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 merits of introducing social energy tariffs to reduce fuel poverty.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government knows that more needs to be done to support vulnerable households which are struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power. That is why the Autumn Budget acted to take an average £150 of costs off people’s energy bills. This support comes on top of the £150 off energy bills provided for around 6 million families under the Warm Home Discount this winter, cutting fuel poverty.
DESNZ is working closely with other Government Departments through the ‘Kickstarter’ programme to test how public sector data can be better joined up to improve access to government programmes. This project will help pave the way for better targeted help to ensure those who are struggling to pay their bills get the support they need.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of requiring schools to fund extended periods of education following exclusion on safeguarding.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
It is for local authorities, under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996, to arrange and fund suitable education for children of compulsory school age who, because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, may otherwise not receive suitable education. Local authorities are required to arrange alternative provision for a permanently excluded child as soon as possible, and at the latest by the sixth school day of the child’s absence.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when schools will be reimbursed for the increase in National Insurance contributions.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
We have provided schools with over £1.1 billion to support them with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions from April 2025.
We published schools’ allocations in May 2025, and payments were made in September and October 2025.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of school funding settlements in meeting pupil need and demographic growth.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Spending per pupil was at its highest ever level in the 2024/25 financial year, in real terms, and there has been further real terms growth in spending in 2025/26. The school funding settlement announced at the Spending Review more than protects per pupil funding in real terms, with a further £1.7 billion increase in 2026/27.
Every year, the department uses the schools national funding formula to distribute core funding for 5 to 16-year-old pupils, in mainstream state-funded schools in England. This ensures that funding is distributed based on a fair and consistent assessment of need, based first and foremost on pupil numbers.
We recognise the pressures caused by demographic changes in some areas. The lagged funding system helps to give schools more certainty over funding levels. This aids their planning and is particularly important in giving schools with falling rolls time to re-organise their staffing and costs. The department also provides local authorities with growth funding, which they use to support schools whose pupil numbers are rising.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of making applications for Further Leave to Remain on Family and Private Life grounds subject to published service standards.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, including service standards for processing visa applications.
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 steps he is taking to improve GP to patient ratios.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are starting to see consistent growth in the general practice (GP) workforce. We have funded primary care networks with an additional £160 million to recruit recently qualified GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. Over 2,500 individual GPs have now been recruited, preventing them graduating into unemployment. We are committed to expanding the GP workforce further, by training thousands more GPs over the course of this Parliament. We have taken the first steps towards this, with an additional 250 training places available this year, taking the total to 4,250 places with plans to expand this further.
Each GP is required to provide services to meet the reasonable needs of their patients. There is no NHS England recommendation for how many patients a GP should have assigned, or the ratio of GPs or other practice staff to patients. The demands each patient places on their GP are different and can be affected by many different factors, including rurality and patient demographics. It is necessary to consider the workforce for each practice as a whole, not only GPs but also the range of health professionals available who are able to respond to the needs of their patients.
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 assessment he has made of racial inequalities in maternity care.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that there are stark inequalities for women and babies, and that they should receive the high-quality care they deserve, regardless of their background, location, or ethnicity.
In England, maternal mortality rates are higher among women from Black and Asian ethnic groups. The risk of maternal death from Black ethnic backgrounds increased between 2022 and 2024 to nearly three times higher compared to white women, while Asian women had a slightly increased risk compared to white women.
The Government is committed to setting an explicit target to close the maternal mortality gap. We are ensuring that we take an evidence-based approach to determining what targets are set, and that any targets set are women and baby-centred.
Actions that have been taken to reduce inequalities includes the Perinatal Equity and Anti-Discrimination Programme, Equity and Equality action plans in the most deprived areas, and inequalities dashboard to identify areas where specific populations face the greatest disparities.
To further target disparities in maternal care, Baroness Amos is chairing the National Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation. The investigation aims to identify the drivers and impact of inequalities faced by women, babies, and families from Black and Asian backgrounds, those from deprived groups, and those from other marginalised groups when receiving maternity and neonatal care.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the availability and quality of facilities for HGV drivers, including secure parking, welfare facilities and overnight rest areas; and what assessment has she made of the implications of the current provisions for driver welfare.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The HGV Parking Matched Funding Grant Scheme (MFGS) was launched in 2022 to fund investment in: HGV driver welfare facilities, lorry parking provision, site security, and decarbonisation. The scheme is supporting truck stop operators across 30 counties in England.
Through the MFGS the Department and industry partners are projected to deliver up to £35.7m of joint investment to enhance truck stops across England. This significant investment is in addition to joint investment by National Highways and industry of up to a further £30 million, aimed at improving lorry parking facilities along the strategic road network.
The National Survey of Lorry Parking, which was published on 29 September 2022, is the Department for Transport’s primary evidence base on the availability of HGV parking facilities. The survey showed an average shortage across England of around 4,500 HGV parking spaces for the month of March 2022 and identified driver concerns with the quality of welfare facilities and security of lorry parks. A further National Survey of Lorry Parking is planned for 2026.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian situation in (a) Gaza and (b) the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my statement on 5 January.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the continued delivery of aid in (a) Gaza and (b) the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my statement on 5 January.