Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to encourage empty homes to become occupied.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 59458 on 20 June 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of controls on the (a) sale and (b) import of kava for food purposes in The Kava-kava in Food (England) Regulations 2002.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Kava-kava in Food (England) Regulations 2002 prohibits any food consisting of or containing kava-kava from being imported or placed on the market. This regulation is in place to protect public health.

Since the introduction of this legislation, any additional scientific evidence that has been provided to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has not been sufficient to support any amendments to the controls in place.

If additional data on the safety of kava-kava were to be submitted, appropriate evaluations, such as a risk assessment, will be considered by the FSA. The outputs of a risk assessment could then be used to provide advice to Ministers, to amend or repeal the legislation.

New scientific evidence on the hepatotoxic risk of kava-kava would be reviewed by the FSA.

Without additional evidence that indicates a safe level of human consumption for kava-kava, the FSA considers there is insufficient toxicological data available to initiate an assessment.

While there is no specific provision in the regulation that sets out the procedure for revoking the controls, as safety concerns provide the basis for the ban, an assessment of newly available data on the safety of kava-kava for human consumption would be the first step.

If the independent Committee on the Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment is satisfied that there is a safe level of human consumption, this would inform advice to Ministers to amend or repeal the legislation.

Any future evaluation of the Kava-kava in Food (England) Regulations 2002, would need to be considered and carried out in tandem with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency as The Medicines for Human Use (Kava-kava) (Prohibition) Order 2002 is applicable.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Kava-kava in Food (England) Regulations 2002, what provision exists for the revocation of this legislation should the evidence no longer support such controls.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Kava-kava in Food (England) Regulations 2002 prohibits any food consisting of or containing kava-kava from being imported or placed on the market. This regulation is in place to protect public health.

Since the introduction of this legislation, any additional scientific evidence that has been provided to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has not been sufficient to support any amendments to the controls in place.

If additional data on the safety of kava-kava were to be submitted, appropriate evaluations, such as a risk assessment, will be considered by the FSA. The outputs of a risk assessment could then be used to provide advice to Ministers, to amend or repeal the legislation.

New scientific evidence on the hepatotoxic risk of kava-kava would be reviewed by the FSA.

Without additional evidence that indicates a safe level of human consumption for kava-kava, the FSA considers there is insufficient toxicological data available to initiate an assessment.

While there is no specific provision in the regulation that sets out the procedure for revoking the controls, as safety concerns provide the basis for the ban, an assessment of newly available data on the safety of kava-kava for human consumption would be the first step.

If the independent Committee on the Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment is satisfied that there is a safe level of human consumption, this would inform advice to Ministers to amend or repeal the legislation.

Any future evaluation of the Kava-kava in Food (England) Regulations 2002, would need to be considered and carried out in tandem with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency as The Medicines for Human Use (Kava-kava) (Prohibition) Order 2002 is applicable.

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 potential impact of new research into the hepatotoxicity risk posed by kava on The Kava-kava in Food (England) Regulations 2002.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Kava-kava in Food (England) Regulations 2002 prohibits any food consisting of or containing kava-kava from being imported or placed on the market. This regulation is in place to protect public health.

Since the introduction of this legislation, any additional scientific evidence that has been provided to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has not been sufficient to support any amendments to the controls in place.

If additional data on the safety of kava-kava were to be submitted, appropriate evaluations, such as a risk assessment, will be considered by the FSA. The outputs of a risk assessment could then be used to provide advice to Ministers, to amend or repeal the legislation.

New scientific evidence on the hepatotoxic risk of kava-kava would be reviewed by the FSA.

Without additional evidence that indicates a safe level of human consumption for kava-kava, the FSA considers there is insufficient toxicological data available to initiate an assessment.

While there is no specific provision in the regulation that sets out the procedure for revoking the controls, as safety concerns provide the basis for the ban, an assessment of newly available data on the safety of kava-kava for human consumption would be the first step.

If the independent Committee on the Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment is satisfied that there is a safe level of human consumption, this would inform advice to Ministers to amend or repeal the legislation.

Any future evaluation of the Kava-kava in Food (England) Regulations 2002, would need to be considered and carried out in tandem with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency as The Medicines for Human Use (Kava-kava) (Prohibition) Order 2002 is applicable.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of adding Ukrainian language GCSE to the curriculum.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Decisions about which languages to offer at GCSE in England are taken by four independent awarding organisations, AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC, rather than by central government. These organisations have the freedom to create a Ukrainian GCSE based on the subject content for modern foreign languages set by the department. We have written to these organisations to ask them to consider introducing a Ukrainian GCSE.

The British government stands steadfast behind the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian government. The department is proud to support children and families from Ukraine during their transition to a new life in the UK. To do our part to support the Ukrainian people, we are supporting the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science in policy development and this year have launched a UK-Ukraine Schools Partnership programme, twinning 100 schools in the UK and Ukraine.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to improve access to free debt advice; and if she will make a statement.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to ensuring that people in financial difficulty have access to free, impartial debt advice. Through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), the Government funds a range of national and community-based services to support individuals and families across England. The Government also provides funding for debt advice services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which are delivered by the devolved governments.

Funding levels for both MaPS and the devolved governments are regularly reviewed to reflect demand, inflation, and evolving needs.

MaPS’ latest impact report shows that people accessing the debt advice services it funded in 2023/24 gained an estimated £48 million in additional income, demonstrating the value of these services in supporting financial resilience. MaPS is continuing to expand access to its services by strengthening its digital capabilities and working in partnership with local organisations, to ensure support is available to those most in need.

In addition, the Government is currently developing a Financial Inclusion Strategy which aims to improve access to financial services and support, including debt advice. The strategy will be published later this year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to integrate synthetic opioid awareness into local authorities’ Drug Strategies since 5 July 2025; and how much of the 2025/26 targeted drug, alcohol treatment and recovery grant funding for local authorities in England, announced on 31 March 2025 he has allocated to public education on the (a) risks of synthetic opioids and (b) how to respond when witnessing an opioid overdose.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued planning guidance for local areas to help them respond to incidents caused by potent synthetic opioids. The guidance enables local partners to rapidly understand the scale of the synthetic opioid threat and assess the risk, communicate the threat, and take actions to mitigate it.

The Combating Drugs Partnerships (CDP) are vital in leading the local response to synthetic opioids and developing preparedness plans to manage the risk in their area, utilising the local guidance issued by the Department. In addition to a tabletop exercise conducted with a range of relevant local partners, a sample of CDP preparedness plans have been analysed by the Government, and the Home Office has published a report which includes a series of recommendations to help local areas maintain their emergency preparation and response.

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol services according to local need and it is for local authorities to decide on the amount of funding to dedicate to public education on the risks of synthetic opioids and how to respond to an opioid overdose. DHSC has made clear that local authorities can allocate funding to support campaigns and events to improve understanding and reduce harm. In addition, in response to increasing use and the serious harms associated with synthetic opioids, the Department is planning a public health awareness campaign which will launch in the coming months. This campaign will raise awareness of new patterns of drug use and their associated risks.

To ensure that vulnerable at-risk groups, including the homeless and those who are socially isolated, are aware of the dangers these drugs pose, regular drug alerts and communications are circulated by DHSC to commissioners and providers of drug treatment services, and there is ongoing engagement with local drug systems across England that are responsible for ensuring relevant professionals within their areas are adequately informed. It is their responsibility to circulate information with wider local stakeholders, such as the homelessness sector.

DHSC also includes advice on how to respond when witnessing an opioid overdose in its naloxone guidance and on the Government’s drugs information website, Talk to FRANK.

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 the effectiveness of local Combating Drugs Partnerships in raising awareness of (a) synthetic opioids and (b) how to respond when witnessing an opioid overdose; and what plans he has to roll out best practice on that issue.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued planning guidance for local areas to help them respond to incidents caused by potent synthetic opioids. The guidance enables local partners to rapidly understand the scale of the synthetic opioid threat and assess the risk, communicate the threat, and take actions to mitigate it.

The Combating Drugs Partnerships (CDP) are vital in leading the local response to synthetic opioids and developing preparedness plans to manage the risk in their area, utilising the local guidance issued by the Department. In addition to a tabletop exercise conducted with a range of relevant local partners, a sample of CDP preparedness plans have been analysed by the Government, and the Home Office has published a report which includes a series of recommendations to help local areas maintain their emergency preparation and response.

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol services according to local need and it is for local authorities to decide on the amount of funding to dedicate to public education on the risks of synthetic opioids and how to respond to an opioid overdose. DHSC has made clear that local authorities can allocate funding to support campaigns and events to improve understanding and reduce harm. In addition, in response to increasing use and the serious harms associated with synthetic opioids, the Department is planning a public health awareness campaign which will launch in the coming months. This campaign will raise awareness of new patterns of drug use and their associated risks.

To ensure that vulnerable at-risk groups, including the homeless and those who are socially isolated, are aware of the dangers these drugs pose, regular drug alerts and communications are circulated by DHSC to commissioners and providers of drug treatment services, and there is ongoing engagement with local drug systems across England that are responsible for ensuring relevant professionals within their areas are adequately informed. It is their responsibility to circulate information with wider local stakeholders, such as the homelessness sector.

DHSC also includes advice on how to respond when witnessing an opioid overdose in its naloxone guidance and on the Government’s drugs information website, Talk to FRANK.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to raise awareness among (a) people sleeping rough, (b) socially isolated people and (c) other at-risk populations on the dangers of synthetic opioids since 2024.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued planning guidance for local areas to help them respond to incidents caused by potent synthetic opioids. The guidance enables local partners to rapidly understand the scale of the synthetic opioid threat and assess the risk, communicate the threat, and take actions to mitigate it.

The Combating Drugs Partnerships (CDP) are vital in leading the local response to synthetic opioids and developing preparedness plans to manage the risk in their area, utilising the local guidance issued by the Department. In addition to a tabletop exercise conducted with a range of relevant local partners, a sample of CDP preparedness plans have been analysed by the Government, and the Home Office has published a report which includes a series of recommendations to help local areas maintain their emergency preparation and response.

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol services according to local need and it is for local authorities to decide on the amount of funding to dedicate to public education on the risks of synthetic opioids and how to respond to an opioid overdose. DHSC has made clear that local authorities can allocate funding to support campaigns and events to improve understanding and reduce harm. In addition, in response to increasing use and the serious harms associated with synthetic opioids, the Department is planning a public health awareness campaign which will launch in the coming months. This campaign will raise awareness of new patterns of drug use and their associated risks.

To ensure that vulnerable at-risk groups, including the homeless and those who are socially isolated, are aware of the dangers these drugs pose, regular drug alerts and communications are circulated by DHSC to commissioners and providers of drug treatment services, and there is ongoing engagement with local drug systems across England that are responsible for ensuring relevant professionals within their areas are adequately informed. It is their responsibility to circulate information with wider local stakeholders, such as the homelessness sector.

DHSC also includes advice on how to respond when witnessing an opioid overdose in its naloxone guidance and on the Government’s drugs information website, Talk to FRANK.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will remove the tax-exempt heritage assets scheme from landowners.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The conditional exemption tax incentive scheme was introduced to preserve and protect the national heritage for the benefit of the public. The Government keeps all tax policy under review, and any changes are set out at fiscal events.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to establish a sustainable funding model for social welfare advice services.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The Government recognises the important role that social welfare advice services play in supporting individuals.

For example, DWP provide grant funding to Citizens Advice, who deliver Help to Claim support for customers to apply for Universal Credit. In addition, the Money and Pensions Service, which is sponsored by DWP, continues to provide impartial, free money and pensions guidance directly to consumers.

DWP’s settlement at Spending Review 2025 provided DWP with funding to continue delivering these services.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of welfare reforms on demand for independent advice services; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The public consultation on the “Pathways to Work” Green Paper received over 47,500 responses before closing on the 30 June. We are now carefully reviewing responses as we develop further proposals, involving disabled people, including through the Timms review of PIP, collaboration committees and the department’s new Disability Advisory Panel.

We will continue to consider the potential impacts of reforms as part of our consideration of responses to the consultation, including any impacts on services.

Statutory right for leaseholders to access information

Found: New Amendments: NC10 and NC11 _NC1 Sarah Champion Nadia Whittome Charlotte Nichols Irene Campbell Siân

Found: New Amendments: NC10 and NC11 _NC1 Sarah Champion Nadia Whittome Charlotte Nichols Irene Campbell Siân

Found: _NC1 Sarah Champion Nadia Whittome Charlotte Nichols Irene Campbell Siân Berry Ellie Chowns Dawn Butler

Found: _NC1 Sarah Champion Nadia Whittome Charlotte Nichols Irene Campbell Siân Berry Ellie Chowns Dawn Butler

Found: 10 September 2025 Oliver Ryan Jess Asato Jayne Kirkham Gareth SnellBecky GittinsPaul Waugh Charlotte Nichols

Found: Andy MacNae Paul Waugh Yasmin Qureshi Graham Stringer Anna Sabine Jayne Kirkham Gareth Snell Charlotte Nichols

Found: Andy MacNae Paul Waugh Yasmin Qureshi Graham Stringer Anna Sabine Jayne Kirkham Gareth Snell Charlotte Nichols

Found: _NC1 Sarah Champion Nadia Whittome Charlotte Nichols Irene Campbell Siân Berry Ellie Chowns Dawn Butler

Found: _NC1 Sarah Champion Nadia Whittome Charlotte Nichols Irene Campbell Siân Berry Ellie Chowns Dawn Butler