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 plans she has to support (a) businesses and (b) individuals in removing (i) Japanese knotweed and (ii) other invasive plant species.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the impacts caused by invasive non-native plant species (INNPs), including Japanese knotweed. Japanese knotweed is listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This makes it an offence to cause Japanese knotweed to grow in the wild.
In England, the Government has developed guidance on treating and disposing of Japanese knotweed, which can be found on GOV.UK: How to stop Japanese knotweed from spreading - GOV.UK. Guidance is also available on treating and disposing other INNPs, which can be found on GOV.UK: How to stop invasive non-native plants from spreading - GOV.UK.
In partnership with the Welsh Government and Natural England, Defra is funding the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) to conduct biological control (biocontrol) research into the use of living organisms as a cost and time-effective way of managing INNPs. This research has identified the psyllid (Aphalari itadori) as a biocontrol agent for tackling Japanese knotweed. Further information can be found on CABI’s website: Japanese knotweed - CABI.org.
Defra is providing funding for land managers to control and manage INNPs through the Environmental Land Management (ELM) Countryside Stewardship scheme. Further information can be found on GOV.UK: Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier - GOV.UK.
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 his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) support available to fire service staff who attend traumatic callouts and (b) suicide prevention training requirements for fire service managers in North East Hampshire constituency.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The health and wellbeing of firefighters is of the utmost importance. The Government recognises the risks firefighters face and is grateful to them for their bravery.
As the employer of fire and rescue service personnel, Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) are ultimately responsible for the health and wellbeing of firefighters. The Government-issued National Framework directs that all FRAs should have a people strategy which sets out the mental and physical health and wellbeing support available to firefighters.
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) supports good mental health in fire and rescue services as one aspect of its Health and Wellbeing Framework.
National organisations such as the Fire Fighters Charity and Mind also offer valuable support to individuals and services. Their resources can assist FRAs in developing local approaches to managing mental health risks and promoting the wellbeing of their workforce.
The health and wellbeing support provided by Fire and Rescue Services is considered by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services in the course of their 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 assessment he has made of the potential merits of making local fire services statutory consultees for industrial lithium-ion battery storage planning permission applications.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In January 2025 the government declared a moratorium on any new statutory consultees, along with a review of the existing statutory consultee arrangements to ensure they align with the government’s ambitions for growth. Further details can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 10 March 2025 (HCWS510).
Planning Practice Guidance encourages developers and local planning authorities to engage with local fire and rescue services and National Fire Chiefs Council guidance in relation to battery energy storage systems.
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 his Department has made of the potential impact of foreign home ownership on the availability of housing stock.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 50763 on 16 May 2025.
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 assessments he has made of the potential impact of foreign home ownership on house prices in the UK.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 50763 on 16 May 2025.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on the adequacy of levels of health and safety compliance by airlines in relation to airline crew.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
UK regulations set out requirements for operators of both aerodromes and aircraft, to mitigate risks and ensure operations are conducted as safely as possible. My officials are in regular contact with the UK’s independent safety regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), who are responsible for enforcing Aviation Safety regulations, as well as advising the Department when regulations may need to be updated. When advising updates to aviation safety regulations, the CAA works closely with industry experts as well as other government bodies, like the Health and Safety executive.
The risk of flight crew fatigue is managed under the flight time limitation (FTL) regulations which limit the number of hours pilots can be on duty. The CAA monitors and oversees UK Airlines’ management of FTL requirements and how these impact pilot fatigue, as well as investigating safety reports that cite fatigue as a contributory factor. The CAA will take action to recommend changes to regulation or update guidance if they see any evidence it may be required to manage the risk of fatigue.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help ensure (a) legal and (b) ethical business practices are followed when firms undertake redundancies.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government’s Plan to Make Work Pay committed to strengthening collective redundancy protections. The Employment Rights Bill will double the maximum period of the protective award that can be made for an employer’s failure to comply with their collective redundancy consultation obligations, from 90 to 180 days’ pay. This will deter unscrupulous businesses from deliberately avoiding their obligations. We are also requiring employers to collectively consult affected employees’ representatives whenever a threshold number of redundancies are proposed across an entire organisation, rather than just at one establishment. This threshold number will be set following a public consultation.
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 he is taking to (a) reduce wait times and (b) increase capacity for paediatric blood tests.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We inherited a broken National Health Service, and reducing elective waiting lists is a key part of getting it back on its feet and building an NHS that is fit for the future. To that end we have committed to achieving the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029. Cutting waiting times for diagnostic tests such as blood tests is a crucial step in reducing the elective waiting list.
Blood tests are among the most commonly requested diagnostic investigations across primary and secondary care, and they are readily available across all 27 NHS pathology networks. Phlebotomy, the procedure to collect blood samples, is widely available across general practice, community health services, and secondary care phlebotomy clinics, supporting equitable access to blood testing.
The NHS is taking steps to reduce wait times for blood tests. These include establishing more straight to test pathways, whereby a patient is referred straight to a diagnostic test without the need for an additional outpatient appointment first, as well as investing in digital pathology and automation of histopathology services to reduce the time patients wait for blood test results to be processed.
Alongside this, we are continuing to invest in expanding diagnostic capacity in the NHS. As set out in the Elective reform Plan, we plan to build up to five more community diagnostic centres (CDCs) in 2025/26, alongside increasing the operating hours of existing sites so that more offer services 12 hours a day, seven days a week. This is backed by part of the £600 million of capital for diagnostic services announced at the October Spending Review.
CDCs offer local populations, including children, a wide range of diagnostic tests closer to home and greater choice on where and how they are undertaken. This reduces the need for hospital visits, reduces pressure on hospitals, and speeds up diagnosis. CDCs are expected to offer their services to children and young people where it is safe and appropriate to do so. Phlebotomy is a core service provided by all standard and large model CDCs.
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 steps she is taking to improve efficiency in DBS processing for prospective teachers.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body of the Home Office, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is operationally independent and responsible for the service it provides. It currently operates to formalised service standards of completing 85% of Basic check applications within 2 days, 85% of Standard check applications within 3 days, and 80% of Enhanced check applications within 14 days.
Its latest performance against these service standards is available at DBS dataset 1: DBS checks, DBS Update Service, and disputes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Prospective teachers are likely to require an Enhanced level DBS check which must be sent to police forces for local intelligence checks. It is important from a safeguarding perspective that the DBS allows sufficient time for these robust checks to take place, as these are ultimately in place to protect the most vulnerable groups in society.
Whilst the vast majority of Enhanced checks are processed within target, there are a small number of police forces that have been experiencing difficulties in meeting their target times due to extra demand. The DBS has been working closely with these affected forces to improve performance, including by providing funding for overtime and additional staff whilst the forces recruit and train new staff to process the checks. The DBS is also facilitating workload sharing between police forces so that forces with capacity can provide assistance to those forces that are struggling.
This work should help to further improve efficiency in DBS processing of Enhanced checks for all, including for prospective teachers.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support rural pubs in North East Hampshire constituency.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the vital role that rural pubs, including those in North East Hampshire constituency play in supporting local communities.
In April, the Government established the Licensing Taskforce, bringing together representatives from the hospitality industry to help shape reform. The Government’s response published on 31 July sets out proposals for a new National Licensing Policy Framework designed to simplify outdated licensing rules and protect long-standing venues from noise complaints.
We’re reforming the business rates system to support high streets, including permanently lower rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a rateable value under £500,000. We’ve also launched a Hospitality Support Scheme to co-fund projects aligned with DBT and Hospitality Sector Council priorities such as Pub is The Hub to encourage local investment.