Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she plans to take to expand the availability of whole genome sequencing for the diagnosis of brain tumours.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 17 July in response to Question 15675.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of neuro-oncology patients in England access whole genome sequencing.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 17 July in response to Question 15675.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason there is a requirement to remove flooring in social housing between tenancies; what the cost is of removing carpets and flooring, and disposing of it between tenancies; what environmental assessment has been carried out on this practice; what the results were of that assessment; and in what proportion of social housing has there been flea infestation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
There is no government requirement for social landlords to remove floor coverings between tenancies. Whether existing floor coverings are retained or removed between tenancies is an operational matter for individual landlords.
My Department does not hold data on the prevalence of flea infestation in social housing or on the cost of removing and disposing of carpets or other floor coverings between tenancies. As this is not a government requirement, my Department has undertaken no specific environmental assessment of the practice.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what portion of the Affordable Homes Guarantee Scheme is currently awarded to for-profit registered providers and what portion to not-for-profit registered providers; whether there are any safeguards in place to ensure that limited public housing investment delivers the maximum possible long-term social benefit; and whether any greater priority should be given to not-for-profit providers, where their surpluses are reinvested directly into social housing and providing more social housing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Under the Affordable Homes Guarantee Scheme (AHGS20), all registered providers are required to meet the same regulatory standards whether they operate for profit or not. The government therefore does not prioritise applicants depending on their for-profit status.
No loans have been made to for-profit registered providers under the scheme so far, but they remain eligible if their applications meet the scheme rules.
AHGS20 contains safeguards designed to secure lasting social benefit from the guarantee. Bodies that are not registered providers are ineligible, and borrowers must use those homes as affordable housing for the period of the loan. They are also subject to the Regulator of Social Housing’s economic and consumer standards.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to section 42 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which excludes a knife that does not have a sharp point and is designed for eating food from the bulk-sale reporting requirements, for what reason her Department did not make an equivalent exclusion from the age-verification requirements for remote sales under section 32 of that Act; and if she will make it her policy to ensure that non-pointed cutlery knives designed for eating food are excluded from those requirements before they come into force.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to legislation around knife sales which helps ensure that knives do not fall into the hands of those aged under 18. The measures in the Crime and Policing Act 2026 in respect of the reporting of online bulk sales of knives and the strengthening of age verification requirements for online sales of knives will ensure we have robust controls on knives. The measures in the Crime and Policing Act 2026 are likely to be commenced next Spring.
Non-pointed cutlery knives have been specifically excluded from the new reporting requirements for online bulk sales of knives in section 42 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026. No similar provision was made in section 32 of the 2026 Act for the new age verification checks for online sale and delivery of knives.
However, we are aware of the argument that non-pointed cutlery knives, designed for eating food, present a lower risk to the public and the law should be amended. Such a change could be made via secondary legislation, and we are carefully considering representations made by retailers about whether there could be changes to legislation.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the financial resources of an unrelated co-tenant has any bearing on a vulnerable individual's entitlement to energy bill assistance.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Warm Home Discount provides eligible low-income households with a £150 rebate on their electricity bill. In England and Wales, eligible households must receive Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or income-related Employment and Support Allowance and they (or their partner) must be named on the electricity account. The financial resources of an unrelated co-tenant are not taken into account. Eligibility rules for other Government support schemes may differ from those for the Warm Home Discount, and entitlement is determined in accordance with the specific criteria established for each scheme.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will commission an independent feasibility study into alternative ownership models for water companies.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is considering a range of options to improve how the water sector serves customers and the environment. We will set out plans for stronger public control and wider sector reform in our 10-year plan later this year.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department plans to introduce an automatic or preventative protection from energy prices rises for severely disabled and medically vulnerable households.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is very aware of the cost-of-living pressures faced by households. The Government has removed VAT from electricity bills to give households immediate breathing space. This is in addition to removing £150 of costs off energy bills since April, and the extension of the Warm Home Discount, which benefits around 6 million households each winter, through to 2030/2031. The Government is also investing £15 billion through the Warm Homes Plan, the largest home-upgrade programme in British history, to improve homes, reduce energy costs and help lift one million families out of fuel poverty by 2030
The Government recognises some households face additional specific challenges, such as medical needs.
As part of the Warm Homes Plan, the Government is exploring how to enable referrals from the health sector to prescribe a warmer home for those who need it.
One of the biggest practical barriers to providing more targeted support is the availability of the right data. The National Data Library Kickstarter is a valuable addition to this work.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Competition and Markets Authority's document entitled Heating oil market study: Final report, published on 15 July 2026, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of the permanent regulation of the domestic heating-oil market, including protections for vulnerable customers.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government published its formal response to the CMA heating oil report on 13 October, and plans to strengthen regulations in the market for the first time, making sure households who use heating oil are treated fairly.
This will include developing options for a proportionate regulatory regime for the heating oil market, which will take time to get right, to ensure the best outcomes for all consumers, including the most vulnerable households. In the meantime, we will work with industry to strengthen consumer protection measures in existing Codes of Conduct, which set rules for the sector.
This is a clear indication of government’s commitment to create a fairer, more resilient and trusted heating oil market, which delivers stronger protections including those for vulnerable consumer, while preserving competition and security of supply.
A Written Ministerial Statement can be found here: Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
The full response can be found here: Government response to the CMA heating oil market study - GOV.UK
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has considered the potential merits of a vulnerable-customer scheme for heating-oil users to identify and protect people with significant disability or medical vulnerability before an emergency occurs.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is keeping a range of options for targeted energy cost support under review as part of its contingency planning, including for households in vulnerable circumstances who rely on heating oil as their primary source of heat.
The Government has provided £27 million of targeted support for low-income households in England who heat their homes with oil, through the Crisis and Resilience Fund and delivered via local authorities. Vulnerable households facing immediate financial difficulty should contact their local authority to see what support may be available.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also found clear gaps in protections for heating oil users, including support for vulnerable consumers. The Government is considering the CMA’s recommendations carefully and will continue to engage with industry, consumer bodies and devolved administrations to ensure heating oil customers are treated fairly.
The Government published its formal response to the CMA heating oil report on 13th October’ and add the relevant links A Written Ministerial Statement can be found here: Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
The full response can be found here: Government response to the CMA heating oil market study - GOV.UK.