Written questions by West.

With reference to the Schools White Paper, what plans she has to safeguard local authority-run schools.

Awaiting answer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with her counterpart in Sri Lanka regarding water pollution in Chunnakam; and what steps her Department has taken to support improvements in water quality in Sri Lanka.

Awaiting answer.

What steps is he taking to ensure that employment protections are adequate for the future, in the context of the potential for AI to replace some job roles.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of rolling out the meningitis B vaccination to all children born before 2015.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to his Department's consultation outcome entitled Changes to NICE regulations: cost-effectiveness threshold - consultation document, published on 3 March 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposals to grant him powers to override recommendations made by NICE on the pricing of medicines for the NHS.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the health and wellbeing of children living in temporary accommodation.

Homelessness levels are far too high, and this can have a devastating impact on those affected, especially children. The Child Poverty Strategy and our National Plan to End Homelessness set out our commitments to eradicate unsuitable or poor-quality accommodation and ensure children in temporary accommodation do not experience gaps in health care provision or disruption to their education. This includes our commitment to eliminate the unlawful use of Bed & Breakfast accommodation for families by the end of this Parliament and improve the supply of good quality temporary accommodation. Alongside this, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will provide the strongest protections in a generation, making sure vulnerable children are identified and supported. We are also introducing a new temporary accommodation notification duty, to inform schools and specified health providers when a child is placed in temporary accommodation, to allow additional or different support to be provided to these children. We will ensure families in temporary accommodation are proactively contacted by health services, and have committed to introduce a new clinical code, to improve data and improve outcomes in temporary accommodation, and end the practice of discharging newborns into Bed and Breakfast or other unsuitable shared accommodation. We have also set out our ambition to cut school days lost for children in temporary accommodation, backed by data so that targeted support can be provided more effectively. To achieve this, there will be a stronger role for pastoral teams to work closely with families in temporary accommodation including preventing unlawful removal from a school’s roll.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing legislation to promote and enforce ethical business practices across global supply chains.

The UK has a range of measures in place to promote ethical business practices across global supply chains. In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review of the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on addressing human rights abuses, labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains. The review is objective and evidence‑based, examining both existing policies and potential alternative approaches. We shall update the House when the review is complete.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support pregnant women living in temporary accommodation.

Homelessness levels are far too high, and this can have a devastating impact on those affected. Our National Plan to End Homelessness sets out tangible actions and targets for delivery in this Parliament, which will act as milestones on the way to achieving our long-term vision to end homelessness and rough sleeping. We are providing over £3.6 billion in funding for homelessness and rough sleeping services from 2026/27 to 2028/29, which will help local areas deliver tailored solutions to tackle all forms of homelessness. The law is clear that B&B accommodation is never suitable for pregnant women except for very short-term emergencies. The Homelessness Code of Guidance makes clear that temporary accommodation must be suitable to the household’s needs, and kept under review. Suitability is assessed by considering all aspects of the accommodation in light of the relevant needs, requirements and circumstances of the homeless person and their household. The Government is committed to ensuring that all pregnant people, including those experiencing homelessness, can access safe, personalised and equitable maternity care. That is why the Government is also working with councils and the NHS to end the practise of mothers with newborn babies being discharged into B&Bs or other unsuitable shared accommodation.

What steps his Department are taking to promote human rights and environmental due diligence in global supply chains.

The UK has a range of measures in place to promote ethical business practices across global supply chains. In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review of the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on addressing human rights abuses, labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains. The review is objective and evidence‑based, examining both existing policies and potential alternative approaches. We shall update the House when the review is complete.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2026 to Question 117363 on Water: Waste Disposal, whether she will publish an overview of the initial investigation of Extended Producer Responsibility for wastewater.

The Government’s initial analysis of Extended Producer Responsibility for wastewater concluded that whilst a regime could be an effective means of raising revenue, there remained data gaps around pollutants of concern (including points of origin and pathways into the environment) that would require further investigation to develop. The Government is focused on taking immediate action to tackle the causes of pollution head on. For example, in November 2025, the Government legislated to ban the supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic in England. Furthermore, over the next five years over £10bn is being spent on storm overflows investment in England, improving over 2,500 storm overflows to reduce spills. Nearly £5bn is also being invested in upgrades at wastewater treatment works to remove phosphorus. As recommended by the Independent Water Commission, the Government is considering reforms to the Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations 1994 which would allow wastewater treatment standards to be strengthened. Reforms, coupled with shifting the focus towards ‘pre-pipe’ solutions, such as rainwater management and tackling sewer misuse, will help drive the improvements we want to see in wastewater management and consequently, in environmental protection.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to speech and language therapy for people with Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA), particularly for people who are linguistically and ethnically diverse.

The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.The Government is committed to improving care for everyone with dementia, including those with primary progressive aphasia, which is why we have funded the work of the Dementia 100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for busy system leaders and will help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia.A number of experts, including those with expertise in speech and language therapy and dementia care, provided independent, desktop analysis of the tool, and this invaluable feedback was integrated into the tool. The D100: Pathway Assessment Tool can be found at the following link:https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/nccmh/service-design-and-development/dementia-100-pathway-assessment-toolNHS England has published a guide which aims to help health and social care workers provide dementia care which corresponds to the needs and wishes of people from a wide range of ethnic groups, especially minority ethnic groups. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/intercultural-dementia-care-guide/

Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to help reduce youth homelessness in Hornsey and Friern Barnet constituency.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 113761 on 23 February 2026.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of restricting student visa access for women and girls from Afghanistan on the ability of those people to access education.

The UK has a proud tradition of supporting education, equality, and human rights, and we remain dedicated to helping the people of Afghanistan. Our current £151 million aid program (equivalent to 13.3 billion Afghanis) provides vital life-saving support to the country’s most vulnerable people, especially women and girls. We are committed that at least 50% of those reached by UK aid in Afghanistan are women and girls.As set out in the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, the Government remains committed to the introduction of capped safe and legal routes for refugees and displaced people to come to the United Kingdom. These new safe and legal routes will start this autumn with a student refugee route, with the first arrivals in Autumn 2027. Dedicated humanitarian routes are the appropriate way to combine compassion and control with securing our border.In the past 3 years more Afghan students claimed asylum than we issued new student visas in each year. This does not achieve the appropriate balance between compassion, control and a secure border.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with international partners on (a) support for the Myanmar Cooperation Treaty and (b) efforts to establish a Myanmar-led pathway towards a democratic settlement.

I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave on 10 February in response to Question 109884.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) adding more female scientists to the National Curriculum and (b) making it mandatory for exam boards to include them in the syllabus.

The government’s ambition is for every child and young person to receive a rich and broad, inclusive and innovative education, and that the whole curriculum reflects our modern society and diverse communities.The science curriculum provides a broad and flexible framework that allows schools to choose how they teach topics across the key stages, and this can include the study of female scientists. We are in the process of refreshing the national curriculum, including the sciences. We will consult on the curriculum from early summer, and we will fully implement the new full national curriculum for teaching from September 2028.Exam boards are responsible for developing qualification specifications that meet the subject content requirements set by the department and are accredited by Ofqual. While the department is responsible for decisions that relate to the scope of the subject content to be taught and assessed, exam boards are responsible for their own specifications.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help support the museum sector.

In January, the DCMS Secretary of State announced a historic £1.5 billion funding package for culture, to save more than 1000 arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings across England from closure. £160 million of this funding is earmarked for local museums. Many museums face financial challenges, and we take their concerns seriously: this year alone (2025/26), we have delivered £20 million through the new Museum Renewal Fund, supporting 75 museum organisations across England to keep sites open, and allocated £25.5 million towards essential infrastructure projects via the Museum Estate and Development Fund. This investment doubles the £44 million that Arts Council England invests annually in museums through their core funding programmes, including core funding for over 200 National Portfolio museum sites.In the coming weeks, DCMS and ACE will set out how museums can apply for new funding programmes available from next financial year. As the National Development Agency for museums, ACE also provides critical support for smaller museum sites via the Museum Development Network. Museums also benefit from further support, via the VAT Refund Scheme and Exhibitions Tax Relief. DCMS-sponsored national museums receive annual funding to support their operations and for critical infrastructure works.

With reference to her Written Statement of 2 March 2026 on Asylum changes, HCWS1373, what recent steps her Department has taken to introduce community sponsorship.

In the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes. This included the creation of a named sponsorship scheme to enable community groups to sponsor refugees and displaced persons.Work is underway to deliver the named community sponsorship route. The Government is working with a range of stakeholders to design and develop the new pathway.Further details, including timeframes for the launch of the route, will be provided in due course.

What steps he is taking to improve early diagnoses of Parkinson's disease.

The Department recognises the importance of a timely diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and the impact that early identification has on people’s long‑term outcomes. We remain committed to delivering the National Health Service constitutional standard for 92% of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring lists and waiting times down. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard.National programmes like NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) support faster diagnosis by using clinically‑led, data‑driven reviews to identify delays and unwarranted variation in neurology services. GIRFT provides evidence‑based recommendations to streamline referral and outpatient pathways, improve data quality, and share best practice between NHS trusts. This helps increase specialist capacity, reduce waiting times for assessment, and ensure more timely access to diagnosis for people with suspected Parkinson’s disease.Additionally, by delivering the shifts outlined in the 10‑Year Health Plan, we can free up specialist capacity by increasing community‑based provision, reducing administrative burden through digital tools, and supporting earlier identification and management of neurological conditions like Parkinson’s. This will allow neurologists and geriatricians to focus on more complex cases and improve diagnostic timeliness.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department is taking to (a) help stop executions and (b) promote human rights in Saudi Arabia.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 December in response to Question 97116.

Whether his Department has had recent discussions with representatives of Royal Mail on pay and working conditions for employees.

Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider.All employers must comply with their legal obligations to ensure that their workforce receive the rights and protections to which they are entitled. However, Royal Mail is an independent business, and the government has no role in its operational decisions.