Written questions by Chambers.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to (a) sporting and (b) physical activities for (i) children and (ii) young people with cerebral palsy.

We have not made such an assessment. However, the Government’s new mission-led approach puts health, and children and young people at the heart of our priorities. The Government aims to provide all children, including disabled children and disabled young people, with opportunities to access high-quality sport and physical activity, especially those who are less likely to be active.The Chief Medical Officer’s physical activity guidelines for disabled children highlights the importance of tailoring activities to meet individual needs, breaking an activity into chunks and making everyday movement enjoyable. Providing these inclusive opportunities for disabled children is a core principle of the Department of Education’s Inclusion 2024 programme, and the Government funded School Games Network, which works with organisations, including Cerebral Palsy Sport, to create inclusive environments in sport and physical activity for children with cerebral palsy.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to (a) FIFA and (b) the government of the Kingdom of Morocco on the report entitled Cleansing the streets of Morocco for a football tournament, published by the International Animal Coalition.

The organisation of international sports events is a matter for independent international sports bodies. The FCDO has not made representations to the Kingdom of Morocco or FIFA regarding the report referenced. This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. That is what we intend to do, and we will be outlining more detail in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with his EU counterparts on ending restrictions on the import of poultry products from avian influenza disease control zones in EU countries.

Protecting both animal and human health is a top priority. Imports from EU zones restricted due to high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cannot meet the necessary animal health requirements, and therefore Import Health Certificates cannot be issued. However, imports from non-restricted areas remain permitted. The department remains in close contact with EU counterparts to ensure restrictions are science-based and proportionate, with the aim of resuming trade as soon as conditions allow.

What steps he is taking to ensure that (a) GPs and (b) hospital staff receive adequate training to support those suffering from alcohol dependence.

The Government is committed to ensuring that those with alcohol dependence can access high quality help and specialist clinical support. General practitioners (GP) are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.All United Kingdom registered doctors are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Good Medical Practice. In 2012 the GMC introduced revalidation, which supports doctors in regularly reflecting on how they can develop or improve their practice, gives patients confidence that doctors are up to date with their practice, and promotes improved quality of care by driving improvements in clinical governance.The training curricula for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners and has to meet the standards set by the GMC. Whilst curricula do not necessarily highlight specific conditions for doctors to be aware of, they instead emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.The Department will soon be publishing the first ever UK clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment. The guidelines include good practice recommendations for GPs and their teams, and for hospital clinicians. The guidelines can be used to inform training for staff working with people with alcohol dependence.Additionally, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, and NHS England’s 10-year strategic plan for the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery workforce (2024–2034), outlines actions to be taken over the next decade to improve recruitment, training, skills, and career development and retention of specialist GPs working in the local authority-commissioned drug and alcohol treatment and recovery workforce. The strategic plan is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/10-year-strategic-plan-for-the-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-and-recovery-workforce

What steps he is taking to help reduce levels of alcohol consumption in the context of alcohol mortality rates.

The Department is working with partners in the devolved administrations to develop the first ever clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment for the United Kingdom, which will promote and support good practice and improve the quality of service provision, resulting in better outcomes for people experiencing alcohol dependence and alcohol related harms.Through our Health Mission, the Government has committed to prioritising preventative public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. The Department will continue to work across Government to understand how best to reduce alcohol-related harms.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to produce a Chalk Streams Action Pack for the (a) protection and (b) enhancement of chalk streams.

This Government is committed to the protection and enhancement of chalk streams. We recognise that these unique water bodies are not just vital ecosystems; they are a symbol of our national heritage. That is why this Government has prioritised fixing the systemic issues in the water system, to restore our rivers, lakes and seas to good health. We have introduced the Water (Special Measures) Bill in September, which will deliver on the government’s commitment to put water companies under special measures. We have also launched an independent commission into the water sector regulatory system in October to deliver transformative change to the water system. These actions are fundamental to addressing the multiple pressures facing chalk streams.

Whether he is taking steps to create specialist services for people with bipolar disorder.

The Community Mental Health Framework set out a vision for transforming community mental health services. The vision is a whole person, whole population approach to community health services, with new integrated models between primary and secondary care that can deliver more flexible, personalised, and holistic care for more people with serious mental illness, including for people with a diagnosis of bi-polar disorder. Since April 2021, all areas have received significant additional, ring-fenced funding to develop these new integrated primary and community mental health services, built around Primary Care Networks, in line with the Community Mental Health Framework. Systems have made significant progress in rolling out these integrated models of care, including for people with a diagnosis of bi-polar disorder.In addition, people of all ages who are in crisis or who are concerned about a family or loved one can now call 111, select the mental health option, and speak to a trained mental health professional. National Health Service staff can guide callers with next steps such as organising face-to-face community support or facilitating access to alternative services, like crisis cafés or safe havens, which provide a place for people to stay as an alternative to accident and emergency or hospital admission.

What steps he is taking to improve uptake of community alcohol services.

A vital part of delivering the Health Mission shift to prevention will be action to reduce the harms from excess alcohol consumption. The Department of Health and Social Care is continuing to invest in improvements to local drug and alcohol treatment services. Funding for drug and alcohol treatment services is provided through the public health grant. In addition, local authorities have a further £267 million from the Department of Health and Social Care this year to improve quality and capacity of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery. This is alongside £105 million made available by the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to improve housing and employment outcomes for people affected by alcohol and drug use.The latest provisional data from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System for the year ending in September 2024 suggests that there were over 97,000 adults in community treatment for alcohol and not any other drug and over 45,000 adults in treatment for problems with both alcohol and non-opiates. The number of people in treatment for alcohol and not any other drug has increased by 34% since the year ending August 2020 and is currently the highest since records began in 2005/6.Additionally, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has published a commissioning quality standard providing guidance for local authorities to support them in commissioning effective alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services in their areas. The Department of Health and Social Care will soon publish the United Kingdom Clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment which will include recommendations on developing effective, accessible, and inclusive services. More information on the commissioning quality standard is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commissioning-quality-standard-alcohol-and-drug-services

What steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for mental health diagnoses of 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 far too long, which can impact on them receiving a diagnosis. That is why we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across both adult, and children and young people’s mental health services, to help reduce delays and provide faster treatment.The Department of Health and Social Care is also working with the Department for Education and NHS England to consider how to deliver our commitment of access to a specialist mental health professional in every school.

What plans he has to tackle (a) mental health and (b) suicide rates among mothers in the twelve months postpartum.

Specialist community perinatal mental health services are established in all parts of England, but we recognise more is needed. Too many people with mental health issues, including mothers in the 12 months postpartum, are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.As set out in NHS England’s 2024/25 Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance, the National Health Service is working to increase the number of people accessing perinatal mental health services to 66,000. ​In 2023/24, 58,200 ​women ​accessed these services, compared to 30,600 in 2019/20.The Suicide Prevention Strategy for England was published in September 2023. The strategy highlights pregnant women and new mothers as a priority group who could benefit from targeted support.

What steps he is taking to ensure that (a) GPs and (b) other healthcare professionals receive adequate training to (a) screen for bipolar disorder, (b) manage it effectively and (c) prevent the inappropriate prescription of antidepressants.

The standard of training for general practitioners and other health care professionals is the responsibility of the independent statutory regulatory bodies, which set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and approve courses, and higher education institutions, which write and teach the curricula content that enables their students to meet the regulators’ outcome standards.Whilst not all curricula may necessarily highlight a specific condition, they all nevertheless emphasize the skills and approaches a Health Care Practitioner must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and appropriate treatment plans for their patients, including those with bipolar disorder.Once qualified, health care professionals are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up to date, and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This should include taking account of new research and guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high-quality care to all patients.

Whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on raising the public health grant allocated to local authorities.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has discussed the Department’s settlement for 2025/26 with my Rt Hon. Friend, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, as part of the Spending Review process.We will confirm 2025/26 local authority public health grant allocations at the earliest opportunity, and will confirm future years’ allocations as part of the forthcoming Spending Review next year.

What proportion of the total health and social care budget was allocated to the public health grant in each of the last five years.

The proportion of the Department of Health and Social Care budget allocated to the local authority Public Health Grant over the last 5 years is shown in the table:2019-202020-212021-222022-232023-242024-25Total PH Grant quantum (£m) (i) 3,1343,2793,3243,4173,5303,603Total DHSC Budget (£m) (ii) 134,184181,441183,548177,095182,634187,636% of DHSC Budget that is the PH grant2.34%1.81%1.81%1.93%1.93%1.92% (i) the Public Health Grant includes the notional amounts for the 10 Greater Manchester Local Authorities who are part of a business rates retention scheme and no longer receive a public health grant; and (ii) the DHSC budget for 2024/25 is the planned budget as set out in the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2024 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/public-expenditure-statistical-analyses-2024

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ban the (a) sale and (b) use of electric shock collars for dogs.

The Government will introduce the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation and will bring forward plans in due course. Ministers will be considering available evidence around the use of hand-controlled e-collars and their effects on the welfare of animals.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the welfare of the Gentoo penguins at London aquarium.

The UK has some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world. Under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981, all zoos in Great Britain must be licensed to appropriate welfare standards, as set out in the Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice. An updated version of the standards will be published shortly. Zoo standards are enforced in Great Britain by Local Authorities. While the Department is aware of the penguins at the London Aquarium Defra cannot comment on individual cases.

Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department last updated rules for (a) zoos and (b) aquariums on animal welfare.

The Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice were last updated in 2012. Defra is currently in the process of updating these standards, to ensure all animals in zoos and aquariums are kept in conditions that reflect latest best practice. The draft updated standards were consulted on in 2022, and further discussions have been held with the sector. An updated version of the standards will be published in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, when the last Ministerial visit to an aquarium in the UK took place.

All Ministerial visits should be declared on the ministerial transparency return which is published by Cabinet Office every quarter.