Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 3rd March 2026 to question 115687, if he will ask Baroness Amos to consider the potential merits of appointing a Maternity Commissioner in the course of the Independent National Investigation into maternity and neonatal care.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation is independent, with the investigation’s terms of reference allowing Baroness Amos, in her role as Chair, to make recommendations as she sees fit.
The independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation is bringing together the findings from past reviews, from local investigations of maternity and neonatal services in selected trusts, and evidence from families and staff, and will develop and publish one clear national set of recommendations.
Baroness Amos and her team have met with hundreds of families as part of the local investigations, and a national call for evidence for women, families, and staff has recently concluded. Her final report will be published in June.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of weapons and ordnance manufactured in the UK are currently being used in conflicts in a) Lebanon, b) Iran and c) the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of UK export licences can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data. The UK operates one of the most robust export control regimes in the world. We assess all licences in line with the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. All licences are kept under careful and continual review as standard.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an his estimate of the potential reduction in the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) court workloads of increasing the adoption of community-based rehabilitation in the treatment of alcohol and substance use and addiction reducing recidivism rates.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We are committed to diverting vulnerable offenders with substance misuse needs away from prison or out of the criminal justice system altogether where appropriate. Many people who have committed low-level offences can be managed more effectively in the community, with the right treatment and support to tackle the health-related causes of their offending behaviour, than on short custodial sentences. Public Health England analysis shows that drug treatment reflects a return on investment of £4 for every £1 invested. Offenders completing treatment for drugs or alcohol were also 19 percentage points less likely to reoffend than those that dropped out of treatment.
An evaluation of the impact of being sentenced with a community sentence treatment requirement (CSTR) on proven reoffending was published in 2024 and found that for people who reoffended those sentenced to a drug rehabilitation requirement (DRR) and alcohol treatment requirement (ATR) had fewer reoffences compared to those who received a short custodial sentence.
Our Intensive Supervision Courts (ISCs), which divert offenders with complex needs, including substance misuse, away from short custodial sentences into rehabilitative community sentences, are undergoing full evaluation scheduled for completion in 2028. The evaluation will assess the effectiveness of ISCs on reducing reoffending and their value for money. Published process evaluation findings show early promising signs, whereby some offenders reported reduced substance use and willingness to avoid reoffending.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he is taking steps to increase the rate of collection of civil penalties issued by local authorities against landlords for housing offences.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government engages regularly with local authorities and other relevant stakeholders in relation to how enforcement against rogue landlords in the private rented sector might be strengthened.
Local authorities already have a range of tools that they can use to support the collection of unpaid fines imposed on rogue landlords, including charging orders and bankruptcy proceedings.
My Department will continue to engage with local authorities and consider how best practice can be shared as part of supporting the effective implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help encourage the use of community-based rehabilitation in the treatment of alcohol and substance use and addiction.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug or alcohol problem can access the help and support they need, and we recognise the need for evidence-based, high-quality treatment.
Local authorities are responsible for assessing local need for alcohol and drug prevention and treatment in their area and for commissioning services to meet these needs. Through the Public Health Grant, we are providing local authorities with £3.4 billion in ringfenced funding over the next three years for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery. This first multi-year settlement in over a decade gives local authorities the certainty to plan and invest for the medium term.
Additionally, the Department provides guidance and support to improve outcomes, for example last year we launched a self-assessment toolkit to help local areas to improve residential drug and alcohol treatment, which is available at the following link:
The Department also maintains regular engagement with commissioners and providers and works closely with other Government departments to improve pathways into treatment and foster recovery.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what is the total anticipated generation capacity in MWh of solar power projects that are approved but have not yet been connected to the grid.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
According to the latest version of the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD), as at January 2026 approximately 24GW capacity of ground mounted solar power projects have received planning consent but are not yet connected to the grid. This figure is an approximation as the REPD does not track projects below 150kW.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many affordable housing units have been built which have never been occupied because no housing association has taken them on.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not hold comprehensive, historic data on social and affordable homes that have been completed but remain unoccupied because a registered provider has not contracted with a housebuilder to acquire them.
I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement on 28 January 2026 (HCWS1286) and the answer given to Question UIN 112630 on 2 March 2026.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of court cases delayed in 2025 as a result of the failure of custody transport services to deliver the defendant at the correct time.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Data on the number of trials declared ineffective due to the non-production of defendants can be found here: Criminal court statistics - GOV.UK (trial effectiveness at the criminal courts tool).
In 2025, the non-production of defendants by the Prisoner Escort Custody Service (PECS) accounted for 176 (2%) of ineffective trials in the Crown Court and 885 (4%) of ineffective trials in the magistrates’ courts.
Sir Brian Leveson made a number of recommendations to address the late arrivals of prisoners to court in his Independent Review of the Criminal Courts. We recognise the problems we inherited in prisoner transfer with delays occurring at prisons, en route between prison and court, and at courts themselves in bringing prisoners to the dock. We are gripping this – along with the Minister for Prisons, I am establishing an oversight body to review prisoner transfer from end to end. This will monitor and drive performance improvements in prisoner transfer across the country.
We are also working with the Department for Transport and local authorities to expand the number of areas where PECS vans can use bus lanes to reduce traffic delays, and in London we are working with Transport for London to retime the traffic signals to prioritise PECS vans so they are more likely to receive a green light.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is her estimate of the number of days of education lost during 2025 as a result of water leaks in school buildings.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Schools and their responsible bodies are not obliged to report school closures to the department and therefore the department does not hold the information requested. Many responsible bodies manage school closures locally and without central government support.
Where the department is notified of a significant event or issue with a school or college building that cannot be managed with local resources, we consider additional support on a case-by-case basis. We work closely with these responsible bodies and schools to minimise the impact of any closures and ensure continuity of education for pupils.
Effective and proactive estate management is key to maintaining a high-quality estate and preventing issues materialising that can disrupt education, like leaks. We already set out clear expectations in our School Estate Management Standards and, in February, launched a new digital service to bring together estates-related guidance, data, tools, programmes and funding in one place. From this autumn, we will ask responsible bodies to make an annual return to confirm they are meeting those standards. For those that are not, we will put in place an estate management capability support plan in agreement with the responsible body.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps with relevant stakeholders to help reduce the number of leaks in school buildings.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Schools and their responsible bodies are not obliged to report school closures to the department and therefore the department does not hold the information requested. Many responsible bodies manage school closures locally and without central government support.
Where the department is notified of a significant event or issue with a school or college building that cannot be managed with local resources, we consider additional support on a case-by-case basis. We work closely with these responsible bodies and schools to minimise the impact of any closures and ensure continuity of education for pupils.
Effective and proactive estate management is key to maintaining a high-quality estate and preventing issues materialising that can disrupt education, like leaks. We already set out clear expectations in our School Estate Management Standards and, in February, launched a new digital service to bring together estates-related guidance, data, tools, programmes and funding in one place. From this autumn, we will ask responsible bodies to make an annual return to confirm they are meeting those standards. For those that are not, we will put in place an estate management capability support plan in agreement with the responsible body.