Written questions by Chambers.

How many shifts were recorded as not fully-staffed on England’s maternity units in each of the last five years.

Awaiting answer.

Media and Sport, how many local authority swimming pools have closed in each year since 2015.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Animal Welfare Strategy consultation on dog breeding will include (a) brachycephalic dogs and (b) extreme conformities.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to address noise pollution, reduce noise poverty and the harm to physical and mental health.

This Government is committed to ensuring that noise is managed effectively to promote good health and minimise disruption to people’s quality of life. Defra manages noise through the Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006. The Regulations require noise mapping and the adoption of Noise Action Plans based upon this mapping. The Action Plans identify ‘Important Areas’, where the 1% of the population affected by the highest noise levels is located. The latest round of mapping is complete, with Noise Action Plans due to be published later in 2026.

How many midwives started working in the NHS in each of the last five years.

NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England. This covers staff working for hospital trusts and integrated care in England. This data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record, the human resources system for the National Health Service. The published data includes information on the turnover of staff, including the number of staff who have joined active service in the preceding 12 months. This information can be found in the file NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Turnover – data tables, at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics/february-2026Joiners are defined as any member of staff who was not active in the workforce 12 months previously who is present in the latest workforce data, hence joiners may include staff who are returning from longer periods of unpaid leave as well as those newly recruited, who may have been working in other health and social care settings previously.

How many undergraduates enrolled for a midwifery degree in each of the last 10 years.

Data published by the Office for Students in the Higher Education Students Early Statistics Survey (HESES) collates figures submitted by individual higher education providers to give an indication of the number of students studying in each academic year.HESES data includes figures on undergraduate midwifery courses in England. The latest published data is for those starting courses in 2025. The following table shows the number of undergraduate starters on midwifery courses in England for 2016 to 2025:YearStarters20161,86020172,15020182,55020192,93020203,46020213,56520223,30520233,25520243,24520253,340Source: HESES 2018 to 2022.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has to implement the recommendations of the 2023 House of Lords report on noise.

This Government is committed to ensuring that noise is managed effectively to promote good health and minimise disruption to people’s quality of life. Defra manages noise through the Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006. The Regulations require noise mapping and the adoption of Noise Action Plans based upon this mapping. The Action Plans identify ‘Important Areas’, where the 1% of the population affected by the highest noise levels is located. The latest round of mapping is complete, with Noise Action Plans due to be published later in 2026.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that occupational therapists receive adequate training opportunities and support.

NHS England recognises the vital role occupational therapists play across the health and care system and is committed to supporting a skilled, sustainable workforce.Post registration training and development for occupational therapists is the responsibility of employers and is aligned to identified service requirements and individual learning needs. This support spans the full career pathway, including preceptorship or foundation practice for newly registered staff, enhanced and advanced practice roles, and consultant level practice.Employers are supported through a range of funded and accredited education and training routes. National Health Service trusts receive a dedicated Continued Professional Development funding allocation to enable registered allied health professionals, including occupational therapists, to access ongoing learning and skills development. In addition, a range of education and training grants are available, with funding routes and levels aligned to staff grade and stage of development. Training opportunities are designed to support priority service areas such as community and neighbourhood services, mental health, elective recovery, and population health, while also enabling occupational therapists to develop leadership, advanced clinical, education, and research capabilities.These arrangements ensure occupational therapists are supported to maintain and enhance their skills throughout their careers, respond to service needs, and deliver safe, effective, and high-quality care.

How much financial support she has provided to Hampshire County Council specifically for pothole repairs in the last 12 months.

During financial year 2025/26, the Government provided approximately £1.6 billion to support local highways authorities across England, a £500 million uplift compared to the previous year. As part of this, Hampshire County Council received a total of over £52.9 million from the government to support their highways maintenance activities. This represents an uplift of over £15.2 million compared to the previous financial year. Local highways maintenance funding is provided by the government to local authorities to maintain all parts of the highway network, including carriageways, bridges, cycleways, lighting columns and footways. Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 place a statutory duty on local highway authorities to maintain public highways, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances, including the repair of potholes.

If he will commit to meeting with EDS UK before the end of the year.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and ministers regularly meet with a wide range of stakeholders, including patient groups and charities, to inform policy development and to understand lived experience. Officials from the Department have also engaged with organisations representing people affected by Ehlers–Danlos syndromes (EDS).While it is not possible to commit to specific meetings within a set timeframe, the Department remains open to continued engagement with EDS UK and other stakeholders as part of its ongoing work to improve care and outcomes for people living with complex and long‑term conditions.

If he will publish the impact assessment conducted on the closure of ATR Winchester.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 March 2026 to Question 116321, which remains extant.

What assessment she has made for the adequacy of waiting times for driving licence renewal where there are no limiting factors.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to process all applications as quickly as possible. There are no delays in applications for a driving licence where there is no medical condition involved.The DVLA’s target for driving licence applications is to dispatch 95 per cent within three working days for straightforward online applications and 90 per cent within ten working days for straightforward paper applications.In the current financial year, the DVLA has achieved 100 per cent for online applications and 99.9 per cent for paper applications.

What role AI-based mental health tools are expected to have within NHS mental health services.

The Government is clear that artificial intelligence (AI) based mental health tools are intended to support and complement, not replace, National Health Service mental health services.Within NHS mental health services, AI based tools are expected to play a supporting role, for example by helping with administrative tasks such as appointment management, triage support, and updating clinical records, enabling clinicians to spend more time delivering direct, person‑centred care. AI may also support evidence‑based digital interventions, such as digitally enabled therapies, where these are clinically appropriate and have been properly evaluated.The Government is clear that AI based tools must not replace access to trained mental health professionals, particularly for people experiencing acute distress. Publicly available AI applications that are not deployed by the NHS, such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini, are not regulated as medical technologies and may offer incorrect or harmful information, and people experiencing mental health difficulties are strongly encouraged to seek support from qualified professionals through NHS services or trusted charities.

Whether he plans to take steps to ensure that AI-based mental health tools do not replace access to human-delivered psychological support where this is clinically appropriate.

The Government is clear that artificial intelligence (AI) based tools must not replace access to human‑delivered psychological support where this is clinically appropriate.Digital and AI tools can be used to support mental health services and those in need of those services, for example by helping with administrative tasks, triage, or appointment management, and these benefits can enable clinicians to spend more time delivering direct care. However, decisions about treatment and care must always be clinically led and based on individual patient need.Publicly available AI applications that are not deployed by the National Health Service, such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini, are not regulated as medical technologies and may offer incorrect or harmful information. People experiencing mental health difficulties are strongly encouraged to seek support from qualified professionals through NHS services or trusted charities.Spending across mental health services, both specialised commissioning and ICB combined, and including learning disability, autism, and dementia, is planned to increase to £20.616 billion in 2025/26, compared to £18.988 billion in 2024/25. Specific funding has also been allocated to expand mental health support in schools to 100% of institutions by 2029/30.

What steps he is taking to improve accessibility to tofersen.

The Government recognises how important it is that patients with motor neurone disease are able to benefit from access to new clinically and cost-effective treatments. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently evaluating tofersen, a new licensed treatment for SOD-1 motor neurone disease, and the company is expected to make an evidence submission to support the appraisal in early June 2026.NHS England will explore whether an interim commercial agreement could be supported through the Innovative Medicines Fund should NICE issue a positive draft recommendation for tofersen. This would enable eligible patients to benefit from the treatment several months earlier than would otherwise be the case.

What recent estimate he has made of the level of decrease in graduate job levels due to artificial intelligence.

This Government is committed to growth, and a key pillar of this is ensuring that everyone, including graduates, have access to good, meaningful work. As part of our ongoing assessment of labour market trends, we note that job vacancies have declined from 1.3 million in 2022 to 726,000 as the economy continues to adjust post‑pandemic. While some have suggested that increased adoption of AI may be contributing to this fall, current evidence is mixed and does not yet establish a clear causal link. Most forecasters continue to project that artificial intelligence will lead to a net increase in employment overall, though its impacts will vary across industries and occupations. To ensure graduates and the wider workforce can benefit from these opportunities, the Government has established the AI and Future of Work Unit to monitor emerging trends and coordinate policy responses across departments. We are investing in practical AI skills training for adults and expanding partnerships to upskill 10 million workers. Our Youth Guarantee is working to ensure that all young people have access to education, training or help to find a job or apprenticeship, including graduates, and backed by an addition £820 million at the autumn budget.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of AI on graduate job opportunities.

This Government is committed to growth, and a key pillar of this is ensuring that everyone, including graduates, have access to good, meaningful work. As part of our ongoing assessment of labour market trends, we note that job vacancies have declined from 1.3 million in 2022 to 726,000 as the economy continues to adjust post‑pandemic. While some have suggested that increased adoption of AI may be contributing to this fall, current evidence is mixed and does not yet establish a clear causal link. Most forecasters continue to project that artificial intelligence will lead to a net increase in employment overall, though its impacts will vary across industries and occupations. To ensure graduates and the wider workforce can benefit from these opportunities, the Government has established the AI and Future of Work Unit to monitor emerging trends and coordinate policy responses across departments. We are investing in practical AI skills training for adults and expanding partnerships to upskill 10 million workers. Our Youth Guarantee is working to ensure that all young people have access to education, training or help to find a job or apprenticeship, including graduates, and backed by an addition £820 million at the autumn budget.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the current waiting times for the Housing Ombudsman.

The average waiting time for a case to be determined by the Housing Ombudsman in 2025/26 was 7.2 months.The Ombudsman is currently consulting on their 2026/27 Business Plan, which proposes a series of measures to reduce waiting times for tenants.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the planned closure of Army Training Regiment Winchester on Army Phase 1 training capacity.

There is no projected impact to Army Basic Training capacity due to the closure of Army Training Regiment Winchester.

Whether her Department is taking to help prevent films that have had their audiovisual material created by generative AI applications from claiming the AVEC and IFTC tax credits.

Details on the eligibility criteria for the Audio Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC) and Independent Film Tax Credit (IFTC) can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-audio-visual-expenditure-credits-for-corporation-tax. The Government continues to monitor the use of AI in film production and keeps the tax system under constant review.