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 much funding was allocated to each Integrated Care Board in England for long covid services in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are allocated funding by the National Health Service based on a statistical formula which takes into account population size and needs, so that funding distribution is fair and objective. Further details on ICB funding allocation can be found at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/allocations/
The allocation of funding for specialised services, including long COVID, are at the discretion of local ICBs to best meet the needs of their local population.
Commissioning guidance, from December 2023, presents guidelines for the commissioning and oversight of post-COVID services by ICBs in England for adults, and children and young people from April 2024. Since then, in line with the NHS operating framework and the establishment of integrated care systems, the commissioning of post-COVID services has been the responsibility of ICBs. However, according to this guidance, post-COVID services should comprise an integrated pathway of assessment, medical treatment, and multifaceted rehabilitation, including psychology, with direct access to required diagnostics. Referral should be via a single point of access which is managed by clinician-led triage.
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, whether future NHS planning guidance will require Integrated Care Boards to provide dedicated long covid pathways.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are allocated funding by the National Health Service based on a statistical formula which takes into account population size and needs, so that funding distribution is fair and objective. Further details on ICB funding allocation can be found at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/allocations/
The allocation of funding for specialised services, including long COVID, are at the discretion of local ICBs to best meet the needs of their local population.
Commissioning guidance, from December 2023, presents guidelines for the commissioning and oversight of post-COVID services by ICBs in England for adults, and children and young people from April 2024. Since then, in line with the NHS operating framework and the establishment of integrated care systems, the commissioning of post-COVID services has been the responsibility of ICBs. However, according to this guidance, post-COVID services should comprise an integrated pathway of assessment, medical treatment, and multifaceted rehabilitation, including psychology, with direct access to required diagnostics. Referral should be via a single point of access which is managed by clinician-led triage.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Attorney General’s Office on ending the presumption of parental contact in family court cases.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government announced on 22 October 2025 that it will repeal the presumption of parental involvement when Parliamentary time allows.
Prior to this announcement, a Parliamentary write-round was undertaken which included consideration by the Attorney General’s Office.
The repeal will be taken forward once an appropriate legislative vehicle is identified. This remains a Ministerial priority, and we will announce further plans due course.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of not providing Gurkha veterans with equal pension benefits to those of other British Army veterans on those veterans.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Government greatly values the exceptional and longstanding contribution made by Gurkha soldiers to the United Kingdom. Since 2007, Gurkhas have received the same pension under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme as the rest of the UK Armed Forces. For those who served prior to 2007, for the large majority, the 1948 Gurkha Pension Scheme provides a pension at least as good, and in many cases better, than that given to their British counterparts with identical periods of service.
We continue to work closely with Gurkha representatives and the Government of Nepal on a range of veteran issues and remain committed to ensuring Gurkha veterans are treated with fairness and respect.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to provide Gurkha veterans with pension benefits equivalent to those of their British Army counterparts.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Government greatly values the exceptional and longstanding contribution made by Gurkha soldiers to the United Kingdom. Since 2007, Gurkhas have received the same pension under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme as the rest of the UK Armed Forces. For those who served prior to 2007, for the large majority, the 1948 Gurkha Pension Scheme provides a pension at least as good, and in many cases better, than that given to their British counterparts with identical periods of service.
We continue to work closely with Gurkha representatives and the Government of Nepal on a range of veteran issues and remain committed to ensuring Gurkha veterans are treated with fairness and respect.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues to local Government on safeguarding procedures for drivers transporting pupils to and from school.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Local authorities are responsible for arranging free home-to-school travel for eligible children. The department publishes statutory guidance to assist local authorities in meeting their duties.
The statutory guidance makes clear that local authorities must ensure the arrangements they make are suitable for the needs of the children concerned. They should ensure drivers and passenger assistants have undergone an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check with a check of the children’s barred list, and that they have received training in safeguarding and any other training they need to meet the specific needs of the children travelling.
In addition, health and safety law requires local authorities to assess risk and put in place reasonably practicable control measures to protect their employers and others, including the children for whom they arrange travel, from harm.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of social media use on children’s mental health.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
I share the worries of parents and many of those in the medical profession; the question is not whether the government will act, but how. These are nuanced issues on which there are a diverse range of views; that is why we are launching a consultation and national conversation on next steps. We are also working closely across government on these topics, with DHSC, as well as Ofcom, DfE, and the Home Office. Furthermore, the Department for Education will be producing guidance on screentime.
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 his Department has made of the potential impact of requiring parents to apply for Child Benefit on their eligibility to qualify for National Insurance credits.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
DWP has not conducted such an assessment. Child Benefit is a benefit administered by HMRC.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of the average time taken by Transport for London to process and issue private hire vehicle driver licences.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department for Transport is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which local licensing authorities in England license the taxi and private hire vehicle trades but ultimately the licensing process is left at the discretion of local authorities. We work closely with Transport for London on a range of issues but the operation of private hire driver licensing is a matter solely for them and it would not be appropriate for ministers to comment or intervene.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of whether the Government is on track to meet its international commitments under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government will submit the UK Seventh National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity by the deadline of 28 February 2026, setting out our progress towards implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.