Asked by: Daniel Francis (Labour - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure greater accountability and transparency from landlords and managing agents.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 85213 on 4 November 2025 and the Written Ministerial Statement made on 15 July (HCWS270).
Asked by: Daniel Francis (Labour - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve protection for leaseholders from increases in service charges.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 85213 on 4 November 2025 and the Written Ministerial Statement made on 15 July (HCWS270).
Asked by: Daniel Francis (Labour - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
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 effectiveness of the implementation of Tommy's Graded Model of Miscarriage Care.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
Baroness Merron has met with Tommy’s regarding the Graded Model, and officials meet with the charity regularly. We are carefully assessing the findings of their recent report as part of a broader range of measures under consideration to improve miscarriage care for women and families.
Asked by: Daniel Francis (Labour - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with Kent County Council on section 173(1) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
That section of the Act gives Transport for London the power to provide transport services that start or finish in London. Kent County Council have not contacted me about this, but I know Transport for London has been talking to them about the provision of bus routes serving Darent Valley Hospital and Bluewater Shopping Centre, which provide important connectivity for my Honourable Friend’s constituents.
Asked by: Daniel Francis (Labour - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
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 adequacy of the current number of Changing Places toilets in hospitals.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring the privacy, dignity, and safety of all patients in National Health Service hospitals. No assessment has been made of the current number of Changing Places toilets in hospitals; however, national guidance is provided to the NHS on designing sanitary spaces in healthcare settings, including toilets, and designing facilities to meet the needs of disabled people.
Over this Spending Review period, we are backing local NHS organisations with £21 billion in operation capital funding, which they can allocate to their priorities, such as installing Changing Places toilets.
Asked by: Daniel Francis (Labour - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department holds Royal Mail sorting office delivery data to postcodes (a) DA6, (b) DA7 and (c) DA16.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government does not hold Royal Mail delivery data by postcode or by sorting office.
Royal Mail is an independent business, and the government does not have a role in its day‑to‑day operational business. Ofcom is the independent regulator of postal services and is responsible for monitoring Royal Mail's performance against its targets. This includes a Postcode Area Target for First Class letters to help incentivise an equal and universal service across the UK. Royal Mail’s quality of service reports are published online: www.internationaldistributionservices.com/en/regulation/universal-service-obligation/quality-of-service/.
Asked by: Daniel Francis (Labour - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department holds Royal Mail delivery data by sorting office.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government does not hold Royal Mail delivery data by postcode or by sorting office.
Royal Mail is an independent business, and the government does not have a role in its day‑to‑day operational business. Ofcom is the independent regulator of postal services and is responsible for monitoring Royal Mail's performance against its targets. This includes a Postcode Area Target for First Class letters to help incentivise an equal and universal service across the UK. Royal Mail’s quality of service reports are published online: www.internationaldistributionservices.com/en/regulation/universal-service-obligation/quality-of-service/.
Asked by: Daniel Francis (Labour - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to miscarriage care.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No central assessment has been made of Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU) staffing and resources. We are working closely with NHS England to improve the availability of EPAUs, alongside other steps to improve access to miscarriage care, including improved mental health support through Maternal Mental Health Services and standardised bereavement care through the National Bereavement Care Pathway. As part of the renewed Women’s Health Strategy, we have committed to closely reviewing the findings presented in the Tommy’s graded model of care study, including the suggestions of improved access to care.
Asked by: Daniel Francis (Labour - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
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 the breeding of brachycephalic animals.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Licensed dog breeders in England cannot breed a dog if it can be reasonably expected that this would lead to welfare problems for the mother or puppies.
In the Animal Welfare Strategy, Defra committed to consult on reform to improve the welfare of breeding dogs and their offspring. It also committed to improve understanding of practices in cat breeding and consider any further steps which may improve welfare.
Defra supports organisations raising public awareness of health risks associated with brachycephalic animals, including Cats Protection, and the UK Brachycephalic Working Groups ‘stop and think’ campaign to prioritise health when purchasing dogs.
Asked by: Daniel Francis (Labour - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support is available to independent gyms and other leisure businesses.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government is committed to supporting UK SMEs, including those in the leisure sector, through the Small Business Plan - the most comprehensive package of support for SMEs in a generation.
This includes legislative reforms to tackle late payments; unlocking billions of pounds in finance; removing unnecessary red tape; revitalising High Streets and boosting digital and AI adoption among small businesses.
For the first time, DBT has integrated its support for businesses in a single, accessible place – the Business Growth Service – to help firms start, scale and succeed. UK businesses can access our wide range of support via business.gov.uk.