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 steps he is taking to improve the (a) completeness and (b) quality of data collected on waiting times to access adult community eating disorder services.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Adult eating disorders are covered by the overall adult waiting time metrics developed through the Clinically Led Review of Standards. Work to implement adult community mental health time-based metrics therefore also applies to adult community eating disorder services.
To improve completeness and quality of data submitted to the Mental Health Services Dataset (MHSDS), the Adult Mental Health team has developed SNOMED CT clinical coding guidance and national reference sets to support accurate recording of assessments, interventions, medications, and waiting time clock stops. Online training modules have been published to support providers with MHSDS submissions, with further pathway-specific modules and clinical descriptor guidance in development, alongside planned educational sessions for 2026/27.
The national Data Collections Service provides proactive one-to-one data quality support to providers, and an experimental access and waiting times dashboard is available on NHS Futures. In addition, NHS England publishes data quality information on all MHSDS submissions and contacts providers monthly to address identified issues.
Together, these measures are intended to strengthen the completeness and accuracy of waiting time data for adult community eating disorder services.
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, whether he plans to commission national training to support the workforce delivering Children and Young People’s Eating Disorder Services.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England already has comprehensive eating disorder training in place for staff across mental and physical health services, including those delivering Children and Young People’s Eating Disorder Services (CYP ED). This covers both awareness-raising and specialist up-skilling, with e-learning and simulation training available to doctors, general practitioners and primary care clinicians, nurses across all four branches, acute hospital staff, dietitians, and pharmacy teams.
Following the 2017 Ombudsman report Ignoring the Alarms, NHS England worked with Beat and the Royal College of Psychiatrists to strengthen training on the safe medical management of eating disorders, which remains available. More recently, NHS England has commissioned further specialist training to support the CYP ED workforce, including the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Eating Disorders Credential, family-based therapies, cognitive behavioural therapy for eating disorders, and training on Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.
Together, this national programme of training ensures that the workforce is better equipped to identify risk early and provide safe, effective, evidence-based care for children and young people wherever they present.
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 impact of converting short-term tenancies into periodic tenancies on the number of tenancies required to make anniversary calculations for Stamp Duty Land Tax.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Tenant wellbeing is central to the government’s recent Renters’ Rights Act, which will transform the experience of private renting, and give renters much greater security and stability so they can stay in their homes for longer. We are aware that the Act, which abolishes fixed-term tenancies, may bring these tenancies into the SDLT regime. We will act to ensure that no one will be brought into paying SDLT as a result of the Renters’ Rights Act. We will update the House with more detail shortly.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to bring forward sanctions relating to human rights violations and abuses in Eritrea.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government consistently considers the full range of policy tools at our disposal to protect human rights and deter violations of international humanitarian law. It is the UK's long-standing policy not to comment on potential sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their effectiveness.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has (a) made an assessment of the current classification of deaf sport within UK sporting-funding frameworks, (b) what consideration her Department has given to the disparity in funding provided to Deaflympic athletes compared with Paralympic athletes, and (c) what steps she is taking to ensure that deaf athletes are not systematically overlooked in future funding decisions.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is dedicated to making sport across the country accessible and inclusive for everyone, including d/Deaf people.
Sport England are exploring a series of talent pilots for deaf athletes. These pilots will see Sport England, National Governing Bodies, and UK Deaf Sport working together to explore issues around accessibility and suggest potential solutions. Sport England has also awarded UK Deaf Sport £150,000 to fund a specialist Talent Inclusion post to further the work of the pilots.
The Government, through the UK Sport grant, supports Olympic and Paralympic success. Beyond this the Government does not provide additional funding to performance sport, in line with our approach to a great many other areas of individual sporting performance.
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 extent of the duties of the Canal and River Trust to maintain the River Weaver Navigation for navigation purposes in terms of (a) draught and (b) the furthest distance upstream required to meet the duty.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
It is the responsibility of organisations with statutory duties, including the Canal and River Trust, to ensure compliance with them. Maintaining the River Weaver for navigation is an operational matter for the Trust, and it’s important the Government respects the Trust’s operational independence.
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 steps his Department is taking to ensure equitable access to multidisciplinary rehabilitation services for people with functional neurological disorder across Integrated Care Boards (a) in general and (b) for people under 18.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The National Institute for Care Excellence’s (NICE) guideline on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, including acquired brain injury, was published in October 2025 and with the code NG252, includes functional neurological disorder within its scope. The guideline, which covers rehabilitation in all settings for children, young people, and adults with a chronic neurological disorder, neurological impairment, or disabling neurological symptoms, recommends a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to rehabilitation. The guideline emphasises the need for personalised care plans that address physical, cognitive, and psychological needs.
We expect integrated care boards to take NICE guidelines fully into account when designing and commissioning services to meet the needs of their local populations. NICE guidelines represent authoritative, evidence-based recommendations on best practice, including clinical and cost-effectiveness considerations. This approach ensures consistency, quality, and equity in service provision across the National Health Service. The guideline is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng252
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 his planned timetable is for publishing the cross-government homelessness strategy.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We will publish our cross-Government homelessness strategy later this year.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with Manchester Airport on the level of that airport's (a) drop-off and (b) pick-up charges.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Most airports in the UK are managed and operated as private businesses, and the provision and charging of car parking at airports (including drop-off and pick-up charges) is a matter for the airport operator as a commercial business to manage and justify.
However, DfT expects car parking at airports, such as Manchester, to be managed appropriately and consumers treated fairly.
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 fiscal steps her Department is taking to support the 30by30 target.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK Government is committed to protecting 30% of land and sea in the UK by 2030 (30by30). Delivering 30by30 on land in England means ensuring that our most important and wildlife-rich habitats are benefiting from effective, long-term conservation and management. We will publish our 30by30 Action Plan in due course, showing the concrete and targeted action we will take to make progress on 30by30 on land in England.
Similarly at sea we are focusing on ensuring England’s 181 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), covering 40% of English waters, are effectively managed.
The Government has committed to the largest investment into nature in history, with over £7 billion directed into nature’s recovery over the parliament until 2028/29. This investment will make a significant contribution to the Environment Act targets and 30by30, including improving the quality of water, air, and spaces for wildlife so biodiversity can thrive.