Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to extend marketing restrictions for HFSS products to outdoor advertising.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on (a) increasing funding for the Music and Dance Scheme and (b) committing to a multiple-year settlement.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government fully supports the arts and the development of a skills pipeline into the creative industries.
The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year.
Funding beyond the current academic year, including any introduction of multi-year funding agreements, will be considered in due course.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies on tackling unmet needs for social care of The University of Manchester's publication entitled ‘Tackling unmet needs for social care among older people’ published on 21 May 2025.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The publication by the University of Manchester raises important implications for how adult social care is delivered by local authorities. The Government recognises the long-term trend of a reduction in the number of local authority funded long-term packages of adult social care, despite an ageing population. This can result in people’s care needs going unmet, placing pressure on unpaid carers, including spouses and family members, who provide essential care and support.
We remain committed to ensuring that local authorities meet their duties under the Care Act 2014, including the requirement to undertake Carer’s Assessments for those who appear to have needs and may be eligible for support. Where eligible, local authorities have a duty to provide appropriate, high-quality support services that focus on carers wellbeing.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how well local authorities in England are performing against their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including their duties relating to unpaid carers. Formal assessments commenced in December 2023 and as of October 2025, the CQC has published over 80 local authority assessments. So far, the CQC has identified a number of emerging themes in local authorities’ delivery of adult social care, including a lack of support for unpaid carers. Ratings and reports are published on the CQC’s website, at the following link:
https://www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/local-authority-assessment-reports
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered research from The University of Manchester advocating for care support packages that target whole households.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have not made a direct assessment of the potential merits of implementing care support packages for households, rather than for individuals requiring care. However, we recognise the importance of people’s wider support networks for those drawing on care and support.
Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities in England must provide a broad range of high-quality, sustainable care and support services to meet the needs of their local populations, including carers and those who draw on care.
Local authorities are required to take a holistic approach when carrying out a needs assessment, considering an individual's needs, circumstances, and the outcomes they wish to achieve. Where family members or friends are involved, the assessment must take into account the extent to which they are willing and able to provide support. In addition, where a carer appears to have needs for support and may be eligible for help, the local authority is required to carry out a Carer’s Assessment to determine the appropriate support.
We also welcome the use of models such as family group conferencing in places like Camden, which put both individuals and their families and friends at the heart of the decision making.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to remove VAT from defibrillator sales to help improve the levels of affordability for (a) community groups and (b) small businesses.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.
The Government currently provides VAT reliefs to aid the purchase of defibrillators. For example, when an Automated External Defibrillator is purchased with funds provided by a charity and then donated to an eligible body, no VAT is charged. Furthermore, all state schools in England have been fitted with AEDs.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many carers have a Carer’s Allowance overpayment debt as a result of breaching the earnings limit in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland (i) for which the latest data is available and (ii) in July 2025.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Liz Sayce OBE was commissioned to lead an Independent Review into overpayments of Carer’s Allowance (CA). The Government is carefully considering the recommendations of this Review which investigated how overpayments of CA related to earnings occurred, how we can best support those who have accrued them, and how to reduce the risk of these problems occurring in future. We will publish both the review and the Government’s response by the end of this year.
We do not publish the requested information as part of any official statistics release.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review the (a) screening procedures, (b) trauma training and (c) other mental health support for the police.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office recognises that the police, through the nature of their work, are often exposed to traumatic incidents that can have a lasting impact on their mental health. That is why we are committed to the Police Covenant, ensuring the mental health and wellbeing of the workforce is fully supported throughout their careers and beyond.
The Home Office works closely with policing partners, including the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council, to ensure appropriate psychological risk assessments, trauma management training, and wider wellbeing support are in place, including regularly reviewing force performance against agreed standards. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) assess forces’ performance on wellbeing through its annual PEEL inspections.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps she has taken to secure the release of Jimmy Lai from detention in Hong Kong.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Jimmy Lai's case remains a high priority for the Government. We continue to call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their politically motivated prosecution and immediately release him. The Prime Minister, and Ministers across Government, have urged the Chinese authorities to release Mr Lai. The Government has discussed the case with our international partners; and we welcome President Trump's public commitment to Mr Lai's release.
Diplomats from our Consulate-General in Hong Kong attended Mr Lai's court proceedings throughout. We continue to press for consular access to our citizen.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when her Department plans to (a) conclude its review of salary sacrifice schemes in the public sector and (b) make decisions on their future.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Public sector employers should consider the use of salary sacrifice schemes carefully. HM Treasury approval is generally required before new schemes are established, and we will consider carefully all requests which are made for scheme expansion.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help protect barn owls in Sussex, in the context of the decline in breeding numbers in 2025.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The decline of the barn owl is attributed to several factors including the loss of suitable habitat, which limits the availability of hunting grounds; the use of rodenticides; road traffic collision; and the loss of traditional nesting sites.
To address their decline nationally, agri-environmental schemes are supporting barn owls by the funding of habitat creation, such as rough grassland for hunting, and by supporting the provision of nest boxes in suitable locations.