Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that development firms (a) meet national affordable housing targets and (b) do not reduce delivery on viability grounds.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to strengthening the system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure.
Alongside measures to deal with the legacy problem of existing uncontracted S106 units, we intend to take steps to create a simpler, more transparent, and more resilient S106 system.
As set out in the package of support for housebuilding in London announced by the Secretary of State and the Mayor of London on 23 October, which can be found on gov.uk here, the government intends to clarify the use of Section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 so that an application under this section to vary a condition of a planning permission should no longer be used as an alternative means of reconsidering fundamental questions of scheme viability or planning obligations.
We are also reviewing the planning practice guidance PPG on viability. Further details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of developers reducing affordable housing delivery on local housing need in West Dorset.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to strengthening the system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure.
Alongside measures to deal with the legacy problem of existing uncontracted S106 units, we intend to take steps to create a simpler, more transparent, and more resilient S106 system.
As set out in the package of support for housebuilding in London announced by the Secretary of State and the Mayor of London on 23 October, which can be found on gov.uk here, the government intends to clarify the use of Section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 so that an application under this section to vary a condition of a planning permission should no longer be used as an alternative means of reconsidering fundamental questions of scheme viability or planning obligations.
We are also reviewing the planning practice guidance PPG on viability. Further details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that development firms meet their agreed affordable housing commitments in West Dorset.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to strengthening the system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure.
Alongside measures to deal with the legacy problem of existing uncontracted S106 units, we intend to take steps to create a simpler, more transparent, and more resilient S106 system.
As set out in the package of support for housebuilding in London announced by the Secretary of State and the Mayor of London on 23 October, which can be found on gov.uk here, the government intends to clarify the use of Section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 so that an application under this section to vary a condition of a planning permission should no longer be used as an alternative means of reconsidering fundamental questions of scheme viability or planning obligations.
We are also reviewing the planning practice guidance PPG on viability. Further details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
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 adequacy of dementia care provision in (a) rural constituencies and (b) West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We would expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking into account National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
This Government is committed to improving dementia care and is empowering local leaders with the autonomy that they need to provide the best services to their local community, including those with dementia. That is why we have published the D100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help places and systems identify where improvements need to be targeted.
Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services. We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to specialist dementia care services in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We would expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking into account National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
This Government is committed to improving dementia care and is empowering local leaders with the autonomy that they need to provide the best services to their local community, including those with dementia. That is why we have published the D100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help places and systems identify where improvements need to be targeted.
Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services. We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support consumers in West Dorset constituency with a) petrol and b) diesel costs.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Fuel price trends are monitored nationally and published in the Department’s weekly statistics on GOV.UK . The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) oversees market transparency and compliance and publish quarterly and yearly reports on Gov.UK.
To support consumers, the Government introduced a voluntary scheme for retailers to share real-time price data, improving visibility for motorists. Building on this, UK consumers will also be able to compare prices more easily through DESNZ’s upcoming open data Fuel Finder scheme, encouraging competitive pricing among retailers, and helping households who own a car save an average of around £40 a year.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of recent trends in levels of (a) petrol and (b) diesel prices in West Dorset.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Fuel price trends are monitored nationally and published in the Department’s weekly statistics on GOV.UK . The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) oversees market transparency and compliance and publish quarterly and yearly reports on Gov.UK.
To support consumers, the Government introduced a voluntary scheme for retailers to share real-time price data, improving visibility for motorists. Building on this, UK consumers will also be able to compare prices more easily through DESNZ’s upcoming open data Fuel Finder scheme, encouraging competitive pricing among retailers, and helping households who own a car save an average of around £40 a year.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of closer NHS and social care integration on reducing the time taken for hospital discharges in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 December 2025 to Question 95574.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help improve support for firefighters in West Dorset attending mental health emergency call-outs.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 89240 on 18 November 2025.
Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) are responsible for ensuring that firefighters receive the training they need to safely respond to the wide range of incidents that they attend.
The National Fire Chiefs Council maintains national operational guidance for fire and rescue services to draw upon when developing operational policies, procedures and training.
The Fire and Rescue National Framework requires all FRAs to work collaboratively with partner agencies such as the NHS, mental health services and the police, and to integrate training reflecting current societal risks such as mental health crises. Each FRA must align its training and response strategies to meet these national policy expectations.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of training provided to firefighters responding to mental health crises.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 89240 on 18 November 2025.
Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) are responsible for ensuring that firefighters receive the training they need to safely respond to the wide range of incidents that they attend.
The National Fire Chiefs Council maintains national operational guidance for fire and rescue services to draw upon when developing operational policies, procedures and training.
The Fire and Rescue National Framework requires all FRAs to work collaboratively with partner agencies such as the NHS, mental health services and the police, and to integrate training reflecting current societal risks such as mental health crises. Each FRA must align its training and response strategies to meet these national policy expectations.