Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure the safety of asylum seekers accommodated in hotels in the North West, in the context of rising community tensions.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The safety and security of the local communities in which hotels are located, the staff who work there, and the asylum-seekers staying there is of paramount importance, and on-site security staff monitor each hotel round the clock. Our accommodation providers are experienced and have robust policies and procedures in place around health and safety, security, safeguarding, and critical incident management. Security arrangements are kept under continual review and can be adapted at pace if required, in consultation with the police and other agencies.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent arson attacks on hotels housing asylum seekers.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The safety and security of the local communities in which hotels are located, the staff who work there, and the asylum-seekers staying there is of paramount importance, and on-site security staff monitor each hotel round the clock. Our accommodation providers are experienced and have robust policies and procedures in place around health and safety, security, safeguarding, and critical incident management. Security arrangements are kept under continual review and can be adapted at pace if required, in consultation with the police and other agencies.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking with financial institutions to provide (a) (i) emergency and (ii) discreet access to banking, (b) financial independence tools, (c) specialist support services and (d) other (A) privacy and (B) safety measures for people fleeing domestic violence.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The Government recognises the important role that access to financial services products plays in supporting victim-survivors of domestic abuse to establish financial independence. The financial services sector has carried out significant work on this to date to enhance understanding of financial and economic abuse and develop solutions which provide support to their customers. This includes initiatives like UK Finance’s Financial Abuse Code which provides guidance for firms on how they should respond when a customer is facing abuse, including training employees to recognise and respond to the potential signs and effects of financial abuse and to support victim-survivors to access financial services in their own name.

Economic abuse is also a cross-cutting theme of the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy which will be published later this year. The strategy will seek to tackle a range of barriers to individuals’ access to financial services and products and build on the sector’s work to date in supporting victim-survivors to establish financial independence.

More widely, the Government recently announced a £19.9 million investment to support victims of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). As part of this, £1.96m is being invested into the Flexible Fund which provides financial support to victim-survivors to enable them to leave abusive situations and begin to rebuild their lives.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to provide people with Parkinson's disease with a personal plan to allow (a) access to, (b) advice from and (c) treatment by a multidisciplinary team of (i) Parkinson’s nurses, (ii) physiotherapists, (iii) nutritionists, (iv) speech therapists and (v) other relevant health professionals.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Our 10-Year Health Plan will ensure that people with complex needs are supported to be active participants in their own care. As part of this, 95% of people with complex needs or long-term conditions like Parkison’s disease will have an agreed personalised care plan by 2027. Care plans will be a feature of the developing Neighbourhood Health Service, which will provide integrated, accessible, and localised services that will focus on early detection and diagnosis, and comprehensive multidisciplinary care. By being community-based, the centres will reduce barriers to care and ongoing support and will empower patients to manage their condition more effectively.

From 2026, ‘Diagnosis Connect’ will ensure patients are referred directly to trusted charities and support organisations as soon as they are diagnosed. It will ensure that patients are provided with timely, personalised advice, information, and guidance to help them manage their condition, improve their control over it, and navigate the complex support systems they may face. The Department has already had conversations with Parkinson’s UK about its ‘Parkinson’s Connect’ programme and will continue to do so in the context of ‘Diagnosis Connect’.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consider the potential merits of providing a leaflet to people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease with (a) information about the disease, (b) the relevant contact numbers for their (i) hospital and (ii) nurse and (c) local support groups available to them.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Our 10-Year Health Plan will ensure that people with complex needs are supported to be active participants in their own care. As part of this, 95% of people with complex needs or long-term conditions like Parkison’s disease will have an agreed personalised care plan by 2027. Care plans will be a feature of the developing Neighbourhood Health Service, which will provide integrated, accessible, and localised services that will focus on early detection and diagnosis, and comprehensive multidisciplinary care. By being community-based, the centres will reduce barriers to care and ongoing support and will empower patients to manage their condition more effectively.

From 2026, ‘Diagnosis Connect’ will ensure patients are referred directly to trusted charities and support organisations as soon as they are diagnosed. It will ensure that patients are provided with timely, personalised advice, information, and guidance to help them manage their condition, improve their control over it, and navigate the complex support systems they may face. The Department has already had conversations with Parkinson’s UK about its ‘Parkinson’s Connect’ programme and will continue to do so in the context of ‘Diagnosis Connect’.

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 the provision of adequate levels of funding for seeking a cure for Parkinson's disease.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Government responsibility for delivering research into Parkinson’s disease is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation.

The Government is investing in Parkinson’s disease research across all areas, from causes, prevention, and diagnosis to treatment and care, including for carers. Between financial years 2019/20 and 2023/24, the Government spent a total of £79.1 million on research into Parkinson’s disease.

One example of ongoing research into Parkinson’s disease is the UK Dementia Research Institute’s new partnership with Parkinson’s UK to establish a £10 million research centre dedicated to better understanding the causes of Parkinson’s and finding new treatments.

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including Parkinson’s disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on Parkinson’s disease to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase climate resilience in agriculture.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

We are providing farmers and land managers with the support needed to help restore nature, which is vital to safeguard our long-term food security and build resilience to climate change. There are currently record numbers of farmers taking part in farming schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive. As of April 2025, these schemes supported 885,000 hectares of arable land being farmed without insecticides; 330,000 hectares of low input grassland being managed sustainably; and 85,000 kilometres of hedgerows being protected and restored.

In the recent spending review, we allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament, the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history.

This means:

• Funding for the Environmental Land Management Schemes paid to farmers will increase by 150% from £800 million in 2023/24 to £2 billion by 2028/29.

• Overall farmers and land managers will benefit from an average of £2.3 billion a year through the Farming and Countryside Programme.

• And up to £400 million from additional nature schemes, including those for tree planting and peatland restoration.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to increase (a) cycling safety and (b) increase uptake of cycling in (i) Preston and (ii) Lancashire.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

In February, we announced almost £300 million funding for active travel in 2024/25 and 2025/26. Lancashire County Council has been awarded over £1.4 million in capital funding for 24/25 and over £4.5 million in revenue funding for 24/25 and capital funding for 25/26.

Officers in Active Travel England are working with colleagues in Lancashire County Council to support the delivery of active travel schemes and to signpost guidance and best practice on safety and accessibility. We look forward to working with the new county combined authority as it takes over strategic highways responsibilities into 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the rate of people who were killed or seriously injured between junctions 31 and 33 of the M6 in the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Safety is National Highways’ top priority and it regularly reviews the safety performance of routes in the North West region. National Highways will be undertaking a route safety study for the M6 this financial year, which it expects to complete by March 2026.

The information requested on killed and seriously injured rates is not readily available as National Highways does not routinely undertake this analysis at specific junctions.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many victims of domestic violence had a known mental health disorder in (a) Preston and (b) Lancashire in the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office collects information on the number of offences recorded by the police in England and Wales that were domestic abuse-related at the Police Force Area level. Information is not collected on whether the victims of these offences had known mental health disorders or not.

The Home Office does not hold data on how many people with domestic abuse allegations have gone on to be convicted for offences related to public disorder or extremism. Information on convictions is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people with domestic abuse allegations have gone on to be convicted for offences related to public disorder or extremism in each of the last five years.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office collects information on the number of offences recorded by the police in England and Wales that were domestic abuse-related at the Police Force Area level. Information is not collected on whether the victims of these offences had known mental health disorders or not.

The Home Office does not hold data on how many people with domestic abuse allegations have gone on to be convicted for offences related to public disorder or extremism. Information on convictions is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what metrics are used to assess the (a) uptake and (b) effectiveness of the Ask for Angela scheme; and what information her Department holds on its usage in licensed venues.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Ask for Angela is not a Government scheme and therefore the Home Office does not hold information on the metrics to assess uptake and effectiveness. The scheme may hold relevant information and can be contacted online at: https://askforangela.co.uk/contact-us/

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there are Parkinson's trained assessors for benefit assessments involving applicants with a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to ensuring that individuals with Parkinson’s disease and other health conditions receive high-quality, objective, and accurate assessments. To uphold this commitment, DWP has established clear competency standards for health professionals (HPs), as outlined in its official guidance and regulatory framework.

DWP recognises the importance of ensuring HPs conducting assessments possess the necessary experience, skills, and training. To uphold this standard, DWP has established clear competency requirements, outlined in both guidance and regulations. Assessment suppliers must demonstrate that their HPs meet these standards before they are authorised to carry out assessments on behalf of the department.

DWP does not require HPs to be specialists in the specific medical conditions or impairments of the individuals they assess. Instead, the emphasis is on ensuring HPs are experts in disability analysis, focusing on how a person’s condition affects their daily life and functional abilities.

All HPs receive thorough training in disability analysis, which includes evaluating the impact of a wide range of health conditions on everyday activities. To support this, DWP provides suppliers with core training material and guidance on conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease. These contain clinical and functional information relevant to the condition and is quality assured to ensure its accuracy from both a clinical and policy perspective.

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 implications for his policies of trends in the number of patients who have been referred by their GP for a possible Parkinson's diagnosis and are not seen by a neurologist or geriatrician within 18 weeks in line with NICE guidance.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise the importance of a timely diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and remain committed to delivering the National Health Service constitutional standard for 92% of patients to wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. This includes patients waiting for elective treatment on neurological pathways.

We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring lists and waiting times down. We provided additional investment in the Autumn Budget 2024 that has enabled us to fulfil our pledge to deliver over two million more elective care appointments early. More than double that number, 4.9 million more appointments, have now been delivered.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard.

The Getting It Right First Time programme, which provides tailored regional and national support to providers, also has a neurology specific Further Faster workstream. This is a clinically led initiative supporting peer to peer learning and improvement. A neurology 'handbook' and checklist with benchmarked data and case studies has been published and there are regular neurology online sessions for clinical and operational leads.

The shifts outlined in our 10-Year Health Plan will free up hospital-based neurologists’ and geriatricians’ time by shifting care from hospitals to communities, utilising digital technology to reduce administrative burdens, and promoting prevention to reduce the onset and severity of neurological conditions that lead to hospital admissions. This includes expanding community-based services, employing artificial intelligence for productivity, developing integrated neighbourhood health teams, and investing in digital tools and data. These shifts will enable earlier identification and management of Parkinson's disease, allowing specialists to focus on complex cases and improve patient outcomes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 60418 on medical testing, how much of the £600 million capital spending this year on diagnostics including funding all pathology networks will be allocated to (a) Lancashire Teaching Hospitals and (b) Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board.

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

As part of the £1.65 billion for investment to improve National Health Service performance against constitutional standards in 2025/26, £600 million was allocated to diagnostics. Final allocation of this funding will be agreed via national panels upon receipt and review of business cases.

To date, the Department has approved £2,267,000 capital to Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust from this overall allocation.

25th anniversary of Garstang becoming the world's First Fairtrade Town