Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
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 considered the potential merits of requiring (a) letting agents and (b) landlords to provide a reason to rental housing applicants for applications being unsuccessful to ensure compliance with the (i) Equality Act 2010 and (ii) Renters Rights Act 2025.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 extends existing protections against discrimination in the lettings process under the Equality Act 2010 to those in receipt of benefits or with children
The Act also provides local authorities with strong investigatory and enforcement powers to bear down on rental discrimination practices in the private rented sector. It addresses both overt discriminatory practices, such as ‘No DSS’ adverts, and situations where landlords or letting agents use other indirect practices in order to prevent someone entering into a tenancy.
My Department also encourages good practice across property agents. The Property Ombudsman already has a code of practice for letting agents which is mandatory for its members; and we will publish, later this year, a non-statutory code of practice setting out minimum best practice standards, and consider legislation to ensure compliance.
Our new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman, once established, will be able to publish guidance and codes of practice for landlords, which will further help to drive up standards across this sector.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate has been made of the number of Nursing and Midwifery Council cases in the High Court that resulted in the original decision being overturned in the past (a) 12 and (b) 24 months.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The information requested is not held centrally as the case management system does not record whether a Nursing and Midwifery Council case resulted in the original decision being overturned.
Determining the number of such cases over the last 12 or 24 months would require a manual review of individual case files and court orders across a substantial number of cases. This information could therefore be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to help improve (a) recognition (b) early intervention and (c) access to treatment for patients who experience Postpartum haemorrhage.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
While data is not available for Slough alone, in 2025, there were 280 reported cases of postpartum haemorrhage of 1,500 millilitres or more at the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, which serves patients in Slough and the wider area.
Annual trust data on reported postpartum haemorrhages of 1,500 millilitres or more between 2022 and 2025 is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/dashboards/maternity-and-neonatal-equalities-dashboard
The reported data may not represent all postpartum haemorrhages of 1,500 millilitres or more due to variations in data quality between trusts and over time. Monthly data back to April 2019, including more detailed information on data quality, is available at the following link:
To tackle leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity, we have launched a Maternal Care Bundle to set clear standards across all services, focused on the main causes of maternal death and harm. It will codify best practice already in use and support more consistent care, and we expect it to help reduce deaths and serious harm, especially among higher-risk groups, as well as reduce inequalities in maternal mortality.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many instances of postpartum haemorrhage occurred in Slough constituency in each of the last five years.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
While data is not available for Slough alone, in 2025, there were 280 reported cases of postpartum haemorrhage of 1,500 millilitres or more at the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, which serves patients in Slough and the wider area.
Annual trust data on reported postpartum haemorrhages of 1,500 millilitres or more between 2022 and 2025 is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/dashboards/maternity-and-neonatal-equalities-dashboard
The reported data may not represent all postpartum haemorrhages of 1,500 millilitres or more due to variations in data quality between trusts and over time. Monthly data back to April 2019, including more detailed information on data quality, is available at the following link:
To tackle leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity, we have launched a Maternal Care Bundle to set clear standards across all services, focused on the main causes of maternal death and harm. It will codify best practice already in use and support more consistent care, and we expect it to help reduce deaths and serious harm, especially among higher-risk groups, as well as reduce inequalities in maternal mortality.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of the Care Quality Commission's enforcement powers to ensure patient safety.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England, with a range of enforcement powers. The Department holds the CQC to account regularly for its overall performance and delivery of its regulatory functions.
Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the CQC has civil and criminal enforcement powers enabling it to protect the public and hold registered providers and managers to account where fundamental standards are not met, or regulated activities are provided without CQC registration. Civil powers focus on reducing risks to people using services, while criminal powers enable the CQC to take action in response to serious failures. In some cases, the CQC may use both types of enforcement action.
Decisions on enforcement action are a matter for the CQC, exercised in line with its statutory remit and published enforcement policy.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps have been taken to reduce waiting times for ADHD assessments in the constituency of Slough.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
We recognise that, nationally, demand for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays in accessing such services.
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to ADHD assessment services. The Medium-Term Planning Framework, published 24 October 2025, was explicit that ICBs and providers are expected to optimise existing resources to reduce long waits for ADHD assessments and improve the quality of assessments by implementing existing and new guidance, as published.
The Thames Valley ICB and the Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have undertaken work to improve ADHD services in Slough and East Berkshire. This includes redesigning referral and triage pathways, increasing assessment capacity through additional commissioned providers, introducing digital support and self-management tools, and improving the information and support available to families. A wider transformation programme is also underway across Thames Valley to improve the consistency and quality of assessment pathways, provide support before, during, and after assessment, and strengthen collaboration between health, education, local authorities, and voluntary organisations. The programme aims to reduce waiting times, improve patient experience, and ensure people can access support based on need, rather than diagnosis alone.
The Government announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. The final report, due in the summer, will inform our new approach, so people receive the right support, at the right time and in the right place. The review’s interim report, published at the end of March, sets out the evidence reviewed so far on prevalence, describes the impact of rising demand for diagnosis and support, identifies where the evidence is uncertain, and outlines the key questions for the next phase.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to support the police in promptly investigating arson offences.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The investigation of individual offences is an operational matter for police forces and they work alongside fire and rescue services and other partners to deter, investigate and tackle arson. The Government will establish new Local Policing Guarantees that set out the minimum levels of service the public should expect to receive from their police force wherever in England and Wales they live. These will include how the police will rapidly and effectively respond when the public need them.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps have been taken to ensure the safety of (a) NHS staff and (b) patients within NHS services in Slough constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Everyone working in the National Health Service has a fundamental right to be safe at work. Individual employers are responsible for the health and safety of their staff, and they put in place measures, including security, training, and emotional support, for staff affected by violence.
In April 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced that the Social Partnership Forum’s recommendations on tackling and reducing violence, part of the 2023 Agenda for Change pay deal, had been accepted in full. This includes measures to improve data and reporting, strengthen risk assessment, and improve training and support for victims. These have been bolstered by the introduction of a new set of staff standards, including one that focuses specifically on tackling violence, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.
The Government is prioritising patient safety and a learning culture in the NHS. The changes we are making as part of the 10-Year Health Plan and Dr Penny Dash’s report on the patient safety landscape will improve quality and safety by clarifying where responsibility and accountability sit at all levels of the system. We also plan to develop a new, updated NHS Patient Safety Strategy later in 2026 to continue our focus on improving patient safety.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department has plans to publish guidance on the issuing of naloxone to those leaving prison with a history of opioid use.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Department has published clinical guidance on drug misuse and dependence which includes a section on the criminal justice system and stresses that take-home naloxone for previously heroin-dependent prisoners is important as they leave prison and enter a very high-risk period. The guidance advises that commissioners should agree with prison health and community providers on how best to facilitate support for naloxone provision on release.
On release from prison, NHS Substance Misuse teams in custody settings provide patients at risk of an opioid overdose who have given their consent with take home naloxone kits and training on how to use them.
The Government has amended the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to expand access to naloxone by enabling more services and professionals to supply naloxone without needing a prescription. The Department published guidance on the GOV.UK website in 2025 setting out essential practical information such as who can supply naloxone, the products available, how to use naloxone, and other basic lifesaving tools, and the training required.
In addition to the changes made in 2024, we published a United Kingdom wide public consultation which closed on 9 March, to seek views on further legislative options to expand access to take-home and emergency use naloxone. We are analysing the responses to this consultation, and we will be setting out the next steps soon.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with the flexible workspace sector on (a) changes to the Valuation Office classification of serviced offices and (b) the potential impact of these changes on small businesses.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
Both HM Treasury Ministers and officials continue to engage closely with the flexible workspace sector.
The Valuation Office (VO) is responsible for valuing non-domestic property for business rates purposes. They are required to maintain accurate rating lists in England and to carry out valuations impartially and in line with relevant legislation and caselaw.
At this time, there is no sector-wide review of serviced office assessments underway. The VO is addressing properties where they have received legal advice, or where unit of assessment issues are brought to its attention.
Where the VO is required to determine the unit of assessment, it does so on a case-by-case basis, with all facts being considered. Reviewing a small number of cases will help clarify the application of legislation on serviced offices and the VO will continue to monitor legal developments and update its approach as needed.