Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) shortest, (b) median, and (c) longest time was for patients to receive the results of a suspected cancer biopsy for each of the last 12 months, broken down by hospital trust.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Department does not hold the data on the shortest, median, and longest time for patients to receive the results of a suspected cancer biopsy, broken down by National Health Service trust.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to help improve NHS (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment pathways of patients suffering a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
Treatment for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks depends on the cause, site, and severity of the leak. CSF leaks are often treated conservatively, while others require procedures such as epidural blood patching, targeted patching, endoscopic skull-base repair, neurosurgical/spinal repair or, in selected cases, endovascular treatment of a CSF-venous fistula. These interventions are delivered through established specialist services and multidisciplinary teams.
Patients are managed through existing local and regional specialist pathways, with referral to centres with relevant expertise where required.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of developing a nationally coordinated (a) diagnosis pathway and (b) specialist service for patients with a suspected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
Treatment for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks depends on the cause, site, and severity of the leak. CSF leaks are often treated conservatively, while others require procedures such as epidural blood patching, targeted patching, endoscopic skull-base repair, neurosurgical/spinal repair or, in selected cases, endovascular treatment of a CSF-venous fistula. These interventions are delivered through established specialist services and multidisciplinary teams.
Patients are managed through existing local and regional specialist pathways, with referral to centres with relevant expertise where required.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the extent of the use of Large Language Models in providing inaccurate advice to HMRC customers relating to (a) self-assessment and (b) corporation tax returns.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to helping taxpayers get their tax right. While the use of external Large Language Models can be helpful, they may not always provide accurate tax advice and HMRC has no control over the way these models are trained. HMRC therefore encourages customers and agents to use official guidance and services on GOV.UK when meeting their tax obligations.
This includes GOV.UK Chat an AI-powered chatbot which uses a Large Language Model within guardrails developed by HMRC and DSIT/GDS. There is evidence that the GOV.UK chatbot’s responses are robust, as evidenced by a recent article in the Daily Telegraph, which chronicled a journalist using an adversarial line of questioning, who still received accurate replies.
HMRC also works closely with software developers and industry partners to promote the responsible use of AI, helping reduce the risk of errors and supporting customers to meet their tax obligations with confidence.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May to Question 510 on Railway Stations: CCTV, whether details have been made available by Network Rail on whether bike thefts will be included in the assessment of railway stations with the highest crime levels when prioritising CCTV integration across the network.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Further to the answer of 20 May 2026 to Question 510, this work remains in progress by Network Rail, who are delivering the project on behalf of the rail industry. The requested details will be available in 2027/28.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will announce the decision on the number of unitary authorities to be created in Hertfordshire as a result of Local Government Re-organisation before the Summer Recess.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As per our published timetable, a decision is expected on which proposals will be implemented before the summer recess.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if they will announce their decision on the number of unitary authorities to be created in Hertfordshire.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As per our published timetable, a decision is expected on which proposals will be implemented before the summer recess.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to erect a National Emergency Services Memorial.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds
There are currently no plans to erect a National Emergency Services Memorial.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the extent to which money market funds within stocks and shares ISAs are used as temporary holding vehicles rather than long-term cash substitutes.
Answered by Rachel Blake
At Autumn Budget 2025, the Government announced a reduction in the Cash ISA limit for those under 65, to encourage retail investment and drive better returns for savers. Rules are needed to protect the integrity of the Government’s objectives and ensure that the lower cash limit is respected.
HMRC does not currently collect data from ISA managers on investment in money market funds (MMFs) or the purpose for which they are held. MMFs are advertised by the finance industry as low risk alternatives to cash, but they are also used as temporary holding vehicles.
The new rules will not prevent investment in MMFs but ensure MMFs do not constitute the sole investment held in a stocks and shares ISA. Further details of the rules are contained in the HMRC factsheet published at Tax Update 2026 at Tax Update 2026- www.gov.uk/government/publications/fiscal-events-2026-factsheets/isa-reform-2027-anti-circumvention-rules-factsheet
The new rules are the product of extensive engagement with managers of cash and stocks and shares ISAs, alongside trade bodies and savings infrastructure suppliers. The resulting rules are as simple as possible for providers and consumers and retain maximum flexibility for consumers to build an investment portfolio that works for them.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the extent of the use of Large Language Models in cases of (a) tax evasion and (b) fraud.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
HMRC recognises the rapid growth in the use of large language models (LLMs) and other generative AI tools and their potential to affect tax compliance. These technologies are widely accessible and are increasingly used by taxpayers and the wider general public.
Whilst HMRC has seen increasing use of LLMs, both for legitimate and for potentially fraudulent purposes, it has not yet identified evidence of widespread misuse of these tools to commit tax fraud. HMRC continues to monitor this with partners across government and internationally to understand developments and ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.