Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made a decision on the steps it plans to take to develop the pilots with Centrepoint of the Upstream youth homelessness prevention programme.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The government recognises that targeted support within schools can play a major role in identifying young people at higher risk of homelessness and providing support to them and their families at a much earlier stage. We continue to engage with Centrepoint on their Upstream pilots as part of our work to prevent youth homelessness.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what evaluation his department has made of the effectiveness of assessment by the NHS of the appropriateness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for patients through NHS Talking Therapies.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
NHS Talking Therapies provide National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended, evidence‑based psychological therapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), for adults with common mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Treatment decisions, including the appropriateness of CBT, are assessed by trained and accredited NHS practitioners, using clinical judgement in line with national guidance.
People can access the NHS Talking Therapies service through general practice referral or self‑referral, and support is tailored to individual need, recognising the variation in severity and the complexity of common mental health conditions.
The Department and NHS England keep the performance of NHS Talking Therapies under continual review, including access, waiting times, and treatment outcomes. The service is currently meeting its waiting time standards, with 98.1% of people starting treatment within 18 weeks and 88.3% within six weeks in March 2026. Outcomes are improving, with 48.4% of people achieving reliable recovery and 68.7% reliable improvement, against medium‑term ambitions of 51% and 69% respectively.
We also continue to strengthen the evidence base for NHS Talking Therapies through ongoing evaluation activity, including independent analysis of specific service components, and will consider these findings as part of further work to improve effectiveness and patient outcomes.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what consideration his department has made of the potential merits of introducing an equivalent to Severe Disability Premium in Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
In the legacy benefits (e.g. Employment & Support Allowance (ESA), Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) and Income Support (IS)) there were multiple disability premia (e.g. Disability Premium, Enhanced Disability Premium and Severe Disability Premium). These were complex, fragmented and often underpaid, each with differing and often overlapping rules that made administration difficult and confusing for claimants.
Universal Credit replaces these with a single structure and clearer elements (e.g. disability and caring support), reducing complexity and improving consistency and claimant understanding.
The Universal Credit rate for people who have Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) and meet the Severe Conditions Criteria (SCC) or the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL) is more than double the equivalent rate of the ESA support group and provides financial support to those with the most severe disabilities and health conditions.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of changing the Industry Code to ensure that a parking fine is automatically cancelled where a motorist is able to provide evidence of mitigating circumstances.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan
The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 requires the Secretary of State to prepare a Code of Practice containing guidance on the operation and management of private parking facilities, which will replace the existing Sector Single Code of Practice. The Department consulted on the Code of Practice last year, including on mitigating circumstances that would warrant the cancellation of a parking charge. Consultation responses are currently being considered, and the Government’s response will be published alongside the new statutory Code of Practice in the autumn.
The Department consulted on the effectiveness of the current enforcement regime in the Parking Code Enforcement Framework consultation in 2021. The government response can be found here Parking code enforcement framework: consultation response - GOV.UK. To address the issues of transparency and the lack of independence, the Government is developing a Certification Scheme to hold operators accountable for not adhering to standards in the Code.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the use of sanctions by trade associations on private parking operators where they breach the Industry Code.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan
The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 requires the Secretary of State to prepare a Code of Practice containing guidance on the operation and management of private parking facilities, which will replace the existing Sector Single Code of Practice. The Department consulted on the Code of Practice last year, including on mitigating circumstances that would warrant the cancellation of a parking charge. Consultation responses are currently being considered, and the Government’s response will be published alongside the new statutory Code of Practice in the autumn.
The Department consulted on the effectiveness of the current enforcement regime in the Parking Code Enforcement Framework consultation in 2021. The government response can be found here Parking code enforcement framework: consultation response - GOV.UK. To address the issues of transparency and the lack of independence, the Government is developing a Certification Scheme to hold operators accountable for not adhering to standards in the Code.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his department has made of trends in levels of completion of courses of NHS Talking Therapies treatment in (i) England and (ii) the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board area.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the appeals process against parking fines.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has not made any such assessment of the longstanding independent appeals process.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of improving regulation of the way that debt collection is carried out in the case of parking fines.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The ten-minute grace period at the end of a paid-for parking period was introduced to recognise that drivers could arrive slightly late to their vehicle for reasons beyond their control. In this situation, a Civil Enforcement Officer (CEO) would be able to ascertain the precise time from which parking had been paid. This would not be possible with an equivalent concession at the beginning of a paid-for parking period, thus opening up the potential for drivers to delay paying until such time as a CEO is observed.
A requirement for transparency on matters relating to civil parking enforcement is enshrined in the Secretary of State's statutory guidance for local authorities in England on civil enforcement of parking contraventions. The guidance references the applicable legislation regarding debt collections. It applies at local authority owned or operated car parks and at the end of paid-for and free on-street parking in England. Private and off-street parking companies are the policy responsibility of the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the grace period where a motorist takes longer than the time allowed to pay but can evidence a full payment before leaving.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The ten-minute grace period at the end of a paid-for parking period was introduced to recognise that drivers could arrive slightly late to their vehicle for reasons beyond their control. In this situation, a Civil Enforcement Officer (CEO) would be able to ascertain the precise time from which parking had been paid. This would not be possible with an equivalent concession at the beginning of a paid-for parking period, thus opening up the potential for drivers to delay paying until such time as a CEO is observed.
A requirement for transparency on matters relating to civil parking enforcement is enshrined in the Secretary of State's statutory guidance for local authorities in England on civil enforcement of parking contraventions. The guidance references the applicable legislation regarding debt collections. It applies at local authority owned or operated car parks and at the end of paid-for and free on-street parking in England. Private and off-street parking companies are the policy responsibility of the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his department will review the rules for transitional protection in the case of severely disabled people living in supported housing.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Transitional Protection within Universal Credit is intended to support customers whose entitlement would otherwise be lower at the point of moving from legacy benefits. This includes Transitional Protection provided in respect of the Severe Disability Premium.
Rules apply equally to all forms of Transitional Protection, ensuring that entitlement remains aligned with a customer’s circumstances. This is a standard feature of Transitional Protection and not based on disability status.
The Department keeps all aspects of Universal Credit policy under consideration to ensure it continues to provide effective support.