Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to ensure that people no longer eligible for covid-19 vaccines under the the Flu and Covid-19 Seasonal Vaccination Programme are able to receive them if they wish; and whether his Department plans to make covid-19 vaccinations available privately for people not eligible through the NHS.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is the independent expert committee which reviews the latest data on COVID-19 risks, vaccine safety, and effectiveness and advises the department on the approach to vaccination and immunisation programmes.
The aim of the COVID-19 immunisation programme is to prevent serious disease, namely hospitalisation and/or mortality, arising from COVID-19. Population immunity to COVID-19 has been increasing due to a combination of naturally acquired immunity following recovery from infection and vaccine-derived immunity. COVID-19 is now a relatively mild disease for most people, though it can still be unpleasant, with rates of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 having reduced significantly since COVID-19 first emerged. The focus of the JCVI-advised programme has moved towards targeted vaccination of the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed. These are the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease, including mortality.
On 13 November 2024, the JCVI published advice on who should be offered vaccination in autumn 2025. On 26 June 2025, the Government decided, in line with this advice, that a COVID-19 vaccine should be offered in autumn 2025 to the following groups:
- adults aged 75 years and over;
- residents in a care home for older adults; and
- individuals aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed, as defined in the UK Health Security Agency Green Book.
There are no plans to offer vaccination through the national programme outside these JCVI-advised groups for autumn 2025. Some private providers currently offer COVID-19 vaccination, and whether to provide vaccination privately is a matter for the companies concerned.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 conducting a national safeguarding review into the protection of disabled dependents when their sole carer is incapacitated.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Any form of abuse or neglect is unacceptable, and the Government is committed to ensuring that families have the support that they need.
Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a statutory duty to make enquiries about safeguarding concerns and support people caring for their family and friends. The Care Act 2014 also requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for unpaid carers.
The Carer Contingency Campaign Pack: Supporting Carers and Strengthening Local Care Systems, developed by the Carers Trust with NHS England and the Health and Wellbeing Alliance, helps local carer organisations to implement Carer Contingency Plans, which are structured protocols ensuring care continuity when the carer is unexpectedly unavailable. Unpaid carers can be supported to create contingency plans to ensure the person they care for continues receiving support if they are suddenly unavailable. It includes practical tools, good practice examples, and guidance on emergency planning.
We have launched an independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Casey. The Commission will start a national conversation about what care and support working age adults, older people, and their families expect from adult social care, including exploring the needs of unpaid carers who provide vital care and support.
The Commission's Terms of Reference are sufficiently broad to enable Baroness Casey to define its remit to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future, including the safeguarding of those receiving care if the Commission sees fit.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 support entry-level employment opportunities for young people in the hospitality sector.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I recognise that the hospitality sector offers significant entry-level opportunities for young people. My department is working closely with UKHospitality, the trade body for the sector, to deliver Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) to 26 areas across the country. These SWAPs offer training, work experience and a guaranteed job interview to those ready to start a job, and participants that complete the programme gain the Hospitality Skills Passport which provides proof that a person is qualified to perform their job effectively and safely, giving them a universal entry standard into the sector.
A number of these SWAPs have already been delivered, most notably in coastal areas with high levels of deprivation such as Blackpool and Margate.
From April 2021 to June 2025 DWP delivered a total of 30,180 Hospitality SWAP starts across the country.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 support disabled households with the cost of living in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Extra costs disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP), are individual benefits paid to all qualifying members of a household. They provide a contribution towards the extra costs that may arise from a long-term disability or health condition. These benefits are non-contributory, non-means-tested, can be worth up to £9,747.40 a year, tax free and are paid in addition to any other benefits or income received. Receiving a qualifying rate of an extra costs disability benefit could also act as a ‘passport’ to extra money or higher amounts of other means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit and Housing Benefit. It can also provide access to council tax reductions and a Disabled Person's Railcard.
We know for those who can, work is the best route out of poverty. The Government is investing in the biggest employment support package for disabled people and those with a health condition in a generation. Our Pathways to Work Guarantee will ensure there is an offer of work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions claiming out of work benefits.
Disabled people may also benefit from the wide range of measures we have announced to support those in low-income families and households, including an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of this parliament, a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1 billion a year (including Barnett impact), and extending the £3 bus fare cap. We have increased the national minimum wage for those on the lowest incomes and introduced a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions, helping around 1.2 million UC households retain more of their award, 700,000 of these households include children. We are also expanding the Warm Home Discount Scheme to give more eligible households £150 off their winter energy bills. All households on a qualifying means tested benefit will be eligible for the Discount, bringing around 2.7 million households into the scheme and pushing the total number of households that will receive the discount this winter up to around 6 million.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent tax changes on employment levels in the hospitality sector.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises that the nature and rate of taxes on business is important to the hospitality sector, and the success and competitiveness of the UK. Given the difficult fiscal conditions we inherited, the Government asked all businesses to help contribute to fixing the foundations.
The UK hospitality sector is largely made up of small businesses. The Government has protected the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that 865,000 employers will pay no employer NICs at all this year.
A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs). The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.
The Government is committed to supporting the hospitality sector and local businesses across the UK, and we frequently engage with the sector to understand their concerns.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of press regulation in preventing press intrusion.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Our aim as a Government is ensuring the balance is right between press freedom and instances of intrusion. The government recognises that for victims and their families, incidents of undue attention and harassment from the media cause significant distress. In the UK, there exists an independent, self-regulatory system for the press, which is important for press freedom, and the Government therefore does not intervene in or oversee the work of press regulators in preventing press intrusion. These independent regulators enforce codes of conduct which provide guidelines on a range of areas, including on accuracy, privacy and harassment. We are also clear, however, that with this freedom comes responsibility, and newspapers must operate within the bounds of the law and have a responsibility to uphold high professional and ethical standards. This includes ensuring access to clear, timely and effective routes to redress.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support hedgehog conservation initiatives in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
48 responsible authorities were appointed by Defra to prepare Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for their area. Under Hertfordshire County Council’s draft LNRS, the hedgehog is designated as a ‘Flagship Species’ which is set to benefit from identified local actions to recover their habitat, thereby aiding their conservation.
Nationally, Natural England is supporting the National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy and the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme. The information gathered from these projects will produce insights into the factors causing hedgehog population decline, leading to the implementation of practical conservation measures to address this challenge.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to increase funding for newly qualified nurse positions in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 11 August 2025, the Government announced the Graduate Guarantee for nurses and midwives. The guarantee will ensure that there are enough positions for every newly qualified nurse in England. The package of measures will unlock thousands of jobs and will ensure that thousands of new posts are easier to access by removing barriers for National Health Service trusts, creating opportunities for graduates and ensuring a seamless transition from training to employment.
These new measures aim to tackle graduates’ concerns about job availability and ensure the NHS has the right staff to provide the best possible care to patients everywhere.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Crime and Policing Bill on the right to peaceful protest; and what steps she is taking to ensure that lawful demonstrations are not restricted.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to ensuring that protest legislation is both effective and proportionate. The Government keeps all public order legislation under constant review.
While the right to protest remains a cornerstone of our democracy, the legal framework must evolve to ensure that this right does not come at the expense of public order and the rights of others.
The new offences in the Crime and Policing Bill reflect a targeted response to gaps identified through recent protest activity. They seek to regulate conduct that undermines public trust or accountability.
In the normal way, the Crime and Policing Bill (once enacted) will be subject to post-legislative scrutiny.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing draft duty relief for (a) consumers, (b) pubs and (c) breweries in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor’s draught rate cut at Autumn Budget 2024 applied to approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This took a penny of duty off a typical strength pint at a cost to the Exchequer of over £85m a year. Draught beer and cider now pay 13.9% less in duty than their packaged equivalents – an increase of over 50% on the previous draught discount of 9.2%.
The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events. The Government welcomes representations from the beer and pub sectors in advance of the Budget.