Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
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 ensure that parking companies (a) behave appropriately towards their customers and (b) have adequate ticketing practices.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 places a duty on the government to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities.
The government launched a consultation on 11th July 2025 which outlined its proposals for raising standards and protecting motorists.
All of the responses are now being analysed and the government will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who is the responsible Minister for the Team Plymouth partership.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The responsible Minister for the Team Plymouth partnership is the Minister of State in the House of Lords, my noble. Friend, The Lord Coaker.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered amending the school admissions code to allow schools to withdraw an offer if new information suggests that their admittance poses a risk to another student.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
All children, from whatever background and no matter what challenges they face, deserve a safe environment in which they can learn. Nothing is more important than safeguarding children and promoting their welfare. Keeping children safe in education is statutory guidance that all schools and colleges must have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Admission authorities must comply with parental preference and can only refuse a place or withdraw a place in limited circumstances, as set out in admissions law.
Admission authorities can refuse a place in year, in specific circumstances, where they have good reason to believe a child may display challenging behaviour, but cannot withdraw a place, once offered, on this basis.
Any changes to the Code will require a statutory process, including a full public consultation and Parliamentary approval.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to review the School Admissions Code.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
All children, from whatever background and no matter what challenges they face, deserve a safe environment in which they can learn. Nothing is more important than safeguarding children and promoting their welfare. Keeping children safe in education is statutory guidance that all schools and colleges must have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Admission authorities must comply with parental preference and can only refuse a place or withdraw a place in limited circumstances, as set out in admissions law.
Admission authorities can refuse a place in year, in specific circumstances, where they have good reason to believe a child may display challenging behaviour, but cannot withdraw a place, once offered, on this basis.
Any changes to the Code will require a statutory process, including a full public consultation and Parliamentary approval.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional support is available to (a) parents and (b) carers of children awaiting neurodevelopmental assessment.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including pre-and-post diagnostic support for neurodevelopmental conditions, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future and it recognises the need for early intervention and support. The Government is supporting inclusive environments and earlier intervention for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) through the Early Language Support for Every Child and the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programmes. In addition, through local commissioning, the Government will ensure that Neighbourhood Health Services work in partnership with family hubs, schools, nurseries, and colleges to offer timely and joined-up support to children, young people, and their families, including for those with SEND.
NHS England commissions Autism Central, a peer education programme, which aims to make it easier for parents and carers to learn more about autism and the services available to them.
NHS England also established an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) taskforce to better understand the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June, with the final report expected later in the year, and we will carefully consider its recommendations.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available for (a) parents and (b) children who receive diagnoses of neurodevelopmental conditions.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including pre-and-post diagnostic support for neurodevelopmental conditions, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future and it recognises the need for early intervention and support. The Government is supporting inclusive environments and earlier intervention for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) through the Early Language Support for Every Child and the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programmes. In addition, through local commissioning, the Government will ensure that Neighbourhood Health Services work in partnership with family hubs, schools, nurseries, and colleges to offer timely and joined-up support to children, young people, and their families, including for those with SEND.
NHS England commissions Autism Central, a peer education programme, which aims to make it easier for parents and carers to learn more about autism and the services available to them.
NHS England also established an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) taskforce to better understand the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June, with the final report expected later in the year, and we will carefully consider its recommendations.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
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 reduce wait times for people requiring new wheelchairs.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchair services.
NHS England supports ICBs to commission effective, efficient, and personalised wheelchair services. Since July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required.
NHS England is taking steps to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of National Health Service wheelchairs, and to support ICBs to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment. This includes publishing a Wheelchair Quality Framework on 9 April 2025, which sets out quality standards and statutory requirements for ICBs, such as offering personal wheelchair budgets. The framework is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/wheelchair-quality-framework/
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether staff in his Department have access to information about claimants' known (a) disabilities and (b) mental health conditions when the claimant contacts his Department by phone.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Claimants who make an application for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), or whose entitlement is being reviewed, are required to provide all relevant evidence relating to their health condition—whether that be a physical disability, mental health condition, or both. This evidence is essential for determining their entitlement to benefit.
All decisions made regarding a claimant’s entitlement are recorded on the PIP Computer System (PIPCS). Staff deployed to our telephone lines, who handle customer calls, have access to PIPCS. They are able to:
This ensures that customer interactions are informed, accurate, and that any updates are promptly reflected in the system.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
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 (a) encourage homeowners to make sustainable upgrades to properties and (b) make those improvements more affordable.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government is committed to making the consumer journey easier for homeowners. The government's home retrofit tool on GOV.UK (www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency), provides tailored recommendations for home improvements. A phoneline service is available on 0800 098 7950.
As part of the Warm Homes Plan, the government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) offers an up-front grant to help replace existing fossil-fuel heating with more efficient, low-carbon heating systems. The department has also launched the Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) to support low-income homeowners in England. Officials are exploring the role of incentives and private finance for households to support homeowners with the upfront costs.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to expand support available through the Warm Homes Grant.
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 £13.2 billion in the Warm Homes Plan up to 2030, in line with the Manifesto commitment. We will publish more details on allocations to individual schemes soon.
The Warm Homes Plan will include targeted support for the most vulnerable to help slash fuel poverty. The government is already supporting the installation of energy efficiency measures through schemes including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) and Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH: LG).