Written questions by Maynard.

What assessment his Department has made of (a) the efficacity of the Asthma Friendly Schools initiative and (b) the potential merits of (i) supporting and (ii) promoting the scheme.

To reduce avoidable deaths, improve the quality of life for children and young people with asthma, and to raise the profile of this work, NHS England published the first National Bundle of Care for Children and Young People with Asthma in September 2021. Through this workstream, asthma care has received higher prioritisation within systems, regional leadership, system led governance, and increased accountability, to improve outcomes for children and young people in England. Further information on the National Bundle of Care for Children and Young People with Asthma is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-bundle-of-care-for-children-and-young-people-with-asthma/ The Asthma Friendly Schools Programme has been very successful in embedding asthma knowledge and management within teaching and non-teaching professionals in schools. Initially developed by a team in London, the approach has been shared through networks and nationally led meetings. NHS England has encouraged integrated care systems to develop similar approaches or programmes to ensure representation of their local requirements and to build synergy between healthcare, education, and local authority teams. As part of the National Bundle of Care, specially designed courses have been developed to educate all professionals, healthcare and non-healthcare, on children and young people with asthma, with further information available at the following link: https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/children-and-young-peoples-asthma/ These courses have been extremely popular, and over two years there were over 80,000 first tier completions. 74% of these completions have been by teaching or school staff. Further data can be found at the children and young people’s asthma dashboard and the dashboard for asthma metrics and dispensing. The National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) published a report in December 2024, reviewing the deaths of children and young people with asthma in England between April 2019 and March 2023. Between this period, there were 54 deaths due to asthma. For the second iteration of the National Bundle of Care, NHS England is adapting the structure to include recommendations from the NCMD and develop a more systems first approach with additional resources for ongoing support. Further information on the NCMD’s report is available at the following link: https://www.ncmd.info/publications/child-deaths-asthma-anaphylaxis-allergy/#:~:text=This%20NCMD%20thematic%20report%20aims%20to%20identify%20trends,children%20and%20young%20people%2C%20and%20those%20involved%20in

What steps his Department is taking to prevent asthma deaths in school children in England and Wales.

To reduce avoidable deaths, improve the quality of life for children and young people with asthma, and to raise the profile of this work, NHS England published the first National Bundle of Care for Children and Young People with Asthma in September 2021. Through this workstream, asthma care has received higher prioritisation within systems, regional leadership, system led governance, and increased accountability, to improve outcomes for children and young people in England. Further information on the National Bundle of Care for Children and Young People with Asthma is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-bundle-of-care-for-children-and-young-people-with-asthma/ The Asthma Friendly Schools Programme has been very successful in embedding asthma knowledge and management within teaching and non-teaching professionals in schools. Initially developed by a team in London, the approach has been shared through networks and nationally led meetings. NHS England has encouraged integrated care systems to develop similar approaches or programmes to ensure representation of their local requirements and to build synergy between healthcare, education, and local authority teams. As part of the National Bundle of Care, specially designed courses have been developed to educate all professionals, healthcare and non-healthcare, on children and young people with asthma, with further information available at the following link: https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/children-and-young-peoples-asthma/ These courses have been extremely popular, and over two years there were over 80,000 first tier completions. 74% of these completions have been by teaching or school staff. Further data can be found at the children and young people’s asthma dashboard and the dashboard for asthma metrics and dispensing. The National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) published a report in December 2024, reviewing the deaths of children and young people with asthma in England between April 2019 and March 2023. Between this period, there were 54 deaths due to asthma. For the second iteration of the National Bundle of Care, NHS England is adapting the structure to include recommendations from the NCMD and develop a more systems first approach with additional resources for ongoing support. Further information on the NCMD’s report is available at the following link: https://www.ncmd.info/publications/child-deaths-asthma-anaphylaxis-allergy/#:~:text=This%20NCMD%20thematic%20report%20aims%20to%20identify%20trends,children%20and%20young%20people%2C%20and%20those%20involved%20in

If he will publish monthly statistics on (a) the number of brain tumour patients who have received whole genome sequencing of their tumour and (b) the number of people diagnosed with brain tumours in the UK, by (i) NHS trust, (ii) histological tumour type and (ii) whether it is an adult or paediatric patient.

The Department does not hold publishable data to identify where whole genome sequencing has taken place and cannot identify tumours by histological type. NHS England holds data that provides a count of hospital activity only, not by the number of patients. This means that a patient may have had more than one admission within this requested timeframe and may therefore be counted multiple times. This data is held for England only and may not reflect when a patient was initially diagnosed.

How many school age children die each year from Asthma in England and Wales.

To reduce avoidable deaths, improve the quality of life for children and young people with asthma, and to raise the profile of this work, NHS England published the first National Bundle of Care for Children and Young People with Asthma in September 2021. Through this workstream, asthma care has received higher prioritisation within systems, regional leadership, system led governance, and increased accountability, to improve outcomes for children and young people in England. Further information on the National Bundle of Care for Children and Young People with Asthma is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-bundle-of-care-for-children-and-young-people-with-asthma/ The Asthma Friendly Schools Programme has been very successful in embedding asthma knowledge and management within teaching and non-teaching professionals in schools. Initially developed by a team in London, the approach has been shared through networks and nationally led meetings. NHS England has encouraged integrated care systems to develop similar approaches or programmes to ensure representation of their local requirements and to build synergy between healthcare, education, and local authority teams. As part of the National Bundle of Care, specially designed courses have been developed to educate all professionals, healthcare and non-healthcare, on children and young people with asthma, with further information available at the following link: https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/children-and-young-peoples-asthma/ These courses have been extremely popular, and over two years there were over 80,000 first tier completions. 74% of these completions have been by teaching or school staff. Further data can be found at the children and young people’s asthma dashboard and the dashboard for asthma metrics and dispensing. The National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) published a report in December 2024, reviewing the deaths of children and young people with asthma in England between April 2019 and March 2023. Between this period, there were 54 deaths due to asthma. For the second iteration of the National Bundle of Care, NHS England is adapting the structure to include recommendations from the NCMD and develop a more systems first approach with additional resources for ongoing support. Further information on the NCMD’s report is available at the following link: https://www.ncmd.info/publications/child-deaths-asthma-anaphylaxis-allergy/#:~:text=This%20NCMD%20thematic%20report%20aims%20to%20identify%20trends,children%20and%20young%20people%2C%20and%20those%20involved%20in

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to bring forward a ban on the use of snare traps.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. The Government will introduce the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation. As outlined in our manifesto, we will bring an end to the use of snare traps. We are considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.

What steps she plans to take to help support health and disability benefit recipients to respond to her Department's forthcoming consultation on proposed changes to these benefits.

To ensure that our consultation is accessible, we intend to produce a range of accessible formats of the Green Paper. Additionally, throughout the consultation period, we will continue to listen to and work with disabled people and their representatives through a number of accessible public and virtual events where individuals will be encouraged to give their views on the consultation in person or virtually. Full details on how to sign up and attend these events will be shared in due course, and we will work with partners to publicise them.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway on level of use of cages for farmed animals.

We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway has made grants available to improve the health and welfare of livestock. The grants have been codesigned with farmers, academics, vets and industry representatives. We continue to work with the industry on how the Pathway can encourage cage free systems of farming.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of waiting times for (a) diagnosis and (b) beginning treatment for patients with Interstitial Lung Disease and Pulmonary Fibrosis in West Oxfordshire.

No formal assessment has been made. Patients have been let down for too long whilst they wait for the care they need. Tackling waiting lists, including in respiratory medicine, is a key part of our Health Mission. We have delivered almost 2.2 million extra appointments, seven months ahead of schedule, as a first step in our commitment to ensuring that patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks. This includes operations, consultations, diagnostic tests, and treatments. The Elective Reform Plan, launched as part of the Government’s Plan for Change, sets out how we will get back to the NHS Constitutional Standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by the end of this Parliament, while also ensuring that patients have the best possible experience of care. The Government has also secured an investment of £1.5 billion to fund new surgical hubs, diagnostics scanners, and beds across the estate, which will support the diagnosis and treatment of patients with interstitial lung disease and pulmonary fibrosis.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using technologies such as (a) organ-on-a-chip and (b) computer modelling to reduce the number of animals used in medical research testing.

Phasing out animal testing where possible is a clear goal of this government and innovative technologies, such as organ-on-a-chip, are essential to delivering this ambition.The Government invests £10m annually in The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). NC3Rs provides major funding for one of Europe’s largest organ-on-a-chip facilities at Queen Mary University. Studies we have funded have assessed the use of such technologies, such as a 2021 NC3R report . We will consider these studies in a strategy published later this year to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to reduce overall and upfront immigration costs for researchers.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has regular discussions with the Home Office, and with other government departments, to ensure that the UK’s world-class science, research, technology and innovation sectors are supported by a competitive visa system and immigration offer.Since 2023, UKRI allows Immigration Health Surcharge costs as well as other visa costs to be covered by their grants. Many other organisations also allow these costs on their grants, and the Immigration Health Surcharge are allowable costs on Horizon Europe grants.Immigration fees ensure that those benefiting from the borders system and the NHS contribute to its costs, reducing taxpayer funding. The Home Office keeps fees for immigration and nationality applications under review.

What information her Department holds on the number of (a) children and (b) young people who are on the waiting list for an education, health and care plan in Oxfordshire; and how many and what proportion of those people have been waiting for longer than 20 weeks.

The department collects information on the number of requests for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment, the number of EHC needs assessments carried out, and the number of EHC plans issued on a calendar year basis. The latest figures we hold relate to the 2023 calendar year. We do not hold information on the current caseload being dealt with by the local authority.Information on the number of requests for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment, the number of EHC needs assessments carried out, and the number of EHC plans issued within 20 weeks from the date of the request for an EHC needs assessment in relation to Oxfordshire is shown in the following table: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/95ca811a-c2f6-4b97-6d62-08dd48e2728c.

Whether the National Cancer Plan will include policies on (a) identifying and (b) treating brain tumours.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has announced that a National Cancer Plan for England will be published this year. The Prime Minister’s Health Mission sets the objective of building a National Health Service fit for the future, and an essential part of this is achieving our goal to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer.The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, and will apply to all cancer types, including brain tumours. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to improve the experience and outcomes for people with cancer. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next 10 years.We are committed to working closely with partners and patient groups to shape the long-term vision for cancer. The Department is planning to engage with cancer partners, charities, and those within the cancer community, seeking the views of individuals, professionals, and organisations to understand how we can do more to achieve this ambition.To do this, on 4 February 2025, we launched a Call for Evidence, in which the views of people from across the country will inform our plan to improve cancer care. Those who wish to share their views can do so on the new online platform, Shaping the national cancer plan, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-planAlongside this work, the Department, NHS England, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) are taking several steps to help improve outcomes for brain tumour patients.NHS England is committed to ensuring that all cancer patients are offered Holistic Needs Assessment and Personalised Care and Support Planning, ensuring care is focused on what matters most to each person. As well as this, all patients, including those with secondary cancers, will have access to the right expertise and support, including a Clinical Nurse Specialist or other support worker.Further to this, in September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure that the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of specialist care for people with Interstitial Lung Disease and Pulmonary Fibrosis for people in West Oxfordshire.

NHS England is responsible for the commissioning of interstitial lung disease (ILD) services and funds the anti-fibrotic treatments that are part of the treatment pathway for ILD.No assessment of the West Oxfordshire service has been made. However, the national service specification describes the standards required of clinical teams to support patients physically and emotionally with the diagnosis and management of people with ILD. Information on the specification is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/interstitial-lung-disease-adults-service-specification/NHS England is also supporting systems to improve outcomes for people with a range of respiratory conditions, for example through enabling access to pulmonary rehabilitation through the publication of commissioning standards together with the provision of funding. It has also extended the scope of the National Respiratory Audit Programme’s pulmonary rehabilitation audit so that all patients who participate in pulmonary rehabilitation are captured in the audit, irrespective of their condition. Along with providing a more complete picture of participation, the decision to extend was made to recognise and reinforce the value of pulmonary rehabilitation to all who are eligible with chronic respiratory conditions other than chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including interstitial lung disease.

What assessment her Department has made of (a) trends in the level of congestion on the Witney-Oxfordshire section of the A40 and (b) the potential impact of increased housebuilding in West Oxfordshire on congestion on that road.

Any assessment on congestion levels on this section of the A40 would be a matter for the local highway authority, in this case Oxfordshire County Council. Government has committed over £160 million of investment to the A40 West of Oxford, this would allow the County Council to take forward their housebuilding ambitions in the area with better infrastructure, including improved public transport priority measures.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Ofwat on trends in the level of water bills.

Minister and officials speak regularly with Ofwat on a range of issues. Under the Conservatives, our sewerage system crumbled. They irresponsibly let water companies divert customers' money to line the pockets of their bosses and shareholders.The public are right to be angry after they have been left t pay the price of Conservative failure.This Labour Government will ringfence money earmarked for investment so it can never be diverted for bonuses and shareholder payouts. We will clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.

If he will make it his policy that Carbon Capture and Storage plans are assessed under principle H of schedule B of the Subsidy Control Act 2022.

Where a subsidy relates to the decarbonisation of emissions linked to industrial activities in the United Kingdom, My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State is required by the Subsidy Control Act 2022 to consider Principle H – it is not a question of policy - and he will continue to comply with his statutory duties in this regard.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS dental services in (a) Witney constituency and (b) West Oxfordshire.

Dental Statistics - England 2023-24, published by NHS Business Services Authority on 22 August 2024, is available from the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324The data for Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board, which includes the Witney constituency and West Oxfordshire, shows that 36% of adults were seen by a National Health Service dentist in the previous 24 months up to June 2024, compared to 40% in England; and 57% of children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months up to June 2024, compared to 56% in England.The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

Food and Rural Affairs, what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with representatives of Ofwat since July 2024.

Details of ministerial meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Data for the period of July to September 2024 will be published in due course. Officials meet a variety of external stakeholders, including representatives of water and sewerage companies, and regulators; however, we do not hold this information centrally and obtaining it would be disproportionate.

If he will meet the hon. Member for Witney to discuss the availability of (a) NHS dentistry and (b) diagnostic testing in Witney constituency.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.Recovering diagnostic services, including in Witney, is a priority for the Government, as part of our ambition to return NHS waiting lists to meeting constitutional standards. It is unacceptable that some patients are waiting more than six weeks for a diagnostic test.Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, builds on the investments already made with an ambitious vision for the future of diagnostic testing. This will include more straight-to-test pathways, increasing and expanding Community Diagnostic Centres, and better use of technology.The responsibility for commissioning primary care, including dentistry and diagnostic activity, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Witney constituency, this is the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB.I will write to the hon. Member to provide further detail.

If she will meet with the hon. Member for Witney to discuss (a) the condition of Carterton Community College and (b) SEND further education provision in West Oxfordshire.

As the Minister responsible for school and college capital funding, the hon. Member for Witney can contact my office to arrange a meeting to discuss these matters.