Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has taken steps to implement the Law Commission’s July 2022 recommendations on weddings law reform in England and Wales; and whether his Department has published any progress reports.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones
The Government announced on 2 October 2025 that we intend to reform weddings law when parliamentary time allows, taking forward the two key elements from the Law Commission report. We will move to a more flexible system that gives couples greater choice over where and how they marry and simplify the legal framework so that it is fairer, more consistent and reflects modern society, while continuing to protect the dignity of marriage.
Ahead of these reforms, we will be undertaking a public consultation early this year. This consultation will seek views from wide range of stakeholders, including members of the public, couples, celebrants, and others to ensure broad engagement by those affected by and interested in weddings law.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the consultation on the Marriage Act 1949 reforms will be launched; how long it will run; and what steps will be taken to ensure the broad engagement with all stakeholders including couples and celebrants.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones
The Government announced on 2 October 2025 that we intend to reform weddings law when parliamentary time allows, taking forward the two key elements from the Law Commission report. We will move to a more flexible system that gives couples greater choice over where and how they marry and simplify the legal framework so that it is fairer, more consistent and reflects modern society, while continuing to protect the dignity of marriage.
Ahead of these reforms, we will be undertaking a public consultation early this year. This consultation will seek views from wide range of stakeholders, including members of the public, couples, celebrants, and others to ensure broad engagement by those affected by and interested in weddings law.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what financial support the Department is providing to families of children affected by trauma; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the reduction in the Adoption Support Fund (ASGSF) on individuals that would benefit from that Fund.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care provides support through funding a range of health services, including targeted services, that can support children who are affected by physical and mental trauma.
For example, in December 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced a three-year pilot project to improve mental health support for children in care and their families. “Adoption support that works for all”, published in February, confirmed that this pilot will be designed so that it includes support for adoptive families.
The Department for Education revised criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) in April 2025 to ensure support for all those applying for ASGSF funding. An equalities impact assessment was published in July 2025. My Hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Families and Wellbeing, recently announced the continuation of the ASGSF for 2026 to 2028, and a consultation on the longer-term future of adoption support, including a call for evidence on what works for children and families.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for patients in areas currently without a fracture liaison service to gain access to one; and what milestones his Department has set to track progress towards universal provision.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Fracture Liaison Services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local need. 13 new DEXA scanners were announced in May 2025. Beyond that, 20 new DEXA scanners funded in 2025 to 2026 were announced on 1 March 2026, as set out in the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy.
Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030. Officials continue to work closely with NHS England to explore a range of options to provide better quality and access to these important preventative services.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on developing and publishing a detailed national implementation plan for the rollout of fracture liaison services to achieve 100% coverage across England by 2030.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Fracture Liaison Services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local need. 13 new DEXA scanners were announced in May 2025. Beyond that, 20 new DEXA scanners funded in 2025 to 2026 were announced on 1 March 2026, as set out in the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy.
Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030. Officials continue to work closely with NHS England to explore a range of options to provide better quality and access to these important preventative services.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 impact of the difficulty in selling retirement flats on families inheriting properties; and whether he plans to take steps to support people affected.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 95245 on 5 December 2025.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant the Answer of 22 July 2025 to Question 68230, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of making misogyny a hate crime; and what impact the cross‑Government Strategy on violence against women and girls has had on the Government’s policy on this matter.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government has tabled an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to extend the aggravated offences in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to cover hostility relating to disability, sexual orientation, transgender identity and sex.
This makes clear, in law, that offences motivated by hostility towards a victim’s sex or presumed sex will be treated just as seriously as those motivated by hostility towards the other range of protected characteristics in the hate crime regime.
This approach complements our wider mission to tackle violence against women and girls, set out in Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-cutting strategy, published 18 December 2025.
The VAWG Strategy makes it clear that tackling misogyny, both online and offline, is central to our mission to halve VAWG within a decade and that achieving this requires a whole‑society approach. We are therefore working across government, public services, the private sector and charities to deliver our ambitions.