Written questions by Smith.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2025 to Question 51501 on Sodium Valproate: Compensation, which Government departments he is having discussions with on developing a timetable for implementation of the recommendations of the Hughes Report.

The Government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and the resulting Hughes Report, which set out options for financial and non-financial redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. Department officials are liaising with other parts of the Government, including the National Health Service, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department for Business and Trade, HM Treasury, and the devolved administrations, on the needs of patients and on the recommendations. We will be providing an update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report at the earliest opportunity.

What steps she is taking to ban conversion practices.

Conversion practices are abuse, and I can assure my honourable friend that this Government is absolutely committed to introducing a fully trans inclusive ban on conversion practices.This is a complex issue, and it is imperative that we get this right. We are working hard to draft legislation which offers protection from these harmful practices, while also preserving the freedom for individuals to explore their identity, and respecting the important roles of those supporting them.The previous administration failed repeatedly to deliver on this issue. We will not. We will publish our draft Bill later this session, as set out in the King’s Speech.

Media and Sport, how much and what proportion of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme she plans to spend on (a) tennis and (b) padel facilities in each of the next three years.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.The majority of funding for grassroots sport is provided through Sport England, our arm’s length body. Sport England provides long term investment to the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel in Britain, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years (between 2022-2027) to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives.The Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme is focused on investment into sports pitches and ancillary facilities, like changing rooms and clubhouses.

Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to support (a) sports with higher levels of female participation, (b) tennis and (c) netball through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.

The Government is dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and committed to ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality facilities. On Friday 21 March, we confirmed that DCMS is investing £100 million in high-quality sports facilities over the next year in communities across the UK through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.All projects - which primarily focus on pitches and ancillary facilities like changing rooms - funded through this programme are required to demonstrate how they increase access and participation levels among under-represented groups, which includes women and girls.Of the funded projects, at least 40% will have a multi-sport offer so that more people can get access to a wider variety of sports and activities that appeal to them.

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support women with epilepsy.

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, placing women’s equality at the heart of our agenda and ensuring women’s health is never again neglected.At a national level, there are several initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with epilepsy, including women, such as the RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit, and the Getting It Right First Time Programme (GIRFT) for Neurology and the Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP).The GIRFT National Specialty Report made recommendations designed to improve services nationally and to support the National Health Service to deliver care more equitably across the country. The National Specialty Report highlighted differences in how services are delivered and offered an unprecedented opportunity to share successful initiatives between trusts to improve patient services nationally.Building on the GIRFT National Specialty Report, the NTP has developed a model of integrated care for neurology services to support integrated care boards (ICBs) to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including providing care closer to home. A toolkit is being developed to support ICBs to understand and implement this new model.The RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit includes specific recommendations regarding supporting women with epilepsy. For example, it states that support should be provided to women with epilepsy who are pregnant and those who are of childbearing age which makes clear the risks of certain anti-epileptic drugs that are known to cause birth defects, such as sodium valproate.The Toolkit also makes clear that it is equally important to provide clear information and guidance on the risks of stopping an anti-epileptic drug treatment, which include Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, that is not related to causing birth defects, and the risks that poses to the mother and unborn baby to support balanced informed decisions on care.

Media and Sport, how many women and girls will be impacted by the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.

The Government is dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and committed to ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality facilities. On Friday 21 March, we confirmed that DCMS is investing £100 million in high-quality sports facilities over the next year in communities across the UK through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.All projects - which primarily focus on pitches and ancillary facilities like changing rooms - funded through this programme are required to demonstrate how they increase access and participation levels among under-represented groups, which includes women and girls.Of the funded projects, at least 40% will have a multi-sport offer so that more people can get access to a wider variety of sports and activities that appeal to them.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of delays to the Environment Agency’s guidance on the operation of crematoria on relevant stakeholders.

The final updated Process Guidance Note 5/2 (24) is currently being reviewed by Ministers.

Food and Rural Affairs, when the Environment Agency’s guidance on the operation of crematoria will be (a) published and (b) brought into effect.

The final updated Process Guidance Note 5/2 (24) is under review.

How many prescriptions were issued for each drug categorised under the (a) (i) clonazepam and (ii) other benzodiazepines, (b) z-drugs, (c) antidepressants, (d) opioids, (e) pregabalin and (f) gabapentin drug groups in the (i) last 12 months and (ii) previous 12 month period for which data is available.

The following table shows the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, covering the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:Drug groupFinancial yearTotal number of itemsClonazepam2022/231,048,0812023/241,059,421Other benzodiazepines2022/237,156,8452023/246,814,129Clonazepam and other benzodiazepines2022/238,204,9262023/247,873,550Z-drugs2022/235,316,6272023/245,113,574Antidepressants2022/2386,263,7222023/2489,131,582Opioids2022/2339,401,5172023/2439,046,206Pregabalin2022/238,775,6992023/249,180,793Gabapentin2022/237,413,7592023/247,408,375Source: NHS Business Services Authority.In addition, the following table shows the patient identifiable information for the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, for the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:Drug groupFinancial YearTotal number of unique identified patientsPercentage of items where the patient has been identifiedClonazepam2022/2385,61398.22%2023/2485,19198.16%Other benzodiazepines2022/231,253,96297.06%2023/241,186,00197.01%Clonazepam and other benzodiazepines2022/231,324,79297.21%2023/241,256,94197.17%Z-drugs2022/23795,959 98.29%2023/24764,743 98.27%Antidepressants2022/238,563,148 99.16%2023/248,747,095 99.22%Opioids2022/235,593,035 98.92%2023/245,562,718 98.94%Pregabalin2022/23786,403 99.36%2023/24823,231 99.41%Gabapentin2022/23808,562 99.36%2023/24799,144 99.41Source: NHS Business Services Authority.Notes:for clonazepam and other benzodiazepines, this is the number of unique patients who have received any combination of clonazepam and/or other benzodiazepines, and no patient is counted twice even where multiple medications have been received;the figures for pregabalin and gabapentin refer to the combined category of gabapentinoids; andthe data in this answer in both tables on opioids, is not directly comparable to data from the previous Parliamentary Questions, PQ137238 and PQ137239, referenced in the question, as these tables refer to opioids in general, while the previous Parliamentary Questions referred to opioid analgesics only.

With reference to the Answer of 27 January 2021 to Question 137239 on Prescription Drugs, what information his Department holds on the number of patients who have been prescribed drugs categorised under the (a) (i) clonazepam and (ii) other benzodiazepines, (b) z-drugs, (c) antidepressants, (d) opioids, (e) pregabalin and (f) gabapentin drug groups in the (A) last 12 months and (B) the previous 12 month period for which data is available.

The following table shows the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, covering the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:Drug groupFinancial yearTotal number of itemsClonazepam2022/231,048,0812023/241,059,421Other benzodiazepines2022/237,156,8452023/246,814,129Clonazepam and other benzodiazepines2022/238,204,9262023/247,873,550Z-drugs2022/235,316,6272023/245,113,574Antidepressants2022/2386,263,7222023/2489,131,582Opioids2022/2339,401,5172023/2439,046,206Pregabalin2022/238,775,6992023/249,180,793Gabapentin2022/237,413,7592023/247,408,375Source: NHS Business Services Authority.In addition, the following table shows the patient identifiable information for the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, for the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:Drug groupFinancial YearTotal number of unique identified patientsPercentage of items where the patient has been identifiedClonazepam2022/2385,61398.22%2023/2485,19198.16%Other benzodiazepines2022/231,253,96297.06%2023/241,186,00197.01%Clonazepam and other benzodiazepines2022/231,324,79297.21%2023/241,256,94197.17%Z-drugs2022/23795,959 98.29%2023/24764,743 98.27%Antidepressants2022/238,563,148 99.16%2023/248,747,095 99.22%Opioids2022/235,593,035 98.92%2023/245,562,718 98.94%Pregabalin2022/23786,403 99.36%2023/24823,231 99.41%Gabapentin2022/23808,562 99.36%2023/24799,144 99.41Source: NHS Business Services Authority.Notes:for clonazepam and other benzodiazepines, this is the number of unique patients who have received any combination of clonazepam and/or other benzodiazepines, and no patient is counted twice even where multiple medications have been received;the figures for pregabalin and gabapentin refer to the combined category of gabapentinoids; andthe data in this answer in both tables on opioids, is not directly comparable to data from the previous Parliamentary Questions, PQ137238 and PQ137239, referenced in the question, as these tables refer to opioids in general, while the previous Parliamentary Questions referred to opioid analgesics only.

Media and Sport, whether she plans to consider evidence related to advertising when strengthening protections against gambling harms.

We are committed to considering the best available evidence, including on advertising, from a wide range of sources to inform decisions on strengthening protections. Developing quality evidence is a key priority for the statutory levy and funding will be directed towards high-quality, independent research to fill key gaps in the evidence base. This could include research on the impacts of advertising. We will continue to monitor developments in the evidence and take action when appropriate.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a revocable license to practice for youth workers.

DCMS funds the National Youth Agency to maintain a voluntary register of JNC Level 6 qualified youth workers and provide support to youth workers and organisations around safeguarding and risk management via their Safeguarding Hub.In November, this government committed to co-producing a new National Youth Strategy, which is an opportunity to look afresh at the training, recruitment and retention of youth workers. The Strategy will be published this summer.

Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ensure there is a minimum level of provision for youth services.

Local Authorities have a statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people in their area. We will be launching the Local Youth Transformation pilot this year, which will support local authorities to build back capacity in the youth space and improve local youth offers.This government has also committed to co-producing a new National Youth Strategy. As part of the Strategy, we will be consulting closely with young people and the youth sector. The Strategy will be published this summer.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support youth work as a profession by providing (a) financial support for students and (b) fieldwork placements.

DCMS works with the National Youth Agency (NYA) to fund bursaries for individuals to obtain youth work qualifications. Since 2019, £4 million of funding has been provided to the NYA via the Youth Worker Bursary Fund, allowing over 2,500 individuals from underrepresented groups to gain a qualification.We have committed to co-producing a new National Youth Strategy, which is an opportunity to look afresh at the support, recruitment and retention of youth workers. The Strategy will be published this summer.

If he will make an assessment of the impact of the restriction of puberty blockers for the treatment of gender incongruence on the (a) physical and (b) mental health of young trans people.

On 11 December 2024 the Government introduced The Medicines (Gonadotrophin-Releasing Hormone Analogues) (Restrictions on Private Sales and Supplies) Order 2024, which came into effect on 1 January 2025. Alongside this legislation the Government published a full impact assessment, which is available at the following link:https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/1319/impacts

Media and Sport, how much funding allocated to the National Citizen Service will be redistributed to youth services.

Funding allocations for specific programmes will be communicated in due course, following the completion of business planning.

What the average pay was for headteachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary school in the maintained sector in each of the last five years.

Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.The following link provides the full-time equivalent median average salary for head teachers in local authority maintained primary schools, local authority maintained secondary schools and total state-funded schools in England, as at November each year, for the academic years 2019/20 to 2023/24: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/1a07b1b4-e474-4cf7-1e4d-08dd2d8a762c.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2025 to Question 21323 on Multi-academy Trusts: Pay, if she will take steps to collate a table with the total number of academy trusts reporting (a) one, (b) two and (c) three or more members of staff or trustees whose total remuneration was in excess of £150,000 for each of the last five years.

The department collates and publishes data annually in the academies sector annual report and accounts on the number of academy trusts with an individual staff member whose emoluments are above £100,000. The data is available in the attached spreadsheet and can also be accessed in the reports published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts.Emoluments include salary, employer pension contributions and other benefits received during the year. These are reported in bandings of £100,000 to £150,000 and over £150,000.The academies sector annual report and accounts also publishes information on all trustee remuneration, including pension contributions. This covers bandings including £120,000 to £130,000, £130,000 to £140,000, £140,000 to £150,000, and £150,000 and over. The data is available in the attached spreadsheet and can also be accessed in the reports published on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accountsThe department also publishes an annex alongside the academy sector accounts listing academy trusts paying one or more staff member remuneration of £150,000 in that year.The academies sector annual report and accounts is drawn from academy trusts’ accounts data. The report for 2022 to 2023 will be published shortly and the deadline for academy trusts to submit data for 2023 to 2024 to the department is 28 January 2025.As referenced in response to Question 21323, academy trusts must publish pay information in their annual audited accounts and on their website. The Academies Sector Annual Report and Accounts includes an annex, annex E in the most recently published set, listing all the academy trusts that paid at least one member of staff in excess of £150,000.

If she will publish (a) the number and (b) a list of trust names of academy trusts in which the highest paid member of staff including employer pension contributions was paid (i) more than £200,000, (ii) more than £250,000, (iii) more than £300,000, (iv) more than £350,000 and (v) more than £400,000 in the last 12 months.

The department collates and publishes data annually in the academies sector annual report and accounts on the number of academy trusts with an individual staff member whose emoluments are above £100,000. The data is available in the attached spreadsheet and can also be accessed in the reports published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts.Emoluments include salary, employer pension contributions and other benefits received during the year. These are reported in bandings of £100,000 to £150,000 and over £150,000.The academies sector annual report and accounts also publishes information on all trustee remuneration, including pension contributions. This covers bandings including £120,000 to £130,000, £130,000 to £140,000, £140,000 to £150,000, and £150,000 and over. The data is available in the attached spreadsheet and can also be accessed in the reports published on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accountsThe department also publishes an annex alongside the academy sector accounts listing academy trusts paying one or more staff member remuneration of £150,000 in that year.The academies sector annual report and accounts is drawn from academy trusts’ accounts data. The report for 2022 to 2023 will be published shortly and the deadline for academy trusts to submit data for 2023 to 2024 to the department is 28 January 2025.As referenced in response to Question 21323, academy trusts must publish pay information in their annual audited accounts and on their website. The Academies Sector Annual Report and Accounts includes an annex, annex E in the most recently published set, listing all the academy trusts that paid at least one member of staff in excess of £150,000.

If she will publish a breakdown of the total number of trustees of schools multi-academy trusts that received remuneration either as a member of staff as well as a trustee, or in their capacity purely as trustee in excess of (a) £120,000, (b) £130,000, (c) £140,000 and (d) £150,000 including employer pension contributions in each of the last five years.

The department collates and publishes data annually in the academies sector annual report and accounts on the number of academy trusts with an individual staff member whose emoluments are above £100,000. The data is available in the attached spreadsheet and can also be accessed in the reports published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts.Emoluments include salary, employer pension contributions and other benefits received during the year. These are reported in bandings of £100,000 to £150,000 and over £150,000.The academies sector annual report and accounts also publishes information on all trustee remuneration, including pension contributions. This covers bandings including £120,000 to £130,000, £130,000 to £140,000, £140,000 to £150,000, and £150,000 and over. The data is available in the attached spreadsheet and can also be accessed in the reports published on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accountsThe department also publishes an annex alongside the academy sector accounts listing academy trusts paying one or more staff member remuneration of £150,000 in that year.The academies sector annual report and accounts is drawn from academy trusts’ accounts data. The report for 2022 to 2023 will be published shortly and the deadline for academy trusts to submit data for 2023 to 2024 to the department is 28 January 2025.As referenced in response to Question 21323, academy trusts must publish pay information in their annual audited accounts and on their website. The Academies Sector Annual Report and Accounts includes an annex, annex E in the most recently published set, listing all the academy trusts that paid at least one member of staff in excess of £150,000.