Written questions by Eccles.

How many current cases are there where Work Capability Assessments have taken longer than the 13 weeks set out in departmental guidelines.

It might be helpful to explain that the 13 weeks set out in departmental guidelines only applies to the assessment phase of Employment Support Allowance. It is the guideline for when the department expects a decision to be made upon entitlement to Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and is not a deadline for when a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) should be conducted by. Due to this we have interpreted your question to mean how many ESA new claims the assessment suppliers currently hold that have been waiting for a WCA longer than 13 weeks.As of 23rd February 2026, there are 6,500 new claims ESA cases that have been awaiting a WCA assessment for over 13 weeks.Where an assessment takes longer than 13 weeks to complete, we will automatically award arrears from the 14th week of the claim, where appropriate, so that claimants do not lose out. Please NoteAll volumes have been rounded to the nearest 100.The data provided refers to the cases counted from the date the supplier received a valid referral up to and including the 22 February 2026.The 13‑week timeframe referenced in departmental guidance applies only to new claims requiring a WCA. It does not apply to reassessments.The 13‑week timeframe referenced in departmental guidance only applies to ESA cases and does not apply to Universal Credit (UC) WCAs as UC does not have an assessment phase like ESA.All the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the Assessment Suppliers.The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.

If it is her policy that under GBR all railcards will be available to purchase and renew at ticket offices.

The Government has set out that Great British Railways will have a broad retail function, using all available channels to serve passengers. The Railways Bill will deliver the statutory basis for this function.For various operational and technical reasons, it is not possible to sell certain railcards at station ticket offices.

For what reason the West Midlands Railway student season ticket is not available to purchase from ticket offices.

Due to the complexities of the discount, the three different sales cycles throughout the year, the customer service involved, student verification and the level of product knowledge needed, this has to be managed by a specialist team at West Midlands Trains’ (WMT) Head Office. The tickets are sold via a separate E-commerce platform. All orders are then checked, processed, and fulfilled by this team. All customer service tasks, including those around refunds, are also managed in house at WMT Head Office.

If it is her policy that under GBR all rail fares including discounted fares will be available to purchase from ticket offices.

The Government has set out that Great British Railways will have a broad retail function, using all available channels to serve passengers. The Railways Bill will deliver the statutory basis for this function.

Which types of railcard are currently unavailable to purchase or renew at ticket offices.

The Railcards currently unavailable to purchase at stations are 16-17 Saver, 26-30 Railcard, Disabled Persons' Railcard, Veterans Railcard and the HM Forces Railcard. In the case of the Disabled Persons' Railcard, Veterans Railcard and HM Forces Railcard station staff are not able to verify the eligibility of passengers.The 26-30 Railcard is only available in digital format.

What assessment she has made of which rail fares offered by DfT managed train operating companies are not available to purchase from ticket offices.

The move to Great British Railways will enable passengers to receive a more consistent offer across the network, and we are already taking steps to overhaul the complex fares and ticketing system and make it easier and simpler for passengers to trust they are buying the right ticket and getting the best fare for their journey. As modern ticketing and payment methods roll out more widely on the railways, we will ensure that all passengers, including those who need to use cash or do not have access to smartphones or the internet, are able to buy a ticket across the different retail options.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times from referral to specialist appointment in the Black Country.

We’ve cut waiting lists in the Black Country by more than 10% in the past year, including through the deployment of digital tools and AI to ensure more time is dedicated for patient care. But we are committed to going even further through the investment and modernisation set out in our Elective Reform Plan.

If her Department will publish the number and proportion of successful appeals against deportation that relied on ECHR grounds since July 2024.

The requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format.

How many deportation appeals that were successful at the First Tier Tribunal were later overturned at the Upper Tribunal in the past five years.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

If he will make it his policy to adopt a UK-wide model similar to the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Act (Scotland) 2022, which empowers local authorities to set up fireworks-free zones.

There are currently no plans to adopt such a model UK-wide. The Government regularly engages with its counterparts in Scotland is keen to understand the impact Firework Control Zones have made before considering if similar changes are needed for England and Wales.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to update the 2017 Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats; and if she will meet with animal welfare organisations to seek their input on this matter.

Defra is developing an overarching approach to animal welfare and has initiated a series of meetings with key animal welfare stakeholders as part of this work. The department will continue to engage with the sector to help improve cat welfare practices.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce waiting lists for people needing urgent allergic care.

The Department is working closely with a range of stakeholders from across the Government, the National Health Service, voluntary organisations, and patient representative groups, including the National Allergy Strategy Group, to consider how allergy care and support could be improved.The Government is committed to returning accident and emergency waiting times to the safe operational waiting time standards set out in the NHS Constitution. In doing so, we will be honest about the challenges facing the health service and serious about tackling them. The Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 was published on 6 June 2025 and focuses on improvements that will make urgent and emergency care better every day. The plan will: ensure that at least 78% of patients in accident and emergency departments will be seen within four hours; andreduce the number of patients waiting over 12 hours for admission or discharge from an emergency department to less than 10%. Further information on the Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/urgent-and-emergency-care-plan-2025-26/ In July 2025, we published the 10-Year Health Plan to create a new model of care, to be fit for the future. This includes establishing the Neighbourhood Health Service, to shift care into the community and reduce demand in emergency departments, which is backed by almost £450 million of capital investment. Further information on the 10-Year Health Plan is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future

Whether the upcoming NHS Workforce Plan will include measures to improve the recruitment and retention of staff in women’s health services.

Women’s health is a priority for this government, which is why we are implementing the Women’s Health Strategy. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for women, when they need it. We are working through how the Plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the time taken for Gateway (a) 2 and (b) 3 approvals under the Building Safety Regulator; and if he will provide additional support for (i) manufacturers and (ii) contractors whose businesses are affected.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has established a dedicated external remediation team who assess all building control approval applications for cladding remediation. The team is already delivering engagement events to improve developers’ understanding of the requirements, and therefore increase the quality of applications and approval rates.The BSR is also in the process of establishing a remediation enforcement unit, to oversee escalations from government/partner regulators where remediation is not progressing quickly enough. The unit will have access to additional, dedicated resources for building control work to deal with the increasing demand, and to help increase the pace of remediation works.We recognise that delays in assessing Gateway approval applications are unacceptable, which is why we announced reforms on 30 June including carving out the BSR from the Health and Safety Executive and establishing the Regulator as a standalone body with a clear focus on building safety.The BSR is already making operational and policy changes to speed up decision making, particularly on building control approval, including through the introduction of an Innovation Unit. Early signs are positive with all applications in the Innovation Unit so far on track to exceed or meet the 12-week SLA as they progress through the application process.In addition to this, BSR has initiated a new approach of batching applications so they can be processed by multidisciplinary teams formed by Registered Building Control Approvers with oversight from BSR.The BSR is continually improving the suite of guidance that supports those with duties in understanding what the law requires of them and how they can comply. New guidance with the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has been published to help applicants better understand what’s needed for a successful submission.

What steps she is taking to ensure that adequate (a) training and (b) funding is made available for schools to meet the needs of children with physical challenges requiring individualised support.

The government is committed to strengthening the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system to help improve outcomes for children and young people.The department has published allocations for £740 million high needs capital in 2025/26. This funding is intended to create facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit pupils’ needs. It can also be used to adapt mainstream schools to be more accessible and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.Funding for schools is increasing by £4.2 billion by financial year 2028/29, compared to this financial year 2025/26. This additional funding will provide an above real terms per pupil increase on overall schools funding, which will take per-pupil funding to its highest ever level and enable us to transform the SEND system. We intend to set out plans for reforming the SEND system in further detail in the coming months.The department has recently commissioned the Council for Disabled Children to produce new guidance for schools on their duties towards their disabled pupils under equality law, including a new handbook on their accessibility duty, available here: https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/files/Accessibility%20plans%20and%20the%20Equality%20Act%202010%20A%20handbook%20for%20schools.pdf. We have also commissioned a forthcoming training package to complement that guidance.

What steps he is taking to ensure the operation of NHS Practitioner Health beyond March 2026.

Looking after the mental health of our hardworking National Health Service staff is a priority for the Government.The National Staff Mental Health Treatment Service currently supplied by NHS Practitioner Health is funded until March 2026, and work is being completed to re-commission this service for the next three years, aligned to the Multi-Year Spending Review, from 2026 to 2029.More recently, the 10-Year Health Plan committed to roll out Staff Treatment Hubs. These hubs will provide a high-quality occupational health service for all NHS staff.

If he will make his policy to introduce a Long service and good conduct medal for (a) doctors and (b) nurses.

Employers across the National Health Service are best placed to identify and reward staff for either long service or excellence in the delivery of healthcare. Most organisations have developed a wide range of schemes to celebrate long service in the NHS and these include celebratory events, commemorative badges, and monetary awards and gifts.For NHS employees who have made an outstanding contribution, the honours system celebrates those who go above and beyond to change the world around them for the better. Nominations can be made online via the Cabinet Office website.There is also the opportunity for members of Parliament to acknowledge the work of NHS staff in their constituency through the NHS Parliamentary Awards, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhs-parliamentary-awards/about/

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that essential NHS staff in Band 2 and Band 3 roles are eligible for inclusion on the (a) Health and Care Worker visa and (b) the Immigration Salary List.

National Health Service staff working in Agenda for Change band 2 roles have never been eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa as they do not meet the skills threshold of the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 3 diploma.On 9 April, the minimum salary for Health and Care Worker visa holders increased to £25,000 per year. This applies to new Certificates of Sponsorship assigned on or after that date.Entry-level band 3 roles do not meet the new minimum salary threshold for a Health and Care Worker visa. However, band 3 staff currently on the Health and Care Worker visa are not required to meet the new minimum salary threshold until the point at which they need to renew their visa. At that point, we expect the majority of staff to have accrued two or more years of experience, and therefore be at the top of band 3, which is above the new minimum salary threshold.The expanded Immigration Salary List allows time-limited access to the United Kingdom’s immigration system for selected occupations of skill levels RQF 3 to 5 until the end of 2026, with restrictions on bringing dependants. The list includes occupations that the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) identified as being in shortage in its 2023 review and 2024 rapid review.No new roles will now be added to the list, as it is being phased out at the end of 2026. The MAC has been commissioned to advise on a future Temporary Shortage List.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of constructing an indoor Velodrome in Birmingham; and whether she plans to allocate funding from the £900 million funding for sport announced on 19 June 2025.

High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity. That is why, in June, we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. This funding will be invested in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities that promote health and wellbeing and remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

Media and Sport, with reference to the press release of 19 June 2025 entitled Game changer for the nation, if she will provide a breakdown of the £900 million funding for sports by grant; and what funding will be allocated to the West Midlands.

High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity. That is why, in June, we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. This funding will be invested in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities that promote health and wellbeing and remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.