Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to enable patients with eating disorders in Ellesmere Port and Bromborough constituency to access specialist services.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning mental health services for local populations. In Ellesmere Port and Bromborough, young people access specialist eating disorder services at Ancora House. A clinical assessment will determine which level of care they require to meet their needs.
Adult patients in Ellesmere Port and Bromborough access specialist eating disorder services through a specialist community eating disorders service (CEDS). This is accessed by referral by general practitioner or other health professional.
If the CEDS assess the patient as requiring specialist inpatient care, the patient will be referred into the Oaktrees Specialist Eating Disorders Unit where a multidisciplinary team of clinicians assess suitability for admission.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients referred to care outside the local area for patients with eating disorders in Ellesmere Port and Bromborough constituency.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We do hold this data, however as it is below five at the current time we cannot provide an exact value. This is standard statistical disclosure control guidance, where counts of less than five are suppressed to stop individuals being identified.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the availability of specialist eating disorder support for patients in Ellesmere Port and Bromborough.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working closely with NHS England to strengthen community-based eating disorder (ED) services and to improve outcomes and recovery for patients, including in Ellesmere Port and Bromborough. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning mental health services for local populations. In doing so, ICBs are expected to be evidence-based by assessing and responding to the needs of their local communities and to ensure services are provided equitably.
Young people, between 13 and 18 years old, from Ellesmere Port and Bromborough access specialist ED care at Ancora House, the specialist General Adolescent Unit for Young Peoples mental health Services in Cheshire and Merseyside. There is a Day Hospital provision called Sapphire which offers a range of therapeutic interventions for young people with an ED. Care is also provided from the Cheshire and Merseyside Eating Disorder Service who are based at Ancora House. If specialist inpatient care is required, there are four dedicated beds at Ancora house, co-located with the ED Day Hospital.
Adults with an ED from the Ellesmere Port and Bromborough area are supported in the specialist Community Eating Disorders service. If specialist inpatient care is required, patients receive this at the Oaktrees Specialist Eating Disorders Unit on the Clatterbridge Health Park.
NHS England has also published new guidance on children and young people’s EDs, which places greater emphasis on early identification and intervention across the care pathway, including in schools and primary care settings.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the suitability of the provision of specialist eating disorder support for patients in Ellesmere Port and Bromborough constituency.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working closely with NHS England to strengthen community-based eating disorder services and to improve outcomes and recovery for patients, including in Ellesmere Port and Bromborough. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning mental health services for local populations. In doing so, ICBs are expected to be evidence-based by assessing and responding to the needs of their local communities and to ensure services are provided equitably.
The services offered to young people, those aged 13 to 18 years old, with an eating disorder are monitored for safety, quality, and performance by the Lead Provider Collaborative (LPC) Commissioning Team. A team of clinicians within the LPC work with the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and people with lived experience of eating disorder services to ensure they meet required quality, performance, and patient/carer standards.
NHS England has also published new guidance on children and young people’s eating disorders, which places greater emphasis on early identification and intervention across the care pathway, including in schools and primary care settings.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what percentage of cars rented by her department are a) electric and b) UK made and what steps she is taking to encourage departmental travel conducted in cars manufactured in the UK.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential economic impact of delaying the inclusion of the refineries sector in a CBAM on the sector.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government recognises the role that refineries play in energy security and the UK’s industrial base. The Government published a call for evidence (https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/future-of-the-uk-downstream-oil-sector/future-of-the-uk-downstream-oil-sector-call-for-evidence) on the future of the fuel sector on 23rd February 2026 in order to help understand the current state of the refining sector.
Following a strategic and technical assessment by HMG, it has been decided not to expand the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to refined oil products in January 2028. We are continuing to work with the sector to assess the options and case for expanding CBAM to refined oil products at a later date.
We are unable to conclude that expanding the CBAM to refined oil products is technically feasible for January 2028, especially in an uncertain global environment where the potential adverse impacts of inclusion could not necessarily be managed effectively at such accelerated timelines.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support the refineries sector while oil supplies are disrupted due to military conflict in the Middle East.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the critical role UK refineries are playing in ensuring our fuel security. The Government continues to monitor the evolving situation in the Middle East closely, but there is no indication that current global developments are affecting UK refineries’ ability to secure crude oil supplies.
The Government is committed to a long-term future for the UK’s refining sector. Government is engaging with them to explore what steps can be taken to further support the sector, including considering the feasibility and impacts of including refined products in the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism in the future, and has recently concluded a call for evidence to shape the UK’s long-term strategy for the downstream oil sector.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is her department taking to ensure National Highways includes the views of local residents in stakeholder consultations when deciding to remove lights over motorways.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department expects National Highways to carry out appropriate consultation where changes to the strategic road network may impact local communities. Where a proposal to remove lighting would directly affect a local community, National Highways would seek residents’ views through stakeholder consultation.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her department encourages officials to rent electric vehicles when hiring vehicles for official business.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government’s policy is that all official travel must be efficient and cost-effective. The Department does encourage the use of electric vehicles for vehicle hire. However, short-term vehicle hires can happen at short notice and are subject to vehicle availability at the time and the policies of the hire company.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of levels of (a) graduate debt and (b) recent media reports on levels of children from low-income households choosing to study at university.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is committed to addressing the persistent disadvantage gap in access to higher education (HE) and we are encouraged by the fact that disadvantaged young people continue to choose this pathway.
We are introducing targeted, means-tested maintenance grants of up to £1,000 per year from the 2028/29 academic year. These will be paid on top of existing loan amounts, increasing the cash in students’ pockets without increasing their debt.
Repayments are based on income, not loan amount or interest. Borrowers earning below the earnings threshold make no repayments. Any outstanding loan, including interest, is cancelled at the end of the term, with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed to family members or descendants.
HE providers intending to charge higher level tuition fees must have an Office for Students approved access and participation plan articulating how they will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups, including students from low-income backgrounds.
We have gone further and asked Professor Kathryn Mitchell to lead an HE Access and Participation Task and Finish Group to consider how to tackle systemic barriers across the journey into HE for disadvantaged students.