Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many defendants have successfully used the defence of automatism in cases arising from road traffic collisions in each of the last five years; and what assessment she has made of the impact of those cases on victims and their families.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on defendants dealt with at criminal courts in England and Wales for a variety of offences including road traffic offences in the Outcomes by Offence data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK.
However, information is not centrally held on the specific legal defences raised or successfully relied upon by defendants in criminal proceedings arising from road traffic collisions.
The Government recognises the profound impact and trauma experienced by victims and their families as a result of fatal or serious road traffic collisions. The Ministry of Justice has not made a specific assessment of the impact on victims and their families in cases where a defendant has raised or relied upon the defence of automatism.
In its 14th Programme of Law Reform, the Law Commission will consider – as part of its review of the law of insanity - the circumstances in which a person should not be criminally liable because of a mental condition at the time of an alleged offence. This will include consideration of the relationship between insanity and automatism.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if the Government will review housing allocation guidance to ensure that children diagnosed with conditions such as precocious puberty are supported with respect to policies that use age-based criteria for bedroom entitlement, in cases where medical evidence demonstrates a requirement for separate sleeping accommodation on grounds of privacy, dignity and wellbeing.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the hon. Member to Question UIN 117189 answered on 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
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 extent to which homelessness affects access to elective and planned medical procedures; and what steps his Department is taking, including in collaboration with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to ensure that patients are not prevented from receiving necessary treatment due to a lack of suitable accommodation for recovery.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
Ill health can be both a cause and consequence of homelessness; the health and wellbeing of people who experience homelessness are poorer than the general population and people who have experienced rough sleeping die decades sooner than those who have not. We recognise the importance of understanding how housing insecurity can affect health outcomes and access to care and are working to tackle these and all other health inequalities including through our 10-Year Health Plan.
No one eligible for homelessness assistance should be discharged to the street after a hospital stay, as outlined in the Government's National Plan to End Homelessness and our published guidance, Discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. To help make this happen, every acute hospital has access to a multidisciplinary care transfer hub to manage the discharge of people with more complex needs. These teams work together to plan a person’s discharge, so their health and care needs as well as housing situation are all considered, and the right support is in place when they leave hospital. We are also working with councils and integrated care boards (ICBs) to improve how existing funding streams can be used to fund intermediate care services tailored for those experiencing homelessness, to improve continuity of care and access to post-discharge rehabilitation, recovery and reablement. We are working very closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in this area.
Public bodies specified under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 including hospitals, emergency departments and social services have a duty to refer service users who they think may be homeless or threatened with homelessness to local authority homelessness/housing options teams. To build on this, the Government is committing to a new Duty to Collaborate which will strengthen and improve co-operation, early identification and information sharing between health, housing, and social care services.
NHS England recommends consideration of specialist intermediate care pathways for those at risk of or experiencing homelessness; this is set out in the guidance, Intermediate care framework for rehabilitation, reablement and recovery following hospital discharge.
The Government has not made a formal assessment of the extent to which homelessness affects access to elective and planned medical procedures. We are seeking to improve data collection in this area, however. As part of the Government’s plan, Reforming Elective Care for Patients, NHS England's plan to reform elective services, ICBs and National Health Service providers is expected to improve the completeness and accuracy of coding and recording practices, including housing status coding, through the use of relevant SNOMED codes, a standardised clinical coding system used in health records. NHS England's Statement on information on health inequalities also reiterates the expectation that ICBs, trusts and foundation trusts should consider how recording housing status can support the upstream identification of health inequalities, in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline on integrated health and care for people experiencing homelessness.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients experiencing homelessness are able to access planned medical treatment, including surgery, where a lack of stable accommodation may otherwise prevent procedures from going ahead; and whether he has assessed the impact of housing insecurity on patients being delayed or excluded from non-emergency care.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
Ill health can be both a cause and consequence of homelessness; the health and wellbeing of people who experience homelessness are poorer than the general population and people who have experienced rough sleeping die decades sooner than those who have not. We recognise the importance of understanding how housing insecurity can affect health outcomes and access to care and are working to tackle these and all other health inequalities including through our 10-Year Health Plan.
No one eligible for homelessness assistance should be discharged to the street after a hospital stay, as outlined in the Government's National Plan to End Homelessness and our published guidance, Discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. To help make this happen, every acute hospital has access to a multidisciplinary care transfer hub to manage the discharge of people with more complex needs. These teams work together to plan a person’s discharge, so their health and care needs as well as housing situation are all considered, and the right support is in place when they leave hospital. We are also working with councils and integrated care boards (ICBs) to improve how existing funding streams can be used to fund intermediate care services tailored for those experiencing homelessness, to improve continuity of care and access to post-discharge rehabilitation, recovery and reablement. We are working very closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in this area.
Public bodies specified under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 including hospitals, emergency departments and social services have a duty to refer service users who they think may be homeless or threatened with homelessness to local authority homelessness/housing options teams. To build on this, the Government is committing to a new Duty to Collaborate which will strengthen and improve co-operation, early identification and information sharing between health, housing, and social care services.
NHS England recommends consideration of specialist intermediate care pathways for those at risk of or experiencing homelessness; this is set out in the guidance, Intermediate care framework for rehabilitation, reablement and recovery following hospital discharge.
The Government has not made a formal assessment of the extent to which homelessness affects access to elective and planned medical procedures. We are seeking to improve data collection in this area, however. As part of the Government’s plan, Reforming Elective Care for Patients, NHS England's plan to reform elective services, ICBs and National Health Service providers is expected to improve the completeness and accuracy of coding and recording practices, including housing status coding, through the use of relevant SNOMED codes, a standardised clinical coding system used in health records. NHS England's Statement on information on health inequalities also reiterates the expectation that ICBs, trusts and foundation trusts should consider how recording housing status can support the upstream identification of health inequalities, in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline on integrated health and care for people experiencing homelessness.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the suspension of funding for the Warm Homes Plan on households that had been (a) approved and (b) offered support but were unable to receive the planned works; and whether he plans to (i) reinstate funding for the scheme and (ii) provide alternative funding arrangements to ensure that those households can access energy efficiency and home improvement measures.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Funding for the Warm Homes Plan has not been suspended. The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) has been extended to 31 December 2026 to allow energy suppliers additional time to complete remediation and their existing obligations.
Support for eligible households will continue through the Warm Homes Plan, including £1.5 billion additional grant funding for energy efficiency upgrades and low carbon heating, delivered through the Warm Homes: Local Grant and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund schemes. The government has no plans to reinstate ECO4 and is instead delivering a long-term successor offer through the Warm Homes Plan.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of existing powers available to airlines and other agencies to prevent and respond to disruptive behaviour by airline passengers; and whether her Department has plans to introduce further measures, including arrangements for information-sharing between airlines.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK has robust laws in place that prohibit disruptive behaviour on an aircraft, this can result in fines and prison sentences.
Air carriers have the right to refuse to carry passengers they consider to be a potential risk to the safety of the aircraft, passengers or crew, and under their terms and conditions can ban passengers from future travel on their airline, either for a specified time or indefinitely.
Disruptive and unruly behaviour whilst travelling by air is completely unacceptable. Government is committed to continuing to work with industry to ensure that the travelling environment for air passengers and staff remains safe and enjoyable.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the eligibility criteria of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for households that installed air source heat pumps prior to the introduction of government grant funding; and whether he plans to amend the scheme to allow support for the replacement of such systems where no public funding was previously received.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme supports property owners to replace existing fossil fuel systems with low-carbon heating alternatives. The Government has no plans to fund replacement of existing heat pumps through the scheme to ensure it maximises carbon savings and supports the greatest number of households transitioning from fossil fuels with the funding available.
Properties with an existing heat pump will generally already have made the necessary ancillary upgrades, reducing costs compared with an initial installation. The Government’s Warm Homes Plan will support households, including through work with industry to develop green finance options.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment the Government has made of the economic impact of hospitality businesses closing.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Government recognises the vital economic contribution of hospitality businesses to jobs, supply chains and the vitality of high streets and town centres. The Government keeps impacts on high streets under review and is taking action to support hospitality businesses through measures such as business rates reform, licensing changes and wider plans to reinvigorate high streets and support local growth across all regions.
We have also introduced permanently lower rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties, backed by a £4.3 billion support package including transitional relief to help firms invest and grow, and increased and extended the Hospitality Support Fund to £10 million over the next three years so we can continue to help more pubs, help more people into work and find more innovate ways to improve business productivity and sustainability.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what due diligence his Department undertook in relation to the renewal of the CMS2012 contract with Tata Consultancy Services in August 2024, including consideration of relevant legal proceedings involving that company; and what assessment was made of the potential impact of this on the Child Maintenance Service.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This contract was procured following a Further Competition using Framework RM6263 “Digital Specialists and Programmes – Lot 1: Digital Programmes” under Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
The Invitation to Tender was sent out to all 51 suppliers on Lot 1, of which two submitted bids. After evaluation of both bids and following standard internal governance procedures, it was determined that Tata Consultancy Services produced the Most Economically Advantageous Tender.
Under PCR 2015 to ensure an open, fair, and transparent procedure no external factors, including legal proceedings, can impact or influence a supplier’s bid. Therefore no consideration could be given to any legal proceedings against either bidder, as such no assessment of any potential impact was carried out.
The only additional consideration given was to the economic and financial standing of Tata Consultancy Services, as per departmental policy. Tata Consultancy Services completed the Financial Viability Risk Assessment tool, the outcome of which was evaluated to be within acceptable criteria.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what date he expects to commence the administrative liability order provisions under sections 32M and 32N of the Child Support (Enforcement) Act 2023; and what statutory mechanism currently provides authority for the creation of liability orders by the Child Maintenance Service pending their commencement.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Our intention remains to introduce the necessary legislation for Administrative Liability Order’s (ALOs) as soon as possible. We are working closely with HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and with the Scottish Government to ensure that when commenced, ALOs can operate effectively across Great Britain.
In the meantime, the Child Maintenance Service have agreed with HMCTS directly to increase the capacity for bulk hearings across all centralised courts to secure Liability orders under provisions in the Child Support 1991 Act and associated regulations, which provide the current statutory basis for enforcement action.