Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Spending Review 2027 will consider follow-on monies to the Local Growth Funds that are presently slated to end in March 2029.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In the Rewiring the State Cabinet Statement in July, which can be found here, the government set out that the way regional government is funded will be overhauled, starting by replacing grants from central government with a share of local income tax for every mayor beginning in 2028, such that where a region grows its tax base, it benefits from the increased receipts. Decisions on any future Local Growth Funding will be made within this approach and ultimately decided at a future Spending Review.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to ensure that any future local growth funding is available beyond that for mayoral combined authorities; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government will empower places to roll out Good Growth Funds across England, enabling local leaders to bring together different funding tools to invest in catalytic regeneration and development. We are determined to help local leaders deliver good growth immediately and therefore confirmed £285 million of transitional seed capital funding in 2027-28. Areas which are not yet strategic authorities will also be able to access a share of this money to unlock projects which will contribute to growth in their areas in the transitional period.
This government remains committed to extending devolution across England so that all areas have a Strategic Authority in place by the end of the Parliament.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential benefits of publicly owned rolling stock.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Great British Railways will consider the financing of new rolling stock on a case-by-case basis, taking into account affordability, value for money, deliverability and risk. As stated in the Rolling Stock and Infrastructure Strategy, this will include considering direct public ownership alongside leasing and other financing arrangements to get the best overall outcomes for passengers and taxpayers. The potential benefits of public ownership could include better whole-life and whole-system value as well as greater operational flexibility.
Any proposal for direct ownership will need to be affordable within available budgets and will remain subject to the applicable business-case, funding and approval processes.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will offer mayors and other local partners the flexibility to determine the capital-revenue split in any future local growth funding to their area.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
The government is committed to providing mayors and local leaders with greater flexibility and control over local funding. As set out in the Fiscal Devolution Roadmap, we will continue to work with mayors and local leaders to develop a reformed funding model for regional and local government.
As set out in the Fiscal Devolution Roadmap, the government will also consider the case for applying controls to balance the mix of capital and resource spending, in a proportionate way, to support adherence to the fiscal rule on day-to-day spending.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of formal minimum wait times for autism assessments by some Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in England.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism, led by Professor Peter Fonagy, was published on 9 October, providing analysis and recommendations across a wide range of issues, including delays in securing autism assessments.
The Government issued an initial response on the day of publication, available at the link below, but we will set out the full action we are taking in response to the review recommendations in our new Mental Health Strategy to be published later this year, which will be relevant to the issues raised by the Hon Member.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-pledges-earlier-support-to-tackle-mental-health-crises
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
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 the final statutory guidance under the Down Syndrome Act 2022 provides clear expectations on Down syndrome-specific training for professionals working with people with Down syndrome.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
Under the Down Syndrome Act, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is required to give guidance to relevant authorities in health, social care, education, and housing services on what they should be doing to meet the needs of people with Down syndrome. The public consultation on the draft guidance closed on 30 March 2026, and the Government is carefully considering the responses received to inform the final guidance to be published.
Relevant authorities, as defined in the schedule to the act, have a duty to have due regard to the final guidance once it is published. The act does not create any new functions beyond this duty. Rather, it brings together existing statutory requirements and guidance that relevant authorities must and/or should already be complying with to support people with Down syndrome and people with other conditions and/or a learning disability who have similar needs.
Under existing legislation, Care Quality Commission registered providers must ensure that staff receive appropriate professional development which is necessary for them to carry out their duties. They must receive specific training on learning disability and autism appropriate to their role, as per Section 20 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008, Section 181(7) of the Health and Care Act 2022, and Regulation 18 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. We expect that providers should be considering whether specific training on Down syndrome is required for their staff, and the draft guidance under the Down Syndrome Act sets out that some staff who work frequently with people with Down syndrome may require additional training on Down syndrome.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Government recognises the importance of women and girls being able to access the care they need for their reproductive health, including period products. That is why there are several Government schemes across England which ensure that those who are most vulnerable can access the products they need. The Department for Education’s period products scheme launched in 2020 and provides free period products to girls and women in their place of study so that nobody misses out on education because of their period. Similarly, all women and girls being cared for by the National Health Service are entitled to be given, upon request, appropriate period products free of charge. All women in prison have access to menstrual products, which are typically stored in locations that allow women to collect items themselves as needed.
We are also taking steps to ensure that products are as affordable as possible. The tax on period products has been zero-rated since 2021 and, in 2023, this was extended to include reusable period underwear.
The Department will be exploring the effectiveness of the legal duty to provide free period products under the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has considered introducing financial support for the veterinary care of retired police dogs for injuries and health conditions sustained during operational service.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Police support animals play an important role in crime detection, prevention, and public safety. The government values the bravery and skill of police dogs and their handlers, recognising the strong bond formed through their work.
Police forces are responsible for the welfare of their service animals throughout their service and into retirement. Their retirement can be a combination of local arrangements, such as charitable organisations and volunteers, the exact nature being a local decision for the force, led by Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.
The government currently has no plans to change the retirement process for police service animals, including the funding of veterinary care.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the final statutory guidance under the Down Syndrome Act 2022.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
Under the Down Syndrome Act, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is required to give statutory guidance to relevant authorities in health, social care, education, and housing services on what they should be doing to meet the needs of people with Down syndrome. The public consultation on the draft guidance was launched on 5 November 2025.
The consultation on draft guidance closed on 30 March 2026, and the Government is carefully considering the responses received to inform the final guidance to be published.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support available for retired police dogs and their handlers following retirement from service.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Police support animals play an important role in crime detection, prevention, and public safety. The government values the bravery and skill of police dogs and their handlers, recognising the strong bond formed through their work.
Police forces are responsible for the welfare of their service animals throughout their service and into retirement. Their retirement can be a combination of local arrangements, such as charitable organisations and volunteers, the exact nature being a local decision for the force, led by Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.
The government currently has no plans to change the retirement process for police service animals, including the funding of veterinary care.