Written questions by Thomas.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of HGV Skills Bootcamps in increasing (a) completion rates and (b) job placements compared with the apprenticeship route.

The government offers a range of skills training which can support the HGV sector, including apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps. Apprenticeships combine practical training in a job with study and have a minimum duration of eight months. Skills Bootcamps are available to both employed and unemployed learners and training takes up to 16 weeks to complete. It is therefore not possible to directly compare the two programmes. The government publishes starts, completion and outcome figures for HGV Skills Bootcamps. The latest data is published here; Skills bootcamps starts, completions and outcomes, Financial year 2023-24 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK. The latest published apprenticeship data can be found here; Apprenticeships, Academic year 2024/25 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact on of not offering prescriptions longer than the standard 28-day cycle to patients with long-term, stable conditions on both GP practices and patients of GPs; and whether he plans to amend the NHS standard prescription cycle guidance for GPs.

Prescribing durations are typically 28, 56, or 84 day intervals. There are no current national contract requirements, standards, criteria or guidance as to optimal prescription length from NHS England. Currently, prescription duration is guided by local prescribing policies, guidance from professional regulators, the General Medical Council, and professional bodies, including the British Medical Association. These indicate that determining the optimal prescription duration in any individual case requires consideration of many factors including clinical appropriateness, patient safety, patient compliance, types of medicines, and required monitoring frequency.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to take steps to increase firefighter remuneration in line with inflation.

Setting firefighter pay is the responsibility of local employers, working through the National Joint Council. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government plays no role in the negotiation or funding of firefighter pay.

Innovation and Technology, what steps the department is taking with Ofcom to help ensure that telegraph poles are not being overwhelmed by an excess of new wiring resulting from the coexistence of coaxial cable systems and phone line-based networks.

The government supports sharing of poles between network operators as it reduces costs and disruption to residents and supports competition in the market. The Access to Infrastructure (ATI) Regulations 2016 are designed to facilitate sharing of physical infrastructure between operators, and Ofcom’s Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product mandates Openreach to provide access to their poles to other operators.The PIA Working Group, chaired by the Office of the Telecoms Adjudicator, monitors and provides guidance on appropriate number of lines and weight bearing per pole to prevent them being overwhelmed.As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including decisions regarding enforcement of the ATI Regulations and PIA.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure adherence to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 for the standards of (a) care and (b) accommodation for dogs; and how many times the Animals in Science Regulation Unit has found sites to not be complaint with those standards in the last 12 months.

The Animals in Science Regulation Unit conduct audits to ensure establishments comply with the terms of their licences, the Code of Practice and with ASPA.The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) provides a robust and rigorous regulatory framework that protects animals used in science. All establishments licenced under ASPA are required to comply with the published Code of Practice, which sets out standards for appropriate care and accommodation of animals, including dogs.All non-compliance cases are published in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit’s Annual Reports which are available at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-regulation-unit-annual-reports

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of (a) the Music and Dance Scheme and (b) other school funding schemes in the context of current levels of inflation.

​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 this academic year.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that people who cannot afford mobile data can access (a) the NHS app and (b) other government digital services without incurring personal cost.

In February 2025, the government published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan which outlines the first five actions we are taking on digital inclusion. This includes ensuring that digital services are inclusive and accessible. The industry pledges in the Plan include providing free mobile data to individuals in need and supporting community hubs to provide free Wi-Fi to allow people to get online without incurring personal cost.In addition, in August we launched the £9.5m Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, to support and expand local community initiatives to get people online and help tackle data poverty.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who die each year from wildfire smoke.

Whilst Defra considers smoke from wildfires to be important the department has not, to date, made an estimate of the number of people who die each year from wildfire smoke.

Communities and Local Government, how many meetings (a) he and (b) the former Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government have had with housebuilders who complete more than 500 units per year since 5 July 2024.

Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on gov.uk here.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) improve medical supply chains and (b) ensure that patients are able to obtain medications prescribed to them; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a framework requiring follow-ups with patients issued prescriptions to confirm they have successfully accessed medication.

In early August, the Department published the policy paper Managing a robust and resilience supply of medicines, which provides greater transparency of the supply chains we rely on, the actions we take to protect patients from medicine shortages when they occur, and the steps we are taking to enhance resilience in our supply chains. The publication outlines a number of actions which are underway, including:consulting on better reporting of supply issues;consulting on pharmacist flexibilities to allow pharmacists to supply an alternative if they do not have the exact prescribed item available, under certain circumstances;publishing information guides for patients, community pharmacies, and general practices about what to do when faced with supply issues; andproviding shortage information at the point of prescribing in general practice.Although the Department has made no specific assessment of the potential merits of a framework requiring follow-ups with patients issued prescriptions, it is worth noting that prescribers are expected to provide information to their patients regarding their medicines and ensure that suitable arrangements are in place for the monitoring, follow-up, and review of medication.Pharmacists also play a key role in enabling patients to access medicines. For example, the New Medicine Service is an advanced service offered by community pharmacies, providing patients with advice to address any possible side effects, issues, or questions that patients who are prescribed a new medicine may have.The service focuses on treatments for long-term conditions including asthma and hypertension. Early interventions of this type can improve medication adherence, patient outcomes, and can reduce pressure on the wider National Health Service.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) work with GP practices to ensure nursing staff receive pay increases in line with national recommendations and (b) facilitate the shift of pay awards from October to April so that no portion of annual remuneration is lost; and what assessment he has made of the need for a framework that guarantees government-allocated funding for staff pay is used for that intended purpose.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the general practice (GP) nursing workforce is sustainable, supported, and valued for the work they do. As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, it is up to GPs how they distribute pay and benefits to their staff. Funding for GP nursing pay is not ringfenced and contractual arrangements do not place any specific obligations on GPs with regard to GP nurse terms and conditions. The independent review body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration has recommended an uplift of 4% to the pay ranges for salaried GPs, and to GP contractor pay for 2025/26. We have provided an increase to core funding for practices to allow this 4% pay uplift to be passed on to salaried and contractor GPs. We expect GP contractors to implement pay rises to other practice staff in line with the uplift in funding they have received. The Government has committed to a new substantive GP Contract within this Parliament cycle, and we will continue to engage constructively with the General Practitioners Committee England on issues such as staffing.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of household water bills in 2025; and what discussions her Department plans to have with Ofwat on levels of water bills.

It is Ofwat's responsibility to independently scrutinise water company business plans and ensure that the prices water companies charge their customers are fair and proportionate. On October 9, the Competition and Markets Authority published its provisional decision that, for the five companies that appealed, bills should increase further. This decision remains subject to consultation and they will not publish their final decision until early next year. This is an independent, statutory process. The Government has acted decisively by consulting on reforms to WaterSure - the statutory scheme which caps bills for low-income customers with necessary higher water usage and by introducing new and increased compensation for companies to pay customers in the event of unforeseen disruption to supply. We expect water companies to ensure that their customers know what support schemes are available and how to use them if they need help.

How her Department (a) disposes of small boats used for illegal channel crossings and (b) ensures that those boats are not (i) retained by and (ii) returned to smuggling gangs.

Border Force do not return seized boats/dinghies/engines or lifejackets to France. All vessels that have been subject to seizure, are held by Border Force until the completion of criminal investigations and any resulting legal proceedings. The majority of boats/dinghies are not fit to ever go to sea again, as they arrive in very poor condition and may be damaged during the recovery process. The boats/dinghies/engines are disposed of by Border Force’s approved contractors and where appropriate, any suitable materials are recycled.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of modular construction for the delivery of healthcare infrastructure within the NHS.

We recognise the merits of modular construction for delivering National Health Service health infrastructure, including faster construction times, cost savings, minimised disruption, higher quality and safety standards, and the use of sustainable materials and methods.Modular construction is a modern method of construction (MMC). A toolkit has been developed to support MMC opportunities in healthcare, which is publicly available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-modern-methods-of-construction-assessment-tool-user-guide/The toolkit is recommended for use on all healthcare infrastructure projects and is mandated for projects over £25 million to meet the business case requirements of 70% new build and 50% refurbishment using MMC.The New Hospital Programme is already transforming the way that hospital infrastructure is constructed by using a national standardised approach, called Hospital 2.0. Hospital 2.0 uses a standardised ‘kit of parts’ for hospital components, ranging from doors to full bathroom pods, that can be assembled into different size hospitals in an optimised, consistent, and repeatable way and with off-site manufacturing and with modular construction, reducing costs and accelerating construction.

Communities and Local Government, what data his Department holds on the number of long-term vacant homes in Bromsgrove constituency.

Statistics are published annually on gov.uk which include a breakdown of vacant dwellings by local authority district. We do not hold records on vacant homes on a constituency basis.

Whether she has made an assessment with the Minister for Women and Equalities of the adequacy of access for disabled people on rail travel; and what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) all newly constructed railways and (b) upgrades to existing lines will sufficiently address the challenges disabled people currently face on rail travel.

The Department has standards in place requiring all new and upgraded rail infrastructure to be accessible. This is set out in the Accessibility National Technical Specification Notice and the Code of Practice: Design Standards for Accessible Railway Stations. Failure to meet these standards may result in enforcement action by the Office of Rail and Road, as compliance is a condition of operator’s licences.

What steps her Department is taking to support the enforcement of the prohibition on the sale and possession of nitrous oxide cylinders in Bromsgrove constituency; and whether her Department plans to take steps to increase enforcement actions for offences involving the recreational use of nitrous oxide.

Nitrous oxide is controlled under Class C of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This makes it an offence to supply and possess it for ‘wrongful inhalation’, namely the inhalation of the gas for its psychoactive effect.There is a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine or both for supply, and a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine or both for possession.Legitimate uses of nitrous oxide, such as for baking and cooking, are not prohibited by the Act.The police are operationally independent, but we expect them to tackle crime, including drug-related crime. There were 2,564 seizures of nitrous oxide by police and Border Force in England and Wales in the year ending March 2024. This is an increase of 237% upon the previous year’s figure (761). Police forces accounted for almost all nitrous oxide seizures (2,552). The quantity of nitrous oxide seized by police forces increased by 170% over the same period.Nitrous oxide sold online is subject to the provisions of the Online Safety Act. This requires that all technology companies take robust action against illegal content, such as the sale of nitrous oxide for wrongful inhalation

What his Department's timetable is for reviewing the Personal Independence Payment assessment process and whether his Department plans to consult with (a) disabled people, (b) carers and (c) the wider public during that review process.

To ensure lived experience is at the heart of its work, the Timms Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, carers, experts, MPs and others. We have also confirmed that a majority of the Review’s leadership group will be disabled.This group will not work alone: it will shape a programme of participation and engagement that brings together the full range of views and voices.Over the summer, I met with disabled people, disabled people’s organisations, disability, welfare and carers’ charities, think tanks and other experts to discuss and listen to how we should approach co-production in the Timms Review.We are working through this feedback and will provide an update shortly.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provisions in place to make NHS healthcare accessible to people who are (a) deaf or (b) have hearing loss; and whether he plans to improve these provisions.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services to meet the needs of their local population, including deaf people and people who have hearing loss.Under the Equality Act (2010), health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged.NHS England are rolling out a Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag which enables the recording of key information about a patient and their adjustment needs, to ensure support can be tailored appropriately.Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers are expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which details the approach to supporting the information and communication support needs of people with a disability, impairment or sensory loss.On 30 June 2025, NHS England published a revised AIS. NHS England is working to support implementation of the AIS with awareness raising, communication and engagement, and a review of the current e-learning modules on the AIS. The intention is to ensure that staff and organisations in the NHS are aware of the AIS and the importance of meeting the information and communication needs of disabled people using NHS services.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that termly cut-off dates do not disadvantage families whose children are born mid-term resulting in the parent’s statutory maternity concluding after the 30 September leaving them ineligible for free care in the autumn term; and whether her Department plans to provide additional transitional support or flexibility to parents whose return to work is after the deadline.

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity.Children become eligible for an early education and childcare place from 1 September, 1 January or 1 April, the term after they reach the relevant age and meet relevant eligibility criteria.Depending on when a child is born and when the eligibility criteria are met, there will be differing periods to wait until the relevant termly date.Termly deadlines enable local authorities and childcare providers to better plan and ensure sufficient early years places are available for parents each term, as there are clear periods for when children are likely to enter into a place.