Written questions by Thomas.

What steps his Department is taking to improve safeguards for people with neurological conditions in care homes.

The Government makes clear, in statutory guidance of the Care Act 2014, that local authorities must ensure services they commission are safe, effective and of high quality. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) assesses how well local authorities are meeting their Care Act duties in relation to safeguarding and have a duty to inform my Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if it considers an authority is failing to discharge its functions.Regulated providers also have a key role in safeguarding adults. Care homes must ensure that they have appropriate systems and processes in place to prevent, and protect people from, abuse and improper treatment. They must also have, and effectively operate, systems and processes to investigate and promptly act upon any allegation or evidence of abuse.Where anyone alleges poor care, neglect or abuse, we expect those providing the service, local authorities and the CQC to take swift action.

What recent steps he has taken to support unpaid carers.

The Government is committed to ensuring that families have the support they need. On the 7 April 2025 the Government increased the Carer's Allowance weekly earnings limit from £151 a week to £196, the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage. This represents the largest increase in the earnings limit since the Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976.Lord Darzi’s independent review of the National Health Service highlighted the need for a fresh approach to supporting and involving unpaid carers, to improve outcomes across the board for carers, for those they care for, and for the NHS itself. These findings will be carefully considered as part of our 10-year plan to reform and modernise the NHS, and as we continue to shape our plans to reform adult social care, including through the National Care Service.We have launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission will start a national conversation about what care and support working age adults, older people, and their families expect from adult social care, including exploring the needs of unpaid carers who provide vital care and support.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of wheelchair accessible taxis in (a) rural areas and (b) Gloucestershire.

Disabled people should be able to travel easily, confidently, and with dignity and the Government understands the importance of accessible taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) in supporting them to live independent lives. The Department collects and publishes statistics about the number of wheelchair accessible taxis and PHVs in England. As of 1 April 2024, 18.5% of taxis and 6.2% of PHVs licensed in Gloucestershire were wheelchair accessible. During the same period, in areas that are largely rural, 13.5% of taxis and 6.9% of PHVs met the same standard. The proportion of licensed vehicles that are wheelchair accessible varies considerably across England and in some areas, it can be difficult for wheelchair users to obtain a suitable wheelchair accessible taxi or PHV when they need one. Ultimately, however, the licensing of taxis and PHVs is a matter for licensing authorities, and the Government expects them to anticipate the needs of people in their area proactively, and to ensure that services meet a wide range of passenger needs. Government best practice guidance to licensing authorities in England, updated in November 2023, recommends that authorities assess the demand for wheelchair accessible vehicles and take steps to ensure that there are sufficient available, as part of a “mixed fleet” of vehicles suitable for a range of passenger needs.

What recent steps his Department has taken to help recognise (a) the skills of phlebotomists and (b) their contribution to the NHS.

The Government greatly values the expertise and contribution of all health professionals, including phlebotomists.A central part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the National Health Service needs to care for patients across our communities.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) availability and (b) accessibility of banking hubs in Gloucestershire.

The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets in Gloucestershire and across the UK, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 230 hubs have been announced so far, and over 160 are already open. The location of these hubs is determined independently by LINK, the industry coordinating body responsible for making access to cash assessments. When a cash service such as a bank branch closes, or if LINK receives a request directly from a community, LINK assesses a community’s access to cash needs. This assessment may lead to a recommendation for the establishment of a banking hub in that community. When assessing, LINK takes account of how accessible remaining cash services (e.g. bank branches) are by public transport, including journey times and cost. A banking hub has been recommended for Thornbury in South Gloucestershire and a property search is currently underway.

Whether his Department is taking steps to (a) improve training on dementia care and (b) financially support family carers.

In September 2024, we launched the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme, which allows employers to claim funding for training courses and qualifications on behalf of eligible staff. The scheme is backed by up to £12 million for the financial year 2025/26, and funding is available for a range of dementia-related qualifications.We know that many people wish to play a role in caring for their family and friends and we are committed to ensuring that families have the support that they need. This is why, on 7 April 2025, the Government increased the Carer's Allowance weekly earnings limit from £151 a week to £196, the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage. This represents the largest increase in the earnings limit since the Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions his Department has had with Mobile UK on the official coverage data published by Ofcom; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the Shared Rural Network includes (a) north Gloucestershire and (b) Gotherington.

My officials recently met Mobile UK to discuss a range of issues affecting the mobile industry currently, in their role as the trade association for the UK’s mobile network operators. This included Ofcom’s coverage reporting, and what we can do to work together to address areas of limited or no coverage. Across Tewkesbury, outdoor 4G coverage from all four operators has increased to 95% up from 87%, since the Shared Rural Network programme begun in March 2020. These improvements were delivered via the industry-led element of the SRN which has now completed. There will not be any further coverage improvements in Tewkesbury from the programme.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing a national screening programme for prostate cancer.

The Department is guided on screening policy by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The committee has commissioned a university to carry out a high quality review and to create a cost effectiveness model of the evidence for a national prostate cancer screening programme. This includes targeted approaches to high risk groups and an offer to all men defined by age.However, their previous review advised against screening because the current best test, the prostate specific antigen test, is not accurate. As a result, it can lead to some men receiving false reassurance when they do actually have prostate cancer, and others receiving unnecessary further tests when they did not have prostate cancer.Black men are twice as likely as white men to get prostate cancer. But using an inaccurate test on this group of men might not reduce health inequalities. Instead, it risks leading to greater levels of misdiagnosis in this group. We need a better test, which is why the Government has invested £16 million in the TRANSFORM trial, to look for a better test. This trial will ensure that one in ten participants are black men.Many prostate cancers are very slow growing and many men can live and die with prostate cancer, without ever showing any symptoms. Early diagnosis of prostate cancer can lead to unnecessary interventions and treatment that can have nasty and life altering side effects, for a cancer that would never have caused harm. That is why the UK NSC, when reviewing the evidence for a screening programme, must balance the benefits, including a reduction in mortality, against the harms. Only when the committee is confident that high quality evidence suggests a programme will do more good than harm will it be recommended.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to improve mobile phone coverage in North Gloucestershire.

Ofcom reports that 4G is available across 95% of the Tewkesbury constituency from all four mobile operators, while 5G (standalone and non-standalone) is available outside 99% of premises in his constituency from at least one operator.I have raised my concerns about the accuracy of their coverage reporting with Ofcom and I welcome the improvements to their online mobile coverage checker which will go live in the second half of June.Our ambition is for all populated areas, including North Gloucestershire, to have higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. We continue to work closely with the mobile operators and are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework in place to support investment into mobile networks and competition in the market.

What steps she is taking to deliver effective community policing in rural areas.

The Government is committed to strong neighbourhood policing for everyone in England and Wales, wherever they live. On 10 April, the Prime Minister outlined further details about our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, including that by July, every community, including rural communities, will have named and contactable officers dedicated to addressing their issues.This financial year we will be providing the first Home Office funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). The funding boost of over £800,000 in total will help the units tackle those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.This will allow these specialist units to continue their work in tackling rural and wildlife crime which can pose unique challenges for policing given the scale and isolation of rural areas.The National Police Chiefs' Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-2025 provides a framework through which policing, and its partners can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues which predominantly affect rural communities NPCC-Wildlife-Rural-Crime-Strategy-2022-2025.pdf (nwcu.police.uk) We are working closely with the NPCC to deliver the next iteration of their strategy, to ensure the government's Safer Streets Mission benefits every community no matter where they live, including rural communities.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure appropriate funding is allocated for (a) early diagnosis and (b) effective monitoring of invasive lobular carcinoma; and what funding is allocated for the (i) development and (ii) availability of treatments for that disease.

Improving early diagnosis of cancer, including lobular breast cancer, is a priority for the Government. There are multiple National Health Service initiatives and funding streams across the NHS in England that support the early detection of breast cancer.NHS England and other NHS organisations, nationally and locally, invest in publishing information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including lobular breast cancer, through the Help Us Help You campaigns.The Department spends £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer being one of the largest areas of spend at £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority. The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including the treatment of lobular carcinoma.The Office for Life Sciences’ Cancer Healthcare Goals programme aims to accelerate the development and commercialisation of a new generation of cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. The programme, however, does not ringfence funding, or run funding programmes specific to cancer types.Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan later this year, we will publish our National Cancer Plan. The cancer plan will include more details about how to improve outcomes for all tumour types through earlier diagnosis of cancer.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the guidance on the secondary school admissions process to ensure parents are better equipped to support their children’s preparation.

Local authorities are required to comply with the school admissions code. This includes a requirement to publish a composite prospectus for parents, including information relating to how to apply for schools in that area, information on the admission arrangements for each state-funded school in their area and the number of parental preferences expressed for the school in the previous year. Local authorities must also publish an annual report on admissions for all the state-funded schools in their area.In 2024, 82.9% of applicants were offered their first-choice secondary school and 94.6% received offers from one of their top three choices. At primary level, 93.2% of applicants were offered their first-choice primary school and 98.6% received offers from one of their top three choices.If a parent or other party is dissatisfied with the information provided by the local authority, they can complain, in the first instance, through the local authority’s complaints procedure. If they remain dissatisfied, they can complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Additionally, if my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education becomes aware of an issue she can, if necessary, use her powers to direct the local authority, where it is failing in a legal duty.

What recent discussions her Department has had with the local authority on the number of secondary school placements in Gloucestershire.

The government works to support local authorities to ensure that every local area has sufficient places for children that need them. The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities.The department engages with councils on a regular basis to review their plans for creating additional places and to consider alternatives where necessary. When local authorities are experiencing difficulties, we support them to find solutions as quickly as possible.The department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities to provide school places, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. They can use this funding to provide places in new schools or through expansions of existing schools and can work with any school in their local area, including academies and free schools.In March, the department announced that Gloucestershire County Council has been allocated just under £9.2 million to support it to create the mainstream school places needed by September 2028.This funding, £5.6 million of which will be paid in the 2026/27 financial year and with a further £3.6 million paid in 2027/28, is on top of just over £23.1 million we have previously allocated to Gloucestershire County Council to support it in providing new school places needed over the current and next two academic years, up to and including the academic year starting in September 2026.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that people with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome are supported financially; and whether he plans to include provisions for people with that syndrome within the 10-year health plan.

We want a society where every person, including those with a long-term condition, their families and carers receive high-quality, compassionate continuity of care.The NHS Low Income Scheme can provide help with health costs on an income-related basis. Approximately 89% of prescription items are currently dispensed free of charge and a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges in place. People with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome who are 60 years old or over are entitled to free prescriptions. For those that must pay for prescriptions, the cost can be capped by purchasing a pre-payment certificate.Our 10-Year Health Plan will provide a shared vision for the health and care system in 2035, drawing directly from the extensive engagement undertaken with the public, patients and staff. The plan will include how care models and pathways for health conditions will need to change or evolve to better meet patients’ needs.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the withdrawal of funding to the Western Gateway partnership on the future economy of (a) South Wales and (b) Western England.

The Department held a four-week public consultation on ending core funding for pan-regional partnerships in 2024. Following the consultation, the Government confirmed its decision not to extend core funding for Western Gateway and other pan-regional partnerships. We are now moving to a different model of economic collaboration, where we are keen to support new models driven by mayors and their partners.

What recent steps she has taken to support (a) schools and (b) other institutions that are being targeted by social media hate campaigns.

The Online Safety Act introduces new responsibilities for social media companies and search services to ensure the safety of their users on their platforms. All relevant services must have systems and processes in place to allow users and others to report harmful content that the services are responsible for under the Act.All school employers have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees.No school staff should feel unsafe or face violence or abuse in the workplace. The department will always support school staff to ensure they can work in a safe and calm environment.Schools should have their own clear processes in place for dealing with issues of bullying or harassment, including online hate aimed towards school staff. All incidences of bullying or harassment should be reported immediately to the designated lead and headteacher or governing body or proprietor. Should an incident constitute a potential criminal offence, it would be for the school to consider involving the police.

How many people with Parkinson's in receipt of PIP with Parkinson's as their main condition were awarded four points or more in a category under the Daily Living Activities assessment.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

What recent steps he has taken to increase access to GP appointments.

We’re investing an additional £889 million in funding for general practice in 2025-26, the biggest boost in years, and are recruiting 1,000 new GPs.With this funding, we are making important reforms to bring back the family doctor and allow patients to request appointments online throughout core opening hours.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the allocation of funding for (a) PE and (b) Sports Premium in Gloucestershire.

Physical education (PE) is a national curriculum subject at all key stages and all schools receive funding to deliver it as part of their core budget. Core school budgets are increasing by £3.2 billion in 2025/26, meaning the core school budgets will total over £64.8 billion compared to almost £61.6 billion in 2024/25. Through the dedicated schools grant, Gloucestershire is receiving £522.3 million for mainstream schools in 2025/26. This represents an increase of 2.3% per pupil compared to 2024/25.All primary schools receive PE and sport premium funding to make additional and sustainable improvements to the PE, sport and physical activity they provide, which is allocated on a formula based on the number of pupils in the school.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce ambulance waiting times in (a) the South West of England and (b) Gloucestershire.

Ambulance services in Gloucestershire and the South West are provided by the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, with responsibility for commissioning the services a matter for the local NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB). Specific local actions needed to reduce ambulance waiting times should be undertaken and agreed locally by National Health Service organisations in the best interests of the local population and patients.At a national level, the Government and NHS England are committed to improving ambulance response times. The NHS 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance sets national priorities, which include improving accident and emergency waiting times and ambulance response times compared to 2024/25.