Asked by: David Burton-Sampson (Labour - Southend West and Leigh)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what further steps can be taken under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to help protect the health of domestic dogs during hot weather.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Animal welfare groups such as the RSPCA and Dogs Trust provide helpful advice on how to look after dogs in hot weather, often promoted online and through media outlets. Advice includes keeping dogs in the shade where possible, keeping dogs hydrated, testing the temperature of pavements with one’s hand before walks and encouraging safe, supervised play with water, such as in paddling pools.
In extreme cases, where an owner is endangering the health or welfare of their dog, local authorities have powers to investigate allegations of animal cruelty or poor welfare.
Asked by: David Burton-Sampson (Labour - Southend West and Leigh)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress her Department has made on its response to the consultation entitled Growing up in the online world.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The government has rightly listened to the views of parents, teachers, carers, experts and young people through this consultation.We have responded quickly and are taking clear, urgent action.
On 15 June, the Secretary of State announced our first steps: preventing social media companies from providing their services to under-16s; banning livestreaming and stranger communication for under 16s on other types of service like gaming; and banning sexualised AI chatbots for under-18s.
We intend to lay regulations by the end of this year.
Asked by: David Burton-Sampson (Labour - Southend West and Leigh)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to support families in Southend West and Leigh constituency in summer 2026.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
We are committed to helping families. We’ve expanded free breakfast clubs across England and eligibility for free school meals, raised the National Living Wage and reversed the two-child limit, lifting children out of poverty.
We are going even further with Great British Summer Savings, providing free bus travel across England for 5–15-year-olds in August and slashing VAT on family activities, meaning families can enjoy a reduced rate on children’s meals in restaurants after a day on the beach in Southend West and Leigh constituency.
Asked by: David Burton-Sampson (Labour - Southend West and Leigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish the Best Start centre funding allocations for local authorities.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
Ensuring every child has the best start in life, the chance to achieve and to thrive, are the foundation stones of the government’s Opportunity Mission. We will spend close to £1.5 billion over the next three years on improving family services and early years education.
The department will fund Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to ensure that children and families who need support the most, especially those from low-income backgrounds or with additional vulnerabilities can access it. On 13 October, 65 local authorities that had not received Family Hubs programme funding to date were paid a share of the £12 million Development Grant, to fund essential preparatory work ahead of the national Best Start Family Hubs rollout in April 2026.
The department will be providing further guidance, and detail about funding allocations, to local authorities in time to support service delivery from April 2026.
Asked by: David Burton-Sampson (Labour - Southend West and Leigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to ensure the continuation of Holiday Activity Funding.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
Through the department’s Plan for Change, we are committed to giving every child the best start in life. On 28 August 2025, we confirmed over £600 million for the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme for the next three financial years (from 2026/27).
Asked by: David Burton-Sampson (Labour - Southend West and Leigh)
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 reduce stigma associated with migraine in workplaces and wider society.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Government recognises that migraine is a serious neurological condition and that poor access to care and services can be exacerbated by stigma among healthcare professionals around the condition, while some employers may also not fully understand the condition and its impact on employees too. We are committed to ensuring that people suffering from migraines are supported effectively.
Comprehensive information on migraine, including symptoms and treatment options, is available on the National Health Service website. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has also published clinical guidance, Headaches: Diagnosis and management of headaches in young people and adults, which sets out evidence based best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment and support of people who suffer from migraines.
We expect integrated care boards to have regard to NHS England’s RightCare Headache and Migraines Toolkit, which aims to improve the diagnosis and management of headache disorders in primary and community care settings.
The three shifts outlined in the recently published 10 Year Health Plan will support people with long-term conditions, including those with migraines, to better manage their conditions and access services closer to home. Shifting care to community-based Neighbourhood Centres, expanding the role of pharmacy, the expansion of care plans, and the use of digital tools to help patients manage their condition and understand their attack patterns, will all provide for earlier, more consistent, and more accessible care for people with migraine.
The Government offers tailored guidance to employers on supporting disabled people and people with health conditions in the workplace, through its Support with Employee Health and Disability Service. This includes guidance on disclosures and having conversations about health and disabilities, plus guidance on legal obligations and making reasonable adjustments.
Asked by: David Burton-Sampson (Labour - Southend West and Leigh)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration his Department has given to moving more migraine treatment into community settings.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The three shifts outlined in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan will support people with long-term conditions, including those with migraines, to better manage their conditions and access services closer to home. For example, it will empower them to access their medical history and allow them to book and manage their appointments and medication.
In addition, by 2028/29, neighbourhood health teams will be organised around the needs of their patients. The plan will create joined-up working across hospitals and into community settings, with multi-disciplinary teams which can provide wrap-around support services.
By 2030, one million patients with long-term conditions will be offered Personal Health Budgets, which will enable them to use National Health Service resources and determine the care that best suits their needs.
Patients will be able to self-refer to services where clinically appropriate through the My Specialist section on the NHS App. This will accelerate their access to treatment and support. The NHS App will provide access to advice, guidance, self-care support, and appointment management. Patients will be able to manage their care in one place, giving them direct access and preference over the services they need.
As part of the NHS App, the My Medicines section will enable patients to manage their prescriptions, and the My Health section will enable patients to monitor their symptoms and bring all their data into one place.
Asked by: David Burton-Sampson (Labour - Southend West and Leigh)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to review the adequacy of the current dog control legislation.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Defra is working with the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to explore measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible dog ownership. We have reconvened the Responsible Dog Ownership taskforce and look forward to receiving their findings and recommendations in due course.
Asked by: David Burton-Sampson (Labour - Southend West and Leigh)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent estimate she has made of the cost to businesses of updating (a) IT and (b) HR systems to comply with the EHRC's proposed HR changes.
Answered by Nia Griffith
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is independent of government. The purpose of the EHRC’s Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations is to ensure or facilitate compliance with the Equality Act 2010 or an enactment made under that Act. The EHRC has opened its consultation on the draft updated statutory Code of Practice, seeking views from affected stakeholders. We encourage all those affected stakeholders to submit a response to the consultation. We will then consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it.
Asked by: David Burton-Sampson (Labour - Southend West and Leigh)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with the insurance industry on potential changes to liability insurance premiums for businesses due to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's revised code of practice for services, public functions and associations.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Treasury Ministers and officials have regular meetings with a wide variety of organisations, including insurers, on an ongoing basis.
Insurers make commercial decisions about the terms on which they will offer cover following an assessment of the relevant risks. This is usually informed by the insurer’s claims experience and other industry-wide statistics.
However, the Government is committed to ensuring that insurers treat all customers fairly and insurance companies are required to do so under the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) rules.
The FCA is the independent body responsible for regulating and supervising the financial services industry. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value. The FCA monitors firms to make sure they provide products that are fair value, and, where necessary, it will take action.