Written questions by Williams.

Communities and Local Government, what comparative assessment he has made of levels of funding allocated to (a) mayoral combined authority areas and (b) non-mayoral local authority areas.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what oversight Ofwat exercises to ensure that unmetered fixed charges set by water companies are proportionate and do not disadvantage low‑occupancy and low‑usage households.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy and transparency of unmetered fixed charges set by water companies, including Severn Trent Water.

Awaiting answer.

How her Department is supporting schools to meet SEND needs where specialist placements are unavailable or inappropriate.

Awaiting answer.

What funding is available for ongoing professional development in SEND for teachers and support staff, and whether this provision meets demand.

Awaiting answer.

Whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the condition of local roads in Staffordshire.

The Department published a new traffic light rating system for all local highway authorities in England on 11 January which rates authorities red, amber or green based on the condition of their roads, how effectively they spend their record Government funding, and whether they do so using best practice. This system allows the Government to identify where authorities need to improve and to provide them with support to ensure road conditions improve nationwide. Staffordshire County Council received an overall amber rating. Its three scorecards show amber for condition, green for spend, and amber for wider best practice. The Government recognises that the condition of local roads has been affected by historic underinvestment. To address this, it has committed a record £7.3 billion for local highways maintenance over the next four years, in addition to £1.6 billion provided in the last financial year. This longer-term funding provides authorities with greater certainty to plan ahead and move from short-term repairs to more proactive and preventative maintenance.

If she will take steps to bring back into use the vacant Duke of Bridgewater pub on the Crown Estate in Stoke-on-Trent North constituency.

This property is subject to escheat, meaning it is effectively ownerless. The only action that the Crown Estate may take in relation to such property is to dispose of it to an appropriate person or body. The Crown Estate is currently in touch with Stoke-on-Trent City Council regarding proposed future disposals of the property.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure the health and care needs of young people with SEND in Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove are identified and met in a timely and effective manner.

The Government has published ambitious special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, supporting the treatment to prevention shift in the 10-Year Health Plan and its focus on early intervention, to prevent needs escalating. Close partnership working at all levels is crucial to delivering these reforms and transforming outcomes for children and young people with SEND.The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board works closely with the Staffordshire County Council, which Kidsgrove is in, and the Stoke-on-Trent City Council, alongside the National Health Service, and education and voluntary sector partners, to meet the wide range of assessed health and care needs of children and young people with SEND.The system partnership continues to prioritise SEND and is working collaboratively to improve access, capacity, and the timeliness of support across the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB. This includes working closely with providers to understand pressures within existing services and current waiting times, targeted work to instigate improvements in specific services, and developing more effective joint commissioning across health, education, and local authorities, particularly in relation to speech and language therapy services.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department are taking to address the deteriorating condition and poor maintenance of national heritage buildings in and around Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove.

This government recognises the impact that the deterioration of heritage buildings can have on local communities, including those in Stoke-on-Trent. I am aware the Minister for Heritage, Baroness Twycross will be meeting with you in the coming weeks to discuss Stoke-on-Trent’s heritage in more detail.The recently announced £1.5 billion funding allocation for the Arts Everywhere Package includes nearly £200 million new spend, across multiple years, for protecting and preserving heritage buildings across the country and giving funding certainty to the end of the parliament, including £60 million for at risk heritage which provides grants towards repairs and conservation of historic buildings and £42 million for the Heritage Revival Fund, which helps communities to take control of and look after local heritage and bring buildings back into public use.Funding is administered through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Arms-Length Bodies. Since 2006, Historic England has invested more than £7 million in 36 projects in the Stoke-on-Trent area and actively engages with Stoke-on-Trent with advice to support the local authority and heritage owners.Similarly, since 1994, the National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded more than £11m to 53 projects in the constituency of Stoke-on-Trent North, and more than £34m in 161 projects in Stoke-on-Trent as a whole. This includes the September 2024 grant of £249,954 in support of Re-Form Heritage, an organisation that transforms historic buildings at risk for the benefit of the local and wider community. Focused on organisational resilience, this award builds on past Lottery investment, which has supported the organisation to redevelop the Grade II* listed Middleport Pottery and the neighbouring Harper Street, which was once home to pottery workers.

Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms his Department has put in place to help ensure that communities are consulted on the use of Pride in Place funding in Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove.

The community will decide how to invest £20m of Pride in Place Funding allocated to Bradeley and Chell Heath. A Neighbourhood Board led by an Independent Chair, made up of local people, will come up with a plan for this investment. The programme’s Prospectus sets out that all Boards must work with their wider community through deep and meaningful engagement and demonstrate this in plans, otherwise progress will be delayed. We have brought forward £150,000 of funding for all neighbourhoods in Phase Two of the programme, so engagement can begin immediately.

What safeguards are being put in place to ensure that forthcoming changes to the Universal Service Obligation do not further disadvantage constituents who rely on the timely delivery of essential correspondence, including medical notices and legal documents.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator, has a statutory duty to secure the provision of a universal service that meets the reasonable needs of users and to consider the impacts of any changes to the Universal Service Obligation. Ofcom conducted extensive research and public consultation ahead of the decision to change the requirements and has stated that it will continue to monitor quality of service closely and hold Royal Mail to account for improving reliability as reforms are implemented.Royal Mail has publicly committed to publishing a detailed deployment and quality of service improvement plan as soon as possible following the conclusion of its discussions with the Communication Workers Union.

What steps he is taking to ensure Royal Mail improves first- and second‑class delivery performance following Ofcom’s recent findings and fines.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is responsible for setting and enforcing Royal Mail’s service standards. I met senior officials from Ofcom on 11 March.I met Royal Mail’s CEO, Alistair Cochrane, on 3 February to press him on making demonstrable improvements to service levels as a matter of urgency. I will continue to raise concerns with Royal Mail if the company’s quality of service does not improve. Royal Mail has publicly committed to publishing a detailed deployment and quality of service improvement plan as soon as possible following the conclusion of its discussions with the Communication Workers Union.

What assessment his Department has made of Royal Mail’s failure to meet its Universal Service Obligation delivery targets in each of the past three years.

The government has been clear that Royal Mail’s service has not been good enough.Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is responsible for assessing Royal Mail’s compliance with Universal Service Obligation delivery targets. Following investigations into Royal Mail’s performance, Ofcom has taken enforcement action, including issuing financial penalties, where it found that service levels were not met without sufficient justification. It issued a fine of £5.6m for 2022/23, a fine of £10.5m for 2023/24 and a fine of £21m for 2024/25.

What steps his Department is taking to make it easier for people who cannot use the telephone to communicate changes in their circumstances online.

We understand that not everyone can use the telephone to communicate with us and we are committed to making our services more accessible, inclusive and responsive to customer needs.We already offer alternative channels for several services. We’ve successfully launched the ability for customers to request Proof of Benefit evidence online, available 24/7 and used by thousands to access key services without needing to call.We are continually developing our service, informed by customer needs, to include the capability for customers to communicate changes in their circumstances. The service is being designed as a multi-channel service, enabling people to engage with us through their preferred means.These improvements are being delivered incrementally, guided by user feedback and inclusive design principles, to ensure our services work for everyone.

Whether his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of allowing private sector organisations to access the Tell Us Once service on (a) the administrative burden on bereaved families and (b) the level of communications from companies to deceased individuals.

Following previous discussions with the Minister for Lords and the Minister for Transformation, Tell Us Once is currently exploring opportunities to expand its existing service offering. The existing capabilities of the system are being investigated to assess whether wider expansion would be viable, or if further digital investment is needed. Digital improvements will assist the service to expand further into the Public Sector with potential opportunity for expansion outside of the Public Sector in the future. Included in this system assessment is the existing citizen communication route for the bereaved and whether this is meeting user expectations and reducing the administration burden. The most recent internal evaluations in February 2025 of customer feedback show a satisfaction score of 92% for the online service.

What recent estimate her Department has made of the cost of the provision of a hot meal at (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

The department spends over £1.5 billion annually supporting schools to provide free meals to around 3.4 million children. We have recently confirmed that free meals will be extended to all households receiving Universal Credit from September 2026. This expansion is being backed by £1 billion in additional funding over the multi-year spending review period and will benefit half a million pupils.The department provides free school meals (FSM) funding to schools, who have flexibility to provide meals in the way that works best for them. FSM are currently funded at £495 per pupil annually.As with all programmes, we continue to keep funding for FSM under review to ensure that schools can continue to provide hot and nutritious meals that support pupil attainment and health. Departmental officials meet regularly with the sector, including the school catering industry, and use these insights to inform our work.

Whether she plans to have discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the the findings of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' report entitled, A Profession Under Pressure, published in July 2025.

Speech and Language Therapists break down communication barriers, unlocking learning, inclusion, and opportunity for every child. They play a critical role in early intervention for children and young people. However, they have the second highest waiting list in children’s community services. I am grateful to the Royal College for highlighting these issues in their report.The department knows that continuing to build the pipeline of speech and language therapists is essential. We are working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists entitled A Profession Under Pressure, published on 16 July 2025.

The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapist’s report, ‘A Profession under Pressure’, identified a series of recommendations to help address retention issues in the Speech and Language Therapist workforce.The report identifies issues around work-life balance, professional development, wellbeing and burnout. This Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, to ensure that we retain more of our skilled and dedicated staff and has set out this commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan.We will publish a 10-Year Workforce Plan later this year setting out how we will ensure staff are better treated, with better training and more fulfilling roles.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help prevent financial rewards for water company executives who oversee poor performance.

As part of our Plan for Change, we have put water companies under special measures throughout landmark Water Act.Ofwat’s new remuneration powers came into force this month. Unfair bonuses have been banned for senior water company executives responsible for serious harm to the environment.A record 81 criminal investigations have been launched into sewage pollution; the biggest criminal action against water companies in history. Polluting water bosses who try to cover up their offences, now face up to two-year prison sentences.We have also doubled the level of compensation available to customers for service failures.

What discussions he has had with energy companies on reforming the energy market.

We are continually engaging industry, providing regular updates to energy companies and reflecting on feedback to policy options. This includes the REMA Autumn Update publication, following which we have conducted extensive assessments of both zonal and reformed national market designs.