Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the care sector on the adequacy of safeguarding procedures in private care homes that employ staff recruited from overseas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Any form of abuse or neglect is unacceptable, and regulated providers have a key role in safeguarding adults. All staff are subject to employer checks and controls, and employers must satisfy themselves regarding the skills and competence of their staff.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors how well providers are safeguarding service users. As part of their regulatory regime, the CQC checks that care providers have effective systems to help keep adults safe from abuse and neglect.
International workers applying for a Health and Care Visa must submit a criminal record certificate from any country that they have resided in for 12 months or more in the last ten years. Further to this, a Disclosure and Barring Service check must be undertaken.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes in the number of (a) firefighter posts since 2010, (b) (i) fire stations and (ii) control rooms and (c) fire engines on the frontline on (A) levels of public safety and (B) response times; and if he will make it his policy to (1) prevent reductions to fire and rescue services, (2) provide more funding for frontline resources and (3) introduce national response standards to ensure consistent protection.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government acknowledges the vital contributions made by fire and rescue services. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed are a matter for each fire and rescue authority (FRA) as employer, based on its analysis of risk and local circumstances.
Priorities for fire and rescue reform are subject to regular discussion with sector representatives through the Ministerial Advisory Group on Fire and Rescue Reform (MAGFRR) and other relevant forums.
The MAGFRR, established by this Government, serves as a platform for engaging with senior leaders across the sector to address policy challenges. Delivering on manifesto and other commitments, reform priorities endorsed by the Group aim to support FRAs’ drive to modernise fire and rescue services to ensure they are equipped to meet the evolving needs of communities. The Government remains committed to working collaboratively with all sector partners to drive meaningful change and ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to keep the public safe.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Access to Work grants for deaf and hard of hearing people are renewed without interruption; what steps he is taking to ensure that staff administering Access to Work grants provide reasonable adjustments when communicating with deaf and hard of hearing people; and whether he plans to maintain the current level of funding allocation in real terms for Access to Work grants in (i) 2026/27 and (ii) 2027/28.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
To ensure Access to Work grants are renewed without interruption for our deaf and hard of hearing customers several measures have already been put in place, including streamlining our delivery processes and recruiting additional staff. We have also taken steps to modernise the Access to Work customer journey, with all core parts of the Scheme fully digital from April 2024.
There is a variety of contact methods which customers can utilise. These include telephone, textphone, Video Relay Service and email as a reasonable adjustment. Where a customer would like to use email to contact the department as a reasonable adjustment, they should let the Access to Work team know so the Case Manager can follow the appropriate procedure to ensure we can try to accommodate the request. Details can be found at Access to Work: factsheet for customers - GOV.UK
Funding has been secured to continue the Access to Work scheme throughout the Spending Review period.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of (a) indoor and (b) outdoor mobile coverage in Hullavington, Wiltshire.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ofcom does not publish mobile coverage data aggregated to specific villages in their Connected Nations reports and data releases. However, your constituents who live or work in Hullavington can access the improved coverage checker, ‘Map Your Mobile’, on the Ofcom website to get information on likely indoor and outdoor mobile coverage at their address.
Accurate coverage data being available is crucial to understanding where coverage issues remain and to supporting consumers to make informed decisions about which network offers the best service in their area.
All communities should rightly expect to have the connectivity they need to participate in the modern digital economy. This is why it is the government’s ambition that all populated areas should have access to higher quality mobile coverage by 2030.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of National England's decision to not accept complaints on injurious weeds on (a) agriculture and (b) the public.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Advice on the management and control of injurious weeds is published on GOV.UK. Natural England did not accept new weeds complaints in 2025. This was a temporary measure whilst they reviewed the approach to addressing injurious weeds, to improve access to appropriate advice and guidance and ensure enforcement resources are targeted most effectively. The complaints process will reopen as usual in April 2026.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of compliance by water companies with their statutory obligations to maintain accurate digital maps of (a) potable water mains, (b) service reservoirs and (c) isolation valves in rural areas.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is preparing to respond to the recommendations of the Independent Water Commission, including on the extent and enforcement of current water industry mapping requirements. Reforms outlined in this response will form the basis of a new water reform bill to be introduced early in this Parliament.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she will take steps to require the Environment Agency to resume responsibility for the (a) inspection, (b) cost and (c) maintenance of (i) main rivers, (ii) the Avon, (iii) Brinkworth Brook, (iv) Olivemead Drain, (v) Dauntsey Brook and (vi) the Bourne; and if she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Environment Act 1995 to ensure that main rivers are maintained as critical infrastructure funded through public spending.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I fully recognise the importance of flood risk maintenance. The Government has committed to redirecting £108 million in 2024/25 and 2025/26 into urgent flood and coastal defence maintenance to halt the decline of flood asset condition following years of under investment.
Watercourse management responsibilities fall to different bodies. Riparian landowners are required to maintain watercourses, under common law, while the Environment Agency (EA) uses its permissive powers to undertake maintenance on main rivers to manage flood risk.
The EA prioritises maintenance funding rigorously and focusses on those areas and activities which deliver the greatest overall benefits for people and property, including reducing flood risk and securing value for money.
The Government has no plans to bring forward legislative changes to amend the Environment Act 1995.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what guidance her Department has issued to internet service providers on fulfilling their licence obligation to ensure access to 999 calls from within the home in communities where mobile not spots exist.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
According to Ofcom, 88% of UK premises have 4G indoor mobile coverage from all four mobile network operators, with almost 100% having coverage from at least one operator. However, we know that there is a range of local factors, such as building construction, which can affect user experience. Ofcom also provides advice on potential options that could improve mobile coverage indoors on its public facing website via the link here.
DSIT has not provided guidance to internet service providers regarding their obligations, as that is for the regulator Ofcom to consider. Ofcom sets the regulatory conditions for communications providers through their General Conditions of Entitlement, which requires communication providers to ensure continuous access to emergency services via 999 and 112. In 2018, Ofcom published guidance on how all communications providers should meet this duty, including in relation to customers who are dependent on a landline and may not be able to get a mobile signal.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that households in areas with poor indoor mobile coverage have reliable access to the emergency services by 2027.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
According to Ofcom, 88% of UK premises have 4G indoor mobile coverage from all four mobile network operators, with almost 100% having coverage from at least one operator. However, we know that there is a range of local factors, such as building construction, which can affect user experience. Ofcom also provides advice on potential options that could improve mobile coverage indoors on its public facing website via the link here.
DSIT has not provided guidance to internet service providers regarding their obligations, as that is for the regulator Ofcom to consider. Ofcom sets the regulatory conditions for communications providers through their General Conditions of Entitlement, which requires communication providers to ensure continuous access to emergency services via 999 and 112. In 2018, Ofcom published guidance on how all communications providers should meet this duty, including in relation to customers who are dependent on a landline and may not be able to get a mobile signal.