Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of removing Sport England as a statutory consultee in the planning system on the protection of community playing fields; whether he plans to publish his Department's impact assessment on moving Sport England as a statutory consultee in the planning system; and what mechanisms he intends to put in place to safeguard community sports provision should the current statutory consultation arrangements be changed.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 17 November 2025, my Department published a consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system. That consultation closes on 13 January 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.

No decision will be made on Sport England’s role until responses to the consultation have been fully analysed and considered.

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 support local authorities to deliver supported housing for young people.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Young people need the right support alongside housing to improve health, wellbeing and socio-economic outcomes, enabling them to access and retain housing and reducing their risk of homelessness and rough sleeping.

Funding for local housing support services is primarily through the Local Government Finance Settlement – commissioning of local housing-related support services is for local authorities to determine.

In December 2025, the government announced a £124m supported housing programme over 2026-29, working with targeted local areas, reaching over 2,500 people, both to prevent homelessness and to help people, including young people, off the streets and into more stable housing.

The Social and Affordable Homes Programme includes new flexibility on grant rates for accommodation where design and adaptation drive higher costs and calls on providers to produce ambitious bids for new supported housing – helping to increase the overall supply of supported housing, including options for vulnerable young people.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his timetable is for the publication of a chapter of the Homelessness Code of Guidance on young people.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Through our National Plan to End Homelessness the Government has set out its intention to develop a national Youth Homelessness Prevention Toolkit and develop a dedicated chapter of the Homelessness Code of Guidance on young people. We will publish these documents in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of data on non‑injury road traffic accidents at rural junctions.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Department for Transport does not collect data on non-injury road traffic accidents at rural junctions so is unable to make an assessment.

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 support the development of gene therapy treatments for rare genetic diseases such as tyrosinemia and Gaucher disease.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as tyrosinemia and Gaucher disease. Through the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government supports access to specialist care, treatment, and drugs as a priority. This has included NHS England developing a strategic approach to commissioning advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) to facilitate rapid access to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved therapies.

We recognise the transformative potential of gene therapies and other advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) for rare diseases and have stood up an advanced therapies co-ordination group spanning public sector partners. This group aims to create a joined-up ecosystem that will support the development, regulation, and delivery of ATMPs in the United Kingdom. We continue to invest in ATMPs through initiatives such as the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult. With £17.9 million of new funding via the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Advanced Therapy Treatment Centres is driving forward work to enhance the UK’s environment for ATMP clinical trials and to progress research within the National Health Service to ensure patients can get safe access to these innovative therapies.

NIHR’s ‘Be Part of Research’ allows individuals to find and take part in current research. There are currently a number of studies on tyrosinemia and Gaucher disease where researchers are actively looking for participants. Further information on NIHR’s ‘Be Part of Research’ is avaiable at the following link:

https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/

This includes a clinical trial assessing the safety of a gene therapy for those with peripheral manifestations of Gaucher disease, with further information avaiable at the following link:

https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/trial-details/trial-detail?trialId=55560&location=&distance=

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timetable is for the (a) white paper and (b) new government bill on water reform.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The White Paper will be published early this year.

These reforms will underpin a new water reform bill to be introduced during this Parliament, setting the foundation for long-term change.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans the Government has to meet with the victims of press abuse who have written to the Government to request a meeting.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Leveson Inquiry led to changes in the regulatory system of the press, which included the creation of the Press Recognition Panel, by Royal Charter and two new press regulators, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and the Independent Monitor of the Press (Impress). This is a self-regulatory system, which was established to be independent from Government and protect press freedom. We are also clear, however, that with this freedom comes responsibility. Publishers must operate within the bounds of the law and set and uphold high professional and ethical standards.

The news landscape has changed substantially over the past decade, and looking ahead, we want to maintain press freedom, whilst being clear the public must be protected from the harm caused by clear instances of intrusion and harassment. The Government is carefully considering next steps to determine the best route forward to ensure public trust and accountability in our evolving news media.

Ministers and officials working in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regularly engage with stakeholders on a range of press-related issues. Details of ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on Gov.uk. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has previously met with families who have experienced press intrusion. She remains committed to considering the issues they have raised.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure that all patients with suspected leukaemia symptoms can access a full blood count test within 48 hours, as recommended by the NICE NG12 guidelines.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is determined to take all the necessary steps to improve early diagnosis for all cancers, including blood cancers such as leukaemia.

To accomplish this, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has a guideline on suspected cancer called ‘recognition and referral’ which aim to support the identification of children, young people and adults with symptoms that could be caused by cancer’. The guideline provides guidance on appropriate investigations in primary care, and the selection of people to refer for a specialist opinion. The guideline recommends that people with specific symptoms should be offered a very urgent full blood count to assess for leukaemia. Local NHS organisations are expected to take NICE guidelines fully into account in ensuring that their services meet the needs of their local populations. The NHS is held to account to deliver guidelines, which include all NICE directions, at local and regional level.

The National Cancer Plan for England will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention. The plan will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for all patient groups, including leukaemia patients.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help ensure that UK universities remain competitive in attracting global research talent.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

To keep our world-leading universities globally competitive, the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out a joint DfE–DSIT vision for a financially sustainable higher education sector that delivers better value for students, supports local growth, and meets labour market needs. This includes record DSIT R&D investment of £58.5 billion between 2026/27 and 2029/30.

The UK’s immigration offer attracts research talent through visa routes such as the fast-track Global Talent visa, complemented by funding via UKRI and National Academies fellowships and professorships, our association to Horizon Europe, and the Global Talent Fund to retain world-class researchers.

UKRI allows visa costs, including the Immigration Health Surcharge, to be claimed on grants, and many other organisations also allow these costs on their grants. Visa costs are also allowable costs for researchers on Horizon Europe grants.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her proposed timeline is to enact Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS).

In December 2024 we made changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to support increased delivery of SuDS. The NPPF now requires all development to use SuDS where they could have drainage impacts.

We are in the process of consulting on a revised version of the NPPF, with new policies on local plans and national decision making, including flood risk and SuDS.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support for training and resources his Department is providing to integrated care boards to help implement the NHS England Maternal Care Bundle, published on 6 January 2026.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Maternity care remains a top priority for NHS Providers, as demonstrated in the planning guidance.

Maternity services in England are commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs), and maternity funding, which formed part of the System Development Funding in 2024/25, has been transferred to ICB core allocations for 2025/26. This is to allow local leaders more flexibility to serve the needs of their population.

The Maternity Care Bundle codifies best practice standards and therefore the implementation of the Maternity Care Bundle will be absorbed through ICB core allocations.

Less Survivable Cancers Week

Use of UK bases by the United States and international law in relation to Greenland

Iran protests

Brain cancer

Deregistration of international non-governmental organisations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Public health campaign on tackling stigma towards suicide

Import of illegal meat

Commemorating National Care Leaver’s Month November 2025

Social media for under 16s

Newborn bloodspot screening for spinal muscular atrophy

Tobias Gutteridge

Local government and social care

Nuclear Regulatory Review and habitats regulations

Cumulative disruption proposals and the right to protest

110 years of the Women's Institute

Chalk streams and salmon in Hampshire

Palestinian children in Israeli military detention

Russian shadow fleet

Blue Badge wait times

Winter NHS corridor care

Schools Residential Outdoor Education (Scotland) Bill (No. 2)

Convention on Cluster Munitions and preventing UK involvement in their production

UK arms export licensing and conflict in Sudan

UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons