Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the final statutory guidance on supporting children and young people with medical conditions at school will name hydrocephalus as a specific condition, including guidance on recognising shunt and ETV failure.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
In March, the department launched a consultation on ‘Supporting children and young people with medical conditions and allergy’, with the aim of updating and revising statutory guidance last issued in 2015. The government’s response to the proposal is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a47bbfee50f952c9b89e543/Proposal_on_support_for_pupils_with_medical_conditions_at_school_government_response.pdf.
While the consultation demonstrated strong system-wide support for our planned direction, further work is needed to clarify the respective roles and responsibilities of education settings and healthcare professionals. The department is taking this forward with the Department of Health and Social Care and will publish updated statutory guidance for education settings on supporting children and young people with medical conditions in due course.
Our draft guidance included information on several of the most common conditions in education settings.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish final statutory guidance on supporting children and young people with medical conditions at school, following the consultation that closed in May 2026.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
In March, the department launched a consultation on ‘Supporting children and young people with medical conditions and allergy’, with the aim of updating and revising statutory guidance last issued in 2015. The government’s response to the proposal is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a47bbfee50f952c9b89e543/Proposal_on_support_for_pupils_with_medical_conditions_at_school_government_response.pdf.
While the consultation demonstrated strong system-wide support for our planned direction, further work is needed to clarify the respective roles and responsibilities of education settings and healthcare professionals. The department is taking this forward with the Department of Health and Social Care and will publish updated statutory guidance for education settings on supporting children and young people with medical conditions in due course.
Our draft guidance included information on several of the most common conditions in education settings.
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 her Department has made of the potential merits of including accessible, single-storey homes for older and less mobile people within new housing developments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Requirements set out in the Building Regulations 2010 include Part M, ‘Access to and use of Buildings’. These requirements intend that new building work meets the needs of occupants with differing needs, including older or disabled people, and allow adaptation of the dwelling to meet changing needs over time.
Statutory guidance, called Approved Documents, offer guidance to developers about how to meet the legal requirements set out in the Building Regulations. M4(2) homes provide enhanced accessibility, requiring features such as a living area and step free access at entrance level. M4(3) homes meet or can be easily adapted to meet the needs of wheelchair users. The government has set out a clear position that at least 40% of housing on major development should be built to M4(2), or higher.
On 17 August 2026, the government published a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which can be found on gov.uk here, alongside the government response to the proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework here. The New NPPF includes requirements for authorities to deliver accessible housing. This means that development plans should set out the proportion of new homes that should be delivered to M4(2) and M4(3) accessibility standards, to meet or exceed identified need.
In the government response, we committed to providing further guidance to assist local authorities in assessing older and disabled people’s housing need, and will consider appropriate engagement to support this work.
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 her Department is taking to ensure that planning policies support the provision of homes suitable for older and less mobile people.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Requirements set out in the Building Regulations 2010 include Part M, ‘Access to and use of Buildings’. These requirements intend that new building work meets the needs of occupants with differing needs, including older or disabled people, and allow adaptation of the dwelling to meet changing needs over time.
Statutory guidance, called Approved Documents, offer guidance to developers about how to meet the legal requirements set out in the Building Regulations. M4(2) homes provide enhanced accessibility, requiring features such as a living area and step free access at entrance level. M4(3) homes meet or can be easily adapted to meet the needs of wheelchair users. The government has set out a clear position that at least 40% of housing on major development should be built to M4(2), or higher.
On 17 August 2026, the government published a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which can be found on gov.uk here, alongside the government response to the proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework here. The New NPPF includes requirements for authorities to deliver accessible housing. This means that development plans should set out the proportion of new homes that should be delivered to M4(2) and M4(3) accessibility standards, to meet or exceed identified need.
In the government response, we committed to providing further guidance to assist local authorities in assessing older and disabled people’s housing need, and will consider appropriate engagement to support this work.
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 protections are in place for owners of vacant properties against being charged for services that are not being used while the property is being marketed for sale.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 27 January 2026 (HCWS1278).
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, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the seizure assessment criteria contained within the National Framework for Children and Young People's Continuing Care – Decision Support Tool, published in 2016; and whether she has plans to review and update those criteria to reflect advances in the understanding, treatment and management of childhood epilepsy since 2016.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Framework for Children and Young People’s Continuing Care (CYPCC) supports good practice locally, providing guidance for integrated care boards (ICBs) and local authorities on the process for assessing, deciding, and agreeing packages of care for children and young people.
NHS England supports the consistent application of the National Framework for CYPCC including through peer support between ICBs and the sharing of good practice. However, information that quantifies any variation in CYPCC eligibility decisions between ICBs is not held centrally. Learning from ongoing CYPCC peer group work will inform any future consideration of the framework and associated oversight arrangements.
There is currently no formal or planned review of the seizure domain in the 2016 National Framework for CYPCC.
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 she has made of variations in Children and Young People's Continuing Care eligibility decisions between Integrated Care Boards; what mechanisms are in place to ensure consistent application of the National Framework for Children and Young People's Continuing Care; and whether she plans to review those mechanisms.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Framework for Children and Young People’s Continuing Care (CYPCC) supports good practice locally, providing guidance for integrated care boards (ICBs) and local authorities on the process for assessing, deciding, and agreeing packages of care for children and young people.
NHS England supports the consistent application of the National Framework for CYPCC including through peer support between ICBs and the sharing of good practice. However, information that quantifies any variation in CYPCC eligibility decisions between ICBs is not held centrally. Learning from ongoing CYPCC peer group work will inform any future consideration of the framework and associated oversight arrangements.
There is currently no formal or planned review of the seizure domain in the 2016 National Framework for CYPCC.
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 she has made of the potential impact of enforcement action relating to restrictive covenants initiated following the marketing or proposed sale of a property on homeowners.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Restrictive covenants can serve legitimate purposes, but my Department is fully aware that some homeowners have faced unexpected and potentially disproportionate demands for retrospective consent for works carried out many years earlier.
Homeowners may apply to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) under section 84 of the Law of Property Act 1925 to discharge or modify a restrictive covenant. Outcomes will depend on the nature of the covenant and specific circumstances, so independent legal advice should be sought. The government-funded Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) also provides extensive guidance and free initial legal advice for leaseholders through its website, which can be found here.
HM Land Registry publishes guidance on making an application but does not advise whether a covenant is reasonable.
On 29 September, the government announced further measures to provide leaseholders and homeowners on privately managed estates with greater rights and protections, including legislating to give the Secretary of State powers to cap exorbitant permission fees and administration charges. We will undertake a public consultation to help determine the scope and level of those caps.
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 she has made of the potential merits of additional safeguards for private homeowners where companies acquire and enforce restrictive covenant rights affecting residential properties.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Restrictive covenants can serve legitimate purposes, but my Department is fully aware that some homeowners have faced unexpected and potentially disproportionate demands for retrospective consent for works carried out many years earlier.
Homeowners may apply to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) under section 84 of the Law of Property Act 1925 to discharge or modify a restrictive covenant. Outcomes will depend on the nature of the covenant and specific circumstances, so independent legal advice should be sought. The government-funded Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) also provides extensive guidance and free initial legal advice for leaseholders through its website, which can be found here.
HM Land Registry publishes guidance on making an application but does not advise whether a covenant is reasonable.
On 29 September, the government announced further measures to provide leaseholders and homeowners on privately managed estates with greater rights and protections, including legislating to give the Secretary of State powers to cap exorbitant permission fees and administration charges. We will undertake a public consultation to help determine the scope and level of those caps.
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 she has made of the adequacy of routes available to homeowners to challenge demands made in relation to restrictive covenants.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Restrictive covenants can serve legitimate purposes, but my Department is fully aware that some homeowners have faced unexpected and potentially disproportionate demands for retrospective consent for works carried out many years earlier.
Homeowners may apply to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) under section 84 of the Law of Property Act 1925 to discharge or modify a restrictive covenant. Outcomes will depend on the nature of the covenant and specific circumstances, so independent legal advice should be sought. The government-funded Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) also provides extensive guidance and free initial legal advice for leaseholders through its website, which can be found here.
HM Land Registry publishes guidance on making an application but does not advise whether a covenant is reasonable.
On 29 September, the government announced further measures to provide leaseholders and homeowners on privately managed estates with greater rights and protections, including legislating to give the Secretary of State powers to cap exorbitant permission fees and administration charges. We will undertake a public consultation to help determine the scope and level of those caps.