Written questions by MacNae.

What progress her Department has made on the formation of the Road Safety Investigation Branch for Great Britain.

Awaiting answer.

What her Department's planned timeline is for the Online Parenting Interventions project.

The government is dedicated to widening access to high-quality, evidence-based parenting and home-learning support. This helps ensure that families can benefit from interventions that effectively promote children’s early development and contribute to reducing the attainment gap before they begin school. Our aim is to equip more parents to support their child’s development in communication, language, literacy, social and emotional skills and behaviour.​​Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life underlined the importance of offering both digital and in-person parenting support, so that families with a wide range of needs can access help in a way that works for them. This includes plans to develop a national digital parenting offer. On 23 September 2025, the department issued a contract notice to explore options for centrally procuring a digital parenting programme. Further information will be provided in due course.

What progress he has made on establishing a National Cyber Force HQ in Lancashire.

Plans to establish the National Cyber Force (NCF) HQ in Samlesbury are progressing as scheduled. For security reasons, we do not disclose details regarding operational status, precise locations, or specific aspects of our sites.The NCF continues to support the development of cyber security expertise in the region, including through its long‑standing involvement in initiatives such as the Lancashire Cyber Partnership, the North‑West Cyber Corridor, and through bursary and direct‑entry schemes.

What steps he is taking to ensure equitable access to Healthy Babies services for babies in constituencies that cross multiple local authority boundaries.

We know that many local authorities have strong ties with other areas in their region, and some Healthy Babies services may be delivered across local authority boundaries. Current Family Hubs and Start for Life programme guidance encourages local authorities to consider how best they can collaborate with other areas in their region in improving outcomes for babies, children, and their families.Healthy Babies is one element of our broader commitment to supporting babies, children and families. From April 2026, Best Start Family Hubs will expand to every single local authority, backed by over £500 million to reach up to half a million more children and families. This funding will help all local authorities to integrate a range of statutory and non-statutory health and family services.

What steps she is taking to ensure that evidence drives the rollout of online parenting support contained in the Best Start in Life Strategy.

As set out in the Best Start in Life strategy, the government will fund more evidence-based parenting and home learning offers through Best Start Family Hubs to achieve the 75% good level of development milestone, and bridge the critical gap before children enter school. We will set clearer rules to ensure that funding is used on high-quality parenting programmes.The publication 'Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies – Preparing for implementation April 2026' sets out a number of relevant programme requirements around evidence, and the department will set out further information in the coming months, including on the online elements of the parenting offer. The publication is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/best-start-family-hubs-and-healthy-babies-guidance-for-local-authorities.

Whether her Department has assessed schools' adherence to the duty to care for students with medical conditions.

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The accompanying statutory guidance makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions.Ofsted consider how schools are discharging their statutory duties as part of inspections.We intend to consult later this year on revising the ‘Supporting pupils at schools with medical conditions’ statutory guidance. This will seek views from schools, parents, health professionals, and other stakeholders on proposals to strengthen how schools meet their duties. The current guidance is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ce6a72e40f0b620a103bd53/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdf.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that the rollout of Healthy Babies is compatible with the 10 Year Health Plan’s commitment to match Start for Life (Healthy Babies) services.

The Government has a bold ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever and to give every baby the best start in life. Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies plays a crucial role in achieving this. We are committed to delivering the 10-Year Health Plan ambition to match Healthy Babies, formerly Start for Life, to Best Start Family Hubs over the next decade.Healthy Babies is one element of our broader commitment to supporting babies, children, and families. From April 2026, Best Start Family Hubs will expand to every single local authority, backed by over £500 million to reach up to half a million more children and families. This funding will help all local authorities to integrate a range of statutory and non-statutory health and family services. We will continue to work in partnership with all local authorities, including those not receiving Healthy Babies funding, to support the integration and co-location of health services within Best Start Family Hub networks, laying the foundations for the future expansion of Healthy Babies services.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2025 to Question 91494, if the UK Health Security Agency will publish its assessment of the need for mandatory notification for Group B Streptococcus.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) plays a key role in addressing group B streptococcus (GBS) infection both through routine service activities and innovative research.The UKHSA does not believe that there is a rationale at present for GBS being added to the Health Protection Notification Regulations. There are no immediate and specific public health actions required to be taken in response to a case being diagnosed. Whilst periods of enhanced surveillance suggest routine surveillance may be underestimating numbers of infections, this has not been audited to identify the source and reason for discrepancies between different sources of reports during these periods. Given the largely automated nature of laboratory surveillance, making GBS notifiable would not necessarily address any deficits in reporting.The list of notifiable disease is kept under review by the Department with the UKHSA involvement. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/health-protection-notification-regulations-2010-proposed-amendments/outcome/government-response-to-the-health-protection-notification-regulations-2010-proposed-amendments

What his planned timeline is for the data collection, evaluation and interim decision for the in-service evaluation of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy.

On all aspects of population and targeted screening, Ministers are advised by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC).The UK NSC recommended an in-service evaluation (ISE) of newborn blood spot screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in National Health Services in 2023. Since then, the SMA Newborn Screening ISE Partnership Board was set up to plan and develop work to shape the ISE, and progress is being made. This includes planning the duration of the ISE and planning for newborn laboratories to screen blood spot samples for SMA. The laboratories in England that will form part of the ISE are under consideration by the SMA partnership board led by NHS England. The researchers and the National Institute for Health and Research (NIHR) will be responsible for determining the number of babies and services that will be required to answer the research questions.Earlier in the year, the NIHR published their Health Technology Assessment research brief to appoint researchers for this work. Applications closed at the end of September 2025, and final funding decisions are expected in spring 2026. A decision on the shape and roll out of the ISE will be made after the research call process has concluded.A recommendation by the UK NSC on newborn screening for SMA is expected following the conclusion of an ISE, which is needed to answer several outstanding questions related to the implementation of a screening programme for SMA.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of designating group B Streptococcus as a notifiable disease.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) does not recommend adding Group B Streptococcus as a notifiable disease. Existing national surveillance effectively captures Group B Streptococcus infections, monitors trends, and informs antibiotic prescribing policy. The UKHSA has assessed that mandatory notification for Group B Streptococcus would provide no additional public health benefit beyond this.

How newborn screening laboratories can join the in-service evaluation of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy.

On all aspects of population and targeted screening, Ministers are advised by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC).The UK NSC recommended an in-service evaluation (ISE) of newborn blood spot screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in National Health Services in 2023. Since then, the SMA Newborn Screening ISE Partnership Board was set up to plan and develop work to shape the ISE, and progress is being made. This includes planning the duration of the ISE and planning for newborn laboratories to screen blood spot samples for SMA. The laboratories in England that will form part of the ISE are under consideration by the SMA partnership board led by NHS England. The researchers and the National Institute for Health and Research (NIHR) will be responsible for determining the number of babies and services that will be required to answer the research questions.Earlier in the year, the NIHR published their Health Technology Assessment research brief to appoint researchers for this work. Applications closed at the end of September 2025, and final funding decisions are expected in spring 2026. A decision on the shape and roll out of the ISE will be made after the research call process has concluded.A recommendation by the UK NSC on newborn screening for SMA is expected following the conclusion of an ISE, which is needed to answer several outstanding questions related to the implementation of a screening programme for SMA.

What steps he is taking to help lower (a) legal and (b) overall costs incurred through clinical negligence.

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.As announced in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC will be providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims, ahead of a review by the Department in the autumn.The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a screening programme for group B Streptococcus in pregnant women.

On all aspects of population and targeted screening, Ministers are advised by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC).The UK NSC last reviewed the evidence to screen for group B streptococcus (GBS) at 35 to 37 weeks of pregnancy in 2017 and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the benefits of screening would outweigh the harms.This was because the test currently available cannot accurately distinguish between those mothers whose babies are at risk and those who are not.This means that many women would unnecessarily be offered antibiotics during labour, with the balance of harms and benefits from this approach being unknown.The National Institute for Health Research funded a large-scale clinical trial to compare universal screening for GBS against the usual risk factor-based strategy.Recruitment to the trial ended in March 2024 and a report is expected in early 2026. The UK NSC Secretariat is in contact with the researchers. The UK NSC will review its recommendation considering the evidence from the trial, after the report is presented.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) repealing or (b) amending Section 2(4) of the Law Reform (Personal Injuries) Act 1948.

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.As announced in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC will be providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims, ahead of a review by the Department in the autumn.The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.

What discussions his Department has had with the Civil Procedure Rule Committee on the implementation of fixed recoverable costs in clinical negligence claims valued up to £25,000.

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.As announced in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC will be providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims, ahead of a review by the Department in the autumn.The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.

What progress she has made on the review of standards for the Home Office Type Approval process applied to road enforcement technology.

My officials are currently conducting a comprehensive review of the Home Office Type Approval (HOTA) standard in collaboration with stakeholders, including safety camera manufacturers and suppliers and technical experts from the scientific and standards communities.The review of the standards will conclude as soon as practicable.

When the review of standards for Home Office Type Approval of road enforcement technology will be completed.

My officials are currently conducting a comprehensive review of the Home Office Type Approval (HOTA) standard in collaboration with stakeholders, including safety camera manufacturers and suppliers and technical experts from the scientific and standards communities.The review of the standards will conclude as soon as practicable.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of opening paths on disused railway lines to increase public access to nature.

The management and maintenance of public rights of way (RoW), including keeping them free from obstructions, are the responsibility of local highway authorities. These authorities are best placed to understand local priorities and allocate funding for rights of way activities accordingly. Local authorities are required to maintain a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP), which sets out how they intend to improve the rights of way network in their area for all users. These plans include assessments of the condition of the network and are typically available on the authority’s website. Where disused railway lines exist within a local authority’s catchment area, it is for the authority to consider whether these can be integrated into the existing rights of way network. Decisions regarding such integration rest with the local highway authority, not central Government.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to make it easier to create more routes (a) to and (b) through green spaces.

The Government recognises the importance of access to nature for health and wellbeing and is committed to making it easier for people to reach and enjoy green spaces. We are delivering on our manifesto commitments by creating nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England, while also working with partners to develop further policies that improve access. Key initiatives already underway include the King Charles III England Coast Path, which has over 2,600 miles approved, 1,855 miles already open, and is creating 250,000 hectares of new open access land. Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route has now been designated as a National Trail across northern England. The £33 million Access for All programme is actively improving inclusivity across trails, landscapes, forests, and the wider countryside. Additionally, the repeal of the cut-off date for registering historic rights of way is helping to protect hundreds of miles of paths for future generations. Together, these actions are helping to create and retain routes to and through green spaces across the country.

When his Department plans to confirm the funding settlement for Start for Life services from 1 April 2026; whether that funding settlement will include the (a) increased geography and (b) widened age range of the programme; and whether ring-fenced funding will be allocated to provide (i) parent-infant relationship support, (ii) perinatal mental health support and (iii) infant feeding services.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out an ambitious agenda for a decade of renewal to create a new model of care to improve the nation’s health. Over the next decade, we will give every child the best start in life by expanding Start for Life services and by integrating zero-to-five-year old’s health and children’s services within communities, with a strong focus on the critical first 1,001 days. Building on the £126 million funding boost for the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 2025/26, an additional £500 million will enable Best Start Family Hubs to be rolled out to every local authority from April 2026. The Government recognises the importance of providing local authorities with certainty on financial allocations and we will communicate outcomes, including grant details and delivery expectations where applicable, with local authorities when we have more information to share.