Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to promote access to and develop welfare services for seafarers visiting British ports; and what resources she has allocated for that purpose.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the essential role played by seafarers in supporting our national prosperity and is committed to improving seafarer welfare. The Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB), founded in 1948, was designated in 2021 as the UK’s national seafarers’ welfare board and runs projects and supports its constituent organisations to provide services benefitting seafarers’ welfare.
In 2025 the Department provided the MNWB with £152,000 to support its programme helping charities and voluntary organisations replace vehicles that enable them to undertake ship and home visits to seafarers and transport them around ports. The Department provided a further £5,000 to support a project that provides mobile internet hotspots that are brought aboard ships to provide seafarers with connectivity that help them stay in touch with family and friends.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the interim findings of the NIHR-commissioned evaluation of the community liver health check programme to be published; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the programme on the diagnosis time of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Community Liver Health Check programme has an evaluation underway, with interim results expected in early 2028. The results of the evaluation will be considered by the Government and the National Health Service in England.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to publish the summary of responses to the Park homes: reasons for commission payments call for evidence, published on 5 March 2026.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognise that there are longstanding concerns about the requirement to pay site owners a commission upon sale of a park home.
The previous government published a report in June 2022 on the impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission. It can be found on gov.uk here.
On 5 March 2026, my Department published a 12-week call for evidence regarding the rationale for the payment of a commission. It can be found on gov.uk here.
We are currently analysing the feedback received and remain committed to publishing a detailed summary of responses ahead of announcing the government's final position by the end of the year.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2026 to Written Question 7918 on Antimicrobials, whether the expected timetable for contract award under the UK antimicrobial subscription model remains November 2026; and whether the Department is able to share a more specific expected date for contract commencement within quarter one of 2027.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Yes.
Specific dates for contract commencement within quarter one of 2027 will be communicated in due course.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients who no longer meet the criteria to reside in hospital in the Royal Hampshire County Hospital.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on the number of patients who no longer meet the criteria to reside at a hospital level. However, figures by trust are published monthly by NHS England, and are available at the following link:
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to release the dog breeding public consultation referred to in its Animal Welfare Strategy for England.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is working to bring forward the dog breeding reform consultation. It will be published in due course.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the department is taking to support livestock farmers affected by bluetongue with reduced stock costs.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the challenges bluetongue presents for livestock keepers and is continuing to review the support available to farmers affected by the disease. Farmers can access funded veterinary advice through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she will publish her response to the consultation on the SEND proposals in the Schools White Paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Earlier this year, the department consulted on proposals to reform the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. Our aim is to create a more inclusive education system that ensures all children and young people, including those with SEND, can achieve and thrive. This will ensure every child across the country receives the right support locally, at an early stage and without a fight.
Almost 10,000 people responded to the consultation and more than 3,000 attended events across the country. Since the consultation closed, we have continued to listen and develop our proposals in response to feedback.
We are committed to co-designing the reforms with children, families and professionals, and to testing and refining the proposals collaboratively to ensure they work in practice.
We are currently analysing the feedback and will publish our response to the consultation in due course.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what is her latest estimate of the cost of a) increasing the upper capital limit for social care to £100,000 and b) increasing the lower capital limit for social care to £25,000.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 29 July, as set out in the link below, the Prime Minister set out his objectives to reform the social care system, and brought forward the timetable for Baroness Casey’s commission to inform that reform programme:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-sets-out-new-path-to-fix-social-care-together-29-july-2026
All aspects of the current system will be reviewed as part of that process, including capital limit thresholds, and we will continue to update Parliament on a regular basis.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Mental Health Strategy for England will aim to improve outcomes specific to family carers of those with severe mental illness.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the many challenges that people care for loved ones with severe mental illnesses face every day, and we will consider the needs of family carers as we develop a new mental health strategy designed to ensure better support is accessible to people across the country with mental health needs.
The forthcoming Mental Health Strategy for England will set out the Government’s priorities for improving mental health and wellbeing and will be informed by engagement with people with lived experience, and their families and carers.
Alongside this, the Government is developing a Modern Service Framework for severe mental illness, which will set consistent standards across the country so that people with severe mental illness receive the best quality, evidence-based, and equitable care and support. Recognising the important role that carers and families play is an important part of this.