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, whether the staffing of new mental health centres will be achieved through (a) new recruitment and (b) redeployment of NHS mental health staff.
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, whether people will be able to self-refer to new community mental health centres.
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 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the Government's policy on new oil and gas exploration licences in UK waters with the Secretary of State's statutory consent role for petroleum licences in the Falkland Islands.
Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip
The right of the Falkland Islanders to develop their natural resources for their own economic benefit is integral to their right of self-determination. When deciding whether to consent to new hydrocarbons licences in the Falkland Islands, the Secretary of State acts in accordance with applicable Falkland Islands legislation. UK oil and gas licensing policy does not apply in the Falkland Islands.
I met Members of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly on 3 September and discussed ongoing economic development projects in the Falklands.
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 has had recent discussions with the Falkland Islands Government on the Secretary of State's consent role in relation to oil and gas licences under the Offshore Minerals Ordinance 1994.
Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip
The right of the Falkland Islanders to develop their natural resources for their own economic benefit is integral to their right of self-determination. When deciding whether to consent to new hydrocarbons licences in the Falkland Islands, the Secretary of State acts in accordance with applicable Falkland Islands legislation. UK oil and gas licensing policy does not apply in the Falkland Islands.
I met Members of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly on 3 September and discussed ongoing economic development projects in the Falklands.
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 would withhold consent for the grant of a new petroleum exploration licence under the Falkland Islands Offshore Minerals Ordinance 1994 where such a licence had been approved by the Falkland Islands Government.
Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip
The right of the Falkland Islanders to develop their natural resources for their own economic benefit is integral to their right of self-determination. When deciding whether to consent to new hydrocarbons licences in the Falkland Islands, the Secretary of State acts in accordance with applicable Falkland Islands legislation. UK oil and gas licensing policy does not apply in the Falkland Islands.
I met Members of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly on 3 September and discussed ongoing economic development projects in the Falklands.
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, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Falkland Islands Government on the importance of the Falkland Islanders' right to self-determination in relation to offshore oil and gas exploration.
Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip
The right of the Falkland Islanders to develop their natural resources for their own economic benefit is integral to their right of self-determination. When deciding whether to consent to new hydrocarbons licences in the Falkland Islands, the Secretary of State acts in accordance with applicable Falkland Islands legislation. UK oil and gas licensing policy does not apply in the Falkland Islands.
I met Members of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly on 3 September and discussed ongoing economic development projects in the Falklands.
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, what criteria he would use when deciding on whether or not to consent to new petroleum exploration licences under the Falkland Islands Offshore Minerals Ordinance 1994.
Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip
The right of the Falkland Islanders to develop their natural resources for their own economic benefit is integral to their right of self-determination. When deciding whether to consent to new hydrocarbons licences in the Falkland Islands, the Secretary of State acts in accordance with applicable Falkland Islands legislation. UK oil and gas licensing policy does not apply in the Falkland Islands.
I met Members of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly on 3 September and discussed ongoing economic development projects in the Falklands.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to WPQ 21894 answered on 7 September 2026 about Veterans Workplace Pensions, what the date is of the CEV requests being processed by his Department.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
The Ministry of Defence is currently processing Cash Equivalent Value (CEV) requests received in April 2026. For members with more complex circumstances, and for pensioner Remedy cases where implementation of the guidance is still being finalised, the request date being processed may be earlier than April 2026.
The legislative deadline for all schemes is that CEVs should be provided to members within three months of the request. We are aware this is being exceeded at present in some cases. Some cases are currently taking longer due to the impact of 2015 Pension Remedy and implementation of revised actuarial factors.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to WPQ 21894 answered on 7 September 2026 about Veterans Workplace Pensions, what the published turnaround time is for CEV requests.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
The Ministry of Defence is currently processing Cash Equivalent Value (CEV) requests received in April 2026. For members with more complex circumstances, and for pensioner Remedy cases where implementation of the guidance is still being finalised, the request date being processed may be earlier than April 2026.
The legislative deadline for all schemes is that CEVs should be provided to members within three months of the request. We are aware this is being exceeded at present in some cases. Some cases are currently taking longer due to the impact of 2015 Pension Remedy and implementation of revised actuarial factors.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has held any recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on (a) offshore oil and gas exploration in the waters around the Falkland Islands and (b) the Foreign Secretary’s statutory consent role for petroleum licences in the Falkland Islands.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ministers engage regularly across the Government on a range of issues.
The UK Government maintains a consistent position on the right of the Falkland Islands to develop their natural resources. This is integral to their right of self-determination, which is grounded in international law. UK oil and gas licensing policy does not apply in the Falkland Islands.