Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what evaluation criteria he is using to assess the impact of the Domestic Abuse Protection Order pilot on people against whom orders are sought.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Domestic Abuse Protection Order Notices and Orders (DAPNs and DAPOs) have been piloted in selected areas since November 2024, and are being fully evaluated, which will help to inform implementation as the orders are rolled out across England and Wales.
Reoffending and revictimisation are the key criteria for the impact evaluation, which will aim to quantitatively assess whether, and how, the new orders reduce these outcomes. A complementary process evaluation will aim to examine the implementation of DAPNs and DAPOs and explore perceptions of their effectiveness across different stakeholder groups.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that residents are not left liable for the costs of remediating fire safety defects caused by developer failures and regulatory weaknesses; and whether he plans to take legislative steps to support Resident Management Companies in meeting building safety compliance requirements.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Government has introduced caps for most leaseholders to limit their exposure to building safety costs and worked with industry such that fifty-three developers have, as of 31 October 2025, agreed to fix or pay to fix 2,497 buildings in England with life-critical fire safety defects, at an estimated cost of £4.2bn. When a developer cannot be identified or has not yet agreed to pay for its own buildings, funding has been made directly available to pay for life-threatening fire risks associated with cladding on residential buildings over 11m in height.
To support resident management companies, the Building Safety Act introduced remediation contribution orders (RCOs), allowing interested persons (including RMCs) to compel responsible entities to meet remediation costs. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 allowed RMCs to recover the legal costs of raising an RCO from residents where they may otherwise struggle to raise funds.
The Government remains committed to strengthening protections for leaseholders from current and future building safety issues and is exploring options to support RMCs in meeting their building safety compliance requirements.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to process medical driving licence applications since the introduction of its new casework system on drivers with medical conditions.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) new casework system for driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated will deliver significant improvements, including improved turnaround times, increased capacity, increased automation, higher levels of digital functionality and increased digital communication.
The DVLA will also be launching a new digital medical services portal in April. These enhancements alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with medical applications and answer telephone calls, will deliver real improvements in services and turnaround times for customers.
No information is available on the number of drivers utilising Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which may allow drivers to continue driving while their driving licence application is being processed if they can meet specific criteria. While the DVLA advises applicants of this provision, it is for individual drivers to determine if they meet the required criteria. If drivers are uncertain, they should seek advice from their doctor(s).
More information is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf1886-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many drivers are reliant on Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to continue driving while awaiting a medical licensing decision from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) new casework system for driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated will deliver significant improvements, including improved turnaround times, increased capacity, increased automation, higher levels of digital functionality and increased digital communication.
The DVLA will also be launching a new digital medical services portal in April. These enhancements alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with medical applications and answer telephone calls, will deliver real improvements in services and turnaround times for customers.
No information is available on the number of drivers utilising Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which may allow drivers to continue driving while their driving licence application is being processed if they can meet specific criteria. While the DVLA advises applicants of this provision, it is for individual drivers to determine if they meet the required criteria. If drivers are uncertain, they should seek advice from their doctor(s).
More information is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf1886-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
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 adequacy of progress towards ensuring that all areas have a commissioned 24/7 community mental health crisis service; and what steps he is taking to support areas that have not yet been able to implement such provision.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
While no such specific assessment has been made, integrated care boards, supported by regions, should maintain full 24/7 community mental health crisis coverage.
To strengthen access to urgent mental health support, anyone in England experiencing a mental health crisis can now to speak to a trained National Health Service professional at any time of the day through a mental health option on NHS 111. This integrated service can give patients of all ages, including children, the chance to be listened to by a trained member of staff who can help direct them to the right place.
There are currently six funded sites piloting the 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centre model, as well as 16 'associate sites' that are already proactively testing the model. These centres bring together a range of community mental health services under one roof, including crisis services and short-stay beds. The Government will make available capital funding of £473 million over four years to invest in new models, including 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres, building on findings from the six pilots, and other capital projects such as Mental Health Emergency Departments and eliminating out-of-area placements.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of changes to Royal Mail's Universal Service Obligation on the delivery of time-critical NHS correspondence.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, has made changes to the obligations imposed on Royal Mail to push the business to improve reliability across all types of postal deliveries.
The government recognises the importance of delivery of time-critical NHS letters. Royal Mail has introduced an NHS barcode to optimise delivery of NHS letters at times of local and national disruption and assist NHS units that continue to rely on post to send urgent correspondence to patients. In addition, NHS England and NHS Providers have produced guidance for NHS organisations, including a case study, to increase awareness and uptake of the variety of Royal Mail services for the timely delivery of letters.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to reform the family court system; and whether such reforms will include strengthening enforcement powers where child arrangement orders have been breached.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to reform of the family court to improve the experiences of, and outcomes for, children and families. Central to this is the expansion of the private law Pathfinder model, which amplifies the voice of the child through a Child Impact Report, ensures a higher proportion of children are directly engaged by social workers during proceedings, and offers specialist support to victims of domestic abuse. The model is supporting the court in making safe decisions which prioritise the best interests of the child, without delay.
The court has a range of powers open to it in relation to the enforcement of child arrangement orders, including the power to make an enforcement order under Section 11J of the Children Act 1989 where one party has failed to comply without reasonable excuse. The court will consider the circumstances of the breach, and the impact on the child ahead of making any decision in relation to enforcement.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
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 ensure that contracts drawn up by telecare services provided by local authority-connected bodies comply with consumer protection legislation, data protection legislation, and do not disadvantage vulnerable clients.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Telecare is not a mandatory service for local authorities, but many choose to provide a telecare service due to its benefits. Local authorities are responsible for the contractual terms of telecare services that they provide. All public authorities are required to comply with current procurement legislation when procuring goods and services. This includes legislation relating to Data Protection and Consumer rights.
The Department is developing national telecare guidelines to give commissioners, providers, and users clarity about what good telecare looks like now and in the future. This will support local authorities to commission safe, reliable, and digitally compatible telecare services that safeguard vulnerable telecare users.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she will update Circular 01/2007 on speed camera guidance.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
As outlined in the Road Safety Strategy, the Government will be reviewing and updating its guidance, including Circular 1/007 ‘The use of speed and red-light cameras for traffic enforcement: guidance on deployment, visibility and signing’. The update is under development and will be informed by research and evidence.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of consumer protections for customers from price rises from telecommunications and subscription television providers; and what steps she is taking to ensure that price increase terms linked to inflation indices are transparent and clearly communicated to consumers.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government supports Ofcom’s strengthened transparency rules, which came into force in January 2025, to ensure consumers know clearly how and when any price changes will occur. These rules require telecoms and Pay TV providers to set out in pounds and pence, and in plain English, any in‑contract price increase before the customer signs up, so people can understand and compare deals easily.
Ofcom has also previously introduced clearer and easier switching rights, meaning that where price rises occur under a “prices may vary” contract, consumers now have more straightforward routes to switch provider and find a better deal if they choose to do so.
On top of this, on 11 February, the Chancellor and Secretary of State secured further voluntary action from telecoms companies through the new Telecoms Consumer Charter. This Charter strengthens transparency further, prevents unexpected mid‑contract price increases where rises have been specified upfront, and includes additional commitments aimed at empowering consumers and improving support for those struggling to pay.
The Government will continue working closely with Ofcom to ensure consumers are protected from unfair pricing practices across telecommunications services.