Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take diplomatic and regulatory steps with the Dutch Ministry of Health and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to secure the emergency export release of existing Bedrolite stockpiles following the insolvency of Bedrocan; and what assessment she has made of the clinical risk of status epilepticus and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy for UK paediatric patients facing an immediate supply shortage.
Answered by James Frith - 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: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of official rough sleeping statistics in capturing the numbers of women who are rough sleeping.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On his first day in office, the Prime Minister launched an urgent national drive to end rough sleeping. We have announced £442 million new funding to support this ambition, taking total investment in homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years to over £4 billion.
The Government recognises that women experiencing rough sleeping are often less visible and may be at greater risk of violence, abuse and exploitation. Local areas are encouraged to work proactively with specialist women’s services, domestic abuse and violence against women and girls services, health partners and community organisations to identify and support women who may be sleeping rough or at risk of doing so. Further guidance on how local authorities are expected to support women through the Rough Sleeping Programme can be found here: Rough Sleeping Programme Guidance - GOV.UK
You can find data about the number of women sleeping rough in England on gov.uk here. Since June 2025 we have included a question on the number of women sleeping rough in our monthly rough sleeping survey. The annual rough sleeping snapshot also includes data on the number of women estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in England. In addition to our official rough sleeping statistics, we continue to gather information from a variety of sources to understand women’s rough sleeping, including the Women’s Census.
Through the Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund, we are providing £37 million over three years to support specialist organisations that work with women facing some of the greatest barriers to accessing support.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of reports that Igor Tulchinsky funded a community centre in Efrat in violation of the UK's policy on settlement expansion prior to funding the Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Secretary of State has made no such assessment as national museums are operationally independent from the government, with decisions about commercial and philanthropic donations taken by their trustees. All national museums sponsored by DCMS operate within a mixed funding model, combining public funding with self-generated income.
The British Museum considers any donations in line with its published Acceptance of Donations and Sponsorship Policy. The Government’s policy is that the consideration of these matters remains the responsibility of the bodies concerned, and there are no plans to alter this.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance Historic England provides to local planning authorities and conservation officers on assessing listed building consent applications for solar panels not visible from the street.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Guidance for local planning authorities and conservation officers on installing solar panels on listed buildings can be found in Historic England Advice Note (HEAN) 18 on Adapting Historic Buildings for Energy and Carbon Efficiency. Historic England also provides a technical advice note on its website to help property owners and those involved in managing, maintaining, or making changes to historic buildings understand the issues to be considered when designing and installing solar power systems.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department are taking to improve access to free dental care for survivors of head and neck cancer in Frome and East Somerset.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of local populations, including those with a diagnosis or previous diagnosis of head and neck cancer.
NHS England has published guidance for ICBs to help ensure patients with a diagnosis of cancer can access oral healthcare in a timely manner. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/oral-healthcare-provision-for-cancer-pathways/
It outlines an “oral health in cancer pathway”, which includes patients with a diagnosis of head and neck cancer. This guidance applies throughout England.
There are currently no plans to extend free dental care to those with a diagnosis of head or neck cancer.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the availability of NHS dental care for head and neck cancer survivors.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of local populations, including those with a diagnosis or previous diagnosis of head and neck cancer.
NHS England has published guidance for ICBs to help ensure patients with a diagnosis of cancer can access oral healthcare in a timely manner. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/oral-healthcare-provision-for-cancer-pathways/
It outlines an “oral health in cancer pathway”, which includes patients with a diagnosis of head and neck cancer. This guidance applies throughout England.
There are currently no plans to extend free dental care to those with a diagnosis of head or neck cancer.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding available for a) pre-natal, b) post-natal and c) baby loss mental health support and services in Frome and East Somerset constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has made this issue a personal priority and is chairing the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to develop a national action plan that will reform maternity and neonatal services to deliver lasting change for women, families, and their babies. The Taskforce will consider all aspects of those current services, including mental health support.
NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board undertakes needs assessments on behalf of a Somerset wide geography in terms of funding available for pre-natal, post-natal and baby loss mental health support services. Funding is not allocated or assessed at constituency level.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what engagement was carried out with schools before the changes to school’s sport premium were made.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
In June 2025 the government announced the introduction of a partnerships network to support schools to consistently deliver high-quality experiences in PE, sport, and physical activity for all children with a particular focus on those that are less active. To inform policy development and fully understand schools' support needs, the department has worked with sector organisations and representative bodies before launching the procurement to identify a delivery partner.
The department recognises the importance of supporting schools through the transition from Sports Premium Funding to the Partnership Network and has engaged with sector representatives to identify additional support that may be required. In response to concerns raised by schools, we increased the transitional PE premium payment to £150 million. We will publish guidance and conditions of grant this autumn to help schools prepare for the changes and are continuing to work with stakeholders on this.
Once the new National Delivery Partner is in place, engagement across the school-age childcare sector will continue to monitor and mitigate any impacts on providers; which will include regular assessments and input from the sector to inform delivery and provide the support which schools need.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department made of the potential impact of changes to sports premium funding on a) wraparound childcare, b) enrichment provision, and c) the external workforce that supports school’s provision of physical education.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
In June 2025 the government announced the introduction of a partnerships network to support schools to consistently deliver high-quality experiences in PE, sport, and physical activity for all children with a particular focus on those that are less active. To inform policy development and fully understand schools' support needs, the department has worked with sector organisations and representative bodies before launching the procurement to identify a delivery partner.
The department recognises the importance of supporting schools through the transition from Sports Premium Funding to the Partnership Network and has engaged with sector representatives to identify additional support that may be required. In response to concerns raised by schools, we increased the transitional PE premium payment to £150 million. We will publish guidance and conditions of grant this autumn to help schools prepare for the changes and are continuing to work with stakeholders on this.
Once the new National Delivery Partner is in place, engagement across the school-age childcare sector will continue to monitor and mitigate any impacts on providers; which will include regular assessments and input from the sector to inform delivery and provide the support which schools need.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changing the Primary Physical Education and Sport Premium arrangements partway at the beginning September 2026 on schools' ability to plan ahead.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
In June 2025 the government announced the introduction of a partnerships network to support schools to consistently deliver high-quality experiences in PE, sport, and physical activity for all children with a particular focus on those that are less active. To inform policy development and fully understand schools' support needs, the department has worked with sector organisations and representative bodies before launching the procurement to identify a delivery partner.
The department recognises the importance of supporting schools through the transition from Sports Premium Funding to the Partnership Network and has engaged with sector representatives to identify additional support that may be required. In response to concerns raised by schools, we increased the transitional PE premium payment to £150 million. We will publish guidance and conditions of grant this autumn to help schools prepare for the changes and are continuing to work with stakeholders on this.
Once the new National Delivery Partner is in place, engagement across the school-age childcare sector will continue to monitor and mitigate any impacts on providers; which will include regular assessments and input from the sector to inform delivery and provide the support which schools need.