Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that new housing developments have adequate water supply for local Fire and Rescue services.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is clear that new housing development must be supported by the infrastructure it needs, including adequate water supply. Through the planning system, local planning authorities are expected to work collaboratively with infrastructure providers and other relevant bodies to identify and address strategic matters, including water supply, when preparing local plans.
My Department is also working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, water companies, regulators and other partners to improve alignment between water infrastructure planning and housing growth.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support local police forces to tackle (a) antisocial drug taking and (b) drug dealing.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government does not tolerate illicit drugs and recognises the harms they cause including drug-related crime. We are taking a whole-system approach to deliver safer streets and address drug-related crime in our communities.
We work closely with police forces and other operational partners to deliver a robust law enforcement response. Powers under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 enable police forces and local authorities to combat antisocial behaviour linked to drug use and dealing and to protect communities.
Tackling organised drug-dealing remains a priority. County Lines are the most violent and exploitative model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, we are targeting exploitative drug dealing gangs and disrupting the organised crime groups behind them. Since July 2024, activity through the Programme has resulted in more than 3,700 deal lines closed, over 10,100 arrests (including more than 2,100 deal line holders charged), 5,400 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people, and 1,200 knives seized. The Home Office is providing more than £34 million in funding for the County Lines Programme in 2026–27 to sustain its progress.
Drug use drives wider offending, with nearly half of acquisitive crime linked to drugs. Drug Testing on Arrest is a key tool to identify illicit drug users and support behaviour change and reduce future offending. Through the Crime and Policing Act 2026, we are expanding testing powers to cover further offences and a wider range of drugs.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle organised drug-dealing.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government does not tolerate illicit drugs and recognises the harms they cause including drug-related crime. We are taking a whole-system approach to deliver safer streets and address drug-related crime in our communities.
We work closely with police forces and other operational partners to deliver a robust law enforcement response. Powers under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 enable police forces and local authorities to combat antisocial behaviour linked to drug use and dealing and to protect communities.
Tackling organised drug-dealing remains a priority. County Lines are the most violent and exploitative model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, we are targeting exploitative drug dealing gangs and disrupting the organised crime groups behind them. Since July 2024, activity through the Programme has resulted in more than 3,700 deal lines closed, over 10,100 arrests (including more than 2,100 deal line holders charged), 5,400 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people, and 1,200 knives seized. The Home Office is providing more than £34 million in funding for the County Lines Programme in 2026–27 to sustain its progress.
Drug use drives wider offending, with nearly half of acquisitive crime linked to drugs. Drug Testing on Arrest is a key tool to identify illicit drug users and support behaviour change and reduce future offending. Through the Crime and Policing Act 2026, we are expanding testing powers to cover further offences and a wider range of drugs.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle drug-related crimes.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government does not tolerate illicit drugs and recognises the harms they cause including drug-related crime. We are taking a whole-system approach to deliver safer streets and address drug-related crime in our communities.
We work closely with police forces and other operational partners to deliver a robust law enforcement response. Powers under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 enable police forces and local authorities to combat antisocial behaviour linked to drug use and dealing and to protect communities.
Tackling organised drug-dealing remains a priority. County Lines are the most violent and exploitative model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, we are targeting exploitative drug dealing gangs and disrupting the organised crime groups behind them. Since July 2024, activity through the Programme has resulted in more than 3,700 deal lines closed, over 10,100 arrests (including more than 2,100 deal line holders charged), 5,400 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people, and 1,200 knives seized. The Home Office is providing more than £34 million in funding for the County Lines Programme in 2026–27 to sustain its progress.
Drug use drives wider offending, with nearly half of acquisitive crime linked to drugs. Drug Testing on Arrest is a key tool to identify illicit drug users and support behaviour change and reduce future offending. Through the Crime and Policing Act 2026, we are expanding testing powers to cover further offences and a wider range of drugs.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 is taking to increase funding into dementia research.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Government responsibility for delivering dementia research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation.
The Government is investing in dementia research across all areas, from causes, diagnosis, and prevention to treatment, care, and support, including for carers. This includes significant flagship investments such as co-investment with the Medical Research Council into the UK Dementia Research Institute and funding via NIHR programmes and training, to attract and train the next generation of researchers. In 2024/25, Government funders spent £144 million on dementia research.
As well as funding research itself, the Department invests significantly in research expertise and capacity, specialist facilities, support services, and collaborations to support and deliver research in England, known as NIHR infrastructure. NIHR infrastructure underpins research, enabling the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality translational, clinical, and applied research, including research into dementia.
The £50 million NIHR Dementia Trials Network will deliver a coordinated network of early phase dementia trial sites, expanding the United Kingdom’s clinical trial capacity in dementia.
The NIHR continues to welcome high quality applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including dementia. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to the public and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support people with the cost of obtaining a C1 driving licence.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Individuals seeking to enter the road freight sector can benefit from a range of wider driver training opportunities available across government-supported programmes.
Skills Bootcamps remain an important part of government-funded skills provision. Their funding has been devolved to Mayor's Skills Academies and local areas directly, supporting the government’s commitment to empower local leaders with greater control over skills development.
The Government also continues to support the sector with the skills training it needs, including through apprenticeships such as the Urban Driver and Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) driver apprenticeship standards.