Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the mandatory 10% resale levy payable by park home residents to site owners upon the sale of their homes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 115901 on 9 March 2026.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has any plans to review or abolish the mandatory 10% resale levy payable by park home residents to site owners upon the sale of their homes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 115901 on 9 March 2026.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is implementing contract reforms to help support NHS dental provision and recruitment.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As well as working towards a full consultation, we are continuing to engage with the sector regularly, including the British Dental Association and other representatives, to scope potential changes.
As a first step, from April 2026, we will be implementing reforms to the current National Health Service dental contract which are expected to improve access for patients with urgent and complex needs and to better reward dentists for treating these patients. From April, dental practices will be required to deliver a set proportion of their contract as urgent care, supported by increased payments for dentists. We are also introducing three new care pathways for patients with significant dental decay and gum disease, with payments to dentists ranging from £248 to £709 and patients paying one charge for the whole pathway.
By better incentivising urgent and complex care, we’re encouraging dentists to treat these patients, benefiting patients across the country.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will reform NHS dental contracts to help increase practitioner remuneration and expand patient access in underserved areas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly.
As a first step, from April 2026, we will be implementing reforms to the current National Health Service dental contract which are expected to improve access for patients with urgent and complex needs and to better reward dentists for treating these patients. From April, dental practices will be required to deliver a set proportion of their contract as urgent care, supported by increased payments for dentists. We are also introducing three new care pathways for patients with significant dental decay and gum disease, with payments to dentists ranging from £248 to £709 and patients paying one charge for the whole pathway.
By better incentivising urgent and complex care, we’re encouraging dentists to treat these patients, benefiting patients across the country.
We are committed to delivering further, fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. This will include a full consultation on the future proposals and regular engagement with the sector, including the British Dental Association and other representatives.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of regulatory frameworks of private solar panel installations in tackling fire risks.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Under DESNZ schemes where solar is an eligible technology, installers, products and installations must all be MCS Certified.
However, the Government inherited a fragmented consumer‑protection framework for home energy efficiency measures. This framework is being reviewed with reforms announced in the Warm Homes Plan to ensure households can be confident in the quality and safety of upgrades made to their homes.
More specifically, the Building Safety Regulator will launch a public consultation on proposed updates to Approved Document B, the statutory fire safety guidance within the Building Regulations, this summer. We will monitor and engage as this work progresses.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recourse is available to consumers where an installation of Solar Panels fails to meet safety standards.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Solar panels installed under Government support schemes require installers to be certified by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme. This requirement ensures installers, installations, and products meet the industry gold standard. Under MCS Redeveloped Scheme, customer complaints have been centralised and a Technical Supervisor recruited to further reinforce installation quality.
More broadly, consumers can seek general advice on UK consumer protection and routes to redress by contacting the Citizens Advice consumer service or visiting their website.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data the Department holds on NHS dentists transitioning to private-only practice in the past 12 months.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data is not held on National Health Service dentists transitioning to private-only practice in the past 12 months.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS bodies are permitted to award contracts in which the contractor's remuneration is linked to reductions in patient care expenditure.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service bodies are permitted to award contracts in which the contractor's remuneration is linked to reductions in patient care expenditure. NHS bodies, which are the contracting authority, design their procurements in a way that is both commercially and legally compliant, delivering the required patient outcomes, and ensuring maximum value for money. They often encourage bidders to propose innovative ways in which the contracts can be delivered, and these may also seek to include proposals for risk/gain sharing, or performance targets/incentive payments linked to delivery ahead of schedule which should also see a reduction in overall costs of patient care and better patient outcomes.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to extend the Growth and Skills Levy to help increase flexibility for businesses seeking to offer apprenticeships.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government is transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new growth and skills levy, which will deliver greater flexibility to employers, more opportunities for young people and support the industrial strategy.
In August 2025, we introduced new foundation apprenticeships to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills. They are underpinned by additional funding for employers of up to £2,000 to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career.
We are investing an additional £725 million to deliver the next phase of the growth and skills levy and meet our ambition to support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships. We will expand foundation apprenticeships into sectors that traditionally recruit young people and launch a pilot with Mayoral Strategic Authorities to better connect young people to local apprenticeship opportunities.
From April 2026, employers will also be able to access short, flexible training courses to help respond quickly to evolving skills needs. The first wave of these courses will be called apprenticeship units, and they will be available in critical skills areas such as artificial intelligence, digital and engineering.
The government will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) for all eligible people aged 16-24 from the next academic year, to boost small business starts and prioritise funding to young people.
To support employers of all sizes to offer apprenticeships the government also pays £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for apprentices aged 19-24 who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in local authority care. Additionally, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year).
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help increase apprenticeship uptake among small businesses.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government is transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new growth and skills levy, which will deliver greater flexibility to employers, more opportunities for young people and support the industrial strategy.
In August 2025, we introduced new foundation apprenticeships to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills. They are underpinned by additional funding for employers of up to £2,000 to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career.
We are investing an additional £725 million to deliver the next phase of the growth and skills levy and meet our ambition to support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships. We will expand foundation apprenticeships into sectors that traditionally recruit young people and launch a pilot with Mayoral Strategic Authorities to better connect young people to local apprenticeship opportunities.
From April 2026, employers will also be able to access short, flexible training courses to help respond quickly to evolving skills needs. The first wave of these courses will be called apprenticeship units, and they will be available in critical skills areas such as artificial intelligence, digital and engineering.
The government will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) for all eligible people aged 16-24 from the next academic year, to boost small business starts and prioritise funding to young people.
To support employers of all sizes to offer apprenticeships the government also pays £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for apprentices aged 19-24 who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in local authority care. Additionally, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year).