Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of privately rented non-domestic buildings in England and Wales with a total useful floor area of less than 1,000 square metres.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Based on analysis of Non-Domestic National Energy Efficiency Data-Framework 2025, we estimate that approximately 93% of non-domestic buildings have a floor area of less than or equal to 1,000 square meters. The non-domestic PRS MEES Impact Assessment will be published in due course.
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, if implementation of the mandatory Advice and Guidance requirement in GP referral pathways will be paused pending the publication of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body's interim report on Advice and Guidance, expected in August 2026.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
The GP Contract’s changes for 2026/27 are underpinned by regulations, which have been laid before Parliament in the usual way, alongside an explanatory memorandum. There is currently no intention of pausing the implementation of the changes being made to Advice and Guidance (A&G) in 2026/27.
The 2026/27 GP Contract embeds the previous A&G enhanced service funding into core practice funding. Following near universal uptake of the Advice and Guidance Enhanced Service in 2025/26, the focus for 2026/27 is on stability and simplicity. Embedding the specialist advice model within the core contract recognises its role in routine clinical practice, removes annual signups, and provides more predictable funding while supporting consistent patient pathways.
The contract does not change the clinical threshold for referral to specialist care. General practitioners (GPs) should continue to make a clinical decision to refer for specialist care where that is in the patient’s best interests, and to request specialist advice where it is needed. GPs retain responsibility for referral decisions, and this model supports, and does not replace, clinical judgement. This reflects longstanding planned care referral practice and does not alter existing legal or professional accountability frameworks for GPs.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure the proposed SEND reforms meet relevant legal obligations under (a) the Children and Families Act 2014, (b) the Equality Act 2010 and (c) Article 23 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government’s reform proposals strengthen legal duties that will help better support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in mainstream settings. All children and young people will have access to an education that meets their needs, through earlier intervention, new training for all staff, better buildings and equipment, and every setting having access to expert professional support when it is needed.
We will place new duties on schools to support inclusive practice, including producing an Individual Support Plan for any child or young person receiving Targeted, Targeted Plus or Specialist support.
Alongside the SEND reform consultation, which we are now reviewing responses to, we have published both a children’s rights and equality impact assessment.
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, how many buildings occupied by the public sector currently require Display Energy Certificates, and of these how many have ratings in each of the defined performance categories between A and G.
Answered by Samantha Dixon
All buildings occupied by public authorities, with a total useful floor area of 250m2 or greater and frequently visited by the public are required to display a Display Energy Certificate (DEC). It is the building occupier’s responsibility to determine whether a DEC is required. The Government does not hold a definitive list of buildings that must have a DEC. Information on the number of lodged DECs, including the number of certificates in operational rating bands from A to G, is available on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs during the second reading of the Climate and Nature Bill on 24 January 2025, whether his Department plans to make a statement on the state of climate and nature before summer recess 2026.
Answered by Katie White - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government intends to deliver the second Statement on Climate and Nature to Parliament this summer. Like last year's statement, it will provide an honest appraisal of the state of climate and nature in the UK alongside highlighting the action being taken to benefit people now, as well as future generations.
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 assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in employers' National Insurance contributions on care home fee rises for self-funders.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
Tax policy, including changes to National Insurance contributions, is a matter for HM Treasury and assessments of the wider economic impacts are considered in that context.
The Department of Health and Social Care does not have the power to set or recommend the fees charged by care homes. However, all businesses must comply with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 by using fair and transparent terms in their standard agreements with customers.
This emphasis on transparency is also reflected in Regulation 19 of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009, which requires providers to give people who use services timely and accurate written information about the cost of their care and treatment.
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, whether his Department is taking steps to protect self-funders from care home fee increases that exceed inflation.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
Tax policy, including changes to National Insurance contributions, is a matter for HM Treasury and assessments of the wider economic impacts are considered in that context.
The Department of Health and Social Care does not have the power to set or recommend the fees charged by care homes. However, all businesses must comply with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 by using fair and transparent terms in their standard agreements with customers.
This emphasis on transparency is also reflected in Regulation 19 of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009, which requires providers to give people who use services timely and accurate written information about the cost of their care and treatment.
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 his policy is on the professional indemnity arrangements for GPs and hospital consultants in cases arising from Advice and Guidance interactions under the 2026/27 GP contract regulations.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
General practitioners (GPs), and other primary care referrers, remain professionally accountable for making appropriate clinical decisions, including referring patients to specialist care when it is in the patient’s best interests. The use of specialist advice requests does not override those responsibilities or place GPs in conflict between contractual and professional obligations. NHS England continues to support clinicians through guidance, pathway design, and local governance arrangements to ensure these arrangements are used safely, proportionately, and in a way that preserves clear clinical accountability.
While advice is being sought or acted on in primary care, the GP remains responsible for the patient’s overall clinical care and risk. The specialist is responsible for the quality and appropriateness of the advice they give, not for ongoing management or follow‑up unless they formally assume responsibility for the patient’s care. Specialists also have clinical responsibility from the point at which a specialist advice request is converted into a referral or if the specialist initiates investigations or treatment directly.
Under this model, requests for specialist advice and referrals are clinically reviewed by a named consultant, with the aim of ensuring patients are directed to the most suitable pathway. Where a local model is already established, or has been agreed between primary and secondary care, that provides timely specialist clinical assessment with clear accountability, this may continue with oversight from a named consultant.
The contract does not change the clinical threshold for referral to specialist care. GPs should continue to make a clinical decision to refer for specialist care where that is in the patient’s best interests, and to request specialist advice where it is needed. GPs retain responsibility for referral decisions, and this model supports, and does not replace, clinical judgement.
This reflects longstanding planned care referral practice and does not alter existing legal or professional accountability frameworks for GPs.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether ministers or officials had reached agreement on core policy positions relating to (a) Individual Support Plans, (b) Education, Health and Care Plan reform, (c) National Inclusion Standards and (d) Specialist Provision Packages prior to the conclusion of analysis of consultation responses.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government's consultation on 'SEND reform: putting children and young people first’ has now closed. During the consultation period, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education was clear that we were consulting across the full set of proposals.
We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses submitted to the consultation and continuing to engage widely on our proposals. To ensure these reforms work in practice, we are committed to co-designing them with children, families and professionals, and testing and refining our proposals collaboratively. The Ministerial team and I will continue holding regular meetings with campaigners and disabled children’s organisations to hear a range of views and perspectives on the proposed reforms.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether draft legislation, implementation frameworks or operational delivery models for the proposed SEND reforms had been prepared before the consultation on those reforms closed on 18 May 2026.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government's consultation on 'SEND reform: putting children and young people first’ has now closed. During the consultation period, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education was clear that we were consulting across the full set of proposals.
We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses submitted to the consultation and continuing to engage widely on our proposals. To ensure these reforms work in practice, we are committed to co-designing them with children, families and professionals, and testing and refining our proposals collaboratively. The Ministerial team and I will continue holding regular meetings with campaigners and disabled children’s organisations to hear a range of views and perspectives on the proposed reforms.