Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure access to Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy training in the North of England.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.
Employers across the health system are responsible for ensuring their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver safe and effective care. NHS England commissions four-year Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy training in response to service demand. Across the North West, North East, and Yorkshire regions, this includes 20 new training starts planned for 2026/27, alongside a further 36 trainees continuing from previous years.
To support equitable access into the profession, NHS England also funds pre-clinical training to widen participation for those who may otherwise be unable to meet the costs of mandatory entry requirements. For 2026/27, this includes 27 new starts across the north of England, with 17 trainees continuing from previous years.
Following the decision by the Northern School of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, part of the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, to withdraw from pre-clinical training provision, NHS England is ensuring access to alternative providers and working with stakeholders on a sustainable long-term solution for the North.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available to hearing parents of deaf children to learn British Sign Language.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government understands the great importance of British Sign Language (BSL) for bridging barriers to communication between hearing and deaf people and appreciates the vital need for families with deaf children to be able to access BSL courses, as early access to language is essential to help children learn and thrive.
Funding is available through DWP’s Adult Skills Fund (ASF) for qualifications in or focussing on BSL, up to and including level 2. The ASF fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. 68% of the ASF has been devolved to 13 Strategic Authorities, who determine which provision to fund for learners who live in their areas. The DWP provides the remaining funding for learners who live in non-devolved areas.
The DWP funded BSL qualifications include, for example, the Level 1 Award in BSL which allows learners to communicate in BSL on a range of topics that involve simple, everyday language use, thereby giving them the basic skills and confidence in production and reception of BSL. It will depend on an individual’s circumstances as to whether they are entitled to free provision or expected to meet part of the cost through co-funding. Where tailored learning providers offer BSL courses, those providers are responsible for determining the course fees, including levels of fee remission. For qualifications at Level 3 and above Advanced Learner Loans are available for certain BSL qualifications.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what consultation the Church Commissioners carried out with tenant farmers and local communities before deciding to market land east of York for sale.
Answered by Marsha De Cordova
The Church Commissioners’ property referred to in the question, from the Hon Member for York Outer, relates to the ongoing marketing for sale of approximately 1,600 acres of land at Scoreby, east of York. The Church Commissioners Property Team informed all affected farm tenants directly and in person. This followed a number of years of strategic discussions between the Commissioners' investment team, our tenants and our managing agents regarding the future of the estate and its long-term management.
The Church Commissioners have responded to all enquiries received in connection with the sale and continue to engage with farm tenants and their professional advisers regarding the progress of the marketing process and relevant estate management matters. The Commissioners also remain in contact with relevant industry bodies to maintain open lines of communication and as part of their ongoing stewardship responsibilities. The marketing process remains ongoing
It is not the Church Commissioners’ established practice to consult neighbouring landowners, community groups or other local stakeholders in advance of bringing property to the market. Decisions to sell property are taken in accordance with the Church Commissioners’ investment strategy and fiduciary responsibilities, which support the mission and ministry of the Church of England.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of Irish motor insurance requirements for holders of UK driving licences with the principles of the common travel area.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer, and it is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant. If an applicant wishes to drive a vehicle in the Republic of Ireland and possesses a UK driving licence, the insurer will decide on whether or not to offer a policy.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the development of Bacteriophage Therapy, and when he expects such treatments to be available for use across the NHS.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Government recognises the potential of bacteriophage therapy as an emerging treatment for certain bacterial infections, particularly where antimicrobial resistance limits available treatment options. However, while early research and clinical use in individual cases are promising, the current evidence base and overall development landscape remain insufficient to support routine use across the National Health Service.
Bacteriophage therapy is not currently licensed as a medicinal product in the United Kingdom. Where clinicians consider it to be in the best interests of an individual patient, access may be considered on an unlicensed basis through established NHS local governance arrangements, in line with relevant regulatory requirements.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the development of Bacteriophage Therapy; and whether such treatments will be available for use in the NHS.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Government recognises the potential of bacteriophage therapy as an emerging treatment for certain bacterial infections, particularly where antimicrobial resistance limits available treatment options. However, while early research and clinical use in individual cases are promising, the current evidence base and overall development landscape remain insufficient to support routine use across the National Health Service.
Bacteriophage therapy is not currently licensed as a medicinal product in the United Kingdom. Where clinicians consider it to be in the best interests of an individual patient, access may be considered on an unlicensed basis through established NHS local governance arrangements, in line with relevant regulatory requirements.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve outcomes for children born with Congenital Anomalies and rare diseases; and what steps his Department is taking to improve support available to young people with those conditions when they are transitioning to adult care pathways.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases under the UK Rare Diseases Framework. We published the fifth annual England action plan in February 2026, where we report on the steps we have taken to advance the priorities of the framework. NHS England’s National Disease Registration Service, through the National Congenital Condition and Rare Disease Registration Service, owns several actions within the action plan to improve the identification and understanding of people living with rare diseases in England.
NHS England supports continuity of care based on individual need, rather than age alone. Through the Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme, NHS England has published guidance to support effective transition pathways across physical and mental health services, which is available at the following link:
This sets out a zero to 25 year old model of care, with clearer accountability across services and improved support for 16 to 17 year olds, who may be particularly vulnerable to gaps in care. The guidance supports integrated care systems and providers to deliver coordinated, age-appropriate care and was developed with input from young people and clinicians. In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published a revised quality standard on transition from paediatric to adult health services, incorporating feedback from people living with rare conditions and their families or carers.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support people migrating to Universal Credit from legacy benefits.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
All customers have access to support throughout the process, including the Move to Universal Credit Helpline and independent Help to Claim support provided by Citizens Advice, which offers tailored assistance to help people make and manage their claim.
We also provide eligible customers with Transitional Protection where their Universal Credit entitlement would otherwise be lower than their previous legacy benefit award, ensuring their entitlement is protected at the point of migration.
We recognise that some groups, including Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) customers may be more vulnerable. For these customers, enhanced support is in place from the point they receive their Migration Notice. This includes the Enhanced Support Journey, which offers tailored contact and visiting officer support where appropriate for those who have not yet engaged.
In addition, we have identified that some customers require a personal or corporate appointee but may not have arrangements in place ahead of the ESA closure date. In such cases, we will exempt these customers from the closure date to ensure they are not disadvantaged. This does not mean ESA will remain in payment indefinitely and a final closure date for these customers will be determined in due course.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve outcomes for children with neurodegenerative brain conditions.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Government is committed to improving outcomes for children with neurodegenerative conditions through a combination of earlier diagnosis, better coordinated care, and support for innovation in treatment.
Services for children with rare and complex neurodegenerative conditions are commissioned through a mixed model, with NHS England responsible for highly specialised services and integrated care boards commissioning local, community, and ongoing care. This supports access to multidisciplinary teams and specialist expertise where needed, alongside community‑based care closer to home.
We are taking steps to support earlier diagnosis, including through advances in genomics. The Newborn Genomic Testing Programme will enable earlier identification of genetic causes, allowing timely intervention, access to appropriate treatments, and better-informed care and support for families. Additionally, ongoing work to improve awareness among healthcare professionals, through integrated genomics education, standardised clinical toolkits, and targeted diagnostic surveillance partnerships, is helping to ensure children are identified and referred at the earliest possible stage.
The Government is also supporting improvements in consistency and quality of care through national initiatives such as Getting It Right First Time and the development of service specifications, which help ensure that patients throughout England can access evidence‑based, high‑quality services.
In addition, we continue to invest in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, supporting studies into rare and neurodegenerative diseases, including the development of new treatments and a better understanding of disease progression. The development of disease‑modifying therapies such as gene therapies and targeted medicines, such as those for spinal muscular atrophy, can slow or alter disease progression, especially when started early. While many neurodegenerative conditions still do not have curative treatments, ongoing research and clinical trials continue to expand the range of therapeutic options available.
This is complemented by the UK Rare Diseases Framework and England Action Plans, which prioritise faster diagnosis, improved coordination of care, and increased awareness of rare conditions.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure (a) safeguarding standards and (b) accountability are applied consistently across all types of schools.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government remains committed to providing a clear and simple safeguarding framework for all schools. This is set out in our statutory safeguarding guidance, which all schools and colleges must have regard to. This guidance includes ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2, and ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’, accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2.
Schools are held to account for non-compliance with the statutory guidance in a number of ways, including through inspection, complaints and correspondence.