Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support the Government is giving to families in the Family Court who have suffered abuse by non-resident parents.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to ensuring that victims of domestic abuse, including children, are properly supported in the Family Courts. This is regardless of whether the abusive parent is resident or non-resident at the time of the case.
Family Courts have a range of tools available to support and protect victims of domestic abuse. The court must assume that the ability of victims of domestic abuse to participate in family proceedings is diminished by vulnerability, and as such can make special measures available to support them in court. Special measures are designed to ensure victims are fully supported throughout proceedings and can include giving evidence by video link or from behind a screen or using separate waiting areas or separate entrances and exits. Additionally, a victim of domestic abuse cannot be cross-examined by their abuser in family proceedings. The court can appoint a qualified legal representative to undertake the cross-examination
To further support victims, court procedures, set out in Practice Directions, make it clear that Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs), who provide practical, emotional or moral support, can accompany parties in proceedings.
Where Family Court proceedings would risk causing harm to parents or children the court can make an order to prevent a person from making further applications without permission of the court, such as a civil restraint order or, in relation to proceedings under the Children Act 1989, an order under section 91(14) of that Act.
Legal aid is also available for private family matters such as child arrangements, financial remedy proceedings and divorce if an individual is a victim of domestic abuse or at risk of being abused. Legal aid is also available for individuals in some private family orders, such as prohibited steps orders, if the child subject to the order is a victim of child abuse or at risk of abuse. Funding is subject to providing evidence of abuse and passing the means and merits test.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help improve the Welsh rail network.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
I was pleased to join the Prime Minister in Taffs Well earlier this month to announce seven new stations in Wales and a generational funding commitment to the Welsh rail network and a pipeline of projects valued at £14 billion.
The Prime Minister endorsed Transport for Wales’ vision for the future of rail in Wales, which will transform Welsh rail and support 12,000 jobs.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance or requirements exist for NHS trusts, GP practices and other health providers to ensure that medical records, appointment letters and other clinical correspondence about a child are sent to the correct parents or addresses, including where parental responsibility is shared.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has a range of guidance online relating to communicating with patients, and the sharing of medical records for direct care. NHS England continues to support the secure sharing of patient information to improve safety, reduce the duplication of tests, and support patient choice. Programmes such as Connecting Care Records are designed to enable appropriate access to patient information across organisational boundaries.
In the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan there is a commitment to create a Single Patient Record (SPR). The SPR will provide a single, secure, and up to date record that brings together health and care information so clinicians can access the appropriate information they need, wherever a patient receives care. This will help reduce the delays caused by missing information, and clinicians working with incomplete histories. Subject to parliamentary timetables, the SPR will begin rolling out from 2028, starting with maternity and frailty.
The National Health Service is taking a digital-first approach to patient communications, to ensure seamless and effective communications with patients and families. Further information is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/about-nhs-digital/digital-first-messaging
There is no specific guidance relating to ensuring correspondence relating to a child is sent to the correct addresses, as this relates to ensuring the accuracy of records which runs throughout the guidance both produced by NHS England, and the professional bodies.
NHS England’s Policy and Guidance Manual for Primary Medical Services provide standard operating processes for general practice registration and include specific guidance when registering a child and the circumstances in which safeguarding guidance should be followed. This essentially underlines a “think family” approach and states an adult with parental responsibility should normally be registered at the practice with the child. Further information on NHS England’s Policy and Guidance Manual for Primary Medical Services is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/primary-medical-services-policy-and-guidance-manual-pgm-2/
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to provide capacity funding to local authorities for strategic economic development in Cornwall.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is establishing a £30 million fund to invest in Cornwall’s comparative sectoral advantages, including critical minerals, renewable energy and marine innovation, subject to a full business case.
Funding will be devolved to Cornwall Council, in line with the government’s devolution agenda, empowering local leaders to invest in projects that best meet local needs. Project management costs are eligible as part of a capital project budget.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Kernow Industrial Growth Fund can be deployed as investment capital which can be recouped by Cornwall County Council for future projects.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Funding will be devolved to Cornwall Council, in line with the Government’s devolution agenda, empowering local leaders to invest in projects that best meet local needs. Final release of funding will be subject to a robust business case.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
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 merits of widening the eligibility of the NHS Low Income Scheme to include those who are on a state pension.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No such assessment has been made. People aged 60 years old and over are automatically entitled to free National Health Service prescriptions and free NHS eye tests.
People on the state pension can apply for the NHS Low Income Scheme and depending on their income and requirements, may receive either full or partial help with health costs. Alternatively, they may be eligible for Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, which provides full help with health costs. Full help covers:
- NHS prescription charges;
- NHS dental treatment charges;
- the cost of sight tests, glasses, and contact lenses;
- the cost of travelling to receive NHS treatment; and
- NHS wigs and fabric supports.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
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 has taken with Homes England to help support start-up builders.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Small and medium sized housebuilders are essential to meeting the government’s housing ambitions and supporting local economies.
The government is acting to support SME housebuilders by increasing their access to land, providing further financial assistance and easing the burden of regulation.
To that end, we have provided a £700 million extension to the Home Building Fund to help them build a further 12,000 homes and doubled the ENABLE Build Guarantee scheme to boost SME access to finance.
We are making more Homes England land available to the sector through SME-only land sales with less bureaucratic sales process.
We have also committed to simplifying the planning system with proposals for a new medium site size definition with corresponding policy and regulatory easements to help SME housebuilders thrive and grow. For further detail, I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 16 December 2025 (HCWS1187).
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure the widest set of projects as part of biodiversity net-gain calculations.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Biodiversity net gain (BNG) applies to every planning permission in England granted under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, unless exempted. The Government has announced plans to remove BNG requirements for sites under 0.2 hectares, and that BNG will apply to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects from May this year.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
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 help ensure Royal Mail meets its statutory obligations.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, has powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.
Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21 million for failing to meet its quality of service targets in 2024-25 and instructed Royal Mail to urgently publish and implement a credible plan that delivers major and continuous improvement.
I met the CEOs of Royal Mail and its parent company in November and raised concerns about Royal Mail’s performance. They reported continued targeted action to improve reliability. I will continue to raise concerns with Royal Mail if quality of service does not improve.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce burdens on NHS dentistry services, especially by ensuring dentists who are qualified to practice in other countries can be fast-tracked for qualification to practice in the UK.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The General Dental Council (GDC) regulates United Kingdom dentistry and sets the standards for all applicants to its registers. Routes to registration for overseas qualified dentists are set out in legislation.
The Government is working with the GDC to increase the number of overseas-qualified dentists gaining registration to help address National Health Service workforce shortages.
The GDC already offers priority booking to refugee dentists on its Overseas Registration Exam (ORE). Last year I asked the GDC to develop a plan to urgently cut the high ORE waiting list and in November received an update on their work. I have been assured that significant improvements to international registration are expected this year.
I have also asked the GDC for an improved ORE booking system for the new ORE delivery contract, coming into effect from April 2026, and to explore prioritisation of UK resident candidates. I will meet the GDC again for an update on this work once the new contract is finalised.