Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
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 (a) the potential impact of unpaid travel time on the income and retention of domiciliary care workers and (b) the potential safeguarding risks associated with mandatory uniform requirements; and whether she plans to take steps as a result.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All social care workers must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage for the work that they do. Time spent travelling between appointments counts as working time for minimum wage purposes.
If an individual believes their rights as a worker are not being upheld, they can seek confidential guidance and support from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas). Acas can be contacted on 0300 123 1100, or they can visit the ACAS website for further information, which is available at the following link:
They can also submit a query online directly to HM Revenue & Customs via GOV.UK; it considers every complaint it receives.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
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 Discharge‑to‑Assess pathways into intermediate care services in the South East; and what steps she is taking to prevent delays for patients awaiting transfer from hospital for rehabilitation.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that it is important that people are discharged promptly from the hospital with the right support, both for their outcomes and to free up beds for other patients.
We are continuing to work with National Health Service trusts and local authorities to embed best practice in discharge processes. Areas experiencing the most significant challenges with discharge delays and urgent and emergency care performance are receiving targeted support to drive those improvements. The recently published NHS England Model Discharge Pathway sets out good practice to support timely, safe discharge from hospital, and reduce unwarranted variation in discharge processes across wards and organisations.
We are also working to strengthen intermediate care capacity, and this includes through the Better Care Fund investing ÂŁ9 billion in services that help people regain independence and prevent avoidable admissions, including intermediate care, rehabilitation, and reablement services.
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 she plans to provide guidance to parish councils when (a) national warnings and (b) restrictions are issued.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Guidance on national warnings, including the Emergency Alert system is available online. The Environment Agency issue local warnings for flooding, and alerts for forecast poor air quality were introduced in August. For guidance on water restrictions, see the relevant water company website.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is considering the potential merits of additional a) support and b) training to be put in place to address misogyny in the healthcare system, with regard to the impact this has on treatment of reproductive issues.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England, published in April 2026, recognises that women have been dismissed for far too long and that this is unacceptable. The strategy also explicitly recognises that women’s pain is too often dismissed, normalised, or ignored, and treats this as a systemic failure, not isolated poor practice.
Health professionals need to listen to women and respond appropriately, and our new multiprofessional capability framework for women's healthcare in community settings, developed in partnership with Skills for Health, will set out basic, intermediate, and advanced skills, and will embed trauma-informed practice. This will address the longstanding pattern of women's symptoms being dismissed or normalised.
We also recognise the importance of ensuring healthcare professionals are appropriately trained and informed about women’s health conditions. The General Medical Council has introduced the Medical Licensing Assessment to encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers. In addition, women's health is included in the Royal College of General Practitioners curriculum for trainee general practitioners, including gynaecology, sexual health, and breast health.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Courts and Tribunals Bill scheduled to return to the house after conference recess will contain clauses 1 to 8 relating to jury trials.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government has confirmed that the Courts and Tribunals Bill will return to the House of Commons in October, when Parliament will have the opportunity to continue its consideration of the Bill.
The Prime Minister has said he wants to look in detail at the proposals. It is right that the new administration takes the time to consider the measures, review the evidence, and consider the wide range of views on this legislation.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to to improve transparency and communication with victims across the criminal justice system.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is taking a number of actions to improve communication and information to victims of crime.
To improve communication with victims, we are bringing the existing separate victim communication schemes into one, providing a much clearer single offer for victims. This updated Victim Contact Scheme (VCS) will make it easier for eligible victims to request licence conditions and receive information about their offender’s release. We will also provide a new route for other victims to request information via a new dedicated helpline, giving victims confidence about the routes available to receive information about their offender’s release.
From spring 2027, all victims of crime whose cases are heard in the Crown Court will be able to request a free transcript of the sentencing remarks in their case. This is the most significant expansion of free access to sentencing remarks to date, extending provision from the current eligible groups to victims across all Crown Court cases.
Finally, we have also consulted on a new Victims Code, seeking views on how to improve the quality and timeliness of providing case information to victims, and improving how opportunities to participate are offered to victims. We are now taking the time to consider the responses, and we will issue a public response ahead of finalising the new Code and bringing it into force.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made towards development of a cross-justice system victims survey.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government recognises the importance of understanding victims' experiences so that their feedback can inform and shape improvements across the criminal justice system.
To inform consideration of how victim feedback might be collected, in October 2023, the Ministry of Justice commissioned Verian to undertake a feasibility study on how feedback could be gathered from victims on their experiences and the delivery of their rights under the Victims’ Code. The findings continue to inform ongoing work to develop approaches for collecting and using victim feedback across the criminal justice system.
The Ministry of Justice recently ran a consultation on the Victims’ Code. The consultation sought the views of sector experts, criminal justice practitioners, young people and victims themselves.
The Department is now taking the time to consider nearly 200 responses and will issue a public response ahead of finalising the new Code and bringing it into force. The findings will also help inform future work to understand and measure victims’ experiences of the criminal justice system and the delivery of Victims’ Code rights.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made on the Victims' Pathfinder Programme and the development of Track a Case; and what plans he has to take forward the learning from that work.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to improving victims’ experience of the justice system. As part of this, the Government launched a Victims Pathfinder programme to consider digital solutions to support victims’ journeys through the criminal justice system.
The programme strengthened cross-system partnerships, developed technical, digital capability and demonstrated how modern digital products can improve services across the Criminal Justice System. Specifically, the Pathfinder piloted a victims-facing digital information portal - Track A Case - a national service for victims to access case specific information on court date hearings and locations.
Following a wider reprioritisation of departmental investment, the Ministry of Justice ceased the Victims Pathfinder programme, including the Track a Case service, in July this year.
The products, assets and learning developed through the programme have been retained so that it will continue to shape future work where future investment opportunities are identified.
The Government continues to invest in data and digital opportunities to improve how victim data is managed and used across the criminal justice system, and to improve victims’ experiences of the system. As part of this, the Ministry of Justice and Home Office’s Data Improvement Programme aims to improve data sharing and management across the criminal justice system
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 she has considered extending the requirement to make fish farm inspection reports publicly available to all farmed animals.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 1 July 2026 to the Hon. Member for Leeds South West and Morley.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what considerations her Department is giving to patient transport and transfer arrangements for emergency and elective patients, in the context of the consolidation of clinical services across NHS hospital trusts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 18 May 2026 to Question 566.