Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General,  how many cases have been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service in which conduct was alleged to have been intended to (a) change and (b) suppress a person’s (i) sexual orientation and (ii) transgender identity since 2018; and how many resulted in a (A) charge, (B) prosecution and (C) conviction by principal offence.

Answered by Andy Slaughter - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

There are currently no specific criminal offences of engaging in conduct intended to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or transgender identity and the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) Case Management System (CMS) does not have a flag or any other means to identify cases which involve this type of conduct. For these reasons, the CPS does not hold any central record of such cases referred for a charging decision or early advice. It follows, that if we do not hold a central record of such cases referred to CPS, we do not know how many may have resulted in charges, prosecutions, or convictions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of complaints made to NHS bodies and healthcare professional regulators concerning alleged attempts by a healthcare professional to (a) change and (b) suppress a person’s (i) sexual orientation and (ii) transgender identity since 2018; and what the outcomes of those complaints were.

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

The Department does not hold this data centrally.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has considered the potential merits of introducing a national 100 per cent council tax discount for households which include an individual with a terminal illness.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Councils have considerable flexibility to provide discretionary council tax discounts or exemptions where they consider this appropriate. This could include offering discounts for those who are terminally ill.

The government is committed to ensuring the council tax system is fair for taxpayers and local authorities and will continue to keep taxes and all elements of the local government finance system under review.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to commission an updated assessment of the ecological and economic impacts of ring-necked parakeets; and what consideration she has given to introducing measures to manage their population and limit their spread.

Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The risk assessment for the Ring-necked Parakeet is currently being updated by the GB Non-native Species Secretariat. The existing risk assessment, published in March 2011, is available on the NNSS website here and considers the species' potential ecological and economic impacts.

Currently there are no active plans in England with respect to this species. This is kept under review by the UK Non-native Species Programme Board, to ensure that policy remains appropriate, proportionate and informed by the latest available evidence.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what oversight mechanisms are in place to ensure the quality and consistency of ADHD assessments for children commissioned under the NHS Right to Choose pathway.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to the Hon Member for Maidenhead on 16 July 2026 to Question 17231.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of (a) the volume of mains water used by professional window cleaning businesses and (b) the reduction in water demand that would result from restricting professional window cleaning under a non-essential use drought order.

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

A NEUB is a drought restriction that may be applied for by water companies to temporarily limit certain non-essential uses of water by businesses and organisations during periods of exceptional water shortage. Water companies that wish to apply to limit non-essential uses of water are responsible for assessing the volumes of water savings in their NEUB application and cost benefit analysis.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Health and Safety Executive on the potential impact of non-essential use drought orders on the use of water-fed pole systems by professional window cleaners.

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

Restrictions and exemptions are set out in the Water Resources Act 1991 and the Drought Direction 2011.

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 health and safety implications of restricting the use of water-fed pole systems by professional window cleaners under non-essential use drought orders.

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

Restrictions and exemptions are set out in the Water Resources Act 1991 and the Drought Direction 2011.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to issue guidance to schools, early years providers and other settings attended by children on the use of camera-enabled smart glasses and other discreet wearable recording devices on their premises.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Schools and other education providers are responsible for considering their obligations under data protection law where camera enabled smart glasses or other wearable recording devices are used. Such devices may raise issues around transparency, privacy and the recording of personal data, particularly where children are involved.

The department already provides data protection guidance on the taking, using and storing of images such as photographs, video and CCTV in schools and, while not specific to wearable technologies, the underlying principles are technology neutral and remain relevant.

The existing data protection guidance can apply to these technologies, and provides future proofing advice that settings may wish to refer to when considering whether emerging recording capabilities give rise to any additional risks as part of their wider data protection and safeguarding arrangements. This guidance provides advice for settings on producing a policy not just for setting staff, but also for dealing with parents, carers and visitors within the school boundaries.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will provide a breakdown of the information that her Department holds on the number of people experiencing conversion practices annually by (a) sex, (b) age, (c) sexual orientation, (d) transgender status, (e) ethnicity, (f) religion or belief, (g) disability and (h) region.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government published its draft Conversion Practices Bill on 25 June for pre-legislative scrutiny. Our impact assessment which summarises the data that is available on conversion practices. This can be found here: Draft Conversion Practices Bill Impact Assessment.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when the Justice Impact Test for the draft Conversion Practices Bill will be completed; and what estimate she has made of the annual costs arising from (a) police investigations, (b) Crown Prosecution Service work, (c) legal aid, (d) court proceedings, (e) imprisonment, (f) probation and (g) applications for and breaches of Conversion Practice Protection Orders.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government published its Economic Impact Assessment alongside the draft Conversion Practices Bill, which can be found here. We will continue to update the Economic Impact Assessment after pre-legislative scrutiny concludes and in the light of new evidence and analysis, as is usual in all policy processes.

We are currently working closely with the Ministry of Justice on the Justice Impact Test to assess the impacts on the justice system.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many contacts with the Government-funded conversion practice Victim Support Service in each financial year since 2022-23 were made by (a) telephone, (b) email, (c) webchat and (d) other means; and how many were (i) repeat contacts and (ii) contacts made by (A) professionals and (B) third parties.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Victim Support Service is a government-funded helpline and specialist support service that is available to anyone who is at risk of, is experiencing, or has been through a conversion practice.

Currently operated by Galop, the UK’s leading LGBT+ anti-violence charity, the Victim Support Service is confidential, non-judgemental and understanding in its approach, providing information, signposting and resources which aim to aid, inform and empower victims and survivors of conversion practices. The service is staffed by experienced and skilled call handlers who are aware of the numerous pressures and risks that users may be subject to.

All data that relates to the service, such as the data identified in the questions, will be made publicly available in an end of service report, covering the period of its operation in its entirety. This will be made available in due course, after the conclusion of the contract.

The total cost of the service per year, since 2022-23, is listed below.

We would recommend anyone who feels that they are at risk of, currently experiencing, or have been through conversion practices to contact the Victim Support Service, by calling 0800 130 3335, emailing [email protected] or using their livechat service at www.conversiontherapysupport.org.uk.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many (a) contacts and (b) unique individuals used the Government-funded conversion practice Victim Support Service in each financial year since 2022-23; and how many of those individuals reported that they had (i) experienced, (ii) been offered and (iii) been at risk of conversion practices.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Victim Support Service is a government-funded helpline and specialist support service that is available to anyone who is at risk of, is experiencing, or has been through a conversion practice.

Currently operated by Galop, the UK’s leading LGBT+ anti-violence charity, the Victim Support Service is confidential, non-judgemental and understanding in its approach, providing information, signposting and resources which aim to aid, inform and empower victims and survivors of conversion practices. The service is staffed by experienced and skilled call handlers who are aware of the numerous pressures and risks that users may be subject to.

All data that relates to the service, such as the data identified in the questions, will be made publicly available in an end of service report, covering the period of its operation in its entirety. This will be made available in due course, after the conclusion of the contract.

The total cost of the service per year, since 2022-23, is listed below.

We would recommend anyone who feels that they are at risk of, currently experiencing, or have been through conversion practices to contact the Victim Support Service, by calling 0800 130 3335, emailing [email protected] or using their livechat service at www.conversiontherapysupport.org.uk.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what demographic information has been collected on users of the Government-funded conversion practice Victim Support Service; and if she will publish anonymised annual breakdowns by (a) sex, (b) age, (c) sexual orientation, (d) transgender status, (e) ethnicity, (f) religion or belief, (g) disability, (h) region and (i) nationality or immigration status.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Victim Support Service is a government-funded helpline and specialist support service that is available to anyone who is at risk of, is experiencing, or has been through a conversion practice.

Currently operated by Galop, the UK’s leading LGBT+ anti-violence charity, the Victim Support Service is confidential, non-judgemental and understanding in its approach, providing information, signposting and resources which aim to aid, inform and empower victims and survivors of conversion practices. The service is staffed by experienced and skilled call handlers who are aware of the numerous pressures and risks that users may be subject to.

All data that relates to the service, such as the data identified in the questions, will be made publicly available in an end of service report, covering the period of its operation in its entirety. This will be made available in due course, after the conclusion of the contract.

The total cost of the service per year, since 2022-23, is listed below.

We would recommend anyone who feels that they are at risk of, currently experiencing, or have been through conversion practices to contact the Victim Support Service, by calling 0800 130 3335, emailing [email protected] or using their livechat service at www.conversiontherapysupport.org.uk.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many users of the Government-funded conversion practice Victim Support Service have been referred to (a) the police, (b) local authority safeguarding services, (c) social services, (d) healthcare services, (e) housing services and (f) legal services in each year since 2022; and what information her Department holds on the outcomes of those referrals.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Victim Support Service is a government-funded helpline and specialist support service that is available to anyone who is at risk of, is experiencing, or has been through a conversion practice.

Currently operated by Galop, the UK’s leading LGBT+ anti-violence charity, the Victim Support Service is confidential, non-judgemental and understanding in its approach, providing information, signposting and resources which aim to aid, inform and empower victims and survivors of conversion practices. The service is staffed by experienced and skilled call handlers who are aware of the numerous pressures and risks that users may be subject to.

All data that relates to the service, such as the data identified in the questions, will be made publicly available in an end of service report, covering the period of its operation in its entirety. This will be made available in due course, after the conclusion of the contract.

The total cost of the service per year, since 2022-23, is listed below.

We would recommend anyone who feels that they are at risk of, currently experiencing, or have been through conversion practices to contact the Victim Support Service, by calling 0800 130 3335, emailing [email protected] or using their livechat service at www.conversiontherapysupport.org.uk.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how much has been paid to Galop for the provision of the conversion practice Victim Support Service in each financial year since 2022-23; what demand and service-user assumptions were included in the original contract; and what performance has been recorded against each contractual key performance indicator.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Victim Support Service is a government-funded helpline and specialist support service that is available to anyone who is at risk of, is experiencing, or has been through a conversion practice.

Currently operated by Galop, the UK’s leading LGBT+ anti-violence charity, the Victim Support Service is confidential, non-judgemental and understanding in its approach, providing information, signposting and resources which aim to aid, inform and empower victims and survivors of conversion practices. The service is staffed by experienced and skilled call handlers who are aware of the numerous pressures and risks that users may be subject to.

All data that relates to the service, such as the data identified in the questions, will be made publicly available in an end of service report, covering the period of its operation in its entirety. This will be made available in due course, after the conclusion of the contract.

The total cost of the service per year, since 2022-23, is listed below.

We would recommend anyone who feels that they are at risk of, currently experiencing, or have been through conversion practices to contact the Victim Support Service, by calling 0800 130 3335, emailing [email protected] or using their livechat service at www.conversiontherapysupport.org.uk.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of piloting council-funded, low-arousal community hubs for children receiving Education Otherwise Than at School, including the provision of sensory facilities and access to specialist education and therapeutic professionals; and whether her Department has considered using existing Family Hubs as a basis for such a pilot.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government is consulting on proposals to improve support for children and young people who receive education outside a school or further education setting, known as Education Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS). The consultation, which closes on 18 September 2026, seeks views from children, young people, parents, carers and professionals.

The consultation includes proposals to strengthen decision making, oversight and accountability arrangements for EOTAS, helping to ensure that children and young people receive suitable education and support that meets their needs. The department recognises the importance of ensuring that children receiving EOTAS can access appropriate educational and therapeutic support.

As part of the consultation, we welcome a wide range of views on how support for children and young people receiving EOTAS can best be delivered, including access to educational and therapeutic services. We will carefully consider all responses, including any responses about how low-arousal community hubs and Family Hubs can support children receiving EOTAS, before deciding on the next steps.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her statement of 8 September 2026, what categories of technology her Department considers it appropriate for the Government to shape; and what criteria will be used to determine the limits of Government intervention.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Secretary of State’s statement to Parliament on 8 September made clear that the government would look at both device-level and app-level measures to protect children from nude imagery. The government will continue to look across the whole technology ecosystem to ensure protections for children are as strong as possible, while also balancing the privacy, security and technical feasibility of measures.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the availability and accessibility of NHS services for the diagnosis and treatment of tongue-tie in newborn babies; what the average waiting time is for treatment following referral in each NHS region; and whether she will consider issuing guidance to NHS trusts on assessing babies for tongue-tie where breastfeeding difficulties are identified before discharge from maternity services.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is for local National Health Service trusts and integrated care boards to determine how their tongue division services are funded and commissioned, as well as the referral criteria. NHS England does not have national guidance, nor monitor waiting times for tongue-tie services.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence sets out guidance on tongue-tie, including advising that an assessment for tongue-tie should be considered if there are feeding concerns.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what forms of conduct that the Government intends to criminalise through the draft Conversion Practices Bill are not already capable of being prosecuted under existing law; and how many cases have been identified since 2018 in which action could not be taken solely because no existing offence applied.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

There are gaps in the current law which allow abusive conversion practices to happen lawfully and that is unacceptable. At the moment these abusive practices can go under the radar because people do not recognise abusive non-physical conversion practices for what they are.

Without specific legislation and a legal definition, these incidents are difficult to formally record, nor is there a consistent framework for victims or safeguarding professionals to identify them as abusive. Our Draft Bill provides a necessary legal definition, which will ensure that this abuse can be accurately recognised, formally tracked, and prosecuted.

Found: Edinburgh West) Kim Leadbeater (Labour; Spen Valley) Kevin McKenna (Labour; Sittingbourne and Sheppey) Rebecca Paul

Found: Edinburgh West) Kim Leadbeater (Labour; Spen Valley) Kevin McKenna (Labour; Sittingbourne and Sheppey) Rebecca Paul

Found: Johnson (Conservative; Sleaford and North Hykeham) Darren Paffey (Labour; Southampton Itchen) Rebecca Paul

Found: Committee were also present (Standing Order No. 137A): Jess Asato, Daren Daffey, Hellen Hayes, Rebecca Paul

This is a follow-up evidence session to the Committee's report on 'Cosmetic procedures' published in February 2026.