Written questions by Barker.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made a decision on the steps it plans to take to develop the pilots with Centrepoint of the Upstream youth homelessness prevention programme.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of improving regulation of the way that debt collection is carried out in the case of parking fines.

The ten-minute grace period at the end of a paid-for parking period was introduced to recognise that drivers could arrive slightly late to their vehicle for reasons beyond their control. In this situation, a Civil Enforcement Officer (CEO) would be able t...

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the appeals process against parking fines.

The Secretary of State has not made any such assessment of the longstanding independent appeals process.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the grace period where a motorist takes longer than the time allowed to pay but can evidence a full payment before leaving.

The ten-minute grace period at the end of a paid-for parking period was introduced to recognise that drivers could arrive slightly late to their vehicle for reasons beyond their control. In this situation, a Civil Enforcement Officer (CEO) would be able t...

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of changing the Industry Code to ensure that a parking fine is automatically cancelled where a motorist is able to provide evi

The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 requires the Secretary of State to prepare a Code of Practice containing guidance on the operation and management of private parking facilities, which will replace the existing Sector Single Code of Practice. The De...

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the use of sanctions by trade associations on private parking operators where they breach the Industry Code.

The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 requires the Secretary of State to prepare a Code of Practice containing guidance on the operation and management of private parking facilities, which will replace the existing Sector Single Code of Practice. The De...

What evaluation his department has made of the effectiveness of assessment by the NHS of the appropriateness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for patients through NHS Talking Therapies.

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.

What assessment his department has made of trends in levels of completion of courses of NHS Talking Therapies treatment in (i) England and (ii) the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board are

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.

What consideration his department has made of the potential merits of introducing an equivalent to Severe Disability Premium in Universal Credit.

Awaiting answer.

If his department will review the rules for transitional protection in the case of severely disabled people living in supported housing.

Transitional Protection within Universal Credit is intended to support customers whose entitlement would otherwise be lower at the point of moving from legacy benefits. This includes Transitional Protection provided in respect of the Severe Disability Pre...

What assessment his Department has made of the impact of reduction in the Transitional Severe Disability Premium Element on the ability of severely disabled people receiving Universal Credit to meet oth

Transitional Protection is designed to ensure that, at the point of moving onto Universal Credit, eligible customers do not see a reduction in their overall entitlement compared to their previous legacy benefits. These rules apply equally to the Severe Di...

If he will confirm the date when the turnout requirement of at least 50% will be replaced by a simple majority vote for industrial action ballots.

To commence section 68 (turnout threshold) of the Employment Rights Act and repeal the 50% threshold, the government must lay a statement in Parliament setting out how it has had regard to the effect of e-balloting (or other non-postal balloting) on parti...

If he will amend the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 to include public health medicine.

The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 implements the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training places, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors with s...

What discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the potential merits of introducing a maximum temperature to be allowed in the workplace.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has engaged with other departments across government in the development of the proposals for workplace temperature as part of the review of the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) for the Workplace (Health, Safety and We...

Media and Sport, what recent progress her Department has made on implementing the National Youth Strategy.

In December 2025, DCMS published “Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy”. It is backed by over £500 million of new money from DCMS.This is complemented by extensive investment from other Government Departments, such as the Youth Guarantee. The fundi...

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to increase revenue funding for youth services.

In December 2025, DCMS published “Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy”. It is backed by over £500 million of new money from DCMS.This is complemented by extensive investment from other Government Departments, such as the Youth Guarantee. The fundi...

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to home dialysis for patients with kidney failure.

NHS England is delivering a comprehensive programme to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of people with kidney disease, through its renal services transformation programme. This includes a specification for renal services which sets out the s...

What assessment his Department has made of the role of home dialysis in supporting the shift from hospital to community care set out in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan.

NHS England is delivering a comprehensive programme to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of people with kidney disease, through its renal services transformation programme. This includes a specification for renal services which sets out the s...

If he will consider commissioning a standalone Modern Service Framework for chronic kidney disease, including dialysis, transplantation, paediatrics, frailty, rare kidney disease and genetic kidney

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs). The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the q...

When the updated Renal Service Specification is expected to be published.

The specification is being worked on by NHS England in line with their national service specification methods process, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/methods-national-service-specifications/Stakeholder test...