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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department holds data on the number of defects, snagging issues or complaints raised in relation to homes developed by Hampshire Homes and managed by Abri since 2019.

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

My Department does not hold data or information requested.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department holds information on the average time taken by Abri to complete defect‑rectification works on shared‑ownership homes in the past three years.

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

My Department does not hold data or information requested.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department holds data on the number of occasions Vistry has undertaken structural remedial works without obtaining the necessary Building Control approval in each of the last five years.

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

The information is not held. MHCLG collects quarterly data from developers who have signed the developer remediation contract. This data covers buildings requiring life critical fire safety remedial works, however no data is collected in relation to structural remedial works.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will hold discussions with Homes England on the quality of new‑build shared‑ownership homes delivered by Abri in the last five years.

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

Housing associations are independent bodies responsible for the management of their properties and for resolving disputes with their residents.

Where such disputes cannot be resolved through a landlords’ complaints procedure, the Housing Ombudsman can investigate concerns relating to housing management, including access issues, repairs, and complaint handling.

Homes England does not have a role in overseeing the quality of homes delivered by individual providers once completed.

The government expects all housebuilders to deliver good quality homes, and we know that the vast majority do so. When things do go wrong, the government expects housebuilders to make things right.

To help customers resolve issues with new homes which developers have been unable or unwilling to fix, the government has committed to establishing a statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman to investigate and resolve complaints and provide new home buyers with effective redress. We will set out further details in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will hold discussions with Homes England on the identification of snagging defects in new‑build shared‑ownership properties built by Abri.

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

Housing associations are independent bodies responsible for the management of their properties and for resolving disputes with their residents.

Where such disputes cannot be resolved through a landlords’ complaints procedure, the Housing Ombudsman can investigate concerns relating to housing management, including access issues, repairs, and complaint handling.

Homes England does not have a role in overseeing the quality of homes delivered by individual providers once completed.

The government expects all housebuilders to deliver good quality homes, and we know that the vast majority do so. When things do go wrong, the government expects housebuilders to make things right.

To help customers resolve issues with new homes which developers have been unable or unwilling to fix, the government has committed to establishing a statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman to investigate and resolve complaints and provide new home buyers with effective redress. We will set out further details in due course.

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 registered providers complete remedial works within reasonable timescales when defects are identified in newly constructed homes.

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

The government has no current plans to introduce new statutory timescales for registered providers to complete remedial works on new‑build homes.

There are already a range of legal and contractual protections in place to ensure defects are addressed promptly. Developers and landlords have duties under the Defective Premises Act 1972 to ensure homes are fit for habitation when completed. Many new‑build homes are also covered by warranties and the Consumer Code for Home Builders, which set standards for quality and provide routes for redress.

In addition, landlords remain legally responsible for meeting their repair obligations under Awaab’s Law, which requires them to investigate and remedy serious damp and mould and emergency hazards within statutory timeframes.

The government expects all housebuilders to deliver good quality homes, and we know that the vast majority do so. When things do go wrong, the government expects housebuilders to make things right.

To help customers resolve issues with new homes which developers have been unable or unwilling to fix, the government has committed to establishing a statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman to investigate and resolve complaints and provide new home buyers with effective redress. We will set out further details in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his his Department has issued guidance on effective communication between housing associations and developers for resolving defects.

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

The government has no current plans to introduce new statutory timescales for registered providers to complete remedial works on new‑build homes.

There are already a range of legal and contractual protections in place to ensure defects are addressed promptly. Developers and landlords have duties under the Defective Premises Act 1972 to ensure homes are fit for habitation when completed. Many new‑build homes are also covered by warranties and the Consumer Code for Home Builders, which set standards for quality and provide routes for redress.

In addition, landlords remain legally responsible for meeting their repair obligations under Awaab’s Law, which requires them to investigate and remedy serious damp and mould and emergency hazards within statutory timeframes.

The government expects all housebuilders to deliver good quality homes, and we know that the vast majority do so. When things do go wrong, the government expects housebuilders to make things right.

To help customers resolve issues with new homes which developers have been unable or unwilling to fix, the government has committed to establishing a statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman to investigate and resolve complaints and provide new home buyers with effective redress. We will set out further details in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce statutory timescales for registered providers of social housing to complete remedial works following the identification of defects in new‑build homes.

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

The government has no current plans to introduce new statutory timescales for registered providers to complete remedial works on new‑build homes.

There are already a range of legal and contractual protections in place to ensure defects are addressed promptly. Developers and landlords have duties under the Defective Premises Act 1972 to ensure homes are fit for habitation when completed. Many new‑build homes are also covered by warranties and the Consumer Code for Home Builders, which set standards for quality and provide routes for redress.

In addition, landlords remain legally responsible for meeting their repair obligations under Awaab’s Law, which requires them to investigate and remedy serious damp and mould and emergency hazards within statutory timeframes.

The government expects all housebuilders to deliver good quality homes, and we know that the vast majority do so. When things do go wrong, the government expects housebuilders to make things right.

To help customers resolve issues with new homes which developers have been unable or unwilling to fix, the government has committed to establishing a statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman to investigate and resolve complaints and provide new home buyers with effective redress. We will set out further details in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a mandatory national screening programme for prostate cancer to help improve early detection and reduce mortality.

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

On 28 November 2025, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) opened a 12-week public consultation on a draft recommendation to offer targeted screening for prostate cancer in men with variants of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, every two years from the age of 45 to 61 years old. This consultation has now closed, and the committee is considering the responses.

We welcome the UK NSC’s consideration of the evidence and robust consultation process. We expect the UK NSC to make a final recommendation soon. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will then consider the advice, make a decision, and determine the next steps.

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 reduce NHS waiting times for ADHD assessments; and what role he expects the independent sector capacity to have in meeting demand.

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

The Government has recognised that, nationally in England, demand for assessments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan for England will make the National Health Service fit for the future, recognising the need for early intervention and support.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to ADHD assessment and treatment, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

The independent sector provides important service capacity within ADHD services. We are committed to ensuring patients have equitable access to safe, effective, and high-quality services, irrespective of their service provider. Patients being referred for consultant-led elective care, or to a mental health professional, have the right to be treated by any clinically appropriate provider who holds a contract for the provision of NHS services.

This includes the independent sector, which holds contracts with ICBs across the country to deliver services for the NHS. By working with the independent sector, we are making sure patients have greater choice in their local areas.

NHS England established an ADHD taskforce which brought together those with lived experience with experts from the NHS, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing timely and equitable access to services and support.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending Jess’s Rule, or establishing a similar national protocol, to ensure that recurrent presentations automatically trigger a clinical review.

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

Jess’s Rule was published in September 2024 as formal clinical guidance, developed with the Royal College of General Practitioners and NHS England, to support and strengthen general practitioners’ (GPs’) clinical judgement. It encourages GPs to pause, review recurrent presentations, and consider whether anything may have been missed.

Jess’s Rule formalises best practice, helping to embed a more consistent approach and reduce harmful inequalities in care. However, the guidance is intended to support, not replace, clinical decision-making. It does not mandate automatic referrals or investigations, as the GP remains responsible for deciding what action is clinically appropriate for the individual patient, in line with local pathways, and to avoid unnecessary pressure on services.

We will continue to keep Jess’s Rule under review, including the case for any future updates to national guidance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consider requiring Jess’s Rule to be applied across all primary care contact points, including A&E and Child Assessment Units.

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

Jess’s Rule is an NHS England patient safety initiative for primary care. It is designed for general practitioners and supports them to reconsider a patient’s presentation and/or diagnosis where the patient has attended general practice three or more times and symptoms have escalated, or the diagnosis is uncertain.

Martha’s Rule is an NHS England patient safety initiative for secondary care. It enables patients, families, and carers to request an urgent, independent review if they believe a hospital inpatient’s condition is deteriorating and is not being adequately addressed. This includes all acute hospitals in England, including paediatric acute inpatient service.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Export Control Joint Unit has been involved in the clearance of the consignments under DHL tracking number 6480575743 and UPS tracking number 1ZE461190495384661; and what steps the Department is taking to ensure that specialist engineering exports are not subject to disproportionate or unexplained delays at the border.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Unfortunately, these commercial tracking numbers do not enable us to identify the relevant export or the relevant border.

On the general point, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) informs exporters when their items are stopped at the border. If required, HMRC seeks advice from the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) about the licensing requirements and, to minimise costs and delays to exporters, ECJU prioritises such cases.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the customs delays affecting the export consignments from Magload Ltd with (a) DHL tracking number 6480575743 and (b) UPS tracking number 1ZE461190495384661; and whether she plans to take steps to ensure these consignments are reviewed and processed.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Information relating to identifiable taxpayers is protected by taxpayer confidentiality under the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005, and HMRC is therefore unable to disclose it. HMRC does not provide specific details regarding checks as to do so could undermine compliance activity.

HMRC takes a risk-based and intelligence-led approach to customs enforcement. HMRC understands the importance of consumers receiving their consignments on time and has robust procedures alongside Border Force to help maintain the flow, whilst ensuring risks are managed.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC has identified any outstanding documentation, compliance concerns, or risk‑based triggers relating to the export consignments from Magload Ltd with (a) DHL tracking number 6480575743 and (b) UPS tracking number 1ZE461190495384661.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Information relating to identifiable taxpayers is protected by taxpayer confidentiality under the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005, and HMRC is therefore unable to disclose it. HMRC does not provide specific details regarding checks as to do so could undermine compliance activity.

HMRC takes a risk-based and intelligence-led approach to customs enforcement. HMRC understands the importance of consumers receiving their consignments on time and has robust procedures alongside Border Force to help maintain the flow, whilst ensuring risks are managed.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of rising heating oil prices on low‑income households in semi‑rural areas; and what steps she plans to take to help ensure these households are not disadvantaged compared with mains‑connected customers.

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

The Government recognises that families and businesses across the country will see the recent global events and once again be concerned about the impact on their energy bills. The Government will continue to monitor the situation closely over coming days and weeks.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Chancellor has announced £53m for low income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. This funding will be available to the Northern Ireland Executive, Wales, and Scotland. This funding is allocated as part of the Crisis Resilience fund and will be distributed by local authorities. Local Authorities have responsibility for distributing funds to households. More information can be found here: Over £50 million to help families struggling with soaring heating oil costs - GOV.UK

Households using heating oil also benefit from wider cost‑of‑living support, including electricity bill reductions announced in the Autumn Budget, and the Warm Home Discount, which provides eligible households with £150 off energy bills annually until 2030/31.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Integrated Care Boards placing (a) activity caps and (b) other restrictions on NHS Right to Choose ADHD providers on patient (i) access, (ii) waiting times and (iii) clinical risk.

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

No specific assessment has been made on the potential impact of integrated care boards (ICBs) placing activity caps and other restrictions on NHS Right to Choose ADHD providers on patient access, waiting times or clinical risk.

Patients have a legal Right to Choose their provider when referred for NHS-funded eligible care. ICBs are responsible for ensuring that their processes comply with the legal Right to Choose.

NHS England issued advice to systems on ADHD service delivery and prioritisation on 7 October 2025. This advice includes guidance on managing service provisions, reviewing waiting lists and providing patient support. The advice is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/adhd-service-delivery-and-prioritisation-advice-to-systems/

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support university (a) staff and (b) students who raise concerns about breaches of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.

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

This government is absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom. ​We commenced provisions from the Higher Education (HE) (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 on 1 August 2025 including strengthened provider duties to secure and promote the importance of free speech and academic freedom, and a requirement to put in place effective free speech codes of practice. The Office for Students’ Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom continues to work with the HE sector to offer advice and share best practice, so providers themselves are more effectively protecting free speech and academic freedom.

Our commitment to the complaints scheme was clearly set out last year: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-future-of-the-higher-education-freedom-of-speech-act-2023. Students can continue to report their free speech complaints to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many whistleblowing complaints relating to (a) free speech, (b) academic freedom and (c) political discrimination have been reported to her Department since 2020.

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

This government is absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom. Under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, the department is not the prescribed person for whistleblowing concerns in higher education (HE) and does not receive whistleblowing complaints related to HE.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that civil servants who raise concerns about (a) misconduct, (b) political bias and (c) breaches of impartiality are protected from retaliation.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There are well established whistleblowing processes in place across government. Individual government departments are responsible for determining and setting their whistleblowing arrangements and procedures. In addition, the Civil Service Commission is an independent body that can hear and determine concerns by civil servants that relate to the Civil Service Code, where it has already been raised formally under the Code with the relevant Department. To ensure external reporting remains accessible, the Government regularly reviews the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014, which lists designated individuals and bodies, such as the National Audit Office, to whom a worker can make a whistleblowing disclosure.

The National Audit Office made four recommendations in the report following its investigation into whistleblowing in the Civil Service and the Public Accounts Committee made five recommendations in its subsequent report. The Cabinet Office has addressed these points and the recommendations have been completed. Neither report recommended setting up an independent external reporting mechanism. It is the Government’s position that an independent external reporting mechanism would be duplicative.

The full text of the reports are available online.

https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/investigation-whistleblowing-civil-service.pdf

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5804/cmselect/cmpubacc/457/report.html

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of internal whistleblowing channels within the Civil Service; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an independent external reporting mechanism.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There are well established whistleblowing processes in place across government. Individual government departments are responsible for determining and setting their whistleblowing arrangements and procedures. In addition, the Civil Service Commission is an independent body that can hear and determine concerns by civil servants that relate to the Civil Service Code, where it has already been raised formally under the Code with the relevant Department. To ensure external reporting remains accessible, the Government regularly reviews the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014, which lists designated individuals and bodies, such as the National Audit Office, to whom a worker can make a whistleblowing disclosure.

The National Audit Office made four recommendations in the report following its investigation into whistleblowing in the Civil Service and the Public Accounts Committee made five recommendations in its subsequent report. The Cabinet Office has addressed these points and the recommendations have been completed. Neither report recommended setting up an independent external reporting mechanism. It is the Government’s position that an independent external reporting mechanism would be duplicative.

The full text of the reports are available online.

https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/investigation-whistleblowing-civil-service.pdf

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5804/cmselect/cmpubacc/457/report.html

Energy Conservation