Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the long-term housing strategy will include steps to grow the Integrated Retirement Community sector.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 87630 on 11 November 2025.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the National Crime Agency is taking to investigate organised financial crime networks coordinating fraud schemes involving overseas equities and UK-based victims; and whether she is making additional enforcement resources available to support those investigations.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The National Crime Agency (NCA) continuously assesses the origin of organised financial networks targeting UK based victims from overseas and does so through in-depth analysis of intelligence from across the public and private sectors.
This analysis enables the identification of key jurisdictions of risk which in-turn determines the prioritisation of resources and enrichment of partnerships with international law enforcement, the latter being afforded by the NCA’s niche capability of an international network comprising officers deployed in 50 countries worldwide.
Through these relationships, the NCA seek to disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups using various tools including protracted joint investigations, capacity building and information sharing. Efforts this year, have resulted in a significant uplift on executive action being undertaken in source countries which have specifically targeted UK victims through high-harm fraud threats types.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to issue revised guidance on the placement of people with Gender Recognition Certificates who have undergone surgery on hospital wards.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is currently reviewing its Delivering same-sex accommodation guidance and will ensure that it reflects the Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland Ltd v. The Scottish Ministers ruling, and is aligned with the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s statutory Code of Practice (the Code) when that becomes available.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
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 trends in the level of corn allergies; whether he plans to include corn on the list of major allergens emphasised on food labels; and what steps he is taking to ensure that people with rare but clinically significant allergies can safely identify allergens in packaged foods and when eating out.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are a large number of potential food ingredients that may cause allergic reactions in sensitised individuals. The current 14 regulated allergens are recognised as the most common and potent allergens of public health concern across Europe. They must be clearly identified on prepacked foods and communicated effectively when eating out.
Available evidence, though limited, suggests corn allergy remains rare in the United Kingdom, with no indication of an increasing trend, and it is not part of the current list of regulated allergens.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) ensures that labelling requirements enable consumers to make informed choices about all ingredients, including corn.
Food businesses must provide clear and accessible allergen information. For prepacked and prepacked for direct sale foods, this means naming the food and listing all ingredients so consumers can identify allergens before purchase. For non-prepacked foods, such as meals served in restaurants or cafés, the FSA’s Best Practice Guidance, published March 2025, recommends written information supported with a clear conversation with customers about their allergy requirements. Businesses should keep accurate ingredient records and inform consumers if they cannot confirm allergen content. Consumers should declare their allergies when ordering food to help businesses take appropriate steps and reduce risk.
At present, the FSA has no plans to amend the list of 14 allergens. It continues to monitor trends through research projects, including National Health Service data analysis and the Patterns and Prevalence of Adult Food Allergy study, and works with the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology and other stakeholders to gather evidence on hidden and emerging allergens.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what performance monitoring and enforcement mechanisms are in place to ensure that the administrative provider of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme delivers services to the agreed standard, and what recourse is available to members should those standards not be met.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Details of how personal data is processed and stored are outlined in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) privacy notice which is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/-/media/documents/member/factsheets/gdpr/dfe-privacy-notice-gdpr-v12-march-2023-for-web.ashx?rev=a6788c6aa67e4ac7b3d3f4df74462add&hash=ACAAEF10BB57B5814744376B519FABA1.
The TPS complies fully with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018 and the Data Protection Act 2018.
For members requiring additional communication support, the contact us page provides alternative communication options. The scheme also meets the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and is committed to ensuring accessibility for all members and employers. The accessibility statement on the TPS website explains how the site is designed to be inclusive and is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/public/accessibility.aspx.
To maintain service standards, the department monitors the administrator against agreed performance metrics, set out in the TPS administration contract, through established governance arrangements. If contract administration fails to meet established standards and performance metrics, the department can impose financial penalties on the administrator.
Where members believe service standards have not been met, they can use a dispute resolution process to raise this. If dissatisfied with the outcome, they may escalate their complaint to the Pensions Ombudsman for independent review.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the service standards and accessibility requirements for the administrator of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme will include provisions to support members with hearing impairments or communication needs when accessing helpline or case-management support.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Details of how personal data is processed and stored are outlined in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) privacy notice which is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/-/media/documents/member/factsheets/gdpr/dfe-privacy-notice-gdpr-v12-march-2023-for-web.ashx?rev=a6788c6aa67e4ac7b3d3f4df74462add&hash=ACAAEF10BB57B5814744376B519FABA1.
The TPS complies fully with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018 and the Data Protection Act 2018.
For members requiring additional communication support, the contact us page provides alternative communication options. The scheme also meets the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and is committed to ensuring accessibility for all members and employers. The accessibility statement on the TPS website explains how the site is designed to be inclusive and is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/public/accessibility.aspx.
To maintain service standards, the department monitors the administrator against agreed performance metrics, set out in the TPS administration contract, through established governance arrangements. If contract administration fails to meet established standards and performance metrics, the department can impose financial penalties on the administrator.
Where members believe service standards have not been met, they can use a dispute resolution process to raise this. If dissatisfied with the outcome, they may escalate their complaint to the Pensions Ombudsman for independent review.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the personal data of members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme is (a) stored, (b) processed and (c) protected in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Details of how personal data is processed and stored are outlined in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) privacy notice which is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/-/media/documents/member/factsheets/gdpr/dfe-privacy-notice-gdpr-v12-march-2023-for-web.ashx?rev=a6788c6aa67e4ac7b3d3f4df74462add&hash=ACAAEF10BB57B5814744376B519FABA1.
The TPS complies fully with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018 and the Data Protection Act 2018.
For members requiring additional communication support, the contact us page provides alternative communication options. The scheme also meets the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and is committed to ensuring accessibility for all members and employers. The accessibility statement on the TPS website explains how the site is designed to be inclusive and is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/public/accessibility.aspx.
To maintain service standards, the department monitors the administrator against agreed performance metrics, set out in the TPS administration contract, through established governance arrangements. If contract administration fails to meet established standards and performance metrics, the department can impose financial penalties on the administrator.
Where members believe service standards have not been met, they can use a dispute resolution process to raise this. If dissatisfied with the outcome, they may escalate their complaint to the Pensions Ombudsman for independent review.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
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 patients with multiple weight-related health conditions who fall below the current NHS eligibility threshold for tirzepatide, also called Mounjaro, are not excluded from other forms of treatment.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the NHS on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE estimated that approximately 3.4 million people are eligible for tirzepatide to treat obesity.
The National Health Service is currently rolling out tirzepatide in primary care, prioritising those with the highest clinical need first. NHS England has worked with clinical experts, integrated care boards, patient and public representatives, healthcare professionals, charities and royal colleges on its prioritisation approach, which it set out in its interim commissioning guidance. This is available at the following link:
As part of the rollout plans, the NHS will look at different service models, including digital and community options and will speed up roll out if possible. Progress on the NHS rollout of tirzepatide will be reviewed by NICE in three years.
For those not currently eligible for tirzepatide, there are a variety of weight management services provided by the NHS and local government. These range from multi-component behavioural programmes to specialist services for those living with severe obesity and associated co-morbidities. All weight management services will have some form of eligibility criteria to ensure that they are targeted at those most likely to benefit. For example, the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme is a behavioural programme primarily aimed at adults living with obesity who also have type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including older people in receipt of Attendance Allowance who have significant mobility needs and who are not eligible to claim Personal Independence Payment due to having reached State Pension age in the Motability Scheme.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Qualifying benefits for the Motability Scheme are the enhanced rate mobility component Personal Independence Payment (enhanced rate mobility component Adult Disability Payment in Scotland), higher rate mobility component Disability Living Allowance (higher rate mobility component Child Disability Payment in Scotland), Armed Forces Independence Payment and War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement.
Attendance Allowance is intended to help those with a severe disability who have long term care or supervision needs which arise after reaching State Pension age. It has never included a mobility component, and so cannot be used in payment for a leased Motability Scheme vehicle. There is no constraint on what an award of Attendance Allowance can be spent on, and a recipient may choose to use this benefit to fund mobility aids.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure full mobile phone signal in (a) Bedford and (b) Kempston.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In Ofcom’s Connected Nations Spring Update, published on 8 May 2025, it is reported that 4G is available across 100% of the Bedford constituency from all four mobile network operators (MNOs), while 5G is available outside 72% of premises in the constituency from all four operators. Ofcom do not report on coverage at the town level.
Communities and businesses right across the UK should rightly expect to have the mobile connectivity they need to participate in the modern digital economy.
Our ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. Government continues to work closely with the MNOs, ensuring that we have the right policy and regulatory framework in place to support investment into mobile networks that delivers benefits to communities right across the UK.