Parliament and Government Summary — 4 June 2026

MPs used questions in the Commons to press the Solicitor General and Environment minister on justice and enforcement areas including violence against women and girls and waste crime. In the Lords, peers scrutinised how the UK addresses atrocity crimes, including genocide determination, alongside debates on military activity in the Gulf and legislation affecting waste responsibilities.

At a glance

• Commons oral questions focused on how the justice system responds to violence against women and girls and on enforcement against waste crime.
• In the Lords, debate and legislation centred on atrocity crimes and genocide determination, alongside scrutiny of UK military activity in the Gulf.
• Government activity included a joint project to explore better data-sharing so children are “school ready”, while committee reports addressed ministerial standards and draft regulations including sanctions.

In the Commons

• In the Commons, MPs pressed the Solicitor General on how the justice system tackles violence against women and girls, using the Solicitor General oral questions slot. [1]
• MPs also questioned the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs minister on waste crime, focusing on enforcement and the environmental consequences of illegal waste activity. [2]

In the Lords

• Peers debated tackling atrocity crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, grounding the discussion in legal accountability for the gravest international offences. [3]
• Peers considered the Genocide Determination Bill [HL], raising a key legal decision point about how genocide may be determined under UK processes. [4]
• In another Lords debate, peers examined military activity in the Gulf, focusing on scrutiny of UK security and defence involvement abroad. [5]
• Peers considered the Corporate Waste Responsibility Bill [HL], a legislative proposal about legal duties for companies handling waste and how corporate responsibility for waste could be reshaped. [6]

Government announcements

• The Government published details of a new joint project, led by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Education, to explore how better data-sharing can help ensure children are “school ready”. [7]

Committees

• The Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee published its government response to a special report on how ministerial statements relate to the Ministerial Code, continuing work on accountability and standards. [8]
• The Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee issued a report “drawn to the special attention of the House”, covering draft England environmental permitting regulations and amendments to Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) regulations among other listed instruments. [9]

Sources used

1. Violence against Women and Girls — Hansard
2. Waste Crime — Hansard
3. Combating Atrocity Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide — Hansard
4. Genocide Determination Bill [HL] — Hansard
5. Military in the Gulf — Hansard
6. Corporate Waste Responsibility Bill [HL] — Hansard
7. Faster support for children to get school ready as Tech Sec vows to better connect public services — GOV.UK
8. 1st Special Report – Ministerial Statements and the Ministerial Code: Government Response — UK Parliament Committees
9. 3rd Report – Drawn to the special attention of the House: Draft Environmental Permitting (Waste Controlling or Transporting) and Relevant Functions of Primary Authorities (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2026; Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 Includes information paragraphs on: Draft Airports Slot Allocation (Alleviation of Usage Requirements) Regulations 2026; Draft Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (Amendment) Order 2026; Draft Lifelong Learning (Fee Limits) Regulations 2026; Draft Housing Health and Safety Rating System: Enforcement Guidance and Operating Guidance Parts 1, 2 and 3; Control of Explosives Precursors etc. (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026; Firearms (Variation of Fees) Order 2026; Regulated Electronic Programme Guide (Prescribed Description and Transitional Arrangements) Regulations 2026; Health Protection (Notification) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 and one linked instrument Local Government Pension Scheme (Pooling, Management and Investment of Funds) Regulations 2026 — UK Parliament Committees

Licensing

Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Last updated

First published on 4 June 2026. No corrections at the time of publication.