Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a right of appeal for visitor visa refusals.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Where a visitor visa is refused, the applicant will receive reasons for the decision which they can address in a further application. There are no current plans to change this position.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
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 impact of hydrotherapy services on people with learning disabilities.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England advises that there is not a strong evidence base for the benefits of hydrotherapy for people with learning disabilities. As part of their duties under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are expected to ensure high quality services that put the wellbeing of people who draw on care at the centre of decisions and ensure positive outcomes. It is the role of local authorities to facilitate the personalisation of care and support services and encourage a variety of services for their population, such as community support options.
As set out in NHS England’s Planning Guidance, integrated care boards (ICBs) are expected to work with local system colleagues to ensure that there is high quality and accessible community infrastructure in place for people with a learning disability and autistic people. The guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-priorities-and-operational-planning-guidance/
ICBs are expected to assign an executive lead role for learning disability and autism to support planning to meet the needs of people with a learning disability and autistic people.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects NICE to publish the updated fertility guidance.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the independent body responsible for translating evidence into authoritative guidance for the health and care system on best practice, is currently updating its guidance on the assessment and treatment of fertility problems. NICE’s consultation on its draft guidance will run from 10 September 2025 to 21 October 2025, and final guidance is expected to be published in March 2026.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to provide financial support for the delivery of long-term sustainable drainage systems.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The revised National Planning Policy Framework we published on 12 December 2024 amended an existing paragraph regarding incorporating sustainable drainage systems in new development to make clear that developments of all sizes are expected to make use of sustainable drainage techniques where the development could have drainage impacts.
National Planning Guidance is clear that local authorities should be satisfied that all Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) have clear maintenance and adoption arrangements in place for the lifetime of a development; however, the cost of delivery of SuDS would be covered by the developer.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of enacting Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 on the (a) uptake and (b) effectiveness of sustainable drainage systems on new developments.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and we are looking at what additional steps might be taken to support this.
We have made some immediate changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to support increased delivery of SuDS. The NPPF now requires all development to utilise SuDS where they could have drainage impacts. These systems should be appropriate to the nature and scale of the proposed development. See paragraphs 181 and 182 of the NPPF.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
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 provide (a) financial and (b) other support to local authorities to help improve surface water drainage.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are investing £4.2 billion over three years, from 2026/27 to 2028/29, to construct new flood schemes, including surface water schemes, and maintain and repair existing defences across the country. This builds on the £2.65 billion that we are investing in 2024/25 and 2025/26. The full list of over 700 schemes to benefit from fresh funding this year was announced on 31 March 2025 and can be found here.
The Government launched a consultation on 3 June on proposals to reform the way we fund flood and coastal defences. We will make it simpler for all risk management authorities to calculate their funding. The proposals would see the first £3 million of all projects fully funded. This would speed up delivery of vital schemes and ensure money was distributed more effectively across the country – including for surface water management schemes. The consultation has now closed, and we will publish our response in due course.
The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), looking at what additional steps might be taken to support this. We have made some immediate changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to support increased delivery of SuDS where they could have drainage impacts and require all development to utilise SuDS where they could have drainage impacts. In June this year, the Government introduced new national standards.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) town and (b) parish councils that have taken on functions previously managed by (i) district, (ii) county, (iii) unitary and (iv) metropolitan authorities in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jim McMahon
There is no centrally held data on the total number of functions town and parish councils have taken on from principal local authorities.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the VAT relief for medical supplies afforded by VAT Notice 701/57 to include automated external defibrillators supplied for community use.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the 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: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) support and (b) care workers who work with children and young people with SEN have access to adequate training before starting their roles.
Answered by Janet Daby
The training that care and support workers receive before working with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will depend on who employs the worker, and the purpose for which they are employed. If workers are supporting children with specific medical conditions, the following guidance explains how staff should be supported and trained in line with this guidance: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ce6a72e40f0b620a103bd53/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdf
For social workers, Social Work England is the regulator for the social work profession in England. It sets the professional standards that all social workers must meet throughout their careers. These standards include promoting the rights, strengths, and wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities, including those with SEND.
The department has recently consulted on new Post Qualifying Standards, which give greater clarity on the knowledge and skills expected of child and family social workers, including in relation to children with SEND.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support young people into sustained employment after education.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As part of our plan to Get Britain Working, we are launching a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education are working closely with the eight Mayoral Strategic Authorities in England which began mobilising the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in April 2025. The eight areas delivering Trailblazers are: the West of England, Tees Valley, East Midlands, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Liverpool City Region, West Midlands and two areas within the Greater London Authority. The trailblazers will run for 12 months, and we will use the learning to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls-out across the rest of England.
This is part of a broader package of reforms, including introduction of a new jobs and careers service to help get more people into work, the development of work, health and skills plans for the economically inactive, and the launch of Skills England to open up new opportunities for young people. We will work in partnership with organisations and businesses at the national and local level to offer exciting and engaging opportunities to young people. This could include work experience, training courses or employability programmes.
In addition, DWP provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners.
At Jobcentres, young people receive tailored support from youth work coaches. Those facing multiple barriers to employment are assisted by a Youth Employability Coach.