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 progress is being made towards establishing Fracture Liaison Services across all NHS trusts by 2030.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services by 2030, and outlines our vision for a more devolved health service.
We are acting across the whole pathway of fracture prevention. This includes improving access to diagnosis, supporting the adoption of effective treatments, and encouraging local systems to develop services that identify people at the highest risk of future fractures and intervene early.
We want integrated care boards (ICBs) to shape services for their localities, and we have set expectations that ICBs will prioritise community-based models when commissioning new services.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of adopting the legislative framework championed by Animal Free Research UK known as Herbie's Law.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government has assessed that the UK’s existing legal framework already requires animals to be used in science only where no validated alternative exists. Through the Replacing Animals in Science strategy, we are accelerating the development, validation and regulatory uptake of alternative methods, supported by investment, regulatory reform and strengthened delivery oversight. The strategy sets out a long-term vision to eliminate animal use in science in all but exceptional circumstances. While the Government keeps the legislative framework under review, our current priority is delivering this science-led programme rather than introducing further legislation.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her Nigerian counterpart on the recent kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement I made to the House on 27 November 2025 (HCWS1105), where I addressed the security challenges facing Nigeria due to the activities of terrorist groups and criminal bandits, and set out how the UK is supporting the Nigerian authorities to respond. We continue to work closely with the Government of Nigeria to tackle insecurity, including through our ongoing Security and Defence Partnership.
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
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 - Minister of State (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 - Secretary of State 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 - Secretary of State for Wales
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 - Secretary of State for Wales
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 - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
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.