Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
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 about whether 'local scrutiny committees' will be a future component of local government reform following the review of the local government reorganisation programme announced on 7 September 2026?.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act establishes Local Scrutiny Committees, which are intended to strengthen oversight of Mayors and Strategic Authorities and improve accountability for decision-making and the use of public funds. Local Scrutiny Committees will be responsible for scrutinising value for money and reviewing the exercise of devolved powers by the Mayor and their Strategic Authority, rather than spending and decision making in their constituent authorities.
These committees will not apply to existing two-tier authorities, nor will they apply to unitary authorities formed through the process of local government reorganisation. Instead, they will apply to Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities from 2027 and be extended to all Mayoral Strategic Authorities from 2028.Constituent authorities will continue to operate their own Overview and Scrutiny Committees following local government reorganisation.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Policy Paper dated 31 July 2026, Rewiring the State- Cabinet Statement, whether recent discussions about the role for Members of Parliament in local accountability could include the shaping of transport, housing, economic development, skills and budget decisions.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Rewiring the State Cabinet Statement committed to ensuring there is a clear role for Members of Parliament in local accountability, working with mayors and local councillors. Mayors are responsible for the areas of competence set out in the devolution framework and will have the autonomy to decide how funding is used to deliver for local residents in these areas. While Mayors will be accountable at the local level, as part of the Devolution White Paper, the Government is considering how MPs can engage with strengthened local accountability arrangements in relation to these responsibilities. Further details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to WPQ 26637 answered on 7 September 2026 about Chagos Islands Sovereignty, what assessment has he made about the US Government's position towards the UK Government's costs arising from the Chagos Treaty.
Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip
I refer the Honourable Member to my answer of 7 September to Question 26637.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he intends to raise the issue of the UK Government's costs arising from the Chagos Treaty in discussions with the US Government.
Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip
I refer the Honourable Member to my answer of 7 September to Question 26637.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to WPQ 26637 answered on 7 September 2026 about Chagos Islands Sovereignty, whether he intends to raise the issue of the UK Government's costs arising from the Chagos Treaty in further discussions with the US Government.
Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip
I refer the Honourable Member to my answer of 7 September to Question 26637.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of whether measures used by developers of artificial intelligence systems to prevent harmful eating disorder-related outputs could be applied by social media companies to reduce users' exposure to content that promotes eating disorders.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Tackling eating-disorder content online is a priority for the Government, and we recognise the risks posed by AI systems generating content that could encourage or exacerbate eating disorders.
Generative AI services in scope of the Online Safety Act are required to prevent children from encountering eating-disorder content. As the independent regulator, Ofcom's codes of practice set out the measures it considers appropriate for meeting those duties
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of safeguards introduced by developers of generative artificial intelligence systems to prevent the provision of advice that could encourage or exacerbate eating disorders.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Tackling eating-disorder content online is a priority for the Government, and we recognise the risks posed by AI systems generating content that could encourage or exacerbate eating disorders.
Generative AI services in scope of the Online Safety Act are required to prevent children from encountering eating-disorder content. As the independent regulator, Ofcom's codes of practice set out the measures it considers appropriate for meeting those duties.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to WPQ 13718 answered on 1 July 2026 about Fires, what steps she is taking with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to assess the effectiveness of the joint arrangement on wildfire risk anticipation following the wildfires in 2026; and whether the arrangement should be reviewed.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
MHCLG and Defra are jointly coordinating work on current and future risk mapping, including risk hotspots and national-level risk assessments.
Measures have been taken to reduce wildfire risk including the ban on the sale of disposable barbecues introduced on 14 August as well as the use of the emergency alert system within parts of the UK. The Secretary of State for MHCLG also wrote to local authorities across England reminding them of the powers available to restrict activities that could increase fire risk, including the use of Public Spaces Protection Orders to limit barbecues, campfires and other forms of open fire in vulnerable areas.
This sits alongside wider measures including advice being made more visible, including through social media during high-risk periods, the Cabinet Office Prepare website, the Fire Kills campaign and StayWise, the NFCC-led education platform.
Addressing wildfire requires more than emergency response, it depends on coordinated action across prevention, preparedness, response and recovery, with clear roles for MHCLG, Defra, fire and rescue authorities, land managers and wider partners.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the physical estate capacity required to deliver the proposed 59 mental health emergency departments announced on 5 August 2026.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Since coming to office, this Government has recruited thousands of extra mental health staff, increased access to National Health Service talking therapies, and announced a major expansion of community mental health support, with £187 million allocated for 100 community mental health centres (CMHCs) and £156 million for 59 mental health emergency departments (MHEDs).
CMHCs provide a single, open-access offer, available 24/7 to anyone who needs it. People with serious mental illness will be able to walk in without an appointment and receive mental health support, delivered by a multi-disciplinary team. This will reduce fragmentation in service delivery and improve continuity of care. Working in partnership with primary care, local authorities, the voluntary sector and family support networks, and with strong links to housing and employment support, the centres will deliver care close to home, tailored to local communities of between 30,000 and 50,000 people.
Alongside the community centres, MHEDs will provide fast, same-day access to specialist mental health support for people in crisis. Co-located with emergency departments, ambulance, and police services, they will offer a calm, therapeutic environment and ensure people are connected quickly to the right ongoing care, whether through inpatient admission, home treatment, or community support. In both cases, CMHCs and MHEDs will draw on the existing NHS workforce, including redeployment of staff to the new locations.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are rightly responsible for selecting locations for new facilities to make sure they meet local needs best, with schemes prioritised through regional and ICB processes before being subject to national assurance. The overall distribution of MHEDs and CMHCs was considered alongside factors such as population need, existing provision, local care pathways, strategic alignment, and deliverability. Local systems also remain responsible for ensuring that people can access emergency mental health support through the broader care pathway, including A&E units, crisis services, and other locally commissioned provision.
The first facilities in this tranche are expected to open from autumn 2026, with further sites opening from March 2027. Further details will be set out in due course as the new centres are rolled out across England. Later this year, we will also publish our new mental health strategy for England, setting out our plans to transform mental health care into a system that responds earlier, reduces waiting times for support, intervenes earlier, and supports people to stay active and participate in education, work, family, and community life.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the proposed mental health emergency departments will require new-build facilities and how many will be accommodated within existing NHS estate.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Since coming to office, this Government has recruited thousands of extra mental health staff, increased access to National Health Service talking therapies, and announced a major expansion of community mental health support, with £187 million allocated for 100 community mental health centres (CMHCs) and £156 million for 59 mental health emergency departments (MHEDs).
CMHCs provide a single, open-access offer, available 24/7 to anyone who needs it. People with serious mental illness will be able to walk in without an appointment and receive mental health support, delivered by a multi-disciplinary team. This will reduce fragmentation in service delivery and improve continuity of care. Working in partnership with primary care, local authorities, the voluntary sector and family support networks, and with strong links to housing and employment support, the centres will deliver care close to home, tailored to local communities of between 30,000 and 50,000 people.
Alongside the community centres, MHEDs will provide fast, same-day access to specialist mental health support for people in crisis. Co-located with emergency departments, ambulance, and police services, they will offer a calm, therapeutic environment and ensure people are connected quickly to the right ongoing care, whether through inpatient admission, home treatment, or community support. In both cases, CMHCs and MHEDs will draw on the existing NHS workforce, including redeployment of staff to the new locations.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are rightly responsible for selecting locations for new facilities to make sure they meet local needs best, with schemes prioritised through regional and ICB processes before being subject to national assurance. The overall distribution of MHEDs and CMHCs was considered alongside factors such as population need, existing provision, local care pathways, strategic alignment, and deliverability. Local systems also remain responsible for ensuring that people can access emergency mental health support through the broader care pathway, including A&E units, crisis services, and other locally commissioned provision.
The first facilities in this tranche are expected to open from autumn 2026, with further sites opening from March 2027. Further details will be set out in due course as the new centres are rolled out across England. Later this year, we will also publish our new mental health strategy for England, setting out our plans to transform mental health care into a system that responds earlier, reduces waiting times for support, intervenes earlier, and supports people to stay active and participate in education, work, family, and community life.