Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of public electric vehicle charging infrastructure in North East Hampshire constituency; and what steps her Department is taking to support the installation of additional fast chargers.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is committed to accelerating the rollout of affordable and accessible charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle (EV). We closely monitor charge point rollout and regularly publish public charger statistics. As of 1 April, there were 173 public EV chargers in the parliamentary constituency of North East Hampshire. 88 of these chargers were rated rapid or above.

The Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund is expected to deliver another 100,000 public chargers close to people’s homes across England, while the EV Pavement Channels Grant will support residents without off-street parking to charge their vehicles at home. Hampshire was allocated over £9,000,000 in LEVI funding.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of short-notice rail service cancellations on the economy in North East Hampshire constituency.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport has not made a specific assessment of the impact of short-notice rail service cancellations on the economy in the constituency of North East Hampshire. However, the Department recognises that cancellations and poor reliability can affect passenger journeys, access to employment and services, and wider economic productivity, and these impacts are considered through rail performance monitoring and appraisal processes.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of rail ticket prices on commuters travelling from Fleet, Winchfield and Hook to London.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport has not made a specific assessment of the impact of rail ticket prices on commuters travelling from Fleet, Winchfield and Hook to London. However, the Department considers the impact of fares on passenger demand, affordability and travel behaviour through its wider rail appraisal and analysis processes when informing rail policy and fares decisions.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of on-train Wi-Fi on South Western Railway services through Fleet, Farnborough and Hook.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport has not made a specific assessment of the adequacy of on-train Wi-Fi on South Western Railway services through Fleet, Farnborough, and Hook. However, the Department remains committed to improving Wi-Fi connectivity for train passengers.

South Western Railway has recently introduced and trialled a range of connectivity improvements, including rail‑5G technology between Earlsfield and Basingstoke and enhanced onboard connectivity measures designed to improve passengers’ digital experience.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consideration she has given to introducing a national rail miles scheme.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This Government has set out its ambition to simplify the fares and ticketing system and drive innovation across the network. Once established, I expect Great British Railways to consider the potential for loyalty schemes as a way of encouraging more people to travel by rail.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the economic impact of rail service reliability in North East Hampshire.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department has not made a specific assessment of the economic impact of rail service reliability in North East Hampshire. However, the Department’s rail appraisal guidance recognises that reliability and punctuality affect passenger benefits, journey times and wider economic outcomes, and these factors are considered when assessing rail investment and service improvements.

The Department and the Office of Rail and Road monitor rail performance across the network, recognising that reliable rail services are important for supporting productivity, employment and economic growth.

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 to monitor the effectiveness of the New Hospital Programme.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of instances where a Managed Payment to Landlord has been requested before a claimant's first Universal Credit payment but the housing element was nevertheless paid directly to the claimant; and what proportion of Managed Payment to Landlord requests are implemented before the claimant's next scheduled Universal Credit payment.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

The Department does not collate numbers or produce statistics for this purpose.

A request for a Managed Payment to a Landlord (MPTL) is considered on a case-by-case basis and is not automatically granted. An MPTL may not be accepted where the claimant does not meet the criteria for an Alternative Payment Arrangement.

Where a MPTL has been requested because of rent arrears, the department contacts the claimant and provides an opportunity to provide any contrary evidence. Claimants are given seven days to respond before a decision is made. Decisions are made using all available evidence.

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 potential merits of expanding perinatal services in the community, including increasing provision of (a) specialist perinatal mental health services and (b) support for women with moderate, severe or complex needs.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

Significant progress has been made across England in recent years, as specialist perinatal mental health services are now available in all areas in England. In addition, Maternal Mental Health Services provide specialist care for women with moderate/severe or complex mental health conditions arising from birth trauma, tokophobia, or loss in the maternity/neonatal context.

In the 12-month rolling period ending May 2026, 66,580 people were in contact with specialist perinatal mental health community services. This is a 3% increase on the same period in 2025, in which 64,789 people were in contact with specialist perinatal mental health community services. However, we know there is work to do to ensure all women receive timely access to the care they need.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of specialist epilepsy nursing services in Hampshire; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people with epilepsy in Hampshire have timely access to those nurses.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

Services for people with epilepsy are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs) so the responsibility of services in Hampshire would sit with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB.

We recognise the very important role that epilepsy specialist nurses play in providing care to people with epilepsy, in conducting ongoing reviews and medication monitoring, and in supporting self-management, thereby helping to reduce avoidable hospital admissions and improve quality of life.

The updated service specification for specialised adult neurology services, which NHS England published in August 2025, sets out that clinical nurse specialists can play a key case manager role for patients with long-term neurological conditions such as epilepsy.

The Government has already made progress in increasing the number of frontline staff, improving working conditions, and making the National Health Service a rewarding and fulfilling place to work. This is helping to ensure patients receive the timely care they need.

However, we must go further. The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will set out the action we will take to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage that young people into employment in skilled labour.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government is committed to ensuring every young person is equipped with the skills, knowledge and experiences needed to progress into skilled employment.

We are improving careers guidance through the updated Gatsby Benchmarks, career hubs, careers leader training and greater employer engagement.

We are reforming the post-16 qualifications landscape so that technical and academic qualifications better support progression into skilled employment and meet employers' needs. We are also supporting 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, including through expanded foundation apprenticeships, a £2,000 hiring payment for non-levy employers, and full funding for non-levy employers recruiting 16 to 24-year-old apprentices.

Alongside this, we are working towards delivering our manifesto commitment to guarantee two weeks' worth of work experience for every secondary pupil and continue to promote apprenticeships, T Levels and other technical routes. Through the Construction Skills Programme and Industry Placement programme, learners can gain valuable workplace experience and progress into skilled employment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of mental health support available to families and carers of children with SEND in North East Hampshire.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise that families and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can face significant pressures, including on their mental health and wellbeing, and are not always able to access the support they need. Decisions about the design and delivery of local mental health and SEND services in North East Hampshire are made by local commissioners and providers to meet the needs of their population. However, we are committed to ensuring that the National Health Service provides timely, effective support for those experiencing mental health difficulties.

Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we are expanding access to NHS Talking Therapies so that more people, including parents and carers experiencing anxiety and depression, can get evidence-based support. We are also expanding access to mental health support teams in schools and colleges, which support children and young people and can also work with parents and carers where appropriate, to reach full national coverage by 2029. In addition, NHS services continue to provide specialist community-based support for children and young people with more complex needs.

Other support is available to families and carers of children with SEND. SEND Information, Advice and Support Services (SENDIAS), provided by local authorities, offer free impartial, confidential, and legally based information, advice, and support across education, health, and social care. The Department for Education is also putting more money into parent carer forums and local SENDIAS services, so parents have access to good, independent advice that helps them understand their rights and navigate the system with confidence.

More broadly, the Schools White Paper Every Child Achieving and Thriving and the SEND Reform consultation document set out the Government’s ambitions to transform outcomes for children, young people, and their families who have been let down for far too long. Following the closure of the SEND Reform consultation on 18 May, consultation responses are being reviewed alongside feedback gathered through more than 200 engagement events held over a 12‑week period.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) compensation and (b) redress is available to landlords who incur rent arrears as a result of (i) delays and (ii) administrative errors in implementing Managed Payments to Landlords.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

Where it is considered to be in the claimant’s best interests, those who are vulnerable or who have accumulated arrears may have their rent payments sent direct to their landlords. Rent is a contractual agreement between a tenant and their landlord, which DWP is not party to. These administrative arrangements do not interfere with that contractual relationship and the tenant remains responsible for meeting their rental liabilities.

In general, there is no compensation available to landlords if errors or delays lead to arrears of rent as this would absolve them and the claimant of their responsibilities. The landlord remains responsible for pursuing any rent arrears in the normal way.

In cases of maladministration the Department may consider redress which may take the form of an apology, an explanation of what happened and what has been done to rectify matters or corrective action. In cases where an individual landlord is personally engaged in the management of their property(ies) and in the administration of their tenants’ rents and maladministration has caused an injustice or hardship, financial redress can be considered. Such payments are non-statutory and discretionary.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to encourage young people to enter the farming profession; and what financial support and training pathways are available to new entrants to farming in rural areas such as North East Hampshire.

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

The Government recognises the importance of attracting young people into farming. Building on the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, Defra is developing a 2050 workforce strategy to equip people with skills for thriving agricultural careers. This includes modernising learning opportunities for young people including apprenticeships and T-Levels to reflect future growth such as agri-tech.

Defra is also committed to making farming accessible for young people and new entrants such as through tenant farming.

Opportunities in Hampshire include Sparsholt College and University Centre , part of the Land Based Colleges & Universities Aspiring to Excellence organisation.

Hampshire County Council provides a County Farms Service, offering an inclusive gateway into farming.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will provide funding to implement all outstanding actions outlined in the Ockenden report.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

NHS England continues to provide additional and recurrent funding to support National Health Service trusts to implement the Immediate and Essential actions set out in Donna Ockenden’s review into maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust. This includes £185 million since 2021 to fund additional front line midwives, obstetricians, and specialist neonatal staff and to bring sustained improvements in our maternity and neonatal services.

A further £35 million is being invested over the three years from 2024 to support Maternity and Neonatal Voice Partnerships, training on neonatal resuscitation and brain injury, and new roles for newly qualified midwives.

Last year, the Government commissioned an independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, chaired by Baroness Amos, to bring together the findings from past reviews, including Ockenden’s review at Shrewsbury and Telford, as well as local investigations and evidence from families and staff into one clear national set of recommendations.

Baroness Amos published her final report on 30 June, and the Government’s Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will now translate her recommendations, as well as those national recommendations from the Independent Review of Nottingham maternity services, into a single, national action plan to drive systemic and sustained improvement across maternity and neonatal care. It will also hold the system to account for implementing the plan and improving outcomes and experiences for women, babies, families, as well as staff.

We are also taking immediate action, including investing £186 million to address critical safety risks across the maternity and neonatal estate, and £10.6 million to fund temporary roles for newly qualified midwives.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of levels of veterans engagement with (a) resettlement services, (b) employment service and (c) other transition support services.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

The Ministry of Defence is primarily responsible for supporting those who leave the armed forces and offers a range of “resettlement” services. This includes support into employment through the Career Transition Partnership (CTP). DWP can provide employment support to complement that provided by the CTP, including from Work Coaches in Jobcentres, and from our Armed Forces Champions for those veterans who need additional help and support.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that rail passengers in North East Hampshire constituency are represented in decisions on (a) timetable changes and (b) station improvements.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

South Western Railway (SWR) is developing a network-wide timetable refresh, which includes services affecting North East Hampshire. As part of this process, the operator is required to undertake public consultation on proposed timetable changes, enabling passengers, local authorities and other stakeholders to provide views before proposals are finalised.

Passenger views on station improvements are reflected through engagement led by train operators and local partners when enhancement schemes are developed. In addition, the independent watchdog, Transport Focus, represents the interests of rail users and provides evidence and challenge to ensure passenger priorities are taken into account. These arrangements help ensure that the views of passengers in North East Hampshire are considered in decisions on both timetables and station improvements.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of rail connectivity between North East Hampshire constituency and Heathrow Airport.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport has not made a specific assessment of the adequacy of rail connectivity between the constituency of North East Hampshire and Heathrow Airport. However, residents of North East Hampshire can access Heathrow by rail and onward connections via the wider rail network, including services to London, and interchange with Heathrow Express, the Elizabeth line and other public transport links serving the airport.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to upgrade signalling infrastructure on the South Western Main Line between Basingstoke and London Waterloo; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of such upgrades on services serving North East Hampshire constituency.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain, is responsible for planning and delivering signalling renewals. There are currently no major signalling upgrade schemes planned between Basingstoke and London Waterloo within the current Control Period to March 2027.

However, Network Rail, working with South Western Railway, is investing over £600 million across the wider route to improve performance, including targeted track and signalling interventions, level crossing upgrades and resilience works. On the Woking to London Waterloo corridor, a programme of smaller signalling improvements is being delivered to enhance reliability. These measures are expected to reduce delays and cancellations across the route, benefiting passengers travelling to and from North East Hampshire. Network Rail is also considering longer-term options for renewing the Wimbledon area signalling system as part of future investment planning.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for her policies of the increase in the theft of (a) laurel plants and (b) other horticultural stock from rural properties; and what steps are being taken to support (i) police forces and (ii) affected communities in tackling this form of rural crime.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government is introducing comprehensive policing reforms to strengthen neighbourhood policing and ensure forces have the capability to respond to the crimes that matter most to their communities, including in rural areas.

Through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, every community, rural or urban will have named, contactable officers and stronger local policing presence, with forces supported to deliver an additional 13,000 neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament. By February 2026, we had delivered more than 3,100 additional police officers and PCSOs into neighbourhood roles. The first-year growth target was first exceeded in January 2026, two months ahead of schedule. Local forces retain flexibility to determine the workforce needed to meet their specific crime demands.

In addition, every neighbourhood, rural or urban, now gets named and contactable officers dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally. Every rural area will also be covered by a Local Policing Area under a commander responsible for emergency response, local crime investigation and neighbourhood policing. They will be set targets to ensure they answer 90% of 999 calls within 10 seconds and attend 90% of the most serious incidents within 20 minutes in rural areas.

Alongside this, we are strengthening specialist national capability. We are providing over £800,000 of funding to the National Rural Crime Unit and National Wildlife Crime Unit this financial year. These units provide specialist operational support to police forces, improve coordination and partnership working, and share best practice across the country.

The National Rural Crime Unit plays an important role in supporting forces to tackle organised criminality affecting rural communities, including theft of machinery and livestock. By improving coordination across forces and partners and supporting targeted operations, the Unit is strengthening the collective response to serious and organised crime and helping to disrupt the criminal networks that operate across regional and national borders.

Together, these reforms and specialist capabilities ensure police forces are equipped to maintain and strengthen their response to rural crime, including tackling the organised criminal networks that drive it.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that new residential developments in rural constituencies such as North East Hampshire are required to provide residents with meaningful access to nature, green space and public rights of way; and what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of current planning requirements in delivering that access.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 109172 on 6 February 2026.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to green space.

We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in the summer.

Hampshire Day 2026

Bank closures, digital exclusion and cyber risks

Russian sanctions

International Court of Justice's July 2024 Advisory Opinion on the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Found: Q9 Alex Brewer: Thank you, panel. This is already very interesting.

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

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

Found: of the Women and Equalities Committee were also present (Standing Order No. 137A): Sarah Owen; Alex Brewer

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sarah Owen (Chair); Alex Brewer; Rosie Duffield; Dame Nia Griffith