Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of GP fees for (a) letters requested to support applications relating to (i) mental health, (ii) housing, (iii) education and (iv) welfare and (b) other non-NHS letters on patients; and whether he plans to issue guidance to GP practices on fee structures for such documentation in cases involving (A) financial hardship and (B) vulnerable people.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are some medical evidence letters, certificates, and/or reports that general practices (GPs) may charge for, and others that they must not charge patients for. The legislation that sets this out is the General Medical Services and Personal Medical Services Regulations, which form the basis of the GP Contract with the National Health Service. There is no statutory limit to the level of such fees as this is outside of core NHS work.

The Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association suggests guideline fees for such services to help doctors set their own professional fees.

We recognise that there are concerns about some fees GPs charge for letters and the consistency of those charges, as well as the additional burden these requests can place on GPs. Where GPs charge for that evidence, these charges should be clear, fair, and consistent. Where possible and appropriate we would encourage people to use alternative evidence.

We are continuing to work across the Government to cut red tape and improve ways of working, including work to improve the patient experience, such as removing the need to request unnecessary medical evidence where possible.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 80524 on Nurses: Training, whether training courses in learning disability nursing will be available in North East Hampshire constituency.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Undergraduate training places for learning disability nursing are not centrally commissioned by the Government. Instead, they are determined by university education providers, who decide the number of learners they admit based on learner demand and provider capacity. The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times to those seeking psychological therapy to support their employment efforts.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is unacceptable that some people are not receiving the mental health care they need. We are determined to change that. We have already taken significant steps to improve National Health Service mental health services, including hiring almost 7,000 extra mental health workers since July 2024, and thanks to an increase in NHS Talking Therapies, more adults with anxiety and depression are getting back into work.

We are continuing to roll out employment advisors in our talking therapies services to support people with common mental health conditions to seek and retain employment. These advisors help people who are in work but are struggling or facing difficulties in the workplace, for instance being off work sick or looking for work, so we can provide the right support at the right time.

We continue to meet the waiting time standard in place for NHS Talking Therapies services. The latest data from June 2025 shows 89.1% of people completing treatment waited less than six weeks for their first appointment against a target of 75%. And 98.6% of people completing treatment waited less than 18 weeks, against a target of 95%.

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 16 October 2025 to Question 77864 on Non-native Species: Weed Control, if she will make it her policy to offer funding to homeowners for the (a) treatment and (b) removal of Japanese knotweed, in the context of (i) obligations under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and (ii) the environmental impact of this species.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Japanese knotweed is listed on Schedule 9, and subject to Section 14, of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which makes it an offence to plant or otherwise cause this species to grow in the wild. There is no explicit obligation upon landowners to manage this species on their property. However, they must prevent it spreading off their property.

Defra is not currently considering offering funding for homeowners for the treatment and removal of Japanese knotweed. Guidance remains available for homeowners who do wish to manage Japanese knotweed on their property: How to stop Japanese knotweed from spreading - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of creating a national online crime agency.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Home Office is considering how best to tackle online crime as part of the upcoming Fraud Strategy, due for publication early next year.

This will include options for enhanced collaboration between industry and law enforcement to address online threats effectively.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the names of (a) banks and (b) other organisations that fail to (i) prevent fraud and (ii) reimburse victims of fraud.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

We work closely with the financial sector to disrupt fraud at its source and prevent financial exploitation. We welcome the actions of the financial services industry in helping to prevent authorised push payment (APP) fraud. Data has also shown that banks are increasingly compensating victims following the introduction of mandatory reimbursement through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 (APP scams reimbursement dashboard for Q2 2025 | Payment Systems Regulator).

The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) oversees banks’ compliance with regards to mandatory reimbursement, and they will publish their third APP scams performance report, covering 2024, in December. The reports show the sending fraud rates and reimbursement rates of the 14 biggest banks in the UK, putting a spotlight on firms that are the highest receivers of fraud. Previous reports for 2023 and 2022 can be found here: APP fraud performance data | Payment Systems Regulator.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking with (a) NHS England and (b) integrated care boards to ensure that NHS dental provision is effectively delivered under the Armed Forces Covenant Duty; and whether he has considered increasing levels of (i) guidance and (ii) oversight in this area to help prevent disadvantage for service families following relocation.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise that Armed Forces families may move more frequently than the civilian population in support of our service personnel. Data on dental access does not suggest that Armed Forces families are being disadvantaged when compared to the civilian population. We are taking steps to improve access to dentistry and members of the armed forces community will also benefit from the improved access these changes bring about, in the same way as the civilian population.

NHS England is working proactively with the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces Families Federations to provide guidance to integrated care boards in relation to local dental access for families relocating to the area and guidance for families. Signposting for Armed Forces Personnel on dentistry access for their families has been improved through the ‘Discover My Benefits website’, and A “Myth Busting” paper has been prepared by the Armed Forces Families Federation. This includes a link to the Single Point of Contact for NHS England dedicated to Armed Forces access issues.

Free NHS dental care is available to people receiving War Pension Scheme payments, or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments, and the treatment is for your accepted disability. We are also supporting more than 1,500 children in British military families overseas through our supervised toothbrushing programme.

Chalk streams and salmon in Hampshire

Bank closures, digital exclusion and cyber risks

Buying community energy locally

Impact of EU 90/180 day rule on UK citizens

Securing habitat for endangered swifts and other cavity nesting birds

Open Doors 2025

President Trump’s 20-point peace plan

Britain’s canals and rivers

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sarah Owen (Chair); Alex Brewer; David Burton-Sampson; Rosie Duffield

Found: Current membership Sarah Owen (Labour; Luton North) (Chair) Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat; North East

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sarah Owen (Chair); Alex Brewer; David Burton-Sampson; Rosie Duffield

This inquiry examines why and how Black people face disproportionate risks of homelessness. It will also consider what measures the Government should include in its upcoming cross-departmental homelessness and rough sleeping strategy.