Written questions by Pinkerton.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of trade associations in the retirement housing sector in (a) setting and (b) monitoring standards for leasehold property management.

My Department has not assessed the effectiveness of trade associations in the retirement housing sector or the merits of evaluating codes of practices in the management of retirement housing.There are two government approved codes of practice which outline best practice for managing agents, landlords or other relevant parties for the residential leasehold sector and private retirement housing.Where residents in leasehold properties, including retirement housing, are concerned about the management of their homes they may make a complaint against their landlord or managing agent, or seek a determination at the relevant court or tribunal. The enforcement of standards set out in these codes can be taken into account as evidence, at court or tribunal hearings. We continue to work with industry on improving best practice including on any new codes proposed by the sector.As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 26 November 2024 (HCWS249), the government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations from the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report including developing an overarching regulatory approach to the sector to safeguard consumers and give certainty to investors: reviewing and assessing existing codes, their applicability to different sub-sectors and how large-scale monitoring programmes could be delivered to increase compliance with these codes.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of bus service provision in Surrey Heath constituency.

The government is committed to seeing better, more reliable bus services delivered right across England. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce improvements to services and infrastructure to help improve connectivity. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding for this financial year.

What data her Department holds on modes of transport used by commuters in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Department holds information on the usual method of travel to work from the Travel to work, England and Wales: Census 2021 publication by the Office for National Statistics. According to this data, 46% of people in employment in the Surrey Heath constituency in 2021 usually travelled to work by driving a car or van. This was followed by 40% working mainly at or from home, and 5% on foot. Census 2021 took place during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a period of unparalleled and rapid change; the national lockdown, associated guidance and furlough measures will have affected the travel to work topic.

What steps her Department is taking to encourage people to transition to greener forms of transport in Surrey Heath constituency.

Since the beginning of this parliament, the Department has provided the following transport funding to Surrey County Council: Over £32 million of highways maintenance funding, an increase of 36% increase compared to what they received in 2024/25. £12 million of bus funding for financial year 2025/26, an increase of £8.1 million compared to what they received in 2024/25. £1.7 million to deliver an additional 12 Zero Emission Buses. Almost £2.8m capital and resource funding as part of the £381m Local EV Infrastructure Fund, to transform the availability of EV charging for drivers without off-street parking in the area. Over £4.8 million in Integrated Transport Block funding to support local transport maintenance and enhancements. How these funds are allocated within Surrey is a matter for Surrey County Council.

What funding her Department provides for transport projects in Surrey Heath constituency.

Since the beginning of this parliament, the Department has provided the following transport funding to Surrey County Council: Over £32 million of highways maintenance funding, an increase of 36% increase compared to what they received in 2024/25. £12 million of bus funding for financial year 2025/26, an increase of £8.1 million compared to what they received in 2024/25. £1.7 million to deliver an additional 12 Zero Emission Buses. Almost £2.8m capital and resource funding as part of the £381m Local EV Infrastructure Fund, to transform the availability of EV charging for drivers without off-street parking in the area. Over £4.8 million in Integrated Transport Block funding to support local transport maintenance and enhancements. How these funds are allocated within Surrey is a matter for Surrey County Council.

What steps her Department is taking to improve bus connectivity in Surrey Heath constituency.

The government is committed to seeing better, more reliable bus services delivered right across England. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce improvements to services and infrastructure to help improve connectivity. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding for this financial year.

What steps her Department is taking to protect people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis from discrimination by employers in Surrey.

The Equality Act 2010 defines disability as ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. The Act defines ‘long-term’ as having lasted, or likely to last for at least 12 months, or likely to last for the rest of the life of the person. ‘Substantial’ is defined as more than minor or trivial. Where an employee has an impairment, which falls within the definition outlined above, the Act makes it unlawful for their employer or someone they are seeking work from, to discriminate against them because of their disability. This would include the failure to make a reasonable adjustment as well as less favourable treatment. The Equality and Human Rights Commission and Acas have published comprehensive guidance for employers on their obligations to disabled employees and job applicants under the 2010 Act and Acas provides a helpline for people who think they have experienced discrimination at work. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) provides authoritative and impartial advice free to employees or employers in relation to employment discrimination issues via their website. and telephone helpline 0300 123 1100 or text relay service 18001 0300 123 1100. You can access the website here: http://www.acas.org.uk. Acas also provides employees and employers with Early Conciliation to help them resolve/settle their workplace dispute without going to court.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of promoting transparency from the Building Safety Regulator through the regular publication of performance data on application processing times.

The Department and the Building Safety Regulator recognise the value to the sector in providing performance data. From this quarter, BSR will be publishing quarterly data demonstrating the volumes of applications received, recorded outcomes and decision times for determination. MHCLG and BSR jointly keep BSR’s operational set up under review as a departmental priority. We are working with the BSR to undertake a further programme of enhancements to improve application processing times which we recognise are too long. Enhancements to the service will continue to scale up in the coming months.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle violence against police officers in Surrey Heath constituency.

Our police officers and staff perform vital roles every day in serving and protecting the public, often in challenging and dangerous circumstances, we will not tolerate them facing violence and abuse.The Government is committed to supporting Chief Constables in meeting their responsibilities to protect their officers and staff. We are determined that the Police Covenant makes a tangible difference and have provided ongoing funding for the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS). The NPWS ensures police officers and staff have access to the health and wellbeing support they need, including providing personal and familial support for those who have been victims of assault.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce assaults on (a) doctors and (b) nurses in Surrey Heath constituency.

Everyone working in the National Health Service has a fundamental right to be safe at work. There is a zero-tolerance approach to any incidents of violence against NHS staff.Individual employers are responsible for the health and safety of their staff, and they put in place measures, including security, training, and emotional support for staff affected by violence. To support them, NHS England is working on initiatives to prevent and reduce violence and aggression from patients, their families, and the public.On 9 April 2025, the Government announced that the Social Partnership Forum’s recommendations on tackling and reducing violence, part of the 2023 Agenda for Change pay deal, have been accepted. These include significant commitments to tackle violence and aggression against NHS staff, including improving data and the reporting of incidences, and ensuring strengthened risk assessments, training, and support for victims.

What discussions her Department has had with Surrey County Council on providing clear guidance for feeder school arrangements for secondary schools in the Surrey Heath constituency.

Admission arrangements are set and applied locally. Provided they are lawful and comply with the school admissions code, it is for the school’s admission authority to decide what admissions criteria to set, and how they are applied. The admission authority for a community or voluntary controlled school is the local authority. For a foundation or voluntary aided school, it is the governing body, and for academy schools including free schools, it is the academy trust.The code enables admission authorities to give priority to children attending named feeder schools, but are prohibited from naming fee-paying independent schools as feeder schools. The selection of a feeder school or schools as an oversubscription criterion must be transparent and made on reasonable grounds.Once a school’s admission arrangements have been determined, anyone who believes they are unfair or unlawful may submit an objection to the Schools Adjudicator. Where the Adjudicator finds that a school’s admission arrangements are unlawful, they must revise their admission arrangements to give effect to the Adjudicator’s decision, which is binding and enforceable by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education.

What steps her Department is taking to help protect children from criminal exploitation in Surrey Heath constituency.

Tackling the criminal exploitation of children is an important strand of our work to halve knife crime under the Safer Streets Mission. Prevention and early intervention to stop young people being drawn into crime is an integral part of that mission including those being exploited by county lines gangs and those involved in violent crime.We are introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation in the Crime and Policing Bill to increase convictions against exploiters, deter gangs from enlisting children, and improve identification of victims. Alongside the offence, we are creating a new regime for CCE prevention orders to prevent exploitative conduct committed by adults against children from occurring or re-occurring Through the County Lines Programme, we will continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs and disrupt the organised crime groups behind this trade. Between July and September 2024, policing activity delivered through the County Lines Programme resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, the arrest and charge of over 200 deal line holders, 500 arrests and 800 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people. Through the Programme, we also fund specialist support for children and young people caught up in county lines and child criminal exploitation. More than 280 children and young people have received dedicated specialist support through our county lines support service since July 2024 While the majority of lines originate from the areas covered by the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police, and Greater Manchester Police, the county lines trade is a national issue. This is why, through the Home Office-funded County Lines Programme, we fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to monitor the intelligence picture, identify and share effective practice, and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response. In addition, we have a dedicated surge fund which provides local forces with additional funding to tackle county lines, including Surrey Police.As part of the Programme, the National County Lines Coordination Centre regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, which all police forces take part in. The most recent of these took place between 25 November to 1 December 2024, during which Surrey Police made 18 arrests and seized 2 drug lines, 55 bladed articles and 4 firearms.

What steps her Department is taking to improve literacy education in Surrey Heath constituency.

High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.The English Hubs programme supports the teaching of phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure. Surrey Heath’s nearest English Hub is Whiteknights English Hub.In the 2025/26 financial year, the government has committed £27.7 million to support and drive high and rising standards in reading and writing.In the 2025/26 academic year, this funding will deliver a range of support for schools, including new training for primary schools which will be delivered through the English Hubs programme. This will help children progress from the early stages of phonics through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school. There will also be new support and training for secondary schools to support reading at key stage 3.The department will also publish a writing framework this summer, which will support schools in delivering high quality writing provision across England.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of literacy education in Surrey Heath constituency.

High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.The English Hubs programme supports the teaching of phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure. Surrey Heath’s nearest English Hub is Whiteknights English Hub.In the 2025/26 financial year, the government has committed £27.7 million to support and drive high and rising standards in reading and writing.In the 2025/26 academic year, this funding will deliver a range of support for schools, including new training for primary schools which will be delivered through the English Hubs programme. This will help children progress from the early stages of phonics through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school. There will also be new support and training for secondary schools to support reading at key stage 3.The department will also publish a writing framework this summer, which will support schools in delivering high quality writing provision across England.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle the use of discriminatory language in schools in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department is clear that any incident of discrimination and derogatory language is unacceptable and should be dealt with quickly and effectively by schools. All members of the school community are responsible for creating a positive, safe environment in which threats or abuse are not tolerated and everyone is treated respectfully.The ‘Behaviour in schools’ guidance outlines that school staff should challenge all inappropriate language and behaviour between pupils, never normalising abusive language or behaviour by disregarding it or treating it as ‘banter’.The relationships, sex and health education curriculum has a strong focus on equality, respect, the harmful impact of stereotyping, and the importance of valuing difference.

What steps his Department is taking to support people with multiple sclerosis in Surrey Heath constituency.

There are initiatives to support better care for patients with neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, across England, including in the Surrey Heath constituency. These include the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, and the Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP). NHS England’s NTP is a multi-year programme to develop a new model of integrated care for neurology services.NHS England is also updating its Specialised Neurology service specification, which includes multiple sclerosis. Service specifications define the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care.Our 10-Year Health Plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed, to move healthcare from the hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention. We also plan to publish our refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver a transformed health service over the next decade and treat patients wherever they live in England, including those with multiple sclerosis, on time again.The Department has also convened a new United Kingdom-wide neuro forum, which brings together the administrations, health services, and Neurological Alliances of all four UK nations. The forum will share learnings across the UK, and discuss important neurology services transformation and workforce challenges, as well as best practice examples and potential solutions.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services for their local population, including for multiple sclerosis. The Government expects ICBs, including the Surrey Heartlands ICB, which covers the Surrey Heath constituency, to assess the demand for service provision in designing their local services.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of multiple sclerosis care in Surrey Heath constituency.

There are initiatives to support better care for patients with neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, across England, including in the Surrey Heath constituency. These include the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, and the Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP). NHS England’s NTP is a multi-year programme to develop a new model of integrated care for neurology services.NHS England is also updating its Specialised Neurology service specification, which includes multiple sclerosis. Service specifications define the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care.Our 10-Year Health Plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed, to move healthcare from the hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention. We also plan to publish our refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver a transformed health service over the next decade and treat patients wherever they live in England, including those with multiple sclerosis, on time again.The Department has also convened a new United Kingdom-wide neuro forum, which brings together the administrations, health services, and Neurological Alliances of all four UK nations. The forum will share learnings across the UK, and discuss important neurology services transformation and workforce challenges, as well as best practice examples and potential solutions.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services for their local population, including for multiple sclerosis. The Government expects ICBs, including the Surrey Heartlands ICB, which covers the Surrey Heath constituency, to assess the demand for service provision in designing their local services.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the number of specialty training places for doctors in Surrey Heath constituency.

We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it, across all of the country.To reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future, we have launched a 10-Year Health Plan as part of the Government’s five long-term missions. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again.We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the NHS in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce car theft in Surrey Heath constituency.

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and are working with the automotive industry and the police to ensure the strongest response possible to this damaging crime.Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced measures to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them. We have also introduced a provision in the Bill which allows the police to enter and search premises for specific stolen property which has been electronically geolocation tracked to a particular premises, without the need for a warrant. This includes vehicles.In addition, the recently established National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group is focusing on steps to prevent and deter theft of and from vehicles. This includes training police officers on the methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles, and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce car-related crimes in Surrey Heath constituency.

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and are working with the automotive industry and the police to ensure the strongest response possible to this damaging crime.Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced measures to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them. We have also introduced a provision in the Bill which allows the police to enter and search premises for specific stolen property which has been electronically geolocation tracked to a particular premises, without the need for a warrant. This includes vehicles.In addition, the recently established National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group is focusing on steps to prevent and deter theft of and from vehicles. This includes training police officers on the methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles, and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles.