Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
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 heatwaves on demand for NHS services.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
A cross-Government collaboration, which includes the National Health Service and the Department, produces an annual Adverse Weather and Health Plan that incorporates heatwave preparedness measures. Services are expected to be prepared for periods of hot weather from 1 June to mid-September each year
NHS England recognises that extreme heat is now predicted to be a routine seasonal risk, rather than an exceptional event, and is committed to sharing key learnings from the recent period of hot weather to help further mitigate against any challenges.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in antisocial behaviour in town centres and residential areas.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government’s police reforms will protect and strengthen neighbourhood policing by freeing local forces, including Bedfordshire Police, from national responsibilities so they can focus on issues that matter most locally, like anti-social behaviour (ASB). Every police force in England and Wales now has an ASB lead in place who will work with communities, stakeholders and the general public to implement their individual ASB Action Plans, which were published at the start of April. Further information on the Bedfordshire Police ASB Action Plan can be found here: https://www.beds.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/asb/asb/antisocial-behaviour/antisocial-behaviour-action-plan/.
Through the Crime and Policing Act, we are making our streets and neighbourhoods safer by strengthening the powers available to the police and other agencies to tackle ASB. Our new Respect Orders will give local agencies stronger enforcement capability to tackle the most relentless adult ASB offenders.
We are also strengthening the powers available to the police and other local agencies by increasing the upper limit for fixed penalty notices for breaches of CPNs and PSPOs from £100 to £500, increasing the time a dispersal direction can be implemented for from 48 to 72 hours and giving registered social housing providers the power to issue closure notices, amongst others.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department is taking to tackle antisocial behaviour.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government’s police reforms will protect and strengthen neighbourhood policing by freeing local forces, including Bedfordshire Police, from national responsibilities so they can focus on issues that matter most locally, like anti-social behaviour (ASB). Every police force in England and Wales now has an ASB lead in place who will work with communities, stakeholders and the general public to implement their individual ASB Action Plans, which were published at the start of April. Further information on the Bedfordshire Police ASB Action Plan can be found here: https://www.beds.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/asb/asb/antisocial-behaviour/antisocial-behaviour-action-plan/.
Through the Crime and Policing Act, we are making our streets and neighbourhoods safer by strengthening the powers available to the police and other agencies to tackle ASB. Our new Respect Orders will give local agencies stronger enforcement capability to tackle the most relentless adult ASB offenders.
We are also strengthening the powers available to the police and other local agencies by increasing the upper limit for fixed penalty notices for breaches of CPNs and PSPOs from £100 to £500, increasing the time a dispersal direction can be implemented for from 48 to 72 hours and giving registered social housing providers the power to issue closure notices, amongst others.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of strengthening guidance for courts and probation services on the link between animal cruelty and domestic abuse.
Answered by Catherine Atkinson
The Government recognises the link between animal cruelty and domestic abuse. Statutory guidance issued under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 is clear that harming, threatening to harm, or using pets to control, coerce or intimidate a victim can constitute domestic abuse, including controlling or coercive behaviour and emotional or psychological abuse. Statutory guidance on Coercive and Controlling Behaviour, an offence under the Serious Crime Act 2015, also clearly recognises such abuse.
In its Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, published last December, the Government committed to updating both the Domestic Abuse and the Coercive or Controlling Behaviour Statutory Guidance by the end of 2026, to ensure they remain aligned with the current domestic abuse landscape and best practice, including on the linkages with animal and pet abuse. Both sets of guidance are aimed at frontline professionals working with victims and perpetrators, including the police, Crown Prosecution Service, probation, courts and other criminal justice agencies.
In the VAWG Strategy, to ensure that no opportunity is missed to protect victims and survivors, including those with pets, the Government also committed to:
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Competition and Market Authority's report entitled Housebuilding market study, published on 26 February 2024, whether she plans to implement the recommendations in that report.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This government is already acting on many of the CMA’s recommendations and remains fully committed to delivering solutions that address the challenges identified in its October 2024 market study into housebuilding.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on considering the outcomes of the research project commissioned in summer 2025 on the link between animal abuse and domestic abuse.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government commissioned a research project, led by the University of Bristol, to explore the link between animal abuse and domestic abuse and to identify additional opportunities for intervention. We will consider the outcomes of this research once complete. We expect the final report to be published in 2027.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support independent markets in town centres.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan
The government recognises the important economic and social contribution that markets make to our high streets and town centres. Local authorities are empowered to make decisions on running, supporting and investing in local markets in their areas.
However, we want to ensure that markets can thrive where they are established. From 1 April 2026, we introduced permanently lower business rates multipliers for qualifying retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with rateable values below £500,000, including markets.
Communities can also choose to invest in markets through the Government’s Pride in Place programme, which will provide £20 million over 10 years to 284 of the most deprived places in the UK, empowering local people to make decisions about what is important to them, including markets.
Later this year, we will also bring forward a High Streets Strategy, backed by £301 million of support, to help turn the tide on the high streets most in need.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made recent progress on monitoring the steps taken by local transport authorities to implement the new statutory guidance on enhanced partnerships for bus services, published on 1 April 2026.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is monitoring the implementation of the new statutory guidance on Enhanced Partnership closely.
The Departments working with the Bus Centre of Excellence to engage with, and support local transport authorities and bus operators in meeting the new requirements. Local transport authorities are expected to adopt the new minimum standards set out in the guidance by March 2027. The Department is continuing to engage with authorities and operators through the Bus Centre of Excellence to support implementation and share good practice across the sector.
The Department will publish a new Enhanced Partnership Manual, later this year, to support authorities with the implementation of the guidance.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of enforcement powers to remove unsafe infant products from online marketplaces.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Under existing legislation, businesses must only supply safe consumer products. Relevant authorities have powers to require withdrawal of unsafe products from supply and, where appropriate, their recall. The Office for Product Safety and Standards coordinates regulatory activity to ensure online marketplaces prevent and remove any unsafe products from their sites.
The Government recently consulted on proposals to simplify and strengthen the current fragmented enforcement framework. These reforms are intended to create a clearer, more coherent regulatory regime, giving relevant authorities the tools they need to identify and tackle unsafe products across supply chains, including products sold through online marketplaces.