Written questions by Morello.

What steps has has her department taken to improve the time taken to issue ECH plans in a) Rural areas and b) West Dorset.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What steps his Department is taking to engage people with Down Syndrome in policy development following the consultation entitled Down Syndrome Act 2022 draft statutory guidance, published on 5 November 2025.

Through the implementation of the Down Syndrome Act 2022, the Government is striving to improve life outcomes for people with Down syndrome, raise awareness and understanding of their needs, and break down barriers to opportunity that they, and other disabled people, face.Under the Down Syndrome Act, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is required to give guidance to relevant authorities in health, social care, education, and housing services on what they should be doing to meet the needs of people with Down syndrome. The Department engaged extensively with stakeholders, including people with lived experience of Down syndrome, to inform the development of the draft guidance, which was published for public consultation on 5 November 2025.The consultation on the draft guidance closed on 30 March 2026. The Government will consider the responses received through the consultation to inform the final guidance to be published.

What steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the needs of people with Down Syndrome.

Through the implementation of the Down Syndrome Act 2022, the Government is striving to improve life outcomes for people with Down syndrome, raise awareness and understanding of their needs, and break down barriers to opportunity that they, and other disabled people, face.Under the Down Syndrome Act, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is required to give guidance to relevant authorities in health, social care, education, and housing services on what they should be doing to meet the needs of people with Down syndrome. The Department engaged extensively with stakeholders, including people with lived experience of Down syndrome, to inform the development of the draft guidance, which was published for public consultation on 5 November 2025.The consultation on the draft guidance closed on 30 March 2026. The Government will consider the responses received through the consultation to inform the final guidance to be published.

What average waiting times were for the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of normal pressure hydrocephalus in West Dorset constituency in the last 12 months.

Neurology waiting times are coming down. Between December 2024 and December 2025, the average waiting time for neurology services was reduced from 16.2 to 15.2 weeks. Additionally, 57.0% of patients referred were seen within 18 weeks, up from 54.2% at the same point last year. However, there is more to do. We are continuing efforts to improve this, recognising this is a challenged specialty.Diagnosis data of normal pressure hydrocephalus is not collected in the Waiting List Minimum Data Set. The NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board is unable to define waiting times for a specific diagnosis.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on the recognition and referral of suspected neurological conditions, which was last updated in October 2023. This guideline covers the initial assessment of symptoms and signs that might indicate a neurological condition, such as hydrocephalus. It helps non-specialist healthcare professionals to identify people who should be offered referral for specialist investigation.At the national level, there are ongoing initiatives to support service improvement and better care for people with neurological conditions, including NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology, which aims to reduce unwarranted variation and share best practice across services. The GIRFT Programme has also produced a Further Faster handbook for neurology, which provides resources and best practice guidance to help support clinical teams to go faster and further in reducing neurology waiting times, including for patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce processing times within the Valuation Office Agency.

The Valuation Office is improving performance in a number of ways, including moving people onto areas of high customer demand, continued investment in IT improvements and piloting using new technology to streamline ways of working. Performance is improving month-on-month and integration with HMRC offers further opportunities to improve how it delivers its services and accelerates modernisation. It is working as quickly as possible to clear cases and continues to prioritise older cases and cases where customers are experiencing financial hardship.

What average waiting times were for the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of normal pressure hydrocephalus in the last 12 months.

Neurology waiting times are coming down. Between December 2024 and December 2025, the average waiting time for neurology services was reduced from 16.2 to 15.2 weeks. Additionally, 57.0% of patients referred were seen within 18 weeks, up from 54.2% at the same point last year. However, there is more to do. We are continuing efforts to improve this, recognising this is a challenged specialty.Diagnosis data of normal pressure hydrocephalus is not collected in the Waiting List Minimum Data Set. The NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board is unable to define waiting times for a specific diagnosis.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on the recognition and referral of suspected neurological conditions, which was last updated in October 2023. This guideline covers the initial assessment of symptoms and signs that might indicate a neurological condition, such as hydrocephalus. It helps non-specialist healthcare professionals to identify people who should be offered referral for specialist investigation.At the national level, there are ongoing initiatives to support service improvement and better care for people with neurological conditions, including NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology, which aims to reduce unwarranted variation and share best practice across services. The GIRFT Programme has also produced a Further Faster handbook for neurology, which provides resources and best practice guidance to help support clinical teams to go faster and further in reducing neurology waiting times, including for patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of UK fertiliser supply goes through (a) the strait of Hormuz and (b) the surrounding region.

The UK imported below 1% of its fertilisers directly from the Gulf region in 2025. However, some of the UK’s trade partners import fertilisers from the Middle East, either for onward shipment to the UK or for production inputs, creating indirect dependencies. The Strait of Hormuz is also critical for fertiliser supply chains which depend on products such as natural gas, urea, ammonia, and sulphur exported from Gulf countries.

What steps her Department is taking to improve Valuation Office Agency service delivery in West Dorset.

The Valuation Office is improving performance in a number of ways, including moving people onto areas of high customer demand, continued investment in IT improvements and piloting using new technology to streamline ways of working. Performance is improving month-on-month and integration with HMRC offers further opportunities to improve how it delivers its services and accelerates modernisation. It is working as quickly as possible to clear cases and continues to prioritise older cases and cases where customers are experiencing financial hardship.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus in the NHS.

Neurology waiting times are coming down. Between December 2024 and December 2025, the average waiting time for neurology services was reduced from 16.2 to 15.2 weeks. Additionally, 57.0% of patients referred were seen within 18 weeks, up from 54.2% at the same point last year. However, there is more to do. We are continuing efforts to improve this, recognising this is a challenged specialty.Diagnosis data of normal pressure hydrocephalus is not collected in the Waiting List Minimum Data Set. The NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board is unable to define waiting times for a specific diagnosis.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on the recognition and referral of suspected neurological conditions, which was last updated in October 2023. This guideline covers the initial assessment of symptoms and signs that might indicate a neurological condition, such as hydrocephalus. It helps non-specialist healthcare professionals to identify people who should be offered referral for specialist investigation.At the national level, there are ongoing initiatives to support service improvement and better care for people with neurological conditions, including NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology, which aims to reduce unwarranted variation and share best practice across services. The GIRFT Programme has also produced a Further Faster handbook for neurology, which provides resources and best practice guidance to help support clinical teams to go faster and further in reducing neurology waiting times, including for patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Valuation Office Agency delays on residents in West Dorset.

The Valuation Office is improving performance in a number of ways, including moving people onto areas of high customer demand, continued investment in IT improvements and piloting using new technology to streamline ways of working. Performance is improving month-on-month and integration with HMRC offers further opportunities to improve how it delivers its services and accelerates modernisation. It is working as quickly as possible to clear cases and continues to prioritise older cases and cases where customers are experiencing financial hardship.

What average waiting times were for the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of normal pressure hydrocephalus in the South West in the last 12 months.

Neurology waiting times are coming down. Between December 2024 and December 2025, the average waiting time for neurology services was reduced from 16.2 to 15.2 weeks. Additionally, 57.0% of patients referred were seen within 18 weeks, up from 54.2% at the same point last year. However, there is more to do. We are continuing efforts to improve this, recognising this is a challenged specialty.Diagnosis data of normal pressure hydrocephalus is not collected in the Waiting List Minimum Data Set. The NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board is unable to define waiting times for a specific diagnosis.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on the recognition and referral of suspected neurological conditions, which was last updated in October 2023. This guideline covers the initial assessment of symptoms and signs that might indicate a neurological condition, such as hydrocephalus. It helps non-specialist healthcare professionals to identify people who should be offered referral for specialist investigation.At the national level, there are ongoing initiatives to support service improvement and better care for people with neurological conditions, including NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology, which aims to reduce unwarranted variation and share best practice across services. The GIRFT Programme has also produced a Further Faster handbook for neurology, which provides resources and best practice guidance to help support clinical teams to go faster and further in reducing neurology waiting times, including for patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus.

Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department has made on the review of private parking regulation, including the introduction of a statutory code of practice for private parking operators.

In accordance with the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, the government intends to lay a Private Parking Code of Practice in Parliament in autumn 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the number of Section 21 eviction notices issued in (a) West Dorset constituency and (b) the South West in the 12 months prior to the implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act.

My Department does not expect a spike in Section 21 notices ahead of implementation Phase 1 of the Renters’ Rights Act on 1 May 2026.The latest Ministry of Justice official possession statistics, which can be found on gov.uk here, show that there was a 17% decrease in Section 21 accelerated possession claims in England between October and December 2025 when compared to the same quarter in the previous year.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to (a) regulate the conduct of private car park operators and (b) help ensure that penalty charges are issued transparently.

In accordance with the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, the government is working to raise standards across the private parking industry through the introduction of a new Code of Practice for parking operators which we will publish in Parliament in Autumn 2026.

What research funding the Government is providing for conditions such as Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus.

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including conditions such as normal pressure hydrocephalus.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. Welcoming applications on conditions such as normal pressure hydrocephalus to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.Between the 2020/21 and 2024/25 financial years, through the NIHR, the Department committed £1.72 million for 11 new research projects, supported by NIHR infrastructure, into normal pressure hydrocephalus and hydrocephalus more broadly. This includes committing £0.59 million in the 2024/25 financial year alone.Details of NIHR funding allocated to individual research awards are openly published and updated quarterly on the Open Data page of the NIHR website, at the following link:https://nihr.opendatasoft.com/explore/The NIHR also works closely with other Government funders, including UK Research and Innovation, which is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and which includes the Medical Research Council, to fund research into a range of conditions, including normal pressure hydrocephalus.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether a UK trade mission will accompany the King’s forthcoming State visit to the US.

The State Visit will of course include components marking the crucial economic ties between the UK and US as well as trade and investment focused engagements. Separately, in May 2026, the UK will host Greater Together LA, an unprecedented gathering of 500 British and American businesses, investors, industry representatives and political leaders, designed to promote enhanced UK-US trade, investment, tourism and education partnerships.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential risks associated with apprenticeship systems that rely on individual employers for course continuation.

An apprenticeship is a job with training, apprentices therefore must be employed and have a contract of employment that lasts until they finish the apprenticeship, including the assessment. If an apprentice loses their job, their apprenticeship funding will stop, and the apprentice will need to find a new employer who will support their apprenticeship. Training providers can provide support and guidance to apprentices whilst they look for a new employer. When they find a new employer, the employer should then identify a training provider who can deliver the rest of their apprenticeship training and support assessment. If an apprentice is made redundant and their training provider can continue to deliver their government funded apprenticeship training, we will continue to fund the apprenticeship training for at least 12 weeks following redundancy. This is to give the individual time to find alternative employment in order to continue with the apprenticeship. If the apprentice is unable to secure a new employer, they may still be able to finish their apprenticeship training and assessment if they have less than 6 months of training left to complete or have finished 75% or more of their training. We provide a range of advice for apprentices facing redundancy on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/redundancy-support-for-apprentices and https://customerhelp.education.gov.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/18228373250322-Employment-and-redundancy-in-apprenticeships Apprentices can also contact the Apprenticeship Service helpline if they need further support and use the ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ service on gov.uk to locate apprenticeship vacancies in their area.

Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of complaints relating to private parking fines issued in (a) Dorset and (b) England since December 2024.

The government does not routinely collect or hold information on the number of complaints relating to private parking charges issued in Dorset or England.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of local authorities transferring ownership or management of car parks to private operators on the level of parking charges and penalty notices issued.

The Government has not made an assessment of the number of parking charges or penalty charge notices issued in these circumstances.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support for apprentices who lose their employment during a course.

An apprenticeship is a job with training, apprentices therefore must be employed and have a contract of employment that lasts until they finish the apprenticeship, including the assessment. If an apprentice loses their job, their apprenticeship funding will stop, and the apprentice will need to find a new employer who will support their apprenticeship. Training providers can provide support and guidance to apprentices whilst they look for a new employer. When they find a new employer, the employer should then identify a training provider who can deliver the rest of their apprenticeship training and support assessment. If an apprentice is made redundant and their training provider can continue to deliver their government funded apprenticeship training, we will continue to fund the apprenticeship training for at least 12 weeks following redundancy. This is to give the individual time to find alternative employment in order to continue with the apprenticeship. If the apprentice is unable to secure a new employer, they may still be able to finish their apprenticeship training and assessment if they have less than 6 months of training left to complete or have finished 75% or more of their training. We provide a range of advice for apprentices facing redundancy on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/redundancy-support-for-apprentices and https://customerhelp.education.gov.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/18228373250322-Employment-and-redundancy-in-apprenticeships Apprentices can also contact the Apprenticeship Service helpline if they need further support and use the ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ service on gov.uk to locate apprenticeship vacancies in their area.