Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to issue guidance to local authorities on pursuing Community Infrastructure Levy charges where homeowners have become liable as a result of administrative errors.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 105228 on 21 January 2026.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to expand the use of Leicestershire and Rutland’s rural policing team's Hazard Express Van to improve public understanding of the impact of fast-moving vehicles on horses and riders.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We welcome local road safety interventions which demonstrate innovation and contribute to improving road safety and as part of the Roads Policing Innovation Programme, we are working closely with National Police Chiefs' Council to consider opportunities for innovation around wider roads policing.
The Government expects forces to use the resources available to them effectively, to tackle crime and protect the public. Forces are operationally independent; therefore, it is for Chief Constables and directly elected PCCs, and Mayors with PCC functions to make operational decisions based on their local knowledge and experience.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the requiring claimants to score four points in a single daily living activity to be eligible for the Personal Independence Payment on people with learning disabilities.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As I set out to the House on 1 July 2025, the Government listened to concerns and withdrew its proposal to introduce an additional requirement to score a minimum of 4 points in a single activity to be eligible for the daily living element of PIP.
Instead, we launched the Timms Review, the first full review of PIP since its introduction in 2013. The Review is being co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts, and aims to ensure that PIP is fair and fit for the future.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential safety and operational benefits of converting the Thatcham level crossing from manually controlled barrier with CCTV to manually controlled barrier with obstacle detection.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Network Rail is responsible for assessing and managing the safety risk at level crossings on the mainline railway in Great Britain, including at Thatcham. It routinely reviews the most appropriate safety measures, taking into account local risk, user behaviour and operational requirements.
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, whether his Department has plans to extend business rates reimbursement to community pharmacies on the same basis as GP practices and NHS dental surgeries.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the 2025 Autumn Budget, the Government took the hard choices to protect the National Health Service in England and to continue to prioritise reducing waiting times. We have also stepped in to cap bills and help businesses, as part of a £4.3 billion support package.
This year, we have also increased funding to community pharmacies to almost £3.1 billion, the largest uplift in funding for any part of the NHS across 2024/25 and 2025/26.
The Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27 shortly.
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, if he will establish an inquiry into delays in the NHS providing (a) Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and (b) any other services related to children's mental health.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that many children and young people are currently experiencing significant delays in accessing mental health support and we are taking action to address this, as committed to in the 10-Year Health Plan. This includes providing mental health support for almost one million more young people in school this year and an extra £688 million in Government funding this year to transform mental health services, to hire more staff, deliver more early interventions, and get waiting lists down.
As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, the Government is recruiting an additional 8,500 mental health workers by the end of this Parliament. Almost 8,000 of these workers have been recruited since July 2024, which will help to ease pressure on busy mental health services. We will publish a refreshed workforce plan later this year to ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places to care for patients when they need it.
Additionally, we are also accelerating the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools to achieve full national coverage by 2029. This includes investing £13 million to pilot enhanced training for staff, so that they can offer more support to young people with complex needs, such as trauma, neurodivergence, and disordered eating.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to issue guidance to local authorities on exercising discretion and avoiding enforcement action that could cause (a) severe financial hardship and (b) the forced sale of a family home.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Councils are responsible for the collection of a broad range of debts. Councils are required to recover all debts in accordance with the law. The government will continue to keep this issue under review.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether best practice from local authorities on compassion and proportionality will be identified and adopted nationally.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Councils are responsible for the collection of a broad range of debts. Councils are required to recover all debts in accordance with the law. The government will continue to keep this issue under review.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent comparative assessment he has made of trends in the levels of violence in (a) public and (b) private prisons.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Public and private prisons are subject to the same performance monitoring of safety outcomes. Safety data is used in contract management, including as a contractual lever to address poor performance.
We are committed to a mixed market in custodial services. Private sector companies continue to have an important role to play in the justice system, bringing innovation and expertise.
There is evidence of good performance across the privately-run prison estate, and some outstanding performance in areas such as security, respect and preparation for release. Performance varies by prison and area of assessment.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to maintain the adequacy of prison education provision in the context of changes to staffing levels.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Government is committed to ensuring prisoners can access high-quality education and skills provision that supports rehabilitation and reduces reoffending.
While the national prison education budget has increased by 3% this financial year, this has not kept pace with rising delivery costs across a range of services, leading to a reduction in what can be delivered through the Core Education contracts. Core Education represents only one part of the wider education, skills and work offer available to prisoners. Prison Governors commission education that meets the needs of their population, and providers are responsible for managing the staffing required to deliver the contracted services. HMPPS works closely with providers and governors to monitor delivery and maintain adequate provision.