Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the UK National Screening Committee is scheduled to review the evidence from the GBS3 trial, to consider whether screening for Group B Streptococcus should be routinely offered during pregnancy.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee is in close contact with the GBS3 trial researchers and stands ready to commence a review of the evidence for antenatal screening for Group B Streptococcus as soon as the trial reports.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to answer of 10 June 2026 to question 3175, if he will take steps to have those discussions.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to have discussions with My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Justice on protecting maternity safety campaigners from Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what timeframe her Department has set for publishing statutory guidance to police forces on the offence of cuckooing under the Crime and Policing Act 2026.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Crime and Policing Act introduces a new offence of ‘cuckooing’ (controlling another’s home for criminal purposes). The new cuckooing offence will ensure that we are taking strong action against those who prey on vulnerable people and help to ensure that victims are identified and protected from this appalling crime.
The Crime and Policing Act 2026 includes provision for the Secretary of State to issue statutory guidance to relevant law enforcement officers about the exercise of their functions in connection with the prevention, detection and investigation of the cuckooing offence. The Secretary of State is required to consult appropriate persons before issuing this guidance.
The Home Office is currently developing this statutory guidance for police, alongside non-statutory guidance for all professionals, in consultation with police and partners to ensure that the guidance supports an effective response to cuckooing. We will commence the new cuckooing offence as soon as possible, once the necessary guidance is in place.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the value for money to the taxpayer of the arrangements between the South Tees Development Corporation and Teesworks Ltd in relation to the acquisition, remediation and onward sale of land at Teesside Freeport, including in the 222 acre site proposed for sale to Anthropic; and what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of preparing that site compared with the payment to be received from Teesworks Ltd.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises the importance of securing value for money for taxpayers and is committed to making the UK a world leader in AI, attracting private investment, supporting growth and creating high-quality jobs.
Commercial arrangements relating to specific projects are for the relevant parties.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take to ensure that (a) quality and (b) safety of maternity services are more (i) clearly and (ii) consistently reflected in CQC ratings.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is committed to strengthening its oversight of maternity services and has commissioned an independent developmental review to identify opportunities to improve how quality and safety are assessed and reflected in ratings, ensuring alignment with wider system reforms, including those set out in the 10‑Year Health Plan.
Feedback from the consultation published on the CQC’s website on their sector‑specific assessment frameworks also presents a further opportunity to improve how quality and safety are assessed and more consistently reflected in ratings for maternity services.
Findings from investigations and inquiries, including any recommendations from the Baroness Amos‑led Independent Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services, alongside the CQC’s national inspection programme, from 2022 to 2023, and internal review, will inform the CQC’s longer‑term priorities for assessing and regulating maternity services.
Currently, where the CQC identifies breaches of regulations or concerns about the quality and safety of maternity services, it has a range of regulatory powers and may take action where necessary.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to produce a set of specific local recommendations for each trust included in the Amos review of maternity and neonatal care following the publication of the National recommendations.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, led by Baroness Amos, is bringing together the findings from past reviews, local investigations in selected trusts, and evidence from families and staff into one single set of national recommendations.
The Government’s Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will lead work to translate these recommendations into a national action plan and will hold the system to account to drive consistent improvement across all trusts.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of a) the number of children and adolescents who have been waiting for more than 5 years for assessment by neurodevelopmental diagnostic services and b) the effectiveness of the support in place to mitigate impacts on education, home life and wellbeing.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Published data on Autism Waiting times does not include figures on the number of people waiting over five years for an assessment. However, there is data based on how long those who are being seen following a referral for an assessment for autism have waited, and it specifically identifies the median waiting time in days of patients with an open suspected autism referral where their first care contact was in the quarter. In March 2026, this was 596 days for those aged under 10 years old, 321 days for those aged 10 to 17 years old, and 134 days for those aged 18 to 24 years old. Further information is available at the following link:
Published data on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) includes the number of open referrals that may be for an ADHD assessment, that have been open for two years or more. In February 2026, there were 63,570 people aged 17 years old or younger and 46,635 people aged 18 to 24 years old that may be waiting for an ADHD assessment, through mental health services, who had been waiting over two years.
In February 2026, the number of people on the community paediatrics waiting list who could be waiting for an ADHD assessment and who have been waiting over 104 weeks was 31,436. Further information is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mi-adhd/may-2026
There has not been an estimate of the effectiveness of support to mitigate impacts of waits for diagnostic assessment on education, home life, and wellbeing. However, there is a range of work underway to improve access to, and the effectiveness of, support within education, health, and care services.
In December 2025, the Government launched an Independent Review into the Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. A central concern of the review is that access to recognition, diagnosis, and support is uneven.
This independent review will inform a new approach that reduces waiting times, improves the quality of care, and promotes prevention and early intervention. These goals and the review’s interim report align with and support the Government’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, which similarly aim to focus on identifying needs early, and providing early support to prevent needs escalating where possible.
The final report will make recommendations on how the Government, the health system, and wider public services can respond to increasing demand for support more fairly and effectively so that people receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place.
We are also working closely with the Department for Education on reforms to the SEND system, ensuring that joined-up support is available across education, health, and care services, including for children with neurodevelopmental conditions. Reforms will support earlier identification of needs for children and young people so that they can access the support they need without long waits for assessments, including training for teachers, new National Inclusion Standards, and the new Experts at Hand offer, bringing outside education and health professionals into and alongside mainstream nurseries, schools, and colleges.
For the first time, the NHS Medium Term Planning Framework also included a clear expectation that integrated care boards and providers fulfil their statutory SEND duties and support the Government’s SEND reforms. The framework also sets goals to expand coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges, reduce long waits for ADHD and autism assessments, and reduce waits for community services.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to question asked by the hon. member for Henley and Thame during a statement to the house on 16th June by the Secretary of State on Thames Water, if she will publish outputs of work commissioned from FTI consulting on planning for Thames Water being taken into a Special Administration Regime and confirm how much has been spent on contingency planning.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is preparing for all eventualities including special administration. The work done by FTI would not be appropriate to make public. It would also not be appropriate at this time to make public the current spending on contingency planning.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency planning her Department has undertaken to monitor and improve Thames Water’s Asset Health Index in future.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In line with Section 2 duties of the Water Industry Act 1991, the Secretary of State has given her preliminary views on the London and Valley Water Consortium’s Proposal to Ofwat, but it is for Ofwat to decide whether to reject or accept the Proposal.
The Government is overseeing a shift to a system where assets are properly maintained and there are clear standards for companies to meet, supported by improved asset mapping and forward‑looking metrics.
Regulators will continue enforcing standards in full, and companies remain accountable for fixing current problems where performance falls short.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her letter of Monday 15th June 2026 to Ofwat on Thames Water’s performance and infrastructure, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the company’s Asset Health Index; what steps she is taking to ensure that reductions in asset health are tackled through regulatory and enforcement action; and what action she plans to take if Thames Water’s Asset Health Index further reduces.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In line with Section 2 duties of the Water Industry Act 1991, the Secretary of State has given her preliminary views on the London and Valley Water Consortium’s Proposal to Ofwat, but it is for Ofwat to decide whether to reject or accept the Proposal.
The Government is overseeing a shift to a system where assets are properly maintained and there are clear standards for companies to meet, supported by improved asset mapping and forward‑looking metrics.
Regulators will continue enforcing standards in full, and companies remain accountable for fixing current problems where performance falls short.