Written questions by Thomas.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing funding for new (a) services and (b) research to support people with (i) myalgic encephalomyelitis and (ii) chronic fatigue syndrome.

NHS England is responsible for allocating funding to integrated care boards, which in turn are responsible for commissioning specialist myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) services that meet the needs of their population, subject to local prioritisation and funding.On 22 July 2025, we published the final ME/CFS delivery plan, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mecfs-the-final-delivery-planWithin the plan there is an action for the Department and NHS England to explore whether a specialised service should be prescribed for very severe ME/CFS.The Government funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC). We have assessed the ME/CFS research portfolio funded through NIHR and MRC and acknowledge that this is an under-funded area. The level of funding awarded is directly related to the number and quality of applications received and we have historically received a small number of applications for funding in this area. Between 2019/20 and 2023/24, the NIHR committed approximately £3.7 million to research projects and programmes on ME/CFS. In the same period, the MRC committed approximately £2.9 million to research into ME/CFS.Together with the MRC, we are actively exploring next steps for research in ME/CFS. In the final delivery plan for ME/CFS, we have outlined the research actions and additional support that we will offer to the research community to increase the volume and quality of applications. This includes a new funding opportunity for a development award focussed on evaluating repurposed pharmaceutical inventions for post-acute infection syndromes and associated conditions, including ME/CFS.

What fiscal steps her Department is taking to help support (a) rural and (b) independent businesses.

The Government provided support for small businesses at Autumn Budget by:protecting the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by more than doubling the Employment Allowance to £10,500,freezing the small businesses multiplier (used for properties with a rateable value below £51,000) for 2025-26, and extending the retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) business rates relief for one year at 40% (up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business),committing in the Corporate Tax Roadmap to maintain the Small Profits Rate and marginal relief at their current rates and thresholds, as well as maintaining the £1 million Annual Investment Allowance. At the Spending Review, we have increased the financial capacity of the British Business Bank to £25.6bn, which will enable a two-thirds increase in support for SMEs across the UK. This Government is supporting rural businesses with substantial investment in farming, nature, transport and digital connectivity. The Government will invest more than £2.7 billion a year in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026-27 until 2028-29. The Government has confirmed investment of £1.9 billion over four years into digital connectivity, and £2.3 billion of Local Transport Grant funding for smaller cities, towns and rural areas. The Government has protected smaller family businesses from BPR changes, providing a very significant level of relief with the first £1 million of business assets continuing to receive 100% relief and then 50% thereafter.

What steps her Department has taken (a) with schools and local authorities to strengthen the measures used to identify young carers and (b) to ensure that schools are audited against those measures.

Young carers were added to the school census as a specific group for the first time in 2022/23. The department expects the census data to improve over time as the collection becomes better established. We are looking at the ways the data is entered to see if we can make technical changes that will support more accurate reporting without overly burdening schools.The statutory guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ requires designated safeguarding leads to undergo training to provide them with the knowledge and skills to carry out their role. This includes having a good understanding of, and alertness to, the needs of young carers to identify their needs.In its inspections of local authority children’s services, Ofsted evaluates whether professionals identify children and young people in need of help and protection, and whether they provide help to families when they need it. Ofsted have recently consulted on a new education inspection framework, and their full response will come in September. The proposals include a specific evaluation of inclusion, ensuring that schools can provide appropriate support for all disadvantaged and vulnerable children, including young carers.

What steps her Department is taking to encourage people who are not in employment but have the capability to work to re-enter the workforce.

Our Get Britain Working reforms, set out in a White Paper in November last year, will tackle economic inactivity, build a thriving labour market, and increase the number of people in work. By delivering the biggest reforms to employment support for a generation, with a combined focus on skills and health, we will enable more people to get into work and get on in work. This will move us toward our long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate, which is central to growing the economy. Building on our Get Britain Working reforms, our ‘Pathways to Work Guarantee’ will provide work, health, and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions claiming out of work benefits. As announced in the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions’ statement on Welfare Reform on 30 June, we have increased the funding for employment support for disabled people and those with health conditions, investing an additional £300m over the next 3 years. This means our Pathways to Work Guarantee is now an investment of £2.2 billion by 2030 and brings our total investment in employment support for disabled people and those with health conditions to £3.8 billion over this Parliament.

What steps he is taking to ensure the consistency of the quality of care in England.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for ensuring the quality of care in England. It assesses all health and social care service providers registered with the CQC for compliance against the statutory standards set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. It also assesses how well local authorities deliver adult social care by looking at their performance against their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. The CQC takes enforcement action against a provider for non-compliance.The 10-Year Health Plan sets out new statutory and non-statutory measures and clearer accountability to ensure transparency on quality of care. The CQC’s statutory powers will be extended to access all publicly held data relating directly or indirectly to care quality. Non-statutory measures include revitalising the National Quality Board and having it develop a new quality strategy by March 2026.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of dementia care.

Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services.We will deliver the first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.The Government is committed to improving dementia care and empowering local leaders with the autonomy they need to provide the best services to their local community, including those with dementia.That is why we published the D100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme earlier this year, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia. The D100: Pathway Assessment Tool is available at the following link:https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/nccmh/service-design-and-development/dementia-100-pathway-assessment-tool

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS dementia and care homes are adequately (a) staffed and (b) resourced.

Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services. We will deliver the first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.English local authorities have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England and assesses local authorities' delivery of their adult social care duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. The specific Care Act functions assessed by the CQC are set out in regulations under the Health and Care Act 2022.The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: Regulation 18 states that providers must deploy “sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced staff to enable them to meet the needs of the people using the service at all times”. Where the CQC finds a breach in this regulation, it can take regulatory action to ensure the safety of people drawing on care and support.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. We want the people who work in care to be respected as professionals, and work is already underway to provide a career structure, give care professionals greater skills and legislate for the first ever Fair Pay Agreements.

What steps his Department are taking to ensure the effectiveness of the (a) monitoring of and (b) improvements to dementia care.

Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services. We will deliver the first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity.To strengthen both local and national insight into dementia care, enable clearer benchmarking, and support the delivery of more timely, targeted, and person-centred support, NHS England continues to monitor the monthly dementia diagnosis rate and analyse trends at national, regional and integrated care board level. The commitment to recover diagnosis rates to the national ambition of 66.7% remains in place, ensuring identification and appropriate support for people living with dementia.In addition, NHS England is actively looking to improve the clinical utility and relevance of dementia data reporting. This includes, firstly, enhancing primary care reporting through ongoing refinement of indicators and coding approaches.Notably, a new measure was introduced in April 2025 capturing the number of people with dementia who have experienced delirium in the past 12 months. This will support systems and providers to better understand variation in care provision, improve risk stratification, and strengthen care planning.NHS England is also exploring improvements in the Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS) to ensure activity within Memory Assessment Services is more fully reflected in available data. Work is underway with the NHS England analyst team to scope options for developing more meaningful coverage and consistency in memory service reporting.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with stakeholders on preventing microplastics from infiltrating agricultural land.

There are several potential ways in which microplastics which can infiltrate agricultural land and the wider environment. These include fallout from the atmosphere, land connections with surface waters and industrial premises, leaks from septic tanks and landfill sites, and possible leaching from the application of treated sewage sludge to agricultural soils. Once microplastics have entered the soil, many factors will influence their movement, such as soil type, the type of crop and the presence of livestock. To better understand the transmission of microplastics through the application to the land of sewage sludge containing biosolids, Defra officials are collaborating with industry and independent researchers under the water industry-funded Chemicals Investigation Programme. This work will help inform possible and future measures to mitigate microplastics in the environment. We discuss the progress of this work on a frequent basis.

What steps her Department is taking to improve the transition from play-based to formal learning.

Children’s earliest years are crucial to their health, development and life chances. The early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers must follow to ensure every child has the best start in life and is prepared for school. Practitioners should carefully organise enabling environments and cultures for high-quality play to support children’s learning and development. In the summer term of the academic year in which children turn five, children are assessed against the EYFS Profile, which seeks to measure children’s level of development and support their successful transitions into year 1.The department has launched an independent, expert-led Curriculum and Assessment Review to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum. The Review is addressing the curriculum and assessment system from ages 5 to 19, ensuring that children build on their crucial learning and development in the early years. The interim report expresses an ambition for the curriculum to ensure effective transitions, and progression through each key stage of education. However, covering ages 0-5, the EYFS is outside of the Review’s scope. The wider work of the department will consider these areas.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the levels of nitrates in English waterways.

The levels of pollution in our waters, including nitrates, are unacceptable. We are prioritising cleaning up our waters. We are reviewing the Environmental Improvement Plan and will create a new, statutory plan for how the department will protect and restore our national environment and meet each of our ambitious targets, including reducing pollution. We nonetheless continue to work with farmers to deliver improvements and drive down agricultural pollution including through regulations, Environmental Land Management schemes and advisory services. As a first key step, we have established a programme to reform the agriculture water regulations to ensure they effectively deliver pollution reductions whilst supporting farm businesses to grow.

What steps her Department is taking to support the (a) hospitality and (b) pub sector in rural areas.

On 4 April 2025, the Government announced the Licensing Policy Taskforce, which is currently working intensely with the industry to ensure licensing conditions for businesses within the sector – such as pubs, restaurants, and music venues – are proportional. The Taskforce is sharing its findings with the Government and aims to update publicly by the summer. Delivering on our manifesto pledge, we will introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, with rateable values below £500,000, from 2026-27. In the meantime, we have prevented RHL relief from ending in April 2025 by extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business and frozen the small business multiplier. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor also announced a duty cut on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year. This reduction increased the relief available on draught products to 13.9%. The hospitality sector is predominately made up of smaller businesses. The Government has protected the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, which means that 865,000 employers will pay no employer NICs at all next year. More than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package and eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs. The Government has funded a wide range of community assets, including pubs, through the Community Ownership Fund. On 23 December 2024, this Government announced the outcome of Round 4 of the Community Ownership Fund, the largest ever round to date. The Government also provides 100 per cent business rates relief for properties that are based in eligible rural areas with populations below 3,000. To be eligible, the business must be the only public house and have a rateable value of up to £12,500.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the education curriculum to prepare young people for the future workplace.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work.The Review is being undertaken in close consultation with education professionals and other experts, parents, children and young people, and other stakeholders such as employers, universities and trade unions. The Review has received call for evidence submissions from a variety of employers, colleges and representatives.The Review has published a well-evidenced, clear interim report, which sets out its interim findings and confirms the key areas for further work. This report sets out that the Review has heard consistently from children and young people and their parents that they want more focus on the applied knowledge and skills that will equip them for later life and work; such as financial education, careers knowledge and politics and governance. The interim report can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-interim-report.During its next phase, the Review is considering whether there is sufficient coverage of knowledge and skills that are essential to sufficiently prepare children and young people for future life and to thrive in a fast-changing world.The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in autumn, at which point the government will respond.

Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a cyber-security hub in Gloucestershire.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology recognises Gloucestershire as a national leader in cyber security. Home to GCHQ and a thriving cyber ecosystem, the region will benefit from the new National Cyber Innovation Centre in Cheltenham, which will drive collaboration and investment. The recently published Digital and Technologies Sector Plan acknowledges the potential of the Golden Valley development. Government continues to work with local partners, including CyNam and the University of Gloucestershire, to advance cyber skills and innovation, supported by the Cyber Growth Action Plan to unlock further regional and national growth.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to incentivise young people to take up farming.

Attracting bright new talent into land-based careers and having a skilled workforce in place is vital for the future of UK food and farming. Defra works closely with The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH) which is encouraging young people and new entrants into farming in its capacity as an industry led professional body for the farming industry. This includes leading a cross-industry initiative to address common negative misconceptions about the sector and providing free TIAH membership for students. Furthermore, the Government has launched Skills England to ensure there is a comprehensive suite of apprenticeships, training and technical qualifications for individuals and employers to access, which are aligned with skills gaps and what employers need. It will work with its partners to ensure that regional and national skills needs are met.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of reducing speed limits to 20mph outside all schools.

The Department for Transport published a comprehensive three-year evaluation of the effect of 20mph limits, which are 20mph schemes relying only on signage, on 22 November 2018 20mph Research Study Process and Impact Evaluation Report.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure the PIP assessments are not impacted by illnesses which frequently vary in severity.

The PIP criteria consider an individual’s ability over a 12-month period, ensuring that fluctuations are taken into account. The assessment looks at how a long-term health condition or disability impacts daily life across 12 activities, and considers whether each activity can be completed safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, and in a reasonable time period. The assessment is designed to reflect the impact of variations in an individual's needs for all health conditions, not only those which more typically fluctuate. Health professionals are trained to consider a wide range of physical, sensory, mental, intellectual and cognitive impairments. Case Managers give due consideration to all available evidence when making PIP decisions. We set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper our intention to improve the experience for people who use the system of health and disability benefits, including a move to recording our assessments as standard. We want to build greater trust with claimants, and we intend to bring this proposal forward as soon as we are able. We have also launched a review of the PIP assessment, which I am leading. Through the review, we want to make sure the PIP assessment is fit for the future. We have now begun the first phase of this review, during which I am speaking to stakeholders to gather views on how best to approach the review. As soon as the Terms of Reference have been drawn up, they will be published.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that young people consider social care as a potential future career.

High-quality, careers information, advice and guidance (CIAG) is key to helping young people make informed decisions about their future. The department funds person-centred, impartial careers information and advice across all employment sectors, including social care.​Through The Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC), we fund Careers Hubs which lead partnerships including secondary schools, colleges, employers and strategic and local authorities to connect young people to local skills and economic needs through a responsive careers education programme. ​The Health Sector Advisory Group, in partnership with CEC, is exploring solutions to address workforce and skills challenges and inspire young people to take up careers in health and social care. Their recent report, Examining the Skills Gap, showcases effective local initiatives that give young people real-world insight into social care careers and can be found here: https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/evidence-and-reports/examining-the-skills-gap-inspiring-young-people-to-take-up-careers-in-health-and-social-care/.The National Careers Service is a free, government-funded careers information and guidance service. Its website gives access to digital tools and resources’ covering over 130 industry areas and 800 job profiles including several social care roles.The government has introduced measures to raise awareness, boost access, and improve the quality of training available in the healthcare sector, including the ‘Next Generation’ campaign promoting technical education pathways inspiring pupils to pursue careers in sectors like social care.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) encourage and (b) promote careers in the social care system.

The Department is supporting the professionalisation of the adult social care (ASC) sector by expanding the Care Workforce Pathway (CWP), funding the Learning Development and Support Scheme, and introducing the first ever fair pay agreement for the sector.In April 2025, we published four additional role categories within the CWP, which is the first universal career structure for the sector providing guidance on career development by outlining the knowledge, skills, values, and behaviours to both encourage and promote care as a long-term career.The Learning Development and Support Scheme, launched in September 2024, is providing up to £12 million this financial year to support eligible care staff to complete training courses and qualifications. Additionally, a Fair Pay Agreement for the ASC sector will ensure that care professionals are recognised and rewarded for the important work that they do.

What steps he is taking to tackle shortages of care home workers in rural areas.

English local authorities have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs, and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care (ASC).The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. Regulation 18 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 states that providers must deploy “sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced staff to enable them to meet the needs of the people using the service at all times”. Where the CQC finds a breach in this regulation, it can take regulatory action to ensure the safety of the people drawing on care and support.The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the ASC sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth, and to improve the recruitment and retention of the domestic workforce. This is why we are introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement to the ASC sector so that care professionals are recognised and rewarded for the important work that they do.We are also supporting the professionalisation of the ASC workforce by implementing the Care Workforce pathway as the first universal ASC career structure and providing £12 million through the Learning and Development Support Scheme this year for staff to complete training and qualifications.