Written questions by Chambers.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has appointed consultants to assess locations across the country as potential new town sites; whether Lichfields has been appointed to assess the M3/A303 corridor; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure there are no conflicts of interest in the appointment of consultants particularly in cases where a consultant has a vested interest in the development of a new town site.

The government has tasked the New Towns Taskforce, an independent expert advisory panel chaired by Sir Michael Lyons, with developing recommendations to ministers on suitable locations for new towns, as well as how to fund and deliver them. The Taskforce will submit its final report this summer. The Taskforce will not be sharing information about its locations evidence base prior to publication of the final report. Any use of external expertise will be carried out in line with established procurement rules in place for using external consultants. This includes ensuring that any conflicts are declared before any work begins and that appointed bodies are recused from decisions in which they have a conflict of interest.

Whether prevention and public health will feature in the 10 year health plan.

Yes. The Government’s Health Mission sets out our ambition to build a fairer Britain, where everyone lives well for longer. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan, which will be published later this year, will set out broader actions for how we shift health and care systems in England towards preventing ill-health rather than treating sickness.

What progress his Department has made on providing smoking cessation support to patients who are in hospital receiving care for cardiovascular disease.

As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England has prioritised, and given new funding to integrated care boards (ICBs) for, the rollout of tobacco dependence services in hospital settings. Decisions on the scale and makeup of the services are agreed locally between ICBs and providers, based on local priorities. Where services are available, they will be accessible to people with the greatest need, including those with cardiovascular disease.

What progress his Department has made on the prevention stream of the health mission; and when he plans to publish an update from the mission board.

The Government is committed to tackling the United Kingdom’s biggest killers and building a fairer UK, where everyone lives longer, healthier lives. This is why our Health Mission sets out to shift away from a model geared towards late diagnosis and treatment, to one where there is focus on prevention and more services are delivered in local communities.We have already acted with the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill passing committee stage on 30 January 2025. We are committed to banning junk food advertising to children. A 9pm TV watershed and 24-hour online ban on paid-for advertising of less healthy food and drink products targeting children are on track to come into force across the UK on 1 October 2025. We have also committed to banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to young people aged under 16 years old.Alongside this, we are exploring all interventions that will improve public health across a range of the UK’s biggest killers and help deliver the shift from treatment to prevention. Further details on our approach will be shared as we move forward.Mission Boards are Cabinet Committees. It is a long-established precedent that information about the proceedings of the Cabinet or of any committee of the Cabinet is not normally shared publicly; this includes mission boards.

For what reason designated sixth form colleges are not receiving the same funding for staff pay awards as sixth form college academies.

The government is committed to ensuring there is a thriving post-16 sector, which is vital to our missions to break down the barriers to opportunity and boost economic growth.Sixth form colleges (SFCs), rather than government, are responsible for setting and negotiating the pay of their staff. Colleges are not bound by the national pay and conditions framework for schoolteachers. Along with further education (FE) colleges, SFCs were incorporated under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, which gave them autonomy over the pay and contractual terms and conditions of their staff.Maintained schools and academies are funded on an equivalent basis, meaning 16 to 19 academies received this funding, whilst SFCs that remain in the FE sector did not. All SFCs have been free to apply to convert to academy status since 2022.At the Autumn Budget 2024, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out an additional £300 million revenue funding for FE in the 2025/26 financial year to ensure young people are gaining the education and skills this country needs. The department has recently announced that it is making approximately £50 million of this funding available to statutory FE providers, including SFCs, for April to July 2025. This one-off grant will enable colleges and SFCs to respond to current priorities and challenges as they see fit, including workforce recruitment and retention.The remaining funding will be made available in 16 to 19 funding rates for the 2025/26 academic year, with the aim of ensuring that all 16 to 19 providers are funded on an equitable basis from 2025 to 2026.This builds on the department’s investment to extend targeted retention incentive payments of up to £6,000 after tax to eligible early career FE teachers, including SFC teachers, in key subject areas. The department is also delivering funding to support those young people who do not pass mathematics and English GCSE at 16, who are predominantly studying in FE.The department will continue to offer financial incentives for those undertaking teacher training for the FE sector in priority subject areas. We confirmed that FE teacher training bursaries will be offered for a further year, worth up to £31,000 each, tax free in the 2025/26 academic year.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of removing the two-child benefit cap.

We cannot currently commit to ending the two-child limit. However, tackling child poverty, as the last Labour Government did, is at the heart of this Government’s missions. The Child Poverty Taskforce is exploring all available levers, including social security reform.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessments his Department has made of the (a) functionality and (b) operational effectiveness of the Border Target Operating Model.

Defra continues to monitor and review the impact of the Border Target Operating Model. We are working closely with industry, trade partners and enforcement agencies to minimise disruption and costs to trade, while continuing to protect our biosecurity. The effectiveness of the import controls was demonstrated throughout September and October 2024 by the interception at Sevington of consignments of plants infested with Pochazia Shantungensis, a fruit tree pest native to China but now present in mainland Europe. The consignments were destroyed, preventing the potential for a damaging outbreak for UK fruit growers. In January 2025, following a confirmed case of Foort and Mouth Disease (FMD) in Germany, Defra has issued instructions to officials at Border Control Posts, ensuring all impacted commodities are selected for checks at the border. Such measures prevent significant economic losses due to production losses in the affected animals such as reduced milk yields as well as loss of access to foreign markets for animals, meat and milk for affected countries.

Whether he plans to introduce a new plan to help reduce childhood obesity.

The prevention of ill health is a clear priority for the Government, and the cornerstone of this is supporting children to live healthier lives. We face a childhood obesity crisis, and the Government will take action to tackle the root causes of obesity head on, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. We have already laid secondary legislation to restrict advertisements of less healthy food and drink to children on television and online, we have announced changes to the planning framework for fast food near schools, and we are taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose. Further action on obesity under the Government’s Health Mission will be set out in due course.

What the cost of agency staff employed by Royal Hampshire County Hospital was in the last 12 months.

The information requested is not available. Information regarding expenditure on agency staffing will be held locally by the National Health Service trust, the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. NHS England collects some information on the staffing expenditure of NHS bodies, but this information has not been centrally validated.

What the average wait time in the Royal Hampshire County Hospital's Accident and Emergency department was between December 2024 and January 2025.

The data is not available in the format requested. The latest provisional published data for the median average time spent at emergency departments at the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for November 2024 was 218 minutes. Information relating to December 2024 will be published on 13 February 2025.

What steps he plans to take to tackle the shortage of social care packages in (a) Royal Hampshire County Hospital and (b) Winchester.

Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care market and to commission services to meet the diverse needs of all local people. In performing that duty, a local authority must have regard to current and likely future demand for such services and consider how providers might meet that demand.The Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund includes grant conditions which require each local authority to submit an adult social care capacity plan. These were submitted to the Department in June 2024.The Government is supporting local authorities by making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.

What steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of (a) counsellors and (b) psychotherapists in the mental health workforce.

The National Health Service workforce has been overworked for years, leading to staff becoming burnt out and demoralised and, while there has been growth in the mental health workforce over recent years, more is needed. That is why, as part of our mission...

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the UK's exit from the EU on the movement of animals between the UK and the EU for breeding programmes; and what steps his Depa

The UK’s departure introduced new rules and procedures for GB exporters, including compliance with EU import controls. Since being granted third country listed status by the EU on 28 December 2020, the UK has continued to export live animals for breeding ...

What steps his Department is taking to help integrate accredited (a) counsellors and (b) psychotherapists into mental health support teams for students.

We know that too many children and young people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and that waits for mental health services are far too long. We will provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school so that menta...

What proportion of NHS funding has been allocated to mental health services in each year since 2015; and whether this funding met the NHS mental health investment standard.

The following table shows the recurrent National Health Service baseline, the total forecast mental health spend, and the proportion of NHS funding forecasted to be allocated to mental health services, which is only available in the format required under ...

What proportion of extra NHS funding announced at the budget will be allocated to NHS mental health services.

The NHS Operational and Planning Guidance for 2024/25 makes clear that integrated care boards are expected to continue to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard by increasing their investment in mental health services in line with their overall increa...

If he will make it his policy to maintain the Mental Health Investment Standard.

The NHS Operational and Planning Guidance for 2024/25 makes clear that integrated care boards are expected to continue to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard by increasing their investment in mental health services in line with their overall increa...

With reference to paragraph 2.40 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October, if he will make an estimate of the number of pharmacies that will pay increased National Insurance contributions

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, which enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department, from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The em...

With reference to paragraph 2.40 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October, whether he has made an estimate of the (a) overall cost to pharmacies and (b) the estimated average cost per bus

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, which enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department, from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The em...

With reference to paragraph 2.40 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October, whether he has made an estimate of the total cost to pharmacy businesses of the proposed increase in employer Na

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, which enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department, from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The em...