Written questions by Hume.

What steps he is taking to consult with people who have rare conditions on the integration of NHS England functions into his Department.

Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases.Through our public consultation on the 10 Year Plan, the Government has shown that we are committed to engaging with the public, patients, and clinicians. We are currently in the initial phases of scoping and designing a new integrated Department that aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our healthcare system. Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead the formation of a new joint centre. As we work to bring the two organisations together, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled Government to launch £360m Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, published on 19 May 2025, whether he plans to also introduce a (a) cross-Departmental and (b) long-term strategic plan for the fishing and seafood sector.

This Government will always stand up for the British fishing industry and coastal communities. Launching the “Fishing & Coastal Growth Fund” and investing £360 million over the next 12 years will support the next generation of fishermen and breathe new life into our coastal communities. We will be engaging with other Government Departments to target investment where it matters most. For example, continuing our work with the Department of Business and Trade on promoting the seafood sector to export our high-quality produce across the world. We recognise the calls from across the sector for a long-term strategy for fisheries and seafood. We are keen to engage with stakeholders to explore this further and shape a strategic approach that supports the industry's future.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled Government to launch £360m Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, published on 19 May 2025, whether the £360 million includes funding for offshore wind developments.

We have launched the £360 million “Fishing & Coastal Growth Fund” to support the next generation of fishermen and breathe new life into our coastal communities. We will work with the fishing and seafood sector and coastal communities to understand how to target investment where it matters most. Alongside this, on 21st May this Government published a working paper setting out proposals for mandatory community benefits for low carbon infrastructure and Shared ownership in Great Britain. Under the proposals developers would be required to contribute a set amount to a community fund. This work is being led through the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The Government supports offshore wind projects through the Contracts for Difference scheme, which guarantees a set price per MWh of electricity for 15 years, indexed to inflation.

What information her Department holds on the (a) secondary and (b) related conditions of people claiming PIP.

Information is collected on secondary and related conditions during a claimant’s assessment. However, information on secondary and related conditions is not held centrally for analysis and it would therefore incur disproportionate cost to the department to undertake analysis on it, as it would require the manual investigation of individual claimant records.

How much funding her Department plans to provide for targeted mainstream provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities in each of the next three financial years.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.Overall schools funding is increasing by £3.2 billion in the 2025/26 financial year and will total over £64.8 billion, compared to almost £61.6 billion in 2024/25. Most schools’ funding is not allocated or ring-fenced for specific purposes. Schools decide how to spend their budgets to meet their legal duties and other responsibilities, including support for their pupils with SEND.Of the increase in total schools funding, £1 billion will be for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to over £12 billion.Decisions on schools funding for the years beyond 2025/26 will be taken following the forthcoming spending review.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure that people in rural areas remain connected during the digital switch over.

The digital switchover is an industry led programme, but we do not want anyone to be excluded by virtue of the programme. That is why customers, including in rural communities, will not have their landlines migrated to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) without an available stable internet connection (VoIP only requires a minimum speed of 0.5mbps) and communication providers agreed a checklist of steps to protect vulnerable customers during the migration in November 2024. This includes landline dependent customers in rural communities.

How much funding her Department is providing for targeted mainstream provision for SEND education in each of the financial years (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27 and (c) 2027-28.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. Overall schools funding is increasing by £3.2 billion in the 2025/26 financial year and will total over £64.8 billion, compared to almost £61.6 billion in 2024/25. Most schools’ funding is not allocated or ring-fenced for specific purposes. Schools decide how to spend their budgets to meet their legal duties and other responsibilities, including support for their pupils with SEND. Of the increase in total schools funding, £1 billion will be for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to over £12 billion. High needs funding is allocated by local authorities to schools for the costs of special educational needs support in excess of £6,000 per pupil per annum. Decisions on future schools funding beyond 2025/26 will be taken following the forthcoming spending review.

Whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost of providing free on-site parking to all NHS staff.

No estimate has been made of the potential parking costs on National Health Service staff. All NHS trusts that charge for hospital car parking provide free parking for those in-most need. This includes frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight, blue badge holders, and NHS staff working overnight. Data on the income from car parking charges is published annually through the NHS Estates Return Information Collection. The latest figures, from 2023/24, show that income received from patients, visitors, and staff for parking on NHS hospital sites in 2023/24 was £242,832,309. Data for the income from NHS trusts for carparking is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2023-24

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help support leaseholders that have had EWS1 forms issued by Tri Fire.

As per the answer given to Question UIN 28103 on 11 February 2025, my officials continue to regularly engage with the mortgage lending and insurance industries.Where a mortgage lender who is a signatory to the statement on cladding is not accepting an EWS1 for a building which requires work to remediate building safety defects, then leaseholders should provide alternative evidence that their building is in the Cladding Safety Scheme, Building Safety Fund or covered by a developer that has signed the Developer Remediation Contract. This evidence could be, for example, a letter from MHCLG or the developer. Leaseholders can also complete a Leaseholder Deed of Certificate to evidence they qualify for the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act.For buildings which do not need remedial works, then lenders or insurers may accept Fire Risk Appraisals of External Walls.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the number of qualified pathologists specialising in paediatric pathology (a) in total and (b) in the Scarborough Hull York Pathology Service.

No specific assessment has been made of the adequacy of the number of qualified pathologists or paediatric pathologists either across England or at the Scarborough, Hull, and York Pathology Service.The Department is aware that workforce shortages in paediatric and perinatal pathology have led to longer turnaround times for hospital post-mortem reports in some areas of England. NHS England has therefore established a national work programme to address shortages in paediatric and perinatal pathologists. A £20,000 recruitment incentive for new trainees has been introduced, with further initiatives underway to review the training pathway, develop advanced practitioner roles, and implement a retention strategy for existing staff.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the time taken to carry out coronial investigations in (a) the UK and (b) North Yorkshire.

Coroner services are locally funded and administered across 77 coroner areas in England and Wales. Statutory responsibility for coroner appointments lies with the funding local authority in each area, and the assessment of resource is based on local caseload and other relevant factors. The Chief Coroner has published guidance and advice to support local authorities in this context.In 2023, the average time taken to complete the inquest process across England and Wales was 31.5 weeks; and 33 weeks in the North Yorkshire and York coroner area. The average for individual coroner areas is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coroners-statistics-2023.The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible and which puts bereaved families at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems and we will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the number of coroners working in (a) the UK and (b) North Yorkshire.

Coroner services are locally funded and administered across 77 coroner areas in England and Wales. Statutory responsibility for coroner appointments lies with the funding local authority in each area, and the assessment of resource is based on local caseload and other relevant factors. The Chief Coroner has published guidance and advice to support local authorities in this context.In 2023, the average time taken to complete the inquest process across England and Wales was 31.5 weeks; and 33 weeks in the North Yorkshire and York coroner area. The average for individual coroner areas is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coroners-statistics-2023.The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible and which puts bereaved families at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems and we will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the number of qualified pathologists working (a) in total and (b) in the Scarborough Hull York Pathology Service.

No specific assessment has been made of the adequacy of the number of qualified pathologists or paediatric pathologists either across England or at the Scarborough, Hull, and York Pathology Service.The Department is aware that workforce shortages in paediatric and perinatal pathology have led to longer turnaround times for hospital post-mortem reports in some areas of England. NHS England has therefore established a national work programme to address shortages in paediatric and perinatal pathologists. A £20,000 recruitment incentive for new trainees has been introduced, with further initiatives underway to review the training pathway, develop advanced practitioner roles, and implement a retention strategy for existing staff.

What estimate his Department has made of the average time taken to carry out postmortems by pathologists ordered by a coroner in (a) the UK and (b) North Yorkshire.

The Government has not made an estimate of the average time taken to carry out postmortems ordered by a coroner.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of endometriosis services in the North East.

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build a National Health Service fit for the future, and women’s equality will be at the heart of our missions. We have also taken urgent action to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan. In gynaecology, the plan supports innovative models offering patients care closer to home as well as the piloting of gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres for patients with post-menopausal bleeding.We encourage any woman or girl with symptoms of endometriosis to contact their general practice (GP). Within the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, a GP may then refer a patient to a secondary care service, and in the Scarborough and Whitby area this will likely be to one of two services. Firstly, there is an endometriosis centre based in York Hospital, with further information available at the following link:https://www.yorkhospitals.nhs.uk/our-services/organdonation/a-z-of-services/womens-health/endometriosis-centre/This is accredited by the British Society of Gynaecology Endoscopy and includes a multi-disciplinary team of experts providing high-quality, evidence-based care and treatment for people with all grades of endometriosis. Secondly, there is a Gynaecology Service at South Tees Hospital, with further information available at the following link:https://www.southtees.nhs.uk/services/gynaecology/This includes an endometriosis specialist, provided from James Cook University Hospital in Middlesborough, with further information available at the following link:https://www.southtees.nhs.uk/consultants/miss-pinky-khatri/

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to introduce mandatory labelling of food products.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Newton Abbot, Martin Wrigley, on 28 January 2025, PQ 25017.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department has issued on the circumstances in which heather burning can be used to manage (a) moorland and (b) peatland.

Defra and Natural England are currently consulting with stakeholders to develop a refreshed Heather and Grass Management Code to replace the Heather and Grass Burning Code, published in 2007. The code will detail good practice on planning where to burn and how to burn safely and responsibly. This is in addition to detailed guidance published to support The Heather and Grass etc Burning (England) Regulations 2021.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the safety of young people on social media.

Our priority is the effective implementation of the Online Safety Act so that users benefit from its wide-reaching protections.The Act requires all services in scope to take steps to protect users, including children, from illegal content and criminal behaviour. In addition, those likely to be accessed by children will also need to provide additional safety measures to protect them from harmful and age-inappropriate content.Ofcom also has duty to promote media literacy to help the public understand the nature and impact of harmful content and online behaviour.

How many and what proportion of continuing care assessments resulted in eligibility in (a) the Yorkshire and Humber Integrated Care Board and (b) England in the most recent year for which figures are available.

The following table shows the number of NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) standard assessments completed, as well as the number and proportion assessed as eligible, in 2023/24, for England and the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board:AreaStandard CHC assessments completedNumber assessed as eligiblePercentage assessed as eligibleEngland51,16510,79121%NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board1,54827218%It is not possible to calculate the proportion of cases that became no longer eligible as a specific sub-set of the cases found eligible in that same year. The number of no longer eligible cases in 2023/24 will relate to all cases that became no longer eligible during 2023/24, which could include cases that were eligible before that year, as well as cases that became eligible in that year.The following table shows the number of those eligible for standard CHC, as well as the number and proportion of cases no longer eligible, for the year 2023/24 to date, for England and the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board:AreaNumber eligible for standard CHCNumber no longer eligible for NHS CHCPercentage of eligible cases no longer eligible for standard CHCEngland47,87113,66929%NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board1,45136725%Note: no longer eligible may be for a variety of reasons, including individuals no longer meeting the criteria, the client being deceased, the client or family withdrawing, etc.

What proportion of continuing care assessments that result in eligibility in (a) the Yorkshire and Humber Integrated Care Board area and (b) England are subsequently removed at a later stage.

The following table shows the number of NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) standard assessments completed, as well as the number and proportion assessed as eligible, in 2023/24, for England and the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board:AreaStandard CHC assessments completedNumber assessed as eligiblePercentage assessed as eligibleEngland51,16510,79121%NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board1,54827218%It is not possible to calculate the proportion of cases that became no longer eligible as a specific sub-set of the cases found eligible in that same year. The number of no longer eligible cases in 2023/24 will relate to all cases that became no longer eligible during 2023/24, which could include cases that were eligible before that year, as well as cases that became eligible in that year.The following table shows the number of those eligible for standard CHC, as well as the number and proportion of cases no longer eligible, for the year 2023/24 to date, for England and the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board:AreaNumber eligible for standard CHCNumber no longer eligible for NHS CHCPercentage of eligible cases no longer eligible for standard CHCEngland47,87113,66929%NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board1,45136725%Note: no longer eligible may be for a variety of reasons, including individuals no longer meeting the criteria, the client being deceased, the client or family withdrawing, etc.