Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people do not receive National Insurance credits through not applying for Child Benefit.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
It is estimated that 214 thousand people who qualified for Child Benefit in 2024-25 were not claiming it and missed out on National Insurance credits. This estimate excludes those who paid National Insurance contributions or who received credits via another route.
HMRC encourages parents and guardians to claim Child Benefit, even if their or their partner’s income means they may be liable to the High Income Child Benefit Charge. They can opt out of getting Child Benefit payments so they do not have to pay the charge and can still get National Insurance contributions to protect their State Pension.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if her department will release further information on the Voluntary National Insurance contributions for periods abroad.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The previous rules around voluntary National Insurance Contributions (NICs) allowed those with a limited connection to the UK to build UK State Pension entitlement at a very cheap rate.
At Budget 2025 the Government took two immediate steps to fix the most unfair elements of these rules. From April 2026 we are removing most access to Class 2 voluntary NICs for periods abroad. This will prevent thousands of people who are not in the UK from building entitlement to a UK State Pension far more cheaply than working people here. Secondly, we are strengthening the link a person needs to have to the UK before they can build their National Insurance record abroad. A person will now need to have spent 10 years living or building their NI record in the UK, up from three years.
A Tax Information and Impact Note for these changes will be published alongside the introduction of legislation.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what conversations he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential for sending UK troops to Greenland.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Defence Secretary speaks to his colleagues on a range of issues affecting our national and international security, including the High North.
As noted by the Defence Secretary last week, one UK military officer joined a reconnaissance visit to Greenland, in an observational capacity, at the request of the Danish Government. This was not a deployment of forces to Greenland, but a military recce ahead of future Danish-led exercise activity. They have now returned to Copenhagen, where they are based, following conclusion of the recce.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
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 help ensure children receive appropriate NHS funded physical health and mental health support while they are waiting for an EHCP.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Health services for children and young people are based on clinical need. Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can access National Health Services, including community services, in the usual way, within the local offer, regardless of whether they have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or are awaiting an EHCP. Any health need over and above the local offer should be accessed via an individual funding request to the integrated care board.
Regardless of whether or not a child or young person has an EHCP, a school or other institution has a legal duty under the Children and Families Act 2014 to support children with health conditions, which is outlined in statutory guidance, which is avaiable at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3
Work is currently underway to stabilise and improve NHS mental health services, but there is much more to do. Through the 10-Year Health Plan we will accelerate the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2029. We will boost the capability and capacity of staff so that they can offer more effective support to young people with complex needs, such as trauma, neurodivergence, and disordered eating. As part of this, we will invest £13 million to pilot enhanced training for staff, which will inform future phases of the programme.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to help raise awareness of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving the lives of people living with rare diseases through the UK Rare Diseases Framework. One of the priorities of the Framework is improving awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals, including 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, also known as DiGeorge syndrome. In England, we will publish the fifth action plan updating on the progress of this priority of the UK Rare Diseases Framework in spring 2026.
NHS England supports increased awareness and understanding of DiGeorge syndrome through the NHS Genomics Education Programme which provides accessible evidence-based resources aimed at healthcare professionals, including a dedicated page on 22q deletion syndrome to support recognition, referral and appropriate use of genomic testing. Such resources are available at the following link:
https://www.genomicseducation.hee.nhs.uk/genotes/knowledge-hub/22q11-2-deletion-syndrome/
Information for families is also available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/digeorge-syndrome/
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
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 business rate increases on the community pharmacy network.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the Autumn Budget 2025, the Government took the hard choices to protect the National Health Service in England and continue to prioritise reducing waiting times. We have also stepped in to cap bills and help businesses, as part of a £4.3 billion support package.
This year, we have also increased funding to community pharmacies to almost £3.1 billion, the largest uplift in funding for any part of the NHS across 2024/25 and 2025/26.
The Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27 shortly.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) review and (b) reform the current community pharmacy contract.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the Autumn Budget 2025, the Government took the hard choices to protect the National Health Service in England and continue to prioritise reducing waiting times. We have also stepped in to cap bills and help businesses, as part of a £4.3 billion support package.
This year, we have also increased funding to community pharmacies to almost £3.1 billion, the largest uplift in funding for any part of the NHS across 2024/25 and 2025/26.
The Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27 shortly.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of transport connections at Worplesdon station in Woking constituency.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No assessment has been undertaken, as Worplesdon is a lightly used local station. Passengers tend to use Guildford or Woking stations for wider travel.
Under public ownership, Southwestern Railway will be undertaking a complete redesign of its timetable, including services in the Woking area. In the assessment of options, wider economic impacts will be a consideration, alongside other factors such as reducing the net subsidy requirement of the railway, meeting passenger demand and improving operational performance.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on special measures for local authorities not meeting statutory requirements for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes annual SEN2 data on education, health and care (EHC) plans and assessments, including timeliness. This informs performance monitoring and targeted support. Where a council does not meet its duties, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement, including through issuing improvement notices or statutory directions to drive urgent improvements.
The department works with NHS England, to support and intervene in areas of poor performance following inspection.
Recent changes to the Area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) framework conducted by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission, in consultation with the department and the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, include specifying which member of the partnership should take forward areas for improvement or areas for priority action. This would include areas for improvement and priority action being directed specifically to health where appropriate.
We will work together with all stakeholders to understand the impact of any SEND reforms on Area SEND inspections and changes needed as a result of these reforms.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria will be used to assess whether a train station is well-connected for the purposes of a planning application receiving a default yes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 102319 on 12 January 2026.