Alex Brewer
Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire
634 (1.1%) majority - 2024 General ElectionFirst elected: 4th July 2024
2 APPG Officer Positions (as of 9 Sep 2025)
Early Education and Childcare, Water2 APPG Memberships
Cyber Security and Business Resilience, Renewable and Sustainable EnergyDivision Voting information
Debates during the 2024 Parliament
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
Sparring Partners
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
(8 debate interactions)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
(3 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(19 debate contributions)
(10 debate contributions)
(4 debate contributions)
(4 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
(3,666 words contributed)
(1,171 words contributed)
(976 words contributed)
(95 words contributed)
North East Hampshire Petitions
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
of 18,323 signatures (0.64%)
of 72,450 signatures (0.35%)
of 108,370 signatures (0.31%)
of 196,596 signatures (0.28%)
of 899,015 signatures (0.18%)
of 196,596 signatures (0.28%)
of 252,120 signatures (0.16%)
of 243,075 signatures (0.14%)
Petition Closed
Decriminalise Abortion
Gov Responded - 23 Dec 2024 Debated on - 2 Jun 2025 View Alex Brewer's petition debate contributionsclosed 4 months, 1 week ago
I am calling on the UK government to remove abortion from criminal law so that no pregnant person can be criminalised for procuring their own abortion.
Latest EDMs signed by Alex Brewer
Ban trophy hunting imports
Tabled by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)That this House notes CITES data and investigations by the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting published in the national media showing British trophy hunters are killing and bringing home trophies of threatened species including African elephants, lions, leopards, giraffes, hippopotamuses, zebras, wolves, monkeys, wild cats, lynxes, cougars, bears, and African …
(Most recent: 11 Sep 2025)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 43
Labour: 40
Independent: 11
Scottish National Party: 7
Green Party: 4
Plaid Cymru: 4
Democratic Unionist Party: 3
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 2
Conservative: 2
Alliance: 1
Ulster Unionist Party: 1
Prostate screening in Hampshire
Tabled by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)That this House recognises the work of Fleet Lions Group, who, with sponsorship from Fleet Hospital and Community Friends, screened 400 men for prostate cancer on 9 August 2025; celebrates the efforts of local volunteers in promoting the health and well-being of the community in North East Hampshire; notes that …
(Most recent: 9 Sep 2025)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 7
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Commons initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Alex Brewer, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Alex Brewer has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Alex Brewer has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
Alex Brewer has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Alex Brewer has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
Latest 50 Written Questions
(View all written questions)The delivery of compensation is a matter for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). Whilst the roll out of the scheme is an operational decision for IBCA as an independent body, I fully support their commitment to moving forward as swiftly as possible and as the Minister, I stand ready to help and assist in any way I can to speed up the payments.
IBCA has paid over £96 million in compensation. In April, IBCA wrote to all those who are living with infection and registered with a support scheme and asked those who have less than 12 months to live to come forward. IBCA is now prioritising claims for those who are living with infection and registered with a support scheme and nearing the end of their lives. Going forward, IBCA has outlined that it is aiming to contact an average of 100 people to begin their claim every week. At that rate, they expect to have brought in to claim all those who are infected and registered with a support scheme this calendar year. The Government expects IBCA to begin payments to people who are affected by the end of this year.
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government is committed to strengthening the post office network, in consultation with postmasters, trade unions and customers. It provides critical services that are valued by communities across the whole of the UK.
Although there will be variations in the number of branches open at any one time, the Post Office works to restore service to the community when a branch closes. The time this can take will vary depending on the individual local circumstances in each case.
Regarding Basingstoke Post Office, we understand that the Post Office plans to reopen the branch on 11 August.
ECJU is implementing a new digital export licensing system, LITE, to provide a modern digital service that streamlines the export licence application process.
ECJU has an ongoing programme of Continuous Improvement and we routinely identify and implement opportunities to make targeted improvements to the way we operate and manage the export licensing service to help us adapt to the changing demands on the system.
Secretary of State for Scotland
The Government believes that communities are providing a service to the country when they host clean energy infrastructure, so there needs to be benefit for them. On 21 May, the Government published a working paper on community benefits and shared ownership of low carbon energy infrastructure and is the process of reviewing responses. We will consider the appropriate technological scope of a mandatory scheme for community benefits, including whether such a scheme should cover grid-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS).
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government strongly supports the installation of solar panels on public sector buildings. These can generate clean power close to demand, and bring down public spending on energy costs. This includes £180 million investment from the UK government and GBE to install rooftop solar panels on schools and hospitals in England, which could see millions invested back into frontline services.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great British Energy (GBE) will deliver a step change in investment in local and community energy projects, putting communities at the heart of the energy transition as owners and partners in clean energy projects across the UK.
In 2025/26, we have made £5 million available in grant funding through the GBE Community Fund to support community energy groups in helping communities develop their own clean energy projects, delivered through the Greater Southeast Local Net Zero Hub for initiatives in Northeast Hampshire. The latest application round closed on the 7th July.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Protecting children is at the heart of the Online Safety Act.
The Act’s duties apply to AI generated content in the same way as to ‘real’ content - AI generated content is regulated where it is shared on an in-scope service and is either illegal content or content which is harmful to children. In-scope services will be required to assess the risk of harm to users from this content and implement measures to manage and mitigate this risk.
Government is clear that we will not hesitate to build on the Act where necessary when it comes to keeping children safe.
The Online Safety Act places new duties on both user-to-user and search services. The strongest protections in the Act are for children, who will be protected from both illegal content, and legal content which is nonetheless harmful to children (including content which is AI generated) Ofcom has set out steps providers can take to fulfil their child safety duties, which will be in force in the Summer.
The vast majority of AI systems should be regulated at the point of use, and the UK’s existing expert regulators are best placed to do this. We remain committed to introducing targeted rules on companies developing the most powerful AI models to ensure we can realise the benefits of these systems safely.
The Leveson Inquiry led to the establishment of a strengthened, self-regulatory system for the press, this includes the creation of the Press Recognition Panel, by Royal Charter. There are also two press regulators, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and the Independent Monitor of the Press (Impress), while other publishers, including the Financial Times and the Guardian, have chosen to stay outside either regulator with their own detailed self-regulatory arrangements.
This self-regulatory system is important for press freedom, but with this freedom comes responsibility. Newspapers must operate ethically and within the bounds of the law. This includes ensuring that members of the public are able to raise concerns about inaccurate reporting through clear, timely and effective routes to redress. If the public wishes to raise concerns about press reporting, they can do so via the relevant regulator. These regulators enforce codes of conduct which provide guidelines on a range of areas, including discrimination, accuracy, privacy, and harassment. If they find that a newspaper has broken the code of conduct, they can order corrections.
The news and media landscape has moved on significantly since the Leveson Inquiry and we need to address the wider challenges in the digital age, including mis and disinformation. The Government’s priority is seeing an independent, thriving and plural press, where journalists are safe and able to report on stories in the public interest and that matter to communities, so that traditional news sources continue to be rated high on trust, accuracy, and impartiality.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department has not been approached by sport clubs on this issue.
Under current legislation it is against the law to sell a bladed article to a person under the age of 18 and this includes swords. If the sale occurs online it is necessary for the retailer to carry out age verification at the point of sale and, if using a delivery company to deliver a bladed product, to ensure that the delivery company has arrangements in place to ensure that the product would not be delivered into the hands of a person under 18. Many delivery companies offer age verified delivery.
Outside of mandatory requirements, decisions on items that delivery operators accept in their networks are for the company themselves.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government recognises the importance of the UK’s copyright regime to the economic success of the creative industries, one of eight growth-driving sectors as identified in our Industrial Strategy. We are committed to supporting rights holders by ensuring they have control over and receive fair payment for their work, especially as technology advances to include AI. We are actively working with stakeholders to ensure copyright protections remain robust and fit for purpose.
Our 10-week consultation, which was published on Tuesday 17 December and closed on 25 February, engaged AI and creative industries stakeholders widely on the impact of AI on the copyright regime. The aims of the consultation were to seek views on how the copyright framework should apply in the context of AI. Key topics under review include text and data mining, transparency and labelling, computer generated works and digital replicas.
The consultation was published alongside an accompanying options assessment. The consultation sought to gather further evidence on the potential impact on the creative industries of any change to the copyright regime in the context of AI training. We will now consider the full range of responses we have received through our consultation to determine the most effective next steps. If legislative changes are needed, a full economic impact assessment will be undertaken.
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The dedicated schools grant (DSG) is paid in support of local authorities’ schools budgets. It allocates funding through four separate blocks covering mainstream schools, high needs, early years and central school services. Each block is calculated using its own separate funding formula.
The total funding allocated through the DSG was £68.8 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, up from £62.5 billion in 2024/25. The table below sets out how this is split across the four blocks.
Dedicated Schools Grant | |||||
Financial Year | Mainstream Schools Block (£ bn) | Central School Services Block (£ bn) | High Needs Block (£ bn) | Early Years Block (£ bn) | Total (£ bn) |
2024/25 | 45.3 | 0.4 | 10.4 | 6.4 | 62.5 |
2025/26 | 48.7 | 0.4 | 11.2 | 8.5 | 68.8 |
Please note that the 2025/26 and 2024/25 financial year figures are not directly comparable since some funding provided through separate grants in 2024/25 was rolled into the DSG in 2025/26.
Detailed information on the 2025/26 DSG funding allocations can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2025-to-2026.
Funding levels for 2026/27 and beyond are subject to the ongoing spending review.
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.
The Hampshire local area partnership was last inspected by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) under the previous SEND inspection framework in March 2020. The inspection found that leaders in Hampshire were highly ambitious for children and young people with SEND, and while the inspection did identify areas for improvement, it did not identify any areas of significant weakness. As with all local areas, the department has continued to work with Hampshire since its last inspection through a regional case lead, who seeks regular assurances on the adequacy of SEND provision and provides support and challenge. All local authorities will be assessed under the new CQC Area SEND Inspection Framework by the end of 2027. Following their inspection, the department will work closely with Hampshire as they respond to the findings.
Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year. Total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND is over £12 billion in the 2025/26 financial year. Of that total, Hampshire County Council is being allocated over £224 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £17.7 million on the 2024/25 DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula (NFF). This NFF allocation is an 8.5% increase per head of their 2 to 18-year-old population, on their equivalent 2024/25 financial year NFF allocation.
The government recognises the vital role that special schools play in catering to children and young people with the most complex needs. We also want more children and young people to receive the support they need to thrive in their local mainstream school, reducing the need for pupils to travel a long way to access a specialist placement. Many mainstream settings are already committed to delivering specialist provision locally, including through resourced provision and special educational needs units.
The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). If a local authority identifies a shortage of places, which would result in a significant number of pupils needing to travel a long way to access a placement, they should consider creating or expanding provision to meet that need.
The government has now published local authority allocations for £740 million in high needs capital in the 2025/26 financial year to support local authorities to provide school places for children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. This funding can be used to adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children with SEND, create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit pupils’ needs, alongside continuing to provide places to support pupils in special schools with the most complex needs. Hampshire has been allocated just under £22.9 million for the 2025/26 financial year.
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.
The Hampshire local area partnership was last inspected by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) under the previous SEND inspection framework in March 2020. The inspection found that leaders in Hampshire were highly ambitious for children and young people with SEND, and while the inspection did identify areas for improvement, it did not identify any areas of significant weakness. As with all local areas, the department has continued to work with Hampshire since its last inspection through a regional case lead, who seeks regular assurances on the adequacy of SEND provision and provides support and challenge. All local authorities will be assessed under the new CQC Area SEND Inspection Framework by the end of 2027. Following their inspection, the department will work closely with Hampshire as they respond to the findings.
Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year. Total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND is over £12 billion in the 2025/26 financial year. Of that total, Hampshire County Council is being allocated over £224 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £17.7 million on the 2024/25 DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula (NFF). This NFF allocation is an 8.5% increase per head of their 2 to 18-year-old population, on their equivalent 2024/25 financial year NFF allocation.
It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department plans to provide over £8 billion for early years entitlements, which is an increase of more than 30% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, as we roll out the expansion of the childcare entitlements, so eligible working parents of children aged from nine months can access 30 hours of funded childcare.
The government has committed to working with the sector to embed early years within the wider education system, and to find new ways to shift the early education system to better support parents in poorer and rural areas. As part of our plan to utilise unused space in primary schools, we have just announced the opening of 300 new school-based nurseries, which will be available from September.
On top of this, we are providing supplementary funding of £75 million for an early years expansion grant ahead of the 30 hours expansion from September. The department also announced the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year. Public sector employers in the early years will also receive £25 million through the forthcoming National Insurance contributions grant.
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. As we roll out the expansion to entitlements for working parents, the department is in regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. There are currently no local authorities reporting that they are unable to meet their sufficiency duties for the expanded entitlements. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action they are taking to address those issues and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
7 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Questions
(View all Alex Brewer's Defra questions)The Government’s Simpler Recycling reforms require the collection of food waste in England from all workplaces from 31st March 2025, all households by 31st March 2026 and all micro-firms (with fewer than 10 staff) by 31st March 2027. These reforms will increase the quality of materials collected for recycling and make the separate collection of food waste mandatory, ensuring that food waste can be treated through composting and anaerobic digestion (AD) – producing biogas (at AD) and significant greenhouse gas savings rather than sending food waste to landfill. Anaerobic digestion plays an important role in creating a circular economy by displacing fossil-fuel based fertilisers with digestate, an organic fertiliser and by-product of the AD process.
In February 2025, Defra and WRAP published the Recycling Infrastructure Capacity Analysis. This provided a forecast of investment opportunities, including the potential to invest in 1.375Mt/pa of anaerobic digestion capacity in England from 2035.
The Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS) run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) provides tariff-support for biomethane produced via anaerobic digestion and injected into the gas grid. The scheme requires 50% of biomethane (by energy content) to be produced from wastes and residues, which is expected to support treatment of increased tonnage of food waste. In February 2024 DESNZ issued a call for evidence (CfE) to assess the barriers to growth in the sector and the options available to address them. DESNZ is considering the responses received and are developing policy options on a future framework that supports growth in the sector while managing environmental risks effectively.
Furthermore, as Defra develops the Circular Economy Strategy for England, and the agrifood roadmap therein, we are considering the evidence for interventions right across the economy. That includes exploring the circularity impacts of a wide range of levers, such as how to manage biowaste and the sustainable use of digestate. The Strategy will be published for consultation in the coming autumn.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For the 2025-2026 financial year, Natural England received a total of £248 million funding from Defra to deliver their strategic aim of recovering nature for growth, health and security. In addition to this the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is due to provide up to £325,000 new funding through the New Homes Accelerator scheme, to help Natural England accelerate the processing of planning applications and secure environmental improvements.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Water Restoration Fund, which launched in April 2024, was established to reinvest water company environmental fines and penalties back into projects to improve the water environment. A total of £11 million, based on fines and penalties from April 2022 until October 2023, will be invested into local projects to improve our waterways. Over the next two years, the Water Restoration Fund will invest over £795,000 of water company fines and penalties specifically into chalk streams.
Going forwards, this Government has announced that over £100 million in fines and penalties levied against water companies since October 2023, as well as future fines and penalties, will be reinvested into projects across the country to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 already recognises vertebrate animals, decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs as sentient beings. The Act created an accountability mechanism which aims to ensure that UK Ministers have due regard to their welfare needs when formulating and implementing government policy.
Over the next five years water companies will spend more than £2 billion to deliver over 1,000 actions for chalk stream restoration and reduce their abstraction from chalk streams by 126 million litres per day. The Government is investing £1.8 million through the Water Restoration Fund and Water Environment Improvement Fund into chalk stream projects for locally-led chalk stream clean-up projects across affected regions.
This funding is going to essential local project, to deliver real improvements to chalk streams. In 2025/26, South East Rivers Trust are receiving £25,000 from the Environment Agency’s Chalk Partnership Fund for the ‘Fish Recovery on the Whitewater’ project. This will enable the development of a fish recovery plan, focusing on improved fish passage and resilience to low flows. At Basingstoke Wastewater Treatment Works on the River Loddon, a reduction in phosphorous discharge to 0.25mg/l is planned for delivery by 2030, with storm overflow improvements following in future AMP cycles to meet government targets.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the vital role small and medium sized abattoirs play in supporting local livestock producers and maintaining a resilient, competitive food supply chain.
Defra works closely with the industry including through the Small Abattoirs Working Group and the Small Abattoirs Task and Finish Group. These groups provide a forum for identifying the challenges and opportunities that the sector faces, and for collaborating on practical solutions to support the sustainability of small and medium sized abattoirs.
It is recognised that there are many different and varied reasons why abattoirs close. While the Government does not intervene in individual business decisions, it is committed to working with the sector to help, where possible, mitigate pressures that abattoirs face.
The Department for Transport recognises that speeding in rural areas, including those in Hampshire, can have a significant impact on road safety and the confidence of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. While the Department has not conducted a specific assessment of prevalence of speeding or its impact on pedestrian and cyclist road usage in rural Hampshire, the latest statistics show there were 686 speed-related collisions in the county in 2023. This represents a slight increase from 660 in 2022. (Note: Rural-specific data isn’t available.)
The DfT issues best practice guidance on setting local speed limits. This is designed to make sure that speed limits are appropriately and consistently set, whilst allowing for flexibility to deal with local needs and circumstances.
The guidance can be viewed at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-local-speed-limits
The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. To this end, my Department is developing its Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local traffic authorities have powers under Sections 1 & 2 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, which allow for the restriction or prohibition of the use of HGVs on any road, for a wide range of safety and environmental reasons. These measures can be implemented by making Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) without reference to the Department for Transport.
The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 provide various signs for authorities to consider if they choose to do this, including signs informing motorists that certain roads are unsuitable for HGVs or if a weight limit is in place. The restrictions are then enforceable by the police.
Local authorities can also introduce extra controls on emissions if there are air quality problems in their area. If air quality falls below required standards, the council should declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and make plans for improvements.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
DVSA does not employ driving instructors. Whilst DVSA does not have the power to either increase or limit the number of approved driving instructors (ADIs), the number of instructors on DVSA’s ADI register has increased in the last few years.
DVSA is committed to providing its customers with the best service possible. The agency continually reviews its estate to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient. It currently has no plans for any additional driving test centres.
The table below shows the average waiting time, in weeks, for a car practical driving test in, Basingstoke, Farnborough and Guildford driving test centres for each of the last six months.
| Basingstoke | Farnborough | Guildford | National |
April 2025 | 15.5 | 24 | 10.5 | 22.3 |
March 2025 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 21.7 |
February 2025 | 24 | 24 | 18.5 | 21.3 |
January 2025 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 20.8 |
December 2024 | 19.2 | 24 | 24 | 20.8 |
November 2024 | 22.4 | 24 | 19.3 | 19.7 |
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across the country.
Further information on these actions, and progress on DVSA’s 7-point plan announced in December 2024, can be found on GOV.UK.
DVSA’s 7-point plan included recruiting 450 driving examiners (DE). In its recent recruitment campaign, DVSA advertised for five DEs for Farnborough and Guildford. DVSA’s recent recruitment activity in the area has resulted in:
two DEs successfully completing their training and are now providing car practical driving tests;
two DEs currently in training;
one DE waiting to begin training; and
two DEs completing pre-employment checks.
DVSA also advertised for three DEs in the Basingstoke and Greenham (Newbury) area.
Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
DVSA does not employ driving instructors. Whilst DVSA does not have the power to either increase or limit the number of approved driving instructors (ADIs), the number of instructors on DVSA’s ADI register has increased in the last few years.
DVSA is committed to providing its customers with the best service possible. The agency continually reviews its estate to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient. It currently has no plans for any additional driving test centres.
The table below shows the average waiting time, in weeks, for a car practical driving test in, Basingstoke, Farnborough and Guildford driving test centres for each of the last six months.
| Basingstoke | Farnborough | Guildford | National |
April 2025 | 15.5 | 24 | 10.5 | 22.3 |
March 2025 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 21.7 |
February 2025 | 24 | 24 | 18.5 | 21.3 |
January 2025 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 20.8 |
December 2024 | 19.2 | 24 | 24 | 20.8 |
November 2024 | 22.4 | 24 | 19.3 | 19.7 |
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across the country.
Further information on these actions, and progress on DVSA’s 7-point plan announced in December 2024, can be found on GOV.UK.
DVSA’s 7-point plan included recruiting 450 driving examiners (DE). In its recent recruitment campaign, DVSA advertised for five DEs for Farnborough and Guildford. DVSA’s recent recruitment activity in the area has resulted in:
two DEs successfully completing their training and are now providing car practical driving tests;
two DEs currently in training;
one DE waiting to begin training; and
two DEs completing pre-employment checks.
DVSA also advertised for three DEs in the Basingstoke and Greenham (Newbury) area.
Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
As set out in the consultation response published on 21 November 2024, the Department for Transport will update TAL 1/24 to include advice that local authorities should work with neighbouring authorities to achieve consistency of provision across boundaries, particularly in urban areas but no publication date has been set.
The Department is also considering how best to work with combined authorities and Transport for London, to encourage a more joined up approach to motorcycle access in these areas.
Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Department officials are in regular conversation with South Western Railway regarding its service provision in response to demand. When reviewing train services, the Department needs to assess business cases and balance demand with value for the taxpayer in its considerations.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Ministers continue to meet with train operating companies to hold them to account. Since the start of 2025, the Secretary of State has held meetings with Avanti West Coast and Northern Trains regarding the operators' performance. The Rail Minister also held meetings with Northern Trains, Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry in January to discuss their performance in depth. Other topics, including drivers’ salaries, have been discussed at previous meetings between Ministers and train operating companies.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Significant progress has been made to clear outstanding payments through the streamlined payments process for the Access to Work Plus scheme.
The majority of Access to Work Plus applications have been processed and awards have been made. There are two outstanding claims from 13 and 14 August 2025 currently being processed.
Information on the total outstanding payments by region is not recorded, therefore estimates cannot be provided.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the latest tax year available. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Any income subject to income tax, including bonuses and overtime received by an employed paying parent, is included within their gross weekly income when calculating a child maintenance liability.
For self-employed paying parents, the gross income used in a maintenance calculation is provided by HMRC in the first instance. HMRC will provide details of the gross taxable profit of the paying parent's business, for the most recent complete tax year.
The scheme relies on HMRC to provide accurate income information that aligns with tax legislation in order to make a child maintenance calculation, according to generally applicable rules.
In the event a receiving parent believes a paying parent’s earnings are not captured in the standard calculation using HMRC gross income data, they can apply for a variation, under which certain other categories of income can be considered.
Cases involving complex income can be investigated by the Financial Investigation Unit. This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions (such as banks, investment companies and mortgage companies) to check the accuracy of information that the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is given. If any discrepancies are found, then they can implement a correct maintenance liability that is supported by CMS legislation.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP introduced a single tier complaint model in 2020-2021 to ensure the process of making a complaint in DWP was simple and consistent for our customers. The single tier model put complaints handling back into specialist complaints teams, enabling the Department to build capability and improve its complaints handling.
We have also launched a new Complaints Quality Standards Framework, implementing quality assurance measures that align with the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman’s (PHSO’s) complaints standards to embed consistency into our complaints handling.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the most recent available full tax year. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Use of historic income ensures a stable calculation, which we know from customer feedback is valued as it enables parents to rely on maintenance for financial planning purposes.
In the event a receiving parent believes a paying parent’s earnings are not captured in the standard calculation using HMRC gross income data, they can apply for a variation, under which certain other categories of income can be considered.
Cases involving complex income can be investigated by the Financial Investigation Unit. This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions (such as banks, investment companies and mortgage companies) to check the accuracy of information that the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is given. If any discrepancies are found, then they can implement a correct maintenance liability that is supported by CMS legislation.
The Department is currently reviewing the calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This has included updating the underlying research and considering how we ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Access to Work Policy has worked collaboratively with the Supported Business Steering Group to develop Access to Work Plus. The Access to Work Plus processes are reviewed on a regular basis and work is currently underway to streamline the claims process.
To improve customer service and streamline processes, Access to Work is continuing to develop its digital offer. There is already an Access to Work online application process, which Access to Work Plus customers can use, but as Access to Work Plus is limited to a small number of customers there are no immediate plans to develop a separate online application process.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Since Access to Work Plus began testing in 2022, Access to Work has a dedicated team of Case Managers who process Access to Work Plus applications. Case Managers underwent training to ensure the policy intent was understood and being applied consistently. There are regular reviews to ensure that DWP Case Managers understand the scheme’s requirements.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
To enable charities and companies to receive timely payments, officials have been working in collaboration with these organisations to explore how the Access to Work Plus claims process can be made easier for their employees. In March 2025, to ensure payments can be made swiftly, a streamlined claims process was put in place to clear outstanding claims for payment. Guidance on the new process has been issued to charities and companies, and officials continue to work with the charities and companies to develop longer term improvements to the employees’ claims process.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
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 midwife in England. The package of measures will unlock thousands of jobs and will ensure 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.
Vacant maternity support worker posts will be temporarily converted to Band 5 midwifery roles, backed by £8 million to create new opportunities specifically for newly qualified midwives, to further ease the recruitment strain.
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.
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Medicine supply issues are global in their nature and, while we cannot always prevent them, we have a range of well-established processes and tools to manage them when they arise and to mitigate risks to patients. There is a team in the Department that deals with medicine supply problems by working closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the pharmaceutical industry, NHS England and others operating in the supply chain. We also work with partners to ensure alternative treatments are available to patients until their usual treatments are back in stock.
The Department has been notified of a discontinuation of apomorphine (APO-go PFS) 50mg/10ml pre-filled syringes from September 2025 used in the management of Parkinson’s Disease. Alternative formulations of apomorphine remain available for patients and management guidance has been issued to the National Health Service.
On 11 August, we published a policy paper titled Managing a robust and resilient supply of medicines. This marks the beginning of a new phase of work planned and aims to provide greater transparency of the further actions that the Department and NHS England are taking to protect patients from medicines shortages and strengthen medicines supply chain resilience. The paper is available at the following link:
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is important for needles to be disposed of safely, as inappropriate disposal methods create a risk of accidental needle-stick injuries to pharmacy or general practice staff, waste management operatives, and other members of the public, potentially leading to infection with blood-borne diseases. All needles should be disposed in sharps bins, which can be obtained on prescription or purchased. Local authorities are obliged to collect clinical waste, including needles bins, from householders upon request, but under section 45(3)(b) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, they may make a reasonable charge for this service. Patients can find out how to request a clinical waste collection from their local authority on the GOV.UK website.
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Department officials have spoken to colleagues at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about its guidance on infant measurements following a meeting between my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Harry’s Hydrocephalus Awareness Trust in 2024. NICE is responsible for deciding whether its clinical guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence.
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working with industry to help resolve intermittent supply issues with some epilepsy and Parkinson’s Disease medications. As a result of ongoing activity and intensive work, including directing suppliers to expedite deliveries, most issues have been resolved.
We are currently aware of an ongoing supply issue with all strengths of topiramate tablets, used to manage epilepsy, from one manufacturer. This supply issue is expected to resolve by the end of August 2025. Alternative suppliers have sufficient supply to support patients. We have issued management guidance to the National Health Service.
We are also aware of a shortage of phenobarbital 15 milligram tablets and phenobarbital 15 milligram/5 millilitre elixir from two different manufacturers; these are also used to manage epilepsy. Resupply dates are yet to be confirmed for phenobarbital 15 milligram tablets, and the elixir issue is expected to resolve by late June 2025. Management guidance has been issued to the NHS for both formulations. In both cases, alternative suppliers are in stock with sufficient supply to support patients.
The Department is aware of supply constraints with amantadine 100 milligram capsules used in the management of Parkinson’s Disease, however stocks remain available from alternative suppliers to cover demand. The Department have also been notified of a discontinuation of Apomorphine (APO-go PFS) 50 milligram/10 millilitre pre-filled syringes from April 2025. Alternative formulations of apomorphine remain available for patients and management guidance has been issued to the NHS.
The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within North East Hampshire and other rural areas is not held centrally.
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with motor neurone disease (MND), including the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit. NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme, which has developed a new model of integrated care to support integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time, for all neurology patients, including those with MND.
We have set up a United Kingdom-wide Neuro Forum, facilitating formal, biannual meetings across the Department, NHS England, the devolved administrations and health services, and Neurological Alliances of all four nations. The new forum brings key stakeholders together, to share learnings across the system and discuss challenges, best practice examples, and potential solutions for improving the care of people with neurological conditions, including MND.
NHS England commissions the specialised elements of MND care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurology centres across England. Within specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure patients can access a range of health professionals and specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.
Government responsibility for delivering MND research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation. Government funders are continuing to invest into MND research. For example, investing £12.5 million to support the best discovery science in MND at the UK Dementia Research Institute, £6 million of Government funding for the MND Translational Accelerator, which is seeking to speed up the development of treatments for MND, and an £8 million investment into EXPERTS-ALS, which screens for drugs that have the potential to be successful in clinical trials for people with MND.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Support for those affected by chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) is locally led and commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs) to meet the needs of their local populations. NHS England is supporting research and working with industry to horizon scan for new innovations in point-of-care tests for diagnosing UTIs, to better guide treatment options. The importance of ensuring rapid, accurate diagnostic testing is available to guide effective antibiotic use is highlighted in the policy paper, Confronting antimicrobial resistance 2024 to 2029, which is available at the following link:
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Over the past five years, the NIHR has allocated a total of over £20 million to the development of new antibiotics and alternative therapies. The Department has a large anti-microbial resistance (AMR) research portfolio, with over £88 million invested over the last five years in NIHR research programme funding for AMR. Building on previous NIHR funding, a dedicated NIHR Health Protection Research Unit on healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance recently launched with funding increased to £11 million over the next five years.
The policy paper also acknowledges the potential of alternative therapies, including bacteriophage (phage) therapy, in combating AMR. The Government continues to engage with phage researchers and industry stakeholders, including the Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Network Phage Innovation Network, chaired by the UK Health Security Agency. By fostering research, adapting regulations, and engaging key stakeholders, the United Kingdom is working to unlock the potential of phage therapy in the fight against AMR.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Patients have the right to complain about any aspect of National Health Service care, treatment, or service. The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 set out the minimum standards NHS organisations must adhere to in respect of their complaint handling arrangements.
The Department has worked closely with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on their work to develop the NHS Complaint Standards, which set out how organisations providing services in the NHS should approach complaint handling. The standards place a strong focus on several key aspects of complaint handling and set out practical advice and good practice to help NHS organisations improve.
In addition to these arrangements, the Care Quality Commission has an important role in ensuring NHS providers have an effective and accessible system for handling complaints from service users.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service trusts are responsible for maintaining their estates using their annual capital allocations, including surveying facilities and estimating future maintenance costs.
The Government is backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital and £750 million for estates safety in 2025/26, enabling systems to allocate funding according to local priorities, including maintenance at New Hospital Programme sites. In 2025/26, the Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Integrated Care System (ICS) had been provisionally allocated £118.2 million in operational capital, including primary care business as usual capital, and £21.3 million for estates safety. The Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is encouraged to engage with the ICS to explore options to allocate the 2025/26 operational capital and national capital programme allocations towards maintenance needs at Basingstoke Hospital. The current Spending Review concluding in June 2025 will determine capital funding levels for future years, and will consider the needs of the NHS estate.
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)