Written Questions

Southeastern: Rolling Stock

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of new metro rolling stock for the southeastern network on performance and costs.

Shipping: Carbon Emissions

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether there will be a review of the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy before the end of the current Parliament.

Health and Safety: Training

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the need for greater standardisation of Council's in England approach to approving health and safety training providers for their services.

Tonnage Tax

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what her estimate is of Corporation Tax relief for qualifying shipping company groups in the Tonnage Tax in 2026-27.

Children: Maintenance

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review the effectiveness of arrangements within the Child Maintenance Service whereby HMRC evidence is used to establish CMS payments.

Martial Arts: Finance

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the financial support available to athletes selected to represent Great Britain in karate at European and World Championship level competitions.

Comcast: ITV

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has held discussions with Comcast Corporation on the potential acquisition of ITV plc since 5 July 2024.

Veterans: Mefloquine

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will ensure that the MOD Defence Medical Service updates its policy on Mefloquine-damaged veterans to (a) acknowledge the recent confirmation by NHS England that Mefloquine neurotoxicity (i) exists and (ii)

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the total value of payments made to With-Profits Annuitants under the Equitable Life Payments Scheme as of 30 May 2026.

Civil Service: Sick Leave

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of working days lost due to sick leave in the Civil Service.

Poverty: Children

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what independent external evaluation arrangements have been established for the Child Poverty Strategy.

Bananas: Overseas Trade

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with counterparts in Ghana, Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire on the proposed cost of living tariff suspensions on fresh bananas and their po

Leasehold: Reform

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Government plans to bring into force the remaining provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024; and whether they will publish a timetable for their implemen

Life Sciences: Investment

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department's joint press release entitled UK life sciences attracts £3bn investment, creating jobs and faster patient treatments, published on 9 July 2026, what st

Life Sciences: Investment

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department's joint press release entitled UK life sciences attracts £3bn investment, creating jobs and faster patient treatments, published on 9 July 2026, what pr

Firearms: Licensing

To ask the Solicitor General, how many A.) prosecutions B.) convictions have been made since 2006 under Section 26(2) of the Firearms Act 1968 in relation to individuals purchasing firearms or ammunition with a false certificate.

Data Centres: Job Creation

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the number of permanent jobs created by large-scale data centre developments once operational.

Horizon Europe

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, further to the policy paper entitled Specialised Committee on Participation in Union Programmes Minutes: 15 December 2025, published on 29 June 2026, what are the barriers to UK partici

Blood: Contamination

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding he has allocated to compensate those infected and affected by contaminated blood.

Specialised Committee on Participation in Union Programmes

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the policy paper entitled Specialised Committee on Participation in Union Programmes Minutes: 15 December 2025, published on 29 June 2026, who are the (a) EU and (b) UK co-chairs of the SCPUP.

Electronic Messaging: Government Departments

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the news story entitled Independent Review of the Use of Non-corporate Communications Channels in Government, of 2 July 2026, whether the review will consult His Majesty's Official Opposition.

Civil Servants: Career Development

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 17 March 2026 to Question 118533 on Civil Servants: Career Development, whether internal practices on temporary promotions has been amended in light of the 2019 tribunal decision.

Civil Servants: Trade Unions

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria he uses to distinguish permissible trade union political campaigning by civil servants holding union office from prohibited party-political activity under the Civil Service Code.

Special Advisers: Workplace Pensions

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps he has taken to remind special advisers of (a) their right to transfer a pension into the Civil Service Pension Scheme in the first 12 months of Civil Service tenure and (b) that they will lose

Lord Mandelson

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) Cabinet Office Ministers and (b) the Prime Minister were consulted on and approved the exit payment to Lord Mandelson.