Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
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 impact of moving spinal cord injury services from nationally coordinated commissioning to the responsibility for ICBs.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ahead of the planned merger of NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, it has been necessary to consider where commissioning responsibility for the portfolio of specialised services currently held by NHS England should sit in the future. Spinal cord injury services were identified as a service that may benefit from commissioning at a regional, multi-integrated care board level, to reflect their close links with wider rehabilitation and community services, and the potential to support more integrated care pathways. Regardless of the planned change in commissioning responsibility, spinal cord injury services will continue to require national level coordination between the centres, and continue to be defined as specialised services, subject to national service specifications, commissioning policies, and national standards.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the UK National Screening Committee to publish its recommendation following the consultation on newborn screening for metachromatic leukodystrophy; and when Ministers expect to make a decision on whether to add metachromatic leukodystrophy to the newborn blood spot screening programme.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Government is advised on all screening matters by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which is made up of leading medical and screening experts.
The UK NSC considered newborn screening for metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), undertaking a review and a three-month consultation on those findings which closed on 5 August 2025. At the November 2025 UK NSC meeting, committee members concluded that there was not enough evidence to support newborn screening for MLD. Further information on the meeting is available at the following link:
https://nationalscreening.blog.gov.uk/2026/01/08/minutes-published-of-uk-nsc-november-2025-meeting/
However, members agreed that MLD would be a good candidate for inclusion in a multi-condition in-service evaluation within the United Kingdom newborn blood spot screening programme.
The Department is currently considering what would be needed to introduce such an evaluation.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what consideration has been given to ensuring equitable permitted development rights for homeowners for properties that were originally built with stepped rear elevations.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Under the householder permitted development rights (set out in The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 (as amended) homeowners are able to extend and improve their homes and to erect outbuildings incidental to the main dwellinghouse without the need for a planning application. The rights are subject to certain conditions and limitations to minimise their impacts, including on local amenity.
We continue to keep permitted development rights under review.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress he has made on upgrading smart meters in North Northumberland constituency.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Energy suppliers are now able to install smart meters in the ‘North’ region using the 4G cellular mobile network, with 4G communication hubs available for rollout across Great Britain since July 2025.
4G operates alongside the existing long range radio solution in the North, giving energy suppliers an additional option for connectivity and improving installation success rates.
The Department does not collect data on smart meter installations at a constituency level. The latest statistics are available here: Smart meter statistics - GOV.UK
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle rural crime.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is introducing the most significant policing reforms in nearly 200 years, restoring neighbourhood policing to better support rural communities, whilst strengthening the police response to cross-border crimes such as wildlife crime and organised equipment theft.
Backed by more than £800,000 of funding for specialist national rural and wildlife crime units, these reforms will help keep communities safe across the country.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring licensed pubs, restaurants and other food-serving establishments to have at least one member of staff on duty who holds a valid first aid qualification, including training in the recognition and treatment of choking emergencies.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide such equipment and facilities as are adequate and appropriate to enable first aid to be rendered to employees who are injured or become ill at work. A needs assessment will determine the first-aid requirements that are appropriate for that business. However, these regulations do not apply to non-employees such as customers.
Where work includes the provision of a service to others ie non-employees in a restaurant or pub, guidance from the Health and Safety Executive strongly recommends that their needs are included in this assessment.
Where a need for a first aider is identified, it should be noted that responding to choking emergencies is a core competency of the Emergency First Aid at Work or First Aid at Work qualifications.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Office of the Public Guardian’s fee exemption criteria for Lasting Powers of Attorney on people migrated from income-related Employment and Support Allowance to Universal Credit.
Answered by Catherine Atkinson
The criteria for the remission of or exemption from fees are prescribed in secondary legislation, namely the Public Guardian (Fees etc.) Regulations 2007 (Fees Regulations). The Fees Regulations require the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) to grant a full exemption from fees if the applicant is in receipt of a number of qualifying benefits; these include income-related Employment and Support Allowance but not Universal Credit.
Where the applicant is not eligible for one of the qualifying benefits, but their gross annual income does not exceed £12,000, the Fees Regulations require OPG to grant a 50% remission of fees. The Fees Regulations provide OPG with a discretionary power to reduce or remit (but not exempt) fees if the applicant is in receipt of Universal Credit.
OPG’s operational practice is to include any income derived from Universal Credit as a component of gross annual income when assessing applications for a 50% remission of fees. Applicants who were previously in receipt of Income-related Employment and Support Allowance but have been migrated to Universal Credit will therefore no longer be eligible for a full exemption of fees but they will be eligible for a 50% remission of fees provided their gross annual income does not exceed £12,000.
OPG has recently published updated guidance on the application process for an exemption or remission of fees which is available on Gov.UK. This includes a breakdown of the eligibility requirements for both an exemption and a 50% remission of fees and the evidence required to support the application. This includes instructions for applications where the applicant is in receipt of Universal Credit.
In the 2024 to 2025 financial year, OPG exempted or remitted fees for103,333 powers of attorney applications. The total value of fees exempted or remitted was £8.471 million.
OPG remains committed to ensuring that its services are accessible to everyone, which includes those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The Fees Regulations provide OPG with a discretionary power to reduce or remit fees further if the payment of a given fee would involve undue hardship to the applicant. Where applicants provide evidence that payment of OPG fees would incur significant financial hardship, OPG will agree to a reduction of the fee, taking into account the specific circumstances of the case.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to work with private security companies to ensure that security staff are provided with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when operating in retail environments; what guidance has been issued to such companies on PPE standards; and how compliance with health and safety requirements is being monitored and enforced.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the regulator of the private security industry and continues to work with security businesses to improve standards, training, and best practice in support of public safety.
It is for individual businesses to determine their own policy on the provision of equipment to security guards in compliance with UK law. All employers and venues should conduct risk assessments to ensure that staff and personnel working for them are provided with the appropriate equipment to fulfil their role safely and securely. Any assessment and mitigation of risk should include the need for appropriate Personal Protection Equipment.
The SIA signposts to advice produced by the Health and Safety Executive on conducting risk assessments. Knowledge on the uses of PPE is included within SIA’s licensed linked training qualifications for security operatives.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the cost to local authorities of removing hard plastic tree guards at the end of the usage cycle.
Answered by Mary Creagh
It has not been possible to produce a single robust estimate of the cost to local authorities of removing hard plastic tree guards as costs vary depending on local circumstances, scale of planting and disposal arrangements.
Tree planting grants recognise the need to manage plastics. England Woodland Creation Offer and Urban Tree Challenge Fund agreements require the removal and appropriate disposal of guards. The Local Authority Treescapes Fund also promotes minimising plastic use.
Payment rates under the England Woodland Creation Offer and the Local Authority Treescapes Fund included a contribution to the removal and disposal or tree guards.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the environmental merits of biodegradable alternatives to hard plastic tree guards.
Answered by Mary Creagh
The Department recognises the need to reduce the environmental impact of plastics in forestry, including tree guards. Forestry England is part of the UK Forest Industry Plastics Working Group, which focuses on reducing single-use plastics and exploring alternatives in woodland creation. Trials of bio-based tree shelters have produced mixed results, so conventional guards remain in use where necessary, with removal and recycling in line with UK Forestry Standard requirements.
Forest Research is conducting an independent evaluation of alternatives, funded by Defra and Forestry England. Results, expected in two years, will assess effectiveness, and inform more sustainable solutions.