Written questions by Snowden.

What guidance his Department provides to (a) employers and (b) service providers on making reasonable adjustments for people with (i) misophonia and (ii) other sensory conditions.

All employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace where a disabled employee, would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act and providing guidance on reasonable adjustments. Employers have a key role to play in supporting workers with long term health conditions or disabilities in the workplace. DWP's current offer to employers includes a digital information service, 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.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of misophonia on the (a) social and (b) occupational outcomes of people diagnosed with that condition.

We have made no such assessment, although it is recognised that misophonia can adversely affect a person’s ability to achieve life goals, communicate effectively, and enjoy social situations, and that this can have an impact on individuals’ mental health. The National Health Service continues to support further expansion of talking therapies and the transformation of community mental health services so they can adopt an open, 'no wrong door' approach to helping people based upon their presenting needs rather than requiring a particular diagnosis. This is being built upon through the 10-Year Health Plan's commitment to roll out new 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centres which will provide open door access to support without the need for a general practitioner referral or appointment.

If he will take steps to include the mutual recognition of mandatory training qualifications between NHS Trusts in the forthcoming NHS Workforce Strategy.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to reforming mandatory training by April 2026, to ease the burden on frontline staff and to allow a more flexible approach to workforce development. NHS England is already leading work to optimise, rationalise, and redesign statutory and mandatory training. This includes reducing the duplication of training when staff move organisation or rotate through their training programme. The mutual recognition agreement has already been signed by 262 National Health Service organisations across England and went live on 1 May 2025, so it is in place and is expected to continue to reduce the unnecessary burden on staff. The next stage of the reform work will see a new competency framework published that will fundamentally reform current training, further reducing the burden of unnecessary training, and focus on building the competence to improve the quality of services and safety across the NHS workforce.

What criteria were used by his Department to determine eligibility for funding under the Pub is the Hub scheme.

The Government recognises the important role rural pubs and those in deprived areas can play in supporting their communities and the work of Pub Is The Hub in helping them improve their resilience by providing additional community services. That is why the Government has provided £440,000 to help Pub Is The Hub continue this important work.In its 2025 report: PiTH-Social-Value-of-Pubsfinal.pdf, Pub Is The Hub highlighted over 40 diversification projects that could not be delivered due to a lack of funding. Eligibility for funding is determined by Pub is The Hub, which administers the scheme.

What estimate her Department has made of the total value of landfill tax reclaimed by private landfill operators for (a) cover and (b) fluff material since 2000.

Landfill Tax was introduced in 1996 as a behavioural tax encouraging the diversion of material away from landfill to reuse and recycling. It has been a key driver behind local authority waste to landfill in England falling by 90% since 2000. HMRC refunded landfill tax reclaimed by private landfill operators following the Waste Recycling Group Limited case in 2008. £147m related to daily cover and haul roads and £133m related to base and side fluff. Refunds ceased in 2013 and since then repayment claims totaling £3.9bn have been prevented as a result of successful litigation.

Which organisations have been awarded Pub is the Hub funding to date.

The Government recognises the important role rural pubs and those in deprived areas can play in supporting their communities and the work of Pub Is The Hub in helping them improve their resilience by providing additional community services. That is why the Government has provided £440,000 to help Pub Is The Hub continue this important workIn its 2025 report: PiTH-Social-Value-of-Pubsfinal.pdf, Pub Is The Hub highlighted over 40 diversification projects that could not be delivered due to a lack of funding.Data on which organisations have been, and will be, awarded funding is held confidentially by Pub is The Hub.

How many immigration crime network disruptions were led by the UK National Crime Agency in the last 12 months.

Last year, the National Crime Agency delivered approximately 350 disruptions targeting people smuggling networks - each one removing, preventing, or reducing a criminal threat. This marked a 40% increase compared to the previous year.

How many removal flights to France are planned under the current pilot scheme in the next three months.

Returns to France under the UK-FR returns agreement commenced on 18 September 2025. This is a pilot that we want to expand and therefore the numbers will vary. We will not go into the operational details as this would provide criminal smuggling gangs with information that they may use to continue to their vile trade.

What the average cost to the public purse is for each removal flight under the UK-France treaty.

The Home Office has made returns under the new UK-France agreement utilising both charter flights and regular scheduled flights. This approach allows the Home Office to maximise value for money and best satisfy operational requirements.We do not comment on individual charter flight costs as these are commercially sensitive arrangements that can provide an insight into pricing structure. To do otherwise could deter the private sector from entering into contracts with the Home Office.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring councillors in principle tier authorities to obtain a DBS check.

Criminal record checks provided by the Disclosure and Barring Service (‘DBS checks’) for local government members are currently optional; it is for individual local authorities to adopt eligible checks as they determine necessary.I am considering options on criminal record checks for local government members.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the level of homelessness in (a) Lancashire and (b) Fylde constituency.

Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected and we must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Government is looking at these issues carefully and is developing a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness. The Government publishes homelessness statistics by local authority in England on gov.uk here.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of abolishing business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

Business rates are a vital source of revenue for Local Government. The Government is creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century. As announced at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with ratable values below £500,000 from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure they benefit from much-needed certainty and support.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Mental Health Goals programme on growth in the life sciences sector.

The government expects the Mental Health Goals programme to support growth in the UK life sciences sector by creating a strong environment for precision psychiatry research, therefore attracting new industry investment. By fostering collaboration between industry, academia and the NHS, the programme contributes to the Life Sciences Sector Plan’s ambition to grow the sector to £150 billion by 2030 and position the UK as a global leader in health innovation.

How many (a) GP surgeries and (b) mental health teams have Connect to Work employment advisers embedded in their services.

The Connect to Work programme has been designed with local authorities and is being delivered by local areas. Each local area across all of England and Wales has been invited to develop their plan for delivery, reflecting needs across their area. Local areas working with their Delivery Partners and DWP are fully responsible for delivery of Connect to Work as outlined in their Delivery Plan.Connect to Work participants are given a dedicated specialist employment support adviser who works alongside them to understand their career goals and help them to address any specific barriers to employment. Connect to Work employment specialists may be integrated into primary and secondary health care settings and other support services to assist individuals with mild to moderate mental and/or physical health conditions. The Connect to Work grant funding is formula based. To access the funding each accountable body has been invited to develop their plan for delivery, reflecting needs across their area. Connect to Work is designed to give local areas considerable flexibility in determining how they deliver Connect to Work locally, including decisions about integration into health care settings. While there is an expectation that employment specialists will work in partnership with health services to support individuals with health-related barriers to work, DWP has not set requirements for the number or type of health care settings in which they must be embedded. This allows local areas to tailor delivery to meet the specific needs of their populations and existing service infrastructure.Local areas are fully responsible for identifying referral routes in their areas. Connect to Work has wide ranging referral routes into the programme, which include primary healthcare, community care and other care settings and through social prescribing together with wider local organisations e.g. Voluntary and Charity Sector services and employers as well as Jobcentre Plus. A breakdown of referral routes for participants is not yet available centrally.The Connect to Work programme has been rolling out and opening across England and Wales throughout this year. As of October 2025, around a third of delivery areas have Connect to Work services already open to participants.For areas that have yet to have their Connect to Work funding confirmed, DWP continues to provide support to help them finalise their delivery plans. We expect these areas to have their services live by spring 2026.Total funding for Connect to Work will reach over £1 billion across England and Wales over the next five years and provide around 300,000 sick or disabled people with help to get into work by the end of the decade.Data is not yet available for the Connect to Work Programme. The Department plan to develop official statistics to support Connect to Work, and updates will be shared via the DWP Statistical Work Programme.

Whether she plans to issue guidance to schools and nurseries on the risks posed by counterfeit toys and how to avoid them in procurement or use.

The early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which all early years providers are required to follow, requires providers to ensure they take all reasonable steps so staff and children in their care are not exposed to risks, and must be able to demonstrate how they are managing risks.The department continually monitors and reviews the EYFS safeguarding requirements to make sure children are kept as safe as possible.The Office for Product Safety and Standards alerts the department when there are concerns with products that may pose a risk to children in early years settings. We then share this information with the sector through our communication channels.

What proportion of Connect to Work referrals come from (a) healthcare professionals, (b) local councils, (c) self-referrals and (d) community organisations.

The Connect to Work programme has been designed with local authorities and is being delivered by local areas. Each local area across all of England and Wales has been invited to develop their plan for delivery, reflecting needs across their area. Local areas working with their Delivery Partners and DWP are fully responsible for delivery of Connect to Work as outlined in their Delivery Plan.Connect to Work participants are given a dedicated specialist employment support adviser who works alongside them to understand their career goals and help them to address any specific barriers to employment. Connect to Work employment specialists may be integrated into primary and secondary health care settings and other support services to assist individuals with mild to moderate mental and/or physical health conditions. The Connect to Work grant funding is formula based. To access the funding each accountable body has been invited to develop their plan for delivery, reflecting needs across their area. Connect to Work is designed to give local areas considerable flexibility in determining how they deliver Connect to Work locally, including decisions about integration into health care settings. While there is an expectation that employment specialists will work in partnership with health services to support individuals with health-related barriers to work, DWP has not set requirements for the number or type of health care settings in which they must be embedded. This allows local areas to tailor delivery to meet the specific needs of their populations and existing service infrastructure.Local areas are fully responsible for identifying referral routes in their areas. Connect to Work has wide ranging referral routes into the programme, which include primary healthcare, community care and other care settings and through social prescribing together with wider local organisations e.g. Voluntary and Charity Sector services and employers as well as Jobcentre Plus. A breakdown of referral routes for participants is not yet available centrally.The Connect to Work programme has been rolling out and opening across England and Wales throughout this year. As of October 2025, around a third of delivery areas have Connect to Work services already open to participants.For areas that have yet to have their Connect to Work funding confirmed, DWP continues to provide support to help them finalise their delivery plans. We expect these areas to have their services live by spring 2026.Total funding for Connect to Work will reach over £1 billion across England and Wales over the next five years and provide around 300,000 sick or disabled people with help to get into work by the end of the decade.Data is not yet available for the Connect to Work Programme. The Department plan to develop official statistics to support Connect to Work, and updates will be shared via the DWP Statistical Work Programme.

If she will take steps to ensure that SMEs in the private security sector that are not (a) Approved Contractor Scheme accredited and (b) members of the S12 Security Leadership Group are able to contribute to future policy development impacting that sector.

The Government is keen to work with the industry on reforming the private security industry.The Home Office continues to engage with the range of different organisations representing sectoral interest on an ongoing basis both directly and through the Security Industry Authority, including public consultations on major policy changes.

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to expand the Intellectual Property Office's Fake Toys, Real Harms campaign to (a) schools, (b) health services and (c) community networks.

The Intellectual Property Office is committed to raising consumer awareness and understanding of IP crime and infringement and the risks surrounding it.The Fake Toys, Real Harms campaign has demonstrated this through national media coverage and collaboration with law enforcement and the toy industry to share the message amongst consumers.Its content is and will continue to be shared widely with partners, particularly during the Christmas shopping period.This campaign supports the IPO’s education programme, which inspires young people to realise their ideas and better understand intellectual property.

Innovation and Technology, how much funding for the Mental Health Goals programme has been allocated; and what criteria she uses to distribute that funding.

The government has allocated up to £50 million over five years to the Mental Health Goals programme. Funding decisions are guided by strategic direction from the programme’s expert co-Chairs and assessed through academic peer review and a representative Steering Committee. Selection criteria include scientific excellence, potential to advance precision psychiatry, meaningful involvement of people with lived experience, and likelihood of attracting industry investment.

What support his Department has provided to bereaved families of infected individuals who died without receiving compensation to ensure awareness of the new registration process.

The delivery of compensation, including the opening of a registration service, is a matter for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). IBCA opened their registration service on 9th October to allow people to register their intent to claim online. Those who are unable to register online or who require additional support can call IBCA’s dedicated registration support line on 0141 471 8886. Additionally, an individual can ask someone to register on their behalf. This could be a family member, trusted adult, legal representative, carer or someone with power of attorney. IBCA has worked with infected blood charities and community groups to raise awareness of the registration service opening.