Asked by: Emma Lewell (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will provide a breakdown of the number of people living in licensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in England in the last 5 years by region.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not hold the information requested.
Asked by: Emma Lewell (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many Houses in Multiple Occupation licences have been revoked for licence breaches by region in the last five years.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not hold the information requested.
Asked by: Emma Lewell (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a regional breakdown of deaths attributed to Mesothelioma.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The National Disease Registration Service publishes regional breakdowns of cancer cases, including mesothelioma. Data by region and cancer type can be accessed at the following link:
https://nhsd-ndrs.shinyapps.io/incidence_and_mortality/
The Office for National Statistics publishes regional breakdowns of cancer deaths, including mesothelioma. Data by geography and cancer type can be accessed at the following link:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/datasets/mortsa
The Health and Safety Executive publish statistics on Mesothelioma deaths and cases and causes. The latest published statistics for Great Britain are for 2025, and are available at the following link:
Asked by: Emma Lewell (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a regional breakdown of the number of Mesothelioma cases.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The National Disease Registration Service publishes regional breakdowns of cancer cases, including mesothelioma. Data by region and cancer type can be accessed at the following link:
https://nhsd-ndrs.shinyapps.io/incidence_and_mortality/
The Office for National Statistics publishes regional breakdowns of cancer deaths, including mesothelioma. Data by geography and cancer type can be accessed at the following link:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/datasets/mortsa
The Health and Safety Executive publish statistics on Mesothelioma deaths and cases and causes. The latest published statistics for Great Britain are for 2025, and are available at the following link:
Asked by: Emma Lewell (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when does the Department expect the Northumbria Water/OFWAT plan that was due to be published in December 2025, to be made public.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The department understands that the action in question relates to Ofwat’s June 2025 enforcement case concerning Northumbrian Water’s management of its sewage treatment works and sewerage network.
This required the company to submit remediation plans to Ofwat in December 2025 for agreement, and Ofwat has since been in discussions with the company to ensure these plans meet all requirements.
Under the agreed undertakings, Northumbrian Water must provide Ofwat with regular monitoring reports on progress, including an initial report in June 2026 and further updates every six months. The company is also required to publish progress updates for customers and stakeholders on its website.
Asked by: Emma Lewell (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has been allocated to (a) the treatment of asbestos-related illnesses and b) research into asbestos-related illnesses.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
There is no pre-allocated funding amount for the treatment of asbestos-related health conditions. The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes applications on any aspect of health and care, including research into asbestos-related illnesses.
Between the 2020/21 and 2024/25 financial years, through the NIHR, the Department committed over £8.6 million for new research projects alongside supporting infrastructure into asbestos-related illnesses. Research supported by the NIHR is improving our understanding of the biological mechanisms underpinning lung diseases caused by asbestos, including mesothelioma and interstitial lung disease, as well as investigating novel diagnostics and treatment. Between 2020/21 and 2024/25, the NIHR’s Research Delivery Network supported 22 new studies on asbestos-related illnesses, which recruited over 2,900 participants.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) provides guidance on the health effects and toxicology of asbestos, including advice to support incident response for the general public and inform wider public health management. This published guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asbestos-properties-incident-management-and-toxicology/asbestos-general-information
UKHSA also provides scientific support to other Government departments, including contributions to risk assessment work on asbestos in consumer products.