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 27 May 2025 to Question 53645 on Parkinson's Disease: Greater Manchester, whether his Department plans to (a) collect and (b) publish regional data on the average waiting time for Parkinson’s patients to see a neurologist.

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

There are no current plans to collect and publish regional data on the average waiting time for patients with Parkinson’s disease to undergo their first neurology appointment following referral.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to Business Property Relief on family-owned manufacturing businesses.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free.

The Government has set out that around 1,500 estates across the UK only claiming business property relief are expected to pay more inheritance tax in 2026-27, with around 1,000 of these expected to only hold shares designated as “not listed” on the markets of recognised stock exchanges, such as the Alternative Investment Market. The remaining 500 estates will include business assets from sectors across the economy that are eligible for business property relief. These reforms mean that around three-quarters of estates claiming business property relief in 2026-27 (excluding those estates only holding shares designated as “not listed”) will not pay any more inheritance tax in 2026-27.

The reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief are forecast to raise a combined £520 million in 2029-30. The independent OBR certified this costing at Autumn Budget 2024 and it does not expect the reforms to have a significant macroeconomic impact.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will publish the average response time for British Transport Police at Stockport station in each of the last five financial years.

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

British Transport Police (BTP) response times are dependent on the severity of the incident.

BTP have provided the following figures for incidents at Stockport railway station over the last 5 financial years:

* incidents where there is, or is likely to be, a danger of death, the use of violence, or a serious injury to a person or serious damage to property.

ˤ urgent initial police action is required, but the incident does not meet the threshold for immediate response

Home Office forces will also attend if they are available and are able to arrive at the scene before BTP.

Please note that reduced rail travel in 2020/21 and 2021/22 due to COVID-19, and therefore also reduced numbers of incidents, may have contributed to the reduced response times for those years.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential (a) impact of the AUK1 specification for toilet backflow protection on the quality of drinking water and (b) merits of formally adopting the new AUK4 standard.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Under the previous Government, a small number of cases of contamination of drinking water have been discovered in which water from toilet cisterns re-entered (or backflowed into) a building’s drinking water system. The water industry and the Bathroom Manufacturers Association set up a task and finish group to identify the issues, review relevant technical specifications, and suggest solutions. Defra considered the proposals and consulted on amendments (which include a new AUK4 specification).

We are finalising the summary of responses from the consultation and the government response to them and will consider approval of the new and updated specifications in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has considered extending eligibility for (a) Child Benefit and (b) the child element of Universal Credit to families of 16 to19 year-olds undertaking apprenticeships, in order to remove financial disincentives to vocational training.

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

When a young person becomes an apprentice, they are in work and no longer regarded as a child or qualifying young person for Child Benefit or Universal Credit child element purposes, even though they might still live with their parents or guardians.

Education or training provided by means of a contract of employment (which includes apprenticeships) does not count as education or training for the purposes of satisfying the definition of a qualifying young person. The parent or guardian will no longer be entitled to Child Benefit or Universal Credit child element for the young person in these circumstances.

In the case of waged apprentices under the age of 19, employers are required to pay a minimum wage of £7.55 an hour, and many tend to pay more as young people develop their skills. A young person working 35 hours a week on a waged apprenticeship should therefore earn no less than £264.25 each week.

Depending on age and the number of hours undertaken on the apprenticeship, the young person may be able to claim Universal Credit in their own right.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department’s policy is on the status of the territory of Western Sahara.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK regards the status of Western Sahara as undetermined. We support the parties and the UN to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable solution, based on compromise, which conforms with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

On 1 June, the Government endorsed Morocco's autonomy proposal as the most credible, viable, and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution, and welcomed Morocco's willingness to engage in good faith with all relevant parties, and to expand on details, with a view to restarting serious negotiations on terms acceptable to the parties. Both the UK and Morocco have reaffirmed the paramount importance of a rules-based international order, including support for the principle of respect for self-determination. The UK will continue to support the efforts of the United Nations and the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, and work with all stakeholders to encourage dialogue and compromise.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take fiscal steps to prevent the sale of high-strength ciders at low prices in supermarkets; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of preventing those sales on levels of alcohol harm.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Under our Health Mission, the Government is committed to prioritising preventative measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. As part of this, the Government is considering carefully what further action is needed to address alcohol-related harms.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced an increase in alcohol duty in line with inflation on all non-draught products, alongside a cut in duty rates for lower strength products sold on draught. This decision balanced cost-of-living pressures on people who drink moderately and responsibly with the need to tackle increasing alcohol-related deaths and economic inactivity.

Reforms to alcohol duty made in 2023 increased duty on cider over 4.5% alcohol by volume (ABV). Further, duty on cider now increases with product strength, such that the production and sale of lower strength cider is incentivised within the duty system.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of driving tests in Stockport.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.

On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across the country.

As acknowledged in the announcement regarding these measures, DVSA understands the potential impact high waiting times have on learner drivers and the importance of helping learners pass quickly.

Further information on these actions and progress on the DVSA’s 7-point plan, which was set out last year, can be found on GOV.UK.

The table below shows the average waiting time for a car practical driving test in May 2025, at centres that serve customers in Stockport.

From recruitment campaigns, one potential new driving examiner (DE) will be starting their training course on 23 June for West Didsbury. A further potential new DE for Sale will start their course on 25 August. DVSA has made three further offers, with applicants scheduled for courses in the late summer/early autumn. The latest recruitment campaign has yielded nine recruitment drives for the cluster, all of which will be completed by 14 June.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a standalone offense of assaulting a retail worker that includes (a) bank and (b) building society workers.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public, including public-facing roles in banks and building societies.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, this Government has also introduced a specific standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to help tackle the epidemic of shop theft and violence towards shop workers that we have seen in recent years, and protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.

Found: On 11 June 2025, in response to a written parliamentary question by Navendu Mishra (Lab), Hamish Falconer

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