Written questions by Morgan.

What steps her Department is taking to increase the number of nursery places available for children in rural areas.

It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. In 2025/26 alone, the department plans to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements.The government has committed to working with the sector to better support parents in poorer and rural areas. We have awarded £37 million of capital funding in the first phase to 300 primary phase schools which we expect will deliver up to 6,000 nursery places, with schools reporting over 5,000 available from September 2025 to support the childcare expansion.There are approximately 121 Ofsted registered nurseries listed in Shropshire.The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action they are taking and, where needed, support them with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.We also continue to help people discover rewarding early years careers through the ‘Do Something Big’ national recruitment campaign, building on our pilot of delivering financial incentives in 38 local authorities this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on mandating the (a) size and (b) clarity of recycling labels on consumer plastic products.

The Government is committed to introducing mandatory recycling labelling for packaging. We are aiming to do this in 2028 once we have reviewed the potential to bring forward an approach that is consistent with the provisions being established under PPWR for the EU. Analysis has been undertaken on the impact of recycling labels on the waste management system and we will update this analysis in our upcoming options and impact assessment for labelling regulations. The Secretary of State has not yet had discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the details of the labelling requirements as this is still to be developed following review of the EU equivalent regime.

How much of her Department’s budget for (a) investment spending until 2029-30 and (b) day-to-day spending until 2028-29 is allocated to the Access for All scheme.

The recent Spending Review confirmed the Government’s commitment to the Access for All (AfA) programme. Total funding of £280m has been allocated to AfA over the four years of the Spending Review 2025 period, which for capital investment runs from 2026/27 to 2029/30.

Innovation and Technology, what progress his Department has made on procuring a new supplier to deliver Project Gigabit connections in North Shropshire constituency.

Project Gigabit is designed to adapt in the event that a contracted supplier can no longer complete its planned delivery, utilising a mix of contracts and interventions to enable us to continue to bring fast, reliable broadband to hard-to-reach premises across the UK.In North Shropshire, Building Digital UK (BDUK) will be seeking to agree the extent to which Openreach may be able to extend its network to reach premises that require support from Project Gigabit.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of unclear recycling labels on the waste management system.

The Government is committed to introducing mandatory recycling labelling for packaging. We are aiming to do this in 2028 once we have reviewed the potential to bring forward an approach that is consistent with the provisions being established under PPWR for the EU. Analysis has been undertaken on the impact of recycling labels on the waste management system and we will update this analysis in our upcoming options and impact assessment for labelling regulations. The Secretary of State has not yet had discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the details of the labelling requirements as this is still to be developed following review of the EU equivalent regime.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that recycling labels are (a) clear and (b) readable for consumer plastic products.

The Government is committed to introducing mandatory recycling labelling for packaging. We are aiming to do this in 2028 once we have reviewed the potential to bring forward an approach that is consistent with the provisions being established under PPWR for the EU. Analysis has been undertaken on the impact of recycling labels on the waste management system and we will update this analysis in our upcoming options and impact assessment for labelling regulations. The Secretary of State has not yet had discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the details of the labelling requirements as this is still to be developed following review of the EU equivalent regime.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on making clear recycling labels mandatory for pharmaceutical packaging.

The Government is committed to introducing mandatory recycling labelling for packaging. We are aiming to do this in 2028 once we have reviewed the potential to bring forward an approach that is consistent with the provisions being established under PPWR for the EU. The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. The Secretary of State has not yet had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the details of the labelling requirements as this is still to be developed following review of the EU equivalent regime.

Whether he plans to implement the recommendations of the Stroke Association’s report entitled Unlocking Potential: A Bold Vision for Stroke Care in England.

We welcome the report of the Stroke Association and its recommendations, which are closely aligned with the 10-Year Health Plan’s three big shifts of hospital to community, analogue to digital and treatment to prevention.This Government is committed to ensuring fewer lives are lost to the biggest killers, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). That is why this Government has set an ambition to reduce premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% in the next 10 years.To deliver on this ambition, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England are working together to understand both the scale of the challenge and the opportunities for progress across the prevention, treatment and management of CVD.We are engaging with stakeholders to put the best available evidence and expert opinion at the heart of this ambition and to gather a diverse range of views.We have committed in the 10-Year Health Plan to publish a Modern Service Framework for CVD in 2026. This will identify and set standards for the best evidenced interventions, drive innovation in CVD prevention and management, and reduce unwarranted variation in healthcare.

What steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for gynaecological referrals in Shropshire.

We are committed to driving down waiting times in England, including for gynaecological services in Shropshire. We have wasted no time in getting to work cutting National Health Service waiting lists and ensuring people have the best possible experience during their care.We promised change, and we’ve delivered early, with a reduction in the national waiting list between June 2024 and June 2025 of over 252,000, despite over 21 million referrals onto the list since July 2024.We have fulfilled our pledge to deliver over two million more elective care appointments early. More than double that number, 4.9 million more appointments, have now been delivered as of June 2025.This marks a vital 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.Between July 2024 and June 2025, the gynaecology waiting list at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust fell by 17.9%, dropping from 4,197 patients to 3,445. During the same period, the percentage of patients starting treatment within 18 weeks of referral rose significantly from 43.8% to 64.4%, marking an improvement of 20.6%.The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, committed to providing quicker access for patients to common surgical hub procedures by ramping up the number of surgical hubs over the next three years.There are currently 120 elective surgical hubs that are operational across England as of September 2025. This includes three surgical hubs within the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin​​ Integrated Care System. The most recent to open in the region was the Princess Royal Hospital Elective Surgical Hub, which opened in June 2024 and offers gynaecological services.These dedicated and protected surgical hubs transform the way the NHS provides elective care by focusing on providing high volume low complexity surgery, as recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons of England.The Elective Reform Plan also commits to transform and expand diagnostic services and speed up waiting times for tests, a crucial part of reducing overall waiting times and returning to the referral to treatment 18-week standard. There is currently one community diagnostic centre (CDC) in the region, the Shrewsbury Telford and Wrekin Community Diagnostic Centre in Telford. This CDC is providing additional diagnostic capacity to see patients away from hospital sites, providing key diagnostic tests such as computed tomography and ultrasound, thereby reducing unnecessary hospital visits.

What steps he is taking to increase funding and research into polycystic ovary syndrome and associated treatments and care pathways.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the research delivery arm of the Department, funds a range of research to improve health outcomes for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), including studies aimed at enhancing treatment and care pathways. For example, the NIHR is currently funding a £2.3 million trial to evaluate the effectiveness of different medication combinations for ovulation induction, directly informing clinical practice for fertility treatment in PCOS. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including PCOS-associated treatment and care pathways.

What steps he is taking to ensure NHS services in North Shropshire are adequately equipped to provide care for people with polycystic ovary syndrome.

The Government recognises that women suffering with gynaecological conditions, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), have been failed for far too long, and we acknowledge the impact it has on women’s lives, relationships and participation in education and the workforce. We know that more needs to be done to support women with gynaecological conditions.Patients who are concerned they have symptoms which may be caused by PCOS should seek help from their general practitioner (GP) who can arrange the necessary investigations, make a diagnosis, and discuss initial treatments. Patients with more complex symptoms of PCOS can be referred to gynaecology or endocrinology services provided by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust, and those who need support related to fertility can be referred to Shropshire and Mid Wales Fertility Clinic in Shrewsbury which offers fertility evaluations and treatments.NICE is currently developing a guideline on the assessment and management of PCOS and published the scope of the guideline in July 2025, which includes “information resources, models of care, cultural and linguistic considerations” and “management of psychological features”.

What steps he is taking to increase awareness of the impact of polycystic ovary syndrome among NHS professionals.

This Government recognises that women suffering with gynaecological conditions, including polycystic ovary syndrome, have been failed for far too long. We acknowledge the impact these conditions have on women’s lives, relationships and participation in education and the workforce. We know that more needs to be done to support women with gynaecological conditions.As set out in the women’s health strategy, women's health is included in the Royal College of General Practitioners curriculum for trainee general practitioners (GPs), including gynaecology. The curriculum also covers the health care needs of women across all diseases seen in primary care as it is important women are treated holistically. This ensures that all future GPs receive education on women’s health.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of checks for illegally imported meat at the Port of Dover.

Defra is working closely with the Home Office and the Food Standards Agency to tackle this issue with the support of Border Force, Port Health Authorities and local authorities, to ensure that operations around illegal meat imports are as efficient as possible.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of levels of resourcing for Border Force on food security.

Border Force’s resources are continually assessed to balance all pressures. Resources are deployed dynamically through intelligence and data to intervene any potential threats. Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of maintaining the Dover Bastion Point facility in each year since it was first in public use.

The information requested is commercially sensitive and therefore cannot be released.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of vehicles checked for illegally imported meat entering through the Port of Dover.

We are working with the Home Office and Border Force to ensure that operations around illegal meat imports are as efficient as possible and have invested significantly in additional operational capacity at the port of Dover (£3.1 million planned this financial year in addition to £9 million since 2022).

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of designating Dover Port Health Authority as the lead authority for checking for illegal meat imports at the Port of Dover.

Defra is working with the Home Office, Border Force and Dover Port Health Authority to ensure that operations around illegal meat imports are as efficient as possible. Border Force is the Government agency responsible for combatting all illegal imports.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of renting the Dover Bastion Point facility in each year since it was first in public use.

The information requested is commercially sensitive and therefore cannot be released.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to increase the level of funding provided to Dover Port Health Authority to carry out pro-active vehicle spot checks.

Defra is providing £3.1 million to Dover Port Health Authority for the financial year 2025/26, in addition to investing over £9 million since 2022.

What steps his Department is taking to increase uptake of biochar as a carbon capture method.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero recognises the potential benefits of biochar and has been taking steps to address evidence gaps through research, funding five biochar projects in the Greenhouse Gas Removals Innovation Competition, and the CO2RE Demonstrators Programme biochar project. The Government is exploring barriers to commercialisation and deployment at scale, including how further evidence can be generated on permanence, environmental impacts and the potential benefits in a UK context. The Government has announced an Independent Review to consider how Greenhouse Gas Removals, such as biochar, can assist the UK in meeting our net zero targets.