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 neurodevelopmental assessments for children, including assessments for autism and ADHD, are carried out to an adequate and consistent standard across England, in line with NICE guidance, and that such assessments involve appropriate multidisciplinary input and sufficient direct observation of the child.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays for accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future, recognising the need for early intervention and support.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to autism and ADHD assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the National Health Service to deliver improved outcomes for people referred to an autism assessment service. The guidance also sets out what support should be available before an assessment and following a recent diagnosis of autism. Since publication, NHS England has been supporting systems and services to identify where there are challenges for implementation and how they might overcome these.

NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop an ADHD data improvement plan to inform future service planning. NHS England has also captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.

The Medium-Term Planning Framework, published 24 October, was explicit that ICBs and providers are expected to optimise existing resources to reduce long waits for ADHD and autism assessments and improve the quality of assessments by implementing existing and new guidance, as published.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism. This independent review will inform our new approach to mental health so people receive the right support, at the right time and in the right place. Likewise, the review will inform our approach so that people with ADHD and autistic people have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that national planning policy supports the delivery of specialist and adaptable housing for older people by almshouses, community-led and charitable housing providers, including small charities that are not registered providers.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, proposed a number of changes to support the delivery of specialist forms of accommodation such as housing for older people and accessible housing.

We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the automatic release of Standard Determinate Recall prisoners under the Sentencing Act 2026 on public protection; and if he will publish the (a) criteria used to determine exemptions from automatic release and (b) number of prisoners expected to be released in each tranche between 31 March and 12 May 2026; and what safeguards are in place to manage cases involving people assessed as presenting a high risk of serious harm.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

An Impact Assessment, published on 1 September 2025, set out the expected effects of the automatic release following the implementation of the recall provisions in the Sentencing Act 2026, including their implications for public protection. Eligible offenders will be released from prisons across England and Wales; the precise number of offenders released via each tranche will be known once individual cases are processed. Details of changes to the recall population are published regularly in Offender Management Statistics.

Public protection remains paramount. We have gone further than the Independent Sentencing Review recommended by excluding offenders assessed as posing a greater risk, including those managed at the higher levels of Multi‑Agency Public Protection Arrangements. Furthermore, over 17,000 prisoners are serving sentences that will not be affected by these reforms: this includes those serving Extended Determinate Sentences, along with Life and Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences.

Additionally, the Secretary of State can convert a fixed‑term recall to a standard recall in exceptional circumstances, where an offender is assessed as presenting a high risk of serious harm at the end of their recall period, according to the specific criteria outlined in the legislation.

Government response to Israel’s West Bank annexation plan

Found: Correspondence from Mike Martin MP relating to water supply issues in Tunbridge Wells, and summary of

Found: (Labour; Aldershot) Lincoln Jopp (Conservative; Spelthorne) Emma Lewell (Labour; South Shields) Mike Martin

Found: Labour; Rotherham) Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour; Slough)Bill Esterson (Labour; Sefton Central) Mike Martin

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