Written questions by Gardner.

What steps her Department is taking as part of its role within the Interministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping to reduce and prevent homelessness.

We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and other Departments through the Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping to develop a new long-term cross-government strategy to put us back on track to ending homelessness.We are continuing to expand our Community Accommodation Service 3 (CAS3) to support more prison leavers at risk of homelessness each year. Our CAS3 service supports prison leavers who are subject to probation supervision, by offering up to 12 weeks of basic transitionary accommodation to provide a stable base on release. This programme has been gradually rolled out nationwide since July 2021 and since then has supported over 23,100 prison leavers who would otherwise have been homeless. We have also employed 50 Strategic Housing Specialists to support prisons in their response to reducing homelessness by working in partnership with probation and Local Authorities to identify suitable accommodation for those released to the area, regardless of the prison they are released from.We know that a cross-agency and cross-government approach is required to address the challenge of securing long-term accommodation. That is why we are working closely with MHCLG, health partners and other departments at a national and local level, to address barriers to accommodation for prison leavers, drawing on learning from partnership efforts – including the Changing Futures programme – to take a holistic, trauma-informed approach to supporting individuals with multiple unmet needs.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing an expanded national programme of Housing First to tackle homelessness.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 72851 on 15 September 2025.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the reduction in the post-decision move on period on levels of homelessness.

We closely monitor the impact of all our policies, including the move on period, on the number and occupancy of asylum hotels, the overall costs of the asylum accommodation estate, the wider effect on local communities, and any pressures placed on local authorities and public amenities. We remain committed to working closely with our partners to identify improvements and make efficiencies in supporting newly recognised refugees move on from asylum accommodation.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a statutory duty on local authorities to provide meals to local authority funded clients of adult social care.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs. Where individuals do not meet the eligibility threshold, they can get support from local authorities in making their own arrangements for care services. Eligibility is determined with reference to specified outcomes, such as managing and maintaining nutrition, personal hygiene, managing toilet needs, being appropriately clothed, and maintaining a habitable home environment.For people receiving support in their own home, local authorities may consider a range of options. This could include arranging or signposting to a meals service depending on the most suitable way of meeting the person’s needs. Where someone’s needs are best met in a care home setting, meals will ordinarily be included as part of the care package.A thriving social care system extends beyond statutory services. Families and friends, communities, and the voluntary and charitable sector provide vital support to meet individuals’ needs and help people remain independent.Any changes to legislation would be subject to the usual Parliamentary process which would include a public consultation, and thus an opportunity to consider the merits of introducing such a duty on local authorities.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the inclusivity of the NHS app for disabled users.

We are working to improve access to digital services, outcomes, and experiences for all. Patients unable to use digital channels can continue to access services via telephone and through traditional face-to-face services.We conduct user research on an ongoing basis with users from diverse backgrounds to ensure our service works for everyone. This includes patients with a range of access needs and diverse groups, such as ethnic minority groups, those with visual impairments, neurodiversity, and/or physical impairments. We have recruited users who are blind or partially sighted in community-based research, research with local National Health Service teams, and in remote research, either one to one or in groups. We use the findings of user research to plan and prioritise new work to improve accessibility.Centrally built services, such as the NHS App and NHS website, are designed to meet international accessibility standards. We are modernising the mobile patient experience within the NHS App, ensuring information is clearly structured and easy to find and understand.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of the NHS app for visually impaired users.

We are working to improve access to digital services, outcomes, and experiences for all. Patients unable to use digital channels can continue to access services via telephone and through traditional face-to-face services.We conduct user research on an ongoing basis with users from diverse backgrounds to ensure our service works for everyone. This includes patients with a range of access needs and diverse groups, such as ethnic minority groups, those with visual impairments, neurodiversity, and/or physical impairments. We have recruited users who are blind or partially sighted in community-based research, research with local National Health Service teams, and in remote research, either one to one or in groups. We use the findings of user research to plan and prioritise new work to improve accessibility.Centrally built services, such as the NHS App and NHS website, are designed to meet international accessibility standards. We are modernising the mobile patient experience within the NHS App, ensuring information is clearly structured and easy to find and understand.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) help tackle illegal sales of semaglutide and (b) regulate unlicensed pharmacists.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for the regulation of all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe. This also includes applying the legal controls on the retail sale, supply and advertising of medicines which are set out in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.Public safety is the number one priority for the MHRA and its Criminal Enforcement Unit (CEU) works hard to prevent, detect and investigate illegal activity involving medicines and medical devices. This year, the CEU and its partners have seized millions of doses of illegally traded medicines, including weight loss products.The MHRA also works closely with web-based sales platforms and the internet industry to identify and remove non-compliant medicines and medical devices where possible. This has included the suspension of hundreds of websites and social media listings linked to the sale of weight loss products over the last two years.The MHRA works tirelessly to develop new and innovative ways to tackle the trade in illegal medicines. This includes:- enhanced collaboration with search engine and UK internet service providers aimed at blocking harmful online content;- boosted collaboration with Home Office Border Force allowing the MHRA to grow its operational footprint at the border and increase the interdiction rates of illegally trafficked medicines;- the launch of an online checker that allows users to search if a website offering medicines has been deemed fraudulent by the MHRA;- implementation of a web-based reporting scheme allowing users to report suspicious websites, online marketplace listings and social media channels directly to the MHRA; and- the use of cutting-edge technology to identify, track and seize the proceeds of crime, including cryptocurrency. The MHRA’s FakeMeds campaign provides advice to people in the UK who are considering buying medication online, outlining how products can be accessed from safe and legitimate sources.Anyone who believes they have had a side effect from a medicine, or think they’ve received falsified stock, can report it to the MHRA’s Yellow Card scheme.Most legitimate weight loss products are prescription-only medicines, meaning that a consultation with a doctor or qualified healthcare professional is needed to assess the patient's suitability for the treatment and consider any potential risks. Usually, they should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy against a valid prescription. The General Pharmaceutical Council is responsible for the regulation of pharmacies and pharmacists licensed to practice in Great Britain.

What steps her Department is taking to increase awareness of (a) Access to Work and (b) other employment support programmes amongst employers.

Employers are crucial in enhancing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to thrive in the workforce. Access to Work aims to support the recruitment and retention of disabled people into employment. It is a personalised discretionary grant that provides support with workplace adjustments beyond an employer’s obligation as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. As part of our Plan for Change, and as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published in March, we consulted on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the programme to help more disabled people into work and support employers. We will review all aspects of Access to Work after evaluating the findings of the Pathways to Work consultation.The Disability Confident Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. The scheme covers all disabilities, including hidden disabilities. It provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace and to take positive action to address the issues disabled employees face.We recognise there are opportunities to improve the scheme, and I have been discussing ideas for making the Disability Confident scheme criteria more robust, and officials are continuing to engage with stakeholders to discuss reform proposals. In addition, DWP has a digital information service for employers, (www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk), which provides tailored guidance to businesses to support employees to remain in work. This includes guidance on health disclosures and having conversations about health, plus guidance on legal obligations, including statutory sick pay and making reasonable adjustments. In January this year, we launched an expert academic panel to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel will consider the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate, making their recommendations later this year. In our Get Britain Working White Paper, published November 2024, we committed support for employers to recruit, retain and develop staff. As part of that, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead ‘Keep Britain Working’, an independent review to consider how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver a final report with recommendations in the autumn.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve the supply of liquid potassium chloride.

The Department is aware of supply issues affecting potassium chloride 375mg/5ml syrup (Kay-Cee-L® syrup). We issued comprehensive communications to healthcare professionals which includes guidance on how to manage affected patients during the shortage.Alternative formulations of potassium effervescent tablets remain available, and the Department has reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed potassium chloride oral solution for patients.The Department is aware that this product has been divested to another manufacturer. We are working closely with the new manufacturer and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to expedite regulatory procedures where possible to ensure that supplies of licensed potassium chloride syrup are made available as soon as possible.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to improve enforcement of agreements under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Enforcement is at the discretion of local planning authorities. They have a wide range of powers with strong penalties for non-compliance and it is for them to decide how and when they use those powers depending on the circumstances of each case. The government has no plans to amend local planning authorities’ enforcement powers at this time. We will, however, continue to keep the operation of the enforcement system under review. With regard to capacity and capability, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 67508 on 14 July 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the use of retrospective planning applications to regularise unauthorised development; and whether she plans to close loopholes that may undermine the effectiveness of local planning enforcement.

Enforcement is at the discretion of local planning authorities. They have a wide range of powers with strong penalties for non-compliance and it is for them to decide how and when they use those powers depending on the circumstances of each case. The government has no plans to amend local planning authorities’ enforcement powers at this time. We will, however, continue to keep the operation of the enforcement system under review. With regard to capacity and capability, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 67508 on 14 July 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help support local planning authorities to improve the (a) capacity and (b) resourcing of their planning enforcement teams in North Staffordshire.

Enforcement is at the discretion of local planning authorities. They have a wide range of powers with strong penalties for non-compliance and it is for them to decide how and when they use those powers depending on the circumstances of each case. The government has no plans to amend local planning authorities’ enforcement powers at this time. We will, however, continue to keep the operation of the enforcement system under review. With regard to capacity and capability, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 67508 on 14 July 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled Vulnerable people given greater access to social housing, published on 19 June 2025, whether the new regulations will apply to victims of (a) child abuse and (b) parent-on-child violence.

The regulations in question will apply to domestic abuse victims over the age of 16, as defined by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. Only those aged over the age of 16 can hold a social housing tenancy.The regulations will also apply to care leavers within the scope of the corporate parenting duty. These include eligible children, relevant children, and former relevant children.Local authorities have the discretion to exempt and support those not covered by these regulations, considering local need and special circumstances.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) adequacy of the performance of Severn Trent Water and (b) potential impact of water pollution on the environment.

Severn Trent has delivered a 4-star EPA performance for the past 5 years which is sector-leading. However, 2024 data demonstrated an increase in pollution incidents. The EA demands improved performance by implementing their action plans to improve their Water Resources and Waste License compliance. The EA assesses compliance against environmental permits and takes enforcement action where failures occur. Severn Trent’s AMP8 WINEP 2025-2030 will invest £6.4 billion into environmental schemes, which is significantly larger than other water companies. They are investing £566 million in their Green Recovery programme in innovative projects to improve the environment.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of ensuring that new build estates include adequate provision of (a) bungalows, (b) ramp access and (c) other accessible housing needs.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Questions UIN 50375 on 23 May 2025 and UIN 53184, on 27 May 2025.

What progress her Department has made on (a) preventing discrimination in (i) agencies and (ii) small recruiters when hiring disabled applicants and (b) monitoring employers' compliance with the Equal Opportunities Act.

The Government is clear that equality and opportunity for all are at the heart of our programme of national renewal. The Equality Act 2010 protects disabled people from discrimination in the workplace, including in recruitment. Guidance has been published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Acas, to help employers - including agencies and small businesses - follow the law and for employees and applicants to understand their rights.The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for monitoring compliance with the legislation and providing guidance on reasonable workplace adjustments. Duties and protections under the Equality Act are ultimately enforceable through the courts, and anybody who meets the Act’s definition of a disabled person and who thinks that they have been discriminated against can take legal action to seek to resolve the issue, at an employment tribunal.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to (a) PIP eligibility and (b) the Daily Living component on claimants in Stoke-on-Trent South constituency.

Estimates of the volumes of PIP claimants affected by the reform in the future are forecast for England and Wales only and therefore have not been broken down by Parliamentary Constituency or any other geographic area. There will be no immediate changes. Changes to PIP eligibility aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from November 2026 subject to parliamentary approval. PIP changes will only apply at to current claimants at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years. At the award review, claimants will be seen by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstances. After taking account of behavioural changes, OBR predicts that 370,000 people who will be receiving PIP at the point of implementation of the four point requirement in November 2026, will have lost their PIP Daily Living entitlement by 2029/30. Of all PIP recipients at the point of implementation, 9 in 10 will not lose PIP during the subsequent 3 years from this change. Even with these reforms, the overall number of people on PIP and DLA is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this parliament and spending will rise from £23bn in 24/25 to £31bn in 29/30. The proportion of people in receipt of Personal Independence Payment daily living component who were awarded fewer than four points in all daily living activities, by Parliamentary Constituency, is available as part of the Pathways to Work Evidence Pack in Chapter 2, table 2.26. The number of people currently on PIP who did not score 4 points in one category in their last assessment should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP in future. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious. Someone who did not score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment as conditions change over time. We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result. We also intend to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment which I am leading, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of workplace disability adjustments for visually impaired employees.

The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) provides protection against disability discrimination. This protection ensures any person with a condition that meets the Act’s definition of disability - that is, “a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-day activities” will be covered. As is with all provisions under the Act, it is for a person who feels that they have been discriminated against (including an alleged failure to make a reasonable adjustment) to make a claim against a service provider or employer.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of auto-enrolling eligible children on to free school meals in Stoke-on-Trent South constituency.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We have now announced that we are extending free school meals (FSM) to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. It will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.To support take-up, the department provides an Eligibility Checking System so that eligibility can be checked as quickly and straightforwardly as possible. The department is pressing ahead with an upgraded Eligibility Checking System which will allow parents to check their own eligibility, making it quicker and easier for both families and local authorities, including in Stoke-on-Trent South, to register eligible children for FSM.The department is aware of locally led approaches to boost take-up of free lunches. To support these approaches, we are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore options on data sharing that will make it easier to identify families who are eligible to make a claim. We expect to have these in place well ahead of the 2026 academic year.Departmental officials are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to consider how enrolment may be supported through the Universal Credit claims process.The department will monitor the impact of these policies and engage with local authorities to assess the impact that these changes are having on uptake of FSM.

What discussions his Department has had with businesses on investment in technology in Northern Ireland.

I am a passionate advocate for Northern Irish tech companies and for investment by international tech companies in Northern Ireland.I recently attended the Big Data New York Conference – a spin off of Big Data Belfast – to highlight the international investment opportunities in Northern Ireland's well established and fast growing Cyber and Digital sectors.