Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will provide a date as to when his Department will respond to the consultation into regulation and oversight of private prosecutions in the Criminal Justice System which closed in May 2025.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Private prosecutions brought by individuals or companies play an important role in the justice system. However, in recent years, some private prosecutors have been found to have acted unlawfully, improperly and well below the standards the public expects, and concerns have also been raised about the operation of safeguards within the Single Justice Procedure.
This is why the Ministry of Justice consulted on “Regulation and oversight of private prosecutions and strengthening safeguards in the Single Justice Procedure”, which closed in May 2025. The consultation generated a significant number of detailed responses, reflecting the complexity of the issues involved. The Government is considering these carefully alongside related policy and delivery issues to ensure that the response is fully informed. The Government response will be published in due course.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of people who appeal against sentence and conviction from the magistrates court are unrepresented.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice does not hold, and does not have access to, centrally collated data identifying whether people who appeal against conviction or sentence from the magistrates’ courts are legally represented. As a result, we are unable to provide figures for the proportion of such appellants who are unrepresented. We are working towards a more robust evidence base so that we can track issues transparently and support future improvements.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of hearings of appeals against conviction from the magistrates' court involve A) complainants in general and B) vulnerable complainants.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes data on appeals of magistrates’ court decisions heard at the Crown Court. This can be accessed through the Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly publications (Criminal court statistics quarterly: October to December 2025 - GOV.UK).
However, the Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the parties involved in appeal hearings or whether they involve vulnerable complainants.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of business rates policy on access to affordable fitness facilities and consequent effects on public health.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At the Budget, the Valuation Office announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties.
In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the Government has introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion, to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills. As a result, over half of ratepayers see no bill increases this year, including 23 per cent seeing their bills go down. This also means most properties seeing increases have them capped at 15 per cent or less in 2026/27, or £800 for the smallest.
The Government has introduced new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. Only properties that are wholly or mainly used for providing RHL activity (as defined in legislation) to visiting members of the public are eligible for these new permanently lower RHL multipliers.
This includes community gyms and fitness facilities with rateable values below £500,000 that are open to members of the public. Further details on what is meant by “visiting members of the public” can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/business-rates-multipliers-qualifying-retail-hospitality-or-leisure.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to accelerate the rollout of Project Gigabit in Chichester constituency.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
According to Ofcom’s Connected Nations reporting, as of January 2026, 81% of premises in Chichester have access to gigabit coverage, an increase from 72% in January 2025.
For the remaining premises within East and West Sussex that are not within the scope of suppliers’ commercial plans, including those in Chichester, BDUK is working to put in place coverage solutions as soon as possible through Project Gigabit, in line with the government’s commitment to achieve nationwide gigabit coverage by 2032. A market engagement consultation for suppliers was published on 1 June to confirm supplier interest in relation to the premises that still need coverage in this area.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
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 i) service charges, ii) daily standard charges for electricity, and iii) ground rent on retirement home sales in Chichester constituency.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not hold data on average service charges in Chichester.
I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 27 January 2026 (HCWS1278) and to the draft Impact Assessment for the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill which can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the role of the NHS in delivering healthcare to pupils in school settings.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Schools are not responsible for clinical healthcare tasks. Healthcare tasks can be delegated to staff in schools and other education settings where the responsible healthcare professional considers delegation safe and appropriate.
The Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care are working closely to produce guidance on clinical healthcare in schools.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he will extend the regulation of pharmaceuticals and chemicals to ensure that they are licensed only where they do not have a negative impact on the natural environment.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
On 1 December 2025, Defra published the revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2025. The EIP 2025 is the department’s long-term plan for improving the natural environment and enjoyment of it. It includes prioritised delivery actions to minimise environmental risks posed by chemicals. The EIP sets out Defra’s approach to managing chemicals risks.
All authorised veterinary medicines undergo a robust environmental risk assessment under internationally agreed guidelines. Products are approved only where benefits outweigh risks, including environmental impacts. While current frameworks assume negligible exposure for companion animals, emerging evidence is informing international updates, with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate contributing research to inform this process.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will ask the Civil Aviation Authority to review regulations and policy to better protect farm livestock, wildlife and other animals from the alarm and distress caused by low flying aircraft.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We continually work with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to ensure that Government policy is reflected within their regulatory business.
As the UK’s independent aviation regulator, it is for the CAA to ensure that pilots and operators obey the rules and regulations when conducting low level flying.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he will ban the use in veterinary medicine of any active pesticide substance deemed too harmful for use on crops.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government does not currently plan to introduce a blanket ban on veterinary use of active substances restricted in crop protection.
Veterinary medicines and pesticides are regulated under distinct frameworks, reflecting differences in use, exposure and risk.
All veterinary medicines are subject to a robust, science‑based benefit–risk assessment by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and authorised only where benefits outweigh risks, including to the environment.