Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish (a) the long list of NHS trusts considered by the Chair for inclusion in the Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation and (b) the selection criteria used by the Investigation team to assess those trusts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 14 NHS trusts to be looked at as part of the independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation were announced on 15 September 2025. There are no plans to publish the long list of NHS trusts considered by the chair for inclusion in the investigation.
The 14 NHS trusts were selected by the independent investigation based on a variety of factors, including results from the Care Quality Commission’s Maternity Patient Survey and Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK’s perinatal mortality rates, in addition to variation in case mix, trust type, geographic coverage, provision of care to individuals from diverse backgrounds, and family feedback.
Three of the trusts have been included due to their inclusion in previous investigations or reviews, these three trusts being the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, and the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who has been selected to represent (a) midwifery, (b) obstetrics and (c) neonatal care for his Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The list of Expert Advisers supporting Baroness Amos is published in the terms of reference. They include:
a) Professor Julia Sanders and Lesley Sharkey, both midwives.
b) Professor Alex Heazell and Dr Christine Ekechi, both obstetricians.
c) Dr Edile Murdoch and Dr Alison Bedford-Russell, both neonatologists.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mechanisms exist to ensure public safeguarding of victims when police investigations into child sexual exploitation are paused due to the mental health needs of those victims.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
It is crucial police and law enforcement have the capabilities and skills to effectively tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation and take robust action to better safeguard children, ensuring victims and survivors receive appropriate care and support throughout the process.
The Government is investing in a range of significant measures to ensure that the police can respond to victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation with empathy, compassion and professionalism, investigating thoroughly and working with other services to reach the best possible outcome in every case. This includes investing in the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce which is working with forces to improve how they investigate child sexual abuse and exploitation, providing practical, expert, on the ground support, including on how to embed trauma-informed approaches to their investigations and engagement with victims and survivors.
We are also investing in the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) which launched in April 2025 to improve the policing response to VAWG and child sexual abuse and exploitation. Centralising policing expertise to tackle these crimes will drive national coordination, with the development of strengthened specialist training for officers ensuring they offer consistent protection for victims and survivors.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the support available to victims of child sexual exploitation when court proceedings are paused due to the victim's mental health needs.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) roles, including children's ISVAs (CHISVAs), are intended provide information about the criminal justice process to the victim, including what to expect at each stage.
Statutory guidance published in May 2025, under section 16 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 and related regulations, aims to improve the consistency of support delivered by these roles. The guidance outlines that both ISVAs and CHISVAs can provide emotional and practical support to children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse. This support can continue while court proceedings are paused.
When the victim is able to re-engage in the court proceedings, the offered support can include sitting with or near the victim in the courtroom (if the courtroom layout allows) or any other place where the victim takes part, unless there is good reason for the judge/magistrate to refuse.
Pre-recorded cross-examination is also available so that children can avoid the stress of giving evidence in a live trial setting, which many find traumatic.
In addition, the Ministry of Justice provides grant funding to over 60 specialist support organisations in England and Wales through the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF). Organisations in receipt of RASASF funding deliver activities that help victims of sexual abuse, including recent and non-recent victims of child sexual abuse, to cope, build resilience, and move forward with their lives. This is complimented by specific support for child victims of sexual exploitation offered by the Home Office through their Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse fund.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the cost of (a) quarterly tax returns and (b) mandatory use of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax software to small and medium enterprises.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax quarterly updates are not the same as tax returns. They are simple, unadjusted summaries of income and expenditure, populated automatically through software and easily submitted. The latest published assessment of MTD for Income Tax impacts is available at:
The government has worked with the software industry to ensure a wide range of software choices to suit varying needs and budgets including free and low-cost software options. HMRC's software choices page can be found here:
Quarterly updates will support taxpayers in getting get their tax right and allow customers to call-up estimates of their emerging liability on-demand throughout the tax year. This helps ensure everyone pays the right amount of tax at the right time
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to replace the Community Ownership Fund.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 23 December 2024, we announced that the Community Ownership Fund (COF) is closed and that there will be no further application windows. Whilst we have closed the COF programme, this Government remains committed to the communities sector and to community empowerment.
As part of the Spending Review, we announced communities funding for up to 350 places, which will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities, incorporating the existing 75 Plan for Neighbourhoods areas announced in March.
Through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, we will also introduce a new Community Right to Buy to give local people stronger powers to acquire valued community spaces. This new measure will give community groups the first option to purchase registered assets when they are put up for sale and a longer timeframe to raise funding to purchase the asset.
The Bill will also expand the definition of an Asset of Community Value (ACV) to help protect a wider range of assets, including those that support the economy of a community and those that were historically of importance to the community. This will empower local people to bring community spaces back into community ownership and help to end the blight of empty properties on our high streets.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to reinstate funding for local Neighbourhood Development Plans.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 59114 on 19 June 2025.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2025 to Question 52615 on Agriculture: Finance, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of not including goats in the eligibility criteria for the Animal Health and Welfare grant in the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund 2025 on goat farmers.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Animal Health and Welfare grant scheme is part of the broader Animal Health and Welfare Pathway (the Pathway), which remains focused on the most commonly farmed species: pigs, dairy cows, beef cattle, laying hens, broiler chickens and sheep. This approach was co-designed with industry, non-government organisations and welfare scientists, and has shaped the development of the support offered, including the scope and items list for the grant. There are currently no plans to make an assessment of the impact of not including goats in the eligibility criteria as they are not one of the most commonly farmed species.
The Department remains committed to working collaboratively with industry to ensure that grants are targeted towards those who need them most and where they can deliver the most benefit for food security, animal health and welfare, and nature.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle littering in tourist hotspots; and how these steps are tailored to the influx of visitors during peak seasons.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local councils are responsible for keeping public land clear of litter and refuse. The standards that they are expected to meet are set out in the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse, which is available at: Litter and refuse: code of practice - GOV.UK.
Councils will be best placed to understand littering patterns in their area. The code provides guidance on managing hotspots and seasonal variations in tourist areas. It explains that councils may need to increase cleansing activities and enforcement patrols to cope with an influx of people during peak periods.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help improve the enforcement of littering.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local councils are responsible for taking enforcement action against littering. They can prosecute those suspected of littering which could result in a criminal record and a fine of up to £2500. Instead of prosecuting, councils may decide to issue a fixed penalty (on-the-spot) fine of up to £500.
Advisory guidance on littering enforcement is available at: Litter and refuse: code of practice - GOV.UK. We are considering the benefits of placing this guidance on a statutory footing. Any announcement will be made in the usual way.