Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of planning applications without clear necessity on the boundaries of national parks on those areas.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government has made no such assessment. Impacts of development on National Parks are assessed by local planning authorities.

National Park authorities are the local planning authority within the National Park and are a statutory consultee for planning applications where development comes forward which is likely to affect a National Park.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the change in banks' policies on block management accounts on people who own apartment buildings.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is aware of ongoing action taken by some banks to restrict their services in respect of pooled client accounts, which may include block management accounts. We understand the difficulties this can cause for those whose accounts have been closed as a result.

The Government is considering changes to the regulations in this area, in order to improve access to pooled client accounts for the businesses which depend on them. Proposals on this issue formed part of the recent consultation on Improving the Effectiveness of the Money Laundering Regulations. The Government is reviewing responses to this consultation and will respond in due course.

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 impact of the discharge process on patients in cross-county areas.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Enabling people to be discharged from hospital more quickly and with the right support contributes to speedier recovery and better outcomes. In some instances, this may mean discharging a patient outside of their local area so that they can receive the most appropriate short-term care after discharge. Some hospitals have excellent relationships and processes for cross-county discharges, although we know that in other instances these can cause delays whilst the care transfer hub determine responsibility for funding post discharge care.

The Hospital Discharge and Community Support Guidance sets out that integrated care boards and local authorities should agree local arrangements to ensure that any decisions about the joint funding of care can be made swiftly. These arrangements should follow the ‘Who Pays?’ guidance for services funded by the National Health Service, and reference ‘ordinary residence’ rules for services funded by local authorities, so that there is no adverse effect on timely discharge. Both sets of guidance are available at the following links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hospital-discharge-and-community-support-guidance/hospital-discharge-and-community-support-guidance

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/who-pays-determining-which-nhs-commissioner-is-responsible-for-commissioning-healthcare-services-and-making-payments-to-providers/

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding for childminding providers.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and this is key to the government’s Plan for Change. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high-quality early years provision going forward.

In the 2025/26 financial year, this government plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements and the department has increased the early years pupil premium by 45%. On top of this we are providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the Early Years Expansion Grant.

The early years is a diverse market, ranging from chains of nurseries and school-based providers to childminders and the hourly funding rate paid to local authorities for the early years entitlements is designed to recognise the average costs across different provider types and to reflect both staff and non-staff costs. The department knows, from listening to the sector and from our own regular research, that the cost of care is highest for younger children, which the funding rates reflect. However, funding is not ring-fenced by age and we know many childminders often look after children at a range of ages, often below and above the age of three. Where this is the case childminders can use all the funding they receive from their local authority to support with costs across all the children they look after.

The department also knows that the funding rates for younger children will often be significantly above previous parent paid rates and the childminding sector will benefit from the expanded entitlements for working parents.

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 implications for his policies the (a) side effects and (b) long-term health implications of the use of clozapine as a medicament.

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

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates medicines and medicinal products and ensures that the product information for each medicines reflects what is known about the medicine and provides information to support safe use and minimise risks. The product information consists of the Summary of Product Characteristics for healthcare professionals and the patient information leaflet supplied in each pack of medicine.

Clozapine was first authorised in 1989 and is now indicated for treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients and in schizophrenia patients who have severe, untreatable neurological adverse reactions to other antipsychotic agents, including atypical antipsychotics. Treatment resistance is defined as a lack of satisfactory clinical improvement despite the use of adequate doses of at least two different antipsychotic agents, including an atypical antipsychotic agent, prescribed for adequate duration.

Clozapine is also authorised to treat psychotic disorders occurring in patients with Parkinson's disease, in cases where standard treatment has failed. Clozapine is associated with several potentially serious side effects which are outlined in the product information, that require monitoring of various aspects of patient’s health to minimise risks including monitoring: white blood cells, blood pressure, heart function, liver function, body weight, glucose, cholesterol, other medication, falls and for signs of infection.

As clozapine is used when other treatments have failed to manage a patient’s condition, careful monitoring is required to minimise the risks to ensure patients are able to receive effective treatment with clozapine.

The safety of clozapine is continuously monitored by the MHRA to ensure the product information reflects what is known about the medicine. The MHRA is in the process of reviewing the blood monitoring requirements and will be seeking views in the summer from patients, patients’ families and healthcare professionals on methods to improve awareness of the risks associated with clozapine and how to manage them.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the reintroduction of pine martens project on Exmoor.

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

No assessment has been made of the effectiveness of reintroductions of pine martens project on Exmoor as the release of pine martens on Exmoor is yet to take place.

Devon Wildlife Trust, as part of their pine marten reintroduction project, have released pine marten on Dartmoor. These releases occurred in October 2024 and the Trust are closely monitoring the released animals through surveys, radio collars, camera traps and analysis of their faeces. Natural England, alongside NatureScot, provided guidance to the project throughout its development to ensure legal requirements in relation to licensing were met and full consideration of best practice were given (Reintroductions and other conservation translocations: code and guidance). This includes the requirements for detailed monitoring, evaluation and reporting of the projects results and impacts.

Natural England continues to liaise with the project to ensure best practice going forward.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who is (a) responsible for the installation of fencing to keep cattle safely grazing and (b) liable if the fence breaks and a member of the public is injured by cattle.

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

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, this includes workplace health and safety risks created in agriculture.

The main piece of health and safety legislation enforced by HSE is the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA). Under the HSWA, those creating work-related risk have the primary duty to control it. Therefore, farmers who own or manage cattle as part of their business activities and place those cattle in fields, have a duty to ensure that the cattle are kept inside the designated field or fields by provision of suitable means such as perimeter fencing, walls or hedges.

In addition, where public rights of way run through fields in which cattle may be kept, farmers should consider and implement those control measures that are reasonably practicable for the particular farm or field as set out in HSE guidance sheet Cattle and public access in England and Wales. This may include provision of permanent or temporary fencing as a means to segregate cattle from members of the public using rights of way through the field. Again, the primary duty is on the farmer that owns or manages cattle to control risk to people to the extent required by health and safety legislation.

If other parties also have a role in the ownership or management of the land on which cattle are grazed, they may also have duties under health and safety legislation to co-operate with the farmer so that risks are adequately controlled.

Depending on the reasons behind any failure of perimeter fencing or in-field fencing along public rights of way, initial enquiries to determine any criminal liability would begin with those dutyholders who have responsibility for maintaining the perimeter fencing / in-field fencing.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to publish (a) an arthritis action plan and (b) other disease-specific action plans following publication of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are currently no plans to publish an arthritis action plan following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan.

Services for those with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, including arthritis, are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). The Department expects MSK services to be fully incorporated into integrated care system planning and decision-making.

As announced in the Get Britain Working white paper, we are delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England Getting It Right First-Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. With a £3.5 million funding boost, GIRFT teams will deploy their proven Further Faster model to work with ICB leaders to further reduce MSK community waiting times, including for those with arthritis, and improve data and metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services.

To support health and care professionals in the early diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, and in the provision of services for people living with arthritis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published expert guidance for rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, with further information on both available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng100

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng226

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help people with arthritis to stay physically active.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the diagnosis and management of osteoarthritis recommends therapeutic exercise for all people with osteoarthritis that is tailored to their needs and that is part of a wider structured treatment package. It advises that for people with osteoarthritis, long-term adherence to an exercise plan can help to reduce pain and increase functioning and quality of life. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng226

More widely, the Government and the National Health Service recognise the important role of physical activity in the prevention and management of long-term health conditions, including arthritis. The NHS Better Health Campaign promotes ways for adults, families and children to move more, and signposts people, including those living with long term conditions who are ready to build movement into their routine, to digital support like the NHS Active 10 walking app.

Local authorities and the NHS also promote and provide services for people living with long term conditions, such as exercise on referral and social prescribing, including access to physical activity interventions, falls prevention and walking groups.

The Department, with Sport England, has delivered support and training to equip healthcare professionals to enable patients to move more to improve their physical and mental health. Sport England continues to support work in this area through the Physical Activity Clinical Champions programme, which is currently being piloted in local areas.

NHS England is working closely with partners nationally and locally to explore how the NHS might galvanise support to make physical activity a core part of NHS care to benefit patients, NHS staff, and the wider public.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will review the spread of tuberculosis in cattle on Exmoor.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Our Bovine TB Strategy is underpinned by robust routine and targeted testing of all cattle herds in England, restricting cattle movements from infected premises and detecting and removing all test positive cattle. This strategy is enhanced by statutory pre-and post-movement testing of cattle and slaughterhouse surveillance.

APHA produce regular analysis of the results of bovine TB epidemiology and surveillance in Great Britain in 2023, including those counties in the High Risk, Edge and Low Risk Area of England. This includes Devon and Somerset, in which Exmoor is located: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-epidemiology-and-surveillance-in-great-britain-2023

We have started work on a comprehensive new bovine TB eradication strategy to drive down TB rates to improve cattle and farmers’ livelihoods and to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament. Working closely alongside farmers, vets, scientists and conservationists to rapidly strengthen and deploy a range of disease control measures, we have also begun developing a new national wildlife surveillance programme. This will unlock a data-driven approach to inform how and where TB vaccines and other eradication measures are deployed.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she make an assessment of the adequacy of levels of welfare support for children within married families.

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

We will bring in a permanent, above inflation, rise to the standard allowance in Universal Credit for the first time ever by raising the standard allowance above inflation from 2026/27 until 2029/30. This is in stark contrast to the freeze between 2016/17 and 2019/20 and is a permanent increase to give families certainty. To the lowest income and working families up and down the country this will be crucial.

We have also uprated benefit rates for 2025/26 in line with inflation and are introducing a new Fair Repayment Rate, allowing 1.2 million households to keep more of their Universal Credit.

Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish a Child Poverty Strategy which will deliver lasting change.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the number of sewage discharges into waterbodies in Tiverton and Minehead constituency; and what steps he is taking to ensure that companies are accountable for those spills.

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

For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.

That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Act. The Act will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.

Storm Overflows are strictly regulated by the Environment Agency (EA). Where breaches are found, EA will not hesitate to hold companies to account.

The Tiverton and Minehead constituency is served by both South West Water and Wessex Water. As part of Price Review 2024 (PR24), which runs from 2025–2030, water companies will be delivering record levels of investment. This includes South West Water delivering £764 million and Wessex Water delivering £580 million of investment on storm overflows, continuous water quality monitoring, and event duration monitoring.

Beyond the Water (Special Measures) Act, we are also carrying out a full review of the water sector. The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will make recommendations to shape further action to transform how our water system works and clean up our waterways for good. A public Call for Evidence closed on 23 April, with all interested parties invited to share their views. The review's final recommendations will be published and shared with the UK and Welsh Governments this summer.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she considered including the West Somerset Opportunity Area in the South West region for the DCMS Create Growth Programme Competition 4.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Create Growth Programme supports high-growth creative businesses and SMEs in twelve English regions outside London to scale up and become investment ready. This is delivered through three strands of support - bespoke business support, financial support and investor capacity building activities.

The financial support, including that offered through Competition 4, awards grants to support innovation projects to individual businesses who are registered or operational within one of the twelve participating regions. Participating regions were determined by a competitive application process to appoint local area partnerships.

The West of England and Cornwall local area partnership is a participating region in the programme. That partnership covers the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority area (ie Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset), North Somerset, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, but does not include the West Somerset Opportunity Area. There are currently no plans to increase the number of participating regions.

We would encourage all interested businesses to contact Innovate UK to explore other suitable support or opportunities which are open to the whole of the UK.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve financial support for student parents undergoing teacher training and not earning a salary.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Students attending full-time undergraduate courses and PGCE courses with child dependants qualify for a partially means-tested loan for living costs, a means-tested Childcare Grant, payable towards childcare costs for registered or approved childcare, and a means-tested Parents’ Learning Allowance to help with additional study costs.

The government announced in a Written Statement on 20 January 2025 that maximum loans and grants for living costs will increase by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year. This Written Statement can be accessed at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-%2001-20/hcws372.

A 3.1% increase to loans and grants for living costs in 2025/26 is in line with forecast inflation based on the Retail Price Index Excluding Mortgage Interest (RPIX) inflation index.

Maximum loans for living costs for 2025/26 will be £13,762 for students living away from home and studying in London, £10,544, for students living away from home and studying outside London and £8,877 for students living in the parental home.

Higher rates of loan for living costs are available for students who are eligible for benefits, such as lone parents.

The amount of Childcare Grant payable in 2025/26 will be based on 85% of actual childcare costs, subject to a maximum grant of £199.62 per week for one child only or £342.24 per week for two or more children. The maximum amount of Parents’ Learning Allowance payable in 2025/26 will be £2,024.

The government published an Equality Impact Assessment of changes to fees and student support for the 2025/26 academic year on 20 January 2025. This is accessible at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/263/impacts/2025/41.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of childcare funding policies for parents in higher education.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Students attending full-time undergraduate courses and PGCE courses with child dependants qualify for a partially means-tested loan for living costs, a means-tested Childcare Grant, payable towards childcare costs for registered or approved childcare, and a means-tested Parents’ Learning Allowance to help with additional study costs.

The government announced in a Written Statement on 20 January 2025 that maximum loans and grants for living costs will increase by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year. This Written Statement can be accessed at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-%2001-20/hcws372.

A 3.1% increase to loans and grants for living costs in 2025/26 is in line with forecast inflation based on the Retail Price Index Excluding Mortgage Interest (RPIX) inflation index.

Maximum loans for living costs for 2025/26 will be £13,762 for students living away from home and studying in London, £10,544, for students living away from home and studying outside London and £8,877 for students living in the parental home.

Higher rates of loan for living costs are available for students who are eligible for benefits, such as lone parents.

The amount of Childcare Grant payable in 2025/26 will be based on 85% of actual childcare costs, subject to a maximum grant of £199.62 per week for one child only or £342.24 per week for two or more children. The maximum amount of Parents’ Learning Allowance payable in 2025/26 will be £2,024.

The government published an Equality Impact Assessment of changes to fees and student support for the 2025/26 academic year on 20 January 2025. This is accessible at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/263/impacts/2025/41.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take through the 10 Year Health Plan to support community pharmacies.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and community pharmacies will have a big role to play in that shift.

As part of the work to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, we have been carefully considering policies, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our partners, including from the community pharmacy sector.

Retirement of GPs and national GP strategy

Electoral reform

UK role in peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Gaza occupation proposals

Deaf Awareness Week 2025

Somerset County Cricket Club and Tom Banton

Public Hearts defibrillator campaign

Palantir Technologies, Peter Thiel and the NHS (No. 2)

Injury on Duty Award Scheme

Homelessness

Introduction of the Hillsborough Law and the 36th anniversary

UK parliamentarians sanctioned by the Russian Federation

Sanctioning of UK Parliamentarians by Russia

St George’s Day 2025

Ensuring stability for Ukrainian refugees in the UK

Chalk stream river protection

Rural bus services

Protecting children from data exploitation

Dementia strategy for Devon

Ukrainian Action Team Devon

Abduction of Ukrainian children

Found: York Outer) Anna Dixon (Labour; Shipley) Peter Fortune (Conservative; Bromley and Biggin Hill) Rachel Gilmour

Found: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts; Nesil Caliskan; Mr Luke Charters; Peter Fortune; Rachel Gilmour

Found: York Outer) Anna Dixon (Labour; Shipley) Peter Fortune (Conservative; Bromley and Biggin Hill) Rachel Gilmour

Found: York Outer) Anna Dixon (Labour; Shipley) Peter Fortune (Conservative; Bromley and Biggin Hill) Rachel Gilmour

Found: York Outer) Anna Dixon (Labour; Shipley) Peter Fortune (Conservative; Bromley and Biggin Hill) Rachel Gilmour

Found: _NC1 Victoria Collins Caroline Voaden Vikki Slade Liz Jarvis Rachel Gilmour Tom Gordon Helen Maguire

Found: _NC1 Victoria Collins Caroline Voaden Vikki Slade Liz Jarvis Rachel Gilmour Tom Gordon Helen Maguire

Found: New Amendments: 11 to 32 _NC1 Victoria Collins Caroline Voaden Vikki Slade Liz Jarvis Rachel Gilmour

Found: _NC1 Victoria Collins Caroline Voaden Vikki Slade Liz Jarvis Rachel Gilmour Tom Gordon Helen Maguire

Found: _NC1 Victoria Collins Caroline Voaden Vikki Slade Liz Jarvis Rachel Gilmour Tom Gordon Helen Maguire

Found: _NC1 Victoria Collins Caroline Voaden Vikki Slade Liz Jarvis Rachel Gilmour Tom Gordon Helen Maguire

Found: _NC1 Victoria Collins Caroline Voaden Vikki Slade Liz Jarvis Rachel Gilmour Tom Gordon Helen Maguire

Found: New Amendment: NC15 _NC1 Victoria Collins Caroline Voaden Vikki Slade Liz Jarvis Rachel Gilmour

Found: New Amendments: 10 and NC14 _NC1 Victoria Collins Caroline Voaden Vikki Slade Liz Jarvis Rachel Gilmour