Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce court delays in relation to hearings for possession orders for anti-social behaviour.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice does not currently collect or publish data broken down by the specific grounds used in possession claims, such as anti-social behaviour.

The Civil Procedure Rules stipulate that possession claims should be listed within 4 to 8 weeks. The most recent published statistics, covering the period April to June 2025 show that the median time from claim to order is 7.9 weeks, consistent with the same period in 2024. The timeliness of subsequent enforcement of an order, where this is required, can be influenced by the actions of users as well as the court. Less than 25% of possession claims require progression to enforcement.

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 which has recently received Royal Assent, will shorten the notice period for the existing mandatory anti-social behaviour eviction ground. As soon as landlords have served their notice for eviction to the tenant for anti-social behaviour using this ground, they can begin possession proceedings through the court immediately.

The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly data on possession claims at: Mortgage and landlord possession statistics: April to June 2025 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the impact of the (a) use of postal communication and (b) lack of digital alternatives at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency on service users.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The large majority of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s services are available digitally.

To reduce the use of postal communications, the DVLA has introduced digital reminders alongside existing options for both vehicle excise duty and driver licensing through its Driver and Vehicle Account. The DVLA has future plans to provide further secure communications through the account. These will be introduced following customer insight testing to ensure that they meet customer needs and are fully effective.

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 cost effectiveness of the XYLA-provided NHS diabetes prevention programme.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NHS DPP) has been commissioned since 2016, and as of the end of September 2025, there have been over two million referrals into the programme and over 980,000 programme starts.

An independent evaluation of the NHS DPP published in 2024 demonstrated that the programme is cost effective and estimated a cost saving of £71.4 million based on the number of participants to March 2020.

The evaluation states that the NHS DPP is highly effective and continues to deliver positive outcomes, and that individuals who attended have a 46% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who do not attend.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of measures to ensure that cases of (a) rape and (b) other serious offences committed in the UK by service personnel are tried in civilian courts.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

When deciding whether to prosecute, in the civilian Criminal Justice System or the Service Justice System, an offence committed in the UK by Service persons, prosecutors take into account the victim’s preference. These decisions are made by independent prosecutors on a case-by-case basis under protocols provided for under sections 320A to C of the Armed Forces Act 2006.

The report published by His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate on 28 November 2024 “found good compliance with the protocols in place to govern where cases should be heard. All the cases we examined were in the correct jurisdiction and there was proper consideration of victims’ views when deciding on jurisdiction.”

A victim of a rape offence dealt with in the Service Justice System (SJS) will see their case come to trial quicker than in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) in England and Wales and are less likely to withdraw from proceedings.

Although the processes used across the two systems are not the same, investigations into adult rape-flagged offences in 2024 by civilian police take longer (326 days vs.147 days in the SJS for rape offences), with 59% of victims withdrawing during that time (vs. 24% in the SJS).

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the needs of domestic violence victims are considered in reforms to the welfare system.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Pathways to Work Green Paper consulted on how DWP could improve safeguarding processes. Domestic violence, along with all other safeguarding needs, is included in this. The department has set up a multidisciplinary team with an expert safeguarding advisor and is in the processes of completing a full review. We have engaged with experts and stakeholders through a consultation and round tables and will update the house in due course.

DWP is fully committed to the prevention of abuse and ensuring that victims/survivors get the support they need when they need it. DWP Jobcentres are a safe space with Domestic Abuse trained Work Coaches who provide support to victims/survivors of domestic abuse, for example assisting with new Universal Credit claims, work-related easements, special provisions for temporary accommodation, same day advances, and signposting to expert third-party services.

All DWP policies related to domestic abuse are relevant to any victim/survivor, irrespective of sex, gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality, or background.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) reducing the threshold for a further closure order when a closure order under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 has been issued previously for the same individual and address and (b) otherwise ensuring previous closure orders are taken into account when making decisions on further closure orders.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The closure power can be used by the police and councils to close premises which are being used, or are likely to be used, to commit nuisance or disorder.

The closure order is a powerful tool which can restrict access to premises. The closure order can be implemented for a maximum of up to three months (with Magistrates able to extend for a further three months – not to exceed six months in total). Where the anti-social behaviour continues or is expected to continue beyond the six months, the relevant agencies are expected to explore other solutions to prevent further anti-social behaviour, such as Community Protection Notices and Civil Injunctions.

Courts can consider previous orders made for the same individual when considering a further closure order.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of introducing a national risk-stratified screening programme for prostate cancer.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), which advises ministers on all screening matters, commissioned an evidence review modelling the clinical effectiveness and cost of several approaches to prostate cancer screening. This included different potential ways of screening the whole population and targeted screening aimed at groups of people identified as being at higher-than-average risk, such as black men, men with the BRCA gene mutation, and/or men with a family history of cancer.

The modelling and evidence review reports are now complete, and the UK NSC plans to open a three-month public consultation towards the end of the year. After this, the UK NSC will make a recommendation on screening for prostate cancer. Ministers will then be asked to consider whether to accept the recommendation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of prioritising care-experienced children for (a) mental health, (b) neurodiversity and (c) other NHS appointments.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Although the Department is not convening a formal assessment, we believe that for care-experienced children and young people who are struggling with their mental health, fast access to early, high-quality support is critical. That is why the 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will work with schools and colleges to better identify and meet children's mental health needs by expanding mental health support teams in schools and colleges in England, to reach full national coverage by 2029. This will build on the work that has already begun, including providing mental health support for almost one million more young people in schools this year and investing an extra £688 million in Government funding to transform mental health services, hire more staff, and deliver more early interventions.

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 24 October 2025 to Question 82861 on Prescriptions: Fees and Charges, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) amending the process for applying for a maternity exemption certificate and (b) extending the backdating period for successful applications.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

A healthcare professional, such as a midwife, practice nurse, health visitor or general practitioner, can complete the maternity exemption (MATEX) application as soon as they have confirmed the pregnancy, birth, or stillbirth. This confirms the individual is eligible for a MATEX certificate and acts as a mechanism of transferring evidence of eligibility from the patient’s individual health records to national systems and systems used by community pharmacies.

The National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Regulations 2015 allow for a MATEX certificate to be backdated one month before the date on which the application is received by the NHS Business Services Authority, the organisation which processes applications. The one-month backdating of certificates is a longstanding provision to allow for the administration time taken to receive, process and post a paper MATEX certificate to the patient, and also applies to digital certificates. The regulations do not allow a MATEX certificate to be backdated further and there are no current plans to amend this.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending eligibility for the Autumn 2025 COVID-19 vaccination to individuals under the age of 75 who, while not classified as immunosuppressed, have (a) COPD, (b) limited mobility and (c) other chronic health conditions that may increase their vulnerability to serious illness.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious illness, resulting in hospitalisations and deaths, arising from COVID-19.

The JCVI has advised that population immunity to COVID-19 has been increasing due to a combination of naturally acquired immunity following recovery from infection and vaccine-derived immunity. COVID-19 is now a relatively mild disease for most people, though it can still be unpleasant, with rates of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 having reduced significantly since COVID-19 first emerged.

The focus of the JCVI advised programme has therefore moved towards targeted vaccination of the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease, including mortality. These are the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed. The Government has accepted the JCVI’s advice for autumn 2025 and in line with the advice, a COVID-19 vaccination is being offered to the following groups:

- adults aged 75 years old and over;

- residents in care homes for older adults; and

- individuals aged six months and over who are immunosuppressed.

As for all vaccines, the JCVI keeps the evidence under regular review.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an estimate of the difference in cost between the warranty and the true cost for leaseholders with major water ingress defects in their home.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Most new build warranties cover damages caused by structural defects for a 10-year term. The developer is often held accountable for the first two years of this period. The terms of warranty should give more detail on what developers would be expected to cover in this timeframe.

Where a homeowner is dissatisfied with the service given, warranty providers should have a clear complaints procedure for warranty holders to follow. This procedure should be followed in the first instance.

If this still does not resolve the issue, the next step would be to refer the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) for a decision.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding to leaseholders with construction defects relating to roof waterproofing where the (a) developer, (b) freeholders and (c) warranty underwriter are in dispute.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Most new build warranties cover damages caused by structural defects for a 10-year term. The developer is often held accountable for the first two years of this period. The terms of warranty should give more detail on what developers would be expected to cover in this timeframe.

Where a homeowner is dissatisfied with the service given, warranty providers should have a clear complaints procedure for warranty holders to follow. This procedure should be followed in the first instance.

If this still does not resolve the issue, the next step would be to refer the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) for a decision.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Helen Hayes (Chair); Jess Asato; Mrs Sureena Brackenridge; Darren Paffey

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Helen Hayes (Chair); Jess Asato; Dr Caroline Johnson; Darren Paffey

Submit Evidence (by 9 Jan 2026)

Reading brings a range of benefits to children, young people and their families, but the number of children reading for pleasure is declining rapidly.