Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of regulation of psychotherapy professions.

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

The Government is clear that the professions protected in law must be the right ones and that the level of regulatory oversight must be proportionate to the risks to the public.

The Department keeps the professions subject to regulation under review but has no current plans to extend statutory regulation to psychotherapy professions, including counsellors and cognitive behavioural therapy psychotherapists.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to introduce statutory regulation for psychotherapy professions, including counsellors and CBT psychotherapists.

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

The Government is clear that the professions protected in law must be the right ones and that the level of regulatory oversight must be proportionate to the risks to the public.

The Department keeps the professions subject to regulation under review but has no current plans to extend statutory regulation to psychotherapy professions, including counsellors and cognitive behavioural therapy psychotherapists.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending VAT exemption to counsellors, psychotherapists and CBT therapists who are on Professional Standards Authority-accredited registers.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Many services provided directly or supervised by registered health professionals are exempt from VAT, meaning no VAT is charged to the final consumer. This does not apply to professionals who do not have statutory registers, such as counsellors and psychotherapists.

The UK’s approach of linking VAT exemption to statutory registration provides a clear and objective criterion for defining ‘health professionals’ for VAT purposes, ensuring that VAT reliefs are tightly targeted. While the Government keeps all taxes under review, there are no current plans to introduce VAT exemptions for counsellors and psychotherapists without statutory registration.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her department is taking to address the potential risk of social housing residents being excluded from full fibre broadband due to access rights.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is committed to ensuring at least 99% of premises receive gigabit broadband coverage by 2032. This will primarily be achieved through the commercial deployment of full‑fibre connections. Through Project Gigabit the Government is supporting the rollout of gigabit‑capable broadband to UK premises that are not expected to be reached commercially, helping to ensure that residents, including those in social housing, can benefit from fast and reliable connectivity.

The Department recognises the challenges of connection in social housing, and we continue to engage with Local Authorities and Housing Associations on digital infrastructure deployment. In November 2024, the then Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms wrote to Local Authorities to encourage access agreements to be reached for the installation of gigabit-capable broadband on local authority land and assets which include some social housing.

We are currently analysing responses to our consultation on legislative proposals to address broadband rollout in leasehold flats (which closed on 16 February 2026), and will update on the outcomes in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of VAT rules on the accessibility and affordability of services provided by CBT psychotherapists, counsellors and other health professionals on PSA Accredited Registers.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Many services provided directly or supervised by registered health professionals are exempt from VAT, meaning no VAT is charged to the final consumer. This does not apply to professionals who do not have statutory registers, such as counsellors and psychotherapists.

The UK’s approach of linking VAT exemption to statutory registration provides a clear and objective criterion for defining ‘health professionals’ for VAT purposes, ensuring that VAT reliefs are tightly targeted. While the Government keeps all taxes under review, there are no current plans to introduce VAT exemptions for counsellors and psychotherapists without statutory registration.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to written question 120134 answered on 16 March 2026, for what reason GS4 mix is no longer available to farmers.

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

GS4 was previously an option called ‘Legume and herb-rich swards’ available to farmers under legacy Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier and Higher Tier agreements. This option was replaced with a broadly equivalent action called ‘Herbal leys’ under both the new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) offers.

The original mix used for GS4 was a tightly specified herbal ley mix with high species requirements (containing at least 5 species of grass, 4 species of legume and 4 species of herb or wildflowers). It has been replaced in SFI by the CSAM3: Herbal leys action (with lower minimum requirements) and in CSHT by the CGS4: Herbal leys action (using a mix which can be tailored to meet specific local conditions and to support delivery of specific habitats or species).

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 had discussions with stakeholders on the adequacy of the BREEAM Excellent £2,000,000 threshold, in the context of inflation since it was set.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department has not held discussions with stakeholders on this matter.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued on Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and the challenges to patients in accessing diagnosis and treatment.

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

The Department recognises the complex needs of people living with mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). Our approach focuses on improving care coordination and access to appropriate services.

The National Health Service has published an overview of mastocytosis, a similar, distinct, mast cell disorder. This includes information regarding symptoms as well as treatment options. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/mastocytosis/

Specialised commissioning has published the Service Specification for Specialist Allergy Services which covers the responsibilities of specialised commissioned providers in regard to patients with mastocytosis and related disorders. This is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/specialist-allergy-services-adults-service-specification-v2.9.pdf

The management of people with mastocytosis is provided by specialised allergy/immunology, dermatology and haematology services. The lead clinician will vary at different centres, but specialist allergy input should be readily available.

Found: made I: Sean Woodcock II: Jen Craft, Dr Beccy Cooper, Danny Beales and Josh Fenton-Glynn III: Samantha Niblett

Found: Q107 Samantha Niblett: I want to talk about money.

Exposure to digital technologies is an everyday experience for children, in how they play, learn, and connect with their families, friends and wider society. This exposure results in a complex picture of benefits and risks related to children’s physical and cognitive development and physical and mental health. There is a lot of data about device use and online habits but how the use of a wide range of digital devices affects development in childhood and adolescence is less clear.