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)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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 steps his Department is taking to (a) improve procedures to tackle kidney disease and (b) to help prevent a future rise in cases.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is delivering a comprehensive programme to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of people with kidney disease. NHS England has published a renal services transformation toolkit to support earlier identification of chronic kidney disease and more joined up services. These changes are intended to make it easier to deliver improvements along the whole patient pathway including earlier diagnosis and treatment, that can potentially prevent or delay the need for dialysis and transplants.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are closely linked, with shared risk factors, as well as being risk factors for each other. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework. As part of its development, officials are also considering opportunities for earlier identification and diagnosis of CKD and are engaging widely to identify the best evidenced interventions.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2025 to Question 94136, on Anti-social Behaviour and Vandalism: Children, what assessment her Department has made of the specific impact that access to youth services and after‑school clubs has on levels of vandalism and antisocial behaviour among under‑18s in North East Hampshire.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government recognises the important role that youth work, early intervention and having a trusted adult plays in young people’s lives.
The Department has not done a specific assessment of the impact that access to youth services and after-school clubs has on levels of vandalism and antisocial behaviour among under-18s in North East Hampshire. However, DCMS research found that Local Authorities which have decreased their investment into youth saw increased incidences of bike theft, shoplifting, possession of weapon offences, and a higher proportion of young offenders who reoffend.
In December 2025, we launched Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy’ a 10 year plan to ensure every young person across the country has somewhere to go, someone who cares for them and a community they feel part of. The majority of the funding underpinning the first steps of the Strategy will be available from next the financial year 2026/27. We will share more information as our plans develop.
As part of the strategy, DCMS has committed £70 million over the next three years to support local authorities to rebuild a high-quality offer for young people and create a network of 50 Young Futures Hubs. These hubs will meet three outcomes of increasing opportunities, improving mental health and wellbeing, and reducing crime and antisocial behaviour.
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 steps his Department is taking to improve national awareness, research, and coordination of work relating to Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC).
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the devastating impact of Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) on affected families and communities. I addressed this issue during a recent Westminster Hall Debate, underlining the Government’s commitment to strengthening pathology services, ensuring high-quality bereavement support, and growing the evidence base.
To help reduce waitlists for death certification and access to screening, in 2022 NHS England launched a national programme to strengthen National Health Service perinatal and paediatric pathology services.
SUDC is an under-researched area. Through the National Child Mortality Database, we have a growing body of data on child deaths to support high‑quality research that can improve understanding. The Government welcomes research applications on any aspect of child health, including SUDC, through the National Institute of Health and Care Research.
Parents who have lost a child to SUDC should be able to access the advice and support that they need. Bereavement support can be found on the NHS help page, Get help with grief after bereavement or loss, and the GOV.UK page, What to do after someone dies: Bereavement help and support, which are available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/bereavement-help-and-support
NHS Bereavement support is commissioned locally, allowing services to be shaped around the needs of local communities. For anyone seeking help after a bereavement, we encourage them to speak to their general practitioners, who can advise on and refer into local bereavement support services. Department officials are also exploring opportunities to include signposting on the NHS website to SUDC UK, to ensure families have access to information when they need it most.
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 to Question 86523, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of delays in Certificate of Sponsorship allocations on lawful Skilled Worker visa holders; and what steps are being taken to support compliant A‑rated sponsors where delays risk affecting a worker’s immigration status.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Applications for Sponsorship Change of Circumstance are currently within our core service standard.
We are aware that our priority services, particularly for applications for UCOS, are oversubscribed and are actively reviewing this.
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 plans his Department has to ensure that charges for medical evidence letters, certificates, and reports are fair and proportionate for patients in financial hardship or vulnerable groups; and what assessment his Department has made of the impact of such charges on patient access to essential documentation.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are some medical evidence letters, certificates, 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 (BMA) suggests guideline fees for such services to help doctors to 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.
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 assessment his Department has made of the availability of learning‑disability nursing training places in regions where provision is determined solely by university education providers; and what assessment he has made of the impact of learner demand and provider capacity on access to such training in areas including North East Hampshire.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made. Undergraduate training places for nurses, including learning disability nurses, are not centrally commissioned by the Government. Instead, they are determined by local employers and education providers who decide the number of learners they admit based on learner demand and provider capacity.
In Spring 2026, NHS England will convene a national Learning Disability Nursing Education and Training Steering Group, bringing together a range of stakeholders to oversee key strategic priorities for the Learning Disability Nursing profession. These priorities include stabilising and growing education provision and fostering collaboration across higher education institutions.
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 to the Answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90566, on Fraud: Disclosure of Information, whether she plans to publish the names of banks and other organisations that fail to prevent fraud or fail to 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. As part of the Strategy, the Government will work with industry to develop new metrics to better measure fraud origination, harm and outcomes. This will improve transparency and accountability across the ecosystem and ensure metrics focus on reducing the level and impact of 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. In the first year of the Authorised Push Payment (APP) reimbursement scheme (from 7th October 2024), 88% of eligible losses were reimbursed, with £173 million returned to victims (APP scams reimbursement dashboard for Q3 2025 | Payment Systems Regulator).
The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) published their third APP scams performance report in February, covering 2024 before the mandatory reimbursement requirement. The report 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: 2024 APP scam performance data – before the reimbursement requirement was implemented.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what work her Department has undertaken to date on the development of the Fraud Strategy; and what the planned timeline is for its completion and publication.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The ‘Fraud Strategy 2026-2029: Disrupting crime, supporting economic resilience and delivering justice’ was published on Monday 9 March 2026 and is available on gov.uk at
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fraud-strategy-2026-to-2029