Written questions by Pinkerton.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the forthcoming immigration white paper on the ability of universities to attract international students.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and other stakeholders.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of enabling opposite-sex couples to convert a civil partnership to marriage.

In 2019, when civil partnerships were made available for opposite-sex couples in England and Wales, the Government ran a public consultation on the future of conversion rights between marriage and civil partnerships for both opposite and same-sex couples in England and Wales. This Government is considering all options, and we will update the House in due course.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of providing redress to people impacted by forced adoptions between 1945 and 1976.

This abhorrent practice should never have taken place, and our deepest sympathies are with all those affected.We take this issue extremely seriously and are considering what more can be done for those who were impacted by historical forced adoption.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce CAHMS waiting times in Surrey Heath constituency.

We know children and young people are not receiving the mental health care they need and that waits for mental health services are too long across England. We are determined to change that.Nationally, the Government is providing £7 million of funding to extend support for 24 Early Support Hubs that have a track record of helping thousands of young people in their community. We will also provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school in England and roll out Young Futures Hubs to provide open access mental health support for children and young people.In addition, we plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across children and adult mental health services in England to ease pressure on busy mental health services.Responsibility for onward commissioning of mental health services sits with integrated care boards (ICB). It is the role of local ICB decision-makers to consider the implications of mental health services, specific to each geography and including the perspectives of healthcare professionals, patient advocacy groups, and local authorities.

How many and what proportion of school children receive free school meals in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department publishes data annually on pupils who are eligible for free school meals in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistics. This includes a school level underlying data file which indicates Parliamentary constituency. The data is available at the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2023-24. Please note that data on Parliamentary constituencies use boundaries as they were when the statistics were published. Constituency boundaries will be updated to the most recent ones in the next ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ publication in June 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring developers to include Blue Badge parking spaces in new residential housing developments.

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that in assessing sites that may be allocated for development in plans, or specific applications for development, it should be ensured that safe and suitable access to the site can be achieved for all users. Within this context, applications for development should address the needs of people with disabilities and reduced mobility in relation to all modes of transport. Responsibility for traffic management and enforcement of all parking regulations, including the provision of disabled parking spaces, is the responsibility of local authorities. It is for individual authorities to decide on the nature and scope of these policies and to balance the needs of residents, emergency services, local business and those who work in and visit their areas. Where car parks are on private land and owned, for example, by a supermarket or retail park, it is for the landowner to determine the terms and conditions for how that land may be used, and how parking spaces may be allocated.

If she will provide an update on the progress of implementing the DVSA’s seven-point plan aimed at reducing driving test waiting times.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work on implementing its 7-point plan to reduce waiting times and to encourage learner drivers to only book their driving test when they are ready.DVSA’s progress so far against the measures has seen: 154 new driving examiners complete their training and carrying out driving teststhe introduction of tougher terms and conditions for driving instructors who can book tests for their pupils (6 January).a call for evidence concluded on booking driving tests, which received almost 27,000 responses. DVSA expects to launch the consultation in spring 2025.on 8 April 2025 DVSA implemented changes to the short notice cancellation period, increasing the notice required from 3 to 10 days for learner drivers to cancel their driving test and receive a refund. On the 23 April the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further action to help reduce driving test waiting times.Further information on these actions and progress on the 7-point plan can be found on GOV.UK.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce private vehicle dependency in Surrey Heath constituency.

Since the beginning of this parliament the department has provided increased funding to Surrey County Council to deliver better bus services and active routes. Surrey County Council were awarded £12 million of bus funding in financial year 2025/26, an increase of £7 million from last year. At the Budget, the Government announced an additional £100m for active travel in England 2025/26, enabling local authorities to install cycling infrastructure and upgrade pavements and paths. Surrey County Council received just over £4.3m for active travel investment in 2025/26. How these funds are allocated within Surrey is a matter for Surrey County Council.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the energy efficiency ratings of residential properties in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Warm Homes Plan will help people find ways to save money on energy bills and transform our ageing building stock into comfortable, low-carbon homes that are fit for the future, including those in the Surrey Heath constituency. The Government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency, with £1 billion of this allocated to 2025/2026. The Government has published a consultation on improving energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector in England and Wales. The Government is also exploring the role of incentives and private finance for households to support homeowners with the upfront costs of energy efficiency improvements and low carbon heating.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure hospital road infrastructure is sufficient to meet growing population demand in Surrey Heath constituency.

Surrey County Council are the local transport authority for Surrey Heath and also have responsibility for the local highway network. It is up to the respective local authority to invest in its local transport network based on local needs and priorities.

What steps he is taking to support people with digestive system disorders in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government is committed to putting patients first, by making sure that they are seen on time and that they have the best possible experience of care, including those with digestive system disorders. We have committed to getting back to the National Health Service constitutional standard that at least 92% of people should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, and we have already made progress, exceeding our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, with over three million more delivered between July 2024 and January 2025.In January, we published the Elective Reform Plan. This commits to pathway reform starting in five areas, with gastroenterology being one. The commitment is to develop an integrated pathway across primary, community, and secondary care for common gastroenterology conditions. We will also drive the rapid adoption of remote monitoring in appropriate gastroenterology pathways, which reduces consultant-led outpatient appointments by over 50%.The plan also commits to work with patients, carers, and their representatives to publish the standards patients should expect to experience while they wait for care, including for those waiting for gastroenterology services.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve road safety for vulnerable road users in Surrey Heath constituency.

This Government treats road safety with the utmost seriousness, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing our road safety strategy and will set out more details in due course.

What steps her Department is taking to invest in higher education facilities in Surrey Heath constituency.

Higher education (HE) providers are autonomous and decide where to locate and establish their facilities, providing tangible benefits to their local areas and constituencies.Providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) and in the Approved (fee cap) category of registration are allocated targeted grant funding through the Strategic Priorities Grant. The government provides this funding on an annual basis to support teaching and students in HE, including expensive-to-deliver subjects, such as science and engineering, and for students at risk of discontinuing their studies. Of the £1.4 billion recurrent funding distributed by the OfS for the 2024/25 academic year, more than two-thirds is being directed to support the provision of high-cost courses.Providers in Surrey are in receipt of this funding, including the University of Surrey and Royal Holloway, University of London.

What steps her Department is taking to promote apprenticeships in schools in Surrey Heath constituency.

There is a range of digital and in-person support available to school and colleges to help them to inform their students about apprenticeships. The Careers and Enterprise Company’s national network of Careers Hubs, helps to co-ordinate employers and local programmes to engage directly with schools and colleges to support their careers education, including to raise awareness of apprenticeship routes into their sectors.Around 2,000 volunteers, comprising of employers and apprentices, have formed the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (AAN). The ambassadors go into schools and colleges to share their compelling stories and experiences of what apprenticeships can do for young people. The AAN currently has coverage of 70% schools and colleges in England and aims to align an ambassador to every state-funded secondary school and further education college by March 2026.Additionally, the provider access legislation requires all maintained schools and academies to publish a policy statement setting out opportunities for providers of technical education and apprenticeships to access year 8 to 13 pupils and to make sure the statement is followed.

What steps his Department taking to support menopausal women with mental health issues in Surrey Heath constituency.

We know that too many people, including menopausal women with mental health issues, are not receiving the mental health care they need, and that waits for mental health services are too long across England, including in Surrey Heath.As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we are committed to prioritising women’s health, and we will also recruit 8,500 mental health workers across children and adult services to help ease pressure on busy mental health services.We are working with NHS England to consider options to deliver this commitment alongside the refresh of the Long Term Workforce Plan.In addition, NHS England is working on menopause workforce support packages for employees and developing a range of tools and interventions that will help to upskill more general practitioners in menopause care, including awareness of mental health symptoms during menopause, and improve access to treatments.

What steps he is taking to support people with autism with their mental health in Surrey Heath constituency.

We know that too many people, including autistic people, are not receiving the mental health care they need, and that waits for mental health services are too long across England, including in Surrey Heath. We are determined to change that.As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we will recruit 8,500 mental health workers to help ease pressure on busy mental health services. We will also provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school in England, introduce open access Young Futures hubs in communities, and modernise the Mental Health Act.

What steps he is taking to improve public awareness of autism in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government is committed to creating a more inclusive society where autistic people are supported to thrive. As part of implementing its All Age Autism Strategy 2021 to 2026, Surrey County Council is working to: support autistic children, young people and adults to understand what their autism means for them, their strengths and skills so that they can live fulfilling lives; ensure autistic people are understood, welcomed and can access community services, for example, transport, leisure facilities, shops, youth clubs and community events; tackle stigma attached to autism in the community; and ensure information about where to find advice, signposting and support across education, health, care and the community is easily accessible to all.

If Ministers in her Department will meet with the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to discuss railway infrastructure improvements aimed at enabling more direct services to London.

Future rail infrastructure investment is being considered as part of the Spending Review, which will conclude in June 2025. The Rail Minister would therefore be happy to meet the MP for Surrey Heath once this process has concluded.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of autism training for teachers in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The department is focusing on improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools and is working with families and education and care experts to deliver this in the best interests of all children and to restore parents’ trust.High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with SEND including autism, and the department is committed to ensuring that all pupils receive excellent support from their teachers. The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils. All initial teacher training (ITT) providers must ensure that their courses enable trainee teachers to meet the Teachers’ Standards to be recommended for the award of qualified teacher status.The ITT Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework (ECF), for trainee and early career teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025, will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of ITT and those delivering provider-led early career training to create their curricula. From September 2025 all ECTs will be entitled to a two year induction that is underpinned by the ITTECF, known as the Early Career Teacher Entitlement.The department’s review of content for the ITTECF paid particular attention to the needs of trainees and ECTs when supporting pupils with SEND. There is now significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, some of which has been adapted from the new national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators to be relevant for trainees and ECTs. The department has edited existing statements to improve inclusivity for SEND throughout the framework including, for example, developing an understanding of different pupil needs and learning how to provide opportunities for success for all pupils. The department tested this approach with SEND educational experts with consensus that the approach of ‘quality-first teaching’ would be the best way to improve outcomes for all children. From September 2025, the department has also enhanced the requirement on providers of ECT training to develop SEND training materials.The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential and has recently committed to a full review of the Early Career Teacher Entitlement in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for ECTs. This review will focus on the support we provide new teachers in teaching pupils with SEND.

What steps she is taking to improve the (a) availability and (b) quality of autism training for teachers in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The department is focusing on improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools and is working with families and education and care experts to deliver this in the best interests of all children and to restore parents’ trust.High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with SEND including autism, and the department is committed to ensuring that all pupils receive excellent support from their teachers. The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils. All initial teacher training (ITT) providers must ensure that their courses enable trainee teachers to meet the Teachers’ Standards to be recommended for the award of qualified teacher status.The ITT Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework (ECF), for trainee and early career teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025, will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of ITT and those delivering provider-led early career training to create their curricula. From September 2025 all ECTs will be entitled to a two year induction that is underpinned by the ITTECF, known as the Early Career Teacher Entitlement.The department’s review of content for the ITTECF paid particular attention to the needs of trainees and ECTs when supporting pupils with SEND. There is now significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, some of which has been adapted from the new national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators to be relevant for trainees and ECTs. The department has edited existing statements to improve inclusivity for SEND throughout the framework including, for example, developing an understanding of different pupil needs and learning how to provide opportunities for success for all pupils. The department tested this approach with SEND educational experts with consensus that the approach of ‘quality-first teaching’ would be the best way to improve outcomes for all children. From September 2025, the department has also enhanced the requirement on providers of ECT training to develop SEND training materials.The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential and has recently committed to a full review of the Early Career Teacher Entitlement in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for ECTs. This review will focus on the support we provide new teachers in teaching pupils with SEND.