Written questions by Young.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of patients whose regular NHS dentist has ceased providing NHS care in the last 24 months.

Awaiting answer.

What data her Department holds on the number of prosecutions of parents under section 444 of the Education Act 1996 where the child had an Education, Health and Care Plan at the time the prosecution was initiated.

Awaiting answer.

What guidance his Department has issued to Integrated Care Boards on managing the transfer of NHS dental patients when a practice (a) hands back and (b) partially hands back its NHS contract.

Awaiting answer.

What plans he has to expand inpatient diagnostic capacity as part of the NHS productivity plan.

Awaiting answer.

What steps his Department is taking to monitor (a) NHS dental practice closures and (b) partial contract reductions.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of NHS dental appointments that have been cancelled following their practice's transition to private provision on the long term dental health of affected patients.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Whether his Department holds data on the number of NHS dental appointments cancelled as a result of practices converting to private provision.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of low digital literacy on patients' ability to access GP services.

General practices (GPs) are independent businesses that hold contracts with the National Health Service to perform essential services to the public. As a part of this contract, we require practices to provide online consultation tools. Online consultation tools are designed to accommodate a wide range of patient needs. They improve accessibility of booking appointments, requesting repeat prescriptions, and simplify the registration process by allowing patients to engage with their practice remotely, without the need to attend in person.All digital tools used in primary care must meet minimum functionality standards set by NHS England, helping to ensure a consistent and high-quality user experience. Primary care providers are also required to comply with the Accessible Information Standard. This ensures that online services are both accessible and user-friendly, supported by standardised, intuitive digital platforms that meet patients’ diverse needs.However, we understand that not all patients can or want to use these services. To ensure that patients aren’t digitally excluded, the GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a GP. Practice receptions should be open so that patients without access to telephone or online services are in no way disadvantaged.The Government has committed to guarantee a face-to-face appointment for all those who want one. The NHS is clear that GPs must provide face-to-face appointments, alongside remote consultations, and patients’ input into consultation type should be sought and their preferences for face-to-face care respected unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.

Whether his Department collects data on patients occupying hospital beds while awaiting diagnostic tests or scans.

The Department does not collect data on patients that occupy hospital beds while waiting for diagnostic tests or scans.

What assessment he has made of the level of industry demand for welding specialists.

There is a strong and persistent demand for welding specialists, driven by major infrastructure programmes, advanced manufacturing, defence requirements and clean energy investment. This demand is compounded by a significant proportion of the current welding workforce approaching retirement, with a large proportion due to retire by 2027(RapidWelding).This accelerates turnover in skilled roles and magnifies the urgency for faster training throughput and progression pathways.DWP/Skills England has proactively responded to the anticipated shortage of welders by introducing a new apprenticeship unit in mechanised welding. This initiative is designed to reskill the existing workforce and re‑engage experienced individuals who may have previously been forced into early retirement.Furthermore, DWP has fast‑tracked the introduction of a new apprenticeship unit in metal fabrication, with the intention that it will enter delivery from May.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on aligning skills training provision for welding specialists with the workforce requirements set out in the industrial strategy.

The Government is working with industry to develop sector Jobs Plans for all growth-driving sectors identified by the Industrial Strategy, and for construction. These plans will build on the Industrial Strategy Sector Plans and provide a clear direction of travel for government and industry to develop the domestic workforce together. Jobs Plans set out ambitious action addressing the workforce needs in each sector over the next three years. We aim to publish jobs plans in the summer (clean energy have already published a jobs plan). Welding is likely to feature in several plans as it cuts across different industries including clean energy, construction and advanced manufacturing. Skills England and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) work closely together to make sure the UK’s jobs, growth and industrial plans are matched by the right skills supply - nationally and locally.DWP/Skills England is addressing anticipated shortages of welders by introducing a new mechanised welding apprenticeship unit. This will reskill the existing workforce and help re‑engage experienced workers who may have left the sector early.In addition, DWP has fast‑tracked a new metal fabrication apprenticeship unit, due to begin delivery from May.

Innovation and Technology, what regulatory steps her Department has taken to prevent technology companies from profiting from online scam advertisements.

Fraud and other financial crimes are ‘priority offences’ under the Online Safety Act, meaning regulated services must prevent users encountering user-generated fraudulent content, swiftly remove it if it appears, and mitigate and manage the risk of their services facilitating fraud.Ofcom has robust powers to act if it finds services are failing in their regulatory duties, including issuing fines of £18 million or 10% global turnover, whichever is higher.

What steps he is taking to help increase the number of welding apprenticeship starts in England.

There are a number of apprenticeship standards relevant to welding, including the Level 2 Welder standard and the Level 3 Plate Welder standard.To support employers, including those in welding and associated occupations, to take on apprentices, the government provides a range of financial support. We are introducing a new hiring grant of £2,000 for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) that take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. It will apply to apprenticeship starts from October, as long as the apprentice has joined their employer within the past three months. Employers hiring apprentices aged 18-24 who have been on Universal Credit for over six months will also be eligible for the new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant from June 2026.Additionally, from August 2026 we will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers, including those in welding occupations, for eligible people aged 16-24. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16-21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care.The government also pays £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for apprentices aged 19-24 who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in local authority care. On top of this, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year).To give employers greater flexibility and help them respond quickly to emerging skills gaps, we have also launched the first apprenticeship units, funded from the Growth and Skills Levy, and one of these is on mechanised welding.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of NHS dental appointments that have been cancelled following their practice's transition to private provision on the long term dental health of affected patients.

No such assessment has been made.

Whether he holds the data on the total number of GP referrals handed to consultants for review.

The Department does not hold data in the format requested. It is standard practice for triage processes to operate through locally agreed referral pathways, developed by integrated care boards and providers to reflect local service configuration and patient need.As set out in the Elective Reform Plan and the Medium Term Planning Framework, we are expanding the use of Advice and Guidance (A&G), a pre-referral service used by general practitioners (GPs) to request quick specialist advice, and Single Point of Access, which encourages consultant-led triage, to help GPs and hospital specialists, including consultants, work together and make the best treatment plans for patients, while reducing unnecessary referrals to waiting lists. A&G requests are distinct from hospital referrals, whereby a patient is added onto a waiting list. A&G does not take away a GP’s right to refer, which remains a matter of clinical judgement. Between April 2025 and December 2025, there were 15,991,984 referrals for Referral to Treatment services. For the same period, there were 2,687,368 pre-referral advice and guidance requests, 2,485,559 of which were processed, and 1,234,527 have been directed to treatment that is not a secondary care referral at that time, which is 45.9% of total requests. These re-directed patients may otherwise have had to wait for an unnecessary appointment and instead are expected to receive more timely care with earlier specialist input.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of low digital literacy on patients ability to access GP services.

The Government is committed to delivering digital services that are accessible and inclusive throughout the National Health Service, including in primary care. NHS England has published a framework for National Health Service action on digital inclusion to support practical action. The Digital Exclusion Risk Atlas (DERA) is an online location-based analytical tool designed to help health and care system teams understand and identify patterns of digital exclusion across England. DERA provides a range of data indicators to highlight areas where people may face barriers to accessing and using digital health and care services. By improving visibility of these patterns, DERA aims to support more targeted interventions and contribute to efforts to reduce health inequalities.

Whether his Department holds the data of the number of NHS dental appointments cancelled as a result of practices converting to private provision.

Data on the number of National Health Service dental appointments cancelled due to dental practices converting to private provision are not held.

What (a) payments and (b) incentives are made to General practitioners in respect of removing patients from waiting lists who have failed to respond to communications.

The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is an optional pay-for-performance scheme that financially rewards practices for the quality of care they provide to their patients. It has been developed in accordance with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and is underpinned by a robust evidence base.Where a patient does not respond to offers of care, a Personalised Care Adjustment can be applied that will remove that patient from an indicator denominator, ensuring the practice is not financially penalised. This ensures practices do not lose out financially when a patient on the disease register does not receive the recommended care. This also ensures there is no incentive to remove a patient from the list to improve QOF performance scores.Healthcare providers should undertake regular reviews of their waiting list to ensure all patient records are accurate, that patients are on the best pathway to meet their needs, and that they still want their appointments, and we refer to this as waiting list “validation”. This is a clinically supported process and forms a long-standing part of trusts’ routine management of their waiting lists.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of residential property transactions that have fallen through due to delays in the conveyancing process in the past 12 months; and what proportion does this represent of all transactions.

My Department does not hold the information requested.

Whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of amending the Social Security Administration (Representation) Regulations 1999 to allow appointees to manage child trust funds on behalf of mentally incapable young adults aged 18 and over.

The DWP appointee system gives access to social security benefits only. It does not give access to monies held in Child Trust Funds. Where the owner of the fund is incapable of accessing the funds themselves, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 provides for how a third party can do that on their behalf, namely, through the Court of Protection.