Question

To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing remote digital voting in the House of Commons.

Answered by Nick Smith

Introducing remote digital voting would be a matter for the House itself and not for the Commission. Remote voting was used for a short period during the pandemic but was replaced by a system of proxies and pass reader voting. The hon. Member could raise the matter with the Procedure Committee or the Modernisation Committee.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to question asked by the hon. member for Henley and Thame during a statement to the house on 16th June by the Secretary of State on Thames Water, if she will publish outputs of work commissioned from FTI consulting on planning for Thames Water being taken into a Special Administration Regime and confirm how much has been spent on contingency planning.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is preparing for all eventualities including special administration. The work done by FTI would not be appropriate to make public. It would also not be appropriate at this time to make public the current spending on contingency planning.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency planning her Department has undertaken to monitor and improve Thames Water’s Asset Health Index in future.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In line with Section 2 duties of the Water Industry Act 1991, the Secretary of State has given her preliminary views on the London and Valley Water Consortium’s Proposal to Ofwat, but it is for Ofwat to decide whether to reject or accept the Proposal.

The Government is overseeing a shift to a system where assets are properly maintained and there are clear standards for companies to meet, supported by improved asset mapping and forward‑looking metrics.

Regulators will continue enforcing standards in full, and companies remain accountable for fixing current problems where performance falls short.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her letter of Monday 15th June 2026 to Ofwat on Thames Water’s performance and infrastructure, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the company’s Asset Health Index; what steps she is taking to ensure that reductions in asset health are tackled through regulatory and enforcement action; and what action she plans to take if Thames Water’s Asset Health Index further reduces.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In line with Section 2 duties of the Water Industry Act 1991, the Secretary of State has given her preliminary views on the London and Valley Water Consortium’s Proposal to Ofwat, but it is for Ofwat to decide whether to reject or accept the Proposal.

The Government is overseeing a shift to a system where assets are properly maintained and there are clear standards for companies to meet, supported by improved asset mapping and forward‑looking metrics.

Regulators will continue enforcing standards in full, and companies remain accountable for fixing current problems where performance falls short.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that Universal Credit claimants can obtain clear and consistent guidance on whether particular financial receipts including the sale of personal possessions must be declared and how they will affect entitlement, in cases where staff are currently unable to provide definitive answers.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

The Department does not routinely require receipts for the sale or disposal of personal possessions. Claimants must declare capital that may affect entitlement to means-tested benefits and are continually advised and reminded of their responsibility for declaring any capital they hold. For Universal Credit, capital up to £6,000 does not affect entitlement; capital between £6,000 and £16,000 is treated as assumed income; and entitlement usually ends where accessible capital exceeds £16,000. Where relevant, the Department may ask for evidence to understand what has happened to capital, but receipts are requested only where appropriate. If a claimant deliberately reduces or transfers capital to obtain or increase benefit, they may be treated as still possessing it as notional capital.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the value for money to the taxpayer of the arrangements between the South Tees Development Corporation and Teesworks Ltd in relation to the acquisition, remediation and onward sale of land at Teesside Freeport, including in the 222 acre site proposed for sale to Anthropic; and what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of preparing that site compared with the payment to be received from Teesworks Ltd.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)

The Government recognises the importance of securing value for money for taxpayers and is committed to making the UK a world leader in AI, attracting private investment, supporting growth and creating high-quality jobs.

Commercial arrangements relating to specific projects are for the relevant parties.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to answer of 10 June 2026 to question 3175, if he will take steps to have those discussions.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

There are no current plans to have discussions with My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Justice on protecting maternity safety campaigners from Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what timeframe her Department has set for publishing statutory guidance to police forces on the offence of cuckooing under the Crime and Policing Act 2026.

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

The Crime and Policing Act introduces a new offence of ‘cuckooing’ (controlling another’s home for criminal purposes). The new cuckooing offence will ensure that we are taking strong action against those who prey on vulnerable people and help to ensure that victims are identified and protected from this appalling crime.

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 includes provision for the Secretary of State to issue statutory guidance to relevant law enforcement officers about the exercise of their functions in connection with the prevention, detection and investigation of the cuckooing offence. The Secretary of State is required to consult appropriate persons before issuing this guidance.

The Home Office is currently developing this statutory guidance for police, alongside non-statutory guidance for all professionals, in consultation with police and partners to ensure that the guidance supports an effective response to cuckooing. We will commence the new cuckooing offence as soon as possible, once the necessary guidance is in place.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure adequate opportunities for under 16s to engage in sport and cultural activities.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, including children and young people, have access to and benefit from quality sport and cultural opportunities.

Our arm’s length body Sport England works to increase participation in grassroots sport, including providing more opportunities for children and young people from all backgrounds to be active.

The Government is committed to revitalising arts education through a reformed curriculum and support for teachers, including via the new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, due to be established by September 2026, and through continued investment in Music Hubs. To increase access to enrichment opportunities across culture, sport, and wider youth sectors for disadvantaged young people, the Every Child Can programme, backed by £132.5 million in dormant assets through the National Lottery Community Fund, will fund activities within school and in communities at weekends and in the holidays, ensuring enrichment is a common entitlement for all.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure adequate opportunities for under 16s to engage in joint social activities with other young people.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

We’re working closely across government to expand access to real‑world activities as we know that strong offline connections between young people are essential to supporting their wellbeing and their development.

In December 2025, DCMS published ‘Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy’. This strategy will ensure every young person across the country, including those under 16, has somewhere to go, someone who cares for them and a community they feel part of. It is funded by over £500 million from DCMS, which includes funding for youth spaces where young people can come together, for enriching opportunities across the country where they can meet others, as well as for social action projects which young people can deliver in their communities.

Local Authorities have a statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of youth services in their area. We will explore reviewing this duty as part of a wider review of local statutory duties.

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 whether funding provided to local authorities for Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG) is adequate for them to meet the cost of adaptations, in the context of increases in construction and labour costs; and what estimate he has made of the aggregate funding required by local authorities for delivering DFGs.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

In England, we continue to fund the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) which is delivered by local authorities. This grant helps eligible older and disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes to make them safe and suitable for their needs.

We have confirmed £723 million of funding for the DFG in 2026/27. We continue to keep funding levels under review to ensure the DFG supports those who can benefit most. Following consultation, we introduced a new approach to allocating DFG funding to local authorities in England from 2026/27 to ensure funding for the grant is better aligned with local needs. Transitional protection means no local authority received less than they did in June 2025. The response to the consultation can be found at the following link:

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changing-the-way-government-allocates-disabled-facilities-grant-funding-to-local-authorities-in-england/outcome/changing-the-way-government-allocates-disabled-facilities-grant-funding-to-local-authorities-in-england-consultation-response

The upper limit for DFG awards is currently set at £30,000, however, local authorities have a high degree of flexibility to fund adaptations above this amount where they judge it is appropriate.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter of 2nd June 2026 from the Hon. Member for Henley and Thame.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I replied to the Hon. Member’s correspondence of 2 June about the NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board on 9 July 2026.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Question 7286 answered on 15 June 2026, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the metric used to assess the £450,000 Lifetime Isa limit for first time buyers; and whether she has made an estimate of the number of first time buyers leaving areas of high house prices to buy property.

Answered by Rachel Blake

The UK House Price Index is an official statistic produced jointly by HM Land Registry, the Office for National Statistics and other government departments. Information on the methodology used to calculate house prices and averages is available at: About the UK House Price Index.

Published UK House Price Index data shows that the cap remains above the average price paid by first-time buyers in all regions of the UK except London, where average prices are influenced by boroughs with particularly high property values.

The Government does not hold data on the estimated number of first-time buyers leaving areas of high house prices to purchase property elsewhere.

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 newly qualified midwives in England in 2026 unable to secure employment within NHS maternity services; and whether he plans to introduce a nationally funded employment pathway, including guaranteed entry-level posts, to ensure adequate recruitment to meet workforce demand.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are aware of the difficulties newly qualified midwives are experiencing in securing employment in the National Health Service. NHS England actively monitors future nursing and midwifery student numbers, current vacancies, and staff turnover and is taking action to support newly qualified midwives into NHS employment.

We are investing £10.6 million to fund an additional 1,000 temporary roles to help newly qualified midwives join the NHS. The new roles for graduates will help build on the success of the 2025 Graduate Guarantee that means every newly qualified midwife in England will have the opportunity to apply to join the NHS.

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which is comprised of family representatives, clinicians, and other experts, and chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will oversee the development of a new national action plan to drive systemic and sustained improvement across maternity and neonatal care. This will include how to support the maternity and neonatal workforce. This is in addition to a new 10 Year Workforce Plan, due to be published soon, to ensure we have the right people, in the right places, with the rights skills to deliver care to patients when they need it.

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 maternity services not recruiting newly qualified midwives on patient safety, continuity of care and overall costs.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are aware of the difficulties newly qualified midwives are experiencing in securing employment in the National Health Service. NHS England actively monitors future nursing and midwifery student numbers, current vacancies, and staff turnover and is taking action to support newly qualified midwives into NHS employment.

We are investing £10.6 million to fund an additional 1,000 temporary roles to help newly qualified midwives join the NHS. The new roles for graduates will help build on the success of the 2025 Graduate Guarantee that means every newly qualified midwife in England will have the opportunity to apply to join the NHS.

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which is comprised of family representatives, clinicians, and other experts, and chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will oversee the development of a new national action plan to drive systemic and sustained improvement across maternity and neonatal care. This will include how to support the maternity and neonatal workforce. This is in addition to a new 10 Year Workforce Plan, due to be published soon, to ensure we have the right people, in the right places, with the rights skills to deliver care to patients when they need it.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plan to respond to the petition entitled Jason's Law delivered to 10 Downing Street on 25 February 2026.

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

The Government has received the petition and it will be considered in the usual way.

100th anniversary of the Campaign to Protect Rural England

Retirement of Godfrey Asare and Margaret Labulo from the Members' Tea Room

Royal Mail delivery standards

Essential energy guarantee

Torbay RNLI 160th anniversary

Military housing

Defence Investment Plan

Ehlers Danlos Syndrome

Commencement of section 106 of the Equality Act 2010

Childhood dementia awareness and support

Improving access to elected office for disabled candidates

A new growth and defence partnership with Europe

Armed Forces Week

Russian sanctions

International Court of Justice's July 2024 Advisory Opinion on the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Hartley Pensions and FCA enforcement action (No. 2)

Hartley Pensions and FCA enforcement action

Found: Q13 Freddie van Mierlo: I need to declare an interest.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Chi Onwurah (Chair); George Freeman; Kit Malthouse; Freddie van Mierlo

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Chi Onwurah (Chair); George Freeman; Kit Malthouse; Freddie van Mierlo

Found: Malthouse (Conservative; North West Hampshire) Samantha Niblett (Labour; South Derbyshire) Freddie van Mierlo

Found: 55 (72.7%) Daniel Zeichner (Labour, Cambridge) (added 27 Oct 2025) 20 of 20 (100.0%) Freddie van Mierlo

Found: present: Dame Chi Onwurah (Chair); Tom Collins; Maya Ellis; Dr Allison Gardner; Kit Malthouse; Freddie van Mierlo

Found: present: Dame Chi Onwurah (Chair); Tom Collins; Maya Ellis; Dr Allison Gardner; Kit Malthouse; Freddie van Mierlo

Found: Democrat Spokesperson David Chadwick apart from new clauses 14 and 15 which were moved by Freddie van Mierlo