Written questions by Norris.

If he will publish a national strategy for palliative and end-of-life care.

The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England. I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1087 I gave to the House on 24 November 2025.The MSF will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life and will enable integrated care boards to address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care. This will be aligned with the ambitions set out in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the causes of homelessness in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

Through our National Plan to End Homelessness the Government is putting prevention at the heart of public services, alongside with actions to address the root causes of homelessness through building more homes, reforming renters’ rights, and tackling poverty. Local councils are at the front line of the response to homelessness and must lead the way in putting prevention at the core of their services. The Government has increased funding for homelessness services this year to over £1 billion, including a £50 million top-up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant announced on 11 December 2025. You can find allocations here. We are also investing £3.5 billion in homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years, through more flexible multi-year funding arrangements that enable councils to invest more in prevention.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support tech start-up companies to scale up in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

This Government is committed to removing barriers to growth for scaleups across the UK – ensuring the UK is one of the best places for tech to start, scale and stay.We are strengthening regional tech ecosystems through the Regional Tech Booster, a programme supporting startups and accelerating tech clusters beyond London. Furthermore, regions across the UK, including the West of England, can bid for up to £20 million via our Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF) - a new £500 million UKRI-led programme to grow regional strengths.More broadly, we are supporting the sector through venture capital schemes, R&D tax reliefs, targeted visa routes, the AI Opportunities Action Plan and streamlining regulation to support innovation. Through the Budget, we are investing in skills, compute, and designated AI Growth Zones; on R&D, we are committing £38.6bn to UKRI over five years; and powering entrepreneurship with the Entrepreneurship Prospectus, Enterprise Fellowships, and Innovate UK’s £130m Growth Catalyst. We are unlocking finance via pension and capital‑markets reforms, while the British Business Bank increases annual investment to £2.5bn and commits £5bn to growth‑stage funds.Together, these measures set out a comprehensive, long‑term plan backed by record funding, to support growth across the whole UK.

What steps he has taken to accelerate the pay review process so that NHS staff in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency receive uplifts nearer the start of the financial year.

The Government has taken a number of steps to accelerate the National Health Service pay review process, aiming to ensure that pay uplifts for staff are implemented as close to the start of the financial year as possible.Having accepted the 2025/26 headline pay recommendations in full, the Government issued remit letters to the Pay Review Bodies in July 2025 formally beginning the 2026/27 pay round over two months earlier than last year.We have now published our written evidence reports for the three pay review bodies, the NHS Pay Review Body, the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration, and the Senior Salaries Review Body, which cover pay for most NHS staff. Our oral evidence sessions that follow publication of the written evidence took place in November and December 2025. This puts us on track to meet my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s ambition to announce and implement pay uplifts into pay packets as close to 1 April 2026 as possible.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure the resilience of rail networks during periods of extreme winter weather.

Department officials hold regular discussions with Network Rail and the industry to ensure severe weather preparedness plans are in place with clear mitigations to reduce the impacts of weather on the rail network. The industry’s winter preparedness regime begins in September each year.Special trains and equipment are fully checked and any repairs carried out, while contingency plans are reviewed and agreed with train operators to keep passengers moving during adverse weather. Network Rail uses detailed forecasts from weather experts, MetDesk, to formulate local action plans during adverse weather to minimise disruption to journeys. These forecasts cover not just the weather but how the conditions will impact on specific railway infrastructure such as the tracks, conductor rails, and overhead power lines.A network of hundreds of monitoring stations also provides real-time weather data, enabling Network Rail to respond to conditions as they develop in real time. In extreme weather conditions, Network Rail and train operators prioritise getting passengers home safely over running the normal timetable. They also prioritise vital rail freight to ensure the supply of essential goods across the country.

Whether it is his policy to reduce average household energy bills by £150 from April 2026 for people who use domestic heating oil.

The majority of the savings on the costs of domestic energy bills announced at the budget, including the removal of 75% of the domestic Renewable Obligation, will come off the costs of electricity so will benefit all households. For the savings announced which will be coming off the gas bill, such as part of the ECO scheme cost, government intends to explore how we can further target these savings at electricity bills, meaning more households benefit. These policy costs do not apply currently to those on domestic heating oil.

If her Department will publish guidance on recruiting impartial school governors.

The government’s guidance on the constitution of school governing bodies explains that the most robust governing bodies welcome and thrive on diversity of viewpoints, skills, experiences and backgrounds. This ensures open debate, effective decision-making, and prevents dominance by a single perspective. It promotes inclusivity, strategic challenge, and decisions in the best interests of the school community. As public officeholders, governors must uphold the seven Nolan principles of public life. Additionally, governors must ensure compliance with the law on political impartiality in schools. Governors, associate members and governance professionals must declare their interests to ensure that transparent strategic decision-making can take place.Schools should publish governors’ relevant business, financial and pecuniary interests on their website. There are comparable expectations for academy trusts.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of how many farms in Somerset and Gloucestershire use farrowing crates in pig production.

No such estimate has been made for Somerset and Gloucestershire, but 50% of the national sow breeding herd give birth freely on outdoor units, with no option for confinement. Of the 50% of breeding sows kept indoors, approximately 42% are confined in farrowing crates from around five days before they are due to give birth, until the piglets are weaned at approximately 28 days of age.

What steps his Department is taking to improve early diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in primary care in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

Action includes the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board providing £1.8 million to support hypertension services. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Implementation is continuing this year, in 2025/26, and includes partnership working with community pharmacy to case find undiagnosed hypertension. £30,000 of the funding has also been invested to increase the uptake and quality of the national Blood Pressure Community Pharmacy service.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress her Department has made on phasing out the use of farrowing crates in pig production.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 2 April 2025 to the hon. Member for Birmingham Northfield, PQ UIN 41698.

What progress his Department has made on reducing waiting times for children requiring speech and language therapy.

Community health services, including children’s speech and language therapy, are locally commissioned to enable systems to best meet the needs of their communities.For 2026/27 we have asked systems to actively manage long waits for community health services, including reducing the proportion of waits over 18 weeks, developing a plan to eliminate all 52-week waits, and increasing community health services capacity to meet growth in demand, expected to be approximately 3% nationally per year.NHS England is working with the Department for Education to identify and support children with speech, language, and communication needs by co-funding pathfinder sites to deliver the Early Language Support for Every Child programme.The programme aims to identify and support children and young people in early years and primary school settings with mild to moderate speech, language, and communication needs, reducing the rate of specialist referrals, and increasing workforce capacity through innovative workforce models.

What steps he is taking to support veterans into suitable employment.

This Government is committed to ensuring that veterans and their families are fully supported in transitioning to sustainable careers post military service.A range of support is available, including the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), which is the initial point of provision for those transitioning into civilian life. The CTP offers assistance to individuals seeking employment for up to two years pre leaving service and for two years post service.For veterans who are more than two years post-service, as well as their families, additional support is provided through Op ASCEND. This initiative has already successfully supported 5,000 veterans and family members and engaged with over 420 employers to create employment opportunities. These core programmes form part of a suite of wider initiatives, which include pathways for veterans gaining employment in the Civil Service, and 12 months National Insurance relief for employers who hire veterans in their first role post-service.

What progress his Department is making on negotiating free-trade agreements.

The government has signed a trade deal with India, the fastest-growing economy in the G20. We have also agreed the General Terms for an Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD) with the United States and agreed a new Strategic Partnership with the European Union. We are continuing to make good progress in our negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Republic of Korea, Switzerland and Turkey. We will ensure that our trade deals are aligned with our Trade and Industrial Strategies, to bring prosperity to communities across the country, and fulfil our mission of securing the highest sustained growth in the G7.

What fiscal steps her department is taking to minimise barriers for international firms to invest in the UK.

Restoring sustainable, long-term economic growth remains the number one priority of this government. This is the foundation for the prosperity that families throughout the UK expect, and it is essential to creating the conditions that attract investment across sectors such advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and digital technologies. The UK continues to champion free trade and global investment. We are supported by over 70 international trade agreements and have more than doubled the government’s budget headroom, strengthening our resilience and capacity to respond to future challenges. Our stable fiscal framework and pro‑investment tax system give international firms the confidence to invest. Consistent with the commitments set out in the 2024 Corporate Tax Roadmap, the government is maintaining the elements of the UK’s corporate tax offer that matter most for new investment:a main rate of Corporation Tax at 25% – the lowest in the G7;a flexible and competitive regime for intangible assets;the Patent Box; andone of the most generous and competitive capital allowances regimes in the world. The UK is also an attractive location for groups to locate their headquarters or holding companies, offering broad exemptions for gains on disposals of substantial shareholdings and a broad exemption for dividends paid to UK companies. There are also limited withholding taxes on outbound payments such as dividends, interest and royalties. These measures are delivering results. We are set to be the second fastest growing economy in the G7 this year; PWC last year named the UK as the second most attractive country for investment in the world among CEOs, behind only the US and since coming into government we have seen companies from across the globe commit over £325bn worth of private investment into the UK.

What progress he has made on supporting small and medium-sized businesses in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

The Government’s Plan for Small Businesses, published in July, sets out the measures that the government is taking to support small businesses across the UK. This includes tackling late payments, boosting access to finance, and removing red tape to enable small businesses, including those in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency, to grow and thrive. SMEs can access DBT’s wealth of business and export support via business.gov.uk. The West of England Growth Hub is where SMEs in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency can benefit from specialist business advice and help on how to grow and access new markets.

When the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency last reviewed the driving test questions relating to (a) horse riders (b) cyclists and (c) motorcyclists.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) regularly reviews the driving theory test questions to ensure they remain clear, relevant and effective in assessing candidates’ road safety knowledge and understanding. This includes the questions about how to drive safely to protect vulnerable road users such as horse riders, cyclists and motorcyclists. In addition, the CGI video hazard perception part of the driving theory test includes hazards involving horse riders, cyclists and motorcyclists. Candidates are evaluated on their ability to identify developing hazards in good time. Every theory test candidate is exposed to both questions and hazard clips on these topics.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support the life sciences sector.

This summer the Government published the Life Sciences Sector Plan, setting out how we will strengthen one of the UK’s most important sectors. The Plan focuses on enabling world-class R&D, making the UK an outstanding place to start, scale and invest in life sciences, and driving healthcare innovation and reform. Backed by up to £2 billion of public investment alongside funding from UKRI and NIHR, the UK is already securing multibillion-pound private investment, expanding manufacturing, streamlining regulation and clinical trials, and building new research infrastructure. The recent UK-US trade deal on pharmaceuticals will also ensure that British-based pharmaceutical and medical technology firms have the lowest-tariff access to the US market in the world, a major competitive advantage. The deal will also allow more NHS patients to access cutting edge new innovations.

What measures she is taking to improve access in schools to music, sport, art and drama for all children.

The government is committed to ensuring that high quality arts, music and physical education is not for the privileged few but an entitlement for all. We will ensure that the reformed national curriculum will support access to art and design, music and physical education, as well as access to drama within English. We will also ensure GCSEs in arts subjects and physical education are inclusive and fit for purpose. Next year, we will launch the procurement of a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education and a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network to support excellent teaching, strengthen partnerships between schools and national and local organisations, and promote arts and sporting opportunities for children and young people. In addition, the government has already committed £76 million for the Music Hubs grant this academic year, with future funding to be announced in due course.

What steps he is taking to support the hospitality sector in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

The Government recognises the significant pressures facing hospitality businesses, including those in North East Somerset and Hanham, and the Government is providing support through various measures to help ease these pressures. We’ve introduced permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a ratable value under £500,000, worth nearly £900 million annually, benefitting over 750,000 properties. The new relief rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap so all qualifying properties will benefit. The Chancellor announced a new National Licensing Policy Framework as part of her budget. This sets out a vision for a proportionate licensing system that supports good businesses while continuing to tackle bad operators. We’re also investing £440,000 with Pub is The Hub to help rural pubs diversify, aiming to support rural communities, create new jobs and services.

What measures she is taking to ensure the national curriculum equips children with the skills they will need with the increasing influence of AI.

Following the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report on 5 November, we have accepted the recommendations for computing and will go further by including artificial intelligence (AI) within the curriculum. We are also exploring a potential level 3 qualification in data science and AI. This will empower students to harness the opportunities of AI, whilst navigating its risks responsibly. We will work with subject experts to embed AI and issues like bias in technology within the refreshed computing curriculum in an age-appropriate way. Content will be shaped through expert engagement, with a public consultation on draft proposals next year. To support the teaching of AI now, the department-funded National Centre for Computing Education offers free online courses for teachers on machine learning, ethics and generative AI. In July, the government also published updated relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance introducing new content on AI which will be mandatory from 1 September 2026.