Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people who suffer from severe gambling addiction receive prompt treatment.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

National Health Services receive over 1,000 referrals for gambling addition each quarter, with plans to expand capacity.

In April, the new statutory levy on gambling operators came into effect to fund the research, prevention, and treatment of gambling-related harm. NHS England and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities are working collaboratively on the development of their respective gambling treatment and prevention programmes during this transition year.

The availability of levy funding will enable oversight and consistency across NHS and voluntary, community, and social enterprise provision, and the expansion of available capacity.

NHS England continues to work at pace to take on commissioning responsibility for the full treatment pathway in England, from referral and triage through to aftercare. Evidence- based commissioning decisions will be made to ensure optimal treatment modalities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Health and Safety Executive has assessed the potential merits of establishing a single mandatory national register of electricians under its statutory oversight, modelled on the Gas Safe Register, to improve public safety and create a clear standard of professional accountability.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Questions UIN 101292 and 101294 on 6 January 2026. The Government takes electrical safety very seriously but has seen no need to establish a mandatory national register of electricians modelled on the Gas Safe Register. Any individual or organisation carrying out building work must demonstrate that they are competent to do so. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 already require that people carrying out electrical work of any sort must be competent to prevent danger and injury, or must be under a degree of supervision that is appropriate to the nature of the work.

The Building Regulations require work to the fixed electrical system in the home to be carried out safely to protect people from fire and injury. In domestic situations, competent electricians can self-certify that their work is compliant with Part P of the Building Regulations, in line with statutory guidance set out in Approved Document P Electrical Safety – Dwellings. All electricians that have been authorised by a government approved Competent Person Scheme are listed on the Registered Competent Person Electrical Register. The department is working with the Building Safety Regulator on reforms of the Competent Person Schemes to improve public and building safety.

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 ensure that people are adequately protected from unsafe or unregulated electrical work in homes, particularly where such work is carried out by non-registered or unqualified persons.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Questions UIN 101292 and 101294 on 6 January 2026. The Government takes electrical safety very seriously but has seen no need to establish a mandatory national register of electricians modelled on the Gas Safe Register. Any individual or organisation carrying out building work must demonstrate that they are competent to do so. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 already require that people carrying out electrical work of any sort must be competent to prevent danger and injury, or must be under a degree of supervision that is appropriate to the nature of the work.

The Building Regulations require work to the fixed electrical system in the home to be carried out safely to protect people from fire and injury. In domestic situations, competent electricians can self-certify that their work is compliant with Part P of the Building Regulations, in line with statutory guidance set out in Approved Document P Electrical Safety – Dwellings. All electricians that have been authorised by a government approved Competent Person Scheme are listed on the Registered Competent Person Electrical Register. The department is working with the Building Safety Regulator on reforms of the Competent Person Schemes to improve public and building safety.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many prosecutions have been brought under Part P of the Building Regulations in England and Wales in each year since their introduction in 2005; and if the Department will publish this information to improve transparency and accountability in electrical safety enforcement.

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

Neither the Department, nor the Ministry of Justice, hold information on enforcement action broken down by which part of the building regulations was breached. Local authority building control teams have powers that enable them to intervene where it is found that buildings are in breach of any of the Building Regulations and there is no initial notice in force from a private sector Registered Building Control Approver (RBCA).

The department is working with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) on reforms of the competent person schemes to improve public and building safety. In the new year, the BSR will publish a call for evidence about their ‘conditions of authorisation’, which are the rules that organisations must follow to become or remain competent person scheme operators, with a view to updating these rules to make them more effective. This call for evidence is part of wider work to improve the schemes and their oversight.

The Building Control Independent Panel is also looking at the enforcement of the building regulations as part of its work; we expect their final report in the Spring of 2026 and will respond shortly thereafter. As part of its ongoing work as steward of the built environment, the Department continues to keep enforcement and the regulations under review.

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 enforcement mechanisms relating to electrical safety and compliance with Part P regulations; and whether his Department plans to strengthen oversight of local authority building control and Competent Person Schemes in this regard.

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

Neither the Department, nor the Ministry of Justice, hold information on enforcement action broken down by which part of the building regulations was breached. Local authority building control teams have powers that enable them to intervene where it is found that buildings are in breach of any of the Building Regulations and there is no initial notice in force from a private sector Registered Building Control Approver (RBCA).

The department is working with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) on reforms of the competent person schemes to improve public and building safety. In the new year, the BSR will publish a call for evidence about their ‘conditions of authorisation’, which are the rules that organisations must follow to become or remain competent person scheme operators, with a view to updating these rules to make them more effective. This call for evidence is part of wider work to improve the schemes and their oversight.

The Building Control Independent Panel is also looking at the enforcement of the building regulations as part of its work; we expect their final report in the Spring of 2026 and will respond shortly thereafter. As part of its ongoing work as steward of the built environment, the Department continues to keep enforcement and the regulations under review.

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 mental health support is provided to adults with autism and special needs.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to help protect children in Iran from actions taken by the Iranian authorities.

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

The killing and brutal repression of peaceful protesters in Iran is horrific. Iranians must be able to exercise their right to peaceful protest without fear of reprisal.

The Iranian government must immediately end the violence, uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and ensure British nationals are safe. The Foreign Secretary made this very clear when she spoke with the Iranian Foreign Minister on 12 January, and I did likewise when we summoned the Iranian Ambassador the following day.

We are working closely with our partners to ensure the Iranian regime is held accountable for its violent repression and systematic human rights abuses against its own people.

Found: Sarah Edwards (Labour; Tamworth) Alison Griffiths (Conservative; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton) Sonia Kumar

Found: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Sonia Kumar

Found: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Sonia Kumar

Found: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Sonia Kumar

Found: During the session you asked me to follow up on a question asked by Sonia Kumar MP relating to the