Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the eligibility for free prescriptions to people with Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are no plans to review the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate.

There are extensive arrangements in place in England to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone. Approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there is a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with Schwachmann Diamond Syndrome may be eligible. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.

People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme, which provides help based on a comparison between a person’s income and requirements.

People who need to pay and need many prescription items could save money with a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC). PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as needed for a set cost. An annual PPC costs £114.50 and will save money if they need 12 or more items in 12 months. To help spread the cost, people can pay for an annual PPC by ten monthly direct debits, which works out as just over £2 per week. A three-month PPC for £32.05 is also available.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that older people entitled to Home Responsibilities Protection compensation are not excluded from claiming due to identity verification requirements.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Customers who are unable to access their Personal Tax Account can apply for Home Responsibilities Protection by completing a print and post form (CF411) which is available on GOV.UK. Alternatively, they can contact the National Insurance helpline to request a paper form.

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 (a) support local authorities with the availability of larger family homes and (b) ensure that future developments reflect local demand for such housing through neighbourhood planning.

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

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that it is for local planning authorities to assess the size, types and tenure of housing needed for different groups, including (but not limited to) families with children, and to reflect this in their planning policies.

We have already strengthened national policy to encourage the delivery of mixed tenure development and will consider what further steps we can take as part of our intent to produce a set of national policies for decision making later this year.

The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests. Neighbourhood planning works best where it builds upon the foundation of the local plan to meet the priorities, preferences, and housing needs of the community.

Government planning policy for traveller sites should be read in conjunction with the National Planning Policy Framework.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of amending statutory guidance on home to school transport so that local authorities are required to consider providing free or subsidised transport from more than one parental address in cases of formally agreed 50/50 shared custody.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Education Act 1996 requires local authorities to arrange free home-to-school travel for eligible children of compulsory school age, 5 to 16. The department publishes statutory guidance to help them fulfil this duty. Neither the guidance, nor the law, expects local authorities to provide an eligible child with free travel to and from more than one address. It would not be reasonable for them to do this in every case.

The guidance does however stipulate that local authorities should make clear in their school travel policies how they will determine a child’s home address for the purposes of assessing their eligibility for travel, including in circumstances where their parents do not live together and the child spends part of the week with each parent.

There are no plans to change this, but local authorities do have a discretionary power to arrange travel for other children and may use this to arrange travel to and from more than one address if they choose to do so.

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 require chewing gum manufacturers to disclose the full composition of gum base on product labels.

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

Current food labelling rules permit manufacturers to list ‘gum base’ as an ingredient, where ‘gum base’ means gum preparations used in the manufacture of gum base for chewing gum. Manufacturers can provide more descriptive information relating to ingredients contained in the ‘gum base’ if they wish but this is not a requirement. There are currently no plans to amend the legislation.

Emma Kennedy

National inquiry into child sexual exploitation

40th anniversary of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Farmgate milk price reduction

Council elections in areas pursuing devolution reform

Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund and its work in Wiltshire

Provision of trained Family Liaison Officers

Elon Musk at the Unite the Kingdom rally

Political donations

Global Lobular Breast Cancer Awareness Day 2025

Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme

Practical driving tests in the South West

NHS parking charges

Wiltshire’s LINK schemes and volunteering

Recognition of Wiltshire schools achieving the Dyslexia-Friendly Quality Mark

Motor neurone disease

Calne Fair Trade

Thames Water in Wiltshire

Flood Action Week 2025

200th anniversary of the Church of St Martin of Tours, Epsom

East Neuk Kilnhouse Great Taste recognition

Award of honorary posthumous England cap to Frank Soo

Edinburgh Kiltwalk 2025

Chinook Justice Campaign

Found: Not called_NC22 Chris Hinchliff Ian Sollom Dr Roz Savage Mr Will Forster Ben Maguire Siân Berry John

Submit Evidence (by 4 Nov 2025)

This Environmental Audit Committee inquiry will examine the Climate Change Committee's advice on the Seventh Carbon Budget. It will consider the assumptions and costs underpinning the CCC’s recommendations, explore the balance between emerging and established technologies, the policy choices facing Government, and the potential impacts on households, businesses and the wider economy. The inquiry will also look at how the Government should communicate choices and trade-offs, and how Parliament and the public can best scrutinise delivery plans and progress.