Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill will extend and simplify the right to manage for residents of freehold estates subject to private estate management charges.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1210) made on 18 December 2025.
The two consultations both closed on 12 March 2026. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
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 disclosure requirements for estate management charges on new build freehold properties.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1210) made on 18 December 2025.
The two consultations both closed on 12 March 2026. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions his Department has had with Treasury officials on increasing financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises with apprenticeship schemes.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department works closely with HM Treasury to support apprenticeships and skills provision.
To support non-levy paying employers (who are typically SMEs) with the additional costs associated with employing young apprentices, we are introducing a new apprenticeship hiring payment worth £2,000 when they take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees.
From the next academic year, we will also fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers for all eligible young people aged 16-24, to boost small business starts and prioritise funding for young people. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16-21, and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care.
These changes are part of our plan to deliver 50,000 more apprenticeship opportunities for young people and are supported by £1bn of additional investment over the next three years.
In addition, we provide £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in care. Employers also benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25, when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help incentivise young people to enter into apprenticeship schemes in the manufacturing sector.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government is transforming the Apprenticeships Levy into a new Growth and Skills Levy in England, backed by £1 billion of additional investment, to create more opportunities for young people and give employers greater flexibility to develop the workforce they need.
In August 2025, we introduced new foundation apprenticeships to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, including engineering and manufacturing, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills.
More widely, to deliver our ambition of 50,000 more young people starting apprenticeships we are introducing a new apprenticeship hiring payment of £2,000 for non-levy paying employers, typically SMEs, that take on 16-24 year old apprentices as new employees.
We will also fully fund non-levy paying employer apprenticeships for all eligible 16–24-year-olds from August 2026 and launch a £140 million pilot, in conjunction with Mayoral Strategic Authorities, to better connect young people to local apprenticeship opportunities.
The government also facilitates the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (AAN), comprising around 3,000 employer and apprentice volunteers who go into schools and colleges to share their compelling stories and experiences of what apprenticeships can do for young people.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued to Integrated Care Boards on managing the transfer of NHS dental patients when a practice (a) hands back and (b) partially hands back its NHS contract.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
No estimate has been made of the number of patients whose regular National Health Service dentist has ceased to provide NHS care in the last 24 months.
The NHS contracts with independent dental providers to deliver NHS dental treatment in primary care settings. This means that providers can terminate their contracts within the required terms of the contract, including a notice period. NHS England and integrated care boards across England work together to ensure that patients who are affected by closures of NHS dental practices continue to have access to the dental care they need.
We have delivered 1.8 million more dental treatments and reduced the underspend from £392 million in 2023/4 to just £36 million in 2024/5, maximising the treatments provided for taxpayers’ money.
Patients in England are not registered with an NHS dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend.
NHS dentists are required to keep their NHS.UK profiles up to date so that patients can find a dentist more easily. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist/