Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of the creation of a riverside settlement in Thamesmead, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, as one of at least three new towns that the Government hopes to begin during this Parliament.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 122270 on 25 March 2026.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential economic growth and wider benefits of extending the Docklands Light Railway to Thamesmead via Beckton Riverside.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
At Autumn Budget 2025, government committed to financially supporting the extension of the Docklands Light Railway to Thamesmead via Beckton Riverside. The extension will enable the building of up to 25,000 new homes and creation of 10,000 new jobs in Thamesmead and Beckton, and is critical to the development of the proposed New Town in Thamesmead.
As a part of the decision to support the extension, Greater London Authority and Transport for London submitted a Full Business Case to government setting out the benefits the extension will achieve. The Business Case was assessed by His Majesty’s Treasury who concluded that it represents good value for money.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential opportunities for housing and economic growth of Thamesmead Waterfront.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On Monday 23 March, the government launched a public consultation on its proposed New Towns Programme and its environmental implications. That consultation can be found on gov.uk here.
Through the Programme, we are proposing to take forward seven locations, including a site at Thamesmead.
The consultation builds on the findings of the New Towns Taskforce’s final report. It invites views on how the new towns programme will operate, how new towns will be delivered and planned, and the proposed approach to design, placemaking and planning policy.
Final locations will be confirmed later this year after the consultation, the Strategic Environmental Assessment and any further required environmental assessment have concluded.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many improvement and prohibition notices the Health and Safety Executive has issued on (a) workplace stress and (b) other mental health problems at work in each year since it took responsibility for this area.
Answered by Paul Maynard
There are no specific regulations relating to work-related stress or mental health and any enforcement action taken by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in those areas would use general health and safety legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work Act or the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations.
As a result, HSE can not provide the numbers of notices as the information is not held in the format requested so is not easily retrievable or statistically robust.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Health and Safety Executive employees are dedicated to mental health related workplace matters.
Answered by Paul Maynard
Information on the work and resourcing within Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is not available in the format requested.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the maternity disparities taskforce (a) last met and (b) is next scheduled to meet.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Maternity Disparities Taskforce brings experts from across the health system, governmental departments, and the voluntary sector to explore and consider evidence-based interventions to tackle maternal disparities. The taskforce last met on 31 January 2024, and is due to meet again in the coming months in spring.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the impact of the current sanctions regime on the flow of Russian oil into the UK; and whether he has plans to strengthen those measures.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The UK, alongside the G7 and Australia, has banned the import of Russian oil and oil products. We have also created the Oil Price Cap which prohibits UK and G7+ firms from providing services facilitating the maritime transport of Russian oil and oil products to third countries above that Cap. Importers must provide proof of origin to relevant UK enforcement authorities, to demonstrate that goods are not of Russian origin.
We continue to monitor the efficacy of our oil-related sanctions and, in coordination with our partners and will take further action if needed.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that UK-based companies are fully complying with the sanctions imposed on (a) Russian oil and (b) other Russian exports.
Answered by Bim Afolami
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OSFI) and The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) have published extensive guidance to support industry in complying with sanctions measures against Russia.
OFSI takes a proactive enforcement approach and is currently undertaking a number of investigations into suspected breaches of the oil price cap, using their legal powers to request information and working closely with our international partners in the G7+ Coalition.
HM Revenue & Customs is responsible for enforcing export controls on strategic goods and sanctions and investigating potential breaches of those controls.
HMRC enforcement mechanisms are robust and act as a deterrent against those considering circumventing sanctions measures. They take breaches of sanctions seriously and undertake a preliminary investigation into all credible allegations of an offence. They have improved their capacity to investigate and enforce sanctions and are developing new capabilities to enforce sanctions on services under criminal law. Non-compliance with UK sanctions is a serious offence and punishable through large financial penalties or criminal prosecution.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much capital funding NHS England plans to make available for housing for people with a learning disability and autism in the 2024-25 financial year; and if she will make an estimate of the number of people who will be provided housing through this funding.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
NHS England’s 2024/25 Learning Disability and Autism Housing Capital Programme plans to support up to 85 people with learning disabilities or autism who need housing to be discharged from a mental health hospital or to avoid hospital admission. This estimate is based on an expected £13 million capital allocation for 2024/25. Please note that this includes housing schemes that were initiated in 2023/24, as well as schemes that will continue into 2025/26.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to amend the right of offenders sentenced to an Indefinite Hospital Order to apply for a review every 12 months; and whether he has made an assessment of the impact of those reviews on (a) victims and (b) families.
Answered by Gareth Bacon - Shadow Minister (Housing and Planning)
Hospital Orders and the provisions around them are set out in the Mental Health Act 1983 and ensure regular access for patients to a review of their detention by an independent court which will determine whether the criteria for detention continue to be met.
This Government is committed to ensuring that victims’ voices are heard. We are working with the judiciary to introduce an entitlement in the Victims’ Code for Victim Personal Statements in the Mental Health Tribunal, where an offender’s detention is being reviewed. This will give victims the opportunity to explain the impact of the crime on them, and we continue to assess the provision of support for victims engaging with criminal justice processes like the Mental Health Tribunal.