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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make public toilet provision a statutory duty for local authorities.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Government does not propose to introduce a statutory duty at this time.

We recognise the importance of toilet provision and have taken steps to support local leaders. At the 2025 Spending Review, we committed over £5 billion in new grant funding over the next three years for essential local services such as toilets. In addition, we continue to provide 100% mandatory business rates relief for separately assessed public toilets.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of Access to Work decisions that have not aligned with Access to Work guidelines in the last 12 months.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We have interpreted “Access to Work decisions that have not aligned with Access to Work guidelines” as cases where a customer has challenged a decision and requested a reconsideration.

From November 2024 to October 2025:

• 1,517 reconsideration requests were received.
• 1,008 of these have been reviewed and cleared.
• Of those reviewed, 159 decisions were partially or fully overturned.

Some overturned decisions will be due to customers providing additional information, rather than the decision not aligning with Access to Work guidelines. We do not hold data that identifies how many overturned decisions were specifically due to misalignment with the guidelines. The remaining 509 cases are still under consideration

Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the additional costs of delivering local government services in rural areas, and how these costs will be reflected in the Fair Funding Review.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government published the Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 - GOV.UK and response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on Thursday 20 November, which set out the government's plans to introduce a fairer and evidence-led funding system. These updates will account for local circumstances, including for different ability to raise income locally from council tax, and the variation in cost of delivering services, including between rural and urban areas.

As part of this, we will continue to apply Area Cost Adjustments to account for the different costs faced in delivering services, including in rural and urban areas. The Area Cost Adjustment considers differences in labour and rental costs, as well as the cost impact of longer journey times. We will also apply a remoteness adjustment to the Adult Social Care Formula. Our cost adjustment methodology has been subject to a technical peer review by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

We will publish provisional local authority allocations at the upcoming provisional multi-year Settlement in December, which will be subject to consultation and the usual Parliamentary process.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Department plans to review the Area Cost Adjustment.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government published the Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 - GOV.UK and response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on Thursday 20 November, which set out the government's plans to introduce a fairer and evidence-led funding system. These updates will account for local circumstances, including for different ability to raise income locally from council tax, and the variation in cost of delivering services, including between rural and urban areas.

As part of this, we will continue to apply Area Cost Adjustments to account for the different costs faced in delivering services, including in rural and urban areas. The Area Cost Adjustment considers differences in labour and rental costs, as well as the cost impact of longer journey times. We will also apply a remoteness adjustment to the Adult Social Care Formula. Our cost adjustment methodology has been subject to a technical peer review by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

We will publish provisional local authority allocations at the upcoming provisional multi-year Settlement in December, which will be subject to consultation and the usual Parliamentary process.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what investigations her Department has made into alternative to the culling of healthy flocks of caged birds in areas of wider avian flu outbreak.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Culling is the most effective means of controlling and stamping out an avian influenza outbreak together with movement restrictions, high standards of biosecurity, separation of poultry from wild birds and surveillance.

Preventative vaccination for avian influenza may be an option for the future but will not be viable for the 2025/2026 risk season. Defra has established a cross government and industry taskforce to explore future vaccination options. The taskforce published its initial report on 24 July. The report recommends a series of actions, including a vaccination trial in turkeys, before a final recommendation can be made.

Currently, vaccination of poultry and captive birds against avian influenza, excluding those in licensed zoos in England, is not permitted. Defra continue to invest in avian influenza research, and we continue to monitor vaccine usage both in Europe and globally, as well as the effectiveness of other disease control measures taken.

Any future decisions on disease control measures, including the use of vaccination, will be based upon the latest scientific, ornithological, and veterinary advice.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is His Department's standard response time for resolving official complaints submitted to Access to Work.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Complaints received about Access to Work are handled in line with the overall Departmental complaints process published on Gov.uk. We aim to contact customers within 15 working days to clear the complaint or agree how to investigate it if it will take longer.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including automatic voter registration for overseas voters in the upcoming Elections Bill.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As set out in the July 17 policy paper ‘Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections’, the Government is committed to introducing a more automated approach to electoral registration over the coming years. Before implementing any changes, we will test a range of automated approaches including more effective use of data and better join-up across public services, with the aim of improving the accuracy and completeness of the register.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support people with oil heated homes in Devon.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

For most oil-heated homes transitioning to clean heat will include installing a heat pump. Grants of £7,500 are available through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). As hydronic heat pumps may not be suitable for every property, BUS supports biomass boilers in rural homes with a £5,000 grants and we will offer £2,500 grants to support air-to-air heat pumps from 2026.

Government has recently published a consultation exploring the role of alternative clean heating solutions. The consultation opened on 18 November and will run for 12 weeks.

Finally, we are undertaking research to collect data on the costs of different approaches to decarbonising the most complex housing archetypes and expect to receive results early next year.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what are the current wait times for mandatory reconsideration claims over PIP decisions in Devon.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The median time taken for a Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) decision to be reached for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in Devon is 70 calendar days.

The median time taken is measured from the date an MR is registered to the date an MR decision is reached. The 70 calendar days is for new claims and reassessments made under normal rules between August 2024 and July 2025.

Each PIP claim can have more than one MR registered against it over time. The above includes all MR decisions (excluding withdrawn and cancelled MRs).

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to support people suffering with a terminal illness with their energy bills.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The affordability crisis is the biggest issue facing this country. That is why I am proud that the recent Autumn Budget acts to take an average £150 of costs off people’s energy bills.

This support comes on top of the £150 off energy bills that we are providing for around 6 million families under the Warm Home Discount this winter, cutting fuel poverty.

The Government has been clear with suppliers that they should do all that they can to support their customers – including vulnerable consumers – who may be struggling with their bills. I would urge any consumers who are struggling to pay their bills to speak to their supplier, local authority, or Citizens Advice who may be able to provide help and support. They can also visit the GOV.UK website, where extra cost-of-living support can be found - www.gov.uk/cost-of-living.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support people with a terminal illness who are in poverty.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This Government is committed to providing a financial safety net for those who need it. Support is available through the welfare system to those who are unable to work, are on a low income or have additional costs as a consequence of a long-term health condition or disability but are not eligible to pensioner benefits because of their age.

For those nearing the end of their life, the Government’s priority is to provide people with financial support quickly and compassionately. The main way the Department does this is through the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL) which enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to Personal Independence Payment, Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit and Attendance Allowance, without needing to attend a medical assessment, serve waiting periods and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit.

The Department is committed to ensure that eligible claimants at the end of life have their claims processed as quickly as possible. Latest figures show that In Great Britain, new claims to PIP under the Special Rules are being cleared in 3 working days on average.

Postal workers and Royal Mail staff

Cary Repair Café

Royal Naval Association Torbay

Water bills

McLaren title win for British motorsport

Armed Forces Training Contract and Elbit Systems

Cumulative disruption proposals and the right to protest

Buying community energy locally

Conduct of Sir Robbie Gibb and the independence of the BBC Board

Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week 2025

Found: Chair); Emily Darlington; George Freeman; Dr Allison Gardner; Kit Malthouse; Samantha Niblett; Martin Wrigley

Found: Chair); Emily Darlington; George Freeman; Dr Allison Gardner; Kit Malthouse; Samantha Niblett; Martin Wrigley

Found: Chair); Emily Darlington; George Freeman; Dr Allison Gardner; Kit Malthouse; Samantha Niblett; Martin Wrigley

Hair and beauty products (chemicals applied to the hair or body for cosmetic purposes) and treatments (cosmetic procedures typically performed by specialists) can cause harm to consumers if they contain unregulated ingredients or if they are improperly administered.  The inquiry will respond to recent research which has led to concerns about the current scientific evidence base and regulation for these products, as well as the required training and qualifications of specialists performing treatments.  The inquiry will also investigate the growing concern that certain products that are commonly used by marginalised groups, such as creams to ‘relax’ afro-type hair and synthetic hair, can contain harmful chemicals.

On 15 July 2025 the Defence Secretary told the House of Commons about a large-scale data breach that had taken place in 2022, when a Ministry of Defence official emailed a spreadsheet to an external contact, unaware that it contained details relating to 18,700 Afghan nationals applying for relocation.