Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department provides to (a) Enfield Council and (b) other local authorities on (i) restricting formal call-in procedures to key decisions and (ii) ensuring that such restrictions do not limit the wider powers of overview and scrutiny committees under section 9F of the Local Government Act 2000, as amended by the Localism Act 2011, to scrutinise non-key decisions and other actions taken by those authorities.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Sections 9F(2)(a) and 9F(4) of the Local Government Act 2000 set out how local authorities should make sure their respective scrutiny committees have the power to review and scrutinise decisions made by the executive, commonly referred to as ‘call-in’ procedures. Guidance on ‘call-in’ procedures was published in 2000 alongside the Act. More recent guidance funded by central government was published in 2023 by the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny.
Enfield Council has not received additional guidance from HMG on the use of call-in powers. Local authorities are responsible for setting their own rules on how call-in should be used, including the thresholds and procedures for using it, whilst ensuring they comply with their obligations under the Local Government Act 2000.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department collects data on the number of NHS complaints that remain unresolved after (a) six months, (b) nine months and (c) twelve months; and what action is taken where NHS trusts exceed those timescales.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not collect data relating to National Health Service complaints. Data on NHS written complaints is published by NHS England annually at the following link:
The 10-Year Health Plan confirmed our intention to reform the NHS complaints process, setting clear standards for both the timeliness and quality of responses, to ensure the NHS listens carefully and compassionately, taking forward learnings to improve the quality of care.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department collects data on the time taken by NHS trusts to respond to complaints relating to inpatient mental health services; and what steps she is taking to reduce delays in the resolution of such complaints.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not collect data relating to National Health Service complaints. Data on NHS written complaints is published by NHS England annually at the following link:
The 10-Year Health Plan confirmed our intention to reform the NHS complaints process, setting clear standards for both the timeliness and quality of responses, to ensure the NHS listens carefully and compassionately, taking forward learnings to improve the quality of care.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of current NHS complaints procedures in cases where bereaved families have waited more than nine months for a final response from a trust, and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of introducing maximum response times for complaint investigations.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not collect data relating to National Health Service complaints. Data on NHS written complaints is published by NHS England annually at the following link:
The 10-Year Health Plan confirmed our intention to reform the NHS complaints process, setting clear standards for both the timeliness and quality of responses, to ensure the NHS listens carefully and compassionately, taking forward learnings to improve the quality of care.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of a diagnosis of cancer during (a) pregnancy and (b) maternity leave on a mother's physical health, mental wellbeing and access to treatment.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that a cancer diagnosis during pregnancy or maternity leave can have a significant impact on women and their families.
The National Cancer Plan sets out how we will provide support to people with cancer before, during, and after their treatment, including for pregnant or postnatal women. Everyone should get a personalised needs assessment and personal cancer plan that takes into account their wider psychological and social needs, including the impact of pregnancy where relevant.
Health professionals should provide integrated care for pregnant women facing serious physical illnesses and mental health challenges. Significant progress has been made across England in recent years to transform and increase access to specialist perinatal mental health services.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many retail properties in England have become vacant in each of the last three years, and what proportion of those properties were still vacant after three months.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
Billing Authorities provide information to HMRC Valuation Office to support the maintenance of the non-domestic rating list. Some Billing Authorities may indicate whether a property was vacant at the time the information was provided. However, HMRC Valuation Office does not routinely collect data on when properties become vacant or how long they remain vacant.
We have introduced powers for high street rental auctions to help fill long-term vacant properties. Through regular engagement with local authorities, we are aware of more than 40 councils that have either implemented or are actively preparing to use HSRAs.
The Government recognises that there are costs associated with implementing the powers and is currently gathering evidence from local authorities to review the HSRA new burdens payments. Through this engagement, councils have highlighted additional costs associated with identifying suitable vacant premises and refurbishment of long-term vacant premises. To that end, the Government has announced a £10 million funding package to support HSRA implementation. Further details will be made available in due course.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending business rates improvement relief to property owners as well as occupiers.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The responsibility for paying business rates falls on the occupier of the property. Property owners could be eligible for Improvement Relief if they meet the eligibility criteria, such as completing qualifying works, and occupying the property during and after the improvement works have taken place.
The Call for Evidence published at Budget sought further evidence on the role business rates and reliefs play in investment, including Improvement Relief and Empty Property Relief. Transforming the business rates system is a multi-year process, and any reforms taken forward will be phased over the course of the Parliament.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact on investment in retail properties of reducing the standard business rates multiplier for retail, hospitality and leisure properties by a further 5p to 38p from April 2027.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The Government is continuing to review the wider business rates system to ensure it better supports high streets, local economies and small businesses.
Further decisions on wider business rates reforms will be set out in the normal way at the Budget.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Gambling Impact Assessments enable local authorities to disapply the aim to permit presumption by creating a rebuttable presumption against the granting of new gambling premises licences in areas designated as being saturated with existing gambling premises.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Once introduced, gambling impact assessments will enable licensing authorities to adopt a presumption to reject applications in areas covered by the policy. This will mean that the presumption in favour of granting a licence resulting from the “aim to permit” principle will no longer apply in areas covered by a gambling impact assessment. However, licensing authorities will still be required to consider all premises applications even where a gambling impact assessment is in force.
On the 11th August, the Prime Minister announced that DCMS will consult on repealing the “aim to permit” from the Gambling Act 2005. The consultation will be published in due course.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to fast-track immigration and deportation cases in which offenders have prolonged proceedings through appeals lasting more than three years.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice is only able to collect data on the timeliness of appeals; it does not record or hold information related to an appellant’s previous convictions or offending, or how long the overall deportation process takes.
We have taken steps to speed up appeals brought by Foreign National Offenders (FNOs). The latest figures show that, in 2025/26, the average time taken from receipt to disposal was 36 weeks for Detained HM Prison appeals and 16 weeks for Detained Immigration Removal Centre appeals, compared with 43 weeks and 20 weeks respectively in 2023/24 (Source: DIA_dataset_2025-26_Q4.ods). Further, we will shortly commence the 24-week statutory timeframe for appeals from those in supported accommodation and non-detained FNOs liable to deportation, as legislated in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025.
Since the July 2024 election, there have been 9,805 removals of FNOs, to end of March 2026. This is 36% up on the 7,185 returns from the previous 21 months from October 2022 to June 2024.