Asked by: Michelle Welsh (Labour - Sherwood Forest)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure local authorities fix potholes in Nottinghamshire.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to tackling the poor state of our roads which is why it has confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance over the next four years. This new, four-year funding settlement is in addition to the Government’s investment of £1.6 billion this year, a £500 million increase compared to last year.
Nottinghamshire sits within East Midlands Combined County Authority, who will receive highways maintenance funding consolidated within a £2,038 million Transport for City Regions settlement. This settlement provides longer term funding certainty for local transport improvements to 2031/32. In 2026/27, they will also be eligible to receive an additional £20.8 million in highways maintenance incentive funding.
Furthermore, the Department published a new traffic light rating system on 11 January. Under this system, all local highway authorities in England received a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so using best practice. The Department has also published an interactive map which means residents can see how their authority is performing and allow the Government to target support to those who need extra help. Nottinghamshire received an overall amber rating, with individual scorecards showing amber for condition, green for spend and amber for best practice.
Asked by: Michelle Welsh (Labour - Sherwood Forest)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost of removing the three month waiting period for Child Disability Living Allowance.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are no plans to remove the three month qualifying period for Child Disability Living Allowance and no estimate has been made of the cost of doing so. The three month qualifying period is not a waiting period. Its purpose is to help establish that the disability or health condition, and the resulting care, supervision or mobility needs are of a long-standing nature. This ensures that disability benefits are targeted to support those with long term health conditions or disabilities.
Children applying for DLA do not always have to wait for the full three months from the date of their claim before they become entitled to the benefit. The case manager will always look at whether, and for how long, the person has required the necessary level of help for care and/or mobility purposes before the date of claim and consider whether some or all of the qualifying period has already been completed.
Children claiming DLA under the special rules for end of life do not have to satisfy the three month qualifying period. Their claim is fast tracked, and they are eligible for the higher-rate care component from the date of claim.
Asked by: Michelle Welsh (Labour - Sherwood Forest)
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 polycystic ovary syndrome is explicitly recognised within the scope of digitally delivered women’s health services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that women suffering with gynaecological conditions, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have been failed for far too long, and we know that more needs to be done to support women with PCOS.
As announced in September 2025, we will establish an “online hospital”, NHS Online, which will give people on certain pathways the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home. It will connect patients with clinicians across the country through secure, online appointments accessed through the NHS App.
In January 2026, we announced the conditions and specialities that NHS Online will initially focus on. Menstrual problems that may be a sign of several conditions, including PCOS, will be among the conditions available for referral to NHS Online from 2027.
We’ve chosen some of the conditions with the longest waits and where online consultation works best.
Asked by: Michelle Welsh (Labour - Sherwood Forest)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) will be included among the conditions eligible for referral and treatment under the menstrual health services provided by the new NHS Online Hospital announced by NHS England on 5 January 2026.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Online will be a new, optional online service allowing patients to digitally connect with clinicians across England. In January 2026, we announced the specialities and conditions that NHS Online will initially focus on. Menstrual problems that may be a sign of several conditions, including polycystic ovary syndrome, will be among the conditions available for referral to NHS Online from 2027. We’ve chosen some of the conditions with the longest waits and where online consultation works best.
NHS Online will help to reduce patient waiting times, delivering the equivalent of up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years, four times more than an average trust, while enhancing patient choice and control over their care.
Asked by: Michelle Welsh (Labour - Sherwood Forest)
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 violence against women and girls on the number of people going missing.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Violence against women and girls is a national emergency, and we’ve made it our mission to halve it in a decade. We are deploying the full power of the state through our VAWG Strategy, which was published on 18th December 2025.
Every missing person case deserves a swift and thorough response from all safeguarding agencies. We also recognise the link between a person going missing and their vulnerability to violence against women and girls, which is why tackling VAWG remains central to our approach.
The Missing Persons Authorised Professional Practice, established by the College of Policing, provides a comprehensive national framework that police forces in England and Wales must follow in missing person investigations. Within this, the National Crime Agency (NCA) publishes an annual report setting out available data on missing persons.
Missing People Ltd has been in receipt of Home Office funding for its core support services since 2011, including its helpline. This is in recognition of the work of the police as a multiagency safeguarding partner and the role in some missing cases.
Asked by: Michelle Welsh (Labour - Sherwood Forest)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure police are aware of the potential impact of violence against women and girls has on the number of people missing people.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Violence against women and girls is a national emergency, and we’ve made it our mission to halve it in a decade. We are deploying the full power of the state through our VAWG Strategy, which was published on 18th December 2025.
Every missing person case deserves a swift and thorough response from all safeguarding agencies. We also recognise the link between a person going missing and their vulnerability to violence against women and girls, which is why tackling VAWG remains central to our approach.
The Missing Persons Authorised Professional Practice, established by the College of Policing, provides a comprehensive national framework that police forces in England and Wales must follow in missing person investigations. Within this, the National Crime Agency (NCA) publishes an annual report setting out available data on missing persons.
Missing People Ltd has been in receipt of Home Office funding for its core support services since 2011, including its helpline. This is in recognition of the work of the police as a multiagency safeguarding partner and the role in some missing cases.
Asked by: Michelle Welsh (Labour - Sherwood Forest)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of including missing people in future work to tackle violence against women and girls.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Violence against women and girls is a national emergency, and we’ve made it our mission to halve it in a decade. We are deploying the full power of the state through our VAWG Strategy, which was published on 18th December 2025.
Every missing person case deserves a swift and thorough response from all safeguarding agencies. We also recognise the link between a person going missing and their vulnerability to violence against women and girls, which is why tackling VAWG remains central to our approach.
The Missing Persons Authorised Professional Practice, established by the College of Policing, provides a comprehensive national framework that police forces in England and Wales must follow in missing person investigations. Within this, the National Crime Agency (NCA) publishes an annual report setting out available data on missing persons.
Missing People Ltd has been in receipt of Home Office funding for its core support services since 2011, including its helpline. This is in recognition of the work of the police as a multiagency safeguarding partner and the role in some missing cases.
Asked by: Michelle Welsh (Labour - Sherwood Forest)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Government's consultation on alcohol licensing reform on local newspapers.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Following the Licensing taskforce report, the Government published a Call for Evidence on reforming the licensing system on 7 October, which closed on 6 November. The Call for Evidence invited views on the impact of licensing reforms, including in relation to Recommendation 4 of the taskforce on ending the requirement for printed statutory notices in local newspapers for alcohol licences. The reforms collectively aim to create a modern, proportionate, and enabling system that supports economic growth, revitalises high streets and fosters vibrant communities.
More broadly, the Government is concerned about the sustainability of local journalism and DCMS is developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. We also recognise that local press continues to play a central role in informing local communities, and that statutory notices can be important in helping inform the public of decisions made by their council which may affect their quality of life, local services or amenities, or their property.
Additionally, the sector’s Public Notice Portal is a welcome innovation, taking advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences and providing a centralised resource for all types of public notice. We also welcome the Portal's current expansion to include archive and consultation functions to help public bodies and commercial entities engage with the public more effectively.
DCMS is monitoring the progress of the Portal, and the effect that it has on the audience reach of public notices. This type of industry innovation and collaboration is integral to securing the sector’s future. It will be taken into account in our planned review of statutory notices as part of the Local Media Strategy, which will more broadly consider the merits of making changes to existing requirements to place statutory notices in print local newspapers, including the impact this has on local transparency and the newspaper industry. The review will also take forward final decisions on the future of alcohol licence notices. More will be announced on the Strategy and the review in due course.
Asked by: Michelle Welsh (Labour - Sherwood Forest)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure online retailers clearly disclose (a) international return locations and (b) costs before purchase.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 prohibits unfair commercial practices, including misleading actions and omissions of material information, that are likely to impact the average consumer’s transactional decision.
The DMCCA also requires traders, including online retailers, to display prices inclusive of all taxes and unavoidable charges before payment is made. Prices must be accurate and not misleading. Failure to do this may be taken as an unfair trading practice and constitute an offence.
Asked by: Michelle Welsh (Labour - Sherwood Forest)
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 tirzepatide remains at an affordable rate for people not prescribed the medication through the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As we shift the focus from treatment to prevention through our 10 Year Health Plan, we are determined to bring revolutionary modern treatments to everyone who needs them, not just those who can afford to pay.
NHS England has worked with Eli Lilly to ensure that the list price increase will not affect National Health Service commissioning of tirzepatide in England as a treatment for eligible patients, and we remain committed to the rollout of this medicine as a weight loss treatment based on clinical priority. This will enable 220,000 eligible people to access the medication over the first three years. Not everyone who wants tirzepatide will be able to access it at first, and the initial eligibility criteria will be for people with a body mass index of 40 or more in addition to four or more qualifying comorbidities.
Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have also entered equivalent agreements to maintain their current commissioning approaches.
Pricing in the private market is a matter for Eli Lilly and for private providers. Private patients who are impacted by price increases should discuss any concerns with their private provider. This includes their options regarding payment plans, alternative treatments, and/or stopping or tapering off their current medication. Eli Lilly is working with private providers to support continued patient access.