Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice is committed to supporting the effective operation of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and works closely with international partners to support the effective operation of the Convention and to facilitate safe, timely outcomes. This includes engaging with the Hague Conference on Private International Law and its Member States at regular Special Commissions to discuss operational matters and to share best practice.
The Ministry of Justice is also assessing and taking seriously concerns about the operation of the Convention in situations where domestic abuse is present. We were an active participant in two international Fora discussing this issue and contributed financial support to these events.
Recognising the complexity of the issue, the Ministry of Justice has since initiated a research project involving analysis of court proceedings in England and Wales under the Hague Convention where allegations of domestic abuse are raised.
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, if the Government’s aim to end rough sleeping includes people with No Recourse to Public Funds.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Where an individual has a no recourse to public fund condition, they will not be eligible for homelessness assistance under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996. However, local authorities may have other duties or powers under which they may be able to assist people who are sleeping rough and have no recourse to public funds, depending on the person’s circumstance and the support proposed. Local authorities should exhaust all options available to them to support individuals who have no recourse to public funds and must be satisfied that they have a lawful basis for any assistance provided.
In general, the expectation of the UK Government is that migrants who are given leave to be in the UK with an NRPF condition should be able to maintain and accommodate themselves and their dependants without recourse to public funds.
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 her Department will consider setting a timetable for reviewing and extending the age range for breast screening.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 15 January in response to Question 103262.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare support available through the benefits system for self-employed parents; and whether he plans to introduce additional support for self-employed parents who are unable to access employer-sponsored childcare voucher schemes.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Universal Credit helps with childcare costs so that low-income families can more easily take up work, stay in work and progress in work. It is available to eligible self-employed parents on the same basis as employed parents. Eligible customers can claim back up to 85% of their eligible childcare costs each month regardless of the number of hours they work. This is up to a maximum amount of £1071.09 a month for a single child and £1836.16 a month for families with two or more children. The Government is increasing Universal Credit childcare support to help larger working families. Eligible parents will receive up to £765.07 in UC childcare support for each additional child beyond the first. This will be implemented in the 2026/27 financial year. Support is also available for upfront childcare costs through the Flexible Support Fund, where eligibility has been extended to parents returning from parental leave to ease the transition back to work.
Childcare Vouchers closed to new entrants in October 2018. It was replaced by Tax-Free Childcare (TFC), which is administered by HM Revenue and Customs. TFC helps eligible working families across the UK with childcare costs. Unlike its predecessor, TFC is available for self-employed parents. For every £8 paid into a TFC childcare account, the government adds an extra £2. Parents can receive up to £2,000 (£500 per quarter) per child each year, or up to £4,000 (£1,000 per quarter) for a disabled child. Parents cannot use TFC if they receive Universal Credit or Childcare Vouchers.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to increase childcare support for self-employed parents.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Universal Credit helps with childcare costs so that low-income families can more easily take up work, stay in work and progress in work. It is available to eligible self-employed par-ents on the same basis as employed parents. Eligible customers can claim back up to 85% of their eligible childcare costs each month regardless of the number of hours they work. This is up to a maximum amount of £1071.09 a month for a single child and £1836.16 a month for families with two or more children.
The Government is increasing Universal Credit childcare support to help larger working families. This change will apply to self-employed parents on Universal Credit. Eligible parents will receive up to £765.07 in Universal Credit childcare support for each additional child beyond the first. This will be implemented in the 2026/27 financial year.
Support is also available for upfront childcare costs through the Flexible Support Fund, where eligibility has been extended to those returning from parental leave to ease the transition back to work.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on levels of housebuilding in Scotland.
Answered by Melanie Ward - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
My officials regularly engage with the Scottish Government on a range of matters to exchange learning and share best practice.
Housing and planning are devolved matters, so responsibility for housebuilding policy in Scotland rests with the Scottish Government.
Of particular concern is the increasing number of children living in temporary accommodation in Scotland. And whereas our Prime Minister is determined to end rough sleeping, in Scotland it is on the rise: homelessness charities say this should be a wake-up call for the Scottish Government - and they are right.
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 steps she is taking to increase access to a) social b) private rented homes for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Our National Plan to End Homelessness will drive long-term sustainable change to address the root causes of homelessness, including housing availability and affordability.
In the Plan, the Government committed to reviewing statutory guidance on social housing allocations in England to ensure it supports wider social housing and homelessness objectives. Work is underway with stakeholders and we will publish updated guidance for consultation next year. In addition, we are legislating through the Social Housing Bill to enable councils to refer a homeless household to a private registered provider of social housing to be offered housing unless the private provider has a good reason not to do so. This is delivering on another commitment made in National Plan to End Homelessness. Finally, we have delivered the biggest boost to grant funding in recent memory through our new 10-year £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme with a core objective to maximise supply, particularly of Social Rent homes.
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026 and strengthens tenants’ rights. The Act ends unfair bidding wars, prevents landlords from demanding large amounts of rent in advance, and tackles rental discrimination. It also bans Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions and provides stronger powers for tenants to challenge excessive rent hikes.
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, whether there will be any a) preference b) requirement for local authorities to deliver Housing First programmes as part of the Rough Sleeping Programme.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out in the programme guidance for the Rough Sleeping Programme, local areas (including both Mayoral Strategic Authorities and local authorities) will have flexibility to design both the support and accommodation offer to meet the needs of their area.
For the settled accommodation part of the programme, areas should deliver housing with wraparound support that is suitable for people who have experienced long-term rough sleeping and may experience multiple disadvantage. This may include, but is not limited to, a Housing First approach, which evidence has shown can transform the lives of people with complex needs.
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, how many responses to her Department’s consultation on Tobacco and Vapes: packaging, appearance and display, which closed on 2 October 2026, referred to cigars.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As per standard practice, full details of the responses to the Tobacco and Vapes: packaging, appearance and display consultation, launched on 10 July 2026, will be published in due course alongside the Government’s response to this consultation.
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, how many responses her Department has received to its consultation on Tobacco and Vapes: packaging, appearance and display, which closed on 2 October 2026.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As per standard practice, full details of the responses to the Tobacco and Vapes: packaging, appearance and display consultation, launched on 10 July 2026, will be published in due course alongside the Government’s response to this consultation.