Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Operation Clear, Hold, Build on sex workers’ safety.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office published an independent impact evaluation of Clear, Hold, Build in January 2025. The evaluation examined five police-recorded crime groupings: total police-recorded crime; anti-social behaviour-related crimes; violence; and acquisitive crime and drug offences. It also considered community perceptions, but did not specifically assess the impact of Clear, Hold, Build on the safety of sex workers.
As set out in the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy published on 18 December 2025, we have committed to ‘review the law on prostitution to ensure that it better protects women and girls’ and to ‘strengthen the law enforcement response to sexual exploitation’. Further details on next steps for this commitment will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to end the criminalisation of sex work.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office published an independent impact evaluation of Clear, Hold, Build in January 2025. The evaluation examined five police-recorded crime groupings: total police-recorded crime; anti-social behaviour-related crimes; violence; and acquisitive crime and drug offences. It also considered community perceptions, but did not specifically assess the impact of Clear, Hold, Build on the safety of sex workers.
As set out in the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy published on 18 December 2025, we have committed to ‘review the law on prostitution to ensure that it better protects women and girls’ and to ‘strengthen the law enforcement response to sexual exploitation’. Further details on next steps for this commitment will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued to local planning authorities on the allocation of land owned by those authorities within local plans.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local planning authorities are permitted to allocate land that they own for development in local plans. Any such allocations would be subject to public consultation and examination by an independent planning inspector before they can be confirmed.
When planning applications are brought forward for development on such allocated land, the Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992 ensure that they cannot be decided by a committee or officer responsible for the management of any land or buildings to which the applications relate.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local planning authorities are permitted to allocate land that they own for (a) housing and (b) mixed-use development in local plans.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local planning authorities are permitted to allocate land that they own for development in local plans. Any such allocations would be subject to public consultation and examination by an independent planning inspector before they can be confirmed.
When planning applications are brought forward for development on such allocated land, the Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992 ensure that they cannot be decided by a committee or officer responsible for the management of any land or buildings to which the applications relate.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the number of people with eating disorders who could be treated through intensive community or day treatment services rather than inpatient admission; and whether she plans to increase investment in these services.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is no current estimate of the kind described by the Hon. Member, but on the wider issues she has raised, the Independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism was published on 9 October, providing analysis and recommendations across a wide range of issues relating to the current provision of services, including the treatment of eating disorders.
The Government issued an initial response on the day of publication, but we will set out the full action we are taking in response to the review recommendations in our new Mental Health Strategy to be published later this year, including in relation to the issues raised by the Hon. Member.
The response is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-pledges-earlier-support-to-tackle-mental-health-crises
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether mechanisms are in place to ensure independent scrutiny of the findings and recommendations of the review into the Organisation, Performance and Transformation of the Permanent Civil Service.
Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The review will draw on a wide range of expert advisers from academia, private, public, civil society, and international spheres. It will welcome views and input from across Parliament, and engage with the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee and the Lords Constitution Committee. An external expert advisory panel is being constituted to inform the review. Decisions on the recommendations will be for the Prime Minister.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the High Income Child Benefit Charge on bereaved single parents; and whether he will consider introducing an exemption or other adjustment to the charge for parents who are the sole earner in their household following the death of a spouse or partner.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The Government recognises the challenges faced by bereaved single parents, including where one person is solely responsible for household income and caring responsibilities.
The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events, and does not routinely comment on proposals.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will undertake a review of whether serious child sexual abuse prosecutions should be given priority listing where there is evidence that a defendant may become medically unfit to stand trial before proceedings are concluded.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, listing is a judicial responsibility. The judiciary have introduced a new National Listing Framework, implemented through their Practice Direction on Listing in the Criminal Courts which came into effect on 1 October. This framework puts the human impact of delays at the heart of the decisions that the court makes regarding listing. In assessing this impact, the court must have regard to:
The changes mean that all cases involving sexual offending will be prioritised across England and Wales.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has considered introducing additional forms of judicial recognition, formal findings, or symbolic accountability measures in cases where a court has determined that a defendant committed the acts alleged, but a conventional criminal sentence cannot lawfully be imposed.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government agrees that this area of law needs to be updated. The Law Commission reviewed the law on unfitness to plead and the Government has accepted the majority of its recommendations including a modernised legal test, changes to the fact-finding process and wider disposals.
The Government is actively considering how best to take these forward, alongside the defence of insanity, which is also being considered by the Law Commission. This is a complex area of law and it is important that any future reforms are considered carefully to ensure that the legislation is coherent, workable and provides protections for defendants, victims and the public.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the legal framework governing Trials of Fact in recognising proven wrongdoing in cases where a defendant is found unfit to plead.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government agrees that this area of law needs to be updated. The Law Commission reviewed the law on unfitness to plead and the Government has accepted the majority of its recommendations including a modernised legal test, changes to the fact-finding process and wider disposals.
The Government is actively considering how best to take these forward, alongside the defence of insanity, which is also being considered by the Law Commission. This is a complex area of law and it is important that any future reforms are considered carefully to ensure that the legislation is coherent, workable and provides protections for defendants, victims and the public.