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 adequacy of the availability of affordable housing options for young people on low incomes.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 104603 on 19 January 2026, and UIN 87891 on 11 November 2025.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his department plans to publish the funding outcomes for the Hydrogen Allocation Round 2 project.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

In April 2025 we shortlisted 27 projects to remain in the Hydrogen Allocation Round 2 (HAR2) process. We have now finished due diligence and cost assurance on these projects.

Projects which pass will enter an Invite to Offer stage where we will award contracts to successful projects.

We hope to move into this stage soon and aim to award contracts in 2026.

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 plans to publish timetables for the release of funds to local authorities for the delivery of housing for people seeking asylum.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 114248 on 2 March 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of families with children being refused (a) homelessness relief and (b) homelessness prevention duties by local authorities in England.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department publishes quarterly data on the number of households that do not qualify for a homelessness duty after initial assessment which you can access on gov.uk here. The Department provides clear guidance for local authorities in exercising their homelessness functions, including taking decisions on duties owed, in the Homelessness Code of Guidance, which you can access here.

I wrote to council leaders and chief executives on Wednesday 25 February setting out local authorities’ legal duties to homeless families with children under the Housing Act 1996 and Children Act 1989.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects to announce the revised timetable for provision of McCloud Remedy statements to NHS workers who have already retired but have not been able to make their McCloud choice.

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

The Department recognises the importance of providing NHS Pension Scheme members certainty about when they will receive their McCloud Remediable Service Statements.

An independent review of the NHS Business Service Authority’s revised plans for the delivery of the McCloud remedy for NHS Pension Scheme members is ongoing. The independent review team is expected to assess this revised delivery plan shortly. Subject to the review team's assurance, we intend to issue new deadlines and update the House in May 2026.

In the meantime, the NHS Business Service Authority continues to provide Remediable Service Statements to affected members, prioritising those who may be most affected by the discrimination highlighted by the McCloud judgment. Additionally, members who meet specific criteria can request to receive a prioritised Remediable Service Statement. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/public-service-pensions-remedy-mccloud/making-your-decision-about-your-nhs-pension-benefits

The Government is committed to ensuring that affected members are not subject to financial disadvantage due to these delays. Pension arrears arising from the McCloud remedy are paid with 8% interest, and a compensation scheme is available for members who have experienced other direct financial losses.'

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many social housing tenancies have been let to domestic abuse survivors in each year from 2020/21 to 2024/25.

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

The number of new social lettings to households leaving their last settled home due to domestic abuse can be found in the ‘Social Housing Lettings’ statistics tenants tables 3p and 3pi on gov.uk here.

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 the potential merits of piloting targeted cardiac screening programmes for higher-risk groups of young people.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is guided by the independent scientific advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process. Where the committee is confident that offering screening provides more good than harm, they recommend a screening programme.

The UK NSC last reviewed screening for the conditions associated with sudden cardiac death in people under the age of 39 years old in 2019. The conclusion of that review was that population screening should not be offered, as research showed that current tests are not accurate enough to use on young people with no symptoms.

In the absence of an accurate enough test and an understanding of who to treat, cost-effectiveness modelling of a potential screening programme would not be informative.

It would not be ethically appropriate to pilot a screening programme in circumstances where the current screening test is not accurate enough.

The UK NSC will open a public consultation to seek comments from members of the public and stakeholders on screening for the conditions associated with sudden cardiac death this spring.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has undertaken recent cost-effectiveness modelling of cardiac screening for people aged 14 to 35.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is guided by the independent scientific advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process. Where the committee is confident that offering screening provides more good than harm, they recommend a screening programme.

The UK NSC last reviewed screening for the conditions associated with sudden cardiac death in people under the age of 39 years old in 2019. The conclusion of that review was that population screening should not be offered, as research showed that current tests are not accurate enough to use on young people with no symptoms.

In the absence of an accurate enough test and an understanding of who to treat, cost-effectiveness modelling of a potential screening programme would not be informative.

It would not be ethically appropriate to pilot a screening programme in circumstances where the current screening test is not accurate enough.

The UK NSC will open a public consultation to seek comments from members of the public and stakeholders on screening for the conditions associated with sudden cardiac death this spring.

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 with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions of the potential impact of people who have experienced domestic abuse being allocated unfurnished dwellings on the well-being of those people.

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

This government is committed to halving violence against women and girls within a decade. We have committed £550 million for victims’ services, with an additional 2% uplift each year, and £499 million over the next three years to support in safe accommodation for victims of abuse.

People living without essential furniture, including victims of domestic abuse, can access support through their local authority, including via the Household Support Fund until 31 March, and from April, the Crisis and Resilience Fund, to provide discretionary help with essential items such as furniture.

The government consulted on proposals to reform the Decent Homes Standard for both the social and private rented sectors. As part of this, we sought views on how furniture provision could be addressed within best practice guidance. Our response to the consultation was published in January 2026, confirming our commitment to issue guidance relating to furniture provision. The consultation response can be found on gov.uk here.

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 the potential merits of introducing a) cardiac screening and b) risk awareness programmes in secondary schools and further education colleges.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is guided by the independent scientific advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process. Where the committee is confident that offering screening provides more good than harm, they recommend a screening programme.

The UK NSC last reviewed screening for the conditions associated with sudden cardiac death in people under the age of 39 years old in 2019. The conclusion of that review was that population screening should not be offered, as research showed that current tests are not accurate enough to use on young people with no symptoms.

The UK NSC will open a public consultation to seek comments from members of the public and stakeholders on screening for the conditions associated with sudden cardiac death this spring. NHS England runs training sessions on first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the use of defibrillators both in the community and in schools.

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 adequacy of the cardiology workforce to meet demand for inherited cardiac condition diagnosis in young people.

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

The Department has made no specific assessment. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to ensure health services meet the needs of their populations, including cardiology services.

NHS England has a published a national service specification for inherited cardiac conditions that covers patients who often present as young adults with previously undiagnosed cardiac disease or families requiring follow up due to a death from this cause. This describes the service model and guidance that should be followed to support diagnosis and treatment of patients or family members. It also includes the requirement for specialised inherited cardiac conditions services to investigate suspected cases.

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 reduce the number of deaths from cardiac issues in young people.

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

The Department has made no specific assessment. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to ensure health services meet the needs of their populations, including cardiology services.

NHS England has a published a national service specification for inherited cardiac conditions that covers patients who often present as young adults with previously undiagnosed cardiac disease or families requiring follow up due to a death from this cause. This describes the service model and guidance that should be followed to support diagnosis and treatment of patients or family members. It also includes the requirement for specialised inherited cardiac conditions services to investigate suspected cases.

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 bringing forward legislative proposals to prevent registered sex offenders from changing their names by deed poll.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The system for managing sex offenders and those that pose a risk of sexual harm is a crucial part of preventing sexual violence and delivering our mission to halve violence against women and girls.

The Crime and Policing Bill will introduce a range of legislative changes which will strengthen the management of registered sex offenders. Where the police consider it necessary to protect the public or children or vulnerable adults from sexual harm, it will enable them to serve a notice on offenders requiring them to seek the police’s authorisation before applying to change their name on a specified identity document (namely, a UK passport, driving licence or immigration document). The legislative changes will also require RSOs to notify the police of an intended change of name at least seven days in advance of using it, or if that is not reasonably practicable, as far in advance of their using it as it reasonably practicable.

Our name change restriction focuses on ID documents, which are required for work, overseas travel, and accessing services, because that is where name changes can be monitored and a restriction robustly enforced.