Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley)
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.
Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley)
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.
Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley)
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.
Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley)
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.
Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley)
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.
Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the public health impacts of the Warm Homes Plan, especially regarding both indoor and outdoor air quality; and what metrics her Department plans to use to measure success in Dudley constituency.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Warm Homes Plan will set out a strategy to improve health outcomes through the upgrade of British buildings. This includes measures that mitigate the health risks associated with living in a cold home (such as respiratory disease), exposure to poor air quality as a result of gas boiler emissions, and overheating in hotter months. DESNZ will work with the Department for Health and Social Care, the NHS and local government to promote the delivery of home upgrades that will support vulnerable health groups. Our ambition is to upgrade 5 million homes this parliament, and the success of our programmes will be monitored and evaluated through the collection of scheme data.
Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to raise the maximum reimbursement Student Finance England can provide for incorrect advice above £500.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Student Finance England is a service provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC).
The SLC is a non-departmental public body and therefore is issued its own delegated authority letter by the department. However, its delegated authority limits cannot exceed those delegated to the department by His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT). For consolatory payments (ex-gratia payments) to individuals, the limit is £500.
HMT are reviewing delegated authority limits for all government departments, as set out in the Office for Value for Money’s document ‘Reforming the spending control and accountability framework’, published on 26 October alongside the Budget. HMT and the department will consider any implications for the SLC’s delegations, in light of any changes which may be made to department’s delegations following this review.
Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help ensure freedom of expression for women's health publications on social media.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We recognise the importance of access to trusted health information. The Act does not prevent users from publishing legal content or children and adults from accessing relevant health information. Once the remaining duties come in, large platforms will not be able to arbitrarily remove content and there will be effective complaints procedures when they do. I have asked Ofcom to do everything possible to speed up this final phase.
Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of developing a modern service framework for musculoskeletal conditions.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Over a third of people in England live with musculoskeletal conditions, a major cause of economic inactivity. We are advancing Modern Service Frameworks for those conditions where we can swiftly and significantly raise the quality of care and productivity. That’s why our early priorities include cardiovascular disease and mental health. Future phases will address long-term conditions that carry substantial health and economic consequences.Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of mediation services on resolving disputes for residents in Dudley; and what steps he is taking to ensure equality of access to those services.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government encourages the use of dispute resolution such as mediation, to allow parties to resolve their disputes earlier and more consensually, which saves them time, money and stress, and reduces the waiting time for a judicial hearing for cases that do not settle.
Since 2024, all parties to money claims under £10,000 in the county courts in England and Wales are required to attend a free, one-hour mediation appointment with HMCTS’ Small Claims Mediation Service as an integrated step in the litigation journey. Parties can request any necessary adjustments, including translation or interpretation services, to ensure full participation in mediation appointments, and HMCTS assesses these needs individually to maintain accessibility.
The Government is also committed to supporting more families reach agreement outside of court through mediation, where it is safe and appropriate to do so. The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, introduced in April 2021, is available to families across England and Wales including those living in Dudley. The scheme offers up to £500 towards mediation costs and has already supported over 49,000 families. The Government has committed to continue funding the scheme until at least March 2026. Analysis of the first 7,200 cases completed under the scheme shows that 69% of participants reached a whole or partial agreement and did not need to go to court to resolve their issues.
In addition, civil legal aid is available, subject to a means assessment, for the mediation of family disputes (for example over contact or financial arrangements) that the mediator has assessed as suitable for mediation.