Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of levels of NHS funding for children living in areas of high deprivation and inequality.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever and to ensuring that all children can access timely support that meets their health needs. We are delivering on the vision for neighbourhood health set out in the 10-Year Health Plan to bring care closer to babies, children, and young people. Neighbourhood health services will work together with Best Start Family Hubs, schools, and colleges so that children get support quickly, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.
We are targeting resources where they are most needed. As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are gradually ending the practice of providing deficit support funding and moving organisations to what is their fair share of National Health Service funding, worth £2.2 billion in 2025/26. This allows funding to be redirected more quickly to areas with the greatest health need across the country as part of integrated care board (ICB) allocations. We are also reviewing the general practice funding formula, the Carr-Hill formula, to ensure that resources are targeted most effectively.
ICBs are responsible for commissioning services that meet the diverse needs of their local populations, including children. All ICBs in England are required to have an Executive Lead for Children and Young People, to ensure the interests of children are reflected in decision-making. Further information on the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation and on ICB allocations for 2026/27 to 2028/29 is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/allocations/
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support people with rising fuel costs in Liverpool Walton constituency.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Fuel markets are governed by competition and consumer law, overseen by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The Government and the CMA are closely monitoring petrol and diesel prices in light of instability in the Middle East, and the Chancellor and Secretary of State recently met with fuel retailers to set out a clear message: unfair practices will not be tolerated.
We are also engaging regularly with refiners, importers and distributors to ensure any emerging risks are identified and managed promptly. The government has also introduced the statutory Fuel Finder scheme, which will increase transparency for UK road fuel prices and the CMA have the power to take enforcement action for non-compliance.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a national social tariff for water bills.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is working with industry to keep support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers are supported. We will look at ways to drive more consistency across the schemes and increase awareness of the support consumers can access.
Water Companies offer a range of support schemes for customers struggling to afford their bills, including: social tariffs, WaterSure, debt support schemes, financial hardship funds, flexible payment plans and payment breaks. The Government expects industry to keep the current support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers across the country are supported.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department has issued to dog owners on changes to public liability insurance through the Dogs Trust Companion Club scheme from 1 July 2026.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has contacted all registered owners to inform them of the change to insurance, notifying them that no action is required from owners at this stage. Defra has also updated its GOV.UK page.
Defra is working to ensure owners of banned breed dogs are able to remain compliant with the legal requirement to hold third-party public liability insurance beyond 1 July 2026.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
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 improve access to NHS dental care for (a) children and (b) adults in deprived areas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist. The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.
The Government is committed to ensuring that people can access urgent dental care when they need it. Over the past year, ICBs have been commissioning additional urgent dental appointments and there is now an urgent care safety net available in all areas of the country. We are broadening the scope of the commitment to deliver additional appointments so that they can be used for more patients, not just those who meet the clinical criteria for “urgent” care.
1.8 million additional courses of NHS dental treatment have been delivered in the seven months between April 2025 to October 2025 compared to the corresponding months prior to the general election. Half of these additional treatments were delivered to children.
The 10-Year Health Plan confirms that child dental health is a priority and we are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. In the meantime, we are introducing changes to dental access that will benefit children.
From April 2026, we began introducing a package of reforms to address some of the pressing issues that dentists and dental teams have been experiencing. We have introduced a new course of treatment for fluoride varnish for children to be applied by suitably trained dental nurses in between regular check-ups. We have also increased remuneration for dentists for fissure sealants, an effective intervention for children aged seven years old and over, and young people up to 18 years old, to support increased use for primary prevention purposes. These reforms will put patients with greatest need first, incentivising urgent care and complex treatments.
Reducing rates of tooth decay is central to our commitment to help children to live healthier lives. Tooth decay is also almost entirely preventable. We are delivering the national targeted supervised toothbrushing programme for up to 600,000 three to five-year-olds in the most deprived areas.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will outline a timeline for legislative proposals to guarantee visiting rights of family and friends of vulnerable people in health and social care settings.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the importance of maintaining meaningful contact between people receiving care and their family and friends. Care Quality Commission Regulation 9A places a legal duty on health and social care providers to facilitate visiting, and on 18 March 2026 the Government announced plans to further strengthen visiting rights. We are exploring options for legislative changes that promote the importance of family and carers as equal partners in care as part of wider reform work, when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps her Department has taken to increase awareness of (a) Rule 178 of the Highway Code and (b) the Code more broadly.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Improving road safety is one of my Department’s highest priorities. Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users.
That is why on 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.
Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes, including guidance aimed at improving safety for cyclists and encouraging compliance with “MUST” rules within the Code.
Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.
However, as set out in the strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course.
As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety. As announced in the strategy to support a Lifelong Learning approach in the UK, the government will publish for the first time national guidance on the development and delivery of road safety education, training and publicity. Alongside this, the government will publish a manual to support the implementation of a Lifelong Learning approach for road safety.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of NHS retention of (a) podiatrists and (b) other specialised healthcare professionals.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.
Podiatrists are part of the Allied Health Professional (AHP) workforce and are employed across a range of setting and bodies, not always NHS provider trusts. Data is routinely published by NHS England to show the number of AHP staff, but information on retention rates of staff is not available at this level of granularity.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
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 improve (a) awareness and (b) treatment of (i) chronic and (ii) recurrent urinary tract infections.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the impact that chronic and recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) can have on patients’ quality of life, and is committed to improving awareness, diagnosis, and treatment.
The Government is funding work to understand the research gaps on chronic and recurrent UTIs that matter most to patients, carers, and clinicians.
The UK Health Security Agency and NHS England ran a campaign during July 2025 to highlight UTI prevention messages for older adults, as this age group is more likely than others to be admitted to hospital for UTI.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published clinical guidance and referral pathways for recurrent UTIs, supporting clinicians to recognise symptoms, carry out appropriate testing, and refer patients for specialist assessment where needed. NHS England supports primary care through clinical guidance, responsible use of antimicrobial drugs, and professional education to improve management of UTIs.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the availability of post-16 provision in Liverpool Walton.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is working closely with Liverpool City Council and local general further education (FE) colleges to ensure there is sufficient post-16 provision in Liverpool Walton and the wider city region.
In October 2025, we published the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, setting out our reforms to the skills system in England, which will develop the skilled workforce our economy needs.
Reforms include the introduction of V Levels to sit alongside A and T Levels, the Further Study pathway, designed to support students to progress onto V, T or A levels and also the Occupational pathway which will support students to develop the skills needed to progress into employment or an apprenticeship.
Liverpool Walton students will continue to access high quality post-16 education through school sixth forms, specialised alternative providers and outstanding FE colleges and universities within the city region.