Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the remedies available to people who are experiencing noise disturbances.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local authorities are responsible for investigating noise disturbances brought to their attention under Section 79 of the Environmental Protection Act, 1990. If they agree that a statutory nuisance is happening, has happened or will happen in the future, councils must serve an abatement notice.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to increase funding for the UK Foundation Programme office.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) manages the national application process for the UK Foundation Programme. The UKFPO is funded by, and is accountable to, the four United Kingdom statutory education bodies, including NHS England for England.
We are committed to ensuring that the number of medical foundation training places meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future, and this will be supported by appropriate funding.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that F1 doctors receive their (a) programme details and (b) work schedules well in advance of their start dates.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware that there is a delay in the allocation of some foundation year one doctors’ programme details and work schedules. We have asked NHS England to urgently tackle this issue. We know there is more to do and NHS England is working to ensure that all posts are confirmed as soon as possible, while keeping applicants informed throughout the process, including through webinars.
NHS England is due to review the Foundation programme allocation process to make sure it works well for applicants. The review is scheduled for after 2025/26 allocations, and is aiming to commence in 2026. NHS England will advise stakeholders how they can input in due course.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that all deaneries adhere to a reasonable timeline for allocating F1 positions.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware that there is a delay in the allocation of some foundation year one doctors’ programme details and work schedules. We have asked NHS England to urgently tackle this issue. We know there is more to do and NHS England is working to ensure that all posts are confirmed as soon as possible, while keeping applicants informed throughout the process, including through webinars.
NHS England is due to review the Foundation programme allocation process to make sure it works well for applicants. The review is scheduled for after 2025/26 allocations, and is aiming to commence in 2026. NHS England will advise stakeholders how they can input in due course.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to prioritise UK medical school graduates for foundation year one posts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to developing homegrown talent and to giving opportunities to more people across the country to join our National Health Service.
At the same time, we will always welcome internationally educated staff, who remain an important part of the workforce, and who have been since the inception of the NHS. We have published a Code of Practice for International Recruitment, ensuring stringent ethical standards when recruiting health and social care staff from overseas.
NHS England will keep the selection process for foundation training under review to make sure it works well for applicants.
We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of parents and carers reading to children in the early years on the mental wellbeing of (a) children and (b) parents and carers.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Reading with young children supports not only early literacy but also emotional wellbeing, for both children and their parents or carers. Shared reading helps build secure attachments, supports emotional regulation and creates positive routines that help children feel safe and connected. These everyday interactions can also reduce stress and strengthen communication. Through our ‘Little Moments Together’ campaign and investment in home learning services, the department is helping families make the most of these moments. Family Hubs can play a key role in this, offering accessible, community-based support to help parents build strong, nurturing relationships that support both learning and wellbeing.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of community activities at supporting families with children in the early years.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government recognises the important role of community-based activities in supporting families during the early years. Through Family Hubs, we are working with local authorities and voluntary sector partners to deliver place-based, peer-led support for families with babies and young children. Activities such as stay-and-play sessions and parenting groups help build parental confidence, reduce isolation and promote early learning through everyday interactions. Our investment in home learning services includes funding for outreach and community engagement, ensuring that families, particularly those facing disadvantage, can access the support they need to give their children the best start in life.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of learning through play in early years education.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers must follow to ensure every child has the best start in life and is prepared for school. The framework is clear that children learn through play and that play is essential for children’s development. For example singing songs helps to develop language comprehension, vocabulary, self-expression and literacy. Practitioners should carefully organise enabling environments and cultures for high-quality play and are encouraged to create games and provide opportunity for play both indoors and outdoors. 'The Children of the 2020s' study is part of a programme of departmental research that will improve our understanding of children’s progress throughout key phases of learning and education and aid future policy development. The study follows more than 8500 families and their babies, born in England between September and November 2021. The first wave of data published in 2023 showed that more than half of primary caregivers engaged in physical or turn-taking play, singing, pretend games and noisy play with their babies several times a day. These activities were linked to improved early language development. The second wave of data is due to be published in the autumn, and we will assess that to consider how we shape future policy for early education, including anything it tells us about learning through play.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she plans to establish family hubs across the country.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 11 June, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that, the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.
This builds upon my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, published in December 2024, which outlined the ambition to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services to improve support through pregnancy and early childhood.
We are working within the department and the Department of Health and Social Care to share further information about what the Spending Review settlement means for the continuation and expansion of the programme. We recognise the importance of providing local authorities with certainty of future funding across the whole programme and will share further information when we are able to.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to protect (a) freehold property owners and (b) freehold property owners in new build housing estates from high maintenance fees.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government remain committed to protecting residential freeholders on private and mixed-tenure housing estates from unfair charge
We will consult this year on implementing the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act’s new consumer protection provisions for the up to 1.75m homes that are subject to these charges, and bring these measures into force as quickly as possible thereafter. These include ensuring that homeowners who pay an estate management charge have better access to information they need to understand what they are paying for, the right to challenge the reasonableness at the First-tier Tribunal (in England), and to go to the tribunal to appoint a substitute manager.
The government is also determined to end the injustice of ‘fleecehold’ entirely and we will consult next year on legislative and policy options to reduce the prevalence of private estate management arrangements, which are the root cause of the problems experienced by many residential freeholders.