Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will expand substitution therapy interventions for those with opioid dependency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment services according to local need, and this includes the provision of opioid substitution treatment such as methadone and both oral and long-acting injectable buprenorphine.
On 20 November, the Government announced an investment of over £13.4 billion, a 5.6% cash increase, over the next three years in local authorities’ vital public health work through a consolidated Public Health Grant. This includes the overall £1 billion Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant. The Department advises local areas to prioritise resourcing opioid substitution therapy prescribing from this funding if the current provision is not adequate. Opioid substitution therapy is currently available in all local authorities in England, but access to long-acting injectable buprenorphine is too limited in some.
The Department supports interventions to expand the provision of long-acting injectable buprenorphine. We are currently doing more analysis to understand cost-effectiveness, developing clinical guidance, and scoping how best to expand access to long-acting injectable buprenorphine further.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will expand access to drug detoxification services for people with substance abuse problems.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment services according to local need as part of their public health responsibilities, and this includes the provision of drug detoxification services.
In line with recommendations in Dame Carol Black’s independent review of drug treatment and recovery, the Department created a distinct grant to support and expand inpatient detoxification for people who use drugs and alcohol. The £10 million a year grant ran between 2022/23 and 2024/25, before being consolidated into the Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant in 2025/26.
The additional funding has enabled four units to open and has seen a substantial increase in the number of people who have been able to benefit from medically supported detoxification in an inpatient setting.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on supporting the Fungal Conservation Pledge since the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) in 2024.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
To deliver against the statutory targets for biodiversity, in England, we are taking action at scale to create, restore, manage, and protect wildlife-rich habitats, reduce pressures on biodiversity, and take targeted action for species. This includes actions which support conservation and recovery of fungi.
Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme plays a vital role in taking targeted action for threatened species, including fungi. Additionally, we are aware of the initiative led by Plantlife and Natural England to develop a national fungi conservation plan, and we will continue to engage as this plan evolves.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making pensioners who live with a partner below State Pension age eligible to receive age-appropriate welfare benefits.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have no current plans to do so. Ensuring that individuals, including those below State Pension age, can get into and stay in work is important for individuals in helping them to continue saving for their own retirement and contributes to the wider economy.
Since 2019, couples have needed to claim working age benefits (usually Universal Credit) until both members reach pension age.
Once in receipt of Universal Credit, the younger partner can access the same employment support that is available for customers below State Pension age. The partner above State Pension age can still receive their State Pension, but this will be taken into account in full when assessing entitlement and calculating the couple’s Universal Credit award.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to send information to home educating parents on the registration measures within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Following the Bill’s attainment of Royal Assent, the department intends to make regulations and publish statutory guidance outlining how local authorities must publicise the registers and the duties of parents in relation to the registers.
We will consult on the guidance ahead of implementation, so home educating parents can share their views on how they would like to receive information on the registration measures.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to establish a (a) social media curfew and (b) cap on smartphone screen time for children.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
It is important that children can seize the opportunities that being online offers whilst being safe. The Online Safety Act provides protections for children from illegal and harmful content online
We continue to explore evidence around the impact of social media on children. We will not hesitate to take further action to protect children from online harm, if evidence shows it is needed.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2025 to Question 68072 on Housing Benefit: Supported Housing, what further discussions he has had with stakeholders on proposals to increase the Housing Benefit disregard for working single claimants from £5 to £57.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for working age customers living in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation.
A wide range of customers currently receive rent support through Housing Benefit, including pensioners, residents in Supported Housing or Temporary Accommodation, and those who have not yet migrated to Universal Credit. Any amendment to the Housing Benefit taper would therefore apply across these groups.
Eradicating the financial cliff edge some individuals face as they incrementally increase their earnings could not be achieved by simply aligning the taper rates within the two benefits. Officials are undertaking further analysis to assess its impact on the various groups and will continue considering policy options with stakeholders.
It remains our priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter and sustain employment. Any future decisions on housing support will be made in the round, prioritising measures that best meet Government objectives within the current fiscal environment.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 22 September 2025 Question 76922 on Housing Benefit: Supported Housing, what further discussions he has had with stakeholders on proposals to decrease the Housing Benefit taper rate from 65% to 55%.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for working age customers living in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation.
A wide range of customers currently receive rent support through Housing Benefit, including pensioners, residents in Supported Housing or Temporary Accommodation, and those who have not yet migrated to Universal Credit. Any amendment to the Housing Benefit taper would therefore apply across these groups.
Eradicating the financial cliff edge some individuals face as they incrementally increase their earnings could not be achieved by simply aligning the taper rates within the two benefits. Officials are undertaking further analysis to assess its impact on the various groups and will continue considering policy options with stakeholders.
It remains our priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter and sustain employment. Any future decisions on housing support will be made in the round, prioritising measures that best meet Government objectives within the current fiscal environment.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will ensure that any forthcoming code of practice for (a) services, (b) public functions and (c) associations contains practical guidance on how small businesses can be inclusive towards transgender customers.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Equality and Human Rights Commission - as the independent regulator - has submitted a draft Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations. This will provide guidance to relevant duty bearers on how they should comply with the Equality Act 2010 following the Supreme Court judgment.
The Government is considering the updated draft Code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, the Code will be laid before Parliament for a 40-day period.
We expect service providers to follow the law as clarified by this judgment and seek specialist legal advice where necessary.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of trends in NHS dental costs and average wages in England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No direct assessment has been made, however any decision to uplift dental patient charges is accompanied by an equalities impact assessment and informed by patient demographic data from the NHS Annual Dental Statistics and the GP Patient Survey NHS dentistry questions, with further information on both available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202425
https://gp-patient.co.uk/surveysandreports
The National Health Service dental patient charge is a contribution to the cost of the NHS dental treatment the patient receives. Free NHS dental care is available to people who meet the following criteria:
Support is also available through the NHS Low Income Scheme for those patients who are not eligible for exemption or full remission of dental patient charges. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/who-is-entitled-to-free-nhs-dental-treatment-in-england/