Written questions by Pinkerton.

What assessment his Department has made of its red lines for negotiations with the EU on protecting critical industries from the imposition of tariffs.

The UK and EU are close partners with shared interests. We have agreed tariff free trade with the EU under the TCA, and we expect the EU to honour these obligations. The new steel tariff measures announced by the EU therefore present significant concern. We are engaging intensively with the European Commission to find a bilateral solution that protects vital UK-EU steel trade. We have made clear that restricting UK access to the EU market would disrupt key supply chains and harm both our industries.

How many meetings he has had with his EU counterparts to discuss UK-EU relations following the UK-EU Summit 2025 - Joint Statement of 19 May 2025.

The Minister for the Cabinet Office regularly speaks to his EU counterparts to discuss UK-EU relations on both a formal and informal basis.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to consult the UK fishing sector on the potential implications of UK-EU fishing agreements.

The Defra Secretary of State, Fisheries Minister and Defra officials engage regularly with representatives from across the UK fishing sector. This includes engagement on the implementation of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, including (but not limited to) the fisheries access deal agreed in May 2025, the work of the Specialised Committee on Fisheries, and annual consultations with the EU to agree fishing opportunities for shared stocks. Department representatives often attend national and regional fisheries committee meetings to discuss UK-EU fishing arrangements and opportunities.

Media and Sport, how many complaints relating to the governance of charities were received by the Charity Commission for England and Wales in the past year; and how many of those complaints resulted in a formal investigation.

The Charity Commission does not publish data about categories of complaints, and therefore cannot provide the number of complaints specifically relating to governance received in the past year or how many resulted in a formal investigation.The following table details the number of regulatory concern cases opened by the Charity Commission between 2021-2025, and how many of these relate to public complaints received by the Charity Commission. Data for 2020/21 is not comparable. Year2020/20212021/20222022/20232023/20242024/2025Regulatory concern cases openedN/A2,9173,4144,2154,477Of which is a complaint about a charityN/A2,0292,0763,1203,659

Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to introduce powers enabling the Charity Commission for England and Wales to disqualify charity trustees whose conduct is deemed damaging to (a) public trust and (b) confidence in charities.

The Government keeps the Charity Commission's powers under regular review and is actively considering what further powers are required to support the Commission in regulating charities. As a non-ministerial department, the Charity Commission receives its funding directly from the Treasury. In the 2025 Spending Review the Charity Commission’s budget increased by over 27% to £37.9m for 2026-27. This will support the Commission to respond to increasing casework demands.The Charity Commission already has the power to disqualify charity trustees whose conduct is damaging to public trust and confidence in charities under section 181A of the Charities Act 2011. As part of the Government’s action plan for social cohesion we have announced that the Charity Commission’s powers will be extended in order to tackle extremist abuse of charities and strengthen the Commission's oversight of the sector. This includes helping the Commission to disqualify charity trustees who have been excluded from the UK, deprived of British citizenship or are engaged in conduct which promotes violence or hatred.

Media and Sport, how many regulatory intervention cases were opened by the Charity Commission for England and Wales in each of the past five years.

The Charity Commission does not publish data about categories of complaints, and therefore cannot provide the number of complaints specifically relating to governance received in the past year or how many resulted in a formal investigation.The following table details the number of regulatory concern cases opened by the Charity Commission between 2021-2025, and how many of these relate to public complaints received by the Charity Commission. Data for 2020/21 is not comparable. Year2020/20212021/20222022/20232023/20242024/2025Regulatory concern cases openedN/A2,9173,4144,2154,477Of which is a complaint about a charityN/A2,0292,0763,1203,659

What assessment his Department has made of the potential economic benefits to the UK industrial base by fostering closer cooperation with EU defence initiatives.

The Ministry of Defence is dedicated to ensuring that defence is an engine for growth across the UK. The Security and Defence Partnership agreed with the European Union in May last year demonstrates this Government’s commitment to enhancing European security, fostering economic growth, and reinforcing NATO. We will continue to collaborate with the EU and its Member States on defence and security, entering agreements only when they align with the national interest and deliver value for money to taxpayers. This partnership, alongside closer cooperation with EU defence initiatives, will strengthen NATO, enhance European security, ensuring the continent is as safe as it needs to be.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of legislating to provide the Charity Commission for England and Wales with additional investigatory powers.

The Government keeps the Charity Commission's powers under regular review and is actively considering what further powers are required to support the Commission in regulating charities. As a non-ministerial department, the Charity Commission receives its funding directly from the Treasury. In the 2025 Spending Review the Charity Commission’s budget increased by over 27% to £37.9m for 2026-27. This will support the Commission to respond to increasing casework demands.The Charity Commission already has the power to disqualify charity trustees whose conduct is damaging to public trust and confidence in charities under section 181A of the Charities Act 2011. As part of the Government’s action plan for social cohesion we have announced that the Charity Commission’s powers will be extended in order to tackle extremist abuse of charities and strengthen the Commission's oversight of the sector. This includes helping the Commission to disqualify charity trustees who have been excluded from the UK, deprived of British citizenship or are engaged in conduct which promotes violence or hatred.

Media and Sport, what level of contingent liabilities charities can accumulate before regulatory intervention from the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

The Charity Commission’s role is to ensure that charity trustees comply with their duties as set out in charity law; that charities further their charitable purposes for the public benefit; and that there is no misconduct or mismanagement. I am confident that it has the ability to do so effectively.Accounting rules cover when contingent liabilities and contingent assets should be disclosed in a charity's accounts, and charity trustees must ensure that they have complied with the requirements of relevant accounting standards. There is no set threshold over which contingent liabilities become a regulatory concern - it is dependent on an individual charity’s circumstances. However, the Charity Commission expects charity trustees or the charity’s auditor to report matters of material significance to the Charity Commission to assess.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Charity Commission for England and Wales to investigate undisclosed contingent liabilities within registered charities.

The Charity Commission’s role is to ensure that charity trustees comply with their duties as set out in charity law; that charities further their charitable purposes for the public benefit; and that there is no misconduct or mismanagement. I am confident that it has the ability to do so effectively.Accounting rules cover when contingent liabilities and contingent assets should be disclosed in a charity's accounts, and charity trustees must ensure that they have complied with the requirements of relevant accounting standards. There is no set threshold over which contingent liabilities become a regulatory concern - it is dependent on an individual charity’s circumstances. However, the Charity Commission expects charity trustees or the charity’s auditor to report matters of material significance to the Charity Commission to assess.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department will consider the potential merits of conducting economic modeling of the organisational transition costs arising from local government reorganisation in Surrey.

The East Surrey and West Surrey Joint Committees, established by the Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026, are required to prepare an Implementation Plan. Following the election of members in May the shadow East Surrey and West Surrey Councils must then keep under review that Implementation Plan. The Implementation Plan will include the budgeted transition costs and how these are to be met. We have also announced up to £63 million additional funding to support councils through reorganisation.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of resources available to the Charity Commission for England and Wales to conduct investigations.

The Government keeps the Charity Commission's powers under regular review and is actively considering what further powers are required to support the Commission in regulating charities. As a non-ministerial department, the Charity Commission receives its funding directly from the Treasury. In the 2025 Spending Review the Charity Commission’s budget increased by over 27% to £37.9m for 2026-27. This will support the Commission to respond to increasing casework demands.The Charity Commission already has the power to disqualify charity trustees whose conduct is damaging to public trust and confidence in charities under section 181A of the Charities Act 2011. As part of the Government’s action plan for social cohesion we have announced that the Charity Commission’s powers will be extended in order to tackle extremist abuse of charities and strengthen the Commission's oversight of the sector. This includes helping the Commission to disqualify charity trustees who have been excluded from the UK, deprived of British citizenship or are engaged in conduct which promotes violence or hatred.

What steps his Department is taking to help increase the availability of speech and language therapists supporting people living with dementia in Surrey Heath constituency.

The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs) and may include speech and language therapy. We expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.The Government is committed to improving care for everyone with dementia, including those with Primary Progressive Aphasia, which is why we have funded the work of Dementia 100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for busy system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia.A number of experts, including those with expertise in speech and language therapy and dementia care, provided independent, desktop analysis of the tool, and this invaluable feedback was integrated into the tool.The D100: Pathway Assessment Tool can be found at the following link:https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/nccmh/service-design-and-development/dementia-100-pathway-assessment-tool

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure access to speech and language therapy for people diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia in Surrey Heath constituency.

The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs) and may include speech and language therapy. We expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.The Government is committed to improving care for everyone with dementia, including those with Primary Progressive Aphasia, which is why we have funded the work of Dementia 100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for busy system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia.A number of experts, including those with expertise in speech and language therapy and dementia care, provided independent, desktop analysis of the tool, and this invaluable feedback was integrated into the tool.The D100: Pathway Assessment Tool can be found at the following link:https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/nccmh/service-design-and-development/dementia-100-pathway-assessment-tool

What steps his Department is taking to help improve support for people living with primary progressive aphasia and other language led dementias in Surrey Heath constituency.

The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs) and may include speech and language therapy. We expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.The Government is committed to improving care for everyone with dementia, including those with Primary Progressive Aphasia, which is why we have funded the work of Dementia 100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for busy system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia.A number of experts, including those with expertise in speech and language therapy and dementia care, provided independent, desktop analysis of the tool, and this invaluable feedback was integrated into the tool.The D100: Pathway Assessment Tool can be found at the following link:https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/nccmh/service-design-and-development/dementia-100-pathway-assessment-tool

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the support available to people of working age living with dementia including primary progressive aphasia in Surrey Heath constituency.

No assessment has been made of the adequacy of the support available to people of working age living with dementia, including primary progressive aphasia, in the Surrey Heath constituency.Employers must make reasonable adjustments to make sure workers with disabilities, or physical or mental health conditions, are not substantially disadvantaged when doing their jobs. This applies to all workers, including trainees, apprentices, contract workers, and business partners.The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs) and may include speech and language therapy. We expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve early diagnosis of non-memory led dementias including primary progressive aphasia in Surrey.

A timely diagnosis is vital to ensuring that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care, and support that can help them to live well and remain independent for as long as possible.As part of development of the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, we will consider what interventions should be supported to improve dementia care and diagnosis waiting times, which we know are too long in many areas. We are considering all options to improve care and help reduce variation, including reviewing metrics and targets.We remain committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7%. The national ambition to ensure that two-thirds of people estimated to have dementia receive a formal diagnosis includes ensuring provision of a validated diagnosis of dementia subtype.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve the diagnosis of invasive lobular breast cancer through NHS screening programmes in Surrey Heath constituency.

The National Cancer Plan sets out a comprehensive programme of reform across prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, data, and research. The Government will transform early diagnosis through improved screening and proactive case‑finding, embed continuous quality improvement across cancer services, and strengthen access to innovative diagnostics and treatments. This includes scaling up clinical trials, investing in radiotherapy and surgical robotics, and making the United Kingdom a leading destination for cancer research. Combined, these measures will help move England towards world‑leading cancer outcomes by 2035.Detecting lobular breast cancer is more difficult than finding ductal breast cancer because lobular breast cancer cells can grow in lines rather than masses. This means there may not be a mass that can be felt or that a doctor can see on a mammogram.Although not specific to the Surrey Health constituency, the Breast Screening Risk Adaptive Imaging for Density trial is looking into the use of supplementary imaging techniques for women within the standard breast screening programme who are found to have radiographically dense breast tissue. The different tests include magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound. The UK National Screening Committee is in contact with the researchers and is reviewing this evidence as it becomes available. It will make recommendations to ministers in light of this.Local integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning specialised services, including in the Surrey Heath constituency.

What steps his Department is taking to help support research into invasive lobular breast cancer in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government recognises the crucial need for research into all forms of cancer, including lobular breast cancer. It remains committed to the role of research to drive a stronger collective understanding of the biology behind lobular breast cancer and to improve outcomes for women.Government responsibility for delivering cancer research is shared between the Department for Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation, which includes the Medical Research Council.In November 2025, the NIHR issued a highlight notice encouraging applications for new research into lobular breast cancer, to improve the detection, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term surveillance of patients.As well as funding research itself, NIHR invests significantly in research expertise and capacity, specialist facilities, support services, and collaborations, known as NIHR infrastructure. NIHR infrastructure enables the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality translational, clinical, and applied research. For example, the NIHR’s Royal Surrey Clinical Research Facility is a partnership between the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Surrey, where researchers deliver early-phase and complex studies, including in cancer.The NIHR continues to welcome high quality funding applications for research, including from researchers in Surrey Heath, into any aspect of human health and care, including lobular breast cancer.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Personal Independence Payment application process.

We understand that the current application process can feel outdated and challenging for some. The Health Transformation Programme is transforming the entire PIP service to improve the customer experience and efficiency of the service, build trust in our decisions and support people to enter or remain in work.