Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the financial impact on individuals who are required to re-tax a vehicle following a transfer of registered keeper between former spouses as part of divorce proceedings.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No specific assessment has been made of the financial impact on individuals required to re-tax a vehicle following a transfer of registered keeper between former spouses as part of divorce proceedings.
Vehicle excise duty cannot be transferred between registered keepers. When the registered keeper changes, the existing tax ends and the new keeper must tax the vehicle before using it on the road. This makes clear that responsibility for taxing the vehicle rests with the new keeper and reduces the risk of them unknowingly using or keeping an untaxed vehicle.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government’s proposed community sponsorship arrangements will allow established community groups and local supporters to nominate and sponsor named individuals or families who are currently within Gaza.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
Palestinians who remain in Gaza will not be eligible for the named community sponsorship route from the outset.
To provide a lasting solution and support resettlement on a larger scale, the new routes will initially focus on individuals who meet the international definition of a refugee, or Palestinian refugees who fall outside UNHCR’s mandate. This will ensure that protection needs are assessed against established international standards and through robust processes based on existing resettlement schemes. The new routes will therefore initially be available only to refugees who are outside their country of origin.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available to families on low incomes with children diagnosed with coeliac disease to help meet the cost of a gluten-free diet.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 3 July in response to Question 13254.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department are taking to support Palestinian artists and cultural practitioners who have secured legitimate UK residencies, invitations and the necessary visas, but are unable to leave Gaza.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not have any specific scheme to support Palestinian artists and cultural practitioners to depart Gaza. Information about the Government's support for identified categories of people to depart Gaza is published on GOV.UK via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/palestine under the section "Leaving Gaza".
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the options in her Department's consultation entitled Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate Review on public charging in rural Cornwall.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate Review consultation, which sought views from the public and stakeholders to consider the ZEV Mandate, closed on 23 October. We are reviewing the responses and aim to publish a shared response to the consultation by the end of 2026. No policy decisions have been made yet. Supporting analysis will consider zero emission vehicle uptake at a UK level.
We welcome the billions of pounds of investment the charging sector has already committed to the zero emission transition right across the UK.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to (a) monitor variation in access to bispecific therapies for myeloma patients between hospitals and (b) ensure eligible patients are receiving these treatments.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has now published the National Cancer Plan. It sets out our ambition to become a global leader in cancer survival and provides details of how we will comprehensively improve cancer care in all parts of the country. We will work to end the postcode lottery to ensure that access to the best cancer diagnosis, treatment and care is available for everyone, including those with myeloma.
NHS England commissions specialised cancer treatments and works with providers to support consistent access across the country. Where a treatment is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, commissioners and providers are responsible for making the funding available to enable eligible patients to access it, where clinically appropriate.
Treatment for cancer is highly individualised and decisions about cancer treatment are typically made by clinicians and multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals. They consider all aspects of a patient's health and circumstances when recommending treatment options. While certain treatments may not be advised for some patients, these decisions are based on medical assessments and what's best for the individual's overall health and well-being.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to support NHS Trusts to reduce autism assessment waiting times to meet the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended standard of three months from referral.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, led by Professor Peter Fonagy, was published on 9 October, providing analysis and recommendations across a wide range of issues relating to the current provision of services in this area.
The Government issued an initial response on the day of publication, but we will set out the full action we are taking in response to the review recommendations in our new Mental Health Strategy to be published later this year, including in relation to the issues raised by the Hon. Member. The response is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-pledges-earlier-support-to-tackle-mental-health-crises
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of provision by pharmacies of blister packs for medication.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Community Pharmacies in England are not commissioned nationally to provide blister packs, therefore no assessment has been made on the adequacy of provision. Pharmacies are required to make reasonable adjustments for individual patients with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, which can include the blister packs.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring developers to replace trees felled during development on private land.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has made no such assessment.
The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that development proposals should conserve and enhance existing natural features of visual, historic or nature conservation value such as established trees, and make provision for the long-term maintenance of both existing and newly-planted trees which form part of the development.
Where felling is not immediately required for the purpose of carrying out development authorised by planning permission, a felling licence is normally required before trees can be felled. A felling licence generally contains conditions that require trees to be restocked.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 impact of the change in the Renters' Rights Act from fixed term tenancies to rolling, periodic tenancies on student HMO landlords.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department engaged extensively with the student sector when developing the Renters’ Rights Act and its Impact Assessment received a green rating from the RPC.
We continue to monitor trends across the private rented sector and are conducting a robust evaluation of the impact of the Act. Evaluation reports will be published two and five years after implementation.