Written questions by Cooper.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) noise and (b) air pollution on public health in densely populated residential areas.

In 2023, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published the findings from a study that mapped the effects of transport noise on health and wellbeing across England. It was estimated that transport noise in England was responsible for the equivalent of 130,000 healthy life years lost in disability in 2018. The estimates are presented at local authority level to examine the spatial distribution of the health burden. This work was based on methods developed by the World Health Organization, and more information is available at the following link:https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2023/06/29/noise-pollution-mapping-the-health-impacts-of-transportation-noise-in-england/Poor air quality is one of the largest environmental risks to public health in the United Kingdom. The mortality burden in 2019 was equivalent to between 29,000 and 43,000 deaths for adults aged 30 years old and over. Some people are more affected because they live in a polluted area or are exposed to higher levels of air pollution in their day-to-day lives. UKHSA is developing an air pollution vulnerability indicator tool that will demonstrate which areas are most at risk from exposure to air pollution. This tool will help health professionals identify areas where interventions are needed most and will contribute to addressing local health inequalities related to air pollution more effectively.

What steps he is taking to help improve access to healthcare for people experiencing rough sleeping.

The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain by tackling the structural inequalities that contribute to poor health, particularly for disadvantaged groups, including those experiencing homelessness. We recognise the importance of reducing barriers to healthcare services for those experiencing homelessness. This is why we supported the development and implementation of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, code NG214, which provides recommendations on ways to improve access to, and engagement with, health and social care services for people experiencing homelessness. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng214The Department has recently published a progressive 10-Year Health Plan. We are committed to reducing the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest, an ambitious commitment that shows that the Government is serious about tackling health inequalities and addressing the social determinants of health.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) steps he is planning to take to take to strengthen antimicrobial resistance (i) surveillance and (ii) diagnostic capacity following the conclusion of the Fleming Fund programme and (b) support his Department is providing to help laboratories maintain continuity of services while national governments build long-term capacity.

Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a priority for the UK Government, and is vital also for protecting our NHS. The UK played a key role in securing an action-oriented Political Declaration from the UN High Level Meeting on AMR last September, including on the importance of strengthening multisectoral surveillance. The UK is working with our partners to drive robust implementation of the commitments from the Political Declaration. Regarding specific UK funding, we are currently working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used in future years, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing schools currently managed by multi-academy trusts to return to local education authority control.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has been clear that there are no immediate plans to develop options that will enable academy schools to convert to local authority-maintained status.The department’s priority is to ensure that all children receive the best possible education. Where the existing leadership of a school does not have the capacity to improve an underperforming school we will continue to intervene structurally. We are also strengthening our tools for school improvement through regional improvement for standards and excellence teams, who will provide mandatory, targeted intervention to drive improvements for schools.

What steps he is taking to ensure that diagnostic stewardship is embedded across infection care pathways to ensure that clinicians are (a) supported to use infection diagnostics effectively and (b) reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.

The United Kingdom’s 2024 to 2029 antimicrobial resistance (AMR) national action plan (NAP), published in May 2024, highlights the importance of accurate diagnostic testing to guide effective antibiotic use and tackle AMR. A core commitment of the NAP is supporting clinicians to prescribe the right antimicrobials only to those that need them. Outcome four specifically relates to strengthening antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship by improved targeting of antimicrobials and diagnostic tools.The Government is also working to deliver outcome six of the NAP, which commits to cross-sector working to develop diagnostics as a tool to tackle AMR. The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), has invested over £18 million of funding into AMR diagnostics research. The Department also funds the NIHR’s HealthTech Research Centres, which accelerate development of healthcare technologies, including diagnostics.NHS England’s AMR Diagnostic programme is taking a multifactorial approach to improving the roll out of innovative rapid diagnostics, aligning to the 2024 to 2029 AMR NAP’s commitments. The programme aims to improve current practice, enhance the evidence base, improve engagement and training, and overcome barriers for industry to support the development of diagnostic tests. The ambition is to drive innovation in diagnostics within the system to improve antimicrobial stewardship and reduce the burden of infection and AMR. As part of this programme, NHS England is undertaking Horizon Scanning for new innovations, supporting research into point-of-care tests for key infections, and continuing to work with industry.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what funding his Department plans to allocate (a) to international programmes primarily focused on preventing novel pandemics at source and (b) through multilateral and bilateral initiatives where pandemic preparedness is a secondary or cross-cutting objective from 2025 to 2028.

We will publish Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's final 2025/26 Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations in the Annual Report & Accounts in July. Over the coming months, we will work through detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used in future years, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn. We continue to work across Government and with our international partners to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of infection diagnostics on (a) levels of inappropriate antibiotic use and (b) the policies set out in the policy paper entitled UK 5-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2024 to 2029, published on 8 May 2024.

The United Kingdom’s 2024 to 2029 antimicrobial resistance (AMR) national action plan (NAP), published in May 2024, highlights the importance of accurate diagnostic testing to guide effective antibiotic use and tackle AMR. A core commitment of the NAP is supporting clinicians to prescribe the right antimicrobials only to those that need them. Outcome four specifically relates to strengthening antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship by improved targeting of antimicrobials and diagnostic tools.The Government is also working to deliver outcome six of the NAP, which commits to cross-sector working to develop diagnostics as a tool to tackle AMR. The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), has invested over £18 million of funding into AMR diagnostics research. The Department also funds the NIHR’s HealthTech Research Centres, which accelerate development of healthcare technologies, including diagnostics.NHS England’s AMR Diagnostic programme is taking a multifactorial approach to improving the roll out of innovative rapid diagnostics, aligning to the 2024 to 2029 AMR NAP’s commitments. The programme aims to improve current practice, enhance the evidence base, improve engagement and training, and overcome barriers for industry to support the development of diagnostic tests. The ambition is to drive innovation in diagnostics within the system to improve antimicrobial stewardship and reduce the burden of infection and AMR. As part of this programme, NHS England is undertaking Horizon Scanning for new innovations, supporting research into point-of-care tests for key infections, and continuing to work with industry.

What steps he is taking to tailor (a) guidance and (b) support for local authorities to help mitigate increasing demand on adult social care services due to demographic ageing.

The Government accounted for a wide range of pressures, including demographic changes through the 2025 Spending Review. The resulting settlement allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements.The Department also works closely with the sector to deliver a programme of universal and targeted support. For example, through the Partners in Care and Health contract, support is provided to local authorities and partners to develop commissioning and market sustainability strategies, helping them respond to increasing service demand, including that linked to demographic ageing.Adult social care is part of our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service that shifts care from hospitals to communities, with more personalised, proactive and joined-up health and care services that help people stay independent for as long as possible. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will work towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered locally to create healthier communities, spot problems earlier, and integrate health into the social fabric of places.In addition, we have also launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission will make clear recommendations to define and build an adult social care system that will meet the current and future needs of our population.

Whether she has considered allowing local education authorities to open new maintained schools.

Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, the government is removing the legal presumption that all new schools are opened as academies, allowing local authorities to welcome proposals for all types of school, and to put forward their own proposals where they choose to do so.These changes will better align local authorities’ responsibility to secure sufficient school places with their ability to open new schools.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of unpaid caring responsibilities on carers’ mental health.

The Department invests in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR-funded research suggests that high intensity unpaid care, as measured by time spent caring per week, is associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing a range of poorer outcomes, including worse mental health, compared to people who do not provide unpaid care. The severity of these outcomes differs based on factors such as age, gender, and ethnicity.Local authorities have duties to support people caring for their family and friends. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers.The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country. We are transforming mental health services into neighbourhood mental health centres that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, improving assertive outreach and increasing access to evidence based digital interventions. People will also get better access to mental health support and advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week directly through the NHS App, including self-referral for talking therapies, without needing a general practice appointment.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of administrative capacity to manage the volume of transitions from Employment and Support Allowance to Universal Credit; and what steps she is taking to ensure that vulnerable claimants do not experience prolonged delays or shortfalls in payment due to outstanding actions as a result of these transitions.

Adequate resourcing for the transition is an important priority for the department. The department has identified a small number of cases where the payments due have not all been paid in full in the first assessment period, due to delays in the process. The problem has been addressed by introducing additional automation, and increasing the resources to deal with these cases. DWP has also enhanced the identity verification identity process, reducing the requirement for customers to attend the office or receive a home visit. We have robust plans in place to support the safe migration of cases onto UC. We will continue to monitor the position on these cases carefully through to the end of the migration activity, responding quickly if difficulties arise.

With reference to the Government response to the Child Maintenance: Improving the collection and transfer of payments consultation, published on 23 June 2025, what her planned timetable is for publishing further information on next steps.

Primary legislation is required to make the change to remove Direct Pay and reform the collection fee structure, meaning these changes will be subject to detailed parliamentary scrutiny. Our intention is to implement these changes as soon as parliamentary time allows.

When he plans to publish the revised School Food Standards; and what steps he is taking to consult (a) schools, (b) public health experts and (c) other stakeholders in the process.

To ensure quality and nutrition in meals for the future, the department is acting quickly with experts across the sector to revise the School Food Standards, so every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance. We are currently engaging with a range of stakeholders to help us understand the challenges around school food.We intend to consult on these revisions and further details will be available in due course. We understand the importance of hearing from schools as part of this work and will ensure there are appropriate opportunities for their engagement.

What plans his Department has to support global health workforce development as part of the UK’s international health security agenda.

Strong, resilient health systems are essential for the delivery of the United Kingdom’s wider global health objectives of strengthening global health security, including tackling the threat of anti-microbial resistance and the spread of disease, and ending the preventable deaths of new-borns and children. The UK thus recognises the need to support developing countries with their health workforce.Since 2022, the Department has committed £20 million in Official Development Assistance funding to the Global Health Workforce Programme. The programme aims to support the development of the health workforce in six African countries and regions, aiding them to build stronger, resilient health systems for health security and to make progress towards universal health coverage. It is aligned to the World Health Organization’s Working for Health Action Plan 2022-2030.The Department’s Global Health Workforce Programme will conclude at the end of this financial year on the completion of its current grant. However, the UK will continue to support Global Health and Global Health Security including through key health multilaterals such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the World Health Organization. We also support the development of a global workforce for health security preparedness through technical assistance offered by the International Health Regulations Strengthening Programme, and in outbreak response through the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that global development and health partnerships remain central to foreign policy objectives.

Work on international development, including global health, remains a priority for this Department. The Minister of State for International Development made this clear at the International Development Committee hearing on 12 May 2025, we will sharpen our focus on humanitarian, health and climate and nature. Making progress on our health and development agenda not only supports our broader foreign policy objectives but also contributes to the Government's health and economic growth missions.At the UK-EU summit on 19 May, we affirmed our shared commitment to increasing our cooperation on health security, including to prevent and better mitigate against future pandemics and health crises. Later this year, the UK will co-host the replenishment of the Global Fund with South Africa.At the Gavi Global Summit in Brussels on 25 June 2025 the Foreign Secretary announced that the UK will invest an additional £1.25 billion in support of Gavi's 2026 - 2030 programme. This commitment, alongside contributions from international partners, will help deliver Gavi to partner with countries such as yours to immunise up to 500 million more children, save up to 9 million more lives, and generate over $100 billion in economic benefits. The Minister of State for International Development also announced the UK will be investing a further £25 million in Gavi's Matching Fund to grow their work. Meeting investments from the private sector.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the 6.9% reduction in the FCDO's resource budget on the ability to respond to global health threats.

Over the coming months, we will work through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used in future years, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments.The Minister for Development was delighted to attend the Gavi Global Summit in Brussels on 25 June 2025 and announce that the UK will invest an additional £1.25 billion in support of Gavi's 2026 - 2030 programme. This commitment, alongside contributions from international partners, will help deliver Gavi to partner with countries such as yours to immunise up to 500 million more children, save up to 9 million more lives, and generate over $100 billion in economic benefits.The UK's commitment to supporting both humanitarian aid and development across the world remains steadfast, despite the reduction to the UK's aid budget. We continue to work across Government and with international partners to deliver on our global health agenda, including how we best mitigate the risks of a range of global health threats. The UK's role in helping secure consensus in May this year on a legally-binding Pandemic Agreement underlines our commitment to tackling these threats.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered introducing further regulations on establishing (a) dog and (b) cat rescue organisations.

Companion animal rescue and rehoming organisations in England must comply with statutory welfare requirements set out in the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Members of the public can also check if the rescue centre they use is a member of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes, which has set clear standards for animal assessments, neutering and rehoming procedures that all members adhere to. More broadly, the Department is developing an overarching approach to animal welfare and has initiated a series of meetings with key animal welfare stakeholders as part of this work. It will be outlining more detail of plans in due course.

How the 10 year plan for the NHS will ensure that the NHS shifts from sickness to prevention.

The 10-Year Health Plan will set out broader actions for how we shift the health and care systems in England towards preventing ill-health rather than treating sickness. Through the 10-Year Health Plan we want to take action to reduce the causes of the biggest killers and ensure that the National Health Service uses its relationship with patients to help patients improve and protect their own health.We are already taking action, for instance enabling a smoke free generation through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill and continuing the rollout of the NHS Health Check. We will build on the success of our vaccination and screening programmes and work with communities to understand what is preventing uptake.

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the health impact of high street regeneration.

The design of places where people live, work, and play have a significant role in shaping physical and mental health and wellbeing. Departmental minsters meet with Government colleagues to discuss cross-Government efforts to improve the public’s health, including the impact of the local built and natural environment on health. For example, ministers at the Department of Health and Social Care have met with ministers at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to specifically discuss the relationship between health, towns and planning.

How many and what proportion of eligible families receive Healthy Start in Worthing West constituency.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at the following link:https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/The NHSBSA does not hold data on the number of families receiving Healthy Start and does not currently hold data on the number of people eligible for Healthy Start. The NHSBSA does not hold data on local constituencies. The table below shows the number of people on the digital scheme in the relevant local authorities as of 23 May 2025:Local authorityNumber of people on the digital schemeBlackpool1,434City of Bristol2,778County of Herefordshire736Southampton1,677Worthing348Brighton and Hove1,041East Suffolk1,129