Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in preparing the Heathrow Expansion Appraisal Report, what consideration her Department gave to modelling the potential monetised costs of noise pollution from expansion.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Heathrow Expansion Appraisal Report estimates monetised disbenefits of noise to be approximately -£1.6 billion (2024 prices) over a 60-year appraisal period. This reflects the estimated increased noise exposure causing health, annoyance and sleep disturbance impacts.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimates her Department has made of the monetised costs of aircraft noise pollution for communities under Heathrow flight paths exposed to noise above 43 decibels, with reference to the recent Aviation Night Noise Effects and Aviation Noise Attitudes Survey noise studies.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not routinely monetise the costs of noise from existing noise sources and has not made an estimate of such costs for communities under Heathrow flight paths exposed to noise above 43dB.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if the Department can provide a list of the housing associations that are participating in the Home Ownership for people with Long-term Disabilities scheme.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Home Ownership for People with Long-term Disabilities (HOLD) scheme is a specialist form of Shared Ownership. The government has confirmed that HOLD will continue to be funded through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) where proposals meet programme requirements and deliver value for money.
To support housing association participation in the scheme, my Department, in collaboration with Homes England, has published guidance on HOLD eligibility and delivery, which can be found on gov.uk here.
Information on landlords currently offering HOLD homes can be found using a search tool on gov.uk here.
The steps taken to support participation in HOLD, including programme funding and published guidance, apply across England, including in Leeds.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps were taken to encourage housing associations in Leeds to partake in the Home Ownership for people with Long-term Disabilities scheme.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Home Ownership for People with Long-term Disabilities (HOLD) scheme is a specialist form of Shared Ownership. The government has confirmed that HOLD will continue to be funded through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) where proposals meet programme requirements and deliver value for money.
To support housing association participation in the scheme, my Department, in collaboration with Homes England, has published guidance on HOLD eligibility and delivery, which can be found on gov.uk here.
Information on landlords currently offering HOLD homes can be found using a search tool on gov.uk here.
The steps taken to support participation in HOLD, including programme funding and published guidance, apply across England, including in Leeds.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps were taken to encourage housing associations to partake in the Home Ownership for people with Long-term Disabilities scheme.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Home Ownership for People with Long-term Disabilities (HOLD) scheme is a specialist form of Shared Ownership. The government has confirmed that HOLD will continue to be funded through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) where proposals meet programme requirements and deliver value for money.
To support housing association participation in the scheme, my Department, in collaboration with Homes England, has published guidance on HOLD eligibility and delivery, which can be found on gov.uk here.
Information on landlords currently offering HOLD homes can be found using a search tool on gov.uk here.
The steps taken to support participation in HOLD, including programme funding and published guidance, apply across England, including in Leeds.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in the context of the proposals to abolish Healthwatch, how he will ensure that people who are less likely to engage with health services directly, including those experiencing health inequalities, have their concerns identified and addressed.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Patient Experience Directorate in the Department of Health and Social Care will focus on groups less likely to engage with health and care services. Statutory guidance published by the Department will make it clear that integrated care boards and local authorities should ensure that the steps they take to involve local people include those experiencing health inequalities, those who do not have access to digital platforms, those who are less proficient with technology, and people for whom English is a second language. This will ensure that services provided will benefit all people covered by the integrated care board and local authority area.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
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 benefits of requiring food labels to declare levels of potassium and phosphate content.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The labelling of packaged foods and drinks plays an important role in helping individuals access the information they need to make informed choices about the food they buy. Food labelling legislation sets out the information that must be displayed on a product’s labelling or packaging, including the ingredients list, the nutrition declaration, and any voluntary food information provided by businesses.
The key nutrients that must be included in the nutrition declaration on a mandatory basis, regardless of the amount, are the most relevant to current public health concerns in Great Britain at a population level. A standardised set of nutrients ensures consumers can easily compare products, and requiring too many nutrients to be included on a mandatory basis may complicate labels and make comparisons harder.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when the Department will publish a version of the GOV.UK One Login Data Protection Impact Assessment.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 April 2026 to Question UIN 125374.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what her policy is on introducing automatic release of funds from unclaimed adult-owned Child Trust Funds.
Answered by Rachel Blake
The Government is aware of proposals for the automatic release of funds in unclaimed matured Child Trust Fund (CTF) accounts. These savings belong to the account holders and are held by private sector providers. The Government does not have the authority to access or transfer these funds.
The Government is committed to reuniting young people with their CTFs. HMRC works with providers, industry representatives and others to raise awareness and help individuals trace their accounts, including through targeted communications and a free GOV.UK tracing service.
The Government has also recently established a dedicated Taskforce to address unclaimed matured CTF accounts and improve outcomes for account holders. This brings together Government and industry to strengthen tracing activity, increase engagement, and support access to funds.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the period product scheme will continue within schools in 2026-27.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
Nobody should have to miss out on education due to their period, which is why the government provides access to free period products to girls and women who need them in their place of study. Schools and colleges are able to order free period products via an online portal with the national supplier for the scheme, Phs. The current contract with Phs is due to end in August 2026, and the department is in the process of procuring a supplier to continue the scheme.