Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will visit a farm in Worcestershire to meet with (a) local farmers and (b) hon. Members to discuss changes to agricultural property relief.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ministers regularly engage and visit farmers across England and have met with farming organisations and representatives nearly every week since coming into Government.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he will visit Bromsgrove constituency to discuss the impact of government policy on the hospitality industry with (a) publicans and (b) landlords.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Hospitality businesses, including those in Bromsgrove, are at the heart of our communities and play a vital role in supporting economic growth and social cohension. We've launched a licensing taskforce aimed at cutting red tape and removing barriers that hinder progress. The Government also plans to permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with a rateable value under £500,000. Additionally, we've introduced a £1.5 million Hospitality Support Scheme to co-fund projects aligned with Department for Business & Trade and Hospitality Sector Council priorities. This includes helping those furthest from the job market into employment and boosting productivity across the sector.
Whilst I don't have any immediate plans to visit Bromsgrove, I will endeavour to visit in future as part of my wider business engagement programme.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2025 to Question 44299 on Park Homes: Sales, whether she will outline her plans to seek further evidence from the sector before the House rises for summer recess.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We will set out our plans to seek further evidence from the sector in respect of the rationale for the commission in due course.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take steps with the Health and Care Professions Council to include psychotherapists on the list of protected titles within the healthcare industry.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While there are no current plans to protect the professional title “psychotherapist” in law, the Government keeps professions subject to statutory regulation and the list of protected titles under review. The Government is clear that the statutory regulation of healthcare professionals should only be used where the risks to public and patient protection cannot be addressed in other ways, such as through employer oversight or accredited voluntary registration.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve respiratory disease (a) prevention, (b) diagnosis and (c) care.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.
More tests and scans delivered in the community will allow earlier diagnosis, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions, including respiratory conditions, closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. Taking action to reduce the causes of the biggest killers, such as enabling a smoke free generation, can further help prevent lung conditions.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 29183 on Smartphones, what research she refers to.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Mobile phone and smartphone development and social media use has increased (Ofcom, 2024) alongside increasing mental health problems in children and young people (NHS England, 2023), which has raised concerns amongst academics that the two are linked. The cited publications can be found here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/children/children-media-use-and-attitudes-2024/childrens-media-literacy-report-2024.pdf?v=368229; https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2023-wave-4-follow-up.
Several recent reviews have explored the negative correlations between mobile phones and children’s wellbeing:
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of commission charge of up to 10 per cent on the sale of park homes on (a) mobile home residents and (b) site owners; and whether she has made an estimate of the commission paid in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The previous government published a report in June 2022 on the impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission. It can be found on gov.uk here.
This government recognises that there are longstanding concerns about the requirement to pay site owners a commission upon sale of a park home. We will set out plans in due course to seek further evidence from the sector on the rationale for the commission.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS Accident & Emergency admissions were made for cosmetic and aesthetic treatments requiring urgent medical attention in 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information on hospital admissions is not available in the format requested. However, an analysis of hospital episodes by diagnoses for 2023/24 is available at the following link:
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the health visitor to resident ratio in Worcestershire; and what steps his Department is taking to increase this provision.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities have responsibility for commissioning public health services for children and young people aged zero to 19 years old. This includes the commissioning of health visiting services.
We recognise the role health visitors play in our commitment to create the healthiest generation of children ever, as families must have the support they need to give their babies and children the best start and the building blocks for a healthy life.
We have therefore committed to strengthen health visiting services nationally. We will ensure we have the staff we need, so that children and their families are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. This will take time, but we are committed to building a health service fit for the future, with the workforce it needs.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February to Question 29154 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, what index the annual payments will be linked to.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Once an agreement is signed further details of the Treaty will be put before both Houses for scrutiny and treaty ratification in the usual way. This will include costs.