Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of allowing individuals to provide a physical proof of residency for applications under the EU Settlement Scheme.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office seeks to process all applications to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) as swiftly as possible.

Details of the processing times can be found on the GOV.UK website – (EU Settlement Scheme: current estimated processing times for applications - GOV.UK) which advises on expected processing times and common reasons why an application may take longer to conclude.

As it is now more than four years since the deadline to apply to the main scheme, the majority of applications are from people who already hold an initial grant of pre-settled status who are seeking settled status. To improve customer service we have introduced an automated process to automatically convert eligible pre-settled status holders to settled status, without the need for them to make a further application.

The EUSS automation process reduces the burden on tens of thousands of customers and supports our ambition to ensure people have the right EUSS status.

The EU Settlement Scheme was the first fully digital immigration route. As such, customers provide evidence to support their applications online, rather than sending in physical evidence. This approach ensures that applicants can retain their key documents.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to improve the process for applications under the EU Settlement Scheme.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office seeks to process all applications to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) as swiftly as possible.

Details of the processing times can be found on the GOV.UK website – (EU Settlement Scheme: current estimated processing times for applications - GOV.UK) which advises on expected processing times and common reasons why an application may take longer to conclude.

As it is now more than four years since the deadline to apply to the main scheme, the majority of applications are from people who already hold an initial grant of pre-settled status who are seeking settled status. To improve customer service we have introduced an automated process to automatically convert eligible pre-settled status holders to settled status, without the need for them to make a further application.

The EUSS automation process reduces the burden on tens of thousands of customers and supports our ambition to ensure people have the right EUSS status.

The EU Settlement Scheme was the first fully digital immigration route. As such, customers provide evidence to support their applications online, rather than sending in physical evidence. This approach ensures that applicants can retain their key documents.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to improve access to Disability Living Allowance for children with achondroplasia.

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

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is available to children under the age of 16 who, due to a disability or health condition, have mobility issues and/or have care needs which are substantially in excess of a child the same age without the disability or health condition.

Entitlement to DLA depends on the extent to which a child needs help with personal care, needs supervision or has difficulties with walking. It is the effects of the condition and the needs arising from those effects that are important, rather than the child’s particular diagnosis.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support provided by HM Prison Service for the welfare of (a) Qesser Zuhrah, (b) Amy Gardiner-Gibson, (c) Jon Cink, (d) Heba Muraisi, (e) Teuta Hoxha, (f) Kamran Ahmed, (g) Muhammad Umer Khalid and (h) Lewie Chiaramellob during their hunger strike.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The safety and wellbeing of those held in our prisons is of vital importance. Healthcare in prisons is the responsibility of the NHS: Prison Service staff work with healthcare partners to ensure that those held in prison have access to the same quality and range of services as the general public receives from the NHS, as required by the Prison Rules 1999.

His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service has well-established and effective procedures in place for managing prisoners who refuse food, and these are being followed in the case of those of the named prisoners who are currently refusing food, with appropriate medical assessment and support in place.

When a prisoner refuses food, prison staff will act immediately in accordance with the Prison Safety Policy Framework. This includes notifying healthcare professionals and conducting regular welfare checks. The Framework also provides for close monitoring of the person’s health by healthcare staff. Additionally, prison chaplaincy teams are available to provide pastoral care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequate availability of NHS funded continence products in the London Borough of Wandsworth.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning continence services in their areas. These services include assessment, treatment, and, where clinically appropriate, the supply of continence products. Decisions on the type and quantity of products are made by clinicians following individual assessment, in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on urinary and faecal incontinence and professional standards.

NHS Supply Chain supports trusts with the procurement of continence products through value-based procurement initiatives to ensure products are safe, effective, and cost-efficient. Local continence services in Wandsworth are delivered by community providers such as the Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust, which offers specialist assessment and management for housebound patients and those in care settings. Further information on continence commissioning is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/continence/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been discharged from hospitals into rough sleeping in each year since 2023.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department and NHS England do not hold this information.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Leasehold and commonhold reform are key priorities for this government and we remain determined to honour the commitments made in our manifesto and do what is necessary to finally bring the feudal leasehold system to an end.

As per my letter to the Chair of the Select Committee dated 18 December 2024, the government expect to be in a position to publish the draft Bill for scrutiny in the coming weeks.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the Expensive Car Supplement component of Vehicle Excise Duty for used vehicles to reflect a) vehicle depreciation and b) purchase price at the point of resale.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Expensive Car Supplement (ECS) is a supplement to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) payable by vehicle keepers for five years, from years two to six following a car's first registration.

The ECS rate is currently £425 per year, increasing to £440 from 1 April 2026 in line with RPI. The ECS currently applies to new cars with a list price of £40,000 or more. As announced at Budget 2025, the threshold will increase to £50,000 for zero-emissions cars only from 1 April 2026, as such vehicles tend to be more expensive.

The ECS was introduced so that those who can afford to access the most expensive cars make a fair contribution. The Government has no plans to change the scope of the ECS.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to healthcare services for people facing homelessness.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has considered the adequacy of access to healthcare services for people experiencing homelessness as part of its wider work on reducing health inequalities.

To ensure equitable access to healthcare services, the Department supported the development and implementation of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline 214 on Integrated health and social care for people experiencing homelessness, which sets out clear expectations on ways to improve access to, and engagement with, health and social care services for people experiencing homelessness. This guidance is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng214/chapter/Recommendations#intermediate-care

As part of the recently published cross-Government Homelessness Strategy, A National Plan to End Homelessness, the Department has committed to improving access to mental health and substance misuse services and updating statutory guidance to strengthen safeguarding responsibilities for people experiencing homelessness. Further information on this strategy is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessness/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessness

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 number of Integrated Care Boards currently complying with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on the provision of intermediate care for patients who are experiencing homelessness.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department recognises the importance of ensuring that people experiencing homelessness have access to appropriate intermediate care. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline 214 on Integrated health and social care for people experiencing homelessness sets out clear expectations on tailored intermediate care for individuals experiencing homelessness, and we are exploring how best to encourage integrated care boards (ICBs) to adopt and embed this guidance. This guidance is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng214/chapter/Recommendations#intermediate-care

Health bodies, including ICBs, are expected to take guidance into account alongside clinical judgement and local priorities. However, NICE guidance is not mandatory. Therefore, there is no published Government assessment showing how many ICBs in England are currently complying with NICE guideline 214.

In December 2025, the Government published the National Plan to End Homelessness and Rough Sleeping which commits to ensuring no one eligible for homelessness assistance is discharged to the street after a hospital stay. Further information on the national plan is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessness/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessness#

To support this, the Government will work with the National Health Service and local authorities to ensure the 2024 guidance Discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness is embedded in systems and will improve how existing funding streams can be used to support intermediate care services tailored to the needs of people experiencing homelessness. Further information on this guidance is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/discharging-people-at-risk-of-or-experiencing-homelessness/discharging-people-at-risk-of-or-experiencing-homelessness