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 Department's White Paper entitled A New Vision for Water, published on 20 January 2026, what assessments he has made of the potential impact of the proposed joined‑up local planning measures on the prevention of surface‑to‑foul water misconnections in new housing developments.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In the White Paper Defra has committed to delivering an enhanced, better joined up regional water planning function.
This will enable a more holistic, coordinated approach to water environment and supply planning which supports delivery of national strategic objectives such as the economic growth mission, housing building targets and nature recovery, whilst enabling regional and local priorities to be realised.
Defra is engaging a range of stakeholders to understand what works well, and where there are challenges with water sector planning, within the current river basin planning system. This engagement is helping us test emerging thinking, identifying opportunities to strengthen planning and delivery and ensure policy development is informed by practical experience as well as evidence and analysis.
Property owners are legally responsible for resolving misconnected pipework on their property; public misconnections are the responsibility of water companies.
Should misconnections not be resolved, the responsible party can be prosecuted; in some cases, local authorities and water companies can access private property to fix misconnections and then recover their costs from the owner.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 merits of extending the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to cover housing associations in England.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This government is committed to increasing transparency and accountability in the social rented sector.
In September 2025, we directed the Regulator of Social Housing to introduce new Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs) for private registered providers (PRPs) of social housing, including housing associations, to enable residents to request information about their housing management. From October 2026, PRPs will be required to proactively publish information relating to the management of their social housing. From April 2027, they will also be required to respond to information requests from tenants.
We carefully considered the case for bringing PRPs of social housing within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 but ultimately decided that a bespoke scheme would be the most effective and proportionate way of ensuring that all social tenants can access information about the management of their homes.
The divergences from FOI, such as specifying that only tenants and their representatives can access information and that information requests must relate to issues relevant to the management of social housing, are proportionate for PRPs in their capacity as private businesses.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed international student levy on the financial sustainability of UK universities; and what estimate her Department has made of the number of universities at risk of closure as a result of the combined effect of frozen tuition fees, inflationary pressures, and the proposed levy on international students.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Higher education (HE) providers are independent from government and as such are responsible for managing their own finances. Tuition fees are not frozen - the department has announced increases to tuition fee limits in line with forecast inflation for 2025/26, 2026/27, and 2027/28. We will also legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to increase tuition fee caps automatically for future academic years.
Over the next five years, tuition fee limit uplifts could generate an additional £6 billion for HE providers, significantly outweighing the currently projected less than £1 billion cost of the International Student Levy. This approach ensures the sector benefits from compounding annual increases, delivering growing resources to support quality education and innovation.
The Office for Students (OfS) is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the financial sustainability of registered HE providers. The department will continue to work closely with the OfS to understand the financial implications of policy changes on HE providers.
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 bring forward legislative proposals to introduce protections for (a) whistleblowing patients and (b) patient safety advocates.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no plans to bring forward legislation to strengthen protections for patients who raise concerns and patient safety advocates.
National Health Service patients should not experience negative consequences if they raise concerns. The NHS Constitution pledges that patient complaints will not adversely impact future treatment. Patients can raise concerns or provide feedback through channels such as the NHS complaints process, Patient Advice and Liaison Service, and the Friends and Family Test, and can also share experiences of care with the Care Quality Commission. Independent advice and support are available for them from the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service.
Through implementation of the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan, we will reform the NHS complaints process and strengthen the patient voice by setting clear standards for the quality of responses to complaints and ensure the NHS listens carefully and compassionately, taking forward learnings to ensure high quality care.
Patient safety advocates in the NHS may include Patient Safety Specialists and Freedom to Speak Up Guardians who as workers in the NHS are protected by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA). They may also include Patient Safety Partners (PSPs) who are usually lay people and include patients, carers, or members of the public who work with NHS organisations to improve patient safety by contributing directly to governance, decision making, and safety improvement activity. As lay people, PSPs are not covered by PIDA.
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 an assessment of effectiveness of Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships (MNVP), including Oxfordshire MNVP in representing the experience of mothers and families.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships (MNVPs) ensure that the voices of service users are central to decision-making within maternity and neonatal services. An MNVP listens to the experiences of women and families, and brings together service users, staff, and other stakeholders to plan, review, and improve maternity and neonatal care. The ambitions and objectives for MNVPs are outlined in the Three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services, which is avaiable at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/three-year-delivery-plan-for-maternity-and-neonatal-services/
Integrated care board (ICBs) have a responsibility to ensure that MNVPs are delivering on the commitments set out in NHS England’s national guidance, which is avaiable at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/maternity-and-neonatal-voices-partnership-guidance/
A memorandum of understanding is in place for the Oxfordshire MNVP to oversee an agreed workplan, which is supported by the financial investment made by the ICB.
The ICB has appropriate governance mechanisms in place to ensure oversight of Oxfordshire MNVP activities.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of (a) trends in the level of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation and (b) the potential impact of those lawsuits on public-interest advocacy and journalism.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Due to the covert nature of Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) cases, with many threats occurring before cases reach the courts, it is difficult to know precise figures. On the available qualitative evidence we recognise that such tactics continue to be used to intimidate and silence journalists and others acting in the public interest. By curtailing free speech, SLAPPs cause a chilling effect on public interest journalism and pose a threat to both our legal system and our democracy. We are considering all options for reform to address this issue.
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 steps the Department is taking to ensure that individuals who applied to purchase voluntary National Insurance contributions through the International Pensions Centre before the April 2025 deadline and experienced delays in their processing are not disadvantaged.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Telephony demand from individuals seeking to pay Voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICs) ahead of the 6th April 2025 deadline was significant. In response, DWP provided routes for individuals to register their interest in paying VNICs. DWP introduced an online call-back form, a route for citizens to register their interest over the telephone and where possible, individuals were sent confirmation text messages.
Where individuals registered an interest to pay VNICs on or before the April 2025 deadline, the Department is honouring pre-deadline rates for all, even if the payment of VNICs is made after the deadline. Customers who are over State Pension age and who paid VNICs, will receive an increase to their State Pension.
For individuals living overseas (who are already over State Pension age), all DWP call-back requests were completed before the end of December 2025.
Customers who are over State Pension age and who paid VNICs based on pre-deadline rates, will receive an increase to their State Pension. The pre-deadline contribution rates required to purchase the relevant qualifying years will be honoured.
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, whether the Department will consider backdating State Pension increases in cases where there were delays by his Department.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Telephony demand from individuals seeking to pay Voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICs) ahead of the 6th April 2025 deadline was significant. In response, DWP provided routes for individuals to register their interest in paying VNICs. DWP introduced an online call-back form, a route for citizens to register their interest over the telephone and where possible, individuals were sent confirmation text messages.
Where individuals registered an interest to pay VNICs on or before the April 2025 deadline, the Department is honouring pre-deadline rates for all, even if the payment of VNICs is made after the deadline. Customers who are over State Pension age and who paid VNICs, will receive an increase to their State Pension.
For individuals living overseas (who are already over State Pension age), all DWP call-back requests were completed before the end of December 2025.
Customers who are over State Pension age and who paid VNICs based on pre-deadline rates, will receive an increase to their State Pension. The pre-deadline contribution rates required to purchase the relevant qualifying years will be honoured.
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 the Department has made of the adequacy of the time taken to process applications to purchase voluntary National Insurance contributions through the International Pensions Centre before the April 2025 deadline.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Telephony demand from individuals seeking to pay Voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICs) ahead of the 6th April 2025 deadline was significant. In response, DWP provided routes for individuals to register their interest in paying VNICs. DWP introduced an online call-back form, a route for citizens to register their interest over the telephone and where possible, individuals were sent confirmation text messages.
Where individuals registered an interest to pay VNICs on or before the April 2025 deadline, the Department is honouring pre-deadline rates for all, even if the payment of VNICs is made after the deadline. Customers who are over State Pension age and who paid VNICs, will receive an increase to their State Pension.
For individuals living overseas (who are already over State Pension age), all DWP call-back requests were completed before the end of December 2025.
Customers who are over State Pension age and who paid VNICs based on pre-deadline rates, will receive an increase to their State Pension. The pre-deadline contribution rates required to purchase the relevant qualifying years will be honoured.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide additional (a) guidance and (b) professional development for primary teachers on incorporating learning through play into classroom.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years settings must follow to ensure every child has the best start in life and is clear that play is essential for children’s development.
The department is committed to supporting settings to deliver the EYFS for the benefit of all children and provides a range of resources, including written and online guidance on curriculum and pedagogy, to assist early years teachers.
The department provides free guidance and training in delivering developmentally appropriate, play based learning. Our early years child development training, developed with sector experts, offers practical advice and materials for those working with Reception-aged children, including content about how play supports early learning and development.
It reflects an emphasis on active, exploratory, play based learning as the foundation for children’s cognitive, language, social and emotional development.
Finally, we have committed in our strategy for improving child development to a new training course for classroom teachers in reception and enhancing the National Professional Qualification for Headship with more content on effective Reception practice.