Written questions by Morgan.

What steps he is taking to increase access to pharmacies in North Shropshire.

The Government recognises that pharmacies, including in North Shropshire are an integral part of the fabric of our communities, as an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served by local pharmacies and must keep these assessments under review. The Shropshire PNA was published in September and is available to view on the council’s website.Commissioning primary care services, including pharmaceutical services, is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs give regard to the PNAs when reviewing applications from the new contractors. Contractors can also apply to open a new pharmacy to offer benefits to patients that were not foreseen by the PNA. If there is a need for a new local pharmacy to open and no contractors apply to open a pharmacy and fill the gap, ICBs can commission a new pharmacy to open outside of the market entry processes and fund the contract from the ICBs’ budgets. In some rural areas where a pharmacy may not be viable, local general practices are permitted to dispense medicines to their patients. In addition, patients can choose to access medicines through any of the distance selling pharmacies that are required to deliver the medicines they dispense free of charge and also provide other pharmaceutical services remotely.

If he will take steps to help improve access to public transport for disabled patients at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust.

The NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board recognises that accessible transport is a key enabler for patients to attend hospital appointments independently and safely. To that end, the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust works closely with local transport providers and system partners to manage transport accessibility for disabled patients.Hospital car parks are the responsibility of individual National Health Service trusts, with no central Government involvement. Where it is possible to accommodate parking, local trusts are responsible for determining the ratio of car parking for patients, hospital users, and staff.We know access to hospital car parking is important for all patients, including disabled patients. All NHS trusts that charge for car parking provide free hospital car parking in England for those most in need. This includes Blue Badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight in hospital, and NHS staff working night shifts. The Department has issued guidance to NHS trusts on the implementation of this commitment. Further information about this policy can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

What resources she has committed to tackling rural crime in Shropshire.

Under our Safer Streets Mission reforms, rural communities will be safeguarded, with tougher measures to clamp down on equipment theft, anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping.The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will also ensure that every neighbourhood in England and Wales, including rural communities, will have named and contactable officers dealing with local issues, and that neighbourhood teams spend the majority of their time in their neighbourhoods providing visible patrols and engaging with local communities and businesses.This will be supported by the delivery of up to an additional 3000 neighbourhood officers into teams by March 26, as part of our ambition to deliver 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of this parliament.This financial year the Home Office has provided the first Government funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (£365,000) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (£450,000). The National Rural Crime Unit, assists all police forces including West Mercia, in tackling rural crimeWe are also working closely with the National Police Chiefs Council to deliver their updated Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy for 2025-2029. The strategy will set out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling crimes that predominantly affect rural communities.

What steps she is taking to reflect the costs of (a) digital connectivity and (b) public transport in (i) rural and (ii) urban areas in funding formulas.

The Government recognises that areas with different characteristics incur different local costs and considers this when making policy decisions. The government has recently consulted on proposals to allocate local government funding more fairly through the Local Government Finance Settlement. This included consideration of how to effectively account for variations in relative cost and demand between local authorities, including differences between rural and urban areas.

Whether the funding settlement for Start for Life services will reflect (a) the widened age range from 0-2 to 0-5 and the (b) increases in the number of local authorities covered by the programme; whether the updated programme guidance will explicitly promote good practice on (i) parent-infant relationships and (ii) infant mental health; and whether it will ring-fence funding to help (A) sustain and (B) develop those services.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out a long-term vision to improve the nation’s health by expanding Start for Life services and integrating zero- to five-year-olds health and children’s services into communities, with a strong focus on the critical 1,001 days.Building on the £126 million investment in Family Hubs and Start for Life services in 2025/26, a further £500 million will support the national rollout of Best Start Family Hubs to every local authority in England from April 2026.The Government remains committed to ensuring that local authorities are supported to deliver high-quality Start for Life services. National support includes the promotion of good practice in areas such as parent-infant relationships and infant mental health. Updated programme guidance for all local authorities will be designed to support delivery against the programme’s core objectives, drawing on this learning.

What steps he is taking to increase levels of awareness of tongue ties, also called ankyloglossia, of (a) midwives and (b) expectant mothers.

The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and support for infant feeding plays an important role in achieving this.Midwifery, health visiting, and infant feeding teams are central to supporting families with infant feeding. This includes identifying feeding challenges and providing tailored support for breastfeeding and bottle feeding. We are currently refreshing the guidance for The Healthy Child Programme, which includes health visiting services, to strengthen service quality and promote consistency in service delivery.Dedicated paediatric surgery days are being introduced within integrated care boards, using existing NHS estate in day surgery or hub settings, to boost surgical activity for children and young people. Surgical hubs play a key role in delivering increased activity and ensuring timely access to planned care.We are also strengthening local support for tongue-tie through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, which is investing £18.5 million in 2025/26 to improve infant feeding services in 75 local authorities in England. Local authorities are working with local health partners to improve access to timely tongue-tie support and treatment. In some areas, new tongue-tie clinics have been set up so that more families can access timely support.For expectant parents, the majority of NHS trusts offer free antenatal education services, including caring for the baby and feeding. We are working with NHS England to improve the quality of antenatal classes.Information about the symptoms and treatment of tongue-tie is also available on the NHS website and the Best Start in Life email programme for parents.

What steps he is taking to help improve care for bottle-fed babies with tongue ties.

The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and support for infant feeding plays an important role in achieving this.Midwifery, health visiting, and infant feeding teams are central to supporting families with infant feeding. This includes identifying feeding challenges and providing tailored support for breastfeeding and bottle feeding. We are currently refreshing the guidance for The Healthy Child Programme, which includes health visiting services, to strengthen service quality and promote consistency in service delivery.Dedicated paediatric surgery days are being introduced within integrated care boards, using existing NHS estate in day surgery or hub settings, to boost surgical activity for children and young people. Surgical hubs play a key role in delivering increased activity and ensuring timely access to planned care.We are also strengthening local support for tongue-tie through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, which is investing £18.5 million in 2025/26 to improve infant feeding services in 75 local authorities in England. Local authorities are working with local health partners to improve access to timely tongue-tie support and treatment. In some areas, new tongue-tie clinics have been set up so that more families can access timely support.For expectant parents, the majority of NHS trusts offer free antenatal education services, including caring for the baby and feeding. We are working with NHS England to improve the quality of antenatal classes.Information about the symptoms and treatment of tongue-tie is also available on the NHS website and the Best Start in Life email programme for parents.

What assessment he has made of the (a) speed and (b) quality of (i) detection and (ii) treatment of tongue ties, also called ankyloglossia, in babies.

The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and support for infant feeding plays an important role in achieving this.Midwifery, health visiting, and infant feeding teams are central to supporting families with infant feeding. This includes identifying feeding challenges and providing tailored support for breastfeeding and bottle feeding. We are currently refreshing the guidance for The Healthy Child Programme, which includes health visiting services, to strengthen service quality and promote consistency in service delivery.Dedicated paediatric surgery days are being introduced within integrated care boards, using existing NHS estate in day surgery or hub settings, to boost surgical activity for children and young people. Surgical hubs play a key role in delivering increased activity and ensuring timely access to planned care.We are also strengthening local support for tongue-tie through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, which is investing £18.5 million in 2025/26 to improve infant feeding services in 75 local authorities in England. Local authorities are working with local health partners to improve access to timely tongue-tie support and treatment. In some areas, new tongue-tie clinics have been set up so that more families can access timely support.For expectant parents, the majority of NHS trusts offer free antenatal education services, including caring for the baby and feeding. We are working with NHS England to improve the quality of antenatal classes.Information about the symptoms and treatment of tongue-tie is also available on the NHS website and the Best Start in Life email programme for parents.

Media and Sport, how much and what proportion of the funding provided through the Creative Industries Fund to the West Midlands will be allocated to (a) Shropshire and (b) North Shropshire constituency.

The Creative Industries Sector Plan includes a universal offer to drive growth in the creative industries in any place in the UK and announced £380m of targeted government support over the Spending Review period.The £150m Creative Places Growth Fund will be fully devolved to 6 Mayoral Strategic Authorities, including the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), to empower local leaders to grow their creative industries and unlock creative skills, jobs and investment opportunities. Shropshire Council is a non-constituent member of WMCA and is not currently within the funding boundary of WMCA. The devolved nature of this fund will enable local leaders to allocate this funding according to local barriers and opportunities, which may include areas beyond funding boundaries.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has provided specific support to the West Midlands through the Creative Scale-Up Pilot (CSUP) and the Create Growth Programme (CGP), providing grants of £1,300,000 and £945,000 to the WMCA and access to direct financial support from InnovateUK on a competition basis with £20 million available across 12 regions. Distribution of CGP and CSUP funding at the county and county per head level is handled by the delivery partners (WMCA and Innovate UK) and is not held by DCMS.Since 2015, DCMS has delivered UK-wide funding programmes available to businesses and organisations in the West Midlands and Shropshire area, including the UK Games Fund, UK Global Screen Fund and Music Exports Growth Scheme. The Supporting Grassroots Music fund is also available to applicants based in England. Funding is delivered to businesses by the delivery partners and DCMS does not hold data at a regional level. The Sector Plan announced expansion of these programmes for 2026-2029.

Media and Sport, how much funding was provided to the creative industry in the West Midlands by (a) capital and (b) project grants and by (i) county and (ii) county per head in each year since 2015.

The Creative Industries Sector Plan includes a universal offer to drive growth in the creative industries in any place in the UK and announced £380m of targeted government support over the Spending Review period.The £150m Creative Places Growth Fund will be fully devolved to 6 Mayoral Strategic Authorities, including the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), to empower local leaders to grow their creative industries and unlock creative skills, jobs and investment opportunities. Shropshire Council is a non-constituent member of WMCA and is not currently within the funding boundary of WMCA. The devolved nature of this fund will enable local leaders to allocate this funding according to local barriers and opportunities, which may include areas beyond funding boundaries.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has provided specific support to the West Midlands through the Creative Scale-Up Pilot (CSUP) and the Create Growth Programme (CGP), providing grants of £1,300,000 and £945,000 to the WMCA and access to direct financial support from InnovateUK on a competition basis with £20 million available across 12 regions. Distribution of CGP and CSUP funding at the county and county per head level is handled by the delivery partners (WMCA and Innovate UK) and is not held by DCMS.Since 2015, DCMS has delivered UK-wide funding programmes available to businesses and organisations in the West Midlands and Shropshire area, including the UK Games Fund, UK Global Screen Fund and Music Exports Growth Scheme. The Supporting Grassroots Music fund is also available to applicants based in England. Funding is delivered to businesses by the delivery partners and DCMS does not hold data at a regional level. The Sector Plan announced expansion of these programmes for 2026-2029.

Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to provide guidance to (a) businesses, (b) schools and (c) universities on AI-driven recruitment processes.

In March 2024, we published guidance on Responsible AI in Recruitment. This focuses on good practice for the procurement and deployment of AI systems for HR and recruitment with a specific focus on technologies used in the hiring process. The guidance identifies key questions, considerations, and assurance mechanisms that may be used to ensure the safe and trustworthy use of AI in recruitment. Alongside this, the ICO's AI and biometrics strategy outlines how they will ensure that automated decision-making (ADM) systems are governed and used in a way that is fair to people, focusing on how they are used in recruitment and in public services. The strategy can be read here: https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/our-information/our-strategies-and-plans/artificial-intelligence-and-biometrics-strategy/

What steps his Department is taking to provide an adequate allocation of funding through the Youth Guarantee Scheme for people not in work, employment or training in North Shropshire constituency.

As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are developing a Youth Guarantee to ensure young people aged 18-21 can access high-quality training, apprenticeships, or personalised support to find work.As a first step, we are working with eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers across England who are testing innovative approaches to identify and deliver localised support to young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) or at risk of becoming NEET. This includes strengthening local coordination, through local leadership, and outreach to better connect young people with opportunities. We will use the learning from these Trailblazers to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls out across the rest of Great Britain, including North Shropshire.We have also recently announced that we will offer a guaranteed job to eligible young people on Universal Credit, who are unemployed for over 18 months. This forms a key part of the government’s Youth Guarantee, and further details will be announced in due course.We also continue to deliver targeted support through the Youth Offer, which provides tailored assistance to 16–24-year-olds claiming Universal Credit. In North Shropshire, this includes a local Youth Hub offering the 6 Steps to Succeed programme – a six-week course that builds confidence, communication, and customer service skills, leading to formal qualifications.We also want to ensure we provide support for young people with health conditions and disabled young people. If you take UC health and ESA for example, the number of young people claiming these has increased by more than 50% in the last five years from 156,000 to 239,000, with 80% of young people on the UC Health element currently citing mental health reasons or a neurodevelopmental condition among declared health conditions.We are currently organising talking therapies to be delivered from the Youth Hub to support young people with Mental Health challenges. We are also delivering Sector-Based Work Academies for roles in Teaching Assistance, Hospitality, Warehouse, Logistics, and HGV driving. Additionally, we have run employment sessions for customers with health conditions promoting Access to Work, Adjustment Passports, and Disability Confident Employers.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to improve sporting facilities for young people in North Shropshire constituency.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, including children and young people, should have access to, and benefit from, quality sport and physical activity opportunities.In the last financial year, 2024-25, our Arm’s Length Body for grassroots sport, Sport England, invested £​37,​724 into the ​North Shropshire constituency​ to improve access to sport and physical activity.Sport England, through its place partnerships, also works with local areas to understand and overcome the specific barriers to sport and physical activity in communities. ​Energize Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin is one of Sport England’s place partnerships.Sports facilities provide important community hubs for people of all ages to be active and connect people to the places in which they live. On 19 June 2025, we announced that following the Spending Review at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, including for children and young people, and will then set out further plans.

What steps she is taking to help improve pathways for school leavers without (a) GCSE Maths and (b) GCSE English qualifications.

Any student on a 16-19 study programme who has not yet achieved an English and/or mathematics GCSE grade 4 or higher must continue studying these subjects.As part of the Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy, the department is introducing new 16-19 Level 1 English and mathematics ‘stepping stone’ qualifications as preparation for GCSE. These qualifications will support students to consolidate foundational skills and knowledge, preparing those with lower prior attainment for successful GCSE resits in English and mathematics the following year.The department has also set out plans to introduce reformed qualifications pathways at Levels 2 and 3. This includes a third, vocational pathway at Level 3, V Levels, which will sit alongside A levels and T Levels, and two new pathways at Level 2, providing a clear line of sight to both further study at Level 3 and skilled employment through the Further Study and Occupational pathways. Students will be able to take these pathways in combination with other qualifications such as English and mathematics qualifications.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the creative industries in (a) North Shropshire constituency and (b) Shropshire.

There are creative industries clusters and micro clusters in every part of the UK and they are equally crucial to the delivery of our Growth Mission. We are keen to ensure that there are no cultural not-spots in the country and that everyone has an equal chance to pursue a career in the creative industries whether they live in a major metropolitan area or not.The CI Sector Plan includes a universal offer to drive growth in the creative industries in any place in the UK, including North Shropshire, outlining new measures to break down barriers such as access to finance, supply of skills, and new support to kickstart innovation.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS and care sector equipment is (a) returned and reused or (b) recycled after use.

In October 2024 the Department published the Design for Life roadmap, a new strategy to transition away from all avoidable single-use medical technology (medtech) products towards a functioning circular system by 2045. This means designing, procuring, and processing medtech products and devices in a way that enables reuse, remanufacture, or recycling, thus preserving their value for as long as possible. The document sets out a plan of 30 actions to deliver the 2045 vision, which involve:- driving positive behavioural change;- exploring new commercial incentives to provide circular medtech;- creating new standards to enable innovative products and services;- planning the decontamination and recycling infrastructure of the future; and- establishing new collaborations to accelerate the emergence of transformative science.The Design for Life Roadmap is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679ca015a9ee53687470a2ed/design-for-life-roadmap.pdf

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the requirement to dispose of unused specialist invalid food products as medical waste on level of food waste.

Through the implementation of the NHS Clinical Waste Strategy and the National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink, NHS England is actively working to reduce both clinical and food waste across the system. The Clinical Waste Strategy promotes appropriate waste segregation and treatment to minimise unnecessary incineration and environmental harm. Meanwhile, the food standards encourage healthcare providers to reduce food waste through improved planning, monitoring, and sustainable practices. It is widely accepted that any medication that is provided via clinical provision should be disposed of as offensive waste. Any unused food products that are still in their packaging can be disposed of through the agreed food waste system. NHS England continues to monitor the implementation of these strategies and welcomes further evidence or insights that could inform future assessments or policy development in this area.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2025 to Question 67160 on Whitchurch Station: Access and with reference to the announcement on railway stations awarded Access for All accessibility funding, published on 24 May 2024, when she plans to announce the timeline for completion of Access for All construction at Whitchurch Railway Station.

We are committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognise the social and economic benefits this brings to communities. Since 2006 the Access for All programme has installed accessible, step free routes at over 270 stations plus a range of smaller scale access improvements at around 1500 stations. In May 2024, the previous government agreed the publication of a list of 50 additional stations selected for initial feasibility work, which included Whitchurch railway station. Network Rail have now completed all 50 feasibility studies and we will shortly be announcing which of those stations will progress.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect homes and businesses in North Shropshire from flooding this winter.

The Environment Agency (EA) is committed to working with partners and communities to prepare for flooding this winter. The EA responds to incidents and manages flood risk, operates a 24/7 service to warn and inform, continually monitors the weather and river networks, and issues alerts and warnings when required. Preparing for and during flooding, the EA’s teams carry out essential operational activities by checking assets and removing obstructions that increase flood risk. Please help by encouraging people to sign up to the EA’s new and improved free flood warning service which can be accessed here: Get flood warnings by text, phone or email - GOV.UK

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release titled Record investment to protect thousands of UK homes and businesses, published on 4 February 2025, how much of the £2.65 billion of funding announced for flood defences will be allocated to projects in (a) North Shropshire constituency and (b) Shropshire.

Within the current Flood Risk Management investment programme 2021–2026, over £15 million has been invested in Shropshire to reduce flood risk to people and property. Between 2024 and 2026 over £5 million of investment will benefit the North Shropshire constituency to reduce flood risk.