Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Hungarian counterparts on the potential prosecution of Pecs Pride organiser Géza Buzás-Hábel.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 24 July 2025 to question 68978. I can assure him that we raise issues concerning LGBT+ rights and human rights regularly at ministerial and official level with our Hungarian counterparts, and I have done so directly. Our Embassy in Budapest also works to support human rights, including LGBT+ rights in Hungary through engagement with civil society organisations locally.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Hungarian counterparts on LGBTQ+ human rights.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 24 July 2025 to question 68978. I can assure him that we raise issues concerning LGBT+ rights and human rights regularly at ministerial and official level with our Hungarian counterparts, and I have done so directly. Our Embassy in Budapest also works to support human rights, including LGBT+ rights in Hungary through engagement with civil society organisations locally.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how will his Department ensure Integrated Care Boards are held accountable for homelessness health outcomes, including hospital discharge into safe accommodation and access to primary care.

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

People experiencing homelessness are considered as an inclusion health group. Inclusion health groups are a key cohort within the locally identified priority ‘PLUS’ populations in NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 framework, in accordance with which, integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for reducing inequalities in health outcomes and improving equitable access to healthcare treatments and services. Further information on NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 framework is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/equality/equality-hub/national-healthcare-inequalities-improvement-programme/core20plus5/

NHS England also published A national framework for NHS – action on inclusion health, which supports ICBs to plan, develop, and improve health services to meet the needs of people in inclusion health groups. This framework is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/a-national-framework-for-nhs-action-on-inclusion-health/

Additionally, NICE guideline 214 on Integrated health and social care for people experiencing homelessness supports ICBs to improve homelessness health outcomes, and we continue to explore ways to encourage ICBs to adopt and embed this advice in their commissioning processes. Further information on this advice is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng214

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, and which is avaiable at the following link:

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

The Government will work with the National Health Service and local authorities to improve the implementation of the 2024 guidance Discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, and the effective use of existing funding streams to support intermediate care services tailored to the needs of people experiencing homelessness. The guidance Discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness 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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will his Department bring forward a dedicated homelessness health strategy.

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

The Government’s commitments to improving health outcomes and access to healthcare services for people experiencing homelessness are set out in the cross-Government strategy, A National Plan to End Homelessness, published in December 2025, available at the following link:

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

We are committed to its ambition that no one should leave a public institution into homelessness. In health, this means ensuring that no one eligible for homelessness assistance is discharged to the street after a hospital stay by embedding best practice across National Health Service and local systems and working jointly with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on a delivery plan. We are also committing to wider measures in the strategy to tackle health inequalities, including improving access to mental health and substance misuse services, and updating statutory guidance to strengthen safeguarding responsibilities for people experiencing homelessness.

For this reason, we currently do not have plans to introduce a dedicated homelessness health strategy.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department recognises the challenges of visually-impaired people in using bus stop bypasses; and whether she is developing safe, accessible designs for these bus stops.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department wrote to local authorities in November 2025 and instructed them to pause implementation of certain designs of floating bus stops, including schemes which are at the design stage. Guidance will be published shortly.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help improve the design of buses to include (a) clear and accessible destination boards; (b) consistent (i) placement, (ii) shape and (iii) colour contrast of card and travel pass readers; and (c) a consistent, clear, highlighted gap in the assault shield to make payments.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government wants blind and partially sighted people to be able to travel easily, confidently, and with dignity and we understand the importance of accessible bus services in supporting people to live their lives the way they want to. As part of our broader mission to break down barriers to opportunity, we recognise that more needs to be done to ensure transport is accessible to all.

Our Bus Services Act 2025 includes a comprehensive package of measures to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of local transport. Through the Act, we are helping authorities to provide safer and more accessible bus stations and stops and mandating more streamlined disability training for bus drivers and frontline staff. In addition, we are requiring local authorities to regularly review the accessibility of their bus networks through the development and publishing of a Bus Network Accessibility Plan.

We are also continuing the implementation of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations (AIR), which will require audible and visible destination and next stop information on board most local bus services in Great Britain by October 2026.

Working with disabled people, operators, and regulators, we are designing an Accessible Travel Charter. This will set clear expectations for transport providers to implement accessibility best practice and commitments for accessible, barrier-free transport, that every passenger-focused operator should meet.

We cannot achieve this alone however, and I welcome the industry’s leadership in improving accessibility beyond minimum standards. For instance, in 2024 bitesize training modules were published by the Thomas Pocklington Trust and its visually impaired Sight Loss Council volunteers, developed collaboratively with Brighton and Hove Buses and Bus Users UK, to strengthen drivers’ understanding of the needs of blind and partially sighted bus passengers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how her Department is improving training to ensure bus drivers understand how best to support blind and partially sighted passengers.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government wants blind and partially sighted people to be able to travel easily, confidently, and with dignity and we understand the importance of accessible bus services in supporting people to live their lives the way they want to. As part of our broader mission to break down barriers to opportunity, we recognise that more needs to be done to ensure transport is accessible to all.

Our Bus Services Act 2025 includes a comprehensive package of measures to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of local transport. Through the Act, we are helping authorities to provide safer and more accessible bus stations and stops and mandating more streamlined disability training for bus drivers and frontline staff. In addition, we are requiring local authorities to regularly review the accessibility of their bus networks through the development and publishing of a Bus Network Accessibility Plan.

We are also continuing the implementation of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations (AIR), which will require audible and visible destination and next stop information on board most local bus services in Great Britain by October 2026.

Working with disabled people, operators, and regulators, we are designing an Accessible Travel Charter. This will set clear expectations for transport providers to implement accessibility best practice and commitments for accessible, barrier-free transport, that every passenger-focused operator should meet.

We cannot achieve this alone however, and I welcome the industry’s leadership in improving accessibility beyond minimum standards. For instance, in 2024 bitesize training modules were published by the Thomas Pocklington Trust and its visually impaired Sight Loss Council volunteers, developed collaboratively with Brighton and Hove Buses and Bus Users UK, to strengthen drivers’ understanding of the needs of blind and partially sighted bus passengers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support and encourage local authorities to make buses more accessible, including ensuring pavement quality, fewer obstacles, better lighting at bus stops, and improved Passenger Information Displays (PIDs).

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is committed to improving passenger services, including associated infrastructure, so they are more inclusive and enable everyone to travel safely, confidently and with dignity.

Our Bus Services Act 2025 includes a range of measures to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of local transport. This includes a measure which will enable the Secretary of State for Transport to publish statutory guidance on inclusive bus stations and stops, and to require specified public sector bodies to pay regard to it when they provide new or upgrade existing facilities. The guidance will help authorities to provide infrastructure that people can and want to use, helping to ensure that they are not prevented from using bus services because of inadequate safety or accessibility. Its scope and content, including the specific bus stop features covered, will be developed collaboratively with key stakeholder groups, including disabled people.

The Government has confirmed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant totalling nearly £700 million per year. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services can be used in whichever way they wish to deliver better services for passengers, including delivering improvements to the accessibility of bus stops and stations.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has investigated the potential for a national rollout of a tactile paving design to allow bus stops to be easily identified.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department recognises the importance of visually impaired people being able to identify bus stops confidently and consistently. The new powers in the Buses Bill allow the Secretary of State to provide guidance on a broad range of features in the bus station and stop environment which support passengers to make safe and accessible journeys.

The Department has no current plans for a national rollout of a tactile paving design for bus stops. The Department has already published guidance for local authorities on tactile paving design in Guidance on the Use of Tactile Paving Surfaces, which is available to view here:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-mobility-using-tactile-paving-surfaces

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will review the Mental Health Act 1983 to ensure people with co-occurring mental health and substance misuse needs are not excluded from treatment.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Mental Health Act 2025 will give patients greater choice, enhanced rights and support, and ensure everyone is treated with dignity and respect throughout treatment.

We know that people with co-occurring substance use and mental health needs do not always receive the integrated, person-centred care they require and deserve. We are committed to promoting more cohesion between mental health services and substance use services, to ensure people, included those subject to the Mental Health Act, no longer fall through the gaps of treatment. The Department and NHS England have published the Co-occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Delivery framework, which provides national commitments and calls to the sector on how the health system can improve delivery of integrated, person-centred care across drug and alcohol treatment and mental health services.

In developing this plan, we have worked with subject matter experts, including people with lived experience, academics, clinicians, and service providers, to set out a path to improving service provision for those with co-occurring substance use and mental health needs. This standard provides guidance for drug and alcohol treatment commissioners on improving services for people with co-occurring mental health and alcohol or drug conditions and how local services need to work together so that people can access the help they need.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what targets does the Department have for resolving housing arrears under Universal Credit, and how are these monitored.

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

Rent is a contractual arrangement between tenant and landlord. DWP is not party to this arrangement and does not monitor whether the contractual liability is being honoured. If a customer is vulnerable or in arrears we can, if it is deemed to be in their interest, arrange for payment to be made direct to the landlord and for an amount to be sent towards arrears. There are no Departmental targets with respect to the amount of arrears outstanding.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what action is being taken to simplify Universal Credit housing cost processes for vulnerable claimants and reduce waiting times.

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

Processes for declaring and verifying Universal Credit housing cost are designed to be simple and ensure timely and accurate payments. For Private Rented Sector (PRS) claimants, we ask for evidence of housing cost liability via secure upload, with alternatives for those claimants who can’t, or choose not to, verify in this way.

For the vast majority of Social Rented Sector (SRS) cases (around 95%), we verify housing costs through the landlord portal, which provides a direct response within a few days. For the small proportion of SRS cases not covered by the portal, verification is completed via email, which can take a little longer.

We are not aware of any significant problems with these processes at present. Payment timeliness has remained stable since the introduction of the landlord portal in 2017–19. We continuously evaluate the service and, where concerns are identified, we look to change or improve the way we deliver the service. This approach is intended to keep processes as simple and efficient as possible for all claimants, including those who are vulnerable.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to expand the use of direct payments to landlords for vulnerable tenants to prevent evictions and sustain tenancies.

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

Alternative Payment Arrangements are available to support those who cannot manage the Universal Credit (UC) single monthly payment, and where there is a risk of financial harm to the customer or their family. This includes direct payments to landlord for customers who have significant budgeting difficulties or rent arrears.

Direct payment requests are considered on a case-by-case basis and can be considered at the start or at any point during the UC claim to support the tenancy for the home the customer currently lives in. The need may be identified in the Service Centre, Jobcentre or requested by the claimant, their appointee, caseworker or landlord advising of a vulnerability, rent arrears or risk of eviction.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps are being taken to ensure prison leavers have housing and health plans in place before release.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We are committed to ensuring that robust pre-release plans are created for those leaving custody, so that accommodation and health needs are identified early and the right support is put in place. Dedicated Pre-Release Teams in prisons work closely with individuals to identify immediate needs, coordinate referrals to relevant services, and support continuity between custody and the community.

To support continuity of care and swift access to treatment on release, we have recruited over 67 Health and Justice Partnership Coordinators who strengthen drug and alcohol recovery pathways by building partnerships between prison, probation and treatment providers and we are enabling virtual pre-release appointments with community treatment providers via secure laptops. The Probation Notification Actioning Project, now in place across all prisons, standardises how probation staff are informed of ongoing drug and alcohol treatment needs. NHS England’s RECONNECT service also supports prison leavers with identified health needs, to engage with the right health services in the community. Services work with people up to 12 weeks before release, and 6 months post-release.

In the National Plan to End Homelessness, the Government has committed to reduce the proportion of people released from prison homeless by 50% by the end of this parliament. 50 prison-based Strategic Housing Specialists across England and Wales work with probation teams and Local Authorities to enable a multi-agency approach to securing housing before release. We are also investing in integrating digital community accommodation services to make it easier to identify and match individuals to the right housing-related support at the right time.

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 deliver training in health play principles to multi-disciplinary teams as sought in NHS England's Play Well toolkit published in June 2025.

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

The Department recognises the importance of supporting and maintaining children’s right to play in healthcare settings.

The NHS England and Starlight Play Well Toolkit, published in June 2025, includes the first national guidelines and standards for commissioning and delivering health play services in England. It aims to improve access to child-friendly care and specialised health play services across paediatric healthcare.

NHS England is promoting the toolkit to managers of health play services across a wide range of settings, including community clinics, emergency departments, children’s hospices, and acute paediatric wards. The toolkit provides clear guidance on supporting practical training and mentorship in healthcare settings.

The Play Well toolkit sets out what employers should consider when developing a standard operating procedure for a play team, and this includes training for staff who may encounter children in the course of their work. It is for services to determine what is required and to ensure their teams receive relevant training.

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 digitise the Play Well checklist, as published in NHS England's Play Well toolkit in June 2025, to enable data-based quality improvement, monitoring, evaluation and mapping of provision.

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

The Department recognises the importance of supporting and maintaining children’s right to play in healthcare settings.

In June 2025, a number of Operational Delivery Networks came together to digitise the play well checklist, which is available to colleagues across the National Health Service to utilise within their services. The availability of this digital version of the checklist has been included in the content of the webinar and subsequent meetings where the Play Well toolkit is shared. It is also available on the Starlight website.