Freddie van Mierlo Portrait

Freddie van Mierlo

Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame

6,267 (11.8%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 4th July 2024


Freddie van Mierlo is not a member of any APPGs
Freddie van Mierlo has no previous appointments


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Freddie van Mierlo has voted in 23 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Freddie van Mierlo Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Gavin Williamson (Conservative)
(3 debate interactions)
Ellie Reeves (Labour)
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
(2 debate interactions)
Simon Opher (Labour)
(2 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Cabinet Office
(4 debate contributions)
Department for Business and Trade
(2 debate contributions)
Department of Health and Social Care
(1 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Freddie van Mierlo's debates

Henley and Thame Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petitions with highest Henley and Thame signature proportion
Petitions with most Henley and Thame signatures
Freddie van Mierlo has not participated in any petition debates

Latest EDMs signed by Freddie van Mierlo

11th November 2024
Freddie van Mierlo signed this EDM on Tuesday 12th November 2024

Social care workers and National Insurance

Tabled by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
That this House notes that social care workers should be exempt from the National Insurance tax rise announced in the Autumn Budget 2024; welcomes the extra funding provided for the NHS and other public sector organisations to cover the cost of the tax rise, but notes that the vast majority …
37 signatures
(Most recent: 19 Nov 2024)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 36
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
6th November 2024
Freddie van Mierlo signed this EDM on Monday 11th November 2024

Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief

Tabled by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
That this House recognises the essential role of family-run farms in sustaining rural communities, particularly in areas like West Dorset, and providing high-quality food for the nation; notes that the proposed changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief from April 2026, with only the first £1 million of …
22 signatures
(Most recent: 20 Nov 2024)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 21
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
View All Freddie van Mierlo's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Freddie van Mierlo, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Freddie van Mierlo has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Freddie van Mierlo has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

Freddie van Mierlo has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Freddie van Mierlo has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 40 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
17th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the boiler upgrade scheme to include (a) heat batteries and (b) other low carbon heating technologies.

The Government is committed to incentivising properties to transition to cleaner, affordable heating. At present, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, does not apply to alternative electric heating technologies, such as heat batteries. We are targeting support at technologies, like heat pumps, that current evidence suggests offer the greatest potential to decarbonise our buildings.

However, the Government will keep its position on alternative electric heating technologies under review and make further assessments as the evidence base develops. Our Warm Homes Plan will offer grants and low interest loans to support investment in low carbon heating and other home improvements to cut bills.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
8th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his planned timetable is for adopting Standard Assessment Procedure 10.2, in the context of the Home Upgrade Grant 2 project; and whether residents that have missed out on solar batteries will be able to apply for their system to be upgraded.

We are introducing improvements to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) modelling in early 2025, known as Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure 10 (RdSAP 10), to improve accuracy. EPC assessors will soon be able to record if a consumer has installed solar batteries. The Home Upgrade Grant (HUG 2) will run until March 2025 and will be succeeded by the Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG). Details of the policy on retreating low-income households that received upgrades under HUG 2 were published on 23rd September as part of the WH:LG guidance.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what further steps he plans to take to help ensure the safety of children on (a) social media apps and (b) other online platforms, in the context of the use of virtual private networks by criminals to target vulnerable young people.

The Online Safety Act makes search and user-to-user services, including social media services, responsible for their users’ safety on their platforms. The Act contains strong protections for children, safeguarding them from harmful and illegal activities online, even when these are proliferated by users using virtual private networks.

The regulatory regime is designed to be tech-neutral, allowing Ofcom to revise its codes and guidance as new risks emerge.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Third Report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights of Session 2022-23 on The Violation of Family Life: Adoption of Children of Unmarried Women 1949–1976, HC270, published on 6 July 2022, if she will apologise for the historic role of the Government in forced adoptions; and if she will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on ensuring that suitable mental health support is made available for adult adoptees.

The department has the deepest sympathy with everyone affected by historic forced adoption. The practice was abhorrent and should never have taken place.

The department is committed to supporting adopted adults. Regulations have already been changed to make it easier for adults to access therapy, and we are providing funding to Adoption England’s Improving Adoption Services for Adults project, which is designed to maintain relationships and offer support.

The department will continue to review the offer, including looking to learn from the approach of the devolved nations and will consider how we can collaborate across the government to provide support.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the provision of SEND services in Henley and Thame constituency; and if she will have discussions with Oxfordshire County Council on (a) the level of and (b) the process for receiving funding for SEND provision.

The last local area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for Oxfordshire was in July 2023, which identified widespread and/or systemic failings leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND. The report, published on 15 September, included four areas for priority action:

  • The local area partnership should evaluate the quality and impact of services and joint working more effectively in order to inform improvements.
  • Leaders should improve their strategic approach to transition planning at all ages.
  • Leaders must continue to develop their oversight, strategy and commissioning arrangements of suitable alternative provision.
  • Leaders across the partnership should continue to address the long waiting times for children and young people requesting support from health services and those awaiting assessments.

Every child and young person with SEND should have access to high quality services, and where a council does not meet requirements to provide appropriate support for these children, the department will take action to prioritise their needs and bring about rapid improvement.

Oxfordshire County Council was issued with an Improvement Notice on 9 November 2023. This sets out the steps the department expects the local authority to take in raising standards in their SEND services. The department is working closely with its partners in NHS England to monitor, support and challenge the local area partnership to making the necessary improvements, including through regular monitoring meetings, which focus on the impact of actions taken on improving the lives of children and young people with SEND and their families. Oxfordshire County Council are committed to working closely with us to improve their SEND services.

Oxfordshire County Council’s high needs funding allocation for children and young people with complex SEND is over £111 million for the 2024/25 financial year, including funding for teachers’ pay and pension costs. In addition, this government has allocated Oxfordshire Council an extra core schools budget grant of £1.3 million to help with special schools’ costs. The department does not collect data or information on the Council’s process for allocating this funding on to specific provision in the Henley and Thame constituency.

Oxfordshire are part of the Delivering Better Value (DBV) programme which provides £1 million in grant funding to support local authorities to provide more effective SEND services by meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND at an early stage and with the right level of support. The department monitors Oxfordshire's progress in the DBV programme through quarterly reporting and meetings with the local authority.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
8th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, on the potential impact of moving the Kew herbarium to Thames Valley Science Park on the study of (a) biodiversity and (b) extinction.

Defra officials are engaged with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on development of the New Herbarium Project proposal.

Kew’s Herbarium collections are some of the largest and most important in the world, holding over seven million vascular plant specimens, collected globally over the last 170 years. The New Herbarium Project aims to deliver a world-leading scientific research and collections facility, both to preserve those collections in appropriately controlled conditions and to ensure the specimens are accessible to Kew’s researchers and the wider international scientific community.

Science is the largest and fastest-growing department at Kew and exploring options for future science research infrastructure is important in anticipation of future changes to global biodiversity.

Defra fully recognise the importance of the Herbarium collections, which Kew maintains both for the nation and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is supporting Kew’s Digitisation initiatives, which will ensure that 8.25 million plant and fungi specimens are digitised and made free for the public to access by 2026.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
24th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the implementation of further protections for (a) nature and (b) biodiversity in National Landscapes.

The new Government is committed to making Protected Landscapes (National Parks and National Landscapes) greener, wilder, and more accessible. We are currently considering the best way to do this. To support this, Defra is working with Protected Landscapes organisations to improve data on the state of nature in Protected Landscapes.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
24th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to meet the UK’s commitment under the Global Biodiversity Framework to reduce excess nutrients lost to the environment by at least half by 2030.

Policy in this area is a devolved matter.

The UK Government recognises the need to go further on addressing nutrient pollution and supporting nature to recover.

We have already committed to a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan which will set out how the Government will deliver our legally binding targets, including for reducing nutrient pollution.

We are taking action to work with partners to tackle the main sources of pollution. For example, we are taking action to tackle agricultural pollution and deliver the Environment Act target through a suite of proportionate and effective regulations, advice and incentives.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
15th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent the spread of Brucella canis.

The Government takes biosecurity seriously and has taken steps to mitigate the risk of Brucella canis. Disease risk is monitored carefully and is kept under regular review.

Defra made detection of Brucella canis in dogs reportable in April 2021. The Department has also published information for veterinary professionals and pet owners and has worked with stakeholders to disseminate advice and recommended actions to veterinary surgeons, rescue and rehoming organisations and dog breeding associations. Where necessary Defra have the powers in legislation to introduce preventive health measures to protect animal or public health by controlling diseases or infections that are likely to be spread due to the movement of pet animals into Great Britain.

Defra will continue to monitor and consider any further actions as appropriate.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
9th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will amend the criteria relating to bathing water designation to include the (a) use of (i) non-motorised boats and (ii) paddleboards and (b) holding of (i) the Royal Regatta, (ii) events organised by Swim Henley and (iii) other such events.

Ministers continue to consider possible changes to the Bathing water system. In light of this, applications for designations for the 2025 bathing season which were closed by the previous administration, remain closed.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
5th Sep 2024
If he will meet the hon. Member for Henley and Thame and the Environment Agency to discuss the repair of Marsh Lock bridge on the Thames Path between Henley and Shiplake.

I would be happy to meet with the honourable Member alongside the Environment Agency to discuss this matter.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
12th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of services provided by Chiltern Rail from Haddenham and Thame Parkway station.

The Department monitors the adequacy of train services from all train stations, including Haddenham and Thame Parkway.

Chiltern Railway provide a frequent service with three trains per hour during peak times and two trains per hour during the off-peak service from Haddenham and Thame Parkway to other stations along the Chiltern Mainline route between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street. When planning the timetable, operators look at several factors including passenger demand and infrastructure constraints, as well as operational considerations, such as, fleet or driver availability. The goal is to provide an efficient and reliable service for all passengers and the Department regularly reviews operational performance across the rail network.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
31st Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, If she will bring forward legislative proposals to allow (a) police forces and (b) local councils to keep speeding fines from fixed point cameras to fund further safety measures on the highway network.

There are no plans to bring forward legislative proposals to allow (a) police forces and (b) local councils to keep speeding fines from fixed point cameras to fund further safety measures on the highway network. Money from fines and penalty receipts, including for speeding, goes to the Treasury into the Consolidated Fund. It does not go to police forces or local authorities.

Money from the Consolidated Fund supports general expenditure on public services, and that would include services that motorists will benefit from, such as healthcare, policing, local government grants and transport.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
22nd Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of expedited tests for people who require a driving license to secure (a) training or (b) employment in key worker roles.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA’s) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.

For practical driving test candidates, DVSA is still offering the Mobile Emergency Worker (MEW) process for those in critical roles. The process, which was implemented during the coronavirus pandemic, is for candidates who are a critical worker in England or Wales and work for one of the following:

  • the NHS - in health or social care
  • the emergency services
  • a local council

They must also:

  • need to drive as part of their job (commuting not included)
  • respond to ‘threats to life’ as part of their job

The MEW application process has been shared with all applicable emergency organisations. Candidates who meet this eligibility criteria and want a test, should talk to their employer, who will need to apply on their employee’s behalf.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
21st Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing driving instructors to temporarily work as examiners, in the context of recent trends in the availability of driving tests.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA’s) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.

As of 21 October 2024, there were 567,344 car practical driving tests booked, and 84,092 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.

It is not possible to allow approved driving instructors (ADI’s) to temporarily work as driving examiners. The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) 1999 regulations require driving test examiners to meet certain criteria and pass an initial qualification and examination and prohibits a person from being an active ADI and an examiner simultaneously.

As part of measures to ensure its booking system is used correctly, DVSA has reduced the number of times a driving test appointment can be changed. Driving test candidates can change their appointment up to six times. If candidates need to make more changes after that, they will need to cancel their test and rebook it. DVSA currently has no plans to reduce this figure further as it is designed to give candidates sufficient flexibility to manage their car practical driving test appointment.

Driving examiners are Civil Servants so their salary is determined by the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance. The guidance sets out the financial parameters within which Civil Service departments can determine pay awards for their staff. DVSA cannot act independently from this guidance.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
21st Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the number of times a driving test can be re-booked, in the context of recent trends in the usage of automated bots to block book driving test dates.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA’s) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.

As of 21 October 2024, there were 567,344 car practical driving tests booked, and 84,092 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.

It is not possible to allow approved driving instructors (ADI’s) to temporarily work as driving examiners. The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) 1999 regulations require driving test examiners to meet certain criteria and pass an initial qualification and examination and prohibits a person from being an active ADI and an examiner simultaneously.

As part of measures to ensure its booking system is used correctly, DVSA has reduced the number of times a driving test appointment can be changed. Driving test candidates can change their appointment up to six times. If candidates need to make more changes after that, they will need to cancel their test and rebook it. DVSA currently has no plans to reduce this figure further as it is designed to give candidates sufficient flexibility to manage their car practical driving test appointment.

Driving examiners are Civil Servants so their salary is determined by the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance. The guidance sets out the financial parameters within which Civil Service departments can determine pay awards for their staff. DVSA cannot act independently from this guidance.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to (a) help tackle the use of bots and apps to bulk-buy practical driving tests, (b) increase the number of driving test examiners and (c) otherwise increase the availability of practical driving tests in Oxfordshire.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.

Measures in place to reduce waiting times for customers at driving test centres include the recruitment of driving examiners, conducting tests outside of regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from driving examiners.

As of 7 October 2024, there were 571,047 car practical driving tests booked, and 89,349 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.

It is not possible to block book car practical driving tests. A driving licence number can only be assigned to one car practical driving test at a time. A survey by DVSA suggests that only 10% of learner drivers use third parties to book their tests. Most either book appointments themselves or through their approved driving instructor (ADI).

To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, DVSA continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests. Such apps or bots are not approved by DVSA. They make it harder for candidates to get a test and can also result in people paying more for a test. DVSA will continue to take steps to block cancellation services from accessing the booking system, which are having a positive impact.

DVSA operates an online booking service (OBS) for instructors and trainers so that they can book and manage driving and riding tests for their pupils. DVSA has made changes to the OBS by stopping automatic online registrations to use the service, ensuring each company that registers employs an ADI and removing access for any companies not linked to driving instructors.

In January 2023, DVSA changed the terms and conditions for using the booking service to help prevent anyone from selling tests at profit. Since then, DVSA has issued 313 warnings, 766 suspensions, and closed 705 businesses for misuse of its booking service.

Following these changes, there has been a significant drop in traffic to these services because DVSA is successfully identifying and blocking apps or bots.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
4th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter of 22 July 2024 from the hon. member for Henley and Thame about step down beds at Chiltern Court, Henley on Thames.

I received the hon. Member’s letter and replied on 6 November 2024.

Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
30th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to (a) increase (i) capacity and (ii) coordination among mental health services to ensure people receive treatment close to home, (b) provide free prescriptions to people with chronic mental health conditions and (c) introduce a statutory independent mental health commissioner to advocate for patients, families, and carers.

As part of our mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future, we are committed to shifting care out of hospitals and into the community, close to people’s homes. NHS England is currently piloting neighbourhood based, open access community mental health centres in six areas to support people experiencing mental ill health.

Whilst there are no current plans to review or amend the list of medical conditions that entitle a patient to receive free prescriptions, extensive arrangements are in place to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone. For example, people who are: in receipt of certain qualifying benefits or tax credits; are pregnant or have recently given birth; or are aged 60 years old and over, all qualify for free prescriptions. Additionally, income-based support is available under the NHS Low Income Scheme, and Pre-Payment Certificates are available to anyone, allowing people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost.

We have no plans to appoint a statutory mental health commissioner as it would not add significant value within the framework provided by existing bodies.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
22nd Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward regulations on the composition of (a) toddler and (b) other so-called growing up formula milks.

The Government has not made a recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation on the composition of ‘toddler’ or ‘growing up’ milks. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition’s (SACN) 2023 report, called Feeding young children aged 1 to 5 years, reported findings from national dietary surveys indicating that free sugars intakes for children aged 18 to 60 months old were above the current recommendations. Furthermore, formula milks, mainly follow-on formula and ‘toddler’ and ‘growing up’ milks, were consumed by 36% of children aged one to one and a half years old, and contributed 50% of free sugars intakes in consumers.

Current recommendations from the SACN are that these products are not required by children aged one to five years old and that milk or water, in addition to breast milk, should constitute the majority of drinks given to children aged one to five years old. National Health Service advice is that there is no evidence to suggest that ‘toddler’ or ‘growing up’ milks provide extra nutritional benefits for young children.

We face a childhood obesity crisis, and the Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever, which includes considering what action is needed to improve the diets and associated health outcomes for children.

Andrew Gwynne
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
17th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of taking steps to improve the nutritional content of commercial baby food.

A 2019 evidence review showed that babies and young children are exceeding their energy intake requirement and are eating too much sugar and salt. Some commercial baby foods, particularly finger foods, had added sugar or salt, or contained ingredients that are high in sugar or salt.

More recently, the independent Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) highlighted in their 2023 report, Feeding Young Children aged 1 to 5 years, that free sugar intakes are above recommendations for children at all ages where recommendations have been set. Furthermore, commercial baby food and drinks contributed to approximately 20% of free sugar intake in children aged 12 to 18 months. The SACN also recommended that in diets of children aged one to five years old, foods, including snacks that are high in salt, free sugars, saturated fat, or are energy dense, should be limited. The SACN also recommended that commercially manufactured foods and drinks marketed specifically for infants and young children are not needed to meet nutrition requirements.

We face a childhood obesity crisis, and the Government is committed to raising the healthiest next generation ever. Under our health mission and shift to prevention, we are considering what action is needed to respond to the SACN’s commercial baby food recommendations to establish healthy habits as early as possible.

Andrew Gwynne
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
17th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had on the impact of the nutritional labelling and packaging of infant and baby products on children's dietary health and consumption of excess (a) sugar, (b) salt and (c) fat.

We face a childhood obesity crisis, and the Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. The Department speaks with many stakeholders about its policies to improve the diets and associated public health outcomes for the population.

It is vital that labelling and packaging of infant and baby food products are accurate and honest, to support parents and carers to make the best choices for feeding their young children. This is why infant and baby food products are already subject to robust regulations which set nutrition, composition, and labelling standards.

Andrew Gwynne
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
16th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he estimates supply shortages of Methylphenidate for ADHD will be resolved.

The Department has been working hard with industry and NHS England to help resolve supply issues with some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. As a result of intensive work, some issues have been resolved and all strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available.

We are continuing to work to resolve supply issues, where they remain, for methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets. We are engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. We anticipate intermittent regional supply disruptions to continue, and we expect supply to improve in the UK from October 2024 onwards.

In parallel, the Department has worked with specialist clinicians, including those within the National Health Service, to develop management advice for NHS clinicians to consider prescribing available alternative brands of methylphenidate prolonged release tablets or available alternative ADHD medicines. We would expect ADHD service providers and specialists to follow our guidance, which includes offering rapid response to primary care teams seeking urgent advice or opinions for the management of patients, including those known to be at a higher risk of adverse impact because of these shortages.

To aid ADHD service providers and prescribers further we have widely disseminated our communications and continually update a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website, helping ensure that those involved in the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medications can make informed decisions with patients.

Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
14th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve dementia diagnosis rates in Henley and Thame constituency.

The Henley and Thame constituency lies within the county of Oxfordshire, where the performance in August 2024 was 63%. The performance across the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire Integrated Care Board is 62.6%, and across the NHS South East region is 63%. Oxfordshire’s performance has improved over the last 12 months by 0.2%. The national target for dementia diagnosis is that 66.7% of the prevalent population has a diagnosis of dementia. The current England wide position is 65.4%.

We are currently working with our local population, including patients, carers, Age UK, and clinicians in primary care, mental health services, and acute hospital services, to develop a new strategy, Living Well with Dementia, to be implemented from April 2025. Within this work we are seeking to increase the rate of diagnosis by streamlining the referral processes into diagnostic and memory clinics, and alignment with other services that might be needed. We also work closely with our voluntary and community partners to improve access to post-diagnostic support, offering advice and practical help to patients, and their carers and wider family.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
14th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve public awareness of (a) the importance of early dementia diagnosis and (b) recognition of early symptoms.

Lord Darzi’s independent review showed that a timely diagnosis is vital to ensure that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care, and support that can help them to live well and remain independent for as long as possible.

The NHS Health Check for adults in England aged 45 to 74 years old is designed to identify early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or dementia. Since 2018, dementia risk reduction has been incorporated in the NHS Health Check to increase dementia awareness and motivate people to make positive changes to reduce their risks. In addition, those aged 65 years old and over are made aware of the signs and symptoms of dementia and guided to memory clinics.

The Government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, formerly known as the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission, is investing in innovations in biomarkers, clinical trials, and implementation. Some of these innovations could support earlier diagnosis in the future, if validated for clinical use.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
14th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase diagnostic capacity in memory clinics to reduce waiting times for dementia diagnosis in England.

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services, including for the detection and diagnosis of dementia, through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging scanners.

To further reduce waiting times for diagnosis, NHS England has funded an evidence-based improvement project to fund two trusts in each region, 14 sites in total, to pilot the Diagnosing Advanced Dementia Mandate tool to improve the diagnosis of dementia and provision of support in care homes. All pilots completed at the end of May 2024, and it is anticipated that learning will be shared by end of the third quarter of 2024/25.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
9th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to review levels of pharmacy reimbursement funding, in the context of recent trends in levels of closures of local pharmacies.

Community Pharmacy funding is kept under regular review. The Department and NHS England consult with the sector on a quarterly basis on reimbursement rates, as well as monthly on concessionary prices. Consultations are held each year about service fee levels and what the sector will deliver for the available funding.

Department officials are working at pace to conclude the consultation on the Community Pharmacy contractual framework arrangements for 2024/25. The Department also continues to monitor patient access to pharmaceutical services closely.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help (a) prepare the NHS for innovative medicines for the treatment of and (b) increase the use of MRI scanners for (i) detection and (ii) diagnosis of Alzheimer's.

The National Health Service is a world leader in rolling out innovative treatments, including personalised cancer and life-saving gene therapies. A dedicated team is in place overseeing the NHS’s preparations for the potential arrival of new Alzheimer’s treatments that are approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and determined to be clinically and cost-effective by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

The team, supported by clinical experts and system leaders, has taken concrete steps to ramp up preparations across the country, for example identifying new clinical pathway requirements and assessing the additional scanning, treatment and safety monitoring capacity that would be needed. This includes options for securing additional genetic testing and diagnostic capacity including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), lumbar puncture and PET-CT scanning.

NHS England is also working with partner agencies to support and inform further research into other diagnostic modalities, including blood-based biomarker and digital tests, which may help improve identification and management of Alzheimer’s disease. We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the NHS to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services, including for the detection and diagnosis of dementia, through investment in new capacity, including MRI scanners.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
4th Nov 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking with HMRC to help ensure taxpayers receive prompt responses to queries.

HMRC recognise that their service levels have been below published standards, and they are committed to improving customer service performance.

To improve their services and meet published standards, HMRC are deploying additional customer service advisers this year. They expect to meet their post and telephone service standards in the second half of 2024-25.

HMRC are investing in digital services and the HMRC. These can often provide customers with faster resolutions for straightforward matters.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
22nd Oct 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of VAT rules applying to (a) cakes, (b) confectionary and (c) food; and if she will take steps to increase levels of business understanding of VAT ratings for new products falling within those categories.

The Government’s policy on the VAT rules relating to a) cakes b) confectionary and c) food is well established and guidance is readily available on GOV.uk for businesses to consult when deciding on the VAT liability of a product.

The Government keeps all taxes under review.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
21st Oct 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of agricultural property relief on the financial sustainability of farms.

The Government does not speculate on tax changes outside of fiscal events. Where changes are made, information about impacts is published in the usual way.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
15th Oct 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero of the potential merits of (a) providing VAT relief for heat batteries and (b) taking other fiscal steps to help support the decarbonisation of homes.

This Government is committed to improving the quality and sustainability of our housing stock, through improvements such as low carbon heating, insulation, solar panels, and batteries. This will be vital to making the UK more energy resilient and meeting our 2050 Net Zero commitment. Our Warm Homes Plan will increase ambition in this area, working with the private sector to make progress and ensuring the energy efficiency of privately rented homes improves.

The Government recently announced a new Warm Homes: Local Grant to help low-income homeowners and private tenants with energy performance upgrades and cleaner heating, and confirmed the continuation of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund to support social housing providers and tenants. Further details of the Warm Homes Plan will be set out through the Spending Review.

The installation of qualifying energy-saving materials in residential accommodation and buildings used solely for a relevant charitable purpose also benefits from a temporary VAT zero rate until March 2027.

Last year, a Call for Evidence (CfE) seeking views on additional technologies to potentially include within this relief was run. Heat batteries were one of the technologies put forwards by respondents. As set out in the Government response to the CfE, at that time, the Government was unable to identify sufficient independent data regarding the efficiency of heat batteries, making it difficult to assess the technology’s energy-saving properties objectively.

The Government currently has no plans to add further technologies to this VAT relief. Nevertheless, the Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process. Changes to the tax system are announced at fiscal events in the usual way.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
15th Oct 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made a recent assessment with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero of the potential merits of taking fiscal steps to help support the adoption of (a) heat batteries and (b) other energy saving technologies.

The Government recently announced a new Warm Homes: Local Grant and confirmed the continuation of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund to support those with low incomes with energy performance upgrades and cleaner heating. Both support a range of energy saving technologies. Further details will be set out following the Spending Review.

The installation of qualifying energy saving materials in residential accommodation and buildings used solely for a relevant charitable purpose also benefit from a temporary VAT zero rate until March 2027, worth over £1 billion. The Government currently has no plans to add further technologies to this VAT relief but keeps all taxes under review.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
24th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report entitled 12 Years of Modern Slavery, published by Kalayaan on 16 June 2024, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reinstating the pre-2012 visa regime for migrant domestic workers.

We keep all policies and immigration routes under review. There are a number of protections in place for overseas domestic workers (ODWs) designed to minimise the risk of exploitation.

ODWs are able to change their employer without notifying the Home Office, to ensure those who need to escape unsuitable conditions can do so quickly and without additional administration. Employers of ODWs must act in accordance with UK employment law, including the National Minimum Wage.

Workers who find themselves a victim of modern slavery are protected by the National Referral Mechanism and may be eligible to apply for permission to stay as a Domestic Worker who is a Victim of Modern Slavery.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
28th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to include retirement property leaseholders as a separate category in planned leasehold and commonhold reform.

Over the course of this Parliament, the Government will honour its manifesto commitment to finally bring the feudal leasehold system to an end.

We will enact remaining Law Commission recommendations relating to enfranchisement and the Right to Manage, tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, reinvigorate commonhold through a comprehensive new legal framework, and ban the sale of new leasehold flats so commonhold becomes the default tenure.

We have made clear that we intend to publish draft legislation on leasehold and commonhold reform in this session so that it may be subject to broad consultation and additional parliamentary scrutiny. We will announce further details in due course.

The Government intends to act quickly to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes by implementing the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. As part of the King’s Speech, we committed to consulting on the best way of restricting the sale of new leasehold flats. This consultation will provide an opportunity for interested stakeholders to make their views known.

Matthew Pennycook
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
24th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will include greater protection of the Oxford Green Belt in the National Planning Policy Framework.

The Government has no plans to include in the National Planning Policy Framework additional protections for Oxford Green Belt beyond those that apply to all green belts in England.

Matthew Pennycook
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
28th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will meet the Hon. Member for Henley and Thame to discuss an urgent constituency matter.

The Ministry of Justice Ministerial team conducts engagement with Members on their constituency matters on a routine basis and I would encourage the Member to contact the relevant Minister through the usual channels.

Alex Davies-Jones
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)