Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the take-up of Pension Credit among eligible pensioners in the North West.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to ensuring that all pensioners, including those in the North West, receive the support to which they are entitled. That is why we have been running the biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign across Great Britain, promoting Pension Credit to eligible pensioners and their families. This includes messaging encouraging family members to check eligibility on behalf of parents and grandparents, promoted through television and radio advertising, social media, digital screens in GP surgeries and Post Offices, as well as in national press and in magazines such as Yours, Take a Break and TV Choice.

Specifically, in the North-West we have advertised on the regional versions of radio stations including Greatest Hits Radio, Hits Radio, Classic FM and Smooth and placed adverts in press titles such as Manchester Evening News, Lancashire Telegraph, Lancashire Post, Liverpool Echo, Daily Post Liverpool, and Bolton News. We continue to engage with local authorities and partners and distribute promotional materials, including posters and leaflets. For example, Greater Manchester Ageing Hub cascaded our campaign materials to councils across the city region and a number of community organisations supported the campaign, including Warrington Voluntary Action.

We are also using data to target potentially eligible households. For example, since February, all new Housing Benefit claimants who may be eligible have been invited to apply for Pension Credit and, in a trial with Age UK and Independent Age targeting 2,000 households in England, we are testing whether it is possible to identify potentially eligible households using HMRC and DWP data.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to address disparities in outcomes between pensioners under the old State Pension system and those under the new State Pension.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Ensuring a decent State Pension for pensioners as a foundation for a secure retirement is a priority for this Government. That is why we have set out our commitment to the Triple Lock throughout this Parliament, which is set to increase spending on the State Pension by over £30 billion. The Triple lock applies to both the basic and new State Pensions

It is not possible to make direct like for like comparisons between the pre 2016 State Pension system and the new State Pension. Although some people receiving the new State Pension may get a larger amount uprated by the Triple Lock, there are other elements of the previous system that they do not have access to. For example, State Pension ages are generally higher for people reaching State Pension age after 6 April 2016, so people on the new system receive their State Pension income from a later date. Furthermore, the National Insurance rates that people have had to pay since 2016 have been higher than they were for people who were contracted-out before 2016. Therefore, all the arrangements need to be considered in the round, rather than comparing individual aspects.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made on simplifying the Pension Credit application process.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Department is committed to modernising the Pension Credit service and regularly reviews the user experience to balance simplification with ensuring accurate awards. We are streamlining application routes by using information held internally to reduce the number of questions customers need to answer.

Claims can be made online, by telephone, or by post. The most popular method is online, where claims can be made 24/7 with help from a family member, friend, or third party. The online form now requires a maximum of 48 questions, and for some customers as few as 35. On average, it takes just 16 minutes to complete, with around 90% of new customers applying online or by phone.

For telephone claims, callers are guided through the process by an agent. We will continue to keep the Pension Credit application process under review to ensure it remains simple and accessible.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to end the use of hotels for asylum accommodation in Warrington.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Exiting all asylum hotels as soon as possible is one of the Government’s top priorities and must be executed through a controlled, managed and orderly plan of work. This plan involves reducing inflow, speeding up caseworking, maximising utilisation of our estate, continuing to increase returns and exploring the use of large sites as suitable alternative accommodation.

Overall, significant progress has already been made. At the end of December 2025, 30,657 asylum seekers (29) were in hotel accommodation, 19% lower than at the end of December 2024. As of 4 January 2026, there are 197 hotels in use, which is significantly below hotel usage at its peak under the previous government in summer 2023, when more than 400 hotels were in use. We will not rest until we close every single asylum hotel.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to end overfishing in UK waters and restore fish stocks to sustainable levels.

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

Protecting and restoring fish stocks is a priority for this Government. The Government is delivering Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs), which set out the actions needed to manage or rebuild stocks to sustainable levels. These plans are central to meeting the commitments in the Joint Fisheries Statement to manage stocks sustainably. The Government deliberately targeted valuable but vulnerable non-quota stocks for our first FMPs and are beginning to implement measures in those plans to manage stocks more sustainably.

Through annual negotiations with our international partners, the UK continues to agree Total Allowable Catches informed by the best available scientific advice, supporting the long-term health of shared fish stocks. In negotiations for 2026 fishing opportunities, we agreed a number of new measures aimed at easing fishing pressure and beginning the long-term process of rebuilding stocks.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the safety of horse riders and horses on public roads.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Highway Code was updated in 2022 to improve the safety of all road users, particularly the most vulnerable. Key changes included the introduction of a Hierarchy of Road Users, which ensures that those who do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat that they pose to others, along with the strengthening of guidance on safe passing distances and speeds when overtaking horse-riders.

Following these updates, the Department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes.

Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.

However, as set out in the Road Safety Strategy published on 7 January, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the removal of the Religious Education Initial Teacher Training bursary on the quality of RE provision in secondary schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Initial teacher training (ITT) bursaries are offered to incentivise more applications to ITT courses. As such, we review bursaries annually to take account of several factors, including recruitment to date, forecast economic conditions, and teacher supply need in each subject. Between the 2023/24 and 2025/26 academic years, postgraduate ITT recruitment for religious education increased by 68%, one of the largest increases across all subjects.

New teachers benefit from three years of professional development through the initial teacher training and early career framework, which sets out the core knowledge, skills, and behaviours for great teaching, alongside expert mentoring and support. All trainee teachers must meet the Teachers’ Standards for qualified teacher status in full before they qualify, which requires that they ‘Demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge’.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department is taking to help end the use of administrative detention for Palestinians held by Israeli authorities.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government is concerned about Israel's extensive use of administrative detention which, according to international law, should be used only when security makes this absolutely necessary. Israeli authorities must either charge or release detainees. The UK calls for all such reports to be fully investigated. We also call on all parties to the conflict to grant the International Committee of the Red Cross immediate and unfettered access.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help support households affected by defective (a) retrofit and (b) insulation works carried out under Government schemes.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Installers under Government schemes must be TrustMark registered and/or Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certified. TrustMark and MCS offer dispute resolution processes to consumers. Consumers must also be provided with a suitable guarantee.

The Department is delivering a nationwide find‑and‑fix programme so all households affected by non-compliant external wall insulation installed under ECO4/GBIS receive a free audit, with installers required to put right any issues at no cost to consumers.

We are committed to reforming the consumer protection system, as set out in the Warm Homes Plan. We will consult this year on options for increasing Government oversight of schemes.

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 increase the supply of homes for social rent.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statements made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771) and 28 January 2026 (HCWS1283).

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that schools have access to mental health support for pupils.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Warrington South to the answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 115995.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help ensure that discretionary sick pay arrangements do not disadvantage disabled workers.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Employers have a statutory duty to pay Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) to employees who satisfy the qualifying criteria. They can offer occupational or discretionary sick pay to their employees at a higher rate than the statutory minimum, but may place limits on eligibility or duration. Employers are not required to offer occupational sick pay, but must still pay SSP to eligible employees.

When setting discretionary sick pay policies within their organisation, employers need to ensure that these are not discriminatory, for example against disabled workers and that they comply with employment laws and the Equality Act 2010. Employees are able to access free, confidential advice if they have concerns about their employer’s company sick pay policy and any aspect of employment law by contacting ACAS.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of levels of child homelessness in Warrington.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 114250 on 2 March 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department will introduce regulations under the Animal (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023 to prohibit the domestic sale and advertising of low-welfare animal experiences overseas.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Slough, on 26 February to PQ UIN 114064.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the new integrated water regulator for England will be formally established.

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

The Government has set out its ambition to create a powerful new water regulator, bringing together the relevant functions from the existing regulators (Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Environment Agency and Natural England) into one new body. This will replace the current fragmented system with one regulator capable of integrated management of the water system.

We will legally establish the new regulator as soon as possible following passage of a water reform bill, which we intend to bring forward during this parliament. We will introduce the bill when parliamentary time allows.

Until the single water regulator is fully established the existing regulators will continue to carry out their functions and enforcement responsibilities in full.

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 tackle hate crime against British Hindus.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

All forms of hate crime are completely unacceptable and have no place in our communities, including that directed at Hindus.

This government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion and we will not tolerate anti-Hindu hatred in any form. We recently announced that the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme, which is accessible for all non-Jewish and Muslim places of worship, will receive an uplift of £1.5 million. This will bring the total available to protect Hindu places of worship and facilities, as well as Christian, Sikh and other faith sites to a record £5 million.

The government also provides funding for True Vision – the police hate crime programme and online reporting portal – to encourage communities to report hate crime and reinforce relationships between communities and policing and allow victims of hate to report hate crimes to the police without visiting a police station of call the police.

On Monday 9 March 2026, we published our Protecting What Matters plan which details the specific action being taken by government to tackle religious hatred across the country. This can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that workers in the tech and creative sectors are able to organise and participate in trade union activity.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government believes that strong trade unions are essential for tackling insecurity, inequality, discrimination and low pay.

Through the Employment Rights Act 2025, we are simplifying the statutory union recognition process, establishing a formal right of access for unions to enter the workplaces, introducing a new duty on employers to inform workers of their right to join a trade union, simplifying industrial action notices, and strengthening protection from backlisting.

These reforms will make it easier for trade unions to recruit and organise in all sectors of the economy, including the tech and creative sectors.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to review the adequacy of the UK’s advertising regulatory framework in preventing misleading environmental claims by fossil fuel companies.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

There are currently no plans for the Government to review the UK’s regulatory framework for adverts from fossil fuel companies.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the independent regulator for advertising in the UK and enforces the ‘CAP Code’ and ‘BCAP Code’, which set the standards for non-broadcast and broadcast advertising, respectively. Section 11 of the CAP and Section 9 of the BCAP Codes contain rules on Environmental Claims, and specifically warn against the use of unqualified claims, due to their potential to mislead if significant information is omitted. The Codes also include rules intended to protect consumers from misleading marketing communications. Advertising may be considered misleading if it contains the omission, exaggeration, or ambiguous presentation of information. If an advertisement is found to be in breach of the Codes, the ASA will instruct that it be withdrawn or amended, and in some cases may escalate to the appropriate statutory backstop.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that employment law protects workers engaged in collective bargaining or union recognition processes from redundancy or dismissal.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

It is unlawful for an employer to dismiss a worker for being a member of a trade union and for dismissing or imposing detriments on a worker for engaging in trade union activity, including activity related to the trade union recognition process.

Previously it was only workers who were classed as employees who were protected from dismissal for industrial action. To ensure all workers are protected, this government has introduced new protection from detriments in s. 236A in the Employment Rights Act, which means other ("limb (b)") workers are now also protected from dismissal for taking industrial action.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to improve consumer protection and accountability in Government-funded home retrofit schemes.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department has taken action to improve the oversight and quality of installations in the current system. This includes increased oversight of TrustMark, tighter certification rules limiting installers to one PAS 2030 certification per measure and updated PAS 2035/2030:2023 standards mandating site visits and higher professional qualifications.

We are committed to reforming the consumer protection system, as set out in the Warm Homes Plan. We will consult this year on options for bringing the oversight of energy efficiency and microgeneration installations for government schemes under closer government control and on the role of the Warm Homes Agency.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Motability tax changes on disabled people’s ability to access work, healthcare and caring responsibilities.

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

An Equality Impact Assessment including consideration of the impact on affected individuals was undertaken and published by HMT as part of the Autumn Budget and can be found here: Motability Scheme: reforming tax reliefs - GOV.UK.

The Motability Scheme will continue to offer a choice of vehicles to meet a range of accessibility needs and vehicles which require no advance payment, meaning that people will be able to access a suitable vehicle using only their qualifying disability benefit. Motability Foundation will continue to offer means-tested grants to support eligible people who would otherwise struggle to afford the advance payment or adaptations for a vehicle, or a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) through the Scheme.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has held discussions with Ofcom on the adequacy of content moderation resources on social media platforms.

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

The Department engages with Ofcom regularly on a wide range of online safety matters.

The Online Safety Act is clear that services must comply with their illegal content duties and child safety duties, which include taking effective steps to moderate harmful and illegal content on their platforms.

Ofcom has our full backing to use their full suite of enforcement powers including imposing fines and pursuing further sanctions where necessary, to hold companies accountable.

We will continue to work closely with Ofcom to make sure platforms are taking appropriate action to protect users, especially children, from illegal and harmful content.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children from Gaza have been admitted to NHS hospitals under the UK medical evacuation scheme since its launch.

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

The Prime Minister announced at the end of July 2025 that the United Kingdom will medically evacuate Gazan children for treatment in the UK. The UK has successfully evacuated 50 child patients who are being treated in National Health Service hospitals as part of the Gaza medevac process.

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 ensure that disabled people receive essential medical and mobility equipment, such as wheelchairs and hoists, in a timely manner.

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

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, and responsibility for providing equipment and wheelchairs to disabled people typically falls to local authorities and the National Health Service.

Local authorities in England have a statutory duty to make arrangements for the provision of community equipment for disabled people in their area. Responsibility for managing the market for these services, including commissioning and oversight of delivery, rests with local authorities. The NHS is responsible for providing wheelchairs for people with longer-term, complex needs.

The Medium Term Planning Framework, published in October 2025, requires that from 2026/27 all ICBs and community health services must actively manage and reduce the proportion of waits across all community health services over 18 weeks and develop a plan to eliminate all 52-week waits. These targets will guide systems to reduce longest waits.

NHS England is supporting ICBs to reduce delays and regional variation in the quality and provision of NHS wheelchairs. Since July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will commission the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to develop clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and management of Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and hypermobility spectrum disorders.

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

There are no current plans to commission the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to develop clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and management of Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and hypermobility spectrum disorders.

Topics for new or updated guidance are considered through the NICE prioritisation process, and under this process, decisions as to whether NICE will create new, or update existing, guidance are overseen by a prioritisation board, chaired by NICE’s Chief Medical Officer in line with its published prioritisation framework. Anyone is able to suggest a topic through the NICE website, at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/forms/topic-suggestion

NICE guidelines do not cover all conditions, and clinicians are expected to follow relevant professional guidance and the evidence available to them when making their decisions.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit all forms of physical punishment of children in England.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department continues to look closely at the legislative changes made in Wales and Scotland but has no plans to legislate to remove the reasonable punishment defence in England at this time. It is right that we protect all children at risk of harm, but it is also right that we do not intervene in family life when children are safe, loved and well supported.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will provide greater protection for children who are at risk of abuse and neglect. We have also launched plans for a new Child Protection Authority and are providing £2.4 billion funding for the Families First Partnership programme to support families who need targeted support. In addition, we are rolling out Best Start Family Hubs, backed by over £500 million, to ensure families in every part of the country have access to a range of universal services, including evidence-based interventions for parenting.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that banks do not apply blanket restrictions on providing banking services to legitimate blockchain and cryptoasset businesses.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is aware that cryptoasset firms are facing challenges associated with access to banking services, and we are engaged with the sector on these matters.

Whilst the Government recognises that decisions around the provision of banking services are largely commercial in nature, we also expect businesses to be treated fairly. That is why the Government has already taken action in this space, including bringing forward legislation to enhance relevant protections in cases where a business has their bank account terminated by their provider.

The Government has also laid legislation to create a financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets in the UK. Under this regime, firms will need to be licensed by the FCA to provide relevant cryptoasset services, and the Government would not expect such licensed firms to be subject to restrictions by banking services providers simply because of the sector they belong to.

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 help improve access to specialist stroke rehabilitation and community-based support services for stroke survivors in England.

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

As set out in the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to improving services for patients locally by increasing the provision of services outside of a hospital setting that are delivered closer to home in the community.

The National Stroke Service Model provides best practice for stroke care, including post-discharge, which should include comprehensive rehabilitation and personalised care and support.

The National Stroke Quality Improvement in Rehabilitation programme is helping to transform community-based care by increasing access to specialist stroke rehabilitation at home.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) prevalence and (b) potential impact of the use of hospital corridors and other non-designated spaces for patient care in NHS hospitals.

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

We recognise the challenges facing the health service and are serious about tackling them. The Government is committed to restoring urgent and emergency care waiting times to the standards set out in the National Health Service constitution by the end of this Parliament.

Corridor care refers to care delivered in non-designated clinical areas and is not an acceptable standard of care. We are committed to eliminating this practice in the National Health Service and ensure all patients receive high quality safe care, and we are taking serious, sustained action to achieve this. It is one of the most visible and distressing symptoms of a broken NHS, fixing it will require fixing several of the systems and processes that sit across the whole of the pathway, all of which we are working on.

NHS England has been working with trusts since 2024 to monitor corridor care, implementing new reporting arrangements and providing targeted support to the most challenged hospitals. In March, we published a clear definition of corridor care. As committed to in the Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, we will publish data on the prevalence of corridor care for the first time. This new definition will enable us to start publishing clear validated data on its prevalence to drive improvement and transparency.

Where corridor care cannot be avoided, we have published updated guidance to support trusts to deliver it safely, ensuring dignity and privacy is maintained to reduce impacts on patients and staff. This means that corridor care areas must uphold the same high standards of care for patients as those in planned clinical settings. Patients are seen based on how urgent their needs are, not where they are. All patients being considered for corridor care should be appropriately risk assessed by senior clinical teams during triage with their condition monitored by named nurses.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of women killed in domestic homicides in their own homes.

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

This Government is committed to protecting women and girls in all environments, public or private. The recently published ‘Freedom from violence and abuse: a cross-government strategy’ sets out the steps we are taking to drive system-wide change, so that no life is lost to violence and abuse that could have been prevented.

The Home Office is working to develop the evidence base on domestic abuse related deaths by funding the Domestic Homicide Project, which captures information all domestic abuse related deaths, including homicides, from all 43 police forces in England and Wales. The project aims to improve our understanding of these deaths and identify how the response to domestic abuse can be improved.  Further information can be found at the following link: https://www.vkpp.org.uk/vkpp-work/domestic-homicide-project/.

In addition, Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) offer a vital opportunity for national and local agencies, local communities and society as a whole to learn lessons from domestic abuse related deaths and treat every death as preventable. We are currently reforming the DHR process to ensure learning is effectively identified and implemented to improve policy and practice and ultimately, prevent future deaths.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to speech and language support for children with communication needs in schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Speech and language therapists (SaLTs) break down communication barriers, but too often, children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) wait too long to receive support from them.

As part of our new £1.8 billion investment, schools will be able to access support from professionals such as SaLTs through the Experts at Hand offer. These experts will work directly with school staff to equip them with skills and strategies to better meet need.

We are also investing £15 million to establish new SaLT advanced practitioners in every integrated care board area to support more SaLTs to work with educational settings, upskill speech and language support workers, and promote the SaLT apprenticeship route.

This is in addition to £3.4 million being invested this year in the Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) programme, helping to identify and respond to speech and language needs, continued investment in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, which has demonstrated significant impact on speech and language skills particularly for disadvantaged pupils, and an expansion of English Hubs support to include specialist early language support from the 2026/27 academic year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the sufficiency of the level of refuge accommodation provision for victims of domestic abuse.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring victims of domestic abuse and their children can access the support in safe accommodation they need to rebuild their lives. This is part of the Government’s strategy to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls, with improved support for victims.

Under Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, local authorities must assess the need for and provide support to victims and their children in safe accommodation. It is for each local authority to determine the right mix of safe accommodation, including refuges, dispersed accommodation, and sanctuary schemes (in which a victim’s own home is made safe) to meet local needs. To support delivery, MHCLG provided authorities in England with £160 million in 2025/26, a £30 million uplift from the previous year. In the recent Local Government Finance Settlement, MHCLG committed to increase investment by a further £19 million to £499 million over the next three years.

The department collects data on the number of refuge bedspaces and the number of individuals supported in safe accommodation. This data is published annually, the most recent data is available here: Support in domestic abuse safe accommodation: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

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 funding for refuge accommodation under the Safe Accommodation Duty.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring victims of domestic abuse and their children can access the support in safe accommodation they need to rebuild their lives. This is part of the Government’s strategy to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls, with improved support for victims.

Under Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, local authorities must assess the need for and provide support to victims and their children in safe accommodation. It is for each local authority to determine the right mix of safe accommodation, including refuges, dispersed accommodation, and sanctuary schemes (in which a victim’s own home is made safe) to meet local needs. To support delivery, MHCLG provided authorities in England with £160 million in 2025/26, a £30 million uplift from the previous year. In the recent Local Government Finance Settlement, MHCLG committed to increase investment by a further £19 million to £499 million over the next three years.

The department collects data on the number of refuge bedspaces and the number of individuals supported in safe accommodation. This data is published annually, the most recent data is available here: Support in domestic abuse safe accommodation: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of social security assessment and application processes on the mental health of claimants.

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

The Pathways to Work Green Paper set out our commitment to get the basics right and improve the experience for people who use the system of health and disability. This includes exploring ways to improve trust and transparency in PIP and WCA through reviewing our approach to safeguarding, recording assessments to increase trust in the process, and moving back to having more face-to-face assessments while continuing to meet the needs of people who may require different methods of assessment.

We have also launched the Timms Review, the first ever full review of PIP, to ensure we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment. The Review is being co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, carers, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard.

The Review will consider how PIP can enable disabled people to live independently; whether the assessment effectively captures the impact of long-term health conditions and disability in the modern world; and whether it should consider any other evidence. It will also look at how the assessment could ensure people access the right support at the right level.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reform water companies regulation in response to sewage pollution.

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

The Government is committed to tackling the root causes of sewage pollution. As part of this, we will ensure that legislation, the regulatory framework and funding support ‘pre-pipe’ solutions, aimed at reducing the volume of rainwater and pollutants entering the sewerage system. This includes better management of our rainwater – collecting it for reuse and diverting it away from the sewers using sustainable drainage systems – and measures to tackle sewer misuse.

The Government has set out its new vision for water through a White Paper published on 20 January 2026. The White Paper sets out once in a generation reforms that will transform the water system for good, with a renewed focus on securing a fair deal for customers, investors and the environment, to rebuild trust and secure a water system that works for everyone.

Furthermore, we will end operator self-monitoring, transfer oversight to the new regulator and transition to open monitoring to increase transparency and help restore public trust.

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 improve access to specialist care and support for people living with motor neurone disease.

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

NHS England commissions the specialised elements of motor neurone disease (MND) care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurology centres across England. Within these specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure patients can access a range of health professionals and specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.

At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with MND, including the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit.

In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines a number of minimum service requirements for key specialties, including neuromuscular disorders like MND.

Baroness Casey has set out that the Government must take immediate action on motor neurone disease. Where someone has a severe, reasonably predictable, and life-limiting condition, it is essential that we provide rapid access to the support they need, and we will take forward immediate work to develop a fast-track process, or “passport”, that speeds up assessments and access to care for people diagnosed with MND. We will consider how best to safely implement a process that expedites assessments and gets people with MND the care and support they need more quickly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that infant feeding advice provided in healthcare settings is independent of commercial influence.

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

Infant feeding is critical to a baby’s healthy growth and development. The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and that includes helping families to access support to feed their baby.

The Department has policy responsibility for infant formula regulations in England.  Legislation covers the composition, labelling, and standards, including marketing, to ensure infant formulas provide all the nutrients a healthy baby needs for development and growth and to ensure consumers are informed correctly about their contents so that families receive clear, accurate, and non-misleading information about their use. The legislation makes clear that any infant formula used in health care settings must be provided without any form of commercial promotion. Labels or information supplied to healthcare professionals must be strictly factual and scientific, with no marketing claims.

The majority of maternity services are either accredited under or are working towards the quality standards of UNICEF-UK’s Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI). The BFI sets out quality standards for complying with the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. This includes requiring maternity services to avoid commercial influence and prohibit promotion of substitutes to families.

The Department is also taking action to ensure parents and carers receive proactive information on the nutritional sufficiency of infant formula, regardless of its price. In response to the Competition and Markets Authority’s recommendations on the infant and follow-on formula market, the four governments of the United Kingdom will work with the National Health Service in England, Scotland, and Wales, the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland, and other relevant bodies to develop and test clear, impartial messaging on the nutritional sufficiency of infant formula. This will include reviewing existing channels used in healthcare settings, such as online content and supporting materials provided to parents, to ensure messaging is delivered effectively and consistently.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Schengen 90/180 day rule on international road haulage operations.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Since 2021, UK nationals (including hauliers and coach drivers) have been bound to a limit of 90 days in any 180-day period (90/180 limit) for work and leisure journeys in the Schengen area. This limit is consistent with the approach taken by the EU to nationals of other third countries.

The 90/180 limit is a fundamental part of the EU’s conditions of entry for third country nationals to its territory, including for visa-free travel for short-term visits. As such, it is not UK Government policy. Any amendments and exemptions to these rules are the responsibility of the EU and Member States.

The Department for Transport is undertaking research to improve understanding of the effects of the 90/180 limit on the international operations of GB-based HGV and coach businesses that hold standard international operator licences. The data is currently being processed, and the study’s findings will be published in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the causes of delays in the processing of driving licence renewal applications by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that applications are processed within the published service standards.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to process all applications as quickly as possible. The DVLA’s target for driving licence applications is to dispatch 95 per cent within three working days for straightforward online applications and 90 per cent within ten working days for straightforward paper applications. In the current financial year, the DVLA has achieved 100 per cent for online applications and 99.9 per cent for paper applications.

However, driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated can take longer as the DVLA is often reliant on receiving information from third parties, including medical professionals, before a licence can be issued. In the interests of road safety, the DVLA must be satisfied that the required medical standards are met before a licence is issued.

The DVLA is currently experiencing an increase in both the volume and complexity of driving licence applications from people with one or more medical conditions. Unfortunately, this has led to longer waiting times for some customers. In 2024/25 the DVLA made more than 830,000 medical licensing decisions with forecasts showing that more than 925,000 medical applications and notifications will be received in 2025/26.

To keep up with growing customer demand and to offer a better service, the DVLA is updating its online service and is launching a new casework system which will deliver significant improvements to drivers with medical conditions. The DVLA will also be launching a new digital medical services portal in April. These enhancements, alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with medical applications and answer telephone calls, will deliver real improvements for customers.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with EU counterparts on the potential impact of the 90/180 day Schengen travel restrictions on Formula One hauliers.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The 90/180 day Schengen rules apply to all third countries outside the EU and Single Market. It is for individuals and businesses to ensure they understand the rules of each country they intend to travel to ahead of time, in case they need to apply for a visa, work permit, or provide other documentation.

My Department engages closely with sport stakeholders including F1 on such issues. We are also working with the EU to identify areas where we can strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit. We welcome the recent commitment by the EU as part of their Visa Strategy published on 29 January 2026 to look at ways of simplifying the entry system for business travellers, including exploring new rules for extended short stays for selected categories of third-country professionals, such as touring artists, competing athletes, or truck drivers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she is taking steps to secure an exemption to the EU Entry / Exit System for international road hauliers.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The European Union’s (EU) Entry/Exit System (EES) is being implemented by the EU to improve border security. EES does not introduce new restrictions but will replace the current manual system for border checks of the 90 in 180-day (90/180) limit on short stays in the Schengen area which apply to all UK nationals, with a digital version. The 90/180 limit has been in place for UK nationals since 2021, when the transition period following the UK’s exit from the EU ended.

EES is not a UK Government initiative. While the UK Government is making every effort to engage with the EU as it rolls out its implementation of EES, any exemptions or amendments to the Schengen immigration rules are a matter for Member States and the EU. The Government will continue to listen to concerns raised by sectors affected by these rules and will advocate for British citizens abroad.

Found: (Liberal Democrat; Tiverton and Minehead) Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat; Chesham and Amersham) Sarah Hall

Found: (Liberal Democrat; Tiverton and Minehead) Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat; Chesham and Amersham) Sarah Hall

Found: (Liberal Democrat; Tiverton and Minehead) Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat; Chesham and Amersham) Sarah Hall

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts; Anna Dixon; Sarah Hall

Found:

Found: people with lived experience with HIV To discuss the HIV Action Plan Ashley Dalton 10/12/2025 Sarah Hall