Asked by: Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, further to the Statement given to the House on 16 July 2026, what progress her Department has made on a longer-term model recognising the work of Coastguard Rescue Officers.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since 16 July, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has worked to ensure the Coastguard Rescue Service can continue to deliver its vital role. Over the summer, work on backdated payments has continued. We are considering in depth the options for the future of the Coastguard Rescue Service. Our priority is to ensure the service remains safe, effective and sustainable. The House will be updated as soon as is feasible .
Asked by: Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what data the Department collects on the value of unspent Section 106 contributions held by local planning authorities in England, and what support the Department provides to local planning authorities to improve the recording, monitoring and timely use of Section 106 contributions.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not hold data on unspent Section 106 contributions.
Since the financial year 2019/20, any local planning authority that has received developer contributions, including Section 106 planning obligations, must publish online an infrastructure funding statement by 31 December 2020 and by the 31 December each year thereafter.
My Department will continue to explore proportionate and efficient ways of collecting and analysing data from future Infrastructure Funding Statements, alongside other relevant sources of evidence.
I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 54059 on 6 June 2025.
Asked by: Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Department has made of (i) the revenue generated by water companies as a result of increased water consumption during prolonged periods of dry weather, (ii) how that additional revenue is used and (ii) whether it should be taken into account when determining future increases in customers’ water bills.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ofwat is the independent regulator of the water industry. Through the Price Review, Ofwat agrees allowed company spending on investment, maintenance, and returns. It then also set the revenues companies can reclaim from customers over the five-year period. The current allocations for each company remain on the Ofwat website.
Asked by: Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance is issued to NHS Trusts to help ensure the independent, objective and impartial oversight of formal reviews into service incidents.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England's Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) requires National Health Service trusts to have robust governance and oversight arrangements for incident reviews, supported by national guidance on oversight roles and responsibilities, to help ensure reviews are objective, proportionate, focused on learning, and conducted to consistent national standards. The full set of guidance that underpins PSIRF is available at the following link:
Asked by: Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department provides to local planning authorities on assessing proposals for the reuse of redundant buildings; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of national planning policy in bringing genuinely redundant buildings back into productive use.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to policy L2(1)(b) of the new National Planning Policy Framework published on 17 August, and to Planning Practice Guidance on Effective use of land, available on gov.uk here.
I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 80039 on 20 October 2025.
Asked by: Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the shortage of gynaecologists and obstetricians in the NHS.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We have a record number of midwives working in the National Health Service this year, with over 600 more than a year ago. We are also investing £10.6 million in an additional 1,000 temporary roles to help newly qualified midwives join the NHS. The Government has invested over £16 million in additional funding for obstetricians in England since 2023/24. As of June 2026, there were 100 more obstetrics and gynaecology consultants than a year earlier. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how the NHS will have the right people, in the right places and with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.
We will publish a single national action plan by the end of the year to drive systemic and sustained improvement across maternity and neonatal care. Ensuring that services have the right workforce to deliver safe care for all women and babies is central to this work.
Asked by: Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the answer of 4 March 2026 to question 115513, what progress his Department has made on expanding communications to better reach those with unclaimed and deferred armed forces pensions.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has continued its approach to identifying and contacting individuals with unclaimed and deferred Armed Forces pensions.
As part of an ongoing contractual requirement, regular tracing activity is undertaken for deferred pension members whose pensions have become payable but remain unclaimed. New cases are reviewed each month and, where updated contact details are identified, individuals are contacted and invited to claim their pension entitlement.
These activities form part of the Department's wider efforts to ensure members receive the pension benefits to which they are entitled. As a result of tracing and claims activity, 11,201 previously unclaimed Armed Forces pensions have been brought into payment, with a total value of £29,446,443.
The MOD also continues to support the development of the Pensions Dashboard programme, which is intended to make it easier for individuals to identify pension entitlements they may have across multiple pension schemes.
Asked by: Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help UK small businesses comply with EU Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation 2026/40 (PPWR) and the requirement for each UK company to contract an authorised representative for waste reporting when selling goods to customers in each EU member state.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is aware of issues regarding PPWR compliance among UK small businesses and has published a joint FAQ document with DAERA and the Food Standards Authority to support small businesses. Defra has raised concerns around the need to appoint multiple authorised representatives through engagement with the European Commission and will continue to engage on this issue.
Asked by: Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on the defence industry.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is led by HM Treasury and administered by HM Revenue and Customs. While the Ministry of Defence has not made a formal assessment, we have engaged with defence industry partners who have raised the potential impact of CBAM on the defence sector, including compliance costs and the administrative burden on suppliers. The Department continues to work with HM Treasury, HMRC and industry to ensure these effects are understood as CBAM is implemented.
Asked by: Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
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 potential impact EU Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation 2026/40 (PPWR) on UK small and micro-businesses trading with customers in EU member states.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is aware of concerns among UK small and micro-businesses on the potential impact of PPWR compliance. Defra has raised concerns around the potentially disproportionate impact of compliance on these businesses, particularly regarding the need to appoint multiple authorised representatives, through engagement with the European Commission, and will continue to engage on this issue.