Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the items of primary and secondary legislation that have passed through Parliament to implement the Northern Ireland Protocol and the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Windsor Framework is implemented in domestic law through a variety of legislative instruments, encompassing both bespoke instruments and provisions integrated into broader legislation. Any compilation of laws would not accurately reflect this fact.
Legislation relevant to the Windsor Framework and the UK’s exit from the European Union can be found on the "legislation.gov.uk" website. The Government will continue to take forward any legislation required in future to give effect to any of our international obligations, in line with usual parliamentary procedure.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what primary and secondary legislation is required in the future to implement the Northern Ireland Protocol and the Windsor Framework fully.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Windsor Framework is implemented in domestic law through a variety of legislative instruments, encompassing both bespoke instruments and provisions integrated into broader legislation. Any compilation of laws would not accurately reflect this fact.
Legislation relevant to the Windsor Framework and the UK’s exit from the European Union can be found on the "legislation.gov.uk" website. The Government will continue to take forward any legislation required in future to give effect to any of our international obligations, in line with usual parliamentary procedure.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS health messaging is accessible among diverse ethnic communities in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department takes the challenge of health misinformation seriously and recognises its potential impact on public health outcomes. We focus on delivering consistent, clinically assured messaging that builds public trust and confidence, positioning the Department and the National Health Service as reliable sources of information. We also work closely with a wide range of community media, organisations, clinical experts, and influential voices to ensure messaging is accessible to diverse ethnic communities.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he made of the adequacy of NHS provision for young people with (a) complex comorbidities, (b) Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, (c) epilepsy, (d) autism and (e) juvenile systemic lupus.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local populations. It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users, and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that meet patients’ needs.
Supporting children and young people as they transition into adulthood, especially those with long-term or complex conditions, including those with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), is a priority for the Government, and we are committed to ensuring that children receive the appropriate care and support whenever they need it.
Our 10-Year Health Plan for England commits to establishing a new radical approach through neighbourhood health services, shifting from sickness to prevention and ensuring that support for children’s health and development is locally accessible. It ensures the support for children and young people as they navigate the National Health Service, and ensures that they feel confident in managing their own health and care from age 16 years old, where appropriate. This will include supporting young people, including those with EDS, as they move from child to adolescent and adult services, ensuring that care is developmentally appropriate throughout.
In addition, a national transition framework is currently awaiting publication. This is to help local areas set up this model or to strengthen an existing one, and the principles of age- appropriate services set out in this document apply to both young people receiving care for the first time and those already on a transition pathway. While the framework focuses on broad principles of transition, future work will focus on specific considerations and conditions.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of transition support for young people with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome who are moving from paediatric to adult NHS services.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local populations. It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users, and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that meet patients’ needs.
Supporting children and young people as they transition into adulthood, especially those with long-term or complex conditions, including those with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), is a priority for the Government, and we are committed to ensuring that children receive the appropriate care and support whenever they need it.
Our 10-Year Health Plan for England commits to establishing a new radical approach through neighbourhood health services, shifting from sickness to prevention and ensuring that support for children’s health and development is locally accessible. It ensures the support for children and young people as they navigate the National Health Service, and ensures that they feel confident in managing their own health and care from age 16 years old, where appropriate. This will include supporting young people, including those with EDS, as they move from child to adolescent and adult services, ensuring that care is developmentally appropriate throughout.
In addition, a national transition framework is currently awaiting publication. This is to help local areas set up this model or to strengthen an existing one, and the principles of age- appropriate services set out in this document apply to both young people receiving care for the first time and those already on a transition pathway. While the framework focuses on broad principles of transition, future work will focus on specific considerations and conditions.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the freeze on local housing allowance on levels of homelessness in Wales.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and often complex; they interact dynamically making it very difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors. Responsibility for housing and homelessness is devolved to the Welsh Government, while social security is reserved to the UK Government.
In April 2024, Local Housing Allowance (LHA) was increased to the 30th percentile of local market rents, including across Wales, costing an additional £1.2bn in 2024/25 and approximately £7bn over 5 years.
The Secretary of State reviews LHA rates annually in the Autumn, this includes consideration of latest rental data, stakeholder evidence from organisations across GB, including in Wales, homelessness levels and the current challenging fiscal environment. Future funding decisions will be taken in the context of Government priorities.
For those who need further support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to develop a modern services framework for (a) arthritis and (b) musculorskeletal disease.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Independent Monitoring Board's report entitled Annual report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP/YOI Downview, published on 3 September 2025, what steps he is taking to safeguard biological female prisoners where biological male prisoners are not subject to constant sight and sound supervision by a dedicated prison officer on a one to one basis during shared activities at (a) HMP/YOI Downview and (b) other prisons and (c) other young offenders institutions; and what guidance he intends to issue on this matter.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Prisoners on E Wing are held separately from other prisoners at HMP & YOI Downview. They may only access the regime of the wider prison if risk assessed as being safe to do so, and under the supervision of prison staff.
Transgender prisoners at all prisons are subject to local risk management arrangements. These are determined by the establishment and take into account risks that may be posed by the prisoner and risks they may face from other prisoners. Since policy was strengthened in 2019, there have been no sexual assaults committed by transgender women in women’s prisons.
With regard to the changes to supervision noted in the Independent Monitoring Board’s Annual Report: E wing prisoners continue to be subject to supervision at all times. Following individual risk assessments carried out by the prison, it was determined that additional prison officer supervision was not necessary to manage risk in each case.
In contrast with the adult estate, the Children and Young People Estate includes mixed gender settings. Placement decisions are based on the young person’s identified needs and the risks they may present to themselves and others at the time of placement. Young people who have been identified as transgender will normally be placed in a mixed gender setting, where staff are skilled at safeguarding and supervising boys and girls in the same establishment. If a transgender young person identifying as a girl were assessed as being too high risk for management in a mixed gender setting, that young person would be placed in a male-only part of the estate, where their transgender needs would be supported. A transgender young person identifying as a boy would only be placed in a mixed gender site, not in a male-only establishment.
A review of transgender prisoner policy in the light of the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd vs. The Scottish Ministers is in progress.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many sexual assaults of female prisoners by biological male prisoners have taken place in HMP Downview in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Prisoners on E Wing are held separately from other prisoners at HMP & YOI Downview. They may only access the regime of the wider prison if risk assessed as being safe to do so, and under the supervision of prison staff.
Transgender prisoners at all prisons are subject to local risk management arrangements. These are determined by the establishment and take into account risks that may be posed by the prisoner and risks they may face from other prisoners. Since policy was strengthened in 2019, there have been no sexual assaults committed by transgender women in women’s prisons.
With regard to the changes to supervision noted in the Independent Monitoring Board’s Annual Report: E wing prisoners continue to be subject to supervision at all times. Following individual risk assessments carried out by the prison, it was determined that additional prison officer supervision was not necessary to manage risk in each case.
In contrast with the adult estate, the Children and Young People Estate includes mixed gender settings. Placement decisions are based on the young person’s identified needs and the risks they may present to themselves and others at the time of placement. Young people who have been identified as transgender will normally be placed in a mixed gender setting, where staff are skilled at safeguarding and supervising boys and girls in the same establishment. If a transgender young person identifying as a girl were assessed as being too high risk for management in a mixed gender setting, that young person would be placed in a male-only part of the estate, where their transgender needs would be supported. A transgender young person identifying as a boy would only be placed in a mixed gender site, not in a male-only establishment.
A review of transgender prisoner policy in the light of the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd vs. The Scottish Ministers is in progress.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on whether any female prisoners held at HMP Downview have been sexually assaulted by biological male prisoners.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Prisoners on E Wing are held separately from other prisoners at HMP & YOI Downview. They may only access the regime of the wider prison if risk assessed as being safe to do so, and under the supervision of prison staff.
Transgender prisoners at all prisons are subject to local risk management arrangements. These are determined by the establishment and take into account risks that may be posed by the prisoner and risks they may face from other prisoners. Since policy was strengthened in 2019, there have been no sexual assaults committed by transgender women in women’s prisons.
With regard to the changes to supervision noted in the Independent Monitoring Board’s Annual Report: E wing prisoners continue to be subject to supervision at all times. Following individual risk assessments carried out by the prison, it was determined that additional prison officer supervision was not necessary to manage risk in each case.
In contrast with the adult estate, the Children and Young People Estate includes mixed gender settings. Placement decisions are based on the young person’s identified needs and the risks they may present to themselves and others at the time of placement. Young people who have been identified as transgender will normally be placed in a mixed gender setting, where staff are skilled at safeguarding and supervising boys and girls in the same establishment. If a transgender young person identifying as a girl were assessed as being too high risk for management in a mixed gender setting, that young person would be placed in a male-only part of the estate, where their transgender needs would be supported. A transgender young person identifying as a boy would only be placed in a mixed gender site, not in a male-only establishment.
A review of transgender prisoner policy in the light of the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd vs. The Scottish Ministers is in progress.