocide.
ReplyThe Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
5 Jun 2026·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·Answered
AskedFood and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a single national reporting system for incidents of waste crime.
ReplyComprehensive guidance on how to report waste crime is available on GOV.UK here. The guidance provides clear signposts towards different reporting routes, based on the nature of the crime and which authority is responsible for enforcement. A single, natio...
4 Jun 2026·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·Answered
AskedFood and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on tackling rural crime.
ReplyThe Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime. That is why the Home Office and Defra collaborated with the National Police Chiefs’ Councils to deliver their renewal of the Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy, which was ...
4 Jun 2026·Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office·Answered
AskedCommonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to strengthen the working relationship between the UK and the African Union.
ReplyMinisters and officials are in regular discussion with the African Union (AU) about a range of shared priorities. The Minister of State for International Development and Africa, attended the AU Summit in February, one of only two European Ministers to att...
4 Jun 2026·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·Answered
AskedFood and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the financial impact of rural crime on a) farmers and b) rural communities.
ReplyThe Secretary of State has regular discussions with cabinet colleagues on a range of issues.
2 Jun 2026·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedIf he will consider appointing a Trade Envoy for the Overseas Territories.
ReplyNo, as trade envoys’ work is in foreign sovereign nations.
2 Jun 2026·Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office·Answered
AskedCommonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Government of the Virgin Islands on constitutional reform and the development of a partnership framework between that Territory and the
ReplyOn 14 April, I formally received the Virgin Islands Government's proposals for constitutional reform, some of which draw on the report of the Virgin Islands Constitutional Review Commission, and I discussed elements of these proposals with the Premier on ...
2 Jun 2026·Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office·Answered
AskedCommonwealth and Development Affairs, what support she provides the Overseas Territories to improve the quality and effectiveness of transport infrastructure.
ReplyI refer the Hon Member to Paragraph 9 of the communiqué agreed at the last UK and Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council, published on 28 November 2025. Details of Official Development Assistance to the Overseas Territories can be found at: devtra...
2 Jun 2026·Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office·Answered
AskedCommonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to bring forward a White Paper on the Overseas Territories.
ReplyI refer the Hon Member to the first paragraph of the answer provided on 7 January in response to Question 101093.
2 Jun 2026·Department for Transport·Answered
AskedWhat discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the operational effectiveness of the new Entry Exit System for travellers from the United Kingdom to member states of the European Union.
ReplyThe EU Entry Exit System (EES) is an EU scheme and questions around implementation remain a matter for the European Union and individual Member States.The Department has engaged closely with the Home Office, Cabinet Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Off...
1 Jun 2026·Department of Health and Social Care·Answered
AskedWhat steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve support for people requiring wheelchairs.
ReplyOn 21 July 2025, the Minister for Social Security and Disability announced our plans to develop and publish a Government Plan for Disability. The Department is working with the Cabinet Office Disability Unit to support the development of the Plan for Disa...