Written questions by Dinenage.

What estimate her Department has made of the annual value of money laundering operations conducted through businesses presenting as Turkish barber shops; what proportion this represents of total estimated money laundering activity; and what steps she is taking to help tackle this financial crime.

The National Crime Agency estimates that over £12bn in criminal cash is generated each year in the UK and the Government recognises that cash intensive businesses that are exploited by criminals such as barber shops, can contribute to this.Addressing cash-based money laundering is one of the strategic priorities of the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), which sits within the National Crime Agency. In March the NECC coordinated a three-week crackdown against barbershops and other cash intensive businesses across England and Wales involving 19 different police forces and Regional Organised Crime Units, as well as national agencies including HMRC, Trading Standards and Home Office Immigration Enforcement.In total, 380 premises were visited across the three-week operation, with officers securing freezing orders over bank accounts totalling more than £1m, executing 84 warrants and arrested 35 individuals. Officers also seized more than £40,000 in cash, 200,000 cigarettes, 7,000 packs of tobacco, over 8,000 illegal vapes and two vehicles.

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of tax receipts from the hair and beauty sector.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) does not hold readily available analysis on tax receipts from the hair and beauty sector.

Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of terrestrial television and radio services on the resilience of communications infrastructure.

The Government understands how important it is that everyone can access information in times of national emergency. Television and radio both play an important role in providing such access in a range of different emergency scenarios, including scenarios where other communications may be disrupted.The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications.The Government’s project looking into the future of TV distribution is considering a range of relevant factors, including the future resilience requirements for broadcast networks.

What estimate her Department has made of the proportion of workers in the nail salon industry who are victims of modern slavery or human trafficking; what data her Department holds on the total number of such victims identified in this sector in the last five years; and what steps she is taking to (a) identify and (b) support victims within this industry.

The Government takes reports of labour exploitation in the beauty sector and nail bars very seriously, and we remain committed to tackling the crime of modern slavery – wherever it occurs.The Government is establishing the Fair Work Agency, which will bring under one roof multiple agencies and bodies, including the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, and HMRC’s National Minimum and Living Wage Team. This will ensure a more cohesive and streamlined response to exploitation across the economy. The Fair Work Agency will have enhanced powers and resources to identify and address labour exploitation more effectively. It will be a strong, recognisable brand so individuals know where to go for help.We do not currently hold data for the number of victims of modern slavery and human trafficking within the nail salon industry. Nonetheless, we will continue to monitor the sector closely alongside the Director of Labour Market Enforcement, including emerging intelligence and trends, to ensure we target our work effectively.The National Referral Mechanism is the UK’s framework for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery and human trafficking. Once identified, victims are entitled to support under the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract - regardless of their nationality and where their modern slavery experience has occurred, unless the public order or bad faith disqualifications apply.

Whether he plans to review the length of time GPs take to process medical records for the armed forces.

We are working across Government to increase efficiency in general practices (GPs) and the patient experience by removing red tape and streamlining, or removing, requests to GPs for medical evidence where possible, aiming to free up more GP time to care for patients. This includes improving and helping speed up processes through digital solutions for the sharing of medical records for recruitment to the armed forces, whilst work continues towards the introduction of a new Armed Forces Recruitment Service by 2027.

Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the reliability of (a) digital terrestrial television and (b) IPTV.

The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. We want audiences to continue to receive consistent levels of service regardless of how they receive their television, and ensuring that this can happen will be a priority for the Government.Reliability is one of the issues that is being considered by the Future of TV Distribution stakeholder forum. The forum brings together the Government, the TV industry, the infrastructure sectors, and audience advocacy groups to share ideas and develop solutions.

What steps she is taking to increase women’s safety in Gosport Town Centre.

Through our Safer Streets Mission, we are driving action across Government to achieve our unprecedented mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade. That means working to tackle threats to women's safety in all areas of their lives, including in public places.We are investing £13.1m this financial year (25/26) in a new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection, to drive national coordination and improvement in the police response. This includes delivering our manifesto commitment for strengthened specialist training for officers across England and Wales, including in Hampshire, to ensure that they offer consistent protection for victims and relentlessly pursue perpetrators.Our VAWG strategy, due to be published later this summer, will set out further measures designed to keep women and girls safe in the streets, in their homes, and online.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of delays in GPs providing medical records on armed forces recruitment.

The current Government inherited a crisis in recruitment and retention from the last administration, and this Government is focused upon improving Armed Forces recruitment, modernising and refining our policies and processes to attract the best possible talent. Defence is committed to reducing the time taken for candidates to pass through Armed Forces recruitment processes and enter service. Access to medical records is one of the main frictions in current Armed Forces recruitment processes, adding time into candidates’ progress through their application journey. To reduce this friction we are actively taking steps to optimise relevant processes working with the Department for Health and Social Care. This is already delivering results with shorter wait times.

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of the number of apprenticeships delivered by the hair and beauty sector.

The number of ‘hair and beauty’ related apprenticeship starts in England is published in the Apprenticeship accredited official statistics publication, which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/66bd1260-5cd4-4769-1f8e-08dd8e2f6934. These were last published in March 2025. They include full year figures from 2019/20 to 2023/24, and year to date figures for 2024/25 (August 2024 to January 2025).

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to reduce the time taken for the licensing process for marine restoration projects.

Defra officials are working with arms-length bodies to understand whether improvements could be made to the marine licensing regime when considering applications for habitat restoration. This includes reviewing the time taken to grant licences for marine restoration projects to identify any opportunities that may reduce consenting timeframes. The MMO's key performance indicator for new marine licence applications is to determine 90% of applications within 13 weeks. However, some applications, particularly those with significant public interest or complex characteristics, may take longer.

What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on changes to employer National Insurance Contributions and the potential impact on (a) community care services and (b) wider healthcare services.

The Department has discussed the impact of employer National Insurance contributions with HM Treasury, and has been informed of the Department’s allocation.The Government’s intent is to publish the allocations alongside departmental budgets for 2025/26 at the Mains estimates. This will be published as a supplementary table, with a brief description of the methodology used accompanying it, and the table will not list a breakdown of the specific compensation to individual services.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of consulting with suppliers of community care equipment and services to make an assessment of (a) levels of provision gaps and (b) their potential impact on community care patients.

On 30 January 2025, NHS England published the guidance Standardising community health services, specifically codifying core services, which is available the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/standardising-community-health-services/Community health services cover a diverse range of healthcare delivery, and the guidance supports improved commissioning and delivery of community healthcare services. Codifying community health services will help to better assess demand and capacity and will help commissioners make investment choices as they design neighbourhood health provision that shifts care to community based settings.This publication is available for designing, commissioning, and delivering community health services, including neighbourhood health. Integrated care boards and their partners should consider the core components to support demand and capacity assessment and planning with providers, and should ensure the best use of funding to meet local needs and priorities.Equipment such as wheelchair services, orthotics, and prosthetics for both adults and children and young people are core components of community health services and are refenced in the guidance.Local National Health Service organisations have access to a wide range of procurement routes, but the Government has put in place a range of initiatives to help NHS bodies make informed choices about the products and the route through which they are bought. These include the NHS Supply Chain, a national body which is responsible for procuring and delivering the majority of consumables, equipment, and other supplies into the NHS. The NHS Supply Chain was set up to leverage the collective buying power of the NHS, to drive savings and provide a standardised range of clinically assured quality products at the best value.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the impact of the Business Rates Review on live entertainment venues.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. The Government intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties from 2026-27. To provide further support, the government has extended RHL relief at 40% for 2025-26. The Government is prioritising the creative industries, including live music, as part of the Industrial Strategy.

Media and Sport, what progress she has made on a touring agreement with the EU.

The UK Government remains in constructive dialogue with the EU on tackling the challenges facing UK musicians and their support staff when touring in the EU, as well as other EU reset priorities. Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds and European trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič have been tasked with moving discussions forward and leaders will take stock at the UK-EU Summit in May.

Innovation and Technology, how many people work for Ofcom’s Online Safety Directorate.

In 2023/24, Ofcom had 189 full-time equivalent posts in the Online Safety Group. This does not include staff who work on online safety in other groups such as legal, enforcement and research.The government has ensured Ofcom has the funding it needs to deliver online safety regulation effectively, with £72.6 million allocated for online safety spend in 2025/26. This additional funding will result in additional staff for the Online Safety Group and other divisions.

Innovation and Technology, what estimate he has made of the number of employees required for Ofcom’s Online Safety Directorate to effectively carry out its duties.

In 2023/24, Ofcom had 189 full-time equivalent posts in the Online Safety Group. This does not include staff who work on online safety in other groups such as legal, enforcement and research.The government has ensured Ofcom has the funding it needs to deliver online safety regulation effectively, with £72.6 million allocated for online safety spend in 2025/26. This additional funding will result in additional staff for the Online Safety Group and other divisions.

How many former service personnel have waited over four months for their medical records to be released by the Defence Medical Service to their civilian GP.

When an individual leaves the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the importance of facilitating the transfer of healthcare information to their civilian healthcare provider(s). On leaving Defence Medical Services (DMS) care, Service personnel are provided with a medical care summary, known as an FMed133, and advised to register with an NHS GP and provide them a copy of their FMED 133. If a patient’s full DMS health record is required, this is provided on request from their NHS GP. Given this and that some records are never requested, no accurate estimate can be made of the average time from discharge to the receipt of the medical records by the NHS GP. To improve the transfer of healthcare information, DMS is working towards the greater interoperability with NHS systems and the electronic transfer of medical records from DMS to NHS GPs and expects to implement changes over the next 1-2 years.

Whether he plans to hold discussions with Cabinet colleagues on his proposed changes to energy performance certificates; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) this policy and (b) his other energy policies on the viability of the short-term rental sector in (i) rural and (ii) coastal communities.

On the 4th December 2024, the Government published the consultation on Energy Performance Certificate Reform. Alongside the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, my Department is currently considering all the responses and the Government will publish a response in due course. The Government is also consulting on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector, including whether short-term lets should be included in the scope of our changes. We encourage stakeholders to feed in their views and evidence on the potential impact of these proposals. Following the consultation process, a government response and full impact assessment will be published.

Whether the provisions of the updated initial teacher training and early career framework which relate to pupils with SEND have been (a) co-produced, (b) designed, (c) developed, (d) evaluated and (e) delivered with (i) autistic people and (ii) people with a learning disability.

During 2023, the department reviewed the initial teacher training core content framework (CCF) and the early career framework (ECF) to ensure they remained based on the most up-to-date evidence. This review paid particular attention to the needs of trainees and early career teachers (ECTs) when supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).As part of the review process, the department analysed evaluation data and feedback, which included discussions with lead providers, senior school leaders, induction tutors, and mentors and ECTs. The department also worked closely and met regularly with groups of influential educational stakeholders. These were representative groups who acted in an advisory capacity and included SEND educational specialists.As a result of this review, the updated initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF), which will underpin training for trainee and ECTs from September 2025, contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND and the department has enhanced the requirement on lead providers of ECT training to develop SEND training materials.As the updated ITTECF will not be implemented until September 2025, the department has not yet evaluated its impact, however we recognise that continuous improvement is essential in order to transform the training and support for all new teachers, and to review the experiences and needs of ECT as well as trainees. This is why we are committing to a full review of the programme in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for ECTs. We know that it is crucial that ECTs feel supported teaching pupils with SEND and will review our approach to SEND and the support we provide ECTs in teaching pupils with SEND. We will work with stakeholders to ensure that we continue to provide the best possible support for pupils with SEND.

What steps he is taking to reduce the time taken for the Defence Medical Service to release veterans’ medical records to their GP.

When an individual leaves the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the importance of facilitating the transfer of healthcare information to their civilian healthcare provider(s). On leaving Defence Medical Services (DMS) care, Service personnel are provided with a medical care summary, known as an FMed133, and advised to register with an NHS GP and provide them a copy of their FMED 133. If a patient’s full DMS health record is required, this is provided on request from their NHS GP. Given this and that some records are never requested, no accurate estimate can be made of the average time from discharge to the receipt of the medical records by the NHS GP. To improve the transfer of healthcare information, DMS is working towards the greater interoperability with NHS systems and the electronic transfer of medical records from DMS to NHS GPs and expects to implement changes over the next 1-2 years.