Written questions by Morgan.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Valuation Office Agency’s valuation method for small independent hotels.

We recognise that hotels have expressed concerns about how they are valued for business rates. Hotels valuations are undertaken in a different way to some other sectors. The methodology used is well established, but, as with pubs, the government has announced it will review the way hotels are valued to ensure it accurately reflects the rental value for these sectors.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the consistency of postal deliveries in rural areas.

The Government is committed to an efficient universal service for users throughout the UK, including those in remote and rural areas.   It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to monitor Royal Mail’s service standards. The regulator sets Royal Mail enforceable targets to deliver a certain proportion of 1st and 2nd class post on time each year. Ofcom takes compliance with its regulatory targets seriously and this involves conducting thorough investigations where failures have been identified.

How many times he has met Royal Mail leaders in the past 12 months; and if he will publish the minutes of those meetings.

In November last year, I met with Royal Mail’s CEO, Alistair Cochrane, and with Martin Seidenberg, the CEO of Royal Mail’s parent company, International Distribution Services (IDS).In July last year, my predecessor, Justin Madders MP, met with Mr Cochrane, then Royal Mail’s interim CEO.In May last year, the then Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds MP, met with Daniel Křetínský, the CEO of EP Group, which owns IDS.Ministers and officials continue to have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider. However, minutes of these meetings are not routinely published.

What steps he is taking to reduce the time taken for patients with Parkinson’s disease to receive a diagnosis.

The Department recognises the importance of a timely diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and the impact that early identification has on people’s long‑term outcomes. We remain committed to delivering the National Health Service constitutional standard for 92% of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring lists and waiting times down. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard.National programmes like NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) supports faster diagnosis by using clinically‑led, data‑driven reviews to identify delays and unwarranted variation in neurology services. GIRFT provides evidence‑based recommendations to streamline referral and outpatient pathways, improve data quality, and share best practice between trusts. This helps increase specialist capacity, reduce waiting times for assessment, and ensure more timely access to diagnosis for people with suspected Parkinson’s disease.Additionally, by delivering the shifts outlined in the 10‑Year Health Plan, we can free up specialist capacity by increasing community‑based provision, reducing administrative burden through digital tools, and supporting earlier identification and management of neurological conditions like Parkinson’s. This will allow neurologists and geriatricians to focus on more complex cases and improve diagnostic timeliness.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the accuracy of data provided by flood gauges in Shropshire.

The Environment Agency (EA) operates a national maintenance and data assurance programme for its river gauging station network. This includes routine inspection, calibration and maintenance, alongside systematic data quality checks to monitor performance and identify any issues requiring intervention. These activities are supported by live remote monitoring, providing confidence that river level and flow data remain accurate and reliable. Together, they ensure that gauging stations can be trusted to support the EA’s flood warning services across England, including in Shropshire. Flood warnings are not based on gauging data alone. They are informed by multiple data sources, modelling outputs and forecasts, combined with the professional judgement and experience of trained flood warning staff, providing a robust and resilient approach to protecting communities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to (a) maintain and (b) ensure the accuracy of flood gauges.

The Environment Agency (EA) operates a national maintenance and data assurance programme for its river gauging station network. This includes routine inspection, calibration and maintenance, alongside systematic data quality checks to monitor performance and identify any issues requiring intervention. These activities are supported by live remote monitoring, providing confidence that river level and flow data remain accurate and reliable. Together, they ensure that gauging stations can be trusted to support the EA’s flood warning services across England, including in Shropshire. Flood warnings are not based on gauging data alone. They are informed by multiple data sources, modelling outputs and forecasts, combined with the professional judgement and experience of trained flood warning staff, providing a robust and resilient approach to protecting communities.

What data he holds on the number of (a) accessible and (b) Changing Places toilet facilities in hospitals.

Data is not held centrally on the number of accessible and Changing Places toilets in hospitals. The Changing Places Toilets website holds a register of all accredited ‘Changing Places’ toilets, including ones on National Health Service sites, which can be searched. Further information is avaiable at the following link:https://www.changing-places.org/findHospitals need to satisfy the requirements of Building Regulations, Part M to provide suitable sanitary accommodation. The provision of hoists in hospitals is a decision taken locally by NHS organisations consistent with their patient acuity and clinical case-mix.

If he will answer questions 96886, 96959 and 96965 tabled on 3 December 2025 on the UK-US pharmaceutical deal.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 January 2026 to Questions 96886, 96959 and 96965.

What steps his Department is taking to support the provision of care for people with Parkinson’s disease outside specialist hospital settings, including measures to enable care to be delivered closer to patients’ homes.

We want people with Parkinson’s to receive high‑quality care as close to home as possible, and many aspects of Parkinson’s care, such as medication management, routine monitoring, rehabilitation therapies, and community nursing, can be delivered outside specialist settings, provided that strong local pathways and sufficient specialist workforce support are in place.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including services for people with Parkinson’s disease.ICBs have access to a range of resources that support the delivery of Parkinson’s services closer to home. NHS England’s updated adult specialised neurology service specification sets clear, standardised expectations for integrated, community‑linked neurology pathways, helping ICBs design services that provide timely, coordinated care outside hospital settings.Guidance on Parkinson’s disease in adults, reference code NG71, published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), offers evidence‑based recommendations on diagnosis, treatment, and medicine optimisation, ensuring that local services deliver consistent, high‑quality Parkinson’s care.In addition, NHS England’s RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit provides practical, data‑driven tools to help systems reduce variation, improve multidisciplinary working, and strengthen community‑based support. Together, these resources give ICBs a robust framework to develop accessible, well‑coordinated Parkinson’s services that better meet patient needs in community settings.

Whether his Department has assessed the adequacy of the current model of care for people with Parkinson’s disease, including which services may be appropriately delivered outside specialist centres.

We want people with Parkinson’s to receive high‑quality care as close to home as possible, and many aspects of Parkinson’s care, such as medication management, routine monitoring, rehabilitation therapies, and community nursing, can be delivered outside specialist settings, provided that strong local pathways and sufficient specialist workforce support are in place.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including services for people with Parkinson’s disease.ICBs have access to a range of resources that support the delivery of Parkinson’s services closer to home. NHS England’s updated adult specialised neurology service specification sets clear, standardised expectations for integrated, community‑linked neurology pathways, helping ICBs design services that provide timely, coordinated care outside hospital settings.Guidance on Parkinson’s disease in adults, reference code NG71, published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), offers evidence‑based recommendations on diagnosis, treatment, and medicine optimisation, ensuring that local services deliver consistent, high‑quality Parkinson’s care.In addition, NHS England’s RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit provides practical, data‑driven tools to help systems reduce variation, improve multidisciplinary working, and strengthen community‑based support. Together, these resources give ICBs a robust framework to develop accessible, well‑coordinated Parkinson’s services that better meet patient needs in community settings.

What steps he is taking to ensure the timely delivery of NHS mail to patients.

Whilst there is an increasing move towards digital National Health Service communications via the NHS App, texts, digital telephony, and emails, NHS letters remain crucial for many patients, particularly those who may be digitally excluded.All NHS organisations are now required to use NHS Notify to send out patient communications. This service makes sure that patients get messages from NHS organisations in the best channel for their needs and ensures the NHS effectively delivers its services. This is done by routing messages to the secure NHS App, falling back to SMS, email, and letters if they do not, based on a central source of contact details, additional needs, and NHS numbers. By doing this once from a single service, the NHS can make sure the most secure, rapid, reliable, accessible, and cost effective channel of communication is used.NHS England and Royal Mail have been working together to ensure NHS providers continue to have a choice of both price and speed when sending letters, and to improve how NHS letters are sent to patients across the United Kingdom. There is now a Royal Mail NHS barcode, which was announced in April 2025. The barcode is designed to mitigate the impact on NHS letters by helping to optimise their delivery at times of local and national disruption. Further information may be found on the Royal Mail website, at the following link:https://www.royalmailwholesale.com/news/nhs-mail-new-barcode-solutionThis describes the process by which the prioritisation of NHS communication happens.

What steps he is taking to help increase the availability of (a) hoists and (b) accessible toilets in hospitals.

Data is not held centrally on the number of accessible and Changing Places toilets in hospitals. The Changing Places Toilets website holds a register of all accredited ‘Changing Places’ toilets, including ones on National Health Service sites, which can be searched. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.changing-places.org/findHospitals need to satisfy the requirements of Building Regulations, Part M to provide suitable sanitary accommodation. The provision of hoists in hospitals is a decision taken locally by NHS organisations consistent with their patient acuity and clinical case-mix.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will meet with representatives of the horse breeding industry from North Shropshire to discuss the impact of import and export processes on their businesses.

The Secretary of State’s private office handles all meeting requests. Please contact them directly to request a meeting.

What steps he is taking to improve (a) diagnosis and (b) care of Placenta Accreta Spectrum.

The diagnosis of placenta accreta spectrum is primarily done in the antenatal period using ultrasound imaging. To ensure effective diagnosis and management of placenta accreta spectrum, national guidance is provided within the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Placenta Praevia and Placenta Accreta: Diagnosis and Management Guideline. The NICE guidance and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ guidelines are available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng192/documents/draft-guideline-2https://www.rcog.org.uk/guidance/browse-all-guidance/green-top-guidelines/placenta-praevia-and-placenta-accreta-diagnosis-and-management-green-top-guideline-no-27a/In 2020, NHS England commissioned placenta accreta networks in the United Kingdom to support local and regional screening, shared protocols, and co-ordinated referral pathways to specialist pregnancy accreta centres. These centres consist of highly experienced multidisciplinary teams with the expertise to manage this condition and improve the safety outcomes for women and babies.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to question 103472 of 6 January 2026 regarding border control, what her plans are for the 2026 breeding season.

Equine germinal products are a high-risk commodity and require 100% documentary and identity checks upon import from the EU under the Border Target Operating Model. For the 2026 breeding season, the Government will continue to maintain the existing system of official import controls. Specifically, all consignments of equine germinal products imported from the EU and EFTA will be subject to import controls at a designated Border Control Post; with the facilitation scheme available for chilled equine germinal products, where conditions apply.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the change in the level of the Canal and River Trust’s grant settlement since 2017 on the safety and integrity of inland waterways.

The current 15-year Government grant provided to the Canal and River Trust was adjusted for inflation for the first 10 years between 2012 and 2022, with the agreement clearly stating that the final five years of the grant from 2022 to 2027 would be capped at the 2022 level, which is £52.6 million a year. This represented 22% of the Trust’s total 2024/25 income of £232 million. The majority of its funding is from commercial and charitable sources, including its £1billion investment endowment. The Trust continues to have the agreed objective of reducing reliance on Government funding and progressively moving towards greater financial self-sufficiency by developing alternative income streams. A comprehensive review of the grant funding in 2022 concluded that there was a case for continued Government funding, and the new 10-year grant of £401 million between 2027 and 2037 will continue to support the Trust.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect watercraft operating on the canal network.

Responsibility for the safety of watercraft operating on the canal network rests with the navigation authorities concerned. Requirements for insurance and compliance with the Boat Safety Scheme standards form part of the conditions set by the navigation authorities for licences to operate on their waterways.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has produced a recent risk assessment for the impact of canal embankment breaches on narrowboats.

Responsibility for the safe operation of canals rests with the navigation authorities. In the case of the Canal and River Trust, Defra officials meet the Trust’s senior management team to discuss the Trust’s work and use of the Government grant funding, as well as engaging regularly with the Trust throughout the year on any matters as they arise.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an emergency contingency fund to support (a) waterways-dependent businesses and (b) tourism in the context of the December 2025 canal breach in Whitchurch.

Defra’s relationship with the inland waterways sector focuses on providing grant support for the two largest navigation authorities, the Canal and River Trust and the EA Navigations, which between them cover around 2,630 miles of waterways. This support contributes to the infrastructure maintenance of their networks, while respecting their operational independence to manage their waterways for the benefit of businesses and tourism.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to improve the structural integrity of the canal network.

Responsibility for ensuring the structural integrity of the canal network rests with the navigation authorities concerned. The largest navigation authority is the Canal and River Trust, with some 2,000 miles of waterways. The Government is currently providing the Trust with an annual grant of £52.6 million to support maintenance of the network infrastructure and has agreed a further £401 million grant for the ten years 2027-2037.