Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many letters HMRC has sent to 21-year-olds with unclaimed matured Child Trust Funds since April 2026; how many of those accounts have since been claimed; and whether he will bring forward legislation to enable the automatic release of unclaimed HMRC-allocated accounts.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to reuniting young people with their Child Trust Funds (CTFs).
HMRC is going to write to all 21 year olds who have not yet accessed their CTFs. HMRC is currently implementing systems changes to ensure account holders’ details are up to date and to automate this exercise. HMRC will start sending the letters at scale next year, and the project will continue until all CTFs have matured. In the meantime, in order to test the letters and maximise their positive impact, HMRC has been manually issuing letters on a small scale. Of the first batch of customers contacted, 32% have, so far, claimed their CTF.
The Government is aware of proposals for the automatic release of funds in unclaimed matured CTF accounts, where the account was opened by HMRC and the account holder has turned 21
The Government does not have the authority to access or transfer these funds. These savings belong to the account holders and are held by private sector providers.
I have established a dedicated Taskforce to reduce the number of unclaimed matured CTF accounts and improve outcomes for account holders. This brings together Government and industry to strengthen tracing activity, increase engagement, and support access to funds.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the level of funding available for research into antimicrobial discovery.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 2024–2029 UK antimicrobial resistance (AMR) National Action Plan sets out the UK’s five-year cross-sector approach to tackling AMR, and prioritises the development of new treatments and their translation into practice.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funds a wide range of funding programmes across the organisation to improve our understanding of AMR and deliver innovative solutions to this growing global challenge. Funding for applied and translational research into antimicrobial discovery is also available from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), funded by DHSC.
UKRI have recently invested £4.8 million in eight transdisciplinary network awards to strengthen collaboration, build research capacity, and lay the foundations for future interdisciplinary research. This was followed by a £15.5 million investment in 2026, jointly supported by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and DHSC, to a portfolio of ambitious programmatic awards addressing the complex drivers and impacts of AMR. The UK is actively engaged with the One Health AMR Horizon Europe partnership, working with international partners to provide enabling resources and translational funding for AMR research and innovation.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of children potentially housed in illegal children’s homes in Cambridgeshire.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Information on children looked after in unregistered placements was collected by the department for the first time in 2026. Statistics on the number of children looked after in unregistered settings in England will be published on 19 November 2026 and will be available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions-year-ending-31-march-2026.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of incorrectly disposed vapes on fires in the waste and recycling sector; and what measures she is considering to increase the proportion of used vapes disposed of through appropriate collection and recycling routes.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the safety and environmental impacts of fires caused by incorrectly discarded vapes. Under WEEE regulations, retailers must provide take-back routes and disposal information. Defra is working with industry to explore further measures to increase the correct disposal of used vapes.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the efficacy of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act in tackling illegal children’s homes.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The most sustainable solution to stopping the use of unregistered provision is to reduce the number of children entering care by providing whole family support at the earliest opportunity. For children who do need to come into care, the department is making family-based care the goal wherever possible. This will be done by ensuring that local authorities have access to sufficient high-quality, registered placements for those with overlapping multiple needs. The department is rolling out Regional Care Co-operatives (RCCs) across England. RCCs will strengthen local authority commissioning power, improve sufficiency planning and give local areas greater control over the provision available to meet children's needs.
Some RCCs will shortly be delivering Home Again. Home Again is an RCC-based multi-agency programme which will bring together social care, health, education and youth justice to provide earlier, coordinated and specialist support, helping children remain connected to their families and communities wherever possible and reducing reliance on crisis-driven and restrictive interventions. The programme aims to reduce the number, length and repetition of deprivation of liberty orders and improve stability and outcomes for children at risk or experiencing deprivation of liberty; children who are otherwise at high risk of placement in unregistered provision.
The government's action plan to renew fostering, backed by £88 million over the next two years, sets out the urgent steps we are taking to reverse the decline in foster carers and reform the system. The department will create 10,000 additional foster care places by the end of this parliament, strengthening support around foster families and ensuring more children can grow up in stable, loving homes close to their communities. Subsequently, this will reduce the demand on placing vulnerable children in residential settings and halting the increase in the number of unregistered settings.
The government is also investing £53 million to help local authorities create specialist placements in high-quality, local authority-run children’s homes for children with the most complex needs, increasing suitable registered supply.
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 has strengthened Ofsted’s powers by enabling it to levy uncapped monetary penalties on providers operating illegally, alongside existing prosecution powers. The department also recognises that better national data is required. Statistics on the number of children looked after in unregistered settings in England will be published in November 2026.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of data on children housed in illegal children’s homes.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The most sustainable solution to stopping the use of unregistered provision is to reduce the number of children entering care by providing whole family support at the earliest opportunity. For children who do need to come into care, the department is making family-based care the goal wherever possible. This will be done by ensuring that local authorities have access to sufficient high-quality, registered placements for those with overlapping multiple needs. The department is rolling out Regional Care Co-operatives (RCCs) across England. RCCs will strengthen local authority commissioning power, improve sufficiency planning and give local areas greater control over the provision available to meet children's needs.
Some RCCs will shortly be delivering Home Again. Home Again is an RCC-based multi-agency programme which will bring together social care, health, education and youth justice to provide earlier, coordinated and specialist support, helping children remain connected to their families and communities wherever possible and reducing reliance on crisis-driven and restrictive interventions. The programme aims to reduce the number, length and repetition of deprivation of liberty orders and improve stability and outcomes for children at risk or experiencing deprivation of liberty; children who are otherwise at high risk of placement in unregistered provision.
The government's action plan to renew fostering, backed by £88 million over the next two years, sets out the urgent steps we are taking to reverse the decline in foster carers and reform the system. The department will create 10,000 additional foster care places by the end of this parliament, strengthening support around foster families and ensuring more children can grow up in stable, loving homes close to their communities. Subsequently, this will reduce the demand on placing vulnerable children in residential settings and halting the increase in the number of unregistered settings.
The government is also investing £53 million to help local authorities create specialist placements in high-quality, local authority-run children’s homes for children with the most complex needs, increasing suitable registered supply.
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 has strengthened Ofsted’s powers by enabling it to levy uncapped monetary penalties on providers operating illegally, alongside existing prosecution powers. The department also recognises that better national data is required. Statistics on the number of children looked after in unregistered settings in England will be published in November 2026.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the presence and use of illegal children’s homes.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The most sustainable solution to stopping the use of unregistered provision is to reduce the number of children entering care by providing whole family support at the earliest opportunity. For children who do need to come into care, the department is making family-based care the goal wherever possible. This will be done by ensuring that local authorities have access to sufficient high-quality, registered placements for those with overlapping multiple needs. The department is rolling out Regional Care Co-operatives (RCCs) across England. RCCs will strengthen local authority commissioning power, improve sufficiency planning and give local areas greater control over the provision available to meet children's needs.
Some RCCs will shortly be delivering Home Again. Home Again is an RCC-based multi-agency programme which will bring together social care, health, education and youth justice to provide earlier, coordinated and specialist support, helping children remain connected to their families and communities wherever possible and reducing reliance on crisis-driven and restrictive interventions. The programme aims to reduce the number, length and repetition of deprivation of liberty orders and improve stability and outcomes for children at risk or experiencing deprivation of liberty; children who are otherwise at high risk of placement in unregistered provision.
The government's action plan to renew fostering, backed by £88 million over the next two years, sets out the urgent steps we are taking to reverse the decline in foster carers and reform the system. The department will create 10,000 additional foster care places by the end of this parliament, strengthening support around foster families and ensuring more children can grow up in stable, loving homes close to their communities. Subsequently, this will reduce the demand on placing vulnerable children in residential settings and halting the increase in the number of unregistered settings.
The government is also investing £53 million to help local authorities create specialist placements in high-quality, local authority-run children’s homes for children with the most complex needs, increasing suitable registered supply.
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 has strengthened Ofsted’s powers by enabling it to levy uncapped monetary penalties on providers operating illegally, alongside existing prosecution powers. The department also recognises that better national data is required. Statistics on the number of children looked after in unregistered settings in England will be published in November 2026.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment the Department has made of the impact of Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) funding reductions on research and innovation in antimicrobial resistance.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research helps protect public health by developing new treatments, diagnostics, vaccines and prevention strategies to combat infections that no longer respond to existing antimicrobial medicines.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funds a wide range of funding programmes across the organisation to improve our understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and deliver innovative solutions to this growing global challenge.
In July 2026, UKRI announced the outcomes of STFC's prioritisation exercise, detailing the decisions taken across its portfolio to reach a balanced position by 2029/2030 while protecting the facilities, capabilities and research strengths most critical to its mission. Among these is Diamond Light Source, which provides national-scale infrastructure for structural biology, drug discovery, imaging and biological materials research that support a range of life science research areas including tackling AMR.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has considered potential alternatives to the mixed-aged couples’ rule introduced in 2019.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The social security system is designed around the principle that people below State Pension age should be supported through the working-age benefit system until both partners reach State Pension age. The Government has no plans to change this. This approach enables the working-age partner to continue accessing employment support, including tailored support for older workers, disabled people and carers, while saving for their future retirement.
Where the younger partner is unable to work, for example because of a health condition or caring responsibilities, Universal Credit provides additional protections and support, with work-related requirements tailored to individual circumstances.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to levels of grant overseas development assistance on the UK’s contribution to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK pledged £850 million in the Global Fund's Eighth Replenishment. This is expected to save up to 1.3 million lives and avert 22 million new infections, generating an estimated £13 billion in health and economic returns. Despite a necessary reduction in the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget, the UK has prioritised global health, reducing the Global Fund contribution by only 15 per cent compared to a 40 per cent overall ODA reduction.