Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to inland waters for responsible recreational users.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and encourages safe and responsible access to the countryside through the Countryside Code and support for nationwide water safety campaigns.
Public access onto around 3,400 miles of our regulated inland waterways, including several of the larger rivers, is available through the licensing regimes of the navigation authorities that own or manage them.
As set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025, Defra committed to consulting on measures to ensure that everyone has access to nature close to home and to strengthen the public’s legal rights to access through an Access to Nature Green Paper to be published during this Parliament. This includes exploring the feasibility of increasing access onto unregulated waterways, and Defra is committed to working with stakeholders as this develops.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether steps will be taken to increase transparency in reporting on the allocation of revenue across infrastructure investment, executive remuneration, shareholder returns and customer bills across the water industry.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have already taken steps to increase transparency of water company finances. Under the Water (Special Measures) Act, water companies are required to ensure the public has access to clear and concise information on their finances. In March 2026, Ofwat published updated financial transparency requirements, which include new reporting requirements for water companies on dividends and the total remuneration received by each director (including any bonuses) in their annual performance reports. Companies already report on infrastructure investment and customer bills in their annual performance reports.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect the health of people using inland waters for recreation.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government will bring forward legislation through the Clean Water Bill, announced in the King’s Speech on 13 May, to deliver major reforms to the water system.
Public health will be at the heart of these reforms, alongside measures to strengthen regulation, improve water quality and tackle pollution at source, as set out in the Water White Paper.
The Government recently designated 13 new bathing waters, including six river sites. Designated bathing waters are regularly monitored during the bathing season, and water quality results are published on the Swimfo website. This helps to protect public health, allowing individuals to make more informed decisions about when and where to enter the water.
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 assessment he has made of the potential impact of transferring the functions of Healthwatch into Government or NHS bodies on patient representation; and what safeguards he will put in place to ensure (a) the independence of the patient voice, (b) public trust, and (c) accountability in patient engagement.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
An impact assessment has been undertaken and published alongside the introduction of the Health Bill 2026. It outlines the non-monetised benefits, including the streamlining of the landscape and legislation, avoiding duplication of activity, and increased accountability for listening to the patient and user voice in the commissioning and delivery of services.
Integrated care boards will have a statutory obligation to obtain the views of people who use health services, and their carers and representatives. Local authorities will have the same responsibility in respect of care services and their public health services. If an organisation is failing to carry out their statutory functions, there will be a power for my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to issue directions.
Patients will still be able to raise issues through patient participation groups where they exist, as well as through National Health Service and local authority complaints processes, the NHS Friends and Family Test, and national surveys.
The existing complaints regulations allow people to make a formal complaint to a provider or commissioner of services, and, ultimately, the appropriate ombudsman. Healthwatch had no legal responsibility for complaints and, therefore, the abolition of Healthwatch services will not affect the complaints process.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of (a) compliance and (b) enforcement processes for financial orders made in divorce proceedings; and whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a system of automatic (i) monitoring and (ii) enforcement of such orders.
Answered by Catherine Atkinson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government acknowledges that there is clear evidence of challenges faced in financial remedy proceedings on divorce, in relation both to compliance with financial orders and the effectiveness of enforcement where there is a failure to comply. Enforcement in particular is a critical issue within the wider context of domestic abuse, including economic abuse, as failure to secure compliance can perpetuate harm and undermine court orders.
The Family Court has a range of powers to enforce compliance with financial orders, including attachment of earnings orders, third party debt orders, charging orders and orders for sale, warrants of control and committal for contempt of court. The Law Commission published a report in 2016 on enforcement of financial remedy orders and made recommendations for primary and secondary legislative change. These recommendations did not include automatic monitoring or enforcement systems.
The Government launched A Fairer End to Relationships consultation on 5 June, which considers issues relating to domestic abuse and financial proceedings on divorce. The consultation closes on 14 August. Whilst this consultation does not cover the issue of enforcement, the Government continues to recognise its importance and will give further careful consideration to how it might best be addressed.
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 oversight his Department has exercised over the implementation of Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Resource to Risk Plan; and whether he has assessed the potential impact of that plan on fire cover in rural communities.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Decisions on how fire and rescue services (FRSs) are run, including the number and locations of fire stations or crewing numbers, are for the local fire and rescue authority (FRA) and its Chief Fire Officer. Warwickshire County Council is responsible for managing the allocation and use of funds for Warwickshire FRS, and in 2026/27 they will have a core spending power of £641.32 million, an increase of 6.84% compared to 2025/26.
When considering proposals for station provision, it is the responsibility of the FRA to assess the impact on response times as part of their overall assessment of community risk as part of their Community Risk Management Plan (CRMPs).
The FRA is also responsible for ensuring the public safety needs and demands of their local community are met.
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 he has reviewed data on fire appliance response times in areas affected by changes to fire and rescue service resourcing in Warwickshire; and if he will require Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service to publish updated risk assessments demonstrating that service levels remain compliant with national standards.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Decisions on how fire and rescue services (FRSs) are run, including the number and locations of fire stations or crewing numbers, are for the local fire and rescue authority (FRA) and its Chief Fire Officer. Warwickshire County Council is responsible for managing the allocation and use of funds for Warwickshire FRS, and in 2026/27 they will have a core spending power of £641.32 million, an increase of 6.84% compared to 2025/26.
When considering proposals for station provision, it is the responsibility of the FRA to assess the impact on response times as part of their overall assessment of community risk as part of their Community Risk Management Plan (CRMPs).
The FRA is also responsible for ensuring the public safety needs and demands of their local community are met.
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 assessment he has made of the adequacy of fire and rescue provision in rural areas, including Stratford-on-Avon; and whether additional (a) guidance and (b) protections are being considered to prevent the (i) closure and (ii) downgrading of fire stations serving dispersed populations.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Decisions on how fire and rescue services (FRSs) are run, including the number and locations of fire stations or crewing numbers, are for the local fire and rescue authority (FRA) and its Chief Fire Officer. Warwickshire County Council is responsible for managing the allocation and use of funds for Warwickshire FRS, and in 2026/27 they will have a core spending power of £641.32 million, an increase of 6.84% compared to 2025/26.
When considering proposals for station provision, it is the responsibility of the FRA to assess the impact on response times as part of their overall assessment of community risk as part of their Community Risk Management Plan (CRMPs).
The FRA is also responsible for ensuring the public safety needs and demands of their local community are met.
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 mechanisms are available to (i) residents and (ii) elected representatives to challenge reductions in fire and rescue service cover at a local level; and whether he plans to improve oversight in areas with concerns about public safety.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Decisions on how fire and rescue services (FRSs) are run, including the number and locations of fire stations or crewing numbers, are for the local fire and rescue authority (FRA) and its Chief Fire Officer. Warwickshire County Council is responsible for managing the allocation and use of funds for Warwickshire FRS, and in 2026/27 they will have a core spending power of £641.32 million, an increase of 6.84% compared to 2025/26.
When considering proposals for station provision, it is the responsibility of the FRA to assess the impact on response times as part of their overall assessment of community risk as part of their Community Risk Management Plan (CRMPs).
The FRA is also responsible for ensuring the public safety needs and demands of their local community are met.
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 he has considered evidence from fire service representative bodies regarding response time modelling and service coverage in Warwickshire.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Decisions on how fire and rescue services (FRSs) are run, including the number and locations of fire stations or crewing numbers, are for the local fire and rescue authority (FRA) and its Chief Fire Officer. Warwickshire County Council is responsible for managing the allocation and use of funds for Warwickshire FRS, and in 2026/27 they will have a core spending power of £641.32 million, an increase of 6.84% compared to 2025/26.
When considering proposals for station provision, it is the responsibility of the FRA to assess the impact on response times as part of their overall assessment of community risk as part of their Community Risk Management Plan (CRMPs).
The FRA is also responsible for ensuring the public safety needs and demands of their local community are met.