Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Water Reform White Paper will include consideration for linking better access to blue spaces with improving their water quality.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has set out its intention to respond to the recommendations published in the final report of the Independent Water Commission through a White Paper, bringing forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for customers, investors and the environment and deliver the change the public expects. These reforms will form the basis of a new water reform bill to be introduced during this parliament.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken within the last 5 years to assess the compliance of water companies and the Environment Agency against their obligations under the Water and Sewerage (Conservation, Access and Recreation) (Code of Practice) Order 2000.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
It is water companies’ and the Environment Agency’s responsibility to comply with their respective obligations under the Code of Practice on Conservation, Access and Recreation.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to improve the water quality in blue spaces used recreationally for activities such as paddle boarding, canoeing and kayaking.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department is working on a response to the Independent Water Commission’s final recommendations through a White Paper and a new water reform bill, bringing forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for customers, investors and the environment and restore trust and accountability. The recommendations intend to cut pollution and restore our rivers, lakes and seas, including those used recreationally, to good health for future generations.
The Environment Agency also has an active Research and Development programme exploring innovative contamination detection at bathing waters. It also participates with other UK and international agencies on the development of analytical techniques, with the aim of improving water quality in blue spaces.
In the November – December 2024 consultation on bathing water reforms, we asked respondents about wider reforms including the expansion of the definition of ‘bathers’ to include other water users.
The Government’s response, published in March 2025, noted a clear majority of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with the proposal to expand the definition, with many suggesting which water users to include.
The Department is now exploring how to gather evidence to deliver this reform, considering which users to include and how to set safe classification levels for all. The timeline for detailed policy development will depend on this scoping work. Defra will engage with local and national stakeholders as work progresses and welcomes any information they can provide.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to broaden the definition of bathers within the relevant regulations to include a broader range of recreational water users.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department is working on a response to the Independent Water Commission’s final recommendations through a White Paper and a new water reform bill, bringing forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for customers, investors and the environment and restore trust and accountability. The recommendations intend to cut pollution and restore our rivers, lakes and seas, including those used recreationally, to good health for future generations.
The Environment Agency also has an active Research and Development programme exploring innovative contamination detection at bathing waters. It also participates with other UK and international agencies on the development of analytical techniques, with the aim of improving water quality in blue spaces.
In the November – December 2024 consultation on bathing water reforms, we asked respondents about wider reforms including the expansion of the definition of ‘bathers’ to include other water users.
The Government’s response, published in March 2025, noted a clear majority of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with the proposal to expand the definition, with many suggesting which water users to include.
The Department is now exploring how to gather evidence to deliver this reform, considering which users to include and how to set safe classification levels for all. The timeline for detailed policy development will depend on this scoping work. Defra will engage with local and national stakeholders as work progresses and welcomes any information they can provide.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) potential implications for his policies of trends in the level of profits generated by private care homes in the last three years and (b) potential impact of this has on the funding and sustainability of social care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Provider profits are a necessary component of any healthy industry and play an important role in attracting investment to the sector. The Department monitors financial health using the Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, Amortisation, Rent and Management (EBITDARM) margin, a recognised accountancy measurement for businesses with assets and incomes such as care homes. Latest published data is from the Care Quality Commission’s Market Oversight scheme last year and suggests that non-specialist care homes had an EBITDARM margin of 26.9% as of March 2024.
We have provided the Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund (MSIF) to local authorities since 2023/24, with one of the three target areas local authorities can spend their allocations on being to improve fee rates to providers. MSIF is designed to support increased adult social care capacity and improve market sustainability.
Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes a duty to work closely with local provider to promote best practice and achieve a sustainable balance of quality, effectiveness, and value for money.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
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 merits of introducing transparency in property management fee increases, including appointing a body responsible for monitoring the justification for those increases.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77534 on 17 October 2025.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department is taking steps to require publicly accessible listings of property management details for residential blocks.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77534 on 17 October 2025.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
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 merits of introducing regulation of property managing agents.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77534 on 17 October 2025.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
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 merits of introducing a cap on property management fees.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77534 on 17 October 2025.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of clarifying the responsibilities of developers and property management companies in new-build and mixed-tenure developments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 80700 on 20 October 2025.