Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he plans to take to prevent company directors from dissolving indebted businesses and then establishing a similar business without paying former debts.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government expects directors to act lawfully and responsibly in respect of the companies they run and that includes ensuring that liabilities and other obligations are discharged before they apply for a company's voluntary dissolution. Those who fail to do so lay themselves open to the risk of personal liability, director disqualification and, potentially, imprisonment. The Government made a commitment in the Autumn Statement 2024 to increase collaboration between HMRC, Companies House, and the Insolvency Service to tackle those using contrived corporate insolvencies and dissolutions to exploit and defraud customers and creditors.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) develop a circular economy for historically un-recyclable waste streams, (b) tackle the composite waste burden and (c) support the recycling industry.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer, waste is reduced, we accelerate the path to net zero, we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs, our economy prospers, and nature thrives. Defra recognises the importance of assessing the impacts of un-recyclable waste and as we develop our Circular Economy Strategy for England, we will consider the evidence for action and evaluate what interventions may be needed.

The incoming Collection and Packaging Reforms will ensure local authorities across England collect the same materials for recycling, creating a constant feed stock. These reforms will support 21,000 jobs and stimulate £10 billion in recycling capability over the next decade.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure good quality therapy for care experienced children in a timely manner that meets the needs of families.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 require an assessment of the health needs for every child when they enter care and a plan devised to address their needs. Together with the Department of Health and Social Care, the department is reviewing existing statutory guidance, including these regulations, to further ensure care-experienced young people receive the support needed for their health and wellbeing, including access to the requisite treatment or therapy. The guidance will strengthen expectations on key local and national organisations regarding promotion of the cohort’s physical, emotional and mental health, including acting on any early signs of health issues.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will introduce corporate parenting responsibilities on government departments and relevant public bodies, to ensure these partners take account of care-experienced young people’s vulnerabilities when designing policies and delivering services. This will include organisations that deliver health and wellbeing services.

Annual pupil premium plus funding of £2,570, managed by the local authority’s virtual school head, is available to support looked-after children and can be used to facilitate therapeutic services and support.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when decisions will be made on the future of (a) Infinity Park Spencer Academy and (b) New House Farm Church of England Primary in South Derbyshire constituency.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The mainstream free schools review is ongoing and departmental officials are in the final stages of working through the evidence gathered from Derbyshire County Council, Derby Diocesan Academy Trust and the Spencer Academies Trust. No decisions have been made yet and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education will not take decisions without considering the key evidence and data.

The department will provide an update in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason Access to Work funding is not provided for overtime.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Access to Work aims to support the recruitment and retention of disabled people in employment. The grant supports workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010.

To ensure that grants provide adequate support for customers in the majority of circumstances, grant awards for employed customers are based on the number of hours they are contracted to work.

We always encourage people to speak to their employer about any workplace adjustments in the first instance, including in instances where a customer requires additional support beyond their contracted hours.

As part of our Plan for Change, and as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published in March, we are consulting on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the programme to help more disabled people into work and support employers, ensuring value for money for taxpayers. We will review all aspects of the Scheme following the conclusion of the consultation, and carefully assess the impact of any proposed changes.

We encourage people to have their views and voices heard on how they think the programme and the welfare system could be improved.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to (a) abolish and (b) impose a (i) freeze and (ii) maximum cap on increases in service charges for freehold properties.

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

The government remain committed to protecting residential freeholders on private and mixed-tenure housing estates from unfair charge

We will consult this year on implementing the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act’s new consumer protection provisions for the up to 1.75m homes that are subject to these charges, and bring these measures into force as quickly as possible thereafter. These include ensuring that homeowners who pay an estate management charge have better access to information they need to understand what they are paying for, the right to challenge the reasonableness at the First-tier Tribunal (in England), and to go to the tribunal to appoint a substitute manager.

The government is also determined to end the injustice of ‘fleecehold’ entirely and we will consult next year on legislative and policy options to reduce the prevalence of private estate management arrangements, which are the root cause of the problems experienced by many residential freeholders.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the publication entitled Health Technical Memorandum 04-01: Safe water in healthcare premises, updated on 27 August 2024, what processes are in place to help support the (a) NHS and (b) healthcare sector with the implementation of the NHS Estates Technical Bulletin No.2024/3.

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

The Health Technical Memorandum 04-01: Safe water in healthcare premises was last updated in 2016, and is currently being reviewed for the publication of an update in 2026.

The NHS Estates Technical Bulletin (NETB) No.2024/3: Designing safe spaces for patients at high risk of infection from nontuberculous mycobacteria and other waterborne pathogens was created in response to a recent outbreak of mycobacterium abscessus (Mab), a nontuberculous mycobacterium, and the resulting risks for vulnerable patients in specialised wards/units. The NETB was created in response to a Regulation 28 report from the coroner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

National Health Service organisations are responsible for reviewing their own organisational risks, in line with the guidance, for this specialist group, and for managing its implementation at a local level.

Found: Catherine Fookes (Labour; Monmouthshire) Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat; Edinburgh West) Samantha Niblett

Found: Catherine Fookes (Labour; Monmouthshire) Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat; Edinburgh West) Samantha Niblett

Found: Catherine Fookes (Labour; Monmouthshire) Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat; Edinburgh West) Samantha Niblett

Found: Catherine Fookes (Labour; Monmouthshire) Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat; Edinburgh West) Samantha Niblett

Found: Catherine Fookes (Labour; Monmouthshire) Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat; Edinburgh West) Samantha Niblett

Found: Sarah Owen Christine Jardine Alex Brewer Rosie Duffield Kirith Entwistle Catherine Fookes Samantha Niblett

The Women and Equalities Committee will examine the health impacts of breast implants and other cosmetic procedures. This inquiry will explore the safety and regulation of both surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures, including how risks are communicated and managed.