Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the enforcement powers available to county council Trading Standards services on tackling the sale of illegal tobacco and vaping products on the high street.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer the hon member to the answer on 27 October 2025 to UIN 84365 Electronic Cigarettes and Tobacco: Smuggling.
Operation CeCe is a joint UK-wide initiative between HMRC and Trading Standards to target the illicit tobacco trade. Since it began in January 2021, the operation has removed more than 74 million illicit cigarettes, 19,750kg of hand-rolling tobacco and almost 175kg of shisha products from sale [1].
In 2023 new sanctions were introduced to support the work that Trading Standards do at retail level. They allow Trading Standards to make a referral into HMRC in relation to their tobacco seizures. HMRC can then then investigate and issue civil sanctions, including penalties of up to £10,000.
At Budget 2025, the Government set out its plans to tackle rogue retailers who breach tobacco and vape regulations, by taking the power in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to introduce a licensing scheme for retailers to sell tobacco and vape products. This will strengthen enforcement and support legitimate businesses. The government is also legislating to introduce the Vaping Duty Stamps scheme from 1 October 2026, which requires all vaping products manufactured or imported into the UK to have a duty stamp on packaging so illicit products are immediately identifiable.
[1] Over £1.4 million in penalties issued as crackdown on illegal tobacco accelerates
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the building of a tram or light rail system in Derby.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Local transport, including light rail, is largely devolved. It is for local transport authorities to determine whether a light rail or tram scheme represents an appropriate intervention to address any local mass transit challenge or opportunity.
The Chancellor announced the £15.6 billion Transport for City Regions (TCR) settlements for 9 eligible mayoral strategic authorities on 4 June 2025. As part of this announcement East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), which includes Derby, was allocated £2 billion in local transport funding through to 2031/32. This investment aims to drive economic growth and improve access to opportunities in the region. While the Government sets the overarching objectives for the programme, TCR is devolved and Mayors have discretion over how to allocate these funds to meet local transport priorities, including mass transit.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding has been allocated to mental health services to support people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programme funds drug and alcohol treatment and wraparound support for people sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough. It aims to improve access to treatment, including for those with co-occurring mental health needs. For 2025/26, the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programme has provided £419,394 to East Sussex County Council. From 2026/27 to 2028/29, we have committed £185 million to the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programme overall and East Sussex will continue to receive funding.
As set out in A National Plan to End Homelessness, we recognise the need for specialist mental health support for individuals who are, or are at risk of becoming, homeless. The NHS England Mental Health Rough Sleeping programme is supporting better access to specialist homelessness mental health support. Across the country, 37 multi-agency teams have developed services that have significantly reduced mental health crisis admissions to emergency departments as well as the length of stay in hospital.
The independent evaluation of the NHS England Mental Health Rough Sleeping Programme will be published shortly and we will engage with local system leaders to share the full findings. It is the responsibility of local systems to commission mental health services for their population based on their assessment of local need.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding has been allocated to addiction support services to support people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programme funds drug and alcohol treatment and wraparound support for people sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough. It aims to improve access to treatment, including for those with co-occurring mental health needs. For 2025/26, the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programme has provided £419,394 to East Sussex County Council. From 2026/27 to 2028/29, we have committed £185 million to the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programme overall and East Sussex will continue to receive funding.
As set out in A National Plan to End Homelessness, we recognise the need for specialist mental health support for individuals who are, or are at risk of becoming, homeless. The NHS England Mental Health Rough Sleeping programme is supporting better access to specialist homelessness mental health support. Across the country, 37 multi-agency teams have developed services that have significantly reduced mental health crisis admissions to emergency departments as well as the length of stay in hospital.
The independent evaluation of the NHS England Mental Health Rough Sleeping Programme will be published shortly and we will engage with local system leaders to share the full findings. It is the responsibility of local systems to commission mental health services for their population based on their assessment of local need.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his letter to council leaders whose elections he is seeking to postpone published on 22 January 2026, what assessment he has made of the administrative impact on councils of running town and parish elections while district or county-level authority elections are postponed.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Where a decision has been made to postpone local elections in an area, parish and town council elections will still be proceeding as planned, given they are outside of local government reorganisation.
Councils will deliver the elections they are required to and the costs of town and parish council elections can be passed on to those town and parish councils.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his Department's press release entitled Councils granted flexibility to finish reorganisation published on 22 January 2026, whether his Department sought any further information from (a) Basildon, (b) Thurrock, and (c) any other councils requesting election postponements.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Secretary of State’s statement on 22 January 2026. Many councils gave the view that their elections should go ahead, and many asked us to consider postponing. Some councils did not seek postponement, and two did not provide sufficient evidence to support a postponement decision. Prior to reaching his decisions, the Secretary of State wrote to the leaders of Essex County Council, Norfolk County Council, Oxford City Council and Southampton City Council in relation to their position on 2026 local elections. These letters are published on gov.uk.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his Department's press release entitled Councils granted flexibility to finish reorganisation published on 22 January 2026, how many councils had a request for postponing elections denied.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Secretary of State’s statement on 22 January 2026. Many councils gave the view that their elections should go ahead, and many asked us to consider postponing. Some councils did not seek postponement, and two did not provide sufficient evidence to support a postponement decision. Prior to reaching his decisions, the Secretary of State wrote to the leaders of Essex County Council, Norfolk County Council, Oxford City Council and Southampton City Council in relation to their position on 2026 local elections. These letters are published on gov.uk.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Lancashire County Council and district councils in Fylde and Wyre on the design and delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) will deliver turn up and go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York. The economic rationale for NPR is to enable these areas to function as a single high productivity growth corridor. The Government has worked closely with local leaders in these areas and will continue to do so in taking the design and delivery of NPR forward.
The Government will still consider future rail improvement schemes more widely for areas such as Lancashire, for example through the future rail network enhancement programme, and it will engage with local leaders and Members on their priorities in the normal way.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his Department's press release entitled Councils granted flexibility to finish reorganisation published on 22 January 2026, whether he has had discussions on the postponement of Basildon's 2027 local elections.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As per the Secretary of State’s statement on 22 January, the necessary legislation will be laid shortly to postpone a minority of local elections in 2026, including Thurrock Council.
The Department has had a range of discussions with councils across the country in recent weeks about local government reorganisation and elections, including with Basildon Council and Essex County Council.
In relation to local elections in 2027, we anticipate that in Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock these will be for any new unitary authorities that are announced following the recent statutory consultation. Once a decision is taken on which final proposal for unitary local government, if any, is to be implemented, we will bring forward a Structural Changes Order as soon as possible to give councils certainty. Officials in my Department, alongside the Electoral Commission and other sector bodies, support Returning Officers with some aspects of election preparation to ensure they are progressing effectively.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of Thurrock Council's request to postpone the 2026 local elections following the cancellation of the 2025 local elections.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As per the Secretary of State’s statement on 22 January, the necessary legislation will be laid shortly to postpone a minority of local elections in 2026, including Thurrock Council.
The Department has had a range of discussions with councils across the country in recent weeks about local government reorganisation and elections, including with Basildon Council and Essex County Council.
In relation to local elections in 2027, we anticipate that in Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock these will be for any new unitary authorities that are announced following the recent statutory consultation. Once a decision is taken on which final proposal for unitary local government, if any, is to be implemented, we will bring forward a Structural Changes Order as soon as possible to give councils certainty. Officials in my Department, alongside the Electoral Commission and other sector bodies, support Returning Officers with some aspects of election preparation to ensure they are progressing effectively.