Asked by: Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrat - Melksham and Devizes)
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 trends in the level of HPV vaccine uptake in different local authorities.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage is presented for England at national, National Health Service commissioning region, and local authority levels. HPV vaccine uptake is known to vary by local authority, and assessments of trends by locality are ongoing.
Vaccine coverage data for the routine school-aged HPV immunisation programme in England, including for the 2023 to 2024 academic year, is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#hpv-vaccine-uptake
Asked by: Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrat - Melksham and Devizes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a national register of defibrillators.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Circuit is the independently operated national automated external defibrillator databased, developed by a partnership of the British Heart Foundation, the National Health Service, the Resuscitation Council UK, and the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives. The Circuit provides a national database of where defibrillators can be found so that ambulance services can quickly identify the nearest defibrillator.
There are now over 100,000 defibrillators in the United Kingdom registered on The Circuit. There are no plans to establish a separate national register.
Asked by: Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrat - Melksham and Devizes)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help support homeowners to meet the costs of remedial work caused by foam roof insulation installed using a government grant.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
There is no government financial assistance available to have insulation removed. Any measures fitted under government schemes must be fitted to the highest standards with issues promptly and properly rectified. In any instance where insulation is installed improperly under a government-backed scheme, consumers are entitled to remediation by their installer or, failing that, the guarantee at no cost to the consumer.
Installations of any insulation under current Government schemes must be installed in accordance with the PAS 2030 and PAS 2035 standards. The TrustMark website contains further guidance on how consumers can complain if things go wrong and the dispute resolution process: https://www.trustmark.org.uk/homeowners/if-things-go-wrong.
Asked by: Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrat - Melksham and Devizes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of including water companies as a statutory consultee in the planning process to advise on (a) the impacts on the water network and (b) how these impacts can be mitigated.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to Question UIN 60676 on 23 June 2025.
Asked by: Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrat - Melksham and Devizes)
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 reduce the backlog of people waiting for tribunals as part of their PIP application process.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department understands the potential effect of waiting for a tribunal hearing, which is why our aim is to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey so that people can get the support they are entitled to, without the need for an appeal. When a claim reaches the appeal stage, the Department can lapse the appeal where evidence supports a change in decision which is favourable to the customer.
Appeals are lodged with, and administered by, HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). A variety of factors can affect the number of cases cleared by the Tribunal including the complexity of the issue in dispute; the availability of panel members assigned to a particular venue; and if an appeal is adjourned (which may be directed by the judge for a variety of reasons, such as to seek further medical evidence). Any increase to the live load is monitored, and investigated, locally.
Asked by: Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrat - Melksham and Devizes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to tackle processing delays of valuations by the Teachers’ Pension Scheme; and what steps she is taking to ensure that pensions are paid promptly once teachers have chosen how they wish to receive their benefits.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The scheme administrator has made significant progress to reduce the backlog of Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) figures that had built up whilst the necessary guidance was developed, following the Transitional Protection (McCloud) remedy taking effect.
CETVs that could be automated have been prioritised, alongside the most sensitive cases, to reduce the backlog from 3,062 at the end of October 2024 to 473 as of 6 May. The current outstanding figure includes recent applications.
Addressing the remainder of the backlog remains a key priority for both the department and the scheme administrator. The scheme administrator is now working through the more complex cases for members who have not retired and who have scheme flexibilities, to take account of those which must be processed clerically as a result. Guidance to provide CETV calculations for members who have retired has recently been received and is being assessed by the scheme administrator.
Where members affected by Transitional Protection apply to retire, they are provided a Remediable Service Statement (RSS) which details their choices available for the remedy period. Once the member choice is completed and returned by the member, the scheme administrator will process the member’s retirement and put benefits into payment as soon as is practicable, or in line with the relevant retirement date.
Asked by: Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrat - Melksham and Devizes)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department is taking steps with animal protection organisations to phase out animal experimentation.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year, and is engaging animal welfare organisations in developing this. The Government has also recently hosted a roundtable with representatives from these organisations to discuss the strategy.
Asked by: Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrat - Melksham and Devizes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to retrofit schools to help meet net zero targets.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is committed to supporting the UK net zero carbon targets. Since 2021, our own building standards have required that all new school buildings we deliver are net zero carbon in operation and are adapted to climate change.
The department is also providing support for all schools and colleges to start on their journey towards net zero via our new online ‘Sustainability support for education’ platform and our climate ambassador programme. Where schools are considering options to become more sustainable, including considering decarbonisation of their energy supply, our ‘Get help buying’ service provides support to ensure that schemes procured are of high-quality and value to the sector. More information can be found at: https://gethelpbuyingforschools.campaign.gov.uk/.
Capital funding allocated to the school sector each year can also be used for projects that improve the energy efficiency and sustainability of school buildings, as well as improving the condition of the estate to keep schools safe and operational. The department has allocated £2.1 billion in condition funding for the 2025/26 financial year, which is £300 million more than the previous year.
In addition, we are working with Great British Energy, as part of their solar programme, and investing a total of £80 million to install solar and other related interventions in 200 schools and colleges in areas of deprivation.
Asked by: Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrat - Melksham and Devizes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of levels of car use on (a) congestion and (b) road noise.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department periodically publishes the national road traffic projections. The most recent being the National Road Traffic Projections 2022. This includes a measure of congestion expressed as lost time per mile, per vehicle in seconds. This is split by vehicle type, road type and region. While no specific assessment on levels of car use and road noise has been undertaken, the Government’s methods for the Calculation of Road Traffic Noise (CRTN), however, provides a standardised approach to calculate noise impacts from existing or proposed road networks to assess and manage the noise impacts on nearby communities.
Asked by: Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrat - Melksham and Devizes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to increase the amount of social housing in Melksham and Devizes constituency.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 41721 on 3 April 2025.