Written questions by Stephenson.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the press notice entitled Huge mobile signal boost across UK countryside now covering area larger than 66,000 football pitches, published on 28 May 2025, which additional sites will have their mobile masts upgraded by March 2026.

The location of Home Office masts that have been upgraded for the Shared Rural Network (SRN), including six additional masts activated for the programme since the press notice was published, can be found in the table below. We plan to upgrade over 40 more sites in England, Wales and Scotland by March 2026, but the details of these masts cannot be shared until a site is confirmed to form part of the programme. Location1Farmland and Buildings, West of Millrigg Farm, Lockerbie, DG11 2PA2Rhosrhiw, Pontrhydygreous Ystar, Meurig, SY25 6DX3Wenalt Farm off B4340, Llanafan, SY23 4AX4West Fedw Tylwch, Llanidloes, SY18 6QU5Esgair Maen- Y-Fan, Llandidloes, SY18 6NT6Bron Felin Old Hall, Llanidloes, SY18 6PW7Land at Bridge End Farm, Thirlmere, Keswick, CA12 4TG8Kilgwrrwg, Devauden, Chepstow, NP16 6PN9Bailey Hill. Bailey Bog Farm, Bwlch-y-Sarnau, Rhayader, LD6 5NF10Pwllan Farm, Tregynon, Powys, SY16 3ER11Land at Alltcerrig Farm, Pont Faen, Brecon, LD3 9RY12Garn Rock Newcastle, Craven Arms, SY7 8PD13Tyn Y Celyn, Rhiw Fawr, Llanfyllin, SY22 5JQ14he Hendre Felindre, Knighton, LD7 1YT15Tynypant Llananno, Llandrindod Wells, LD1 6TT16Plas-yn-Dinam, Llandrillo, Corwen, LL10 0TE17Land at Allt Goch Llandovery SA20 0PP18Ty Isaf Hafod Elwy Bylchau LL16 5SP19Land at Dolgledr Abergwynant Farm Penmaenpool Dolgellau LL40 1YF20Pen-rhiwcul Mallwyd SY20 9HR21Near Solway View Roadhead Carlisle CA6 6NE22Glas Aber Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog Wrexham LL20 7LH23Cossarshill Farm, Ettrick Valley, TD7 5JB24Maes Farm Maengwynedd Oswestry SY10 0DE25Genoch Farm, Straiton, Ayrshire, KA19 7NW26Cae Llyn Field Winllan Talybont Ceredigion SY24 5DJ27Tushielaw Farm off B709, Crosslee, Selkirk, Scottish Borders, TD7 5HT28Newgate Foot Newgate Bank Pockley YO62 7TF29Springhill Farm Selattyn Oswestry SY10 7NZ30Brynceiro Ponterwyd Aberystwyth SY23 3LB31Land at Mynydd Eithaf, Unnamed Road, Glaspwll32Land North Of Grange Moor Farm Cottages, Scots Gap, Morpeth, Northumberland NE61 4EE33Barnside Hill, Southern Upland Way, Duns, TD11 3SG34Sharplaw Farm, Hownam, Kelso, Roxburghshire, NF6635Off B7068, Paddockhole, Lockerbie, Dumfries & Galloway, DG11 2QF36Amod Farm Campbeltown, Argyll and Bute, PA28 6RN37West Buccleuch. Tushielaw, Nr Hawick, TD9 7NF38East Friars Farm Bowlees Middleton-in-Teesdale DL12 0XG39Hillcrest NW of B8007 , B8007 Acharacle , Argyll and Bute , PH36 4JG40Kildavie Farm, Southend, Campbeltown, Argyll PA28 6RF41Brownknowe Farm Tarest Hexham NE48 1PS42A849, Rossal Estate, Isle of Mull, Argyll and Bute PA70 6HG43Minor road from A848, Glenaros Estate, near Salen, Isle of Mull, Argyll PA72 6JP44Land at Westmains Farm, Penton, Carlisle, CA6 5QH45Land at Coal Pit Farm, Penwyrlod Forest, Coal Pit Abergavenny, NP7 7LY.46Pen Y Fron, Gwytherin Abergele, LL22 8US.47Tyn-yWern Commins Llanrhaedr ym Mochnant, SY10 0BZ48Revolution Bike Park off B4391 Llangynog SY10 0EP49Land at Fangs Brow Farm, Loweswater, Allerdale, Cumbria CA13 0SU50Pontmaendu Farm, Upper Chapel, Brecon, Powys, LD3 9RG51Latterbarrow Nether Wasdale CA20 1ET52Land Adjacent to Ivy Cottage, Tarfside, Brechin, DD9 7YU53Coed Dolchenog, Cwmystwyth, SY23 4AD54Coed Cae, Llanymawddwy, Machynlith, SY20 9AQ55Land at Ashton Manor, Lower Ashton, EX6 7QW56Land at Hall Dunnerdale Farm, Seathwaite, Broughton in Furness, LA20 6ED

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of paragraph 43 of the report by the Competition and Markets Authority entitled Summary of CMA market study final report into housebuilding, published on 26 February 2024.

The government published its response to the recommendations made by the Competition & Markets Authority market study into housebuilding on 22 October 2024. It can be found on gov.uk here.

If he will consider asking the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to (a) revise their guidance on and (b) respond to the concerns of (i) patient groups and (ii) other people who are affected by restless legs syndrome.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not published guidance on restless legs syndrome but has commissioned a Clinical Knowledge Summary (CKS), which covers diagnosis and management. The CKS is available at the following link:https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/restless-legs-syndrome/As NICE is an independent body, it would not be appropriate for the Department to interfere in the development of NICE’s advice or guidance.NICE has an established prioritisation process overseen by a prioritisation board, for the identification of priorities for guidance development. Anyone is able to suggest a topic through the NICE website, at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/forms/topic-suggestion

Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 55(a)(ii) of the report by the Competition and Markets Authority entitled Summary of CMA market study final report into housebuilding, published on 26 February 2024, what steps her Department plans to take to (a) introduce a consistent set of quality standards for new homes and (b) enable new home buyers to (i) be able to customise their new home and (ii) resolve snags and faults more easily.

The government published its response to the recommendations made by the Competition & Markets Authority market study into housebuilding on 22 October 2024. It can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help support local authorities to increase house building.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 58440 on 17 June 2025.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the press release Government-built “Humphrey” AI tool reviews responses to consultation for first time, in bid to save millions, published on 14 May 2025, in which areas did the AI and officials disagree.

Consult is a tool designed to analyse responses to public consultations, it uses AI to identify themes for each question and map responses to those themes.The first live evaluation of Consult was completed using the Scottish Government’s recent consultation on the regulation of non-surgical cosmetic procedures.Identifying themes in responses is subjective, and two humans often disagree. However, the thorough evaluation found that Consult produced near identical rankings of themes when compared to expert reviewers, a key input into the analysis.I am proud to say we are working in the open, so for anyone interested in diving deeper, I really recommend going and reading the evaluation report in full on ai.gov.uk.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of paragraph 55(a)(i) of the report by the Competition and Markets Authority entitled Summary of CMA market study final report into housebuilding, published on 26 February 2024.

The government published its response to the recommendations made by the Competition & Markets Authority market study into housebuilding on 22 October 2024. It can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential alignment of ICBs and mayoral authority boundaries.

The English Devolution White Paper sets out a clear ambition to align relevant public service and strategic authority boundaries over time, including in relation to health. The 10 Year Health Plan for England published on 3 July reiterates this commitment, with a clear intention to align ICB boundaries with strategic authorities, wherever feasibly possible. The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care have affirmed their shared commitment to this goal.

Communities and Local Government, if she has made an assessment of the potential impact of Part O of Schedule 1 of the Building Regulations on her plans to develop beautiful communities.

The intention of Part O is to reduce the risk of overheating in new residential buildings. Overheating in buildings has been highlighted as a key risk for the health and productivity of people and businesses in the UK, and we must ensure that new homes do not increase that risk.The Building Regulations are outcome based and not prescriptive, and two different Part O compliance routes have been put in place to enable design flexibility and allow for innovative, beautiful and compliant designs.As part of the Future Homes and Buildings Standard consultation, which closed in March 2024, we sought evidence on whether current overheating standards are appropriate or require amendment. The Government will set out the evidence it received on Part O during this consultation and its response to this in Autumn 2025, when the Future Homes and Buildings Standard consultation response will be published.

Communities and Local Government, what plans her Department has to provide additional funding for infrastructure for local authorities for which new towns are planned.

The government established an independent New Towns Taskforce last year to develop recommendations on suitable locations for new towns to create new thriving communities, and act as a catalyst for economic growth. The Taskforce will deliver a final shortlist of recommendations to ministers this summer, including how to deliver and fund new towns. We are learning lessons from the past to ensure that our next generation of new towns are well-connected, well-designed, sustainable and attractive places where people want to live and have all the infrastructure, amenities and services necessary to sustain thriving communities.

Communities and Local Government, what proportion of houses in new towns will be sold at market prices.

The government established an independent New Towns Taskforce last year to develop recommendations on suitable locations for new towns to create new thriving communities, and act as a catalyst for economic growth. The Taskforce will deliver a final shortlist of recommendations to ministers this summer, including how to deliver and fund new towns. We are learning lessons from the past to ensure that our next generation of new towns are well-connected, well-designed, sustainable and attractive places where people want to live and have all the infrastructure, amenities and services necessary to sustain thriving communities.

Communities and Local Government, what plans her Department has to consider the lessons learned from the development of previous new towns in its planning for new towns.

The government established an independent New Towns Taskforce last year to develop recommendations on suitable locations for new towns to create new thriving communities, and act as a catalyst for economic growth. The Taskforce will deliver a final shortlist of recommendations to ministers this summer, including how to deliver and fund new towns. We are learning lessons from the past to ensure that our next generation of new towns are well-connected, well-designed, sustainable and attractive places where people want to live and have all the infrastructure, amenities and services necessary to sustain thriving communities.

Communities and Local Government, how many responses have been received for each of her Department's consultations since 4 July 2024.

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 5412 on 11 October 2024 and the answer to Question UIN 16492 on 4 December 2024.

Whether an impact assessment was carried out on the abolition of NHS England.

Work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and to plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilitiesIt is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, as is due process. These ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate.The Government is committed to transparency and will consider how best to ensure that the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcomes.

What the average amount of capital funding provided by his Department was for each new hospital built in the last five years.

Specific national capital funding is allocated by the Department for the building of new hospitals through the New Hospital Programme (NHP).The capital funding provided to build a new hospital varies significantly between each individual hospital. Hospitals are built based on local requirements and vary in the scope of services that they provide and their size.For the hospitals built as part of the NHP in the last five years, the average amount of capital funding provided by the Department was approximately £270 million per hospital. This average includes a significant range.In addition to funding delivered through the NHP, in the last five years national capital funding has been provided for several other estates and upgrade schemes outside the scope of the NHP, some of which have delivered major new facilities, but which fall short of the definition of a new hospital.As set out in the published NHP Plan for Implementation, the cost estimates for the new hospital schemes in Waves 1, 2, and 3 are expected to be higher. We are backing this plan with investment which will increase to up to £15 billion over each consecutive five-year wave, averaging approximately £3 billion a year.

Whether he has made an estimate of the capital funding required to address maintenance backlogs at (a) Bedford and (b) Luton & Dunstable hospitals.

The Estates Returns Information Collection survey collects data from National Health Service trusts on the quality of their estate annually, including backlog maintenance, and the projected cost of bringing all buildings into acceptable condition. The latest backlog maintenance figures, including for Bedford and Luton and Dunstable hospitals, are available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2023-24The Government is committed to improving our hospital estate, and that is why my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that £30 billion in capital funding will be invested over five years in the day-to-day maintenance and repair of the NHS estate, with over £5 billion specifically allocated to address the most critical building repairs.At a local level, individual NHS organisations are responsible for maintaining their estates within their capital and revenue budgets, as set out in NHS Planning Guidance.

Whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the role that place-making in new towns could play in reducing demand pressures on the social care workforce.

Ministers have regular discussions with Cabinet Office colleagues about a variety of issues, including, but not limited to, place-making in new towns.Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care. They also have responsibility to meet social care needs, and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care.The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth, and improve the retention of the domestic workforce. This is why we are introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement to the adult social care sector, so that care professionals are recognised and rewarded for the important work they do.The Department has launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission forms a key part of the Government’s Plan for Change, recognising the importance of adult social care in its own right, as well as its role in supporting the National Health Service.

What discussions he has had with Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on the level of (a) capital and (b) revenue funding required to maintain (i) Bedford and (ii) Luton and Dunstable hospitals in the next fifteen years.

The Estates Returns Information Collection survey collects data from National Health Service trusts on the quality of their estate annually, including backlog maintenance, and the projected cost of bringing all buildings into acceptable condition. The latest backlog maintenance figures, including for Bedford and Luton and Dunstable hospitals, are available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2023-24The Government is committed to improving our hospital estate, and that is why my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that £30 billion in capital funding will be invested over five years in the day-to-day maintenance and repair of the NHS estate, with over £5 billion specifically allocated to address the most critical building repairs.At a local level, individual NHS organisations are responsible for maintaining their estates within their capital and revenue budgets, as set out in NHS Planning Guidance.

Whether he has made an assessment of trends in the level of change in demand for at home social care since 2019.

The number of local authority-funded social care users in community care settings has risen by approximately 5% between 2019/20 and 2023/24, according to a 2024 National Health Service publication produced in conjunction with the Department. However, this publication only includes those care users who are funded by their local authority, and does not include those who may fund their own care.The Department utilises projections of the future demand for care, including community care, published by the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre at the London School of Economics. These projections inform decisions about funding requirements made at fiscal events such as the Local Government Finance Settlement and the Spending Review.

With reference to his Department's press notice entitled GP surgery refurbs to enable over 8 million more appointments, published on 6 May 2025, if he will publish a list of the 1000 GP surgeries receiving upgrades.

On 6 May 2025, we announced which primary care schemes are in line to receive funding from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund. A full list of the schemes being prioritised for funding this year can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/primary-care-utilisation-and-modernisation-fund-2025-to-2026