Written questions by Tomlinson.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) boys and (b) young men receive education in school on preventing violence against women and girls in schools.

The government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade. Education has a crucial role to play in tackling harmful behaviour, helping children and young people to develop empathy, boundaries and respect for difference.Through compulsory relationships education, all pupils, including boys and young men, learn how to form positive and respectful relationships and develop an understanding the concepts and laws around sexual harassment and sexual violence.The department is currently reviewing the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum, including engaging with key stakeholders to look at how this can fully complement our wider actions to tackle violence against women and girls.Separately, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will consider how RSHE fits into the wider curriculum.

What steps his Department is taking to help prevent the closure of Post Office branches in (a) Chipping Barnet constituency and (b) the UK.

The Post Office interim Chair, Nigel Railton, recently-announced a transformation plan, which aims to put the Post Office on a more stable financial footing for the future, including by reducing costs, and to increase Postmaster remuneration. The detail of Nigel Railton's transformation plan is being examined by my department, and the plan is subject to Government funding and the outcome of the upcoming spending review. The Post Office will continue to deliver on the 11,500 minimum branch requirement and geographical access criteria set by Government. No decisions regarding Directly Managed Branches, including those in Chipping Barnet, have been taken. The Post Office has been clear however that it’s their ambition to operate the network on a fully franchised basis in time as this is a more sustainable model.

What steps he is taking to help support Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (a) to reduce waiting times, (b) limit the rejection of referrals and (c) improve trust in services by both (i) parents and (ii) children.

It is unacceptable that too many children and young people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are too long. We are determined to change that, which is why we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across child and adult mental health services, to reduce delays and provide faster treatment.Better prevention is key to reducing the demand for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, which is why we will also provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school, so that mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, can be identified early on and prevented from developing into more serious conditions in later life. We will also roll out Young Futures hubs in every community.We expect that these measures will help to limit the rejection of referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, and improve trust in services for both parents and children.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure continued funding for GAVI.

The UK is one of the largest donors to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, committing £1.65 billion from 2021-2025. This funding supports their mission to immunise 300 million children and save up to 8 million lives from vaccine-preventable diseases over this period. The UK is working with international partners to ensure sustainable resources for the upcoming global health replenishments. These are being considered together to ensure we are best placed to deliver for the global health challenges ahead. Funding decisions will be taken following the conclusion of the Spending Review in 2025.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of recent changes to funding for nurse training on (a) the recruitment of mature graduates and (b) other nurse recruitment; and what plans he has for future levels of medical school and nursing course places, in the context of recent trends in levels of NHS staffing.

No such assessment has been made. Tuition fees and student maintenance loans for nursing training are set by the Department for Education. Through the Department of Health and Social Care, eligible students also continue to receive support whilst they are studying, through the Learning Support Fund, which includes a non-repayable grant of £5,000 a year. The Government keeps the funding arrangements for all healthcare students under close review.We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service. A central and core part of this plan will be our workforce, and how we ensure we train and provide the staff the NHS needs, including doctors and nurses, to care for patients across our communities.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure all children with epilepsy receive an individual healthcare plan.

Statutory guidance on ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’ recommends the use of individual healthcare plans as good practice. This guidance can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ce6a72e40f0b620a103bd53/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdf. Individual healthcare plans can help schools support pupils with medical conditions, providing clarity about what needs to be done, when and by whom. The school, healthcare professionals and parents should agree, based on evidence, when a healthcare plan would be appropriate.The department will keep the statutory guidance under review as we take forward the commitment to delivering an inclusive mainstream system.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of housing regulations on the (a) number of windows, (b) size of windows, (c) natural light and (d) residents' wellbeing in new homes.

Building regulations do not place specific restrictions on the number, type or size of windows. Windows can contribute to the health and wellbeing of occupants by providing daylight, ventilation and regulating temperatures. Part O of the Building Regulations, which was introduced in 2021, requires that new buildings are built to mitigate the risk of overheating.New residential buildings, including houses, flats, residential care homes, student accommodation, and children’s homes must now be designed to minimise unwanted heat from the sun and to allow windows to be opened to provide appropriate ventilation and to remove excess heat when it is cooler outside than inside.This is an important part of our work to adapt our country to face climate change, and it will protect the most vulnerable, the elderly and the very young where they live and sleep. Our expectation is that there will continue to be adequate daylight for occupiers of buildings.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that adults with autism receive suitable advice on housing.

Legislation is in place which requires local authorities to ensure that advice and information on how to apply for social housing is accessible and that any necessary assistance in making an application is made available for people who are likely to have difficulty in doing so without assistance.For autistic adults already living in social housing, registered providers of social housing are required to deliver the outcomes set out in the Regulator of Social Housing’s Transparency, Influence and Accountability standard. This requires registered providers to understand the diverse needs of their tenants, to ensure that communication with tenants is appropriate to their diverse needs, and to ensure that landlord services are accessible.

Whether his Department has commissioned research into the factors causing increased GP consultation rates.

The Department has not formally commissioned research into this topic. General practice consultation rates have increased in recent years, as a result of significant growth in the clinical workforce. This increase also represents a recovery from the abnormally low level of consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing £100 million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative for the 2025-26 financial year.

The UK is a longstanding supporter of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), having contributed £1.4 billion since 1995. Flexible UK funding enables the GPEI to be responsive. UK funding was used to facilitate the two rounds of poliovirus vaccination campaigns recently completed in Gaza. The UK is working with international partners to ensure sustainable resources for upcoming global health replenishments. These are being considered together to ensure we are best placed to deliver for the global health challenges ahead. Funding decisions will be taken following the conclusion of the Spending Review in 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of re-joining the EU pet passport scheme.

The Government will seek to negotiate a veterinary/Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement to deliver benefits to businesses and consumers in the UK and the EU. It is too early to provide an update on specific elements of any agreement at this point, including on pet travel.

Whether her policies on higher education reform will include employment rights protections for (a) permanent and (b) non-permanent lecturers.

The government wants to work in partnership with the higher education (HE) sector to deliver the change that the country needs. The department has outlined its five strategic priorities for the sector and will set out its plan for HE reform by summer 2025, to ensure the system delivers against these priorities.HE providers are independent from government, and as such government does not have a role in workforce matters, including in staff contracts or pay and provision at specific providers.However, the department does recognise the financial environment of the HE sector is increasingly challenging, for both HE providers and for staff. We are aware that some providers are making difficult decisions around staffing in order to safeguard their financial sustainability.The department will continue to work on building strong relationships with sector bodies and unions to better understand the issues facing the sector and its workforce. Departmental officials are working closely with the sector to find practical ways forward to address the challenges faced, and with officials at the Department for Business and Trade on the provisions of the Employment Rights Bill.This government is committed to creating a secure future for our world-leading universities so they can deliver for workers, students, taxpayers and the economy.On employment rights protections more generally, the government’s plan to Make Work Pay sets out an ambitious agenda to ensure employment rights are fit for a modern economy, empower working people and contribute to economic growth. Once implemented, it will represent the biggest upgrade of workers’ rights in a generation.

Whether her Department is providing funding to ensure the future viability of the 84B bus route.

Transport in London is devolved and decisions around bus services are for the Mayor of London and TfL. The Government regularly engages with TfL to understand their funding needs and will continue to do so as part of the Spending Review process.

If she will create alternative qualification pathways for students with Education, Health and Care Plans to support their access to further education.

The government is committed to ensuring that all young people, including those with education, health and care plans, can access a range of high quality qualifications and programmes which support them to develop the skills they need to thrive at work and throughout life. This is at the heart of the government’s missions to break down the barriers to opportunity and to boost economic growth. The Curriculum and Assessment Review will ensure meaningful, rigorous and high value pathways for all, with access to qualifications and training that will provide the skills they need to seize opportunity. The review will look closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people and the barriers which hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve, in particular children and young people who are socioeconomically disadvantaged or with special educational needs or disabilities.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that the new food waste segregation reforms will not prevent community litter picking organisations from continuing; and if he will publish guidance on how these organisations can ensure their efforts are fully compliant.

The Government is committed to implementing Simpler Recycling, which will mean that people across England will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school, putting an end to the confusion over what can and cannot be recycled in different parts of the country. The Department understands that most litter picking activities are undertaken by community or volunteer groups, under which circumstances Regulatory Position Statement 212 is in place to ensure that they can dispose of waste at their local household waste recycling centre. Alternatively, the local authority may arrange the collection and disposal of gathered litter. Under both circumstances, this would not fall within the scope of the requirements for segregation. Officials are working to provide further guidance on this in due course.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle car theft.

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are working closely with the automotive industry and police to ensure there is a robust and rapid response whenever people have their cars stolen.We will also bring forward legislation in the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying those devices.

Whether his Department plans to take steps to improve training for service providers on (a) Tourette's syndrome and (b) other tic disorders.

NHS England’s e-Learning for Healthcare has produced modular online learning resources in relation to Tourette’s syndrome and other tic disorders, within its neurodevelopmental disorder and healthy schools programme domains, which are freely accessible to all, including service providers.The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and social care, including Tourette’s syndrome. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. In all areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.The NIHR has funded a number of research projects on Tourette’s syndrome. For example, it has funded the Online Remote Behavioural Treatment for Tics study to evaluate online behavioural interventions for children with tics and Tourette’s syndrome. Researchers at the NIHR Great Ormond Street Biomedical Research Centre are also supporting the TIC Genetics programme, which aims to identify the genetic factors that cause Tourette’s syndrome using a family-based approach.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on suspected neurological conditions, which includes recommendations on treatment for tics and involuntary movements in adults and children. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127/

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of waiting times for NHS treatment.

Patients are waiting too long to access the care they need, with over 6 million people waiting for treatment across 7.6 million pathways. Tackling this is a key part of our Health Mission. We will start by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, as the first step in our commitment to ensuring patients are treated within 18 weeks.