1 Dec 2025·Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office·Answered
AskedCommonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Pakistani counterparts concerning the detention of Asif Pervaiz; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to support his release.
ReplyI refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 12 June to question 58220.
1 Dec 2025·Treasury·Answered
AskedWhat assessment she has made of the potential merits of registering people involved in the distribution and sale of excise goods in a national scheme administered by HMRC.
ReplyThe existing excise regime is already well regulated, with HMRC operating several registration and approval schemes for those who deal in excise goods, for example the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme (AWRS), the Tobacco Trace and Trace system and the Registered Dealers in Controlled Oils (RDCO) scheme.
1 Dec 2025·Treasury·Answered
AskedWhat assessment she has made of the potential impact of planned double duty increases on tobacco products on inflation.
ReplyForecasting the economy, including the effect of Government policy decisions on inflation, is the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The OBR set out the impact of policy measures on inflation in its Autumn Budget 2025 forecast, including the rise in tobacco duty. The OBR have not adjusted their inflation forecast for the rise in tobacco duty. The Chancellor asked departments to prioritise reducing inflation when developing policies for the Autumn Budget, ensuring decisions support stability and long-term growth. Considering all policies, the OBR expect budget measures to reduce CPI inflation by 0.4pp in 2026/27.
1 Dec 2025·Treasury·Answered
AskedFor what reason tobacco duty increased above the rate of inflation in the Autumn Budget 2025.
ReplyAt Autumn Budget 2024, the Government renewed the commitment to a tobacco duty escalator, which increases duty by 2 percent above RPI inflation at each Budget, until the end of the current Parliament. At Autumn Budget 2025, the duty on all tobacco products was increased in line with this commitment. The government also confirmed further increases of 2% above RPI plus an additional £2.20 per 100 cigarettes and per 50g of other tobacco products to take effect from 1 October 2026, alongside the introduction of Vaping Duty. This is part of the Government’s focus on health prevention and to continue our drive to reduce smoking prevalence.
24 Nov 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedWhat assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement on the UK; and if he will publish a report on that agreement since its implementation.
ReplyThe Department’s impact assessment of the UK-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement was published under the previous government on 28th February 2022. This impact assessment set out the potential long-run incremental economic impact of the FTA and is available on gov.uk. On a recent visit to New Zealand I saw how the FTA – and the trade advantages consequent upon our membership of the CPTPP – are being used. The Department is currently considering our approach to FTA Monitoring, and we will provide an update on this in due course.
24 Nov 2025·Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office·Answered
AskedCommonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Iranian counterpart concerning the imprisonment of Christian converts Hossein Mohammadi and Zahra Gholami; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure their release.
ReplyFurther to the answer I gave on 29 October to Question 83265, we are concerned by the reported cases of Hossein Mohammadi and Zahra Gholami, and we continue to monitor the situation for Christians in Iran.
24 Nov 2025·Department for Transport·Answered
AskedWhat steps she has taken to work with relevant authorities to improve road safety in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.
ReplyThe Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies which will have national reach. We intend to publish the Strategy this year. We aid local authorities by providing guidance and initiatives such as our flagship road safety campaign, THINK! which works closely with local authority partners and the police to align on road safety campaign activity. The Department for Transport makes highways and local transport funding available to Local Transport Authorities, who decide how to use the funding to support local priorities. How available resources are deployed within Romford, and London boroughs, is the responsibility of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and the Mayor of London, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.
24 Nov 2025·Department for Transport·Answered
AskedWhat information her Department holds on the proportion of parking fines administered by local authorities that have been overturned in every year since 2010.
ReplyThe Department for Transport does not hold this data. Local authorities publish some financial information relating to parking fines on their websites. All local authorities have a statutory responsibility to provide appropriate traffic management schemes for their roads; therefore they are free to make their own decisions about the streets under their care, provided they take account of the relevant legislation. They are accountable to local people for their decisions and their performance.
24 Nov 2025·Department for Transport·Answered
AskedHow many casualties there have been on railways in every year since 2010 in a) England and b) the parliamentary constituency of Romford.
ReplyThe Department does not hold the data for this period in the format requested. However, there have been 4,851 fatalities on the railways in Great Britain since 2010, including suicides and suspected suicides, of which 24 occurred in the constituency of Romford.
24 Nov 2025·Department of Health and Social Care·Answered
AskedWhat steps he has taken to help reduce cases of hypoglycaemia in a) England and b) the parliamentary constituency of Romford.
ReplyThe National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published advice on the management of type 1 diabetes, including advice on managing hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia, which is available at the following link: https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/diabetes-type-1/management/ NICE’s guidance includes the use of hybrid close loops (HCL) for type 1 diabetes which provide real time monitoring of glucose levels and administer insulin when needed to prevent hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia. Following NICE’s guidance, NHS England developed a five-year national strategy with guidance to National Health Service providers on the phased uptake approach of HCL systems. The guidance applies nationally, including to Romford. Rollout started last year. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta943NHS England also commissions diabetes digital structured education services, which support users to self-manage their condition.
24 Nov 2025·Department for Transport·Answered
AskedWhat steps she has taken to reduce instances of pavement parking.
ReplyThe Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible.
24 Nov 2025·Department for Transport·Answered
AskedWhat information her Department holds on the number of parking fines that have been administered by the London Borough of Havering in every year since 2010.
ReplyThe Department for Transport does not hold this data. Local authorities publish some financial information relating to parking fines on their websites. All local authorities have a statutory responsibility to provide appropriate traffic management schemes for their roads; therefore they are free to make their own decisions about the streets under their care, provided they take account of the relevant legislation. They are accountable to local people for their decisions and their performance.
24 Nov 2025·Department for Transport·Answered
AskedWhat steps he has taken to reduce the number of parking fines administered by local authorities.
ReplyThe Department for Transport does not hold this data. Local authorities publish some financial information relating to parking fines on their websites. All local authorities have a statutory responsibility to provide appropriate traffic management schemes for their roads; therefore they are free to make their own decisions about the streets under their care, provided they take account of the relevant legislation. They are accountable to local people for their decisions and their performance.
24 Nov 2025·Department for Transport·Answered
AskedWhat information her Department holds on the amount of money that has been collected by local authorities through the administration of parking fines in every year since 2010.
ReplyThe Department for Transport does not hold this data. Local authorities publish some financial information relating to parking fines on their websites. All local authorities have a statutory responsibility to provide appropriate traffic management schemes for their roads; therefore they are free to make their own decisions about the streets under their care, provided they take account of the relevant legislation. They are accountable to local people for their decisions and their performance.
24 Nov 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
AskedWhat assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement on the UK; and if he will publish a report on that agreement since its implementation.
ReplyThe Department’s impact assessment of the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreements was published under the previous government on 16th December 2021. This impact assessment set out the potential long-run incremental economic impact of the FTA and is available on gov.uk. On a recent visit to Australia for the CPTPP Commission I saw how the FTA – and the trade advantages consequent upon our membership of the CPTPP – are being used. The Department is currently considering our approach to FTA Monitoring, not least because we want to see how effectively FTAs are being used by UK businesses and we will provide an update on this in due course.
24 Nov 2025·Ministry of Defence·Answered
AskedTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to support good (a) mental and (b) physical health amongst retired veterans.
ReplyThis Government remains dedicated in recognising our veterans for their service and is fully committed to ensuring that veterans are able to access the care and support they need. In England, NHS England provides Op COURAGE, which delivers a broad range of specialist mental health wellbeing care and support for service leavers, reservists, and veterans. Op RESTORE provides specialist care and support to veterans who have physical health problems as a result of their service. Separate provision is available for veterans living in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Earlier this year we launched VALOUR, a new national programme designed to make it easier for veterans across the UK to access support when it is needed. The £27 million VALOUR development funding programme will deliver VALOUR Recognised Centres across the country, which will help cohere service provision and ensure that veterans can meet and discuss their issues with others who understand their unique experiences, within their communities, to further enhance their wellbeing.
24 Nov 2025·Department of Health and Social Care·Answered
AskedWhat steps he has taken to help reduce cases of hyperglycaemia in a) England and b) the parliamentary constituency of Romford.
ReplyThe National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published advice on the management of type 1 diabetes, including advice on managing hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia, which is available at the following link: https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/diabetes-type-1/management/ NICE’s guidance includes the use of hybrid close loops (HCL) for type 1 diabetes which provide real time monitoring of glucose levels and administer insulin when needed to prevent hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia. Following NICE’s guidance, NHS England developed a five-year national strategy with guidance to National Health Service providers on the phased uptake approach of HCL systems. The guidance applies nationally, including to Romford. Rollout started last year. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta943NHS England also commissions diabetes digital structured education services, which support users to self-manage their condition.
24 Nov 2025·Department for Energy Security and Net Zero·Answered
AskedWhat steps he has taken to work with local authorities to prepare elderly social housing residents for cold temperatures.
ReplyThe Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH: SHF) (Wave 3) will upgrade a significant amount of the social housing stock below EPC C up to that standard, delivering warm homes and tackling fuel poverty. Delivery began in April 2025 and will deliver up to £1.29 billion to 143 projects across England. Wave 3 was open to all registered providers of and charities providing social housing except the West Midlands and Greater Manchester Combined Authorities which received 13.5% of this funding through their Integrated Settlements. The affordability crisis is the biggest issue facing this country. That is why we have acted in the Budget to take £150 of costs off people’s energy bills. On top of this, support is available through the Warm Home Discount schemes which provide eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a further £150 off their winter energy bill.
24 Nov 2025·Department for Transport·Answered
AskedWhat steps she has taken to reduce casualties on railways in a) England and b) the parliamentary constituency of Romford.
ReplyBritain’s railways remain among the safest in the world, with casualty rates steadily declining in recent decades. The rail industry continues to act to reduce casualty rates across the entire network, in accordance with its statutory duties, which are enforced by the Office of Rail and Road, Britain’s independent rail safety regulator. In recent years, the industry has launched public safety initiatives, upgraded level crossing, signalling and civil infrastructure, integrated new technologies to improve risk detection and intervention, and enhanced training for staff on the railways, among other steps.
24 Nov 2025·Ministry of Defence·Answered
AskedWhat steps he has taken to streamline his Department’s procurement procedures.
ReplyImplementation of the procurement and acquisition reforms set out in the Defence Industrial Strategy is underway, under the new National Armaments Director who took up post on 14 October 2025. We are introducing service-agnostic capability portfolios, aligned with wider departmental reforms. The portfolio-driven approach will increase pace and adaptability, enabling us to maximise the output from our investment, reduce waste and be more market aligned. Five commercial pathways have been launched for Spiral, Urgent, Design to Cost, Digital & Technology and Low Complexity Procurement. Further Commercial Pathways are being developed including for S&T and Experimentation, National Security, and Infrastructure with a focus on harnessing commercial flexibilities to drive pace and adaptability. These pathways underpin the new segmented approach to procurement which sets ambitious targets to drastically reduce the timescales to get new projects on contract by tailoring processes and timelines to the type of acquisition supplier and risk involved. This includes the Rapid Commercial Exploitation segment to allow us to pull the latest technology into operations and increase innovation.