Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what enforcement measures her Department has to ensure heavy goods vehicles operators hold the correct license; and how many prosecutions have been brought in the last three years for operators that did not.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There is a robust operator licensing system administered by independent Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain who act as gatekeepers to the industry. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) supports this process by providing compliance and enforcement information, both as part of gatekeeper checks and in relation to existing operators. Traffic Commissioners have the authority to take regulatory action against licence holders, including suspending or revoking licences, if it is found that an operator does not hold the correct licence type or fails to meet the required standards.
DVSA carry out a number of enforcement interventions to ensure heavy goods vehicle operators hold the correct licences.
Specific sanctions relating to no or incorrect operator licenses include:
Impounding activity: DVSA impounded 45 vehicles in 2024/25 and 18 year to date, this is for heavy goods vehicles (or passenger carrying vehicles) being used without an operator’s licence
Prosecutions: DVSA successfully prosecuted 31 operator licence offences in 24/25 with 17 years to date. These figures are for cases that have resulted in court.
DVSA is continuing to invest in new technology to support enforcement activities and deliver more effective and efficient compliance checks. This includes using vehicle technology to provide information, without having to stop the vehicle.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what resources her Department has allocated to the enforcement of heavy goods vehicle operator licensing standards; and what plans her Department has to strengthen enforcement in this area.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There is a robust operator licensing system administered by independent Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain who act as gatekeepers to the industry. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) supports this process by providing compliance and enforcement information, both as part of gatekeeper checks and in relation to existing operators. Traffic Commissioners have the authority to take regulatory action against licence holders, including suspending or revoking licences, if it is found that an operator does not hold the correct licence type or fails to meet the required standards.
DVSA carry out a number of enforcement interventions to ensure heavy goods vehicle operators hold the correct licences.
Specific sanctions relating to no or incorrect operator licenses include:
Impounding activity: DVSA impounded 45 vehicles in 2024/25 and 18 year to date, this is for heavy goods vehicles (or passenger carrying vehicles) being used without an operator’s licence
Prosecutions: DVSA successfully prosecuted 31 operator licence offences in 24/25 with 17 years to date. These figures are for cases that have resulted in court.
DVSA is continuing to invest in new technology to support enforcement activities and deliver more effective and efficient compliance checks. This includes using vehicle technology to provide information, without having to stop the vehicle.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department are taking to help ensure that national HGV operators hold the correct license.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There is a robust operator licensing system administered by independent Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain who act as gatekeepers to the industry. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) supports this process by providing compliance and enforcement information, both as part of gatekeeper checks and in relation to existing operators. Traffic Commissioners have the authority to take regulatory action against licence holders, including suspending or revoking licences, if it is found that an operator does not hold the correct licence type or fails to meet the required standards.
DVSA carry out a number of enforcement interventions to ensure heavy goods vehicle operators hold the correct licences.
Specific sanctions relating to no or incorrect operator licenses include:
Impounding activity: DVSA impounded 45 vehicles in 2024/25 and 18 year to date, this is for heavy goods vehicles (or passenger carrying vehicles) being used without an operator’s licence
Prosecutions: DVSA successfully prosecuted 31 operator licence offences in 24/25 with 17 years to date. These figures are for cases that have resulted in court.
DVSA is continuing to invest in new technology to support enforcement activities and deliver more effective and efficient compliance checks. This includes using vehicle technology to provide information, without having to stop the vehicle.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he is having with the government of Israel on removing its new registration requirements for INGOs in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer of 15 September to Question 77707.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will ensure that people with (a) severe multiple disadvantage and (b) other rare conditions are included in the (i) design and (ii) delivery of services after the proposed abolition of local Healthwatch organisations.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Dr Dash’s report on patient safety across the health and care landscape was published in July 2025. The review recommends bringing together the work of local Healthwatch organisations with the engagement functions of integrated care boards and providers to ensure patient and wider community input into the planning and design of services.
These changes will improve quality, including safety, by making it clear where responsibility and accountability sit at all levels of the system. The changes will make it easier for staff, patients and service users, including those with severe multiple disadvantage and other rare conditions, to feed directly into the system to improve quality of care. We believe that patients and users will have a stronger voice once it is heard inside the system.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether funding will be ringfenced for independent patient advocacy and engagement services at local level after the proposed abolition of local Healthwatch.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Funding for independent patient advocacy and funding for local Healthwatch is currently not ring-fenced, and the Department has no plans to introduce a ring fence in future years.
The abolition of local Healthwatch arrangements, and transfer of their functions to integrated care boards for health, and local authorities for social care, will require primary legislation. The timing of this is subject to the will of Parliament and will happen when Parliamentary time allows.
Funding considerations will be undertaken after legislation has received parliamentary approval.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take to ensure that patients have access to independent statutory mechanisms for raising concerns about health and care services following the proposed abolition of local Healthwatch organisations.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The report by Dr Penny Dash, published in July, recommended bringing together the work of local Healthwatch organisations, and the engagement functions of integrated care boards (ICBs) and providers, to ensure patient and wider community input into the planning and design of services. The recommendations in the report were accepted, in full, by the Government.
The abolition of local Healthwatch arrangements, and the transfer of their functions to ICBs and local authorities will require primary legislation. The timing of this is subject to the will of Parliament and will happen when Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to approve the use of sepiapterin for people with phenylketonuria.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department and regulates medicine, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom, with responsibility for ensuring medicines meet appropriate standards of safety, quality, and efficacy.
The MHRA has several licensing routes that are available to companies to support access of innovative medicines or medicines with unmet need to patients. Sepiapterin is currently not approved by the MHRA, however, it will assess any market authorisation applications for sepiapterin against the high standards of quality, safety and efficacy should an application be received.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve sanction processes for private parking companies that repeatedly (a) generate upheld complaints and (b) lose appeals.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is determined to drive up standards in the private parking sector.
The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 places a duty on the Government to prepare a code of practice containing guidance on the operation and management of private parking facilities.
My department recently consulted on the new Code and an accompanying compliance framework for private parking companies. As part of this framework, we are developing an independent Certification Scheme to audit the parking industry’s compliance with the new Code. The scheme will operate as a third-party certification process, whereby only organisations accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service as Conformity Assessment Bodies will be able to certify private parking companies.
Parking operators who fail to comply with the Code risk losing access to Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data. This data includes information on vehicle keepers, so any company blocked from accessing it would be unable to pursue parking charges.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that vulnerable patients receive appropriate NHS transport services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) are designed to provide transport for patients who have particular clinical or mobility needs that necessitate such support, which may include elderly or vulnerable patients. The eligibility criteria for NEPTS have been set nationally by NHS England, and the details are available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/B1244-nepts-eligibility-criteria.pdf
The Healthcare Travel Cost Scheme (HTCS) is available for eligible patients and provides financial support to facilitate journeys to and from National Health Service funded secondary care. Details on the eligibility for HTCS is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/healthcare-travel-costs-scheme-htcs/.
Local integrated care boards (ICBs) hold responsibility for the implementation of patient transport services at a local level, including monitoring and improving against performance targets. ICBs are best placed to work and consult with their local stakeholders, health and care organisations, and local authorities to decide how to best meet and deliver for the needs of their local population.
NHS England is funding and co-ordinating a range of Patient Transport Pathfinder projects to explore more effective approaches to supporting patients with their NHS travel needs.