Written questions by Furniss.

What assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of the National Literacy Trust’s report on ‘Children and young people’s reading in 2026’ relating to children’s reading enjoyment.

Awaiting answer.

What his planned timetable is for publication of the cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework.

Awaiting answer.

What information her Department holds on the proportion of short stages in towns and cities in England that are currently walked and cycled.

Estimates of the proportion of short stages in towns and cities in England that are walked and cycled are obtained from the National Travel Survey. In 2024, 48% of stages of less than 5 miles made by residents of towns and cities in England were walked or...

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing multi-year funding for Active Travel England grants.

Following publication of the Devolution White Paper in 2024, the majority of grants to local authorities are consolidated and are provided on a multi-year funding basis, including Active Travel England funding. This reduces burdens on authorities and allo...

Whether his Department has identified links between menopause and a heightened risk of suicide; and what support his Department provides to safeguard the mental health of women reaching menopause.

Menopause can have a significant impact on a woman’s mental health, and low mood and anxiety are recognised symptoms that some women may experience during the perimenopause and menopause.The Department recognises the importance of ensuring that women expe...

What steps he is taking to support the mental health of women going through (a) menopause, (b) perimenopause and (c) hormonal treatment related to menopause.

The Government recognises the impact menopause can have on women’s lives.The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy identifies menopause as a core women’s health priority, recognising its impact on women’s health, wellbeing, work, and quality of life. The strate...

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of treatment delays on outcomes for patients with heart valve disease.

We recognise the importance of reducing waiting times. We are making progress - hitting our target of 65% against the 18 week standard this March and delivering largest single month elective performance improvement in 17 years - excluding the pandemic. Ou...

What steps his Department is taking to support Integrated Care Boards to implement NICE guideline NG73 on endometriosis in primary care, including training for GPs and practice nurses on recognisin

The Government acknowledges the importance of ensuring healthcare professionals are adequately trained and educated on women’s health conditions, including endometriosis, and we have taken action to address this.NHS England encourages adherence to guidanc...

What plans his Department has to ensure that Integrated Care Boards have clear pathways for access to specialist menopause advice and escalation for complex cases, including premature ovarian insuf

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy, published in April 2026, committed to redesigning clinical pathways, including for menopause.These redesigned pathways will create roadmaps for health systems to use and adapt for local needs that will enable women to ...

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that menopause training is included in routine primary care continuing professional development and the women’s health workforce model to ensure consis

The Government recognises the ongoing need to ensure healthcare practitioners have sufficient knowledge of women’s health, including menopause, to provide the best possible care.General practitioners (GPs) are responsible for ensuring their own clinical k...

Whether his Department plans to include metrics on endometriosis diagnostic times, access to imaging, menopause prescribing, treatment review and referral variation in the women’s health data dashb

The women's health data dashboard is available on the NHS Futures website and is available to anyone working within the health and care sector who requires insight into women's health. The dashboard records need, access, outcomes, and experiences across a...

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of single points of access for non-urgent gynaecology referrals, specialist ultrasound and community diagnostic routes on reducing di

From October 2026, all providers, supported by integrated care boards, are expected to ensure that all appropriate requests and referrals flow through a Single Point of Access (SPoA) model, to support patients to receive rapid specialist assessment and a ...

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the level of the rise in water connection charges for domestic consumers.

Water connection charges for domestic consumers vary by water company and are set on a cost-recovery basis in line with Ofwat’s charging rules. Administration fees and application charges for new connections differ by water company. There is no centrally ...

A) what steps are being taken to inform those living with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) that they are entitled to earlier screening for breast cancer, and b) what steps are being taken to improve

This Government is committed to improving cancer screening services in line with the National Cancer Plan and as part of the 10-Year Health Plan’s shift from treatment to prevention.Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) affects individuals differently. An indivi...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the human rights situation in Somalia.

We remain deeply concerned by the human rights situation in Somalia, including the devastating conflict-related violence against women and children, and deteriorating media freedom.The UK advocates for greater respect for human rights through targeted programmes and sustained engagement, holding the Federal Government of Somalia and other actors to account.As co-chair of a Somalia-focused Human Rights Working Group, and joint penholder for the United Nations Human Rights Council mandate, the UK plays a leading role in keeping international partners’ attention and efforts focused on human rights issues in Somalia.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the equity of the Early Years funding formula on families and childcare providers in Sheffield.

The department uses the early years national funding formulae (EYNFF) to allocate early years entitlement funding to local authorities in a fair and transparent way.The formulae ensure each area receives a base rate for each age group individually, regardless of location or individual need. On top of this, additional needs funding is allocated to reflect the proportion of children in each area who are disadvantaged, have English as an additional language, or have more complex special educational needs, recognising the higher costs of supporting these groups. An area cost adjustment is also applied to account for local variations in staffing and premises costs.Through this approach, the department aims to ensure funding reflects children’s needs and local cost pressures throughout England, including in Sheffield.We have committed to reviewing early years funding, including the national funding formulae, to ensure funding continues to match needs. We will consult the sector on changes by summer 2026.

Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the Government’s response to the Modernising and improving the administration of council tax consultation, and if he will make a statement confirming the Government’s proposed approach to the consultation’s recommendations on reforming liability order timeframes.

The Government is grateful to the Money Advice Trust and the important work carried out by the National Debt line to support people facing financial difficulties.We acknowledge the concerns and issues raised in the report regarding council tax collection and enforcement practices. The Government’s recent consultation on improving and modernising council tax administration was intended to make the system fairer for taxpayers by improving how council tax is collected and enforced. This included seeking views on the time before the full became liable and suggestions on other ways for councils to support vulnerable people in council tax debt before moving to formal enforcement.The Government’s response to the consultation will set out details on any policy recommendations and will be published in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the findings of the Money Advice Trust’s Lost in the system report; and if he will make a statement.

The Government is grateful to the Money Advice Trust and the important work carried out by the National Debt line to support people facing financial difficulties.We acknowledge the concerns and issues raised in the report regarding council tax collection and enforcement practices. The Government’s recent consultation on improving and modernising council tax administration was intended to make the system fairer for taxpayers by improving how council tax is collected and enforced. This included seeking views on the time before the full became liable and suggestions on other ways for councils to support vulnerable people in council tax debt before moving to formal enforcement.The Government’s response to the consultation will set out details on any policy recommendations and will be published in due course.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the overseas scale rates.

Where employers reimburse allowable travel expenses, tax relief is available provided the expenses are wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred for work purposes. Ordinarily, employers must hold evidence of the employee’s actual expenditure. However, to reduce administrative burdens on employers, HMRC allows expenses for travel outside the UK to be reimbursed without evidence up to the levels contained within the Overseas Scale Rates. Where the Overseas Scale Rates do not cover the expense incurred by employees, employers can still reimburse and provide tax relief provided they have appropriate evidence. The government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support a peaceful political settlement in Yemen.

The UK remains committed to working towards lasting peace and prosperity for the Yemeni people. We continue to support the work of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen and use our role as penholder for Yemen at the UN Security Council to galvanise international support and advance progress towards an inclusive political settlement.We also continue to urge the international community to respond to the rapidly deteriorating levels of food security in Yemen. The UK is currently the largest donor to the UN-led Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, delivering £139 million in aid through the UN and other agencies in 2025/26, including dedicated support to enable those organisations to carry out their work.