Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of whether Financial Risk Assessments under the Gambling Commission's pilot remain aligned with the policy intent set out in the 2023 gambling white paper; and whether she will publish that assessment.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DCMS supports the policy intent behind Financial Risk Assessments, as set out in the white paper. We have taken note of the Gambling Commission’s pilot and its published findings, and have had regular engagement with the Commission on this issue.
DCMS believes that the pilot indicates Financial Risk Assessments should be a useful tool in efforts to tackle gambling-related harm, should the Commission decide to implement them. Findings from the pilot suggest that they target and identify customers who are both experiencing high losses and are in financial difficulties. We also believe that Financial Risk Assessments will not be intrusive. The white paper estimated that only 3% of active gambling accounts would be expected to undergo an assessment; and the pilot indicated that 97% of those assessments would be completed frictionlessly, within seconds and conducting a check would not interrupt the customer experience.
It is for the Gambling Commission to decide whether to implement Financial Risk Assessments. The Commission has committed to ongoing review, evaluation and adaptation over time if Financial Risk Assessments are introduced.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether customers are entitled to reimbursement where they incur costs, including the installation of private pumping equipment, as a result of reductions in mains water pressure by water companies.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Customers are protected through statutory standards and compensation arrangements where water company service falls short. When water pressure falls below these standards and normal domestic use is impaired, customers may be entitled to compensation through the Guaranteed Standards Scheme.
Water company performance, including the reliability of supply, is subject to regulatory oversight by Ofwat, and companies are held to account where outcomes do not meet required standards.
We have strengthened these protections in recent reforms, including increasing compensation payments and ensuring customers are properly reimbursed following disruption, alongside plans for a new independent Water Ombudsman to provide binding decisions and improve access to redress where issues arise.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what rights to compensation or redress are available to customers whose mains water pressure is reduced to a level that impairs normal domestic use.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Customers are protected through statutory standards and compensation arrangements where water company service falls short. When water pressure falls below these standards and normal domestic use is impaired, customers may be entitled to compensation through the Guaranteed Standards Scheme.
Water company performance, including the reliability of supply, is subject to regulatory oversight by Ofwat, and companies are held to account where outcomes do not meet required standards.
We have strengthened these protections in recent reforms, including increasing compensation payments and ensuring customers are properly reimbursed following disruption, alongside plans for a new independent Water Ombudsman to provide binding decisions and improve access to redress where issues arise.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what minimum standards apply to mains water pressure for domestic customers; and what steps are taken to ensure that water companies remain compliant with those standards when adjusting network pressure.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Water companies must meet minimum service standards set through the Guaranteed Standards Scheme, including maintaining adequate water pressure and providing compensation where these standards are not met. The Government strengthened protections in July 2025 by increasing compensation for low water pressure incidents, with payments rising up to £250 and applied automatically to eligible customers’ accounts.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his department issues to water companies on the use of reductions in mains water pressure as a method of managing leakage or supply constraints.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government does not issue guidance to water companies to reduce mains water pressure as a method of managing leakage or supply constraints. Companies are expected to control leakage through investment and efficiency. They must also meet minimum pressure standards under the Guaranteed Standards Scheme, with compensation payable where these are not met.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what oversight regulators undertake to ensure that reductions in mains water pressure are not used as an alternative to infrastructure investment by water companies.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ofwat monitors water pressure as part of statutory service standards and can take enforcement action if companies fail to maintain adequate levels. Companies must report pressure performance annually, and Ofwat scrutinises their investment plans through the price review process to ensure they are not avoiding necessary infrastructure upgrades. The Drinking Water Inspectorate also oversees supply issues that could affect consumer protection. Regulators therefore have clear mechanisms to prevent companies using pressure reductions as an alternative to proper investment.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 trends in child mortality rates among children living in temporary accommodation in England in each of the last six years; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce health risks and prevent avoidable deaths among those children.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is building on the ambitious action set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, by working across-Government to support children in temporary accommodation. We will introduce a clinical code for children in temporary accommodation, ensuring these families are proactively contacted by health services, and ending the practice of discharging newborn babies into bed and breakfasts or other unsuitable shared accommodation.
In the refreshed guidance for the Healthy Child Programme, published in February 2026, we state that health visitors should prioritise arranging a visit as soon as possible to families known to have transferred into temporary accommodation.
The Department is considering the recommendations set out in the recently published Child Mortality in Temporary Accommodation Report, and taking forward actions, some of which are already in policy development. The report is available at the following link:
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, who the intended audience was for her Department's social media content featuring Gemma Collins on 19 May 2026.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The aim of the department's communications is to reach audiences impacted by, or who may benefit from, the work we do, including the many who do not read government press notices or government channels. The recent social media activity featuring Gemma Collins was primarily aimed at at 16 to 19-year-olds who might consider studying V Levels and level 2 pathways. We also aimed to reach their parents, carers, and teachers, all of whom are influential in a young person’s education choices. This content directed users through to our V-Levels Education Hub page for more information and 80% of the content reached non-followers of the department’s social media pages.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve training for healthcare professionals on recognising and managing endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government acknowledges the importance of ensuring healthcare professionals are adequately trained and educated on women’s health conditions including endometriosis and polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) and we have taken action to address this.
The General Medical Council (GMC) 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 the United Kingdom. The content for this assessment includes several topics relating to women’s health including endometriosis and PMOS.
Women's health is included the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) curriculum for trainee general practitioners (GPs), including gynaecology, sexual health and breast health. The curriculum also covers the healthcare needs of women across all diseases seen in primary care as it is important women are treated holistically. This ensures that all future GPs receive education on women’s health.
The RCGP has also published a Women’s Health Library which brings together educational resources and guidelines on women’s health from the RCGP, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare. This resource is continually updated to ensure GPs and other primary healthcare professionals have the most up-to-date advice to provide the best care for their patients.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has developed a women’s and reproductive health topic suite, and updated guidelines on endometriosis in 2024 to make firmer recommendations for healthcare professionals on referral and investigations for women with suspected diagnosis. These clinical guidelines support healthcare professionals to provide care for women with endometriosis.
Generally, employers in the health system are responsible for ensuring that their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver appropriate treatment for patients.
The renewed Women’s Health Strategy was published on 15 April 2026. The renewed strategy sets out a bold, long‑term plan to transform how the health and care system listens to, supports and delivers for women and girls. It puts women’s voices and choices at the centre of care, drives faster improvements in services and outcomes that matter most to women, and tackles long‑standing health inequalities across the life course. The strategy aligns with the 10-Year Health Plan to shift care into the community, harness digital innovation and strengthen prevention so women can live healthier, more fulfilled lives.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of projected increases in the energy price cap on the number of households in fuel poverty in winter 2026/27.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Tackling the cost-of-living is the government’s top priority. Decisions at last year’s Budget have taken £150 of costs off bills and this is now factored into bills for the years to come. The increase in the price cap announced by Ofgem on 27th May for the period from July to September is not what we wanted, and it is the effect of the war in Iran – just two days before the conflict the price cap fell by 7%. Without the action taken at Budget, the price cap from July to September, would be significantly higher. The government also expanded the Warm Home Discount last winter to support around 6 million of the most vulnerable households and is accelerating the Warm Homes Plan. Action has also been taken to help people who are reliant on heating oil. The outlook for prices remains uncertain but the government will do everything it can to help protect households in the face of this fossil fuel price spike and the Chancellor said she stands ready to act as we look towards the autumn and the winter