Written questions by Spencer.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with (a) officials and (b) local authorities on making planning enforcement a non-discretionary service.

Local planning authorities have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance. It is for authorities to decide how and when they use their powers depending on the circumstances of each case. It is also for local planning authorities to ensure they have the resources in place to carry out their planning enforcement function effectively. For a summary of the steps the government is taking to support capacity and capability within local planning authorities, including within their enforcement teams, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 67508 on 14 July 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what support his Department is providing to local planning authorities to ensure the protection of (a) buildings and (b) areas of historic importance.

My Department has made no specific assessment of trends in relation to historic buildings and unlawful development. The government is committed to the protection of the historic environment. There are strong protections in both the National Planning Policy Framework and legislation to support the conservation and enhancement of heritage assets. The government has also given local planning authorities a wide range of enforcement powers in relation to unauthorised development, including specific powers in relation to designated heritage assets, with strong penalties for non-compliance.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of (a) loss and (b) damage to (i) English heritage and (ii) buildings of historic importance due to unlawful development.

My Department has made no specific assessment of trends in relation to historic buildings and unlawful development. The government is committed to the protection of the historic environment. There are strong protections in both the National Planning Policy Framework and legislation to support the conservation and enhancement of heritage assets. The government has also given local planning authorities a wide range of enforcement powers in relation to unauthorised development, including specific powers in relation to designated heritage assets, with strong penalties for non-compliance.

When he plans to respond to correspondence dated (a) 16th July 2025, (b) 8 September 2025 and (c) 8 October 2025 from the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge, on final approval for the rebuild of Weybridge Health Centre.

I responded to the Hon. Member’s correspondence on 13 November 2025.

What discussions and correspondence he and his officials have had on the decision for final approval of the rebuild of the Weybridge Health Centre; and what timescale has been established for a final decision to be made.

Final approval for the business case for the rebuild of Weybridge Health Centre was granted by NHS England on 4 November 2025. Planning approvals have been secured, and pre-construction demolition began on 10 November 2025. Full construction is scheduled to start in late January 2026.

Whether any further action or information is needed to determine whether final approval for the rebuild of the Weybridge Health Centre will be granted.

Final approval for the business case for the rebuild of Weybridge Health Centre was granted by NHS England on 4 November 2025. Planning approvals have been secured, and pre-construction demolition began on 10 November 2025. Full construction is scheduled to start in late January 2026.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Transport (Duty to Cooperate) Bill on the economy.

The Government will outline its position on this Bill during the scheduled second reading.

Innovation and Technology, whether (a) Government services and (b) critical national infrastructure faced disruption as a result of the Microsoft Azure outage on Wednesday 29 October 2025; and what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the economy of that service outage.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is leading Government’s response to the Microsoft Azure outage that took place on Wednesday 29 October 2025. We understand that all Azure services were restored on Wednesday evening, and DSIT is in contact with Microsoft to understand how such events can be mitigated in the future.DSIT has identified disruption to online Government services across several departments, which were restored within hours of the incident.We are not aware of any major disruption arising from this event affecting Critical National Infrastructure but will continue to work with relevant operators to understand the full impact.The outage affected a wide range of organisations across all sectors and it will take some time to fully understand the scale of the economic impact.

When he plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge, case reference BS35944, dated (a) 15 July 2025 and (b) 8 September 2025 .

The Government is committed to transparency and accountability, including through clear and timely responses to correspondence. I can confirm that your letter to the Minister for the Cabinet Office dated 15 July, and subsequent email 8 September, have been passed to me as the Minister responsible for this policy, and I have replied to your letter. Please accept my apologies for the delay.

Innovation and Technology, what government services faced disruption as a result of the Amazon Web Services outage on Monday 20 October; and what assessment her Department plans to make of the cost to the economy of that service outage.

Many government departments use AWS services, and we are aware that the Home Office, DVLA, DWP and HMRC all experienced impacts as a result of the outage on Monday 20 October.The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is working with both departments and AWS to better understand the impacts, and will use this to inform future work on government digital resilience.The cost of the outage is not yet known.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 October 2025 to Question 75683 on Neurodiversity: Children, what discussions he has had with NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board on the steps they are taking to ensure that assessment pathways for neurodevelopment disorders in children meet National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had no such discussion with the Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (ICB).The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines are developed by experts based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and through extensive engagement with stakeholders. They are not mandatory, but National Health Service commissioners are expected to take them fully into account in designing services to meet the needs of their local populations.The NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB advises that additional investment has been secured by the local system to increase capacity within the assessment pathway, and it is working to increase the earlier support available. The ICB is also continuing delivery of the Partnerships for the Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme, which brings together ICBs, local authorities, and schools, working in partnership with parents and carers to support schools to better meet the needs of neurodivergent children and their families.

When he plans to respond to correspondence dated (a) 5 March 2025, (b) 13 May 2025 and (c) 11 June 2025 from the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge, case reference BS35623.

The Government is committed to transparency and accountability, including through clear and timely responses to correspondence. I can confirm that your letter to the then-Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster dated 5 March, and subsequent emails of 13 May and 11 June, have been passed to me as the Minister responsible for this policy, and I have replied to your letter. Please accept my apologies for the delay.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy performance of Surrey and Borders NHS FT assessment pathway for neurodevelopment disorders in children.

The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays for accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future, recognising the need for early intervention and support, without the need for diagnosis.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for making appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to ADHD and autism assessments, in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.In April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the NHS to deliver improved outcomes for people referred to an autism assessment service. NHS England has continued to support services to identify challenges and how they might overcome these.  NHS England also established an ADHD taskforce to better understand the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June 2025, with the final report expected later in the year and we will carefully consider its recommendations.

What (a) data sources and (b) methodology was used by South Western Rail to (i) measure the performance and (ii) monitor outage events of the lifts at Weybridge Station.

South Western Railway (SWR) uses the Network Rail data source system Citadel, which logs lifts reported out of use, alongside SWR customers advising of lifts out of use. This approach is used at all SWR stations with lifts including Weybridge. This data is then fed into a dashboard for measuring performance. The dashboard, lift performance and outage events are all discussed at a meeting held each rail period between SWR and Network Rail. This review feeds into improvement works and activities.

What her planned timeline is for replacement of the lifts at Weybridge Station.

The lifts at Weybridge Station are expected to be replaced by Autumn 2026.

What steps she is taking to improve (a) enforcement and (b) arrears recovery in child maintenance cases where the paying parent resides abroad.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) can only be used where the receiving parent, paying parent and any qualifying children are all habitually resident in the United Kingdom (UK). The CMS does not have jurisdiction where this does not apply. The process for handling cases where the paying parent may be non-resident in the UK is managed according to a range of international treaties under the umbrella term REMO (Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders). The UK has arrangements with a number of other countries and territories that allow a parent with care to claim maintenance from a non-resident parent resident in one of those countries. REMO can be used to register and enforce child maintenance orders internationally, or for example, when the paying parent is habitually resident in the UK but has assets and/or income in another country. If the paying parent has moved to an EU country, The CMS may be able to enforce collection of outstanding child maintenance arrears. The CMS works closely with the Ministry of Justice, with whom the process is managed by, and the CMS's caseworkers are trained to signpost parents to that department for advice.

What his planned timetable is for agreeing the final funding arrangements for rebuilding Weybridge Health Centre.

The business case for the rebuild of Weybridge Health Centre has recently been submitted by Surrey Heartlands ICB to NHS England for review. In parallel, the NHS Property Services Board will be asked to approve the capital funding for this project and authority to enter into the contract. Subject to these approvals the new health centre will be fully completed in 2027.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2025 to Question 60552 on Prime Minister: Social Media, whether large language models are used in the preparation of the Prime Minister's social media posts.

I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 24 June 2025, Official Report, PQ 60552.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of level crossings on the economy, broken down by (a) region and (b) the UK's GDP.

Level crossings form part of the rail system of Great Britain, which plays a critical role in the development, economic growth, and social wellbeing of communities across the UK. By connecting communities and providing safe access to essential services and places of work, they also provide important benefits to local businesses and communities. Given their integral role within the national rail network, the Department does not hold information on the specific impacts of level crossings on the UK or regional economies. However, Network Rail, as the infrastructure manager of Great Britain’s railways, will take account of the impact on local businesses and communities of any decisions it takes that affect level crossings.

Whether the Prime Minister uses large language model software to help in drafting his social media posts.

No, the Prime Minister does not use large language model software to help in drafting social media posts.