Written questions by Ribeiro-Addy.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of a new regulator for service charges.

As set out in my Written Ministerial Statement of 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), the government will consult on the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act’s service charge and litigation costs provisions this year, bringing these measures into force as quickly as possible thereafter.We will also consult on new reforms to the section 20 ‘major works’ procedure that leaseholders must go through when they face large bills for such works and on strengthening regulation of managing agents to drive up the standard of their service, as a minimum by introducing mandatory professional qualifications.Details of the number of cases received and disposed of by the First-tier Tribunal can be found on gov.uk here and decisions made by the First-tier Tribunal Residential Property Chamber can be found on gov.uk here. The Department does not have a breakdown on how many cases relate to service charge disputes.The government funds the provision of free information and advice by the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) to leaseholders, including on service charge issues. This enables leaseholders to take an informed decision on what appropriate action they need to take next.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support housing association social tenants in rent arrears.

The government is clear that social landlords should seek to sustain tenancies and should only evict as a last resort.Landlords will, when managing their social housing schemes, provide advice and assistance to those struggling financially, including signposting to support services.The Pre-Action Protocol for Possession Claims by Social Landlords sets out the actions social landlords should take to support the tenant before they consider taking legal action for rent arrears. These actions include making early contact with tenants to discuss the cause of the arrears, checking eligibility for housing benefit, assisting with any claim, and agreeing affordable repayment terms for the arrears. The protocol can be found on the justice website here.Consumer standards, which are set by the independent Regulator of Social Housing, define the outcomes which all registered providers of social housing must deliver. These require that registered providers must support tenants to maintain their tenancy or licence and prevent unnecessary evictions.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to prevent overcharging of service charges by (a) councils, (b) housing associations, (c) private landlords and (d) intermediary managing agents.

As set out in my Written Ministerial Statement of 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), the government will consult on the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act’s service charge and litigation costs provisions this year, bringing these measures into force as quickly as possible thereafter.We will also consult on new reforms to the section 20 ‘major works’ procedure that leaseholders must go through when they face large bills for such works and on strengthening regulation of managing agents to drive up the standard of their service, as a minimum by introducing mandatory professional qualifications.Details of the number of cases received and disposed of by the First-tier Tribunal can be found on gov.uk here and decisions made by the First-tier Tribunal Residential Property Chamber can be found on gov.uk here. The Department does not have a breakdown on how many cases relate to service charge disputes.The government funds the provision of free information and advice by the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) to leaseholders, including on service charge issues. This enables leaseholders to take an informed decision on what appropriate action they need to take next.

Media and Sport, if she will take steps to enact the recommendations of the Leveson Report on press regulation.

The Government has clearly laid out its priorities in the manifesto and in the King’s speech, and the second part of Leveson is not among them.

Communities and Local Government, whether she is taking steps to ensure housing associations who raise rents for social housing tenants above inflation are using the increased revenue to invest in building new homes.

Housing associations use income from social housing rents to deliver services to their tenants, manage and maintain their homes to the required standards, and invest in new homes.Government does not place requirements on housing associations to use rental income to invest in new homes. However, we recognise the need to support them so they can build their capacity and make a greater contribution to affordable housing supply.One way we are doing this is by providing capital grant through the Affordable Homes Programme. In October 2024, we announced an immediate one-year cash injection of £500m to the 2021-2026 Affordable Homes Programme over and above its £11.5bn budget, to support delivery of up to 5,000 new social and affordable homes.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of making women with endometriosis eligible for flu vaccinations.

Eligibility for the seasonal influenza vaccination programme is based, each year, on the expert advice and recommendations of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) with the aim to protect those most at risk of serious illness and hospitalisation. This advice is kept under regular review.The latest JCVI advice for the 2025/26 flu season is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flu-vaccines-2025-to-2026-jcvi-advice/jcvi-statement-on-influenza-vaccines-for-2025-to-2026

What steps his Department is taking to make Sleepio accessible to NHS patients in Lambeth.

Sleepio is available for local commissioning by integrated care systems should they choose to commission this product, as part of local insomnia care and treatment pathways.No central assessments relating to funding or availability of this product are currently planned.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of extending the Financial Conduct Authority's regulatory perimeter so that it can tackle (a) poor and (b) misleading debt advice delivered by insolvency practitioners and IVA firms.

The Government recognises the importance of individuals receiving accurate and reliable information when they are considering an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA). When administered well, IVAs provide a debt solution to people who aren’t eligible for a Debt Relief Order, or who want an alternative to bankruptcy. However, if an IVA is unsuitable, it can leave people in debt for longer and result in further financial difficulty. Oversight of Insolvency Practitioners, who administer IVAs, is provided through standards applied by one of three Recognised Professional Bodies and overseen by the Insolvency Service. The Insolvency Service is taking action to address concerns about the debt solutions market and expects to see swift action from volume IVA firms to eliminate poor practice. To support this, the Insolvency Service are also working with the sector to publish a new simplified IVA Protocol and key facts document to help consumers understand what they are signing up for. New guidance is also being published for Insolvency Practitioners on their control of cases. This is further to the 2023 publication of a new Standard for Insolvency Practitioners (SIP 3.1), making clear their responsibility to ensure consumers have received an explanation of all potential debt relief solutions so that they can make an informed judgement. The Insolvency Service continues to work to address poor practices through its ongoing review of the personal insolvency framework and continued collaboration with other regulators. Debt advice providers, and debt packager firms which may refer individuals to IVA providers and other debt solutions, are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In 2023, the FCA banned referral fees for debt packager firms to remove incentives to recommend debt solutions which may not be in the consumer’s best interest. The ongoing collaboration between the FCA, the Insolvency Service, and other stakeholders reflects a concerted effort to enhance consumer protection in the debt advice and insolvency sectors. The Government will continue to monitor the effectiveness of existing regulatory frameworks.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of ending the exemption from Financial Conduct Authority rules on debt advice for IVA providers.

The Government recognises the importance of individuals receiving accurate and reliable information when they are considering an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA). When administered well, IVAs provide a debt solution to people who aren’t eligible for a Debt Relief Order, or who want an alternative to bankruptcy. However, if an IVA is unsuitable, it can leave people in debt for longer and result in further financial difficulty. Oversight of Insolvency Practitioners, who administer IVAs, is provided through standards applied by one of three Recognised Professional Bodies and overseen by the Insolvency Service. The Insolvency Service is taking action to address concerns about the debt solutions market and expects to see swift action from volume IVA firms to eliminate poor practice. To support this, the Insolvency Service are also working with the sector to publish a new simplified IVA Protocol and key facts document to help consumers understand what they are signing up for. New guidance is also being published for Insolvency Practitioners on their control of cases. This is further to the 2023 publication of a new Standard for Insolvency Practitioners (SIP 3.1), making clear their responsibility to ensure consumers have received an explanation of all potential debt relief solutions so that they can make an informed judgement. The Insolvency Service continues to work to address poor practices through its ongoing review of the personal insolvency framework and continued collaboration with other regulators. Debt advice providers, and debt packager firms which may refer individuals to IVA providers and other debt solutions, are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In 2023, the FCA banned referral fees for debt packager firms to remove incentives to recommend debt solutions which may not be in the consumer’s best interest. The ongoing collaboration between the FCA, the Insolvency Service, and other stakeholders reflects a concerted effort to enhance consumer protection in the debt advice and insolvency sectors. The Government will continue to monitor the effectiveness of existing regulatory frameworks.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the level of alcohol harm; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a national alcohol strategy.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has an action plan to reduce drug and alcohol-related deaths. In light of the recent data, this plan is being revised to ensure that it is grounded in the latest understanding of the drivers of drug and alcohol related deaths and responding to these. Last year, the Department of Health and Social Care published guidance for local authorities and their partnerships on how to review adult drug and alcohol-related deaths to prevent future deaths. Additionally, OHID has published the guidance, Commissioning Quality Standard: alcohol and drug services, for local authorities to support them in commissioning effective alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services.In addition to the Public Health Grant, the Department allocated local authorities £267 million in 2024/25 to improve the quality and capacity of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery. An additional £105 million from Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is improving treatment pathways and recovery, housing and employment outcomes for people affected by drug and alcohol use. Future targeted funding for drug and alcohol treatment services beyond 2025 will be announced very shortly.Under the health mission, the Government is committed to prioritising preventative public health measures to enable people to live longer, healthier lives.The Department of Health and Social Care will continue to work across Government to better understand how we can best reduce alcohol-related harms.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Tanzanian counterpart on alleged reports of (a) forced evictions, (b) excessive use of force and (c) arbitrary detention of Maasai people in Tanzania.

The British High Commission in Dar es Salaam continues to meet with stakeholders on this issue, including the Government of Tanzania, Maasai community leaders and civil society representatives, to better understand the challenges faced by all parties. This is a complex and important matter, and we will continue to encourage all involved to engage in meaningful dialogue.

With reference to the National Prostate Cancer Audit's report entitled NPCA State of the Nation Report 2024, published January 2025, what steps he is taking to tackle inequalities preventing Black men from (a) receiving early diagnosis and (b) accessing NICE recommended treatments following advanced prostate cancer diagnosis.

To address disparities and find ways to better detect prostate cancer earlier, we have invested £16 million in the United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, aimed at helping find the best ways of detecting prostate cancer in men, even if they are not displaying any symptoms. This research will aim to address some of the inequalities that exist in prostate cancer diagnosis by targeting black men in trial recruitment, ensuring that one in ten participants are black men.Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve access to treatments and outcomes for all tumour types, including prostate cancer. We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be. We will provide updates on this in due course.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the use of (a) e-scooters and (b) e-bikes on pavements on pedestrians.

The use of e-scooters and e-bikes on pavements is unacceptable and can have serious impacts on pedestrians, both by causing injuries and by making it much harder for pedestrians to get about. Privately owned e-scooters cannot be legally ridden either on roads or on pavements, and in the e-scooter rental trial schemes, the use of e-scooters on pavements is not allowed. Enforcement is a matter for the police. The Highway Code makes clear that cyclists, including those riding e-bikes, must not cycle on the pavement. The only exception to this is on pavements that are designated as shared use routes, where the Highway Code says that cyclists should always take care when passing pedestrians, especially children, older or disabled people, and should allow them plenty of room. As above, enforcement is a matter for the police. E-cycles or e-scooters parked obstructively on the pavement also present a safety risk to pedestrians, and particularly so for vulnerable pavement users such as those with visual impairments or mobility issues. Guidance for those operating the e-scooter trials makes clear that appropriate parking provision should be provided to ensure e-scooters do not cause an obstruction. Operators also use geofencing, parking incentives and penalties to prevent pavement riding and obstructive parking. The Government recently announced plans in the English Devolution White Paper to empower local leaders to regulate shared hire bike schemes to tackle issues such as obstructive pavement parking and antisocial behaviour.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2025 to Question 21024 on Migrants: Detainees, if she will specify whether each Brook House Inquiry recommendation has been (a) accepted, (b) partially accepted, (c) rejected; which are (i) open and (ii) closed; and the date of closure for each closed recommendation.

30 out of the 33 recommendations made by the Brook House Inquiry have been accepted or partially accepted. Following full consideration three recommendations (recommendations 7, 19 and 30) have been rejected.Positive progress continues to be made against the accepted recommendations, with 12 recommendations (recommendations 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 14, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26) met and closed as of October 2024, 5 (recommendations 5, 11, 27, 28 and 29) due for closure by the end of January 2025, and the remaining 13 (recommendations 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 31, 32 and 33) on track for closure by summer 2025.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help secure redress for victims of the collapse of Football Index.

The collapse of BetIndex Ltd, the operators of the novel gambling product Football Index, had a significant impact on former customers, and we recognise that many people were affected, and that for some people financial losses were significant. The previous Government commissioned an Independent Review in June 2021, conducted by Malcom Sheehan KC and which reported in September 2021. The review looked at how the company had been regulated, and identified areas for improvement for the Financial Conduct Authority and the Gambling Commission. All recommendations of the report have since been implemented.The previous Government concluded that it would not be appropriate for the Government to use public funds to provide compensation for those who had lost money through the collapse of Football Index and BetIndex. Whilst the Government strongly sympathises with all who were impacted, we do not think this decision should be reopened.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle delays in processing claims for pension credit.

We have deployed more than 500 additional staff to process the increase in Pension Credit claims. Pensioners won't miss out on Winter Fuel Payments even if their Pension Credit claim takes longer to process than usual. Where the customer is eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment, the Department aims to make this payment within 2 weeks of the award of Pension Credit.

What assessment has she made of the potential impact of delays in winter fuel payments on pensioners experiencing poverty.

No such assessment has been made.

How many infringement proceedings the EU is pursuing against the Government; and whether the Government plans to propose remediation to prevent further infringement proceedings.

The EU is pursuing 8 infringement cases against the Government, as provided for under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement. We are committed to full and faithful implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement.

What steps he plans to take to tackle (a) delays to diagnosis and (b) emergency presentation rates for blood cancer patients.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam on 2 December 2024 to Question 16329.

If he will make it his policy to set a target of reducing overall cancer mortality in the UK by 15% by 2040.

Professor Lord Darzi’s report set out that the United Kingdom has higher mortality from cancer than neighbouring countries, the Nordic countries, and other English-speaking countries, using data published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.The Government’s Health Mission sets the objective of building a National Health Service fit for the future and reducing lives lost to the biggest killers, including cancer. We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS and make it fit for the future. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, sickness to prevention and will be co-designed with the public, staff, and patients.My rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has been clear that there should be a National Cancer Plan. The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, by speeding up diagnosis and treatment and ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology. We are now in discussions about what form that Plan should take, what the overarching goal should be, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be.