Written questions by Coghlan.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme on standing levels and overcrowding on Brighton Main Line services used by passengers in Dorking and Horley constituency.

The previous government cancelled the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme (CARS) at Spending Review 2021. The Secretary of State updated Parliament on 8 July on which rail and road infrastructure projects will proceed following the 2025 Spending Review.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme on the (a) economic and (b) productivity status of residents commuting from Dorking and Horley constituency.

The previous government cancelled the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme (CARS) at Spending Review 2021. The Secretary of State updated Parliament on 8 July on which rail and road infrastructure projects will proceed following the 2025 Spending Review. CARS has not been allocated funding at this time.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of Tap-In/Tap out on rail users at Surrey stations.

We want to expand ticketing innovations such as Pay As You Go (PAYG) to more passengers. The Department considered several factors to determine which stations would have PAYG with contactless rollout for this phase of delivery. These included travel patterns, passenger benefits, operator views and the necessary changes to fares to ensure as many passengers as possible benefit from an improved experience. On 14th December we launched PAYG with contactless at a further 30 stations in the Southeast, and we will continue to ensure operators monitor these changes post implementation.

When his Department will set out the budget to local authorities so they can distribute funding for local Healthwatch services in the 2026/27 financial year.

As advised in the Local Government Bulletin of 7 January, funding for Local Healthwatch arrangements for financial year 2026/27 will be £14.15 million. As in previous years, this will be paid via the Local Reform and Community Voices grant. The formal grant allocations letter will be issued in due course.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for the 10-year health plan of the findings of the report by NHS Providers entitled Investing in the NHS: empowering the sector to drive productivity, renewal and growth, published on 15 October 2025 on local authority funding for NHS infrastructure.

The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work proactively with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and local authorities to reform National Health Service infrastructure in England. The 2025 Autumn Budget confirmed that the Department of Health and Social Care’s capital budgets will rise to £15.2 billion by the end of the Spending Review period of 2029/30, delivering the largest ever health capital budget, as well as medium-term certainty to the sector to enable multi-year planning.This settlement commits to a major transformation of care delivery, moving from analogue to digital systems, hospital to community-based care, and from treatment to prevention, and also confirmed £300 million additional capital investment in NHS technology which will support NHS productivity improvements. Additionally, this includes the establishment of 250 neighbourhood health centres across England, of which 120 will be operational by 2030. These will be delivered through upgrading and repurposing existing buildings, and building new facilities through a combination of public sector investment and a new model of public-private partnerships. This is being developed by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority, supported by the Department of Health and Social Care, and will build on lessons learnt from past and current models and harness private sector expertise to deliver the new neighbourhood health centres.Additionally, in November 2025, NHS England published the Capital guidance 2026/27 to 2029/30, which introduced several national reforms to the capital regime which addresses several of the recommendations in the report. These include: multi-year operational capital envelopes allocated directly to providers for the first time, providing firm funding until 2029/30 and indicative assumptions for a further five years; a new balance between national control and regional autonomy, giving regions a lead role in strategic estates planning and delivery oversight; expanded capital freedoms and flexibilities, including greater delegated authority and the ability for high-performing providers and newly authorised foundation trusts to reinvest surpluses; streamlined approvals and higher delegated limits, enabling faster delivery of capital schemes; and integration with the 10-Year Health Plan shifts, namely hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention, ensuring that capital investment underpins the long-term transformation of NHS services.

With reference to Measure What Matters' report entitled National Testimony Collection, published on 16 October 2025, what steps her Department is taking to address failures by local authorities to comply with guidance on the provision of SEND support to children, including those with an education, health and care plan.

The Schools White Paper sets out unequivocal expectations for every local authority on the quality and timeliness of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support, including planning school places effectively and providing the expert support that schools and families need, with significant investment in local authorities to transform SEND support.In March 2026 we commissioned local authorities, together with their integrated care boards, to develop SEND reform plans by June 2026.The department will use these plans to hold them accountable to deliver strong outcomes for children and young people with SEND and will act decisively where progress does not materialise. Where failure is persistent, we will not hesitate to use the full range of intervention powers including removing the licence to deliver SEND services.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the lower age limit for adult peak-time rail fares on the families of students who turn 18 during the academic year while remaining in full-time education until the end of that year; and whether her Department plans to review age-based rail fare eligibility to ensure consistency for students who are required to travel to school or college during peak hours.

Adult fares are payable for passengers from the age of 16. The 16-17 Saver can be purchased to extend the discount on child fares to 16- and 17-year-olds. The Government has no current plans to amend existing concessionary discounts. As set out in the Railways Bill, in future Great British Railways will have the flexibility to update and expand concessionary offers, following engagement with other operators, as passenger needs change.

When he expects the Model Neighbourhood Framework to be published.

We are developing a Neighbourhood Health Partnership Framework and Model Neighbourhood Guidance to provide greater clarity and consistency for systems in developing and scaling neighbourhood health. We expect this guidance to be available in the new year.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to sections 103 and 104 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of creating a (a) duty to meet assessed needs and (b) failure to comply requirement on local authorities.

National planning policy is already clear that local planning authorities should use a robust evidence base to establish the accommodation needs of travellers; set pitch targets for gypsies and travellers; and identify a supply of specific, deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years' worth of sites against these targets. This includes setting clear policy consequences for local planning authorities that cannot demonstrate an up to date five-year supply of sites. The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including proposals relating to traveller sites. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered making planning enforcement a statutory obligation.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Questions UIN 91162 on 21 November 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to speed up the planning and appeals process in local authorities.

The Planning and Infrastructure Act will streamline planning processes, improve certainty for applicants, and unlock and accelerate more housing and infrastructure delivery. Its provisions include powers that allow the Secretary of State to delegate planning fee-setting to local planning authorities, enabling them to recover costs and reinvest to provide a more efficient and responsive planning service, including in respect of making timelier decisions. At the Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced a £46 million package of investment into the planning system as a one-year settlement for 2025-2026. At the Budget on 26 November 2025, the Chancellor announced a further £48 million of investment over three years to support local planning authorities to attract, retain and develop skilled planners over a sustained period. Of this, £28.8 million has been allocated to MHCLG’s Planning Capacity and Capability Programme, equating to £9.6 million additional per year for the next three years. This allocation will supplement existing budgets. In total, the Programme now aims to deliver around 1,325 planners by the end of this Parliament, significantly exceeding our original manifesto commitment to deliver 300 new planning officers. Wider cross-government recruitment and investment in planning capacity and capability will increase this figure further to approximately 1,400 planners. The new funding will support both graduate and mid-career entry routes into planning, including by means of expanding the Pathways to Planning Graduate Scheme and establishing a Planning Careers Hub. In respect of planning appeals, the Planning Inspectorate's Strategic Plan commits to removing all casework backlogs and meeting all Ministerial targets, including those relating to planning appeals, by 2027.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of mandating the maximum allowed period of time between a Gypsy Traveller Accommodation Assessment by a local authority.

Local planning authorities should use a robust evidence base to establish the accommodation needs of travellers and plan to meet this need through their local plan. Local plans must be reviewed to assess whether they need updating at least once every five years, and should then be updated as necessary. In the new plan-making system that will come into force early next year, local plans will be expected to be prepared and adopted within a 30-month timeframe and be more frequently prepared so that plans are kept up-to-date.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered increasing funding for planning enforcement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Questions UIN 91162 on 21 November 2025.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating the National Planning Policy Framework to include guidance on the importance of telecommunications infrastructure in any new developments.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 99031 on 05 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of issuing guidance to local authorities to ensure mobile network operators are notified in advance of large-scale residential developments.

The government is committed to supporting investment in high-quality, reliable digital connectivity so that communities can benefit from faster economic growth and greater social inclusion. On 16 December, we launched a consultation on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework including proposals relating to telecommunications. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here.

With reference to Croydon Magistrates' Court's 8 December sentencing of a resident of the Four Points Hotel in Horley, what steps she is taking to end the use of the Four Points Hotel to house asylum seekers.

Hotel closure will be prioritised based on a wide range of criteria. The hotel exit plan will continue to be carefully managed to ensure that all supported asylum seekers are accommodated in suitable alternative accommodation, including large sites, elsewhere in the estate.

How many a) neurologists, b) geriatricians and c) nurses in the NHS have specialist training in Parkinson's.

While the Department does not hold data specifically on the number of Parkinson’s specialist staff in England, we do hold data on the number of doctors working in the wider specialities of neurology and geriatric medicine. As of August 2025, there were 2,010 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of neurology and 6,284 in geriatric medicine in National Health Service trusts and other organisations in England. This includes 1,025 FTE consultant neurologists and 1,687 FTE consultant geriatricians.These figures are based on NHS Digital’s workforce data and reflect staff employed by NHS trusts and other core NHS organisations in England. They do not include doctors working in private practice or outside NHS organisations.The Department does not hold specific data on the number of specialist Parkinson’s nurses currently working in the NHS in England. These roles are commissioned and managed locally by NHS trusts and integrated care boards as part of neurology and movement disorder services.NHS England has published a service specification for specialised adult neurology services, which includes Parkinson’s disease as part of its scope. This specification sets out requirements for multidisciplinary care, including access to Parkinson’s disease nurse specialists, consultant neurologists, and allied health professionals.NHS England is also implementing initiatives such as the Neurology Transformation Programme and the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, which aim to improve access to specialist care, reduce variation, and develop integrated models of service delivery for conditions including Parkinson’s disease. These programmes align with the National Institute for Care Excellence guidance on Parkinson’s disease, reference code NG71, which recommends that people with Parkinson’s have regular access to specialist staff with expertise in the condition.

If he will make it his policy to support paid leave for fertility appointments.

Government is committed to supporting working people to balance work with their personal lives, including those navigating fertility treatment. Whilst the government has no plans to introduce a paid leave entitlement for fertility appointments, employers should treat staff fairly and accommodate reasonable requests.Through the Employment Rights Bill, we are making flexible working available to more people, more easily, which may help employees and employers agree arrangements that support medical appointments, including fertility appointments. Many employers already offer compassionate or flexible working arrangements voluntarily, and we encourage businesses to take supportive action.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help rescue Melanie Watters and Janine Reid in Sri Lanka following Cyclone Ditwah.

My officials were in direct contact with Ms Watters and Ms Reid and worked with the local authorities in Sri Lanka who evacuated them from the affected area they were staying. They have now departed from Sri Lanka. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office works tirelessly to support British nationals in distress overseas. We prioritise the safety and wellbeing of our citizens, and our consular teams are available 24/7 to provide advice and assistance.

What recent progress her Department has made on the national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs.

On 9 December 2025 the Home Secretary announced to Parliament the appointment of Baroness Anne Longfield CBE as Chair of the new Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, and Zoë Billingham CBE and Eleanor Kelly CBE as Panel.The Chair will consult on the draft Terms of Reference published alongside this announcement with a view to making recommendations to the Home Secretary who will agree the final Terms of Reference in March 2026.