Written questions by Fox.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the inclusion of glass in the Welsh government's deposit return scheme on businesses in other parts of the UK.

The UK Government acknowledges the concerns raised by businesses in relation to differences in approach to Deposit Return Scheme across the UK. We will continue to engage with the Welsh Government on this matter as they finalise their policy positions and legislation. The Welsh Government will be responsible for developing an impact assessment of their scheme.

What discussions he has had on the future role of Nursing Associates within the NHS.

The Secretary of State has not had any discussions on the future role of Nursing Associates specifically. The Government is committed to publishing a 10-Year Workforce Plan which will create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. We are working through how the Plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 6874 on Brain: Diseases, whether his Department plans to update the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on the recognition and referral of suspected neurological conditions.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for making decisions on whether its published guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence or emerging issues not in the scope of the original guideline.NICE has no plans to review or update its guideline on Suspected neurological conditions: recognition and referral, code NG127, at this time.NICE maintains surveillance of new evidence that may affect its published guidance and would consult on any proposed changes with a wide range of stakeholders if significant new evidence was to emerge.

Whether his Department plans to continue funding for Nursing Associate Apprenticeships.

There are currently no plans to change NHS England's existing funding arrangements for nursing associate apprenticeships.The Apprenticeship Levy, which is managed by the Department for Work and Pensions, is also used to fund nursing associate apprenticeships in the National Health Service. Employers with an annual pay bill of over £3 million contribute 0.5% of their payroll to the Apprenticeship Levy to fund and expand apprenticeship opportunities across the country, including for nursing associates.

What discussions she has had on ensuring that the Music and Dance Scheme continues to support the same number of students for future scholarships.

The government fully supports the arts and the development of a skills pipeline into the creative industries. The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) this academic year. The MDS currently provides bursaries for over 2,000 students. The number of students supported in future will be considered in due course. Any introduction of multi-year funding agreements will also be considered in due course.

Whether she considered a multi-year funding settlement for the Music and Dance Scheme after the spending review; and if she will consider setting out a multi-year funding settlement for the scheme in future years.

The government fully supports the arts and the development of a skills pipeline into the creative industries. The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) this academic year. The MDS currently provides bursaries for over 2,000 students. The number of students supported in future will be considered in due course. Any introduction of multi-year funding agreements will also be considered in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 6874 on Brain: Diseases, when the neurology transformation programme will come into effect for patients currently receiving neurological treatment in hospitals outside of their home region.

NHS England has established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme, which has developed a new model of integrated care to support integrated care boards (ICBs) to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients. This programme is underway now and is due to conclude in March 2026.The Neurology Transformation Programme focuses on providing access equitably across the country, care as close to home as possible, and early intervention to prevent illness and deterioration in patients with long-term neurological conditions. A toolkit is being developed to support ICBs to understand and implement this new model, which will include components on delivering acute neurology services, improving health equity in neurology, and improving community neurology services.NHS England Specialised Commissioning published a revised National Neurology Service Specification in August 2025, which provides a detailed description of how patients can access specialised neurology care equitably wherever they are in England, particularly for specialised services that are not available in every part of the country.There are currently no plans to develop a neurology-specific implementation plan to support the 10-Year Health Plan, although potential conditions and topics for the new modern service frameworks will be kept under review following the development of the first tranche of three referenced in the 10-Year Health Plan.

What proportion of staff in his Department have flexible working arrangements; and how many of those work compressed hours.

The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice, who remain the employers. All staff assigned to the Scotland Office adhere to the policies of their parent department, including those on flexible working. The Scotland Office has three members of staff with formal compressed hours contracts.

What proportion of staff in his Department have flexible working arrangements; and how many of those work compressed hours.

As many flexible working arrangements, including compressed hours working, are agreed and recorded at a team level, the information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

What proportion of staff in his Department have flexible working arrangements; and how many of those work compressed hours.

At the Northern Ireland Office, flexible working requests are submitted directly to line managers for discussion and approval. The department does not maintain data centrally on the number of staff working compressed hours.

What proportion of staff in his Department did not meet the minimum office attendance target in the latest period for which data is available; and what sanctions his Department issues to staff who do not meet this target.

The Northern Ireland Office follows the cross Civil Service expectation that everyone spend at least 60% of their time at a Government building or on official business, such as visiting stakeholders, unless they have an agreed adjustment or exception. Deputy Directors monitor records of team office attendance and therefore data is not held centrally.

What proportion of staff in her Department did not meet the minimum office attendance target in the latest period for which data is available; and what sanctions her Department issues to staff who do not meet this target.

We have no record of any staff failing to meet the minimum office attendance target for the latest period for which data is available. On 24 October 2024, the Cabinet Office announced that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Senior managers will continue to be expected to be in the office more than 60% of the time. If people do not meet that reasonable expectation, as with any management instruction it will be dealt with via existing performance management processes and ultimately with disciplinary action should there be sustained failure to comply.

Whether her Department has made an assessment ​of the potential impact of the Renters' Rights Bill on levels of capacity in (a) the civil courts and (b) tribunals.

The Ministry of Justice (including its executive agency His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service) is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to assess the potential impact of the Renter’s Rights Bill on the justice system, to ensure that there is sufficient resource in the civil courts and tribunals to respond to demand.

What proportion of staff in her Department have flexible working arrangements; and how many of those work compressed hours.

My Department operates a hybrid working policy, which is available to all staff and enables them to work in a flexible way based on the needs of the Wales Office. No staff currently work compressed hours on a contractual basis.

What proportion of staff in his Department have flexible working arrangements; and how many of those work compressed hours.

Within the MOD, there are three types of flexible working arrangements: Informal, and Formal Flexible Working, and the Flexible Working Hours (FWH) Scheme. The number of staff with Informal Flexible Working arrangements and on the FWH scheme is not recorded centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. As at 31 August 2025, 69.7% of staff work full time, and 30.3% of staff have flexible or part time working arrangements as detailed in the table below. Please note this data is for the Core Workforce only and includes MOD Main, Defence Equipment and Support and the Submarine Delivery Agency. Work Schedule GroupingTotalPercentFull Time34,53669.7Part Time5,11610.3Compressed4,4679.0Shift Work5,23610.6Term Time1870.4Grand Total49,542100.0

What proportion of staff in her Department have flexible working arrangements; and how many of those work compressed hours.

HMT is committed to enhancing the working lives of all employees by supporting a healthy balance between professional responsibilities and personal commitments. To support this, HMT offers a Flexible Working Hours Scheme (FWHS), which allows employees to vary their start and finish times across the working week to achieve a balance between the demands of their jobs and personal commitments. As at the end of financial quarter 1 for 2025/26 (30th June 2025), there were 160 active staff at HMT working full-time compressed hours.

What proportion of staff in her Department did not meet the minimum office attendance target in the latest period for which data is available; and what sanctions her Department issues to staff who do not meet this target.

The department collects data via an access control system to allow monitoring of office attendance. This system does not provide this data at individual level.Managers are required to ensure employees meet the minimum office attendance targets and they have a number of management tools at their disposal to ensure compliance including both our formal and informal disciplinary procedures. We do not hold central records on the usage of such procedures.

What proportion of staff in her Department have flexible working arrangements; and how many of those work compressed hours.

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

What steps she has taken to ensure that there is sufficient capacity for tribunals to handle any increased caseload following the Renters' Rights Bill going into force.

His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service is undertaking a significant programme of work in preparation for an increased caseload in the tribunal following commencement of the Renters’ Right Bill. This includes streamlining case handling processes and establishing a centralised operational hub; ensuring the availability of suitable estates capacity for hearings; delivering critical improvements to the existing technology systems to increase resilience and support increased workloads; and recruitment of additional administrative staff. Plans are also in train to recruit additional judicial office holders.The Government has concluded that there is a sound case for an alternative body or mechanism to make initial determinations on rent challenge cases in the future. This would relieve some demand from the tribunals. The Government intends to establish such a body or mechanism, subject to completing a full viability assessment. Further details of this will be confirmed in due course.

What proportion of staff in his Department did not meet the minimum office attendance target in the latest period for which data is available; and what sanctions his Department issues to staff who do not meet this target.

The number of staff who did not meet the minimum office attendance target is not recorded centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.Local leadership is actively managing engagement and compliance on office attendance/ working remotely and has reported that compliance with the 60 percent attendance target is being met or exceeded where impediments such as restrictions on car parking and desk space are not prevalent; this has been done in line with, and supported by, HR policy, guidance, and management communications. Non-compliance of the 60 percent attendance target is managed by local leadership through Performance Management measures or Misconduct and Discipline procedures. MOD Main Building (MOD’s HQ) is routinely published in Civil Service HQ occupancy data on GOV.UK.  Main Building total occupancy for June 2025 was 87%.