Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with the new Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission on her priorities for the Commission.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson was confirmed as the next Chair of the EHRC. She will begin her term as EHRC Chair in December and will meet regularly with the Minister for Women and Equalities as part of her role.
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 the Answer of 27 January to Question 25553 on Methylphenidate Shortages, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the current supply of methylphenidate for ADHD.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has worked closely with industry stakeholders, and, following extensive collaborative efforts, previous issues have been resolved and all strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, atomoxetine oral solution, guanfacine prolonged-release tablets and methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets and prolonged-release capsules are now available.
We continue to support the NHS England Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) taskforce, which brings together expertise from the National Health Service, education, and justice sectors to coordinate a system-wide response to rising demand. In collaboration with NHS England’s national ADHD data improvement plan, we are developing future growth forecasts to support improved demand planning. These forecasts will be shared with industry to help ensure a more responsive and sustainable supply of ADHD medicines.
In parallel, we are also engaging with new suppliers for ADHD medicines to increase supply capacity and resilience.
The Department also maintains and regularly updates a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website. This resource supports prescribers and dispensers in making informed decisions with patients. The list is available at the following link:
www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/prescribing-available-medicines-to-treat-adhd
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 the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 64336 on Vamorolone, what the consequences are for (a) Integrated Care Boards and (b) NHS Trusts for not making NICE recommended medicines available within 90 days of publication of relevant guidance.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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 his Department is taking to ensure that the impact on carers is included in NICE technology appraisals for rare and progressive diseases.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) criminal and (b) civil measures to increase compliance with child maintenance payments.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
69% of Paying Parents due to pay via the Collect & Pay service actually paid some maintenance during the calendar quarter ending March 2025. This compares with 65% during the quarter ending March 2023. In the year to March 2025, the CMS arranged around £1.5 billion in child maintenance payments.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) believes current enforcement powers are sufficient and substantial enough to encourage paying parents to comply. The CMS requires paying parents to pay their maintenance on time, to avoid accrual of arrears. Where a paying parent fails to pay on time or in full, the CMS aims to take immediate action to recover the debt and re-establish compliance. When a paying parent does not make maintenance payments on time or in full, the CMS will initially negotiate a payment that is feasible for the parent to pay. If this is unsuccessful and the paying parent is employed, the CMS will request that ongoing child maintenance payments be deducted directly from their salary by issuing what we call a Deductions from Earnings Order (DEO). A DEO instructs an employer to make deductions from the paying parent’s earnings and pay the amounts to the CMS who will pass this onto the receiving parent. The CMS also has powers to deduct maintenance from a wide range of bank accounts including joint and business accounts.
The CMS has a range of strong “civil” enforcement powers that can be used against those who consistently refuse to meet their obligations to provide financial support to their children including holding or obtaining driving licenses and passports and forcing the sale of a property.
These powers are designed to act as a deterrent and encourage parents to pay their liability. Powers are used effectively and produce positive results. In many cases, once an application to the courts has been made, paying parents have either paid their liability or agreed to a repayment plan.
Planned reforms to the Direct Pay service will allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster as monitoring all payments would enable the CMS to immediately identify any missed, late or partial payments and take swift enforcement action.
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, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Online Safety Act 2023 on (a) Wikipedia and (b) news reporting sites.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act covers services where users post content or interact online, requiring sites like Wikipedia to address illegal material and protect children where necessary. Ofcom must ensure that the duties are proportionate and appropriate for the different kinds and sizes of services.
The Act includes exemptions for specific types of user comment sections, which will take many news publishers sites out of scope. Safeguards are also built in to protect news publisher content on the largest (Category 1) platforms and Ofcom will be required to review how the Act affects journalistic and news publisher material on such services.
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, with reference to the Online Safety Act 2023, what assessment he has made on the adequacy of the security of personal data shared with third parties.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act has cross-cutting duties to ensure that users’ rights to privacy are protected. All providers are required to give particular regard to the importance of protecting users’ privacy rights when implementing measures to comply with their new safety duties, including age assurance technologies. Where Ofcom has concerns that a provider has not complied with its obligations under data protection law, it may refer the matter to the ICO.
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 guidance her Department has issued to (a) websites and (b) organisations on the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ofcom has conducted an extensive programme of work aimed at facilitating understanding and compliance with the Online Safety Act. This includes a Regulation Checker to help services and organisations identify whether they are in scope of the relevant duties. Where they are, Ofcom provides guides and toolkits on complying with the new rules. Ofcom’s guide for services webpage can be used as a hub for relevant resources. When it comes to compliance, Ofcom will focus on services where the risk and impact of harm is the highest, only taking action where appropriate.
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 his Department is taking to ensure that NICE appraisals for (a) Duchenne muscular dystrophy and (b) other rare, progressive conditions take into account urgency of access.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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, whether she has had discussions with the Environment Agency on their decision to remove opposition to new housing developments that would be connected to the Oxford Sewage treatment works in Oxfordshire.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A multidisciplinary EA team worked with Thames Water to develop a strategic approach to managing wastewater capacity challenges in Oxford. This provided a framework for the EA to no longer object to developments, instead providing clear advice on the risks and how the regulatory process is now ensuring water quality is protected and environmental objectives would be met.
Following this outcome, the EA are continuing to engage with local authorities, Thames Water and developers through quarterly meetings to track delivery of the improvements to the Oxford STW and ensure wastewater capacity is delivered in this critical growth area.