Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to increase the availability of the CA125 blood test for the screening of ovarian cancer.
Answered by Will Quince
We do not currently screen for ovarian cancer, in part due to the unsuitability of the CA125 blood test as a screening tool. CA125 blood testing is not deemed by the UK National Screening Committee to be accurate enough for the purpose of screening. The blood test is offered to those who have symptoms that could be ovarian cancer as a part of routine diagnostics.
Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to make letting and managing agents subject to the same regulation as sales agents.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
It is already a legal requirement for letting and managing agents in England and Wales, and residential sales (estate) agents in the UK, to belong to one of the two Government approved redress schemes.
The Government is considering the recommendations in the final report on the regulation of property agents from Lord Best's working group. We will continue to work with industry on improving best practice, including in relation to codes of practice. Announcements will be set out in the usual way.
Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to introduce a right to appeal for (a) leaseholders and (b) freeholders in relation to disputes with a management agency.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
This Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and making sure that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service.
By law, variable service charges must be reasonable and, where costs relate to works or services, the works or services must be of a reasonable standard. Leaseholders may make an application to the appropriate tribunal to challenge the reasonableness of their service charges. We are committed to better protecting and empowering leaseholders by giving them more information on what their costs pay for, and removing barriers to challenge when things go wrong.
For those homeowners living on freehold estates, we are also committed to making the management companies more accountable to their freeholders.
We are due to bring forward further leasehold reforms later in this parliament.
Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that management companies provide a minimum service level for leaseholders and freeholders.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
This Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and making sure that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service.
By law, variable service charges must be reasonable and, where costs relate to works or services, the works or services must be of a reasonable standard. Leaseholders may make an application to the appropriate tribunal to challenge the reasonableness of their service charges. We are committed to better protecting and empowering leaseholders by giving them more information on what their costs pay for, and removing barriers to challenge when things go wrong.
For those homeowners living on freehold estates, we are also committed to making the management companies more accountable to their freeholders.
We are due to bring forward further leasehold reforms later in this parliament.
Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to regulate service charges by management agencies on leaseholders and freeholders.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
This Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and making sure that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service.
By law, variable service charges must be reasonable and, where costs relate to works or services, the works or services must be of a reasonable standard. Leaseholders may make an application to the appropriate tribunal to challenge the reasonableness of their service charges. We are committed to better protecting and empowering leaseholders by giving them more information on what their costs pay for, and removing barriers to challenge when things go wrong.
For those homeowners living on freehold estates, we are also committed to making the management companies more accountable to their freeholders.
We are due to bring forward further leasehold reforms later in this parliament.
Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will introduce a single, mandatory, legally enforceable code of practice for property agents.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
It is already a legal requirement for letting and managing agents in England and Wales, and residential sales (estate) agents in the UK, to belong to one of the two Government approved redress schemes.
The Government is considering the recommendations in the final report on the regulation of property agents from Lord Best's working group. We will continue to work with industry on improving best practice, including in relation to codes of practice. Announcements will be set out in the usual way.
Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2023 to Question 187162 on the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, what his expected timescale is for bringing forward the provisions of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will be taking forward measures in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill individually through other means during the remainder of this Parliament. Parliamentary business will be announced in the usual way.
Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Crackdown on illegal sale of vapes, published on 9 April 2023, whether his Department has made an assessment of the efficacy and readiness of the vaping industry to share intelligence on non-compliant products.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
No assessment has been made. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) within the Department is currently designing the detailed scope of the new illicit vaping enforcement squad. We will provide further details, including on data and intelligence gathered, in due course.
Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the decision of the Chinese government to freeze the pensions of Hongkongers with British passports; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the difficulties British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) passport holders are experiencing in seeking early withdrawal of their pension held by the Mandatory Provident Fund in Hong Kong. The root of the problem is the Chinese Government's decision not to recognise the British National (Overseas) passport. The UK firmly opposes the discrimination against BN(O)s in this way. We have urged the Hong Kong authorities to facilitate the early withdrawal of funds as is the case for other Hong Kong residents who move overseas permanently. I raised this issue with Christopher Hui, Hong Kong Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury on 18 April and pressed for a pragmatic solution.
Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has sought legal advice on the compatibility of the provisions of the Illegal Migration Bill with habeas corpus.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Any legal advice received by the Home Office is subject to legal professional privilege and, as such, we do not comment on legal advice that may or may not have been sought or received.