Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to a) the Intelligence and Security Committee report on Russia, HC 632, published on 21 July 2020, and b) the 2017-2019 Robert Mueller special counsel investigation in the United States, if he will instruct the relevant UK authorities to launch an investigation into whether UK elections have been affected by Kremlin-linked political interference.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government takes any attempts to intervene in democratic processes very seriously. It is, and always will be, an absolute priority to protect our democratic and electoral processes, including from foreign interference.
On 16th December, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced an independent review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics. Review findings will be delivered to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Security Minister by the end of March and will inform the forthcoming elections and democracy bill. This builds on the major reforms announced in the Elections Strategy in July, and the launch last month of the Counter Political Interference and Espionage Action Plan to disrupt and deter spying from states.
The Government’s strategy for modern, secure and inclusive elections, published in July, sets out our plan to strengthen oversight of and safeguards against known and emerging threats, including foreign interference through covert political funding. We will deliver a robust and proportionate response to known risks, protecting the integrity of our system and reinforcing public trust in democracy.
This sits alongside the government’s robust toolkit of measures to investigate and disrupt the threat from foreign interference in UK politics. This includes the National Security Act 2023, the Defending Democracy Taskforce, which coordinates work to protect UK political parties, elected officials and the electoral infrastructure, and the Joint Election Security and Preparedness unit, which coordinates work across government to protect UK elections and referendums. However, as the tactics of foreign interference actors evolve, the Government is committed to ensuring our approach also evolves to effectively combat the threat.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Ofcom’s regulation of (a) Evri and (b) other parcel delivery companies on (i) the recruitment, vetting and oversight of self-employed couriers, (ii) the suitability and safety of vehicles used for parcel delivery and (iii) consumer protection and complaints resolution in the context of reports of ((A) lost, (B) delayed and (C) improperly delivered parcels; and whether he plans to strengthen regulatory requirements for such operators.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
It is important that all parcel operators provide a good service to their customers and reduce the number of lost, delayed or improperly delivered parcels as far as possible. Evri and other parcel operators are independent businesses, and the government has no role in their operational decisions. All delivery companies must comply with employment and traffic or vehicle safety obligations.
Ofcom, the independent regulator for postal services, requires that all operators have a straightforward, accessible, and affordable complaints process. It does not regulate the employment models of Evri or other delivery companies.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
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 tackle elective care waiting times, including joint replacement surgery, in North Herefordshire constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to putting patients first, nationally and in North Herefordshire. That is why, in the Elective Reform Plan, we committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment. Having delivered 5.2 million extra appointments, we have more than doubled our pledge to deliver an extra two million during our first year in office.
Thanks to our modernisation and record investment, waiting lists have been falling for the first time in over a decade. Since the Government came into office it has decreased by over 230,000, despite over 26.4 million referrals onto the waiting list.
North Herefordshire is predominantly served by the Wye Valley NHS Trust, which has seen recent performance improvement in the trauma and orthopaedic (TO) waiting list. Between July 2024 and September 2025, the proportion of waits within 18 weeks for patients on the TO list increased by 5.7%, to 51.8%. The number waiting more than 52 weeks has also fallen by nearly 40%. Since November, high volume weekend lists for joint replacement procedures have also commenced at the Wye Valley Trust.
Nationally, the number of patients on TO waiting lists waiting within 18 weeks has improved by 3.7% and the number waiting more than 52 weeks has fallen by almost 16,000 over the same period.
We know there is more to do to tackle elective waiting lists including for joint replacement surgery. That is why we have invested £1.65 billion in capital funding in 2025/26 to expand and enhance surgical capacity, which includes funding for surgical hubs, the majority of which offer joint replacement surgeries.
As of December 2025, 123 surgical hubs are operational across England including three in the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care System, the most recent being the Wye Valley Elective Surgical Hub which opened in July 2024. These dedicated and protected surgical hubs focus on high volume low complexity surgeries and protect elective care from winter and emergency pressures by using ring-fenced staff and facilities, reducing cancellations and improving efficiency.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to improve time to diagnosis for children and young people with suspected Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Services for children with suspected juvenile idiopathic arthritis are commissioned in line with the national service specification for paediatric rheumatology services.
The national service specification helps to reduce waiting times for diagnosis by mandating clear referral pathways and rapid access to specialist paediatric rheumatology teams. It sets national standards requiring timely triage of suspected cases, prioritisation of urgent referrals, and availability of multidisciplinary expertise for early assessment. The specification ensures consistency across regions, minimises delays caused by local variation, and supports faster initiation of diagnostic tests and treatment planning.
Additionally, the 10-Year Health Plan’s commitments to expand community diagnostic centres for quicker access to tests, introduce digital tools to support early symptom monitoring and triage, and improve the integration between primary care and specialist services will further streamline referral pathways and ensure children receive timely assessment and treatment.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to ensure the provision of a) surgical hubs and b) community diagnostics centres are aligned with areas with the highest levels of health deprivation.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to ensuring that the provision of elective surgical hubs and community diagnostic centres (CDCs) is aligned with areas of greatest deprivation and population health need. As a core requirement of the capital business case approval process within NHS England, all proposals have been and continue to be reviewed and assured against the following core principles:
This approach ensures equitable access to services, supports the reduction of health inequalities, and promotes improved outcomes for patients across all regions.
NHS England is also working with local National Health Service systems to identify the most appropriate locations for additional investment, including new CDCs. New CDCs should be positioned in a location which addresses local need and health inequalities. Details of future sites will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of setting the period of the Warm Homes Plan for at least 10 years to enable housing providers more certainty to (a) invest and (b) plan to reduce their residents’ energy bills.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are working across government on a comprehensive Warm Homes Plan for households to cut energy bills for good. We are investing over £15 billion in the Warm Homes Plan up to 2030. The Plan will include targeted support for the most vulnerable to help reduce fuel poverty.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the consultations on (a) improving the Energy Efficiency of Socially Rented Homes and (b) reforms to the EPC regime; and whether she had discussions with representatives of social landlords on the potential impact of her timetable for responding to those consultations on decisions about investing in their homes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department is currently reviewing responses to both consultations and will publish government responses to both shortly.
We have engaged extensively with social landlords in respect of both consultations and are committed to providing them with clarity on the new SRS Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards and EPC reforms as soon as possible.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme on Natural England's caseload for investigations of potential breaches to the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (England) (No.2) Regulations 2006.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No formal assessment was deemed necessary in relation to the potential impact of the closure of the 2024 Sustainable Farming Incentive offer to new applications on the incidence of EIA (Agriculture) Regulations breaches.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cases Natural England is investigating for potential breaches of the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (England) (No.2) Regulations 2006 on semi-natural grassland for (a) 2025, (b) 2024 and (c) 2023.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Figures by financial year can be found in Natural England’s published enforcement reports here. The 2023/24 report is due to be published soon, and work is underway on the 2024/25 report.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to question 25666 answered on 30 January 2025, what her planned timetable is for amending the rules on Gift Aid.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is pleased to confirm that charities will continue to be eligible for Gift Aid following implementation of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
While new tax legislation may be necessary in due course, HMRC will shortly publish interim guidance setting out that where subscriptions are currently eligible under existing Gift Aid rules, they will remain so.