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 address the postcode lottery in NHS mental health support for bereaved parents following pregnancy or baby loss; and if she will commit to issuing national standards for Integrated Care Boards to ensure all bereaved parents, including fathers and partners, can access specialist psychological support.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 9 March in response to Question 116689, which, for ease of reference, has been reproduced below:

“The Government recognises that the experience of losing a baby or pregnancy loss can be very difficult for parents and families.

Mental health services are available in all areas of England for women who experience mental health difficulties during, or due to, their pregnancy, labour, or birth, including Maternal Mental Health Services that specialise in supporting women who have experienced loss.

Additionally, all NHS England trusts have signed up to the National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP), which acts as a set of standard and guidance aimed at ensuring all families, including fathers and partners, receive consistent, individualised, and sensitive care. NHS England is working closely with the baby loss charity Sands to agree what steps are necessary to support a faster and more consistent implementation so that all women and families, no matter where they are, receive the support they need at such a difficult time”.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of a Citizens Advance scheme, under which individuals could receive the first year of their state pension as an early lump sum.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The State Pension is funded on a pay-as-you-go basis, meaning that National Insurance contributions collected from today’s working population are used to help fund pension payments to current pensioners. It is therefore not a personal savings account or fund from which individuals can draw down accumulated entitlements before reaching State Pension age.

The principle of having a State Pension age that is the same for everybody is simple and clear, making it easy for people to plan for their retirement. It has always been the case that nobody can claim their State Pension before they reach their State Pension age.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on implementing the recommendations arising from the November 2024 joint report into the police response to stalking, following the super-complaint submitted by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust; and what assessment she has made of the extent to which police forces are now identifying and recording stalking offences correctly.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The final report of the super-complaint on the police response to stalking made nine recommendations to Government. In our response of 22 November 2024, the Government accepted or partially accepted all nine and we have since been working in collaboration with policing and the specialist stalking sector to deliver them.

Six out of nine recommendations are now complete. We have:

• Commissioned Richard Wright KC to conduct the independent review of stalking legislation, which concluded in March 2026;
• Brought forward legislation in the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which received Royal Assent in April 2026, to introduce a power to issue multi-agency statutory guidance on stalking and allow the courts to directly issue Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs) on conviction to acquittal. Both will be commenced shortly;
• Published disaggregated police recorded crime data on stalking from April 2025;
• Published national standards for stalking perpetrator interventions in July 2026; and
• Updated information in March 2025 on stalking in the Home Office crime recording rules to align with how stalking is described in the SPO statutory guidance.

We will continue to work closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to support implementation of the stalking super-complaint recommendations across forces. All police forces have published action plans and provided progress updates.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the cost of graded music theory examinations, including VAT, on the number of young people progressing to higher-grade music qualifications.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Fees for graded music exams (theory and performance) are set by awarding organisations and are VAT exempt. While Ofqual regulates the qualifications and awarding organisations, it does not set or approve the fees charged. The department is not responsible for those fees and has not made an assessment of the impact of cost on young people progressing to higher grades. Such qualifications can support progression but are not a requirement for GCSE or A level.

We are committed to improving equity in music, taking forward reform of the national curriculum and GCSE in light of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review. It recommended that we revise the music curriculum to ensure pupils gain a rigorous foundation in musical understanding. This will be subject to consultation later this year.

Our investment in music hubs and the new National Centre for Arts Education will support schools to deliver the new curriculum.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department provides to Integrated Care Boards on commissioning dental services for children with complex learning disabilities; and whether she plans to mandate minimum service standards for this cohort.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning dental services to meet local needs. NHS England’s clinical standard, Oral health and dental care for children and young people, provides a national framework to support local commissioning decisions and help ensure that children and young people receive care in settings configured to meet their clinical, behavioural and medical needs.

The clinical standard, Oral healthcare for autistic children and young people and/or those with a learning disability in special education settings, also sets out minimum standards for oral healthcare services for autistic children and young people and those with a learning disability aged four to 25, with particular reference to residential special educational settings.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HM Treasury is taking to help prevent people with previous convictions for fraud from operating in UK financial markets.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to protecting consumers and maintaining the integrity of UK financial markets. The Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority have robust powers to ensure that individuals carrying out regulated financial services activities are fit and proper.

Assessments of fitness and propriety include consideration of honesty, integrity and reputation, and may take account of criminal convictions where relevant. The Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Authority can also make prohibition orders preventing individuals who are not fit and proper from carrying out functions relating to regulated activities, alongside other supervisory and enforcement action where appropriate.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of building control inspection arrangements in securing compliance with Part H of the Building Regulations 2010 in respect of foul and surface water drainage connections.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

No specific assessments have been made of the effectiveness of building control inspection arrangements in securing compliance with Part H of the Building Regulations 2010 in respect of foul and surface water drainage connections. The Building Control Independent Panel (BCIP) made several recommendations to the Government on how to improve the building control process, including regarding mandatory inspection points, and the Government intends to a provide a full response to the list of recommendations made in the BCIP final report in due course. We have already made £55 million available to support the building of capacity in the building control workforce. My officials are taking steps to assess the effectiveness of the pre-application process, the approved plans process, and the effectiveness of building control inspections for ensuring compliance with Part H, as well as investigating the effectiveness of s.59 of the Building Act 1984. It is important to note that responsibility for compliance with the building regulations remains with the person carrying out building work, even where a completion or final certificate has been provided.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the sector’s single Code of Practice in preventing Parking Charge Notices being issued to motorists who have complied with parking requirements; what steps her Department is taking to ensure private parking operators cancel charges where the motorist has complied with the parking terms; whether the Code will include sanctions for operators who repeatedly issue Parking Charge Notices in such circumstances; and what her timetable is for introducing a statutory code with an independent appeals service and enforceable sanctions.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Since the introduction of the Sector Single Code in 2024, the Government has continued to receive evidence of poor practice. The consistency of concerns raised by motorists, representative groups and regulators suggests these issues are not limited to isolated cases. This underlines the need for statutory standards, stronger oversight and improved data collection which the Government is taking action to address through a new Code of Practice.

Alongside the Code, the Government is introducing a Certification Scheme approved by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service. Once implemented, the Certification Scheme will provide independent assurance of individual operator compliance. Operators that fail to meet the Code’s requirements may ultimately lose access to DVLA vehicle keeper data and, in turn, their ability to pursue parking charges.

The Government laid the Code before Parliament on 20 October 2026 and in parallel published its response to its private parking consultation last year. The Government Response contains more details on the plans for enforcement and appeals.

Speed camera guidance

National Special Olympics Summer Games

National Fish and Chip Awards and Taylors Fish and Chips

The Northumberland Arms

Delivery of Budget 2026 through property tax systems

Indefinite Leave to Remain changes

Two-state solution in Israel and Palestine

Climate Change Committee’s Fourth Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk

Local government and social care

National Emergency Briefing