Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department holds, or was provided with by Oxford City Council, parish-level consultation, community-identity or options-appraisal evidence for the inclusion of Warborough parish in the proposed Greater Oxford authority.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Hon. Member to my statement of 29 October.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if in reviewing Local Government Reorganisation in Oxfordshire she will consider a modification so that Dorchester, Warborough, Shillingford and Overy form part of Ridgeway rather than Greater Oxford.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Hon. Member to my statement of 29 October.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Minister for Pensions' letter of 7 October 2026, whether the guidance on matters trustees should consider when releasing surplus and ways in which members may benefit has been commissioned; what topics it will cover; and when it is expected to be published.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
TPR will consult on Defined Benefit surplus guidance before the end of the year, following publication of the Government’s response to the draft surplus regulations consultation. TPR expects to publish the final guidance alongside the new surplus regime coming into force from April 2027.
The guidance will aim to assist trustees in making decisions around surplus release. The guidance will cover how trustees can prepare for surplus discussions and provide factors they should consider when deciding on surplus, illustrated with case studies that will illustrate those considerations in practice.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what measures are in place to ensure students are informed of student loan repayment thresholds and contracts.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We understand that the student loan system we inherited is of significant concern to graduates. Prospective students have access to information about student loan repayment arrangements before applying, including through GOV.UK and Student Loans Company (SLC) guidance. This enables them to consider the costs of borrowing alongside the benefits of higher education.
The full terms and conditions are provided at the final stage of the application process. Students cannot submit their application without confirming that they have read and understood them. These make clear that loan conditions may change in line with the regulations governing student loans. Borrowers can find out about repayment thresholds and interest rates either on GOV.UK or in their statement.
In response to the Treasury Committee report on student loans, the government committed to improving information and guidance so it is clear, fair and accessible, including making clearer that loan terms are governed by legislation and may be amended by future governments. With SLC, we are improving guidance using customer insight, user research and government best practice.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans she has have to help tackle hospital parking charges, penalties and negative experiences around these to a) NHS and care workers and b) terminally ill and emergency patients.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 2 November in response to Question 37613.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure the publication of the names of the 94 businesses included in LINK’s 2026 assessment of cash access and banking needs in Thame.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the importance of cash, understanding that it continues to be used by millions of people across the UK.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has responsibility and powers to ensure reasonable provision of access to cash. LINK is the independent industry coordinating body responsible for conducting access to cash assessments. Where a resident, community organisation or other interested party feels access to cash in their community is insufficient, they can submit a request for a cash access assessment. LINK will then assess a community’s access to cash needs, and will recommend appropriate solutions, including banking hubs, where it considers a community requires additional cash services.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to assess food cost inflation at supermarkets.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra monitors all key food commodities closely. The UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group tracks UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade, and recent developments. The Government monitors consumer food prices using the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) that is produced by the Office for National Statistics.
In September 2026 CPI food price inflation was 1.3%, unchanged from August 2026 and July 2026. It remains close to its lowest level since October 2021 (1.2%).
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to increase Help to Buy LISA caps in line with inflation.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
There are currently no plans to increase the property price cap for the LISA or Help to Buy ISA. Data from the latest UK House Price Index shows that the average price paid by first-time buyers remains below the Lifetime ISA property price cap in all regions of the UK except London, where the average price paid is affected by some boroughs with very high property values. The £250,000 price cap for the Help to Buy ISA outside of London remains higher than the average property price paid by first-time buyers outside London. For first-time buyers purchasing a property above the LISA property price cap £450,000, we have reduced the withdrawal charge to 20%, removing a barrier for first-time buyers and helping them use their savings to get onto the property ladder.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has a) received the Access to Banking Services Review; and when he plans to publish the Report on Access to Banking Services.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Terms of Reference for the independent Access to Banking Services Review set out that the Chair will provide a report and recommendations to the Government in October 2026.
The Government will publish the report in due course.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to make disease modifying treatments for Alzheimer's available on the NHS.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Decisions on whether to approve treatments for routine use by the National Health Service are taken independently by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), based on an evidence-based assessment of the costs and benefits. NICE is currently evaluating two disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer’s disease to determine whether they should be made available routinely on the NHS.