Written questions by Lavery.

Whether they plan to increase or redistribute funding to schools in the North East.

The schools national funding formula (NFF) is used to allocate core funding for mainstream schools in England. We have now published the NFF for 2026/27, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-for-schools-and-high-needs-from-2025. Through the NFF, the North East is receiving £2,341 million in provisional funding for mainstream schools in the 2026/27 financial year. This represents an increase of £62 million compared to the 2025/26 financial year. These figures are based on pupil numbers from the 2025/26 dedicated schools grant (DSG). Final allocations will be based on updated pupil numbers in the 2026/27 DSG. In the North East, average per pupil funding through the schools NFF will be £6,852 in the 2026/27 financial year. This compares to £6,671 per pupil in the 2025/26 financial year. The 2025/26 comparison figure includes the schools budget support grant and National Insurance contributions grants that were paid outside the NFF in 2025/26, to ensure a fair comparison.

What measures are in place to ensure that children from low-income families in the North East have access to high-quality early years education; and what additional support is being provided to reduce disparities in readiness for primary school.

The government’s Plan for Change commits to giving children the best start in life. From age 2, children in low-income families, those with education, health and care plans, and looked-after children are eligible for 15 hours of funded early education.Disadvantaged children may also receive the early years pupil premium (EYPP). From April 2025, this was increased by 45%. From next year, we will provide additional funding to extend EYPP in areas most in need, and test different approaches to using this funding to understand how best to maximise its impact.As part of the Opportunity Mission, £37 million has been awarded to 300 primary schools to create or expand nurseries. The department is establishing Best Start Family Hubs to provide greater support for families. Local authorities are also developing ambitious Best Start local plans to meet the milestone to get a record number of children school ready every year by 2028.

What support is available to schools to tackle the challenges faced by pupils living in poverty, including access to (a) free school meals, (b) mental health services and (c) after-school programmes in the North East.

​​We are supporting schools to tackle the challenges faced by pupils in poverty. As part of this support, schools will receive pupil premium funding worth over £3 billion in the 2025/26 financial year to support the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils.​​The removal of the two-child limit will lift 450,000 children out of poverty, rising to around 550,000 alongside other measures announced this year, including the expansion of free school meals, which will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of this Parliament and put £500 back in families’ pockets. Further, we are delivering on our pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children.​​We are also providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding mental health support teams (MHSTs). As of April 2025, 57% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in the North East region were covered by an MHST.​​The department will also publish an Enrichment Framework, providing advice for schools on delivering a high-quality enrichment offer, including extra-curricular activities after school.​​Since September 2024, the department has invested over £180 million in the National Wraparound Programme, which has created over 50,000 additional childcare places.​​Support with costs for wraparound childcare is also available for eligible parents through the Tax-Free Childcare and the childcare element of Universal Credit.

If she will take steps to review the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations to ensure that hazardous medicinal products with reprotoxic effects are controlled to the same standard as (a) carcinogens and (b) mutagens.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84440.

Whether she is taking steps to promote the use of (a) biological safety cabinets, (b) closed‑system drug‑transfer devices and (c) engineering controls in healthcare settings; and whether she plans to provide funding for NHS trusts to implement these controls.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84144.

Whether she plans to require NHS employers to provide ongoing (a) training and (b) health surveillance for all staff who (i) handle and (ii) otherwise may be exposed to hazardous medicinal products; and how her Department monitors compliance with those standards.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84444.

Whether his Department has commissioned research into the potential impact of occupational exposure to hazardous medicinal products among nursing staff on (a) reproductive and (b) other long‑term health; and what assessment he has made of the cost to the NHS of sickness absence related to such exposure.

As per our response to questions PQ87515, PQ84145, and PQ84445 on 11 November 2025, the Government has not commissioned any research on the reproductive health outcomes or long-term health effects of the occupational exposure of nursing staff to hazardous medicinal products. No assessment has been made of the cost to the National Health Service of sickness absence related to this.

Innovation and Technology, how the cyber risk to Government has changed in the last 5 years; how his Department's approach to cyber security has changed in that time; and what assessment he has made of how the Government's level of cyber resilience has changed in that time.

Our approach to tackling Government cyber risk is driven by the 2022 Government Cyber Security Strategy which sets a clear target for critical functions to be hardened to cyber attack by 2025.We have made important steps in understanding and mitigating risk; GovAssure has dramatically improved our understanding of cyber resilience levels across government and the systemic issues preventing departments from achieving targets. The Government Cyber Coordination Centre enables us to respond as one government to cyber incidents, threats and vulnerabilities.However, the threat picture is the most sophisticated it has ever been and the UK's resilience picture is poorer than previously estimated. In January 2025, the NAO report into Government cyber resilience confirmed that Government since 2022 has not improved its cyber resilience quickly enough to meet its 2025 target. We welcome the report and are taking immediate action to address the recommendations.We are accelerating our response through the launch of a more interventionist approach, which will address the long-standing shortage of cyber skills, strengthen accountability for cyber risks, provide greater support for delivery in the form of cyber services, guidance, and hands-on technical support and bolster our response capabilities to fast-moving cyber incidents.

How many (a) race and (b) religious hate crimes took place in Blyth and Ashington constituency between September (i) 2024 and (ii) 2025.

The Home Office publishes official statistics on hate crimes at the Police Force Area level. The latest published information for the year ending March 2024, including for Northumbria Police, can be found here: Hate crime, England and Wales, year ending March 2024 - GOV.UKInformation on hate crimes recorded by the police in the year ending March 2025 is due to be published on the 9 October.

What steps she is taking to tackle misogyny in schools.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for for Blyth and Ashington to the answer of 19 September 2025 to Question 76624.

Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to be able to meet its target for the Government to be cyber resilient by the end of 2025.

Our approach to tackling Government cyber risk is driven by the 2022 Government Cyber Security Strategy which sets a clear target for critical functions to be hardened to cyber attack by 2025.We have made important steps in understanding and mitigating risk; GovAssure has dramatically improved our understanding of cyber resilience levels across government and the systemic issues preventing departments from achieving targets. The Government Cyber Coordination Centre enables us to respond as one government to cyber incidents, threats and vulnerabilities.However, the threat picture is the most sophisticated it has ever been and the UK's resilience picture is poorer than previously estimated. In January 2025, the NAO report into Government cyber resilience confirmed that Government since 2022 has not improved its cyber resilience quickly enough to meet its 2025 target. We welcome the report and are taking immediate action to address the recommendations.We are accelerating our response through the launch of a more interventionist approach, which will address the long-standing shortage of cyber skills, strengthen accountability for cyber risks, provide greater support for delivery in the form of cyber services, guidance, and hands-on technical support and bolster our response capabilities to fast-moving cyber incidents.

What plans she has to educate communities on the rise of far right extremism.

This Government takes extremism seriously and has been clear that we will tackle far right extremism head on. We make no apology for that. We are committed to ensuring we have the required tools and powers needed to address this issue. Efforts to counter extremism span a broad range of Government and law enforcement activity and we must persist in our efforts to challenge extremist narratives, disrupt the activity of radicalising groups, and directly tackle the causes of radicalisation.We work closely with frontline partners to tackle harmful ideologies, providing guidance and training on the threat from all extremist ideologies and how to spot the signs of radicalisation.Civil Society Organisations are vital partners in the delivery of targeted Prevent project work. They support local partners in building resilience to radicalisation and supporting early intervention within communities, including countering extreme right-wing narratives.

What steps he is taking to reduce the time taken for victims to wait for cases to be heard.

This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog. It is unacceptable that victims and witnesses are waiting years for justice. We are committed to creating a more sustainable justice system, in which victims and the public can have confidence.Upon taking office, the Deputy Prime Minister took immediate action to allocate additional Crown Court sitting days this financial year, taking the total to a record-high allocation of 111,250. We continue to build capacity in magistrates’ courts, with 14,636 magistrates in post as of April 2025 across England and Wales and we are uplifting our programme to bring in 2,000 new magistrates over the next 12 months. We will continue to recruit at high levels in future years, ensuring our benches reflect the diverse communities they serve. We also continue to recruit high levels of legal advisers, securing resilience for years to come.However, demand is currently so high, it is indisputable that fundamental reform is needed. That is why this Government commissioned the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to propose once-in-a-generation reform to improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swift justice for victims.We are carefully considering Sir Brian’s first report and will respond in due course. Work on Part 2 of the report, looking at how the criminal courts can operate as efficiently as possible, is underway and it is expected to be finalised later this year.

How many people have been arrested for protesting the proscription of Palestine Action.

The Government is absolutely clear that support for proscribed organisations is unacceptable. Anyone expressing support for a proscribed organisation should expect to be investigated by the police.To be clear, those who want to oppose the proscription of Palestine Action can do so freely and lawfully – that is not itself an offence. It is an offence when protest is focused on showing support for an organisation that has been proscribed.The Home Office releases statistics which cover arrests for terrorist-related activity on a quarterly basis. The latest release for the quarter ending June 2025 can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/operation-of-police-powers-under-tact-2000-to-june-2025/operation-of-police-powers-under-the-terrorism-act-2000-and-subsequent-legislation-arrests-outcomes-and-stop-and-search-great-britain-quarterly-uk.Operational decisions, including arrests, are a matter for the police, who are independent of Government.

What assessment she has made of trends in the number of prosecutions of offences under the Terrorism Act 2000.

In the year ending 30 June 2025, 83 persons were tried for terrorism-related offences, an increase of 5 compared with the year ending June 2024 and 16 more than the average over the last 10 years (67). 80 of those 83 (96%) persons tried were convicted. Conviction rates have remained consistently high in recent years, with the highest conviction rate on record in the year ending 31 December 2024 (98% - 84 out of 86 trials resulting in conviction). This is a testament to the sustained efforts of CT Policing and the Crown Prosecution Service in securing record convictions for terrorism-related offences.These statistics are routinely published by the Home Office as part of its quarterly reporting on the ‘Operation of Police Powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation’.

Whether she plans to help amend UN frameworks to tackle global debt.

Tackling unsustainable debt in low-income countries is a key development priority for this government. We are working closely with partners to strengthen and speed up the G20 common framework, and to enhance debt transparency for debtor and creditors. We have set up the new London Coalition on Sustainable Sovereign Debt, to promote contractual innovations for increased resilience and to make restructurings quicker. The government welcomes the package to support debt sustainability in the outcome document agreed at the UN’s Seville Conference on Financing for Development in June, specifically the strong action to improve debtor voice, debt transparency, disaster pause clauses and strengthen the G20 Common Framework. We will maintain momentum on reforms to the existing debt architecture. We are also engaging with partners on the intergovernmental process at the UN

What steps he is taking to ensure an adequate supply of ADHD medication.

The Department has worked closely with industry stakeholders and, following extensive collaborative efforts, previous issues have been resolved, and all strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, atomoxetine oral solution, guanfacine prolonged-release tablets, and methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets are now available. We are working to resolve a remaining issue for Equasym XL capsules, and anticipate that this issue to be resolved in August 2025. We continue to support the NHS England ADHD taskforce, which brings together expertise from the National Health Service, education, and justice sectors to coordinate a system-wide response to rising demand. In collaboration with NHS England’s national attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) data improvement plan, we are developing future growth forecasts to support improved demand planning. These forecasts will be shared with industry to help ensure a more responsive and sustainable supply of ADHD medicines. In parallel, we are also engaging with new suppliers for ADHD medicines to increase supply capacity and resilience.The Department also maintains and regularly updates a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website. This resource supports prescribers and dispensers in making informed decisions with patients. The list is available at the following link:www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/prescribing-available-medicines-to-treat-adhd

What steps her Department is taking to support global debt relief.

Tackling unsustainable debt in low-income countries is a key development priority for this government. We are working closely with partners to strengthen and speed up the G20 common framework, and to enhance debt transparency for debtor and creditors. We have set up the new London Coalition on Sustainable Sovereign Debt, to promote contractual innovations for increased resilience and to make restructurings quicker. The government welcomes the package to support debt sustainability in the outcome document agreed at the UN’s Seville Conference on Financing for Development in June, specifically the strong action to improve debtor voice, debt transparency, disaster pause clauses and strengthen the G20 Common Framework. We will maintain momentum on reforms to the existing debt architecture. We are also engaging with partners on the intergovernmental process at the UN

How many people claiming the Personal Independence Payment are also claiming the (a) limited capability for work and work-related activity component of Universal Credit or old-style Employment and Support Allowance in (i) Blyth and Ashington constituency, (ii) Northumberland, (iii) the North East and (iv) England.

The information to answer these questions can be found on Stat-Xplore in the Benefit Combinations - Data from May 2019 for England and Wales dataset. The most recent month for which data is available is August 2024. The data can be filtered by Benefit to include PIP Claimants only. The data can also be broken down by Additional Claim Details to include ESA Payment type and UC Health Journey information, and for a range of geographical areas. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here. An account is not required to use Stat-Xplore, the ‘Guest Login’ feature gives instant access to the main functions.

What estimate she has made of what the weekly reduction in income would be for a household where one person receives (a) Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and does not have four points in any descriptor and (b) Carer's Allowance and the care component of Universal Credit, in the context of her proposed reforms to PIP.

No estimate has yet been made.Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, with some information published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.