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 the availability of health play (a) services and (b) professionals for children.

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

The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever, which includes ensuring that children receive the appropriate care and support whenever they need it.

In support of this commitment, NHS England and Starlight, a national charity for children’s play in healthcare, co-published the Play Well Toolkit in June 2025. The toolkit recognises the important role of health play teams and provides important guidance on best practice, enabling these teams to deliver child-friendly care. NHS England is promoting the Play Well toolkit to managers of health play services across a wide range of settings, including community clinics, emergency departments, children’s hospices, and acute paediatric wards.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to require energy suppliers to pay interest on significant customer credit balances held for extended periods.

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

In the year to June 2025, Ofgem data shows that there has been a fall by around £500m of credit balances held by suppliers (Domestic Energy Customer Credit Balances, July 2024 to June 2025 | Ofgem)

Customers may challenge increased direct debit payment amounts with their supplier if they disagree with it and ask the supplier to justify how they calculated the new amount. Suppliers must explain clearly how they reached the figure they want to charge and give the meter readings they used. If a customer is not happy with the supplier’s calculation, they can ask the supplier to lower the monthly payments to reflect the energy use more accurately.

Additionally, if a customer is concerned about the size of a credit balance on their energy account, they can ask their supplier to refund it. Suppliers must do this promptly unless there are reasonable grounds not to and the supplier must explain the reasons for not doing so.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with Ofgem on the (a) total value of credit balances currently held by domestic energy suppliers and (b) steps it is taking to ensure that surplus credit is refunded promptly to customers.

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

In the year to June 2025, Ofgem data shows that there has been a fall by around £500m of credit balances held by suppliers (Domestic Energy Customer Credit Balances, July 2024 to June 2025 | Ofgem)

Customers may challenge increased direct debit payment amounts with their supplier if they disagree with it and ask the supplier to justify how they calculated the new amount. Suppliers must explain clearly how they reached the figure they want to charge and give the meter readings they used. If a customer is not happy with the supplier’s calculation, they can ask the supplier to lower the monthly payments to reflect the energy use more accurately.

Additionally, if a customer is concerned about the size of a credit balance on their energy account, they can ask their supplier to refund it. Suppliers must do this promptly unless there are reasonable grounds not to and the supplier must explain the reasons for not doing so.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions his Department has had with energy suppliers on the level of their compliance with licence requirements to ensure that direct debit levels reflect customers’ actual energy use and account balances.

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

In the year to June 2025, Ofgem data shows that there has been a fall by around £500m of credit balances held by suppliers (Domestic Energy Customer Credit Balances, July 2024 to June 2025 | Ofgem)

Customers may challenge increased direct debit payment amounts with their supplier if they disagree with it and ask the supplier to justify how they calculated the new amount. Suppliers must explain clearly how they reached the figure they want to charge and give the meter readings they used. If a customer is not happy with the supplier’s calculation, they can ask the supplier to lower the monthly payments to reflect the energy use more accurately.

Additionally, if a customer is concerned about the size of a credit balance on their energy account, they can ask their supplier to refund it. Suppliers must do this promptly unless there are reasonable grounds not to and the supplier must explain the reasons for not doing so.

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 reduce waiting times for neurology outpatient appointments; and what plans are in place to ensure timely access to neurological care for all patients.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to delivering the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients to wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. This includes patients waiting for neurology care.

As of August 2025, the neurology waiting list stands at 226,432, a reduction of 4.3% since August 2024. Since coming into office we have delivered 5.2 million additional appointments, including for neurology care, in part by rolling out reforms outlined in the Elective Reform Plan (ERP). These reforms include broadening access to outpatient care, through virtual and group consultations, and minimising missed appointments.

We have also expanded the Advice and Guidance scheme, which helps to ensure that patients get care in the right place and only see a specialist if it’s really necessary, freeing up capacity in secondary care for those who need it, including certain patients with neurology conditions or symptoms. The latest data, which is subject to change, shows this has resulted in 589,336 requests being “diverted” since April 2025, a 4.3% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

The 10-Year Health Plan builds on the ERP with a more sustainable vision for elective care where two-thirds of outpatient care is moved to community settings or delivered remotely, rather than in hospitals. Patients' access to specialists, including neurologists, will be improved by providing this specialist care in the community where possible and increasing digital access to specialists through the NHS app where it’s more convenient for patients. The recently published Medium Term Planning Framework outlines targets for the NHS from 2026/27 to 2028/29 to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan’s ambitions, including giving patients more control over their follow up care to reduce unnecessary appointments and expanding Advice and Guidance, thereby freeing up appointments and reducing long waits, including for neurology care.

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 tackle ensure that children have access to health play services in (a) children's hospitals and (b) children's wards in district general hospitals.

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

The Department recognises the importance of supporting and maintaining children’s right to play in healthcare settings, because games and active play in all settings build social skills and promote children’s well-being.

To support this, in June 2025 NHS England and Starlight, a national charity for children’s play in healthcare, co-published the Play Well Toolkit. The toolkit provides guidance on best practice, and includes a checklist to support the auditing, monitoring, and evaluation of services. NHS England is promoting the Play Well toolkit to managers of health play services across a wide range of settings, including community clinics, emergency departments, children’s hospices, and acute paediatric wards.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of properties ceded to the Flood Re scheme since 2023 are not classified as at risk of flooding under Environment Agency flood maps; and what steps she is taking to help ensure that Flood Re is only applied to properties at risk of flooding according to Environment Agency flood mapping.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Flood Re scheme is funded by the insurance industry via a compulsory levy which currently stands at £160 million per annum. Insurers chose which properties at flood risk to cede to the scheme. Premiums are set by Flood Re that aims to ensure only policies for properties at higher flood risk are ceded.

Insurers use a range of information when assessing the potential flood risk of a property. This usually includes both previous claims history and future risk of flooding which they will often use Environment Agency (EA) data as well as other more detailed commercially available maps to help them assess the risk. There is no requirement for individual insurance companies to use EA data in setting premiums and/or excesses in household insurance policies that include cover against flooding.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to introduce activity regulations under the Animal (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023; and what her Department's timetable is for the full implementation of that Act.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire, Pippa Heylings on 23 September 2025 PQ UIN 73101.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to ensure that HMRC issues closure notices showing no adjustment to tax returns for users of the Horizon loan scheme.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As a minister I cannot comment on any individual or identifiable businesses and their tax affairs. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) should always treat taxpayers sensitively and fairly in accordance with the HMRC Charter.

To ensure fairness, HMRC applies the law in accordance with its published Litigation and Settlement Strategy (LSS). This ensures every taxpayer, no matter who they are, pays the tax due under the law.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason HMRC has treated the (a) Palmrock and (b) Horizon loan schemes differently in relation to the application of PAYE credits.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As a minister I cannot comment on any individual or identifiable businesses and their tax affairs. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) should always treat taxpayers sensitively and fairly in accordance with the HMRC Charter.

To ensure fairness, HMRC applies the law in accordance with its published Litigation and Settlement Strategy (LSS). This ensures every taxpayer, no matter who they are, pays the tax due under the law.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the processing times for disability benefit (a) applications, (b) reviews and (c) mandatory reconsideration requests.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Managing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the department and we are working constantly to improve our service.

Our aim is to make an award decision, including on an award review decision, as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all the available evidence, including that from the claimant, and ensuring that the decision is robust.

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 patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome have access to (a) specialist (i) clinicians, (ii) nurses, (iii) physiotherapists, (iv) occupational therapists, (v) dieticians and (vi) clinical psychologists and (b) (A) equipment and (B) clinic space in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

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

Services for people with postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs have a statutory responsibility to provide a health service to the local population, subject to local prioritisation and funding, which includes access to specialist medical services for people with PoTS as appropriate.

The treatment of patients with PoTS in the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency area is managed on an individual, case-by-case basis. A multi-disciplinary team approach has been adopted, involving specialists such as physiotherapists, cardiologists, and neurologists. Patients are referred into specialist centres in London if their diagnosis or treatment requires a more specialist approach or facilities.

More widely, the Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it, including for patients with PoTS.

Fly-tipping and illegal waste dumping by criminal gangs

Conduct of Samir Zitouni and Stephen Crean on the 18.25 Doncaster to Kings Cross train on 1 November 2025

Emergency care

Tomorrow’s Engineers Week 2025

Mental health of women in farming

Implications for rural communities of the Autumn Budget 2024

Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief

Chinook Justice Campaign