Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support her Department is providing to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service in tackling wildfires; what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for wildfire-specific equipment for fire and rescue services; and what steps her Department is taking to protect the health and safety of firefighters undertaking prolonged wildfire operations.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 9 February, the Ministry published the 2026/27 Local Government Finance Settlement which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue. This financial year, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority will have a core spending power of £105.36 million, an increase of 3.8% compared to 2025/26. Decisions on how fire and rescue authorities use their resources and equipment to meet those risks are a matter for each fire and rescue authority.
We’re investing nearly £100 million in the biggest upgrade of national resilience capabilities in nearly twenty years, part of which includes more specialist equipment and wildfire training for firefighters that can deploy nationally to support in wildfires across the country.
Fire and Rescue Authorities are responsible for assessing and planning for wildfire risk locally through their Community Risk Management Plans and work with other responders to ensure appropriate preparedness.
The health and wellbeing of firefighters is a top priority for the Government. Firefighters perform a unique and demanding role, facing a range of physical and mental health risks as part of their duties. We are committed to supporting firefighters throughout their careers and beyond, focusing on prevention, early intervention and long-term wellbeing.
Through our firefighter health and wellbeing programme, the Government is working with the sector to strengthen the evidence base, support and improve understanding of the long-term risks firefighters face. This includes considering how national activity can better support services in protecting firefighters’ health, safety and wellbeing during demanding operational activity.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Cancer Plan for England, published on 4 February 2026, in which areas is the proactive approach to identifying people at greatest risk of pancreatic cancer currently operating; and whether she plans to expand its geographical coverage.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is currently operating the pancreatic case finding pilot in selected primary care networks in the following cancer alliances:
NHS England will be undertaking an evaluation of the pilot. This will inform next steps including whether the geographical coverage should be extended.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of guidance on the risks of cosmetic and elective surgery overseas in reducing the number of UK residents who experience complications following such procedures.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not formally assessed the effectiveness of this guidance.
The guidance provides information to help people understand the risks and make informed decisions before seeking treatment abroad. It was developed with input from clinical and professional bodies to ensure its accuracy.
However, it is not possible to accurately determine whether the guidance has reduced complications. This is because patient records do not consistently identify whether an individual has accessed the National Health Service in relation to treatment they received overseas. We are exploring ways to improve our understanding.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what level of priority her Department places on palliative and end-of-life care; and whether the Modern Service Framework for Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care will include measures to increase funding for hospices in England.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 20 July 2026 to the Hon Member for Hinckley and Bosworth to Question 18732 and to the answer given on 13 July 2026 to the Hon Member for Stratford-on-Avon to Question 16185, which set out the Government's position on this matter.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of Hospice UK's call for £112.5 million in recurring revenue funding from 2026-27 onwards, for specialist palliative care delivered by hospices.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 20 July 2026 to the Hon Member for Hinckley and Bosworth to Question 18732 and to the answer given on 13 July 2026 to the Hon Member for Stratford-on-Avon to Question 16185, which set out the Government's position on this matter.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many trees have been planted in England in each of the last two years; and what proportion of those trees were planted in urban and residential areas.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Forestry Commission publishes planting statistics annually. Approximately 17,571,000 trees were planted in England between April 2023 and March 2025 contributing to the statutory tree canopy target. Approximately 3% were within built up areas.
Government funding is supporting planting in urban areas. This includes working with the Tree Council to invest over £3 million since April 2025 to plant trees outside woods. Approximately 125,000 trees have been planted in urban areas across 28 local authorities. We are currently developing future options for planting support for urban trees.
Tree planting rates over the last two years (2024/25 and 2025/26) are the highest in England for more than two decades, with over 13,500 hectares of trees planted over these two years.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to date, a) how many of the 1,000+ planned inspections into engineered stone silica dust exposure has the Health and Safety Executive carried out since April 2026, and b) what have these inspections found.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
As of 1st September 2026, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has undertaken 226 inspections of premises where engineered stone may be being used, leading to inspectors serving 394 enforcement notices.
At this stage of the inspection programme it is not possible to draw general conclusions about the overall levels of compliance in the sector.