Written questions by Stafford.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of expanding access to the MenB vaccine to cohorts who missed vaccination following its introduction into the routine schedule.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the abolition of Assured Shorthold Tenancies on university students in cases where previous fixed-term tenancies were due to end within two months of the date of abolition.

Awaiting answer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of treatment of Ahmadi Muslim prisoners in Pakistan; and what steps she is taking to (a) advocate for their release and (b) to support freedom of religion or belief.

Awaiting answer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made on the potential merits of issuing travel guidance for people travelling to Uganda covering Ebola.

Awaiting answer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of issuing travel guidance covering Ebola to people travelling to Uganda.

Awaiting answer.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that local integration care boards implement the modern service framework for palliative and end of life care.

The Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care will provide a clinically-led, evidence-based framework to support sustained improvement in patient and carer outcomes, including reducing both inequality and unwarranted variation. Areas of action will be identified for those commissioning and delivering services, with associated performance and outcome metrics to support system accountability. The MSF will seek to embed palliative care and end-of-life care within a strategic commissioning model that is centred on population need.We will publish an interim update on the MSF shortly. The final MSF will be published this autumn.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the progress towards improving consistency of access to Fracture Liaison Services; and what steps he is taking to support the development and implementation of plans to achieve comprehensive national coverage by 2030.

Awaiting answer.

When his Department plans to publish the interim statement on the modern service framework for palliative and end of life care.

The Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care will provide a clinically-led, evidence-based framework to support sustained improvement in patient and carer outcomes, including reducing both inequality and unwarranted variation. Areas of action will be identified for those commissioning and delivering services, with associated performance and outcome metrics to support system accountability. The MSF will seek to embed palliative care and end-of-life care within a strategic commissioning model that is centred on population need.We will publish an interim update on the MSF shortly. The final MSF will be published this autumn.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the treatment of Ahmadi Muslim prisoners of conscience in Pakistan.

The UK is concerned by the treatment of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan, including those detained for the peaceful exercise of their beliefs. We condemn the persecution of the Ahmadi community and continue to monitor the situation closely, including reports of discrimination, misuse of blasphemy laws and restrictions on freedom of expression. We regularly raise our concerns with the Government of Pakistan and urge it to uphold its international human rights obligations, including the rights of all religious minorities. We will continue to press for the protection of freedom of religion or belief for all in Pakistan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the UK Government is taking to advocate for the release of Ahmadi prisoners of conscience in Pakistan and to support freedom of religion or belief.

The UK is concerned by the treatment of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan, including those detained for the peaceful exercise of their beliefs. We condemn the persecution of the Ahmadi community and continue to monitor the situation closely, including reports of discrimination, misuse of blasphemy laws and restrictions on freedom of expression. We regularly raise our concerns with the Government of Pakistan and urge it to uphold its international human rights obligations, including the rights of all religious minorities. We will continue to press for the protection of freedom of religion or belief for all in Pakistan.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of a funded domestic adult social care workforce plan, in the context of levels of (a) demand for NHS services and (b) recent trends in healthy life expectancy in local areas.

Awaiting answer.

If her Department will respond to the correspondence of 27 March 2026 from the Leader of Surrey County Council regarding the A31 Farnham Corridor scheme.

A response will be issued as soon as possible.

Whether she (a) is taking steps to reduce fuel duty and (b) has considered halving fuel duty to help reduce the cost of living.

The Government has already taken action on fuel affordability at the pump. At Budget 2025, the Government extended the 5p-per-litre cut for a further five months, until the end of August this year. The Government has also cancelled the increase in line with inflation for 2026/27. Instead, rates will only gradually return to early 2022 levels by March 2027. Since Autumn Budget 2024, the Government's decisions to freeze fuel duty will save the average motorist over £90. Fuel duty raises approximately £24 billion each year, where this revenue helps fund the vital public services and infrastructure that people across the UK expect. As with all taxes, the Government keeps fuel duty under review.

What the capacity is of NHS specialist menopause services; and what average waiting times are for women accessing these services.

The Department does not centrally hold data on the number of patients in England awaiting specialist menopause services, although we do hold data on the broader gynaecology specialism, of which menopause services are a part. As of the end of January 2026, the median average waiting time for specialist gynaecology services is 15.3 weeks, with 56.9% of patient pathways waiting less than 18 weeks, up 1.8% from January 2025.The Department does not hold detailed information on the capacity of National Health Service specialist menopause services.The Government acknowledges that women suffering from symptoms of menopause have been failed for far too long, and we acknowledge the impact it has on women’s lives, relationships, and participation in the workplace. Menopause and menstrual problems will be among the priorities for the NHS’s new online hospital when it launches next year, providing faster access to specialist care.

What plans the Government has to introduce mandatory, up-to-date menopause training for all general practitioners; and whether there will be measures to ensure consistency in diagnosis and treatment across NHS services.

We know that more needs to be done to support women experiencing the menopause. The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service.General practitioners are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge, including on menopause, remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.All United Kingdom registered doctors are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council’s (GMC’s) Good Medical Practice. The training curriculum for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners, and has to meet the standards set by the GMC.NICE published their updated guideline in November 2024 and recommended more treatment choices for menopause symptoms. The updated guideline aims to support healthcare professionals by providing them with the information they need to support evidence-based decisions about treatment choices, as well as information and support about menopause. The guideline recommends hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as the most effective treatment for vasomotor symptoms, and also recommends that for people over 40 years old healthcare professionals should consider menopause-specific cognitive behavioural therapy as an option for vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause in addition to HRT. HRT is the main treatment for menopause symptoms, and NICE recommends that for most women it is safe and effective.The new women’s health data dashboard released last week reports on HRT use in different areas of the country and provides one measure of how consistently services are being provided.NHS England will shortly publish an equity framework which will help systems identify and tackle inequalities in access to menopause care and regularly report on differences in HRT use for women of different ethnicities and of different socio-economic status.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of a national strategy to discourage littering, particularly on roads and pavements.

Overall policy responsibility for litter sits with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which has recently published an updated Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. The Department for Transport supports local authorities and National Highways in tackling litter through a range of existing frameworks and initiatives, including activity focused on encouraging positive behaviour change and the effective use of enforcement powers.

What steps the Government is taking to update NHS prescribing guidance for menopause, including first-line use of transdermal oestrogen gel and access to testosterone for women with confirmed low blood levels and significant cardiovascular symptoms.

The Government is committed to improving women’s health outcomes, including through better awareness and support for menopause, and we will continue to work with NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to ensure patients and clinicians have access to clear, evidence-based guidance.NICE guideline on menopause was last updated in November 2024. It provides guidance on best practice that prescribers are expected to take fully into account in the care and treatment of individual patients.NICE intends to update its recommendations on starting and stopping hormone replacement therapy, including managing unscheduled bleeding. There are no current plans to update other recommendations at this time, including the use of transdermal oestrogen gel and access to testosterone for women with confirmed low blood levels and significant cardiovascular symptoms. This guideline will be reviewed if there is new evidence that is likely to change the recommendations.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of charges associated with obtaining fit-to-fly certificates during pregnancy on patients.

The Department has not made an assessment of the potential impact of charges associated with obtaining fit-to-fly certificates during pregnancy on patients.There are currently no plans to issue guidance to National Health Service trusts on the provision of fit-to-fly certificates for pregnant women.

Whether his Department has issued guidance to NHS Trusts on the provision of fit-to-fly certificates for pregnant women.

The Department has not made an assessment of the potential impact of charges associated with obtaining fit-to-fly certificates during pregnancy on patients.There are currently no plans to issue guidance to National Health Service trusts on the provision of fit-to-fly certificates for pregnant women.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria was used to allocate £14 million to the solar panel project in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In the press release issued to mark the launch of British International Investment (BII) by the former Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in November 2021, the previous government specifically stated: "[This] builds on the Prime Minister's commitments at COP26 to help developing countries take advantage of clean technology and grow their economies sustainably, with the BII delivering billions in climate financing for projects like solar power, sustainable transport and disaster-resilient infrastructure over the next 5 years."The investment in question will support delivery of a major new electrification project, led by a BII-owned company, which will provide a profitable return for UK investment, while also helping to prevent large-scale deforestation, reduce carbon emissions, and support stability in a conflict affected region. This is consistent with the UK's wider International Climate Finance strategy, established under the previous government.