Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding is available to support improvements to safety at existing children's playgrounds, including the installation of fencing to prevent access by dogs; and whether she plans to introduce further guidance or minimum safety standards on the separation of children's play areas from dogs.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities and playground operators are responsible for the provision, design, safety and maintenance of children's playgrounds. Local authorities can fund improvements form their local budgets, supported by the Local Government Finance Settlement. By the end of the multi-year Settlement (2028-29), the government will have provided a 15.5% increase in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England, worth over £11.4 billion, compared to 2025-26. In addition, the Government is providing £18 million through the Playgrounds Fund to support 66 local authorities to create or improve up to 200 playgrounds, including improvements to safety and accessibility. Areas in receipt of the £150 million Pride in Place Impact Fund or £5.8 billion Pride in Place Programme funding can also choose to invest it in parks and playgrounds where this reflects local priorities.
The Government is not planning to introduce further national guidance or minimum separation standards. Established playground safety guidance provides for the use of appropriate fencing and gates where necessary to separate children's play areas from their surroundings.
For example, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents recommends that, where fencing is provided, it should be at least one metre high and designed in accordance with relevant British and European safety standards. Decisions on fencing or other measures to prevent dogs entering play areas are for local authorities and playground operators, taking account of local circumstances.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what financial support is available to local authorities to improve safety at existing children's playgrounds, including through the installation of fencing and other protective measures.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities and playground operators are responsible for the provision, design, safety and maintenance of children's playgrounds. Local authorities can fund improvements form their local budgets, supported by the Local Government Finance Settlement. By the end of the multi-year Settlement (2028-29), the government will have provided a 15.5% increase in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England, worth over £11.4 billion, compared to 2025-26. In addition, the Government is providing £18 million through the Playgrounds Fund to support 66 local authorities to create or improve up to 200 playgrounds, including improvements to safety and accessibility. Areas in receipt of the £150 million Pride in Place Impact Fund or £5.8 billion Pride in Place Programme funding can also choose to invest it in parks and playgrounds where this reflects local priorities.
The Government is not planning to introduce further national guidance or minimum separation standards. Established playground safety guidance provides for the use of appropriate fencing and gates where necessary to separate children's play areas from their surroundings.
For example, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents recommends that, where fencing is provided, it should be at least one metre high and designed in accordance with relevant British and European safety standards. Decisions on fencing or other measures to prevent dogs entering play areas are for local authorities and playground operators, taking account of local circumstances.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which MSOAs in North Norfolk qualified for falling rolls funding in the last three academic years.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department holds data on falling rolls funding by financial year, rather than academic year. The Middle layer Super Output Areas (MSOAs) in North Norfolk that attracted falling rolls funding in the last three financial years are as follows:
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of Question 17142 on 13 July 2026, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the new casework system and new digital medical services portal on reducing the backlog of medical driving license applications.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises that improvement is needed on the time taken to process medical driving licence applications and plans are in place to address this. The new casework system and digital medical services portal are having a positive impact and the number of medical cases awaiting a licensing decision is now at its lowest since August 2025. The DVLA’s target for 2026/27 is to make a licensing decision within an average of 45 working days by March 2027.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that people living in rural areas with limited public transport can access diabetic eye screening services locally, particularly where patients are advised not to drive following their appointments.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Further to the answer provided on 6 February in response to Question 105684, screening clinics are often delivered from GP practices and other local venues, to help reduce travel difficulties where possible.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing financial incentives to support households with the installation of domestic rainwater harvesting systems, particularly in areas experiencing water scarcity and rural communities without mains sewerage connections.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the benefits of water reuse through rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse to reduce the strain on potable water demand.
We are working closely with the sector and regulators to supply treated, non-potable water, including rainwater, for certain domestic purposes such as toilet flushing and to consider these systems within new developments.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason the Illicit Finance Summit has been rescheduled to 2027.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government is committed to tackling illicit finance and corruption at home and internationally. We are determined to ensure the Summit delivers tangible action. Holding the Summit in 2027 will maximise its impact.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the availability of CHAdeMO-compatible public electric vehicle charging points on drivers of vehicles that require these connectors; and what steps she is taking to ensure that existing electric vehicle owners are not disadvantaged by the transition towards CCS charging infrastructure.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government does not mandate the provision of specific connectors at public charge points. Some charge point operators continue to provide CHAdeMO connectors for consumers that require them.
The Open Data requirement of the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 obliges charge point operators to share open data from all public charge points, including data on the types of connectors available. This aims to help consumers easily and reliably find the charge point and connector that meets their needs.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to introduce measures to ensure that public electric vehicle charging infrastructure remains accessible to owners of older electric vehicles that use CHAdeMO connectors.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government does not mandate the provision of specific connectors at public charge points. Some charge point operators continue to provide CHAdeMO connectors for consumers that require them.
The Open Data requirement of the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 obliges charge point operators to share open data from all public charge points, including data on the types of connectors available. This aims to help consumers easily and reliably find the charge point and connector that meets their needs.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department distinguishes between the time taken by the Child Maintenance Service to respond to complaints and the time taken to resolve the underlying maintenance issues; and if he will publish separate performance statistics for both measures.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We recognise that response times to hon. Members’ enquiries on behalf of constituents have not been consistently adequate in recent months, as higher complaint volumes and increasing complex cases have affected our response times. However, the Department is actively addressing these pressures and driving improvements in both timeliness and efficiency. The Department is taking urgent action to reduce complaint backlogs and improve response times, with a clear focus on resolving issues as quickly as possible, including at the earliest point of contact where appropriate.
To support this, we have deployed additional resources to complaints and correspondence teams and prioritised activity to reduce outstanding volumes and strengthen performance monitoring to improve timeliness. We have introduced senior oversight and improved case management processes to support faster and more consistent responses. Where a complaint requires formal investigation, the Department’s service standard aims to provide a full response within 15 working days. More complex cases may take longer; however, the Department seeks to keep customers informed of progress and expected timescales.
The Department is clear that hon. Members must be able to rely on timely and accurate information when representing their constituents. Improving response times remains a key operational priority, and these measures are intended to restore performance to the expected standard.