Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available to children in voluntary foster care who have (a) drug dependency and (b) mental health needs; and whether he has made an assessment of access to (i) therapy and (ii) treatment for such children.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department for Education’s National Minimum Standards for fostering makes it clear that local authorities should ensure that children in their care should have prompt access to doctors and other health professionals, including specialist services such as those supporting mental health and drug dependency, when they need these services. Further information on the National Minimum Standards for fostering is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fostering-services-national-minimum-standards
Local authority commissioned community drug and alcohol treatment is free and accessible to all those who need it, including children and young people in voluntary foster care. Funding for alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services is provided through the Public Health Grant (PHG). In addition to the PHG, in 2025/26, the Department of Health and Social Care is providing a total of £310 million in additional targeted grants to improve drug and alcohol treatment services and recovery support to ensure that those in need can access high quality help and support. This includes children and young people with, or at risk of developing, drug and/or alcohol problems. As a result of recent increases in funding, as of August 2025, there were 4,374 more children and young people in drug and alcohol treatment. In 2024, 10% of under 18 year olds in drug and alcohol treatment were in care.
For children and young people in distress or struggling with their mental health, including those in voluntary foster care, fast access to early, high-quality support is critical. That is why the 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will work with schools and colleges to better identify and meet children's mental health needs by expanding mental health support teams in schools and colleges in England, to reach full national coverage by 2029. This will build on the work that has already begun, including providing mental health support for almost one million more young people in schools this year and investing an extra £688 million in Government funding to transform mental health services, hire more staff, and deliver more early interventions.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Personal Independence Payment appeals for claimants awarded under the Special Rules for terminal illness are prioritised (a) when a PIP award has been removed despite no improvement in prognosis and the claimant has been waiting over a year for a tribunal hearing and (b) in general.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The listing of appeals is a matter for the Tribunal’s independent judiciary. Appeals are usually listed in chronological order based on the date of receipt.
If an expedited hearing is sought, or where the Tribunal identifies a case which might benefit from an expedited hearing, a judge or tribunal caseworker will make a decision on the issue, taking all the circumstances of the case into account.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has had recent discussions with Royal Mail on the timeliness of their deliveries of (a) penalty charge notices, (b) NHS appointment letters, (c) other time-sensitive and (d) other legally important correspondence; and whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of that level of timeliness on people receiving those communications.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider.
It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that no person is extradited to Hong Kong for an act that is not a crime in the UK.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UKs extradition framework, governed by the Extradition Act 2003,enshrines the principle of dual criminality.
This legal requirement means that no person can be extradited from the UK unless the conduct in question would also constitute a criminal offence under UK law.
In addition, all UK extradition cooperation is underpinned by strong legalsafeguards operationalised by independent UK courts who have extensive powers to bar extradition where it is politically motivated or where it would beagainst an individual’s human rights.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to support family-owned businesses with significant inheritance tax liabilities following company valuations.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, fixing the public finances, and funding public services. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992.
Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she plans to publish the Loan Charge Review.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government commissioned an independent review of the loan charge to help bring the matter to a close for those affected whilst ensuring fairness for all taxpayers. The Government will respond by Autumn Budget 2025.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the safety of the use of PAVA spray in youth offender institutions.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
In April 2025, the Government announced a limited rollout of PAVA incapacitant spray in the three young offender institutions (YOIs) for 15 to 18-year-olds (Werrington, Wetherby and Feltham A). It was determined that this was a necessary measure to protect children and members of staff at risk of serious and life changing injuries from incidents of violence.
The potential use of PAVA spray in YOIs was the subject of lengthy consideration. This included research from available sources, and work with specialists across HM Prison and Probation Service and beyond. The advice of medical advisors and legal experts was taken into account in reaching the decision.
PAVA is now available to specially selected and trained groups of staff at Werrington, Wetherby, and Feltham A, to facilitate an immediate local response to a serious incident. It is only to be used as a last resort, in response to an immediate threat of serious harm.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of business rates on the level of investment by companies in (a) energy-efficient buildings and (b) renewable technologies.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is determined to remove barriers to investment to support our businesses to succeed, our high streets to thrive, and our economy to grow.
Business rates support is available for green technology to facilitate the decarbonisation of buildings. Eligible plant and machinery used in onsite renewable energy generation and storage, including onsite storage used at electric vehicle charging points, as well as rooftop solar panels, wind turbines, and battery storage, are exempt from business rates from 1 April 2022 until 31 March 2035. A 100 per cent relief for eligible low-carbon heat networks which have their own rates bill is also available.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will review the VAT exemption applied to private jet travel.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
It is right that the aviation sector, including private jet travel, contributes to public finances. Air Passenger Duty is the principal tax applied to private jet travel. The Government keeps all taxes under review.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to introduce a ban on kerosene-powered private jets as part of the Government’s net zero strategy.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government has no plans to ban kerosene-powered private jets. The Chancellor announced changes to the Air Passenger Duty (APD) in the last Budget, which included a 13% increase in APD rates for 2026/27 and a further 50% increase for larger private and business jets.
The government is committed to meeting our climate obligations to reach net zero by 2050 and will set out detail on plans for meeting legislated carbon budgets later this year.