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 has plans to strengthen standards relating to sound insulation in residential properties.

Answered by Samantha Dixon

The Government is continually assessing the efficacy of Building Regulations to ensure that our new homes and buildings are safe and provide healthy living environments for their occupants. This includes Part E of the Building Regulations 2010 (Resistance to the Passage of Sound), which requires protection against sound or from other parts of a building, adjoining buildings and within a dwelling-house, and prevention of unreasonable reverberation in common internal parts of buildings with residential flats or rooms. The Building Safety Act 2022 requires the Building Safety Regulator to keep the safety and standard of buildings under review; Building Regulations can then be updated as needed.

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 requiring safeguarded 24/7 on-site helipads at a) Major Trauma Centres and b) specialist hospitals that receive emergency air ambulance patients.

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

The Government recognises the important role that hospital helipads play in supporting the transfer of critically ill patients and accessing specialist services. Responsibility for the provision and management of hospital helipads rests with local National Health Service organisations, working with relevant planning, aviation, and local authority bodies.

The Department continues to work with NHS England, the Civil Aviation Authority, and other partners to consider issues relating to hospital helipad access and resilience. While there are currently no plans to mandate safeguarded 24/7 on-site helipads through national requirements, the Government will keep this position under review in light of emerging evidence and operational requirements.

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 support those living with Stiff Person Syndrome.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, including stiff person syndrome, under the UK Rare Diseases Framework. We published the fifth annual England action plan in February 2026, where we report on the steps we have taken to advance the priorities of the framework.

NHS England has revised the national service specification for specialised neurology following extensive consultation. The service specification was published on 13 August 2025 and includes guidance on both specialised and core neurology services.

The published service specification for specialised neurology includes the provision of care and support, including diagnosis and management of rare movement disorders, which would include stiff person syndrome.