Written questions by Uppal.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people diagnosed with cancer in an emergency care setting in (a) Yorkshire and (b) England.

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes. This will help cancer patients across England, including in Yorkshire.The Government has now exceeded its pledge to deliver two million extra operations, scans and appointments, having delivered four-and-a-half million additional appointments as a first step to delivering on the commitment that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, in line with the NHS constitutional standard, by March 2029.To support earlier diagnosis, the NHS is improving referral and diagnostic pathways, including the use of non-specific symptom pathways for patients whose symptoms, such as unexplained weight loss, fatigue, or abdominal discomfort, do not clearly align with a single cancer type. NHS England has also expanded general practice direct access to diagnostic tests, enabling faster investigation of concerning symptoms.The forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and aftercare. The goal of the Department of Health and Social Care is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next 10 years.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that regions where cancer outcomes are poorer receive an adequate share of national cancer (a) research investment and (b) clinical trial opportunities.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology invests in cancer research via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and the Department of Health and Social Care via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). UKRI is committed to ensuring research investment is accessible across the UK. NIHR is committed to ensuring the research they support is representative of the populations they serve, with national coverage across the whole of England. The Department of Health and Social Care has increased funding for research infrastructure schemes delivering cancer research outside the Greater South-East.

Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to open Young Futures Hubs in every local authority area.

Responsibility for the cross-Government Young Futures Hubs programme transferred from the Department for Education to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 1st September. On Tuesday 15th July, the Prime Minister set out plans to open 50 hubs over the next four years. Up to £2m is being made available for 8 Early Adopters Local Authorities, in areas of high-knife crime and/or antisocial behaviour, so that the first Young Futures Hubs will be operational later this financial year. Early Adopters will select the precise location of their Young Futures Hub based on local needs. More information will be shared in due course. The design and implementation of the programme in future years will be informed by our work with early adopters.

Media and Sport, on what basis her Department determines locations of Young Futures Hubs; and if any locations have already been decided.

Responsibility for the cross-Government Young Futures Hubs programme transferred from the Department for Education to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 1st September. On Tuesday 15th July, the Prime Minister set out plans to open 50 hubs over the next four years. Up to £2m is being made available for 8 Early Adopters Local Authorities, in areas of high-knife crime and/or antisocial behaviour, so that the first Young Futures Hubs will be operational later this financial year. Early Adopters will select the precise location of their Young Futures Hub based on local needs. More information will be shared in due course. The design and implementation of the programme in future years will be informed by our work with early adopters.

What steps his Department is taking to guarantee sustainable funding for hospices in the (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27 financial years.

In February 2025, I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan. I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to support a reduction of variation in access and quality. Some difference in provision may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.The Department is considering how to operationalise the required shifts in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.We, alongside key partners NHS England, will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, in order to understand the issues they face.

What recent discussions he has had with hospices on the (a) NHS 10-Year Plan and (b) integrated neighbourhood teams.

In February 2025, I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan. I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to support a reduction of variation in access and quality. Some difference in provision may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.The Department is considering how to operationalise the required shifts in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.We, alongside key partners NHS England, will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, in order to understand the issues they face.

Whether his Department will provide additional guidance on how hospices will be incorporated into new models of care under the NHS 10-Year Plan.

In February 2025, I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan. I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to support a reduction of variation in access and quality. Some difference in provision may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.The Department is considering how to operationalise the required shifts in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.We, alongside key partners NHS England, will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, in order to understand the issues they face.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to review the (a) permitting and (b) waste exemption regime under the (i) Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 and (ii) Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 in relation to small-scale textile manufacturing facilities that (A) want to recycle waste from every part of the manufacturing process and (B) require longer than 12 months to safely store material for sustainable manufacturing purposes.

The Government recently announced plans to reform the waste permit exemptions regime. We will remove three exemptions and tighten the conditions of seven others which have long caused problems and been abused. We will also introduce greater record keeping requirements for all waste exemption holders and impose limits and controls on how exemptions can be managed at one site. Plans to tighten up the regulation of those who transport and manage waste services were also announced, moving them from a light-touch registration system into environmental permitting. This will give the Environment Agency a greater range of powers and more resources to be able to take action against those operating illegally. The Government believes that small scale manufacturing facilities have an important role to play as we move to a circular economy. However, activities carried out under a waste exemption should be low-risk and small-scale and it is right that the throughputs and storage limits for exemptions do not exceed those of standard rules and bespoke environmental permits. Operators who wish to carry out larger scale operations that come with a heightened risk of, for example fire, should operate under an environmental permit.

What steps she plans to take to support integrated public transport in Huddersfield.

We are committed to improving public transport and delivering a transport system that works better for people across the country, enables growth and provides access to opportunities.To support this, we are providing significant investment to West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) including £2.1bn of Transport for City Regions (TCR) funding. This is in addition to the £830m allocated to WYCA through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS), some of which is expected to support the development of transport improvements in Huddersfield town centre, including enhancements to active travel routes and upgrades to Huddersfield Bus Station.At the recent Spending Review, we provided further commitment to the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) which will deliver improvements to rail journeys between Manchester and York, via Huddersfield and Leeds and will provide significant investment at Huddersfield station.We have also brought forward the Bus Services (No.2) Bill, which will put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them, including in Huddersfield.In addition, we will be publishing an Integrated National Transport Strategy later this year, which will put people and the journeys they make at the heart of how we plan, build and operate transport.

What steps she is taking to increase the availability of bus services, in the context of the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan.

Increasing the availability of bus services and continuing the rollout of zero emission buses are vital to decarbonising our transport system. We want to ensure that the more sustainable choice is the more convenient choice. The government will deliver an updated Carbon Budget Delivery Plan later this year, detailing policies to decarbonise all sectors, including transport, out to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037.As part of the government’s ambitious plan for bus reform, we introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England.In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.The government has reaffirmed its commitment to bus services in this Spending Review by confirming around £900 million each year from 26/27 to maintain and improve vital bus services.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of enforcement mechanisms to reduce pollution by water companies in local rivers.

The Water (Special Measures) Act (WSMA) provides the most significant increase in enforcement powers for the regulators in a decade, giving the teeth they need to take tougher action against water companies. A record 81 criminal investigations into water companies have been launched in England since the election, and the Environment Agency has increased inspections into sewage pollution by nearly 400% since last July. Furthermore, the regulators will be bolstered by at least £55 million additional per year through water company permit charges and implementation of the new cost recovery powers in the WSMA, ensuring that polluters are held to account for breaches of their obligations. The Independent Water Commission will consider the roles and responsibilities of the water industry regulators and how we can ensure our regulators operate as effectively as possible. The Commission’s Interim Report was published on 3 June, and the final report and recommendations will be published later in the summer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the restoration of (a) the River Colne in Huddersfield and (b) other urban rivers.

We are funding two projects led by the Calder and Colne Rivers Trust this year through the Water Environment Improvement Fund. One project is a three-year project looking at pollution,land and highway management issues on the River Colne and tributaries. The other is a feasibility and design project in the second of its three years, developing solutions for artificial barriers across the Calder and Colne catchment. Through the WEIF, we are committing £3 million of investment this financial year to restore urban rivers. By combining this with rod licence income and working in partnership with organisations like the Wild Trout Trust, the Environment Agency is tackling urban waterway challenges and delivering lasting environmental improvements through collaborative action. Cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas is a top priority for this government. We are putting water companies under special measures through our landmark Water (Special Measures) Act. The Act has introduced new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bring criminal charges against law breakers and made it mandatory for water companies to publish plans to reduce pollution incidents. The Independent Water Commission will recommend reforms to reset the water sector regulatory system and clean up our waterways for good.

Whether her Department is taking steps to promote green skills programmes as part of the national skills strategy in Huddersfield.

Green skills are crucial to economic growth and the government’s net zero by 2050 target. Clean energy industries have been identified as a priority sector in the Industrial Strategy, alongside other sectors fundamental to clean energy like advanced manufacturing.Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) are employer-led plans setting out priorities to better meet local skills needs. LSIPs must consider the skills needed to meet net zero, climate adaptation, and wider environmental goals. The West Yorkshire LSIP identifies clean energy and green construction as priority sectors. West Yorkshire’s Local Growth Plan reinforces the green economy as a local priority, embedding sustainability as a core principle and setting out actions to achieve net zero.The government will set out a comprehensive strategy for post-16 education and skills later this year, including steps to strengthen the skills pipeline in key sectors. The strategy will set out how the skills system will support the delivery of the Plan for Change.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage other donors to provide aid to Sudan.

The UK is doing all it can to raise the profile of the crisis in Sudan and to encourage other donors to commit funding. In April, at the Sudan London Conference, the Foreign Secretary announced £120 million of new life-saving aid which we anticipate will reach over 650,000 people. Whilst the Conference was not a pledging event we were nonetheless encouraged that other states followed suit with the more than £800 million pledged towards lifesaving operations. Further, we are also working on possible joint funding initiatives with other donors. Whilst funding is important, without a fundamental improvement in access for humanitarian agencies, the required levels of aid cannot be delivered and civilians will continue to bear the brunt of the conflict.

What plans he has to provide multi-year funding for (a) children's and (b) adult hospices through the forthcoming NHS 10 Year Plan.

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and palliative and end of life care services, including hospices, will have a big role to play in that shift.The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how the Government will fix our broken National Health Service. Too many people towards the end of their lives are not receiving the support and care they deserve. We are determined to change that, by changing the way services operate, rather than by simply funding more of the same.The plan draws directly from the extensive engagement we have undertaken with the public, patients, staff, and representatives from the palliative care and end-of-life care sector, including those working in the hospice sector. The 10-Year Health Plan reflects the Department’s Spending Review settlement.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding provided to local authorities for (a) street maintenance and (b) pothole repairs in Kirklees.

Kirklees Council is a constituent authority of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA). Between 2022/23 – 2026/27, WYCA will receive over £167 million a year through its City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), which includes highway maintenance funding. In 2025/26, WYCA received over £14 million in additional funding for highway maintenance as part of the £500 million uplift announced in Budget 2024. It is entirely a matter for WYCA to determine how to allocate this funding to its constituent authorities, including Kirklees Council, based on local needs and priorities.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to disburse famine aid quickly across Sudan.

The UK is playing a leading role in response to the crisis in Sudan, including efforts to facilitate more consistent humanitarian access into and within Sudan. During last month's London Sudan Conference, the Foreign Secretary announced a further £120 million towards the crisis which will provide life-saving aid to more than 650,000 people. An urgent improvement in access is required to enable aid to be delivered to those in need.

What steps she is taking to improve (a) investment and (b) connectivity in transport in Huddersfield constituency.

The Government is taking steps to boost investment and improve connectivity in transport as part of its commitment to driving economic growth in all parts of the UK. West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) has been allocated £830m through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), a five-year £5.7bn government investment to improve the transport networks across eight city regions in England from 2022/23 to 2026/27. As part of this, funding is expected to support transport improvements in Huddersfield town centre, including enhancements to active travel routes on key approaches and upgrades to Huddersfield Bus Station.While these schemes are in development, it a decision for WYCA whether they will progress to construction.Future funding beyond 2025-26 will be reviewed in the spring multi-year spending review, aligning with the Integrated National Transport Strategy for long-term interests. The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) will deliver faster, greener and more reliable rail journeys, better connecting key northern cities including Manchester to York via Huddersfield and Leeds, transporting people to work, education and leisure opportunities whilst supporting economic growth. TRU will provide an additional two platforms at Huddersfield and extend existing ones to increase capacity, as well as installing a new footbridge and lifts to improve accessibility.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help secure a ceasefire in Sudan.

We are using all levers at our disposal to bring about an end to the conflict in Sudan. As penholder on Sudan at the UN Security Council, the UK continues to call out atrocities committed in Sudan and press for a peaceful end to the conflict. On 15 April, the Foreign Secretary gathered Foreign Ministers and high-level representatives from 21 countries and multilateral bodies at the London Sudan Conference. Discussions focussed on how to make progress on shared goals of ending the conflict, protecting civilians and scaling-up the delivery of humanitarian aid. Participants agreed on the need for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. As detailed in the co-chairs' statement, this is not the end but the start of a process; the UK remains committed to working with the international community to secure a ceasefire in Sudan.

What recent steps his Department has taken to help attract green inward investment to (a) Huddersfield and (b) other northern towns.

Green investment is a cornerstone of the UKs drive for growth, as set out in the Industrial Strategy Green Paper. For Huddersfield and towns across the North, we actively showcase investment opportunities to potential investors, and provide account management services for investors already in the region to help them build and scale. This is demonstrated by our work to support the £50m investment of Syngenta in Huddersfield, to build technology that will improve crop yields, announced in March this year.