Written questions by Blundell.

What estimate she has made of the funding required to meet the targets in the third cycling and walking investment strategy, and if she will make a statement.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment she has made of the contribution of UK aviation emissions to the Government’s net zero targets; and what further measures she is considering to reduce emissions from the aviation sector while ma

The Government recognises that aviation is one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise, but also one that is vital to the UK’s connectivity, trade and economic growth. The Department regularly assesses the contribution of UK aviation emissions towa...

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of summer temperatures and heatwaves on household health and wellbeing; and whether he plans to introduce financial support or incentives t

The Warm Homes Plan sets out our approach to upgrading the nation’s homes, including climate adaptation. Over this Parliament, we intend to introduce the most appropriate, cost-effective passive cooling measures into our capital schemes, to support low-in...

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness Safer Streets Mission in reducing residential burglaries in Greater Manchester; and what steps she is taking to improve the conviction rate of residen

The Government shares concerns over the misuse of both manufactured and homemade catapults, whether against people, property or wildlife.There are a wide range of laws in place to punish those who misuse catapults. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Pol...

What steps she is taking to improve civic and political education in the secondary level of education.

Following the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, work is underway to deliver a new curriculum and assessment system that is ambitious for every child, rich in knowledge and strong on skills.The reformed curriculum will provide a clear framework...

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling small businesses to renegotiate and exit fixed-term commercial energy contracts agreed during periods of peak wholesale p

The Government’s primary focus is on ensuring energy is affordable for all businesses, and that they are provided better protection from being locked into unfair and expensive energy contracts. That’s why the Government plans to directly regulate Third-Pa...

What recent assessment he has made of regional variation in access to care and dietary support for people living with Phenylketonuria in England; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure c

We recognise that there are health inequities faced by those living with rare diseases and reducing them is a key commitment within England’s Rare Diseases Action Plans. This includes a new and important action to embed rare diseases within the NHS Englan...

What steps his Department is taking to improve patient access to new and emerging treatments for Phenylketonuria, including those available in other countries.

The Government recognises how important it is that patients with rare diseases can benefit from access to effective new medicines. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whethe...

Whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy and consistency of access to prescribed low-protein foods and specialist nutritional products for people with Phenylketonuria (PKU); and whether he

No assessment has been made of the adequacy and consistency of access to prescribed low protein foods and specialist nutritional products for people with phenylketonuria (PKU).In England, specialist nutritional products such as low protein foods are avail...

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the regulatory framework governing the non-domestic energy market; and whether he plans to extend the powers of Ofgem to provide additional prot

The Government and Ofgem continuously monitor the non-domestic energy market to ensure that good outcomes are being delivered for all consumers. Recently, the Secretary of State and Ofgem’s Interim CEO wrote to non-domestic suppliers and Third-Party Inter...

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of rising standing charges on (a) independent pubs and (b) other low-consumption hospitality venues; and what steps he is taking to

The Government recognises that standing charges can be a significant concern for some businesses, including those in the hospitality sector. Network charges are designed to be cost-reflective, meaning they reflect the costs imposed on the network by diffe...

Whether his Department centrally holds data on workforce capacity for allied health professions supporting prevention and community healthcare services in England by profession.

The Department does not centrally hold data on workforce capacity for allied health professions supporting prevention and community healthcare services in England by profession.NHS England published monthly data drawn from the Electronic Staff Record, the Human Resources system for the National Health Service, on the number of staff employed in the NHS in England, which is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statisticsThis information can be used to identify the number of individual allied health professionals employed but is not able to robustly identify the specific service or setting in which staff are delivering care.The Government is committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

Whether workforce modelling for community healthcare services separately identifies individual allied health professions, including dietitians.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) plan, commission, and oversee the provision of local National Health Services, including community health services, to meet their population’s needs.The Government is committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.We know people are waiting too long for community health services. That is why, for the first time, we have set a clear target for systems to work to reduce long waits in NHS England’s Medium-Term Planning Framework.By 2028/29 at least 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks, bringing community health services in line with targets for elective care.In 2025, we published, for the first time, an overview of the core community health services, Standardising Community Health Services, that ICBs should consider when planning for their local populations to support improved commissioning and delivery of community health services, a vital part of Neighbourhood Health. Further guidance was published in February 2026, providing more detailed descriptions of the core components of community health services for ICBs.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the participation of the voluntary sector to assist with the probation service.

We recognise the valuable role played by the thousands of voluntary sector organisations that work in partnership with prisons and the Probation Service to provide vital support to people serving their sentences in prison and on returning to the community.We welcome the Independent Sentencing Review’s recommendations on how we can better harness the value the Third Sector can add to probation work, building even stronger partnerships to enable better targeting of resources and improve outcomes for offenders.The Ministry of Justice and H M Prison and Probation Service are continuing to work with voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to define the role that they can play in the Probation Service of the future.

What assessment he has made of the potential for a role for the voluntary sector in helping support the Probation Service during the period after release.

We recognise the valuable role played by the thousands of voluntary sector organisations that work in partnership with prisons and the Probation Service to provide vital support to people serving their sentences in prison and on returning to the community.We welcome the Independent Sentencing Review’s recommendations on how we can better harness the value the Third Sector can add to probation work, building even stronger partnerships to enable better targeting of resources and improve outcomes for offenders.The Ministry of Justice and H M Prison and Probation Service are continuing to work with voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to define the role that they can play in the Probation Service of the future.

What steps is he taking to improve the availability of secure, well-lit, and gender-appropriate rest facilities for HGV drivers.

Through the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Grant Scheme, the Government and industry are delivering up to £35.7 million of joint investment to upgrade truck stops in 30 counties across England, improving both safety and working conditions for drivers. The scheme is supporting better welfare and rest facilities such as improved gender-appropriate toilets and showers, rest areas, and increased HGV parking capacity for all drivers. This funding is also helping operators to deliver security improvements including enhanced CCTV coverage, perimeter fencing, improved lighting, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems and new and upgraded security barriers.

Whether the Department plans to review the eligibility criteria for government-funded childcare for children cared for by qualified and Ofsted-registered relatives.

Parents are free to choose the childcare that is right for them and their children, and childminders are not prevented from caring for related children.However, the restriction on funding relatives is set out in the Childcare Act 2006. Section 18(4) of this Act specifically excludes care provided for a child by a parent or other relative.Allowing childminders to receive funding for looking after related children would not be an effective use of public money and may have a negative impact on the viability of existing childcare businesses.A local authority can choose to fund a childminder providing childcare for a related child, but this would have to be from local authority funds independent of the dedicated schools grant.Although childminders cannot receive entitlements funding for related children, flexibilities within staff to child ratios can be used to enable childminders who are caring for related children to avoid limiting the income they can earn.

Whether the Government has considered piloting or introducing an exemption to childcare funding rules where a relative is a registered childminder meeting all regulatory requirements.

Parents are free to choose the childcare that is right for them and their children, and childminders are not prevented from caring for related children.However, the restriction on funding relatives is set out in the Childcare Act 2006. Section 18(4) of this Act specifically excludes care provided for a child by a parent or other relative.Allowing childminders to receive funding for looking after related children would not be an effective use of public money and may have a negative impact on the viability of existing childcare businesses.A local authority can choose to fund a childminder providing childcare for a related child, but this would have to be from local authority funds independent of the dedicated schools grant.Although childminders cannot receive entitlements funding for related children, flexibilities within staff to child ratios can be used to enable childminders who are caring for related children to avoid limiting the income they can earn.

What assessment he has made of potential harm of unregulated practise for counselling and psychotherapy, and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of voluntary accreditation for counselling and psychotherapy in safeguarding the public.

The Government is clear that the professions protected in law must be the right ones and that the level of regulatory oversight must be proportionate to the risks to the public.The Department has no current plans to extend statutory regulation to counsellors and psychotherapists, nor to introduce minimum standards of training and accountability required of individuals providing counselling and psychotherapy services. Any decisions about practice requirements are a matter for employers.The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care’s voluntary registers programme provides a proportionate means of assurance for unregulated professions, that sits between employer controls and statutory regulation by setting standards for organisations holding voluntary registers for unregulated health and social care occupations. There are currently 10 organisations that hold an accredited register linked to the counselling and psychotherapy professions on the Professional Standards Authority’s website.

Whether her Department has plans to review the current regulatory framework for counselling and psychotherapy; and what steps are being taken to help ensure minimum standards of training and accountability within the profession.

The Government is clear that the professions protected in law must be the right ones and that the level of regulatory oversight must be proportionate to the risks to the public.The Department has no current plans to extend statutory regulation to counsellors and psychotherapists, nor to introduce minimum standards of training and accountability required of individuals providing counselling and psychotherapy services. Any decisions about practice requirements are a matter for employers.The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care’s voluntary registers programme provides a proportionate means of assurance for unregulated professions, that sits between employer controls and statutory regulation by setting standards for organisations holding voluntary registers for unregulated health and social care occupations. There are currently 10 organisations that hold an accredited register linked to the counselling and psychotherapy professions on the Professional Standards Authority’s website.