Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long her Department usually takes to obtain good character references for British citizenship applications; what the maximum length of time taken for such a reference to be obtained is; and how many British citizenship applications are currently waiting for good character references to be obtained.

Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office does not routinely request character references for British citizenship applications. Where further evidence is required, applicants are normally given 14 calendar days to provide it. The information requested is not centrally held, and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

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 support people and families impacted by brain conditions such as iatrogenic cerebral amyloid angiopathy following neurological surgeries of Cadaver Implants in the brain.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Patients and families affected by neurological conditions, including iatrogenic cerebral amyloid angiopathy, can access a range of support through the National Health Service, including specialist neurological services, psychological support, and community-based care where appropriate to their individual needs. The Government recognises the significant impact that serious neurological conditions can have on patients and their families and is committed to ensuring that appropriate support is available through health and care services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to improve access for newly qualified psychotherapists to NHS roles.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 16 July 2026 to Question 16343.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that drivers are aware of the most recent changes to the Highway Code.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Improving road safety is one of my Department’s highest priorities. Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users.

That is why we published our Road Safety Strategy, which sets out the Government’s plan to significantly reduce deaths and serious injuries on Great Britain’s roads by 65% overall and (70% for children under 16) by 2035.

Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes, with the percentage of road users reporting they knew a little or a lot about the changes going from 36% in January 2022 to over 50% in August 2022 and 70% in September 2023. By that time 86% of road users reported having heard of the changes.

Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.

However, as set out in the strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course.

As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety. As set out in the Road Safety Strategy, this Government will publish for the first time national guidance on the development and delivery of road safety education, training and publicity. Alongside this, we will publish a manual to support the implementation of a Lifelong Learning approach for road safety.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of education on preventing antisemitism.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

There is no place for antisemitism in our society.

The department has asked Sir David Bell to undertake an independent review into antisemitism in schools and colleges, which will include a consideration of learning in schools and colleges. This review is due to be published later this autumn.

We have committed £7 million to support schools, colleges and universities, including £1 million for an innovation fund, to help young people identify and challenge antisemitism, misinformation and harmful narratives. We are committed to evaluating each of these programmes.

The department supports teachers through our Educate Against Hate website, which provides a range of free, quality-assured resources on building resilience to antisemitism, teaching about tolerance and rejecting discrimination.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase awareness of how to report crimes in foreign countries.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to helping British nationals stay safe overseas. We raise awareness of travel risks, including sexual assault, alongside information on how to access help and report crimes, through Travel Advice, GOV.UK guidance and the FCDO's Travel Aware campaign. We undertake specific initiatives and campaigns in support of this work informed by the trends and concerns identified.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that travellers are aware of the risk of sexual assault when using services abroad such as massage therapy.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to helping British nationals stay safe overseas. We raise awareness of travel risks, including sexual assault, alongside information on how to access help and report crimes, through Travel Advice, GOV.UK guidance and the FCDO's Travel Aware campaign. We undertake specific initiatives and campaigns in support of this work informed by the trends and concerns identified.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential financial impact of following a medically necessary gluten-free diet on households; and what steps her Department is taking to support people diagnosed with coeliac disease with associated costs.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 3 July 2026 in response to Question 13254.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Department has made of the adequacy of national clinical guidance on the assessment and care of people presenting to emergency departments with suicidal ideation.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Employers are responsible for ensuring that staff are appropriately trained to provide safe care.

Healthcare professionals are expected to be aware of and follow relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on mental health, self-harm, and suicide prevention.

In addition, the Staying Safe from Suicide Guidance, published in April 2025, sets out the latest evidence on the assessment, formulation, and management of suicide risk. Mental health practitioners are expected to align their practice with this guidance, and an accompanying e-learning package is available to National Health Service and non-NHS staff. The NHS Medium Term Planning Framework requires integrated care boards to ensure that mental health practitioners undertake this training and deliver care in line with the guidance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what mandatory training requirements apply to emergency department staff in England on the care of patients presenting in mental health crisis.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Employers are responsible for ensuring that staff are appropriately trained to provide safe care.

Healthcare professionals are expected to be aware of and follow relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on mental health, self-harm, and suicide prevention.

In addition, the Staying Safe from Suicide Guidance, published in April 2025, sets out the latest evidence on the assessment, formulation, and management of suicide risk. Mental health practitioners are expected to align their practice with this guidance, and an accompanying e-learning package is available to National Health Service and non-NHS staff. The NHS Medium Term Planning Framework requires integrated care boards to ensure that mental health practitioners undertake this training and deliver care in line with the guidance.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to require operators of privately operated tolled crossings that have statutory powers to issue penalty charges to provide access to independent adjudication of those charges.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Most privately-operated tolled undertakings still require payment at tollbooths and so do not rely on the issuing of penalty charges for non-payment to ensure compliance. The Department does not currently have the power to impose a requirement for independent adjudication on the few undertakings that have already converted from tollbooths to remote payment systems. However, it is something that we will be seeking to require as and when further tolled undertakings convert to remote payment operation. The Highways (Financing) Bill includes clauses that would provide a simple legal route for tolled undertakings to convert from tollbooth to free-flow/remote payment operation. This would allow for an independent adjudication process to be required in future conversions.

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 new 30,000-mile three-year mileage allowance under the Motability Scheme on the ability of disabled people to remain in paid employment.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 June 2026 to Question UIN 5478.

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors. Department officials and Motability meet regularly to review the Scheme and how it operates to ensure it meets the needs of disabled people

Motability have announced that from 1 July 2026, customers who need significantly more travel than the standard mileage allowance for essential healthcare, education or employment journeys may be eligible for additional mileage support. Customers must demonstrate they require more than 3,000 miles a year for these purposes, with support applied to approved miles above that threshold through reduced excess mileage charges, while leisure and holiday travel is excluded. Support can be requested when ordering a vehicle or during a lease, with eligibility assessed based on individual circumstances and supporting evidence.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the geographic coverage of Local Access Forums under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000; and what steps she is taking to ensure that areas with limited coverage, such as the North West, have access to a functioning LAF.

Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Department has not made a formal assessment of the adequacy of the geographic coverage of Local Access Forums (LAFs). Under sections 94 and 95 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, local highway authorities and National Park authorities are responsible for establishing LAFs in their areas. The Government expects authorities, including newly created unitary authorities, to consider any implications of local government reorganisation for LAF coverage and operation. While responsibility for the effective functioning of LAFs rests locally, the Department keeps arrangements under review and engages with relevant local government stakeholders as appropriate.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that alcohol treatment services signpost family members and friends to national mutual aid organisations, such as Al-Anon Family Groups.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has published extensive guidance and resources to support effective practice for the commissioners and providers of alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services, recommending they should provide support to family members and friends and facilitate their access to mutual aid groups such as Al-Anon Family Groups. Examples of guidance and resources include the United Kingdom clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment, the Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management, the Recovery support services and lived experience initiative, and the Facilitating Access to Mutual Aid toolkit, all of which are available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg115/chapter/Recommendations#principles-of-care

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drug-misuse-and-dependence-uk-guidelines-on-clinical-management

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recovery-support-services-and-lived-experience-initiatives

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mutual-aid-toolkit-for-alcohol-and-drug-misuse-treatment

The Department is also supporting a National Institute for Health and Care Research funded study to build the UK evidence base on facilitated access to mutual aid. Findings are expected in 2030. Further information can be found at the following link:

https://www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR169047

Political donations and campaign finance regulation

Climate Change Committee’s Fourth Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk

Local government and social care

National Emergency Briefing

Publication of Legal Advice on Local Government Reorganisation

Essential energy guarantee

Funding of Jodrell Bank Observatory

Climate Change Committee's seventh Carbon Budget

Found: For example: • For the Liberal Democrats, Lisa Smart, her party’s Cabinet Office spokesperson, said

Found: were exempt from Freedom of Information legislation.59 For the Liberal Democrats, Hazel Grove MP Lisa Smart