Asked by: Lord Cashman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that sarcoma patients in Cornwall, currently facing journeys of hundreds of miles for medical treatment, receive the appropriate medical and therapeutic support within that region.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has published a national service specification, covering both bone and soft tissue sarcomas. The specification requires close working between sarcoma services and other National Health Service partners, co-ordinated by Sarcoma Advisory Groups, to improve care pathways.
Work is underway across both bone and soft tissue sarcoma provision to ensure that cancer care providers meet national service standards and improve care to patients across the country, including Cornwall.
Although patients will sometimes need to travel to specialist centres to access treatment, the National Cancer Plan will seek to make cancer care easier, more local, and more responsive. Rather than requiring endless trips to hospitals, cancer care will happen as locally as it can. This means digitally by default, in a patient’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, in a hospital if necessary. Bringing cancer care into the Neighbourhood Health Service is an important part of the National Cancer Plan for England, enabling cancer patients to be treated and cared for closer to home.
The National Cancer Plan will aim to improve how the physical and psychosocial needs of people with cancer can be met, with a focus on personalised care to improve quality of life. It will address how the experience of care can be improved for those diagnosed, treated, and living with and beyond cancer.
The Government welcomes the recent publication of Sarcoma UK’s Sarcoma State of the Nation report as it highlights the importance of early diagnosis, care co-ordination across complex pathways, research into new treatments, and survivorship. Our forthcoming National Cancer Plan will set out how we will improve the experience and outcomes for people with cancer, including sarcoma.
Asked by: Lord Cashman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they will take to improve the security of tenure, and security of moorings, for residential houseboat dwellers on rivers and waterways.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Responsibility for operational matters on inland waterways rests with the relevant navigation authority, including arrangements for moorings where they are owned by the navigation authority or with the relevant independent mooring owner as appropriate.
The length and security of tenure of houseboat owners will depend on the terms they agree with the mooring owner. The terms of the agreement issued by the mooring owner must comply with the unfair terms in consumer contracts requirements in the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Boat owners with residential moorings will also benefit from the Protection from Eviction Act 1977.
Asked by: Lord Cashman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to monitor carefully the UK press this summer for any disinformation or incitement that could lead to the targeting of hotels or other accommodation housing refugees and asylum seekers.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office works closely with policing colleagues on a range of issues to ensure the protection of public order and safety.
Asked by: Lord Cashman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to address high levels of interest some graduates pay on student loans.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Student loans are subject to interest so as to ensure that those who can afford to do so contribute to the full cost of their degree.
Interest rates on student loans do not affect monthly repayments made by borrowers. Regular repayments are based on a fixed percentage of earnings above the applicable student loan repayment threshold, not on amount borrowed or the rate of interest. If income is below the relevant student loan repayment threshold, or a borrower is not earning, then they do not have to make repayments at all. Any outstanding debt, including interest built up, is written off after the loan term ends or in case of death or disability, at no detriment to the borrower.
Interest rates are set annually in relation to the Retail Price Index. The government caps maximum student loan rates when needed to ensure that student loan interest rates do not exceed market rates for comparable unsecured personal loans.
A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.
Asked by: Lord Cashman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to attract international students to UK institutions who are unable to enrol at US universities due to recent US policy changes.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The UK is a highly attractive study destination for international students with 4 universities in the top 10 and 15 in the top 100, alongside a wide array of high quality institutions which can offer a fulfilling and enjoyable experience to international students from around the world.
As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has made clear in her video message last year, this government welcomes international students who enrich our university campuses, forge lifelong friendships with our domestic students and become global ambassadors for the UK.
As set out in the Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May, the department will retain our competitive post-study work offer for international students, principally through the graduate visa that will remain available for a reduced duration so that graduates move more quickly into skilled work. This will maintain our attractiveness as a study destination while ensuring individuals granted a graduate visa obtain employment in graduate level roles and contribute to the country’s skills needs. We will issue further details on implementation of the White Paper measures in due course.
Asked by: Lord Cashman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the National Audit Office report The Effectiveness of Government in Tackling Homelessness, published on 23 July 2024, what plans they have to update the housing benefit subsidy regime for temporary accommodation.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP pays local authorities a Housing Benefit subsidy for temporary accommodation cases. There are restrictions on the amount paid, including a subsidy cap which is £500 per week in certain areas of London or £375 elsewhere.
We recognise the financial pressures which local authorities are experiencing. MHCLG are increasing funding for homelessness services this year by an extra £233 million compared to last year (2024/25).
We continue to keep the rates used for Housing Benefit subsidy under review and are working closely with MHCLG and the Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping to explore the impacts of subsidy rates on local authorities.
Any future decisions on subsidy rates will be taken at the appropriate fiscal event in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing and the current challenging financial environment.
Asked by: Lord Cashman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help London boroughs address the estimated £330 million overspend in their homeless services’ budgets.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government has inherited record levels of homelessness, and we recognise the cost pressures this has put on councils. That is why we have increased funding for homelessness services in 2025/26 by £233 million to nearly £1 billion, alongside a local government finance settlement for 2025/26 which makes available over £69bn for local government, a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024/25.
The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness.
Allocations for London boroughs for the Homelessness Prevention Grant can be found here Homelessness Prevention Grant allocations: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK
Asked by: Lord Cashman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish in full the evidence behind their decision of 11 December 2024 to ban puberty blockers for patients over the age of 18 for the treatment of gender incongruence or gender dysphoria under the care of private or non-United Kingdom prescribers.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 1 January 2025, indefinite restrictions preventing new patients aged under 18 years old from being supplied with puberty blockers for the purposes of gender incongruence and/or gender dysphoria, under the care of private or non-United Kingdom prescribers, took effect.
The Government is committed to transparency and accountability in its decision-making and understands people will wish to understand how this decision was reached. Further to my response on 7 January 2025 to the Noble Lord’s question, HL3426 tabled on 12 December 2024, I can confirm that the Government will publish shortly the full independent report by the Commission on Human Medicines on the indefinite banning order of puberty blockers for gender dysphoria and/or incongruence. I will gladly write to the Noble Lord when this it is published.
Asked by: Lord Cashman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the evidence behind their decision to ban puberty blocker medication from all providers; and what meetings the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had with the parents of trans children or teenagers, their representatives or organisations representing their concerns.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 11 December 2024, the Government published its response to the consultation on whether to introduce indefinite restrictions to prevent new patients aged under 18 years old from being supplied with puberty blockers for the purposes of gender incongruence and/or gender dysphoria, under the care of private or non-United Kingdom prescribers. This response included recommendations from a report by an expert clinical committee, the Commission on Human Medicines. This decision has been further informed by the evidence gathered by Baroness Cass as part of her independent review of gender identity services for children and young people, The Cass Review, which is publicly available.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has held constructive, open, and honest roundtable discussions, including with children and young people, and their parents, with lived experience of gender dysphoria and incongruence. The Government remains committed to listening to the LGBT+ community.
Asked by: Lord Cashman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care plans to meet with parents of trans children, as requested in correspondence from Lord Cashman to his office since July.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has held constructive roundtable discussions with a group of children and young people, and their parents, with lived experience of gender dysphoria and incongruence.
The Government remains committed to listening to the LGBT+ community. Department officials will write to you on how best to take forward your request.