Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what additional resources or procedural changes are being considered to clear the backlog at the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, with specific reference to reducing pre-allocation waiting times.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is operationally independent of central government, and the Ombudsman is accountable directly to Parliament for the use of their investigatory powers. Decisions on the assessment, prioritisation and allocation of individual complaints, including cases where delay may risk continuing or irreversible injustice, are operational matters for the Ombudsman.
We provided a 33% uplift in funding for 2025/26 to increase capacity, and are in active discussion with the Ombudsman over future funding needs.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what arrangements are in place to identify and prioritise Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman cases where delay could result in continuing or irreversible injustice, with specific reference to social care and disability cases.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is operationally independent of central government, and the Ombudsman is accountable directly to Parliament for the use of their investigatory powers. Decisions on the assessment, prioritisation and allocation of individual complaints, including cases where delay may risk continuing or irreversible injustice, are operational matters for the Ombudsman.
We provided a 33% uplift in funding for 2025/26 to increase capacity, and are in active discussion with the Ombudsman over future funding needs.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps are being taken to reduce the time complainants wait before a complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is allocated to an investigator.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is operationally independent of central government, and the Ombudsman is accountable directly to Parliament for the use of their investigatory powers. Decisions on the assessment, prioritisation and allocation of individual complaints, including cases where delay may risk continuing or irreversible injustice, are operational matters for the Ombudsman.
We provided a 33% uplift in funding for 2025/26 to increase capacity, and are in active discussion with the Ombudsman over future funding needs.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what oversight mechanisms are in place to monitor the assessment and allocation wait times at the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is operationally independent of central government, and the Ombudsman is accountable directly to Parliament for the use of their investigatory powers. Decisions on the assessment, prioritisation and allocation of individual complaints, including cases where delay may risk continuing or irreversible injustice, are operational matters for the Ombudsman.
We provided a 33% uplift in funding for 2025/26 to increase capacity, and are in active discussion with the Ombudsman over future funding needs.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
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 the potential impact of water company ownership models on the (a) monitoring of and (b) response to trifluoroacetic acid in water supplies in North East Hertfordshire constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) is carrying out a research project on concentrations of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in water supplies in England and Wales and will seek advice from UKHSA where a risk of occurrence to water supplies is identified to understand potential risk to health, including reproductive health and fertility.
In February 2026, the Government unveiled a plan to better protect the nation and environment from PFAS, including TFA. The Environment Agency is working with water companies to reduce TFA and protect drinking water quality. The Government's priority is ensuring that all companies, regardless of ownership model, deliver better environmental performance and service for customers.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
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 the potential impact of trifluoroacetic acid in groundwater and drinking water on reproductive health and fertility in North East Hertfordshire.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) is carrying out a research project on concentrations of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in water supplies in England and Wales and will seek advice from UKHSA where a risk of occurrence to water supplies is identified to understand potential risk to health, including reproductive health and fertility.
In February 2026, the Government unveiled a plan to better protect the nation and environment from PFAS, including TFA. The Environment Agency is working with water companies to reduce TFA and protect drinking water quality. The Government's priority is ensuring that all companies, regardless of ownership model, deliver better environmental performance and service for customers.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reduce levels of trifluoroacetic acid in groundwater and rivers in North East Hertfordshire.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) is carrying out a research project on concentrations of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in water supplies in England and Wales and will seek advice from UKHSA where a risk of occurrence to water supplies is identified to understand potential risk to health, including reproductive health and fertility.
In February 2026, the Government unveiled a plan to better protect the nation and environment from PFAS, including TFA. The Environment Agency is working with water companies to reduce TFA and protect drinking water quality. The Government's priority is ensuring that all companies, regardless of ownership model, deliver better environmental performance and service for customers.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
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 the potential impact of trifluoroacetic acid in water supplies on public health in North East Hertfordshire.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) is carrying out a research project on concentrations of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in water supplies in England and Wales and will seek advice from UKHSA where a risk of occurrence to water supplies is identified to understand potential risk to health, including reproductive health and fertility.
In February 2026, the Government unveiled a plan to better protect the nation and environment from PFAS, including TFA. The Environment Agency is working with water companies to reduce TFA and protect drinking water quality. The Government's priority is ensuring that all companies, regardless of ownership model, deliver better environmental performance and service for customers.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2026 to UIN 12963, what steps she is taking to legislate regarding the use of snares in England.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has a commitment to bring an end to the use of snare traps in England, as stated in the response given on 1 July 2026 to PQ UIN 12963. This was reaffirmed in this Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, published in December 2025. Such a change will require primary legislation, and Defra is actively looking to bring a ban on snares into force as swiftly as possible.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will publish the membership, terms of reference and scope of the new ministerial taskforce on the national security and resilience risks of a changing climate and nature loss.
Answered by Katie White - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The membership, terms of reference and scope of the Taskforce on the National Security and Resilience Risks of a Changing Climate and Nature Loss are publicly available on GOV.UK