Written questions by Hamilton.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) making the Enforcement Conduct Board's voluntary accreditation scheme regulations for Bailiffs mandatory and (b) giving the Board the power to authorise or certify agents.

The Government supports the important work undertaken by the Enforcement Conduct Board to ensure that people facing enforcement action are treated fairly. We are actively considering whether further legislation is required to ensure appropriate oversight of enforcement firms and enforcement agents using the Taking Control of Goods procedure.The Government will set out its approach in due course.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the number of amputations for vascular and venous disease; and what discussions he has had with experts in this area on taking steps to reduce the number of amputations.

The 10-Year Health Plan, once published, will set out the Government's overarching vision for delivering the critical shift from a focus on treating illness to preventing conditions. Disease prevention is crucial in reducing the number of amputations arising from vascular and venous disease.NHS England has implemented a range of initiatives aimed at improving the prevention and early diagnosis of conditions which increase the risk of needing lower-limb amputations. These include NHS Health Checks, for early detection of cardiovascular disease, the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, and expanding community diagnostic centres to improve early detection.NHS England commissions the National Vascular Registry (NVR) to provide information on the quality and outcomes of care for adults who have major vascular procedures. The NVR provides annual and quarterly reports for emergency and elective vascular procedures, including for those people with peripheral arterial disease who undergo either a lower limb angioplasty/stent, a lower limb bypass surgery, or a major lower limb amputation. From Quarter 1 of 2022 to Quarter 4 of 2024, NVR data demonstrated that vascular providers achieving the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation framework had increased from 47% to 55%. During this period, the number of providers submitting data to the NVR had increased by approximately 14%, and every National Health Service region showed an improvement in chronic limb threatening ischemia revascularisation quality.

If he will take steps to help increase (a) public and (b) medical education on vascular and venous disease; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on levels of early diagnosis.

Vascular and venous disease are often associated with risk factors, such as raised cholesterol, obesity, and raised blood pressure.The Department’s Better Health campaigns and resources include free evidence-based apps and tools to support people to make and sustain changes to improve their health, including the NHS Weight Loss app, the Food Scanner App, Couch to 5K, and Active 10.In addition, a national multi-media campaign to help people to stop smoking ran between December 2024 and March 2025, and a campaign to encourage people to check their blood pressure with their local pharmacy ran in March 2024. Campaigns such as these have helped raised awareness of risk factors.The evidence of the impact of both public and medical education is well established, and the Department will continue to look to the evidence to inform future policy decisions.

Whether he plans to include costed policies to meet the (a) fourth, (b) fifth and (c) sixth carbon budget as part of the forthcoming climate action plan.

Under the Climate Change Act 2008, this plan must set out this government’s package of policies and proposals needed to deliver carbon budgets 4-6. By October 2025 we will deliver an updated plan out to the end of carbon budget 6 in 2037.

Whether he has considered appointing a clinical director for vascular and venous disease.

NHS England and the Department are strongly supportive of clinical leadership and recognise the critical need to incorporate clinical expertise into our work. National clinical roles are a key part of this approach, and play an important role in policy development and implementation. We are currently scoping the programme to bring NHS England into the Department, to form a new joint centre which will deliver better value for taxpayers’ money, and a better service for patients. As part of this process, we are carefully considering the future role of national clinical roles. While no specific decisions have been made yet regarding their scope and responsibilities within the new organisation, their expertise and leadership will continue to be pivotal in shaping the future of healthcare in our country.

If his Department will update the Processed Cereal–based Foods and Baby Foods for Infants and Young Children (England) Regulations 2003.

Children’s early years provide an important foundation for their future health and strongly influences many aspects of well-being in later life.It is vital that we maintain the highest standards for foods consumed by babies and infants, which is why we have regulations in place that set nutritional and compositional standards for commercial baby food. The regulations also set labelling standards to ensure consumers have clear and accurate information about the products they buy. We continue to keep these regulations under review to ensure they reflect the latest scientific and dietary guidelines.

What steps he is taking to reduce the time taken for patients with musculoskeletal conditions to be treated in Leeds North East constituency; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of enabling chiropractors to treat musculoskeletal conditions on the NHS.

There are no plans by either the Department or NHS England to review the use of chiropractors in the treatment of individuals with musculoskeletal conditions.Where there is demand, integrated care boards are able to make independent decisions on which health professionals they employ and may commission a limited amount of such treatment.Cutting waiting lists forms a key part of the Government’s mission to reform the National Health Service.

What recent discussions he has had with NHS England on improving access to speech and language therapy for people with Primary Progressive Aphasia.

The Government is committed to improving care for everyone with dementia, including those with primary progressive aphasia.That is why we have funded the work of the D100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help to simplify best practice for busy system leaders and create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia.A number of experts, including those with expertise in speech and language therapy and dementia care, provided independent, desktop analysis of the tool, and this invaluable feedback was integrated into the revised edition. The D100: Pathway Assessment Tool is available at the following link:https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/nccmh/service-design-and-development/dementia-100-pathway-assessment-tool

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to hold discussions with (a) PETA and (b) other animal protection organisations on its cross-Departmental strategy to phase out animal testing.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year, and is engaging animal welfare organisations in developing this plan. The Government will also be hosting a roundtable with representatives from these organisations to discuss the strategy, including PETA.

If she will review the decision to freeze Local Housing Allowance rates until 2026.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are reviewed annually, usually at an Autumn fiscal event. At last year’s Autumn Budget, the decision to maintain LHA at current levels for 2025/26 was taken after a range of factors were considered, including rental data, the impacts of LHA rates, rate increases in April 2024 and the wider fiscal context. The April 2024 one-year LHA increase cost an additional £1.2bn in 2024/25, and approximately £7bn over 5 years. Any future decisions on LHA policy will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing and the challenging fiscal context. Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help support the sustainability of independent hair salons on high streets; and whether she has made a recent assessment of the contribution of such businesses to local communities.

This Government recognises the important economic and social value of the hair and beauty industry to high streets and local communities, and we want to support these businesses that help make our town centres successful. That is why we have committed to reforming business rates from 2026-27 with a permanently lower multiplier for retail, leisure and hospitality properties, including hair and beauty salons. The Government will also protect the smallest businesses by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all and employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs. We have also introduced new powers to help fill persistently vacant properties and make town centre tenancies more accessible and affordable through High Street Rental Auctions, supporting independent hair salons to access commercial property opportunities.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the VAT threshold on the financial sustainability of small hair salons; and what steps she is taking to help ensure the consistency of the (a) tax and (b) regulatory environment for hair salons.

At £90,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU Member State and the second highest in the OECD. This keeps the majority of UK businesses out of VAT altogether. The Government will continue to bear in mind businesses’ views of this threshold.In March the Chancellor published a regulation action plan, this set out this Government's approach to ensure regulators and regulation support growth. We are continuing to look at the regulatory environment for all businesses in the round as we implement the actions in the plan.

What recent estimate her Department has made of the number of apprenticeship starts in the hairdressing sector in Leeds since 2024; and what steps she is taking to support salons to provide apprenticeships.

Apprenticeships are a great way for individuals to begin or progress a successful career in the hairdressing industry.There have been over 135 starts in hairdressing and barbering apprenticeships within the Leeds local authority across the 2023/24 academic year and the 2024/25 academic year, up until January 2025.To support smaller employers access apprenticeships, the government pays full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan, or have been in local authority care. Employers can benefit from £1,000 payments when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, or apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an EHC plan or have been in local authority care.Employers also benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance contributions for all apprentices aged up to age 25 where they earn less than £50,270 a year.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the eligibility criteria for NHS-funded eye tests on people living with diabetes.

Everyone who has been diagnosed with diabetes is eligible for a free National Health Service eye test, as there is a higher prevalence of some eye conditions amongst people with diabetes. In addition, due to the risk of diabetic retinopathy, all people with diabetes, aged 12 years old and over, are offered Diabetic Eye Screening free of charge. It is offered every one or two years, depending on the level of risk. Those with sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy are offered more frequent surveillance.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the reduction in the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund budget for 2025–26 on (a) adoptive families and (b) the stability of adoption placements.

The overall budget for the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) will be £50 million in the 2025/26 financial year, which has not been reduced from in the 2024/25 financial year. The changes made to the criteria for the ASGSF will enable the budget to be utilised by more children and families. This will ensure that each child can still access a significant package of support required for individual children and help to prevent breakdown of adoptive placements. Children who have previously been supported by the ASGSF can continue to access the fund under the new arrangements. The department always considers the impact of decisions on vulnerable children.The department is committed to ensuring value for money and continuously evaluates contracts. Regular reviews are conducted to assess effectiveness. The ASGSF management contract has undergone open re-procurement during its term of operation. The department assess all its tenders on their merits, with the sourcing strategy for this service following Green Book guidance. We will also be reviewing the most effective and efficient way of managing the fund in future years.

Whether her Department is taking steps to encourage bus companies to install cycle racks on their vehicles in (a) rural and (b) other areas.

The government is committed to delivering better bus services that meet passengers’ needs, including in rural areas, and has set out ambitious plans to reform bus services, including through the Bus Services (No.2) Bill and investing over £1 billion to support and improve bus services. The majority of bus services operate on a commercial basis, and decisions about the management and design of their bus fleet are for bus operators to make, including whether to install cycle racks. The government recognises that bus services are part of a wider transport ecosystem, and it is vital to view them in the context of an integrated transport network designed with passengers as the priority. We have announced plans to develop an Integrated National Transport Strategy to set the long-term vision for transport in England. This will focus on how transport should be designed, built and operated to better serve the people who use it and ensure that the transport network is complementary, including the interaction between different modes of travel.

What assessment her Department has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) value for money of the administration of the (i) Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund and (ii) the role of private contractors.

The overall budget for the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) will be £50 million in the 2025/26 financial year, which has not been reduced from in the 2024/25 financial year. The changes made to the criteria for the ASGSF will enable the budget to be utilised by more children and families. This will ensure that each child can still access a significant package of support required for individual children and help to prevent breakdown of adoptive placements. Children who have previously been supported by the ASGSF can continue to access the fund under the new arrangements. The department always considers the impact of decisions on vulnerable children.The department is committed to ensuring value for money and continuously evaluates contracts. Regular reviews are conducted to assess effectiveness. The ASGSF management contract has undergone open re-procurement during its term of operation. The department assess all its tenders on their merits, with the sourcing strategy for this service following Green Book guidance. We will also be reviewing the most effective and efficient way of managing the fund in future years.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that children previously supported by the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund continue to have access to therapeutic services following the reduction in the fund’s budget for 2025–26.

The overall budget for the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) will be £50 million in the 2025/26 financial year, which has not been reduced from in the 2024/25 financial year. The changes made to the criteria for the ASGSF will enable the budget to be utilised by more children and families. This will ensure that each child can still access a significant package of support required for individual children and help to prevent breakdown of adoptive placements. Children who have previously been supported by the ASGSF can continue to access the fund under the new arrangements. The department always considers the impact of decisions on vulnerable children.The department is committed to ensuring value for money and continuously evaluates contracts. Regular reviews are conducted to assess effectiveness. The ASGSF management contract has undergone open re-procurement during its term of operation. The department assess all its tenders on their merits, with the sourcing strategy for this service following Green Book guidance. We will also be reviewing the most effective and efficient way of managing the fund in future years.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on protected habitats (a) on the Humber Estuary and (b) in general.

When it comes to development and the environment, we know we can do better than the status quo, which too often sees both sustainable housebuilding and nature recovery stall. Instead of environmental protections being seen as barriers to growth, we want to unlock a win-win for the economy and for nature. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will introduce a new Nature Restoration Fund that will unlock and accelerate development while going beyond neutrality to unlock the positive impact development can have in driving nature recovery. Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), and the conservation measures they propose, must be evidence-based and properly scrutinised before being put in place. An EDP can only be put in place where the Secretary of State is satisfied the delivery of conservation measures will outweigh the negative effects of development.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for local authorities for the 2025-26 financial year.

The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. Taken together, the additional funding announced by the Chancellor at the Autumn Budget and through the 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement will provide over £5 billion of new funding for local services over and above local council tax. This includes: an additional £2 billion of grant through the Settlement; a guarantee that local authorities in England will receive at least £1.1 billion in total in 2025-26 from the new Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) scheme; and a further £233 million of additional funding for homelessness services. We are also taking immediate action to begin addressing the significant challenges facing local government by ensuring that funding goes to the places that need it most in 2025-26. The Ministry works closely with local government and other government departments to understand specific demand and cost pressures facing local government on an ongoing basis.