Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of renaming the National Food Strategy as the National Food and Drink Strategy to recognise the impact of drinks on diet.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Good Food Cycle, published in July 2025, identifies for the first time the outcomes we want from the food system. It is the first part of an on‑going programme to create a healthier, more affordable, sustainable and resilient food system. The Government recognises the importance of drinks in the diet and the Good Food Cycle considers the food system as a whole, including drinks.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
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 prevalence of gazundering in the residential property market; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative and regulatory measures to protect buyers and sellers from last-minute price reductions prior to the exchange of contracts.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 6 October 2025, my Department published two consultations outlining reform proposals to transform home buying and selling, including the use of conditional contracts to make transactions binding at an early stage and requiring upfront property information.
These consultations can be found on gov.uk here and here.
Both consultations closed on 29 December. We are now reviewing the feedback received.
Subject to the outcomes of the analysis being undertaken, we will publish a roadmap setting out further details of our reforms later this year.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on protecting 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030; and what role ecological expertise will play in supporting sustainable development, habitat protection and delivery of that target.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our 30by30 commitment, to effectively conserve and manage 30% of our land and seas by 2030, sits at the very heart of our aim to ensure nature’s recovery.
We will publish a 30by30 Delivery Plan, to show how we will lead, support, and inspire action across England to go further and faster in progressing 30by30. We are working closely with experts from Natural England, the Biodiversity Expert Committee, and with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee at a UK level.
At sea, over 40% of English waters are designated as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Our focus now is on putting in place any management measures needed to effectively protect them. Management measures are developed by experts, including ecological experts, in the Marine Management Organisation informed by ecological advice from Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of freshwater nature recovery on water pollution and the long-term health of waterways.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises that freshwater nature recovery plays a vital role in improving water quality and the long-term health of waterways. Agricultural pollution and surface runoff remain significant pressures, affecting many water bodies in England.
We have set a legally binding target to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment entering the water environment by 40% by 2038. Measures such as Catchment Sensitive Farming and the Sustainable Farming Incentive support practices that reduce runoff, erosion, and pollutant loss.
Together, these actions reduce pollution at source and support the recovery, resilience and ecological health of freshwater ecosystems.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of updating the EatWell guide to reflect the importance of healthy drinks choices.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Government recommendations for healthier drinks are already depicted in the United Kingdom’s national food model, the Eatwell Guide. The Eatwell Guide includes an image of a glass of water and recommends that people should aim to drink six to eight cups or glasses of fluid a day, and promotes water, lower fat milks, and sugar-free drinks as healthier drink choices. It also mentions limiting fruit juice and/or smoothies to a total of 150 millilitres a day. The Eatwell Guide is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-eatwell-guide
The Eatwell Guide principles are communicated through the NHS.UK website and the Government’s social marketing campaigns, Better Health, including Healthier Families and Start for Life.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing lawful routes to Afghan women with university places, scholarships or credible offers of study to be given a viable pathway to undertake this study in the UK.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
In the Restoring Order and Control statement, published in November 2025, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes. This included the creation of a named sponsorship scheme and capped routes for refugee and displaced people to come to the UK to study or for work.
The Home Secretary announced in March that the refugee student route will open this autumn, with arrivals in autumn 2027.
Work is underway to deliver the new routes and further details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had with HMRC on the potential use of coding‑out powers to support the collection of debts owed to the Child Maintenance Service.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department keeps under review a range of options to improve the collection of child maintenance and arrears, including the potential use of existing government debt collection mechanisms.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) already has a range of strong enforcement powers that are designed to get money flowing quickly, prevent the build-up of arrears and ensure children get the financial support they deserve. These powers include the ability to deduct directly from the paying parent’s earnings or bank accounts and disqualifications from holding or obtaining driving licenses and passports.
Therefore, while the Department continues to work closely with HMRC, debt collection work is currently focused on making best use of existing CMS powers, including improving the speed and effectiveness with which they are applied.
CMS has made significant improvements to the enforcement process to speed up action when payments first break down and to target activity more effectively.
In March 2025, CMS established a process to manage high and medium-risk cases using predictive analytics, resulting in earlier identification of at-risk cases and enabling caseworker intervention at the earliest opportunity where indicators of non-compliance are identified.
Additionally, our intention remains to remove Direct Pay when parliamentary time allows. Moving to a single, strengthened Collect and Pay system will allow the CMS to monitor all payments, identify missed or partial payments immediately, and take faster enforcement action. Ahead of this change, the CMS is already moving non-compliant parents more quickly from Direct Pay to Collect and Pay.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of changing tax codes through coding out procedures to collect child maintenance arrears.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department keeps under review a range of options to improve the collection of child maintenance and arrears, including the potential use of existing government debt collection mechanisms.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) already has a range of strong enforcement powers that are designed to get money flowing quickly, prevent the build-up of arrears and ensure children get the financial support they deserve. These powers include the ability to deduct directly from the paying parent’s earnings or bank accounts and disqualifications from holding or obtaining driving licenses and passports.
Therefore, while the Department continues to work closely with HMRC, debt collection work is currently focused on making best use of existing CMS powers, including improving the speed and effectiveness with which they are applied.
CMS has made significant improvements to the enforcement process to speed up action when payments first break down and to target activity more effectively.
In March 2025, CMS established a process to manage high and medium-risk cases using predictive analytics, resulting in earlier identification of at-risk cases and enabling caseworker intervention at the earliest opportunity where indicators of non-compliance are identified.
Additionally, our intention remains to remove Direct Pay when parliamentary time allows. Moving to a single, strengthened Collect and Pay system will allow the CMS to monitor all payments, identify missed or partial payments immediately, and take faster enforcement action. Ahead of this change, the CMS is already moving non-compliant parents more quickly from Direct Pay to Collect and Pay.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using HMRC’s coding‑out powers for the collection of debts owed to the Child Maintenance Service.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department keeps under review a range of options to improve the collection of child maintenance and arrears, including the potential use of existing government debt collection mechanisms.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) already has a range of strong enforcement powers that are designed to get money flowing quickly, prevent the build-up of arrears and ensure children get the financial support they deserve. These powers include the ability to deduct directly from the paying parent’s earnings or bank accounts and disqualifications from holding or obtaining driving licenses and passports.
Therefore, while the Department continues to work closely with HMRC, debt collection work is currently focused on making best use of existing CMS powers, including improving the speed and effectiveness with which they are applied.
CMS has made significant improvements to the enforcement process to speed up action when payments first break down and to target activity more effectively.
In March 2025, CMS established a process to manage high and medium-risk cases using predictive analytics, resulting in earlier identification of at-risk cases and enabling caseworker intervention at the earliest opportunity where indicators of non-compliance are identified.
Additionally, our intention remains to remove Direct Pay when parliamentary time allows. Moving to a single, strengthened Collect and Pay system will allow the CMS to monitor all payments, identify missed or partial payments immediately, and take faster enforcement action. Ahead of this change, the CMS is already moving non-compliant parents more quickly from Direct Pay to Collect and Pay.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of introducing Contracts for Difference for heat networks on consumers.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We welcome the proposal from the Heat Network Industry Council and we are assessing it in detail.
Heat networks are a key component of the Government’s strategy to deliver secure, affordable and low‑carbon heat, as set out in the Warm Homes Plan.
They enable the efficient distribution of heat from a central source to multiple buildings, and are particularly well suited to densely populated urban areas and locations with access to large-scale, low‑carbon or waste heat sources.