Written questions by Jogee.

What steps she is taking alongside Staffordshire County Council to ensure that more girls and young women take up sport at secondary schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Communities and Local Government, what specific support he plans to provide market towns like Newcastle in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What most recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Northern Ireland.

I refer the Honourable Member to my answer to the Urgent Question on 27 April about the recent attacks on two police stations. Those responsible for these shameless and cowardly attempts to kill and injure must be brought to justice and I urge anyone with information to come forward. The Northern Ireland Related Terrorism (NIRT) threat level remains SUBSTANTIAL which means an attack is likely. The PSNI and UK security agencies continually assess the threat, risk and harm posed by paramilitary, terrorist and organised crime groups to inform the most appropriate operational response. The attempted attacks in recent weeks will be considered as part of that ongoing assessment.

What steps she has taken to support Staffordshire County Council to maintain roads and highways in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.

This Government is committed to tackling the poor state of our local roads. That is why we have confirmed a record investment of £7.3 billion for local highways maintenance for the next four years. Newcastle-Under-Lyme sits within Staffordshire, which is eligible to receive £201,853,000 of this funding. In addition, in January 2026, the Department released a new rating system for local highway authorities. Under this system, all local highway authorities in England received a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so using best practice. These ratings are designed to promote good asset management and encourage a preventative approach to highways maintenance. Staffordshire was rated amber under this new system, with individual scorecards showing amber for road condition, green for spend, and amber for the adoption of best practice.

Representing the Church Commissioners, when she expects the redress scheme for survivors of church-related abuse to be open to applications.

Awaiting answer.

What steps she has taken to support the Police, Crime and Fire Commissioner in Staffordshire.

The Home Office works with all Police and Crime Commissioners and Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners, both directly and through the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, to support them in their work and to further police reform.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what are the priorities of His Majesty’s government for the election of the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The UK's priority is to select the candidate best equipped to lead the UN in tackling our shared global challenges. We will continue to engage with our international partners throughout the selection process.

What engagement he has had with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland following the events that took place on Saturday 25th April 2026.

I pay tribute to the extraordinary efforts of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, led by Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, and our security partners in countering the threat from terrorism in Northern Ireland. My officials were in contact with the PSNI in the immediate aftermath of the despicable attack claimed by the New IRA, on Dunmurry Police Station. I regularly meet the Chief Constable and his senior officers to discuss a range of issues and will continue to do so. I met senior PSNI officers on 28 April 2026 to be briefed on the attacks.

What steps he has taken to support the ceramics industry in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire since his appointment.

The British Industry Supercharger currently supports some ceramics businesses in Great Britain, including in Staffordshire, including in the technical and advanced ceramics, and brick production sectors, for the indirect costs of various electricity policy and network charges. Officials regularly engage with Ceramics UK, the sector’s main trade association, to explore how the ceramics industry can be supported. The Industrial Strategy, along with the Trade Strategy, have set out this Government’s approach to expanding trade opportunities and supporting UK businesses, including ceramics businesses.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the cleanliness of Lough Neagh.

We are closely engaged with our counterparts across the UK, including the Northern Ireland Executive, on the shared challenge of improving water quality. Baroness Hayman visited Lough Neagh with Minister Muir in March 2025 to see and discuss the particular challenges faced locally. Ministers from across the UK subsequently met in November 2025 at the Interministerial Group for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to discuss the challenge of improving our waters, agreeing to establish enhanced sharing of research data and behavioural change evidence to support policy making and delivery across the UK.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to health visitors for families in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.

Families in England must receive at least five health visits, with additional support provided according to need. Health visiting service delivery data is available, and published annually, for upper tiers of local government, such as the Staffordshire County Council, but not lower tiers, such as the Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council.The relevant dataset and statistical commentary for Staffordshire is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/health-visitor-service-delivery-data-for-2024-to-2025In line with the Government’s commitment to strengthening health visiting, we have recently refreshed the guidance for the Healthy Child Programme, which specifies requirements for health visiting services, to promote national consistency in service delivery. We are working closely with regional colleagues to support the implementation of this guidance across the country.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of health visitors in England.

The child health workforce, including health visiting teams, is central to how we support families to give their children the best start in life. Health visitors’ contact with parents, carers, and children of all ages is a source of vital advice and support, helping to ensure that health, development, and safeguarding needs are identified early. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan and Best Start in Life Strategy, the Government has committed to strengthening health visiting services to ensure that all families have access to high-quality, personalised support.In the 10-Year Health Plan, we committed to a Professional Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery. Due for publication following the 10 Year Workforce Plan, this strategy will set out a professional direction of travel, up to 2040, for all nurses, including health visitors, midwives, and nursing associates in England.

What steps he will take to allow Members to vote by proxy if a family member is dying or has died.

The Government is always seeking to ensure that the balance is right and that we retain a robust voting system. Any changes to the voting system must be given careful consideration and should only ever be taken forwards when there is a clear consensus for change across the House.The Procedure Committee has committed to conducting a further review of the proxy voting scheme later in the Parliament, and I would encourage the Hon. Member to engage with the Committee when it undertakes that work. Should the Committee consider the further extension of the proxy voting scheme as part of that review, the Government would give careful consideration to any recommendations from the Committee on this matter.

Communities and Local Government, further to the answer of 20 April 2026 to WPQ 126191, what guidance will be issued to local authorities, including Newcastle-under-Lyme District Borough Council, to ensure the preservation of Green Belts in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme b) Staffordshire and c) England.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 94093 on 1 December 2025 and UIN 103333 on 14 January 2026.

If she will work with Avanti to improve internet connectivity on board their trains on the route between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston

The DFT Operator (DFTO), on behalf of the Secretary of State, meet with Avanti West Coast (AWC) regularly to discuss services for passengers, including onboard Wi-Fi connectivity. AWC is upgrading its onboard Wi-Fi system which is intended to improve connectivity speeds and performance. Additionally, AWC previously completed a positive trial using laser window etching technology to improve connectivity and will be undertaking further testing with the view to roll out across its Class 390 fleet. These projects will improve connectivity for passengers across all AWC services but particularly those operated by Class 390 trains, including the London to Manchester route. More generally, services on the West Coast Main Line will benefit from the Spending Review funding to deploy low earth orbit satellite connectivity, to significantly improve the on-train Wi-Fi. The DfTO Telecoms Policy team is currently working through the procurement strategy and business case process and further details will be announced in due course. Also, Project Reach will improve the mobile signal in 57 tunnels on the three mainline routes on the East Coast Mainline, West Coast Mainline and Great Western. Operators are required to achieve challenging customer experience targets across a range of measures, including Wi-Fi connectivity. These standards are regularly and independently inspected via the Service Quality Regime and there are accountability and financial consequences for failure.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent engagement her Department has had with SADC Heads of Mission to the United Kingdom about Trophy Hunting.

The Department’s most recent engagement with a number of SADC State representatives on trophy hunting was a meeting held by Baroness Hayman in May 2025 to discuss the Government’s commitment to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern.

Media and Sport, if she will take steps to encourage a) women and b) young people to play golf.

The Government is committed to ensuring that as many women and young people as possible have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities, including golf.We provide the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. They provide long term investment of £10.2 million to England Golf between 2022-2029 to support grassroots participation, including for both women and young people.England Golf run a campaign called Girls Golf Rock, which has enabled 5000 girls aged 7-14 to play golf over the last five years.I was delighted to attend The Open Championships at Royal Portrush last year where the R&A hosted a number of programmes aimed at getting young people to play golf including free tickets for children under 16, the R&A swingzone with free lessons and their “Road to the Opens” programme.

Communities and Local Government, whether he can provide an update on the a) effectiveness and b) adequacy of Department's 'brownfield' first approach to development.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that substantial weight should be given to the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements, including the development of under-utilised land and buildings to meet the need for homes and other uses. Through the revisions we made to the NPPF on 12 December 2024, we broadened the definition of brownfield land, set a strengthened expectation that applications on brownfield land will be approved, and made clear that plans should promote an uplift in density in urban areas. The definition in question can be found in the NPPF glossary on gov.uk here. Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new NPPF. The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included a range of proposals to further strengthen support for brownfield development. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course. We have also announced £5 billion of land and infrastructure capital grant funding. This funding, to be administered by a new, single National Housing Delivery Fund that will complement investment from our National Housing Bank, can be used to address viability gaps on brownfield sites. It nevertheless remains the case that there are simply not enough sites on brownfield land registers to deliver the volume of homes that the country needs each year and Green Belt land will consequently need to be released for development where individual local planning authorities determine that exceptional circumstances exist and have first demonstrated that they have examined fully all other reasonable options for meeting identified need for development – including making as much use as possible of suitable brownfield sites and underutilised land, optimising the density of development, and working with neighbouring authorities to assess whether identified need might be sensibly accommodated.

What assessment he has made of when young people in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire will be able to benefit from the Youth Guarantee scheme.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 24 March 2026 to Question UIN 114579 which provides details of the Government’s recent announcements on the Youth Guarantee. As part of the Youth Guarantee, the Government is expanding support for young people looking for work on Universal Credit. This includes tailored employment support and a structured path into a job, apprenticeship, work experience, a Sector‑based Work Academy Programme, learning or training from their first appointment in the Jobcentre. Rollout of this support began this month on a phased basis and will be in place in all Jobcentres across Great Britain by the end of the year. Young people in Newcastle‑under‑Lyme and across Staffordshire will benefit through this national rollout. Youth Guarantee also includes the Jobs Guarantee. This will provide every eligible 18–24-year-old who has been claiming Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months a guaranteed, fully subsidised six-month paid job, alongside a wraparound employability and in-work support to help them move into sustained employment. National roll out of the Jobs Guarantee will begin across Great Britain later in 2026, providing a total of 90,000 jobs over the next three years. We are also introducing a new hiring grant of £2,000 for non-levy paying employers, typically SMEs, that take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. It will apply to apprenticeship starts from October, as long as they have joined their employer within the past 3 months i.e. from July 2026. Delivery of the Youth Guarantee is a partnership between central government, Jobcentres, employers, and local partners. Local DWP teams are responsible for delivery in their areas, working closely with employers and stakeholders. As a Member of Parliament, the Honourable Member can support young people locally by encouraging employers in Newcastle‑under‑Lyme and Staffordshire to engage with the Youth Guarantee. Your most useful contact will be your local DWP team – details of local DWP Service Leaders are published online.

What steps he is taking to maintain the level of the state pension in real terms for pensioners in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Ensuring a decent State Pension for pensioners as a foundation for a secure retirement is a priority for this Government. The Government is committed to protecting the value of the State Pension in real terms. That is why, for the duration of this Parliament, we have committed to maintaining the Triple Lock, which increases the basic and new State Pension each year by the highest of earnings growth, price inflation or 2.5 per cent. This ensures that pensioners’ incomes keep pace with the cost of living and benefit from rising wages. In addition, Pension Credit is uprated in line with earnings, providing extra protection for pensioners on the lowest incomes. This year, the State Pension increased by 4.8%, boosting incomes for over 12 million pensioners.