Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the revised Programme Business Case for the Emergency Services Network has received Departmental and HM Treasury approval.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme’s revised Business Case (PBC 2025) was approved by the Home Office Investment Committee on 18 December 2025.
The PBC has subsequently been submitted to HM Treasury and is currently undergoing the Treasury Approval Point process, including consideration by HM Treasury and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Final government approval is expected following completion of this process in April 2026.
The Programme continues to operate within agreed funding and remains subject to the Government’s established assurance and approvals framework.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what metrics her Department is using to assess whether the 2022 Highway Code Changes are understood and followed by the public; and what recent assessment she has made of compliance levels.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Improving road safety is one of my Department’s highest priorities. Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users. That is why on 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.
Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes.
Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding.
The Department has assessed public understanding of the 2022 Highway Code changes through survey research which tracks levels of awareness and self‑reported understanding and compliance over time.
The percentage of road users reporting to know either a little or a lot about the changes increased from 36% in January 2022 to over 50% in August 2022 and up to 70% in September 2023, with 86% of road users having heard of the changes by that time.
Understanding of pedestrian priority at junctions increased from 52% to 72%, and cyclists riding 2 abreast rising from 30% to 46%.
Following the second phase of the campaign in summer 2023, 81% of drivers claimed to leave a gap of 1.5M when passing a cyclist all or most of the time. 79% of drivers claimed to pass horse riders and horse drawn vehicles with at least 2M distance and at under 10mph all or most of the time.
Of the respondents that recognised the campaign advert, nine in ten said they had taken action as a result.
More recent figures show a sustained increase in those saying it is unacceptable to not leave enough space for cyclists and horse riders, from 60% in March 2024 to 68% in April 2025.
However, as set out in the strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course.
As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety.
Although failure to comply with the advisory rules of the Highway Code will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted, contraventions of these rules may be used as evidence in court to establish liability for a road traffic offence. Advisory rules include those which begin ‘should/should not’ and ‘do/do not’.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether a decision has been made on the proposal to raise the threshold for consulting Active Travel England on residential developments from 150 to 250 units; and if she will publish the outcome of the consultation.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The proposal to amend Active Travel England's consultation criteria for new planning applications forms part of a wider consultation undertaken by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
As the department responsible for the planning system, MHCLG is leading on the formal response to the consultation. Any decision on whether to raise the threshold for consulting Active Travel England on residential developments from 150 to 250 units, and the publication of the consultation outcome, will be announced by MHCLG in due course.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on considering method of production labelling reform as a part of the Government’s wider welfare strategy; and when she expects to publish further details.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Putney, Fleur Anderson, on 29 January 2026, PQ UIN 106592.
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 regional differences in the (a) availability, (b) accessibility and (c) resourcing of NHS Long COVID assessment and treatment services.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are independently responsible for the commissioning of long COVID services which meet the needs of their population, subject to local prioritisation and funding. While this may result in regional and local variation of long COVID services, NHS England has published updated commissioning guidance for post-COVID services which sets out a blueprint for best practice in supporting people with long COVID and is designed to be adapted to local needs. The updated commissioning guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-commissioning-guidance-for-post-covid-services/
As of 1 April 2024, there were over 90 adult post-COVID services across England along with an additional ten children and young people’s hubs. Further information about these services is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/post-covid-syndrome-long-covid/
In addition to the support provided in primary care, published data from April 2024 shows over 100,000 people have been seen by a specialist post-COVID service, with a further 350,000 follow up appointments taking place. The data is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-post-covid-assessment-service/
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 steps he is taking to empower communities in local decision-making processes.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government’s Pride in Place Programme empowers local people to shape the future of their neighbourhoods, providing up to £5.8 billion funding and support over 10 years for 284 neighbourhoods.
Additionally, the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill will require all local authorities in England to establish neighbourhood governance, to move decision-making closer to residents.
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 potential impact of retail sold magnets on the safety of cerebrospinal fluid shunts programmable externally by magnets.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for ensuring that medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusions on the market in the United Kingdom are safe, effective, and manufactured to the highest standards of quality. The Medical Devices Regulations 2002 (MDR 2002) establish the statutory framework that medical devices must meet in order to comply with these standards.
All medical devices, including cerebrospinal fluid shunts programmable externally by magnets, must comply with the MDR 2002, which include bearing the UKCA or CE marking on the packaging or labelling of the device. Manufacturers or their UK representatives must monitor use of these devices when used in the UK. The manufacturer holds the legal responsibility for obtaining the necessary certification and registering their medical devices with the MHRA, the UK Competent Authority. Higher risk medical devices are assessed and approved by Approved Bodies in the UK or Notified Bodies in the European Union.
As part of meeting the requirements of the regulations, manufacturers have to provide instructions which would include any special operating instructions, any warnings and/or precautions to take, and precautions to be taken as regards exposure, in reasonably foreseeable environmental conditions, to magnetic fields. In addition, some manufacturers provide further standalone information on this topic, an example of which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of school policies that restrict mobile‑phone use on pupil's health and safety.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department’s new, stronger guidance on mobile phones in schools is clear that all schools should be mobile phone-free by default. Pupils should not have access to their devices during lessons, break times, lunch times, or between lessons.
The guidance is clear that exceptions to a mobile phones policy may be required for children with specific special educational needs, disabilities or medical conditions. This includes users of health tech or assistive technology.
Where school leaders need to make additional exceptions or flexibilities to their policies based on a child’s individual needs, we trust them to do so.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Capita’s performance in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme; and what steps she is taking to improve service levels.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
In November 2023, the Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita. This was under the previous government. The Scheme transferred to Capita on 1 December 2025. We are aware that Capita’s current performance is having a detrimental impact on some members.
We are working urgently with Capita to resolve these issues, and to ensure that civil servants, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.
We have established a cross-departmental team to work with Capita to develop and implement a recovery plan. Alongside this, Capita is increasing staffing in key areas, to increase processing times in relation to new retirements and support for members, particularly those impacted by delays.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to implement (a) statutory requirements on safer sleep in nursery settings, (b) a strengthened Ofsted inspection process for nurseries and (c) mandatory CCTV in nurseries.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework includes a requirement for babies to be placed down to sleep in line with the latest government safety guidance. The department plans to add in more detail to the EYFS frameworks. We have worked with safe sleep experts, including the Lullaby Trust, on proposed new wording and plan to make these changes as soon as possible.
Ofsted inspects early years providers under the Education Inspection Framework against the full range of EYFS requirements, including safeguarding, children’s welfare, leadership and management. Inspectors assess whether providers are meeting statutory requirements and taking appropriate action to keep children safe. The EYFS requires providers to have safeguarding policies that address the use of mobile phones, cameras and other electronic devices with imaging and sharing capabilities. Decisions about installing and using CCTV are for individual providers, subject to safeguarding and data protection requirements.
As part of the department’s ongoing review of safeguarding requirements, an expert advisory group will be appointed to inform guidance on the safe and effective use of digital devices and CCTV within safeguarding, including whether CCTV should be mandated and setting out best practice, technical advice and clear expectations.