Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding her Department has allocated to preventing Islamophobia.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In 2025/26, up to £650,000 of funding is available to the British Muslim Trust to monitor hate targeting Muslims and facilitate support for victims. The government will provide the police with funding of £80,000 for True Vision, an online hate crime reporting portal, designed so that victims of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
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 protect vulnerable people during periods of extreme heat.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency delivers the Adverse Weather and Health Plan (AWHP) and Weather-Health Alerting (WHA) System, which provides alerts for the public and public sector organisations to prepare for impacts of adverse weather, including heat.
Risks to health are communicated via the WHA system. Enhanced amber and red alerts are used to alert those at the greatest risk. The alerts have enhanced communications to support partner organisations and the public. Heat-health guidance and checklists are available for both health and social care professionals and the public on what action they should take.
The AWHP is designed to protect public health during extreme weather conditions. It emphasises preparedness, early warning systems, communication strategies, and targeted support for vulnerable populations. It aims to reduce illness, hospital admissions, and mortality through timely interventions, public awareness, and resilience-building measures.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of waiting times on children and young people seeking urgent mental health support.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that too many children and young people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and that waits for mental health services are far too long. We are determined to change that, as we recognise the importance of timely access to mental health support for children and the positive impact this can have on areas such as family life and educational outcomes.
Backed by an extra £688 million in Government funding this year, we are transforming mental health services, including hiring more staff and getting waiting lists down through our 10-Year Health Plan, so children can have the best possible start in life.
We will deliver on our commitment to get every child who needs it access to mental health support within school, and over the course of this year we will roll that support out to nearly a million extra children. Under Government plans, all pupils will have access to mental health support in school by 2029/30.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure social housing providers have the resources to keep residents (a) safe and (b) comfortable during extreme heat events.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771).
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce ring-fenced funding for hospice clinical services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which can include hospice services being available within the ICB catchment area.
Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end of life and their loved ones.
Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between ICB areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area, but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area.
I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all- age palliative and end of life care, included services provided by hospices, in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when recommendations are expected to be published by the Independent Commission for Community and Inclusion.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion is not affiliated with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. As such, the department has not allocated any funding to the commission and does not hold information on its timelines.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding has been allocated to the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion since it was established.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion is not affiliated with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. As such, the department has not allocated any funding to the commission and does not hold information on its timelines.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many meetings the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion have had since it was established.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion is not affiliated with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. As such, the department has not allocated any funding to the commission and does not hold information on its timelines.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to review selective licensing rules for private landlords.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 26845 on 5 February 2025, which sets out changes we made to selective licensing in December. We have no plans to make further changes at this time.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to help ensure that Givinostat is made available in for people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy across all NHS trusts areas.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department understands the impact that Duchenne muscular dystrophy has on those living with it and their families, and the urgent need for new treatment options.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS independently based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance. NICE is currently evaluating givinostat for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and its independent Appraisal Committee will meet to consider the evidence in July 2025.
Ahead of NICE’s evaluation, ITF Pharma UK, the United Kingdom’s marketing authorisation holder for givinostat, is providing access to givinostat through a type of compassionate use scheme called an Early Access Programme (EAP). The delivery of timely and equitable access to new treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy under company-sponsored EAPs is not the responsibility of NHS England. Participation in company-led schemes is decided at an individual NHS trust level and under these programmes, the cost of the drug is free to both the patients taking part in it, and to the NHS, although NHS trusts must still cover administration costs and provide clinical resources to deliver the EAP.
NHS England has published guidance for integrated care systems (ICS) on free of charge medicines schemes, providing advice on potential financial, resourcing, and clinical risks.
ICSs should use the guidance to help determine whether to implement any free of charge scheme, including assessing suitability and any risks in the short, medium, and long term. The guidance is available at the following link: