Written questions by Macdonald.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) new product labelling standards, including the proportion by weight of dominant food compounds such as salt and sugar and (b) developing new guidance to ensure that product descriptions, advertising and presentation on packaging give an accurate impression of ingredient balance on consumers.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment she has made on the potential impact of increasing the frequency of Antilock Breaking Systems (ABS) for large vehicles, including large estate cars and SUVs, on road safety; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of doubling the frequency at which ABS begins to operate in these vehicles from every 1/4 of a wheel turn to every 1/8.

The department has not made any assessment of the impact of increasing the frequency at which Anti-Lock Braking Systems (ABS) operate or start to operate as this does not reflect how these systems are regulated in practice. The requirements for ABS have been developed by experts at an international level under the UN’s World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29). These requirements are performance‑based; manufacturers must demonstrate compliance (i.e. wheels do not lock) across a range of relevant conditions and are therefore responsible for determining the appropriate control strategies to meet them.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to (a) support and (b) promote UNESCO Cities of Literature in the UK.

DCMS supports the UK’s UNESCO designations through its relationship with the UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC), which collaborates closely with the UK UNESCO Creative Cities across the UK, including Cities of Literature.UKNC promotes the UK’s UNESCO Creative Cities through its public network platform, through accrediting new Cities of Literature, through its convening role and through wider programmes, including activity developed through the National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported Local to Global programme.DCMS is also supporting a project between the National Library of Wales (in Aberystwyth - a UNESCO city of literature), the National Library of Scotland (in Edinburgh - also a UNESCO city of literature), the British Library, and the National Library of Ireland through the Cultural Cooperation Programme in partnership with the Irish Government.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support creative industries in Norwich.

Creative industries clusters across the UK, including in Norwich, are crucial to the delivery of our Growth Mission. Our Creative Industries Sector Plan published last year includes a strong universal offer to drive growth in the creative industries in every place in the UK, including Norwich and the wider East of England region. It outlines new measures to break down barriers such as access to finance, supply of skills, and new support to kickstart innovation. In addition, Arts Council England (ACE) focuses funding on the areas of the cultural sector most at risk, using both dedicated funds and wider investment. Its £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere Fund is focused on supporting organisations, particularly in underserved areas, to protect vulnerable cultural infrastructure and local venues, ensuring access nationwide. This includes a flagship Norwich investment in ‘Creative Arts East'.

Communities and Local Government, how many private parking companies a) subscribe to either the British Parking Association or International Parking Community and b) do not do not subscribe to either the British Parking Association or International Parking Community.

Parking operators are incentivised to become members of one of the two accredited trade associations, the BPA and IPC, as without such membership operators cannot access DVLA data, meaning they cannot pursue charges by post or provide access to an independent second stage appeals service. The government recognises the need to ensure motorists have access to a transparent appeals process and is committed to raising standards through the introduction of its own Private Parking Code of Practice. MHCLG does not hold a verified central list of accredited trade association members. Further details of each Trade Association’s accredited member scheme can be found on their respective websites (BPA & IPC).

Communities and Local Government, what action has been taken to ensure the appeal process is effective for private parking companies that do not subscribe to the British Parking Association or International Parking Community.

Parking operators are incentivised to become members of one of the two accredited trade associations, the BPA and IPC, as without such membership operators cannot access DVLA data, meaning they cannot pursue charges by post or provide access to an independent second stage appeals service. The government recognises the need to ensure motorists have access to a transparent appeals process and is committed to raising standards through the introduction of its own Private Parking Code of Practice. MHCLG does not hold a verified central list of accredited trade association members. Further details of each Trade Association’s accredited member scheme can be found on their respective websites (BPA & IPC).

Whether the Violence Against Women and Girls strategy and delivery plan will include (a) funding and (b) measures to help tackle technology-facilitated domestic abuse.

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) in all of its forms, including abuse facilitated by technology, is a top priority for this government, with an unprecedented mission to halve it within a decade. The rapid development of technology has provided additional spaces for VAWG and equipped perpetrators with new ways to harass, intimidate, stalk and coerce women and girls. We will set out plans to address technology-facilitated VAWG in our forthcoming Strategy.Following the Chancellor’s announcement on 11th June, we are working through the details of funding for tackling VAWG over the Spending Review period of 2026-2029. We will provide further details on funding when departmental budget allocations have been finalised

What information her Department holds on the number of technology-facilitated abuse incidents reported to the police in each of the last five years.

The Home Office does not hold data on technology-facilitated abuse incidents recorded by police forces in England and Wales.The rapid development of technology has provided additional spaces for technology facilitated abuse and violence against women and girls (VAWG) to be perpetrated and has equipped perpetrators with new ways to harass, intimidate, stalk and coerce women and girls.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will consider adding Sudan as a focus country within the Women Peace and Security National Action Plan.

The UK is appalled at the severe impact of the conflict in Sudan on women and girls, including widespread sexual violence.Through our leadership roles at the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council, we have championed evidence collection and accountability. On 6 October, the UK led efforts to renew the mandate of the UN Fact-Finding Mission (FFM), the only independent mechanism preserving evidence of atrocities, including conflict-related sexual violence. We also fund a specialist Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) investigator within the FFM and are deploying a UK secondee to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) Darfur investigation.On 1 November, the Foreign Secretary announced an additional £5 million to support critical humanitarian services in Sudan, £2 million of which will be specifically allocated to bolster responses which focus on supporting the survivors of rape and sexual violence. This is in addition to the £120 million in UK funding already allocated for Sudan this year, including support for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.We directly support women and girls through our programming, including the Women's Integrated Sexual Health programme which provides sexual and reproductive services to women, girls, persons living with disability and men, with UK aid delivered in camps for IDPs and elsewhere. Through our Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) programme, the UK is providing an additional £4.95 million until March 2026 to support 100,000 women and girls with a range of services to prevent and respond to FGM, child marriage and gender-based violence. This brings the total UK support delivered through this programme to £19.95 million.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) supply and (b) availability of mefenamic acid for people in (i) the East of England and (ii) England.

The Department has a responsibility to work with United Kingdom medicine license holders to help ensure continuity of supply. We monitor and manage medicine supply issues at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand and therefore measures are not specific to the east of England. We are aware of a supply issue with mefenamic acid 50 milligram/5 millilitre oral suspension which is expected to resolve in December 2025. Alternative formulations of mefenamic acid remain available, including capsules and tablets. The Department will continue to work closely with the manufacturer to resolve the issue as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to medicines. Any patient who is worried about their condition should speak to their clinician in the first instance.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing a statutory duty for fire and rescue services in England to respond to flooding incidents.

Protecting communities from flooding is a key priority for this Government. Fire and Rescue Authorities already have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to prepare for emergencies, including major flooding. However, we recognise the interest in creating a statutory duty for flood rescue and officials are working with DEFRA, as lead government department for flooding, to consider the wider implications of this. MHCLG supports Fire and Rescue Authorities in responding to flood incidents by providing national resilience High Volume Pump (HVP) capabilities. These are available to be used by Fire & Rescue Services across the country during major flood incidents. Additionally, DEFRA hold the Flood Rescue National Asset Register, a list of teams or assets that voluntarily join the register and maintain availability for national deployment in England.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the pressures on water resources in Norfolk; and what steps he is taking with local partners to reduce those pressures.

The entire eastern England region is classified as seriously water stressed. Norfolk is one of the driest parts of the country with only 600mm rainfall per year which is two thirds of the national average. Norfolk supports some of England’s most precious and sensitive river and wetland habitats. Climate change is bringing more frequent extreme events such as droughts, floods and increasing pressure on the environment and water supplies. Rainfall this spring has been 40% of average, putting pressure on the environment and water supplies. Natural England (NE) has an ongoing monitoring programme for protected sites identifying their condition and the pressures acting on them. NE is working in partnership with Defra bodies and stakeholders to protect and restore our water-dependent environment and develop sustainable resilient water supplies for the future. The Environment Agency (EA) is working with Water Resources East, public water companies, agriculture, and other sectors to ensure water abstractions are environmentally sustainable. In Norfolk, abstraction licences were last reviewed and re-issued in 2017/18 and are due for review in 2029/30. The EA closely monitors water resources and advises abstractors on water availability via the Water Abstraction Alerts service. Due to continuing hot and dry conditions Norfolk will move into Prolonged Dry Weather on 21 July. The EA has, in partnership with NE, Cambridge Water, Essex & Suffolk Water, Affinity Water, and Anglian Water, published a guide on Shared Standards in Water Efficiency for Local Plans. It supports Local Planning Authorities in delivering sustainable growth across East Anglia, highlighting the region’s serious water stress. The guide promotes clean, sustainable water supply as essential for growth and nature recovery.

What estimate she has made of the number of people aged between 16 and 24 years old that are not in education, employment or training in (a) Norwich North constituency and (b) Norfolk.

The department publishes statistics on 16-24-year-olds that are not in education, employment or training (NEET) for England in the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The most recent dataset is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/neet-statistics-annual-brief/2024.The number of 16–24-year-olds estimated as NEET in England at the end of 2024 is estimated to be 837,000, approximately 13.6% of the population in that demographic group. These estimates are not available at lower-level geographies due to limitations with sample sizes.However, local authorities are required to encourage, enable or assist young people’s participation in education or training and return management information for young people aged 16 and 17. This data is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/participation-in-education-training-and-neet-age-16-to-17-by-local-authority/2024-25.It shows that of the 19,635 young people aged 16 and 17 who were known to Norfolk local authority at the end of 2024 (average of December 2024, January 2025 and February 2025), 1,141 were NEET or their activity was not known. These statistics are published as transparency data so some caution should be taken if using these figures.In addition, 16-18 destination measures are published by parliamentary constituency. These official statistics show the percentage of pupils who did not sustain education, apprenticeships or employment for a 6-month period during the year following compulsory activity. This can be used as a proxy for NEET at age 18, for those who were participating in compulsory education at 17. The latest publication includes destinations in 2022/23 by Parliamentary constituency boundaries at that time. Data can be found here for Norwich North Parliamentary constituency: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/a5a0cfd5-4d3d-47da-1dee-08ddc13e16b8.

What steps his Department is taking to improve adult mental health services in Norfolk.

Long waits for mental health services are being driven by increasing demand in a system in desperate need of change, including in NorfolkThe Government is piloting innovative models of care in the community, including six neighbourhood adult mental health centres that are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and which bring together community, crisis, and inpatient care.We are also improving data quality so we can support providers in understanding demand across their areas.Our 10-Year Health Plan will inform the future vision and delivery plan for mental health services in England. Earlier intervention remains a key focus of the plan with the aim of reducing pressure on mental health services.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of deaths linked to synthetic opioids in the last three years, by region.

The Department published the below regional breakdown of deaths linked to nitazenes recorded within national surveillance processes in the first twelve months of monitoring by the Department and the National Crime Agency (NCA) in October 2024. There were no deaths recorded as linked to potent synthetic opioids that did not involve nitazenes in that period. Further information is available at the following link:www.gov.uk/government/publications/deaths-linked-to-potent-synthetic-opioidsThe Department and the NCA began tracking these deaths in June 2023 in response to an increased threat of potent synthetic opioids, and equivalent surveillance data is not available from before that point. More recent data will be published by the Department in due course.The following table shows the number of deaths confirmed as involving nitazenes by English region, from June 2023 to May 2024:RegionDeathsEast Midlands29East of England33London18North East3North West12South East16South West22West Midlands21Yorkshire and the Humber25Total179 Data is also collected and published annually by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on drug-related deaths registered in England and Wales, and the ONS’s latest published analysis of deaths related to drug poisoning by selected substances includes historic trends in the numbers of deaths related to drug poisoning involving nitazenes and fentanyl analogues by country. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/deathsrelatedtodrugpoisoningbyselectedsubstances

What steps his Department is taking to improve women's health.

We are taking tangible action to transform women's health, including tackling gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan and providing free emergency hormonal contraception at pharmacies from October. There are a record 25,000 full time equivalent midwives in post – 1,400 more than July 2024These examples demonstrate we are acting on the commitments in the women’s health strategy and listening to women’s experiences.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department has taken to ensure the provision of sufficient infrastructure for new housing developments.

I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to Question UIN 26106 on 5 February 2025.

How many cycles of NHS funded IVF treatment as recommended by NICE guidelines are provided in each integrated care board.

Information about integrated care board commissioning policy for National Health Service funded fertility services is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-funded-ivf-in-england/nhs-funded-in-vitro-fertilisation-ivf-in-england

How many people have accessed NHS funded IVF treatment in each year since 2021; and how many people have accessed privately funded IVF treatment in each year since 2021.

The following table shows the number of National Health Service funded and privately funded in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients each year since 2021 for which information is published:Year of treatmentNHS-funded IVF patientsPrivate funded IVF patients202215,21238,555202115,54338,706Source: provided by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) Register.Notes:the data is as recorded by the HFEA on 1 May 2025 and reflects the data on this date, and may change over time;the data is preliminary and quality assurance processes with clinics have not yet completed, and will be available in due course for 2023 and 2024;this data includes patients undergoing treatment where the cycle was begun with the intention of immediate treatment, instead of storing eggs or embryos for future use; anddata from one clinic is excluded due to data reporting issues.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) value for money of supporting (i) women's rights and (ii) women-led organisations through Official Development Assistance.

There is strong evidence showing that women's rights organisations play a significant role in securing and advancing women's rights as well as providing humanitarian assistance, tackling climate change and promoting and protecting democracy. They provide good value for money as this type of support moves away from short term project funding towards strategic investments which have wider social and economic value which sustains long after funding ends.