Written questions by Coghlan.

If she will make it her policy to publish her Department's assessment of the potential impact of the expansion of Gatwick Airport on the area within a 50 mile radius before a decision on whether to expand that airport is made.

As this is live planning application that is yet to be decided, unfortunately I cannot comment in detail at this time. The Secretary of State will assess all evidence provided to her by the applicant, the Examining Authority, and any parties who chose to make written representations regarding relevant Government policy, and once the decision is made, the decision letter will set out the full rationale.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the Circular Economy Taskforce helps to encourage people to repair and reuse.

This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. We have convened the Circular Economy Taskforce, comprising experts from industry, academia, and civil society, to help develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. The strategy will be accompanied by a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the government and others will make on a sector-by-sector basis. Defra recognises that repair and reuse are fundamental tenets of any circular economy, and a successful transition aims to eliminate waste and promote sustainability through reuse and resource efficiency. The Circular Economy Taskforce will consider the evidence for appropriate action right across the economy throughout the development of the Strategy.

If she will create standardised national aviation noise metrics for use in planning processes.

The Government expects airports to explain their noise impacts through the use of appropriate metrics. Average noise exposure contours for day and night are the most established measure which show noise impacts around airports. The Government also encourages airport operators to use alternative measures which better reflect how aircraft noise is experienced in different localities.

What estimate she has made of the potential impact of airspace modernisation on the number of people experiencing noise above (a) the lowest observed adverse effect level and (b) the significant adverse observed effect level.

One of the key benefits of Airspace Modernisation is the potential to reduce the overall noise experienced by individuals and communities, through the introduction of new airspace structures and procedures which are more efficient and more environmentally friendly. The precise level of noise experienced by individuals and communities will always depend on the specific airspace change proposals for each airport. The Civil Aviation Authority’s airspace change process (CAP1616) sets out the detailed process airport sponsors must follow in relation to noise implications, including the requirement to consult with communities who could be directly affected by any change.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Gatwick airport expansion on local house prices.

MHCLG Ministers cannot comment on live planning applications due to their quasi-judicial role in the planning system.All information provided to the Secretary of State for Transport by the applicant, the Examining Authority, and any parties who chose to make written representations in relation to the application in question is available on the Planning Inspectorate website.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) collating and (b) publishing NHS tribunal data.

This information is not held centrally by the Department or NHS England. There are currently no plans for an analysis of the potential merits of collating and publishing National Health Service tribunal data.

What his planned timetable is for completion of the TRANSFORM trial into prostate cancer screening.

The TRANSFORM study, funded in partnership with Prostate Cancer UK, will look at new ways of screening for prostate cancer, and will include a national randomised control trial that will provide the definitive data for policymakers to decide on whether screening for prostate cancer should be recommended. The study is broken down into three phases: Phase 1, between 2025 and 2027; Phase 2, between 2028 and 2033; and Phase 3, between 2034 and 2043.Phase 1 is focusing on making the trial run smoothly, testing a number of different possible screening approaches, and also determining the best way to engage men in the community to take part in the study. Critically, it is also determining the best form of randomisation to carry out. Recruitment for phase one is currently open.Phase 2 will take forward the most robust randomisation strategy and the most promising screening approach or approaches with tens of thousands of consenting participants, in order to prove that these new screening strategies are beneficial.Phase 3 will involve monitoring the trial participants over the following 10 years to determine the long-term impact of screening on rates of disease progression and survival.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) establishing an NHS information campaign to raise awareness of prostate cancer referral routes for GPs and (b) issuing specific guidance to GPs on informing patients about the (i) NICE and (ii) PCRMP referral routes.

The Government takes the management of the risk of prostate cancer seriously. Too many men are waiting too long for diagnosis and treatment, and this must change. We have asked the UK National Screening Committee to look at the evidence for screening for prostate cancer and we will await their findings before making an evidence-based decision.A public awareness campaign at this stage would not be appropriate. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance relates to symptomatic patients, while the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme is guidance for general practitioners (GPs) on how to counsel non-symptomatic men about the risks associated with using the current best test for prostate cancer, because of its lack of accuracy. Before we direct asymptomatic individuals to GPs, we need a better test, and that is why the Government has invested £16 million into the TRANSFORM trial, which is looking for more effective ways of accurately detecting prostate cancer.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of producing a national strategy to help improve (a) access to and (b) the quality of eating disorder services.

NHS England is currently refreshing guidance on children and young people's eating disorders. The refreshed guidance will highlight the importance of awareness and early recognition of eating disorders within schools, colleges, primary care, and broader children and young peoples’ mental health services.The Government is currently developing the 10-Year Health Plan, which will consider the views of a wide range of stakeholders, including those with lived experience of eating disorders. The consultation process has provided invaluable feedback, and we are in the process of exploring how we best take this forward.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of further regulation of funds by (a) developers and (b) building owners for leaseholders.

The government intends to act quickly to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes by implementing the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.This includes measures designed to drive up the transparency of service charges to make them more easily challengeable if leaseholders consider them to be unreasonable.Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement published on Thursday 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 April to Question 4096, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Financial Conduct Authority’s response to the Financial Regulators Complaints Commissioner's final report, published on 11 March 2025 stating that compensatory payment to the customers of Safe Hands Plans Limited will not be offered.

I refer the honorable member to my response to UIN 40961.

If he will meet the honourable Member for Dorking and Horley to discuss his proposed amendment to the Mental Health Bill.

I would be happy to meet with the Hon. Member to discuss his proposed amendment to the Mental Health Bill. My Private Office will be in touch with him shortly to make the arrangements.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of implementing face-to-face Personal Independence Payment assessments.

Since July 2024, there has been no change in policy regarding assessing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims remotely. We remain committed to enabling a multi-channel assessment approach, but as announced in Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, we will be carrying out more face-to-face assessments. As part of the Functional Assessment Service (FAS) process, the feasibility of a paper-based assessment will always be considered in the first instance, for all cases. Where a paper-based review is not possible the claimant will be invited to an assessment. Before an invitation to an assessment is sent, consideration will be given to claimants who need a specific assessment channel due to their health condition or circumstances. Other claimants who can undertake any assessment type will be allocated to the next available appointment; however, this can be changed if the claimant informs us that a reasonable adjustment is appropriate in their circumstances. The department audits FAS suppliers to ensure that the correct PIP assessment channel type has been selected for the claimant. This provides assurance that claimants are routed to the most appropriate assessment type.

What steps her Department has taken to reduce waiting times for Access to Work applications.

Demand for the Access to Work Scheme has been growing. In 2023-2024, 67,720 people were approved for Access to Work provision. This is around a 32% increase compared to the previous year. Alongside this, there is a significant delay in processing Access to Work applications. As of February 2025, there were 62,000 applications outstanding. We are committed to reducing waiting times for Access to Work. We have streamlined delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. We will also consider further changes within the existing policy framework to reduce waiting times. In March 2025, the department published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, which consults on the future of Access to Work. The backlog, coupled with significant increases in expenditure in recent years requires us to consider how resources should be best directed to ensure the service is sustainable.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of resolving NHS employment disputes early.

The Department has not made this specific assessment. National Health Service employment disputes arising at a local level are for employers to manage and resolve locally. At a national level, the Government has prioritised improving industrial relations following the General Election in July 2024. The deal we agreed with resident doctors in England, negotiated within four weeks of being in Government, brought an end to their prolonged strikes and we will continue to work with resident doctors to improve their working lives and keep them in the NHS.Our ambition remains to reset the relationship between the Government and all NHS staff, and we want to work collaboratively with trade unions to address concerns and foster a productive and positive relationship with the NHS workforce.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times for Pension Credit applications.

The most recent information on processing times for Pension Credit was published in the DWP Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) published on 22nd July 2024 DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK. This shows that in 2023/24 DWP cleared 192,000 Pension Credit claims within the planned 50 working day timescale, equating to 77.7%. The next publication of the ARA will include claims processed in the financial year 2024 to 2025 and is due for publication in the summer.The Department is working hard to meet its published timeliness standard of processing claims and reduce Pension Credit processing times, DWP deployed over 500 additional people. As a result, the Department is clearing more cases. The latest Pension Credit published statistics show DWP cleared 211,600 Pension Credit claims from 29 July 2024 to 9 February 2025, representing an 87% increase in clearance compared to 112,900 cleared Pension Credit claims for the comparable 2023/24 period (31 July 2023 to 11 February 2024). Subsequently, our latest published statistics up to February 2025 show outstanding volumes have reduced Pension Credit applications and awards: February 2025 - GOV.UK. Escalation arrangements are also in place for cases where individuals are identified as being vulnerable or in immediate hardship.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of gathering data on time taken between immigration appeals tribunal decisions and the receipt of resulting deportation notices to appellants.

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of independent pharmacy closures on (a) local GP capacity, (b) hospital capacity, (c) the healthcare needs of the local community and (d) local pharmacists in need of employment.

The impact of any specific pharmacy closure will differ depending on the remaining access to health services in the area. We monitor access carefully and in general, access to pharmacies in England continues to be good, with 80% of people able to reach a pharmacy within a 20 minute-walk and twice as many pharmacies in the most deprived areas. We continue to support those in areas where there are fewer pharmacies through the Pharmacy Access Scheme. Additionally, in rural areas where there is no pharmacy, general practitioners are permitted to dispense medicines. Patients can also choose to access medicines and pharmacy services through any of the nearly 400 National Health Service online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver prescription medicines free of charge to patients and deliver other services remotely.Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served, and must keep these assessments under review in the interim. Integrated care boards must give regard to the PNAs when reviewing applications to open new pharmacies in their areas.

If she will make an assessment of the accuracy of the education, health and care plan issuance process.

An education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment ensures that a child or young person’s needs are assessed in a co-ordinated manner across education, health and social care services. Under this assessment process the local authority must seek information and advice from a range of partners, including the child or young person and their parents, their school or college, where applicable, relevant health and social care partners, an educational psychologist and any other relevant professionals. The EHC needs assessment must identify the child or young person’s special educational needs together with any relevant health or social care needs. If an EHC needs assessment determines that it is necessary for special educational provision to be made for the child or young person, the local authority must prepare an EHC plan. Following the assessment, if the local authority decides not to issue an EHC plan, or if the child’s parent or, from the age of 16, the young person themselves disagrees with the description of needs, such as the educational provision set out in the plan or the educational institution named in it, they are able to appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability). Latest data from the department shows that 5.1% of children and young people who underwent an EHC needs assessment during the 2023 calendar year were not issued a plan. In addition, 1,048 appeals were heard by the First-tier Tribunal in the 2023 calendar year regarding a decision on whether to issue a plan.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of expensing intellectual property transactions.

The UK’s Intangible Fixed Asset (IFA) regime offers generous and internationally competitive relief for acquired intangible assets like trademarks and licences. In addition, UK businesses can benefit from the biggest tax treaty network in the OECD – which make the UK an attractive jurisdiction for holding IFAs. The government committed to maintain the regime’s current competitive approach in the Corporation Tax Roadmap.