Written questions by Rankin.

In which patient groups will recommendations for combining GLP-1 receptor agonists with SGLT2 inhibitors be included as part of the updated NG28 guidelines.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) develops its guidelines independently based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and through extensive engagement with stakeholders.The NICE’s independent committee is currently updating its clinical guideline recommendations on the use of medicines for the management of type 2 diabetes in adults. The draft recommendations will be issued for public consultation at the earliest opportunity. It is not possible to say what those recommendations will be at this time.

Whether his Department plans to include testing for chronic kidney disease as part of the NHS Health Check programme within the framework of the 10-year health plan.

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. We expect the 10-Year Health Plan to be published in Spring 2025.The NHS Health Check programme aims to prevent heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and kidney disease among adults aged 40 to 74 years old, and engages over 1.4 million people a year. The programme assesses for high blood pressure, which is a strong risk factor for the development of chronic kidney disease. Where an individual’s NHS Health Check indicates high blood pressure, it is for a general practitioner to consider the results, and then, if required, undertake further clinical investigation and treatment where appropriate.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to SGLT2 inhibitors for patients with (a) type 2 diabetes, (b) chronic kidney disease and (c) heart failure.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based best practice guidance for the National Health Service.The NICE has been able to recommend two SGLT2 inhibitors, empagliflozin and dapagliflozin, for treating chronic kidney disease and for treating chronic heart failure with reduced, preserved, or mildly reduced ejection fraction, subject to specified clinical criteria. The NICE has also recommended several SGLT2 inhibitors as monotherapy, or in combination with other drugs, for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended in a NICE appraisal, usually within three months of final guidance, so these treatments should now be available for healthcare professionals to prescribe to NHS patients in line with NICE’s recommendations.In September 2024, the NICE added links to the relevant technology appraisal guidance on SGLT-2s, namely empagliflozin and dapagliflozin, to the guideline Chronic kidney disease: assessment and management. This is to provide easy access to the relevant appraisal guidance at the right point in the guideline, and to help users find the information more easily.The NICE is updating its guideline Chronic heart failure in adults: diagnosis and management, to reflect changes in clinical practice and the introduction of new drug classes, such as SGLT2 inhibitors, since the guideline was first published, ensuring that the NICE’s guideline recommendations and treatment algorithms are up to date, so that all patients can receive equitable care. The updated guidance is expected to be published in August 2025. The NICE publishes a range of resources to support services in putting its recommendations into practice.The NICE has also published a general practice indicator on chronic kidney disease and SGLT2 inhibitors. NICE indicators measure outcomes that reflect the quality of care or processes and can be used in a number of different settings to support high quality care, including in the uptake of NICE-recommended treatments, such as SGLT2 inhibitors.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure early (a) screening and (b) diagnosis for chronic kidney disease.

Early diagnosis is crucial for people with long-term conditions like chronic kidney disease in accessing timely treatment, preventing deterioration, and improving survival rates. The NHS Health Check programme aims to detect and prevent conditions like heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease among adults aged between 40 and 74 years old, and engages over 1.4 million people a year.The Department is already developing a digital version of the check to provide a more accessible and convenient service for people. The NHS Health Check Online service will be piloted in three local authorities from spring 2025 for six months, with the aim of being rolled out nationally from spring 2026, delivering approximately one million checks in the first four years.The Elective Recovery Plan, published in January 2025, also set out measures to improve diagnostic capacity and access.More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all support the early detection and faster treatment of chronic kidney disease.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities avoids conflicts of interest in the allocation of funds under the statutory levy.

The government’s priority is to ensure funding is being directed where it is needed most to deliver on our objective to reduce gambling-related harms. The Gambling Act 2005 is clear that DCMS and HM Treasury have powers to approve levy spending. To guarantee sufficient accountability and transparency within the new system, we will ensure robust governance arrangements are in place for the levy, including a Levy Board for central government oversight. Governance arrangements will be designed to manage conflicts of interest, while recognising that a wide spectrum of views and insights will be needed to shape our objectives and monitor the outcomes of the levy system.

Whether His Majesty's Passport Office has considered introducing an option for payment for passports in instalments over 10 years.

An instalments approach would place a considerable administrative burden on HM Passport Office to seek payment when they are due and take action where payment is not made.Where a fee is required, the full payment must accompany the application.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of a ban on the (a) marketing and (b) advertising of (i) e-cigarette and vaping products, (ii) non-medically licensed nicotine products, and (iii) heated tobacco products on adult smokers switching from combustible cigarettes to alternatives.

The Government has published a thorough impact assessment of the measures included in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, including the prohibition on the advertising of vaping products and nicotine products.Public health messaging and campaigns will continue to support the promotion of vapes as a quit aid for smokers, as outlined on the Better Health and National Health Service websites. Additionally, through our national Swap to Stop scheme, we’re helping adult smokers to quit by providing up to one million vapes to local authorities.The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 prohibits the advertisement and sponsorship of tobacco products, and that prohibition applies to tobacco products intended to be smoked, sniffed, sucked, or chewed. The Department’s view is that heated tobacco is captured by this definition.

With reference to the Sentencing Council's publication entitled Comprehensive new guidance on imposing community and custodial sentences, published on 5 March 2025, if she will provide examples that would constitute a cultural minority.

The Sentencing Council has issued new guidance which the last Government was consulted on between November 2023 and February 2024, and then publicly welcomed.The Lord Chancellor has been clear that these guidelines do not represent the views of this Government, and she has asked the Council to reconsider them.The Lord Chancellor and the Chairman of the Sentencing Council have since had a constructive discussion. It was agreed that the Lord Chancellor will set out her position more fully in writing, which the Sentencing Council will then consider before the guideline is due to come into effect.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled 10-year study to shed light on youth vaping, published on 19 February 2025, what steps he plans to take to ensure all data reviewed is from the use of vapes compliant with UK regulations.

Due to the nicotine content and unknown long-term harms, vapes and nicotine products carry risks of harm and addiction, and this is particularly acute for adolescents whose brains are still developing.The 10-year Adolescent Health Study (AHS) will follow a cohort of 100,000 eight to 18 year olds from across the United Kingdom and will provide further insights about the health consequences of vaping for young people. This will provide healthcare professionals and policymakers with the robust evidence they need to shape future policy. We will continue to engage with the AHS team during the study’s development.Alongside this, we will continue to clamp down on illicit vapes and those which are not compliant with UK regulations. We have also committed to invest £10 million of new funding in 2025/26, to support Trading Standards to tackle underage and illicit tobacco and vape sales.Through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are also introducing powers to introduce a retail licensing scheme and create a more robust product registration scheme. A new registration scheme, along with stricter rules on testing and product requirements, will support a safe and legal market for tobacco and vape products, and will allow us to quickly identify illicit products which should not be on shelves.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) sham marriages and (b) relationships of convenience on the number of (i) spousal and (ii) partner visas applications; and how many cases were identified in each of the last three years.

If UKVI suspect a relationship may not be genuine, further checks can be conducted, which may include a relationship interview with the applicant and sponsor. If the relationship is found to be non-genuine the application may be refused.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of whether the funding of the UK Youth Parliament delivers value for money to taxpayers; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of transitioning its funding from public expenditure to a model reliant on voluntary donations.

DCMS is currently overseeing a number of projects reviewing the UK Youth Parliament and its funding. Further details on their conclusions will be published in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to enhance the fit and proper person test for the (a) owner and (b) manager of a park home site.

The fit and proper person test, which applies to a site owner or the person appointed to manage a site, is intended to ensure that those managing park home sites are competent to do so.Where properly applied by local authorities, the legislation has been shown to be effective.We will continue to monitor its operation and consider whether any changes are required.

Whether there is a quota for the number of tourist visas granted within a given time period.

No. There has been no change in policy towards tourism from that in place under the previous government.

If she will publish a list of the (a) mechanisms and (b) grounds for appeal of an Entry Clearance Officer's decision to refuse a tourist visa.

There is no right of appeal against refusal of a visit visa as this was removed by Parliament in 2013. Where someone applies for a visit visa and is refused, it is open to them to make a new application, in which they can address any reasons given in the refusal and provide any new evidence. There is also the ability to seek judicial review of a refusal decision or to use the complaints procedure by which applicants can raise concerns about the service provided to them. The complaints procedure is set out on the UK Visas and Immigration pages on gov.uk: Complaints procedure - UK Visas and Immigration - GOV.UK. The Home Office publishes further guidance on immigration appeals, which is available here: Current rights of appeal.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to expedite the development of affordable housing at Sawyers Close in Windsor.

The government will continue to work in partnership with local authorities, housing associations and the wider sector to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.

Communities and Local Government, how many cases are waiting to be assessed by the Building Safety Regulator.

We are aware that there have been delays for applicants in Gateway Two. The Building Safety Regulator have told applicants to currently plan on the basis of 20 weeks to clear Gateway Two, although we are seeing signs that this processing time is improving. This is compared to the Service Level Agreement of 12 weeks for new builds. We also understand there are specific applications which exceed current average processing timescales.The new regulatory approach for building control on higher-risk buildings represents a fundamental shift in the approach to building safety. The introduction of the new regulatory regime initially resulted in a lot of poor quality and incomplete applications. The BSR are supporting applicants to ensure they are meeting the functional requirements of the building regulations. It is worth noting that the requirements in the regulations are not new and rejected applications contribute to the processing time of compliant applications.We recognise the changes are still bedding in, however it is clear that the sector must also take responsibility for the projects they deliver. Guidance is available to support them in understanding their duties.MHCLG and BSR have taken the following actions to enable applications to be processed more efficiently:The BSR has recruited additional personnel and they are starting to process applications.The department has granted funding to HSE this financial year to improve its infrastructure, training and processes to maximise the BSR’s efficiency and effectiveness.MHCLG and the BSR are also reviewing how the multidisciplinary teams which assess applications are resourced, to enable faster stand-up times.We are aware of the wider issues with capacity and capability faced by the sector and the Government has invested £16.5 million in new local authority building control inspectors to support the BSR. The Government has also provided funding to support 111 additional Fire and Rescue staff to support the BSR. Work to recruit and train these additional staff is well underway.BSR continues to review guidance to industry on compliance with the building regulations.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to increase the number of claims processed by the Building Safety Regulator.

We are aware that there have been delays for applicants in Gateway Two. The Building Safety Regulator have told applicants to currently plan on the basis of 20 weeks to clear Gateway Two, although we are seeing signs that this processing time is improving. This is compared to the Service Level Agreement of 12 weeks for new builds. We also understand there are specific applications which exceed current average processing timescales.The new regulatory approach for building control on higher-risk buildings represents a fundamental shift in the approach to building safety. The introduction of the new regulatory regime initially resulted in a lot of poor quality and incomplete applications. The BSR are supporting applicants to ensure they are meeting the functional requirements of the building regulations. It is worth noting that the requirements in the regulations are not new and rejected applications contribute to the processing time of compliant applications.We recognise the changes are still bedding in, however it is clear that the sector must also take responsibility for the projects they deliver. Guidance is available to support them in understanding their duties.MHCLG and BSR have taken the following actions to enable applications to be processed more efficiently:The BSR has recruited additional personnel and they are starting to process applications.The department has granted funding to HSE this financial year to improve its infrastructure, training and processes to maximise the BSR’s efficiency and effectiveness.MHCLG and the BSR are also reviewing how the multidisciplinary teams which assess applications are resourced, to enable faster stand-up times.We are aware of the wider issues with capacity and capability faced by the sector and the Government has invested £16.5 million in new local authority building control inspectors to support the BSR. The Government has also provided funding to support 111 additional Fire and Rescue staff to support the BSR. Work to recruit and train these additional staff is well underway.BSR continues to review guidance to industry on compliance with the building regulations.

Communities and Local Government, what the average time was for the Building Safety Regulator to make a decision in the last 12 months.

We are aware that there have been delays for applicants in Gateway Two. The Building Safety Regulator have told applicants to currently plan on the basis of 20 weeks to clear Gateway Two, although we are seeing signs that this processing time is improving. This is compared to the Service Level Agreement of 12 weeks for new builds. We also understand there are specific applications which exceed current average processing timescales.The new regulatory approach for building control on higher-risk buildings represents a fundamental shift in the approach to building safety. The introduction of the new regulatory regime initially resulted in a lot of poor quality and incomplete applications. The BSR are supporting applicants to ensure they are meeting the functional requirements of the building regulations. It is worth noting that the requirements in the regulations are not new and rejected applications contribute to the processing time of compliant applications.We recognise the changes are still bedding in, however it is clear that the sector must also take responsibility for the projects they deliver. Guidance is available to support them in understanding their duties.MHCLG and BSR have taken the following actions to enable applications to be processed more efficiently:The BSR has recruited additional personnel and they are starting to process applications.The department has granted funding to HSE this financial year to improve its infrastructure, training and processes to maximise the BSR’s efficiency and effectiveness.MHCLG and the BSR are also reviewing how the multidisciplinary teams which assess applications are resourced, to enable faster stand-up times.We are aware of the wider issues with capacity and capability faced by the sector and the Government has invested £16.5 million in new local authority building control inspectors to support the BSR. The Government has also provided funding to support 111 additional Fire and Rescue staff to support the BSR. Work to recruit and train these additional staff is well underway.BSR continues to review guidance to industry on compliance with the building regulations.

Whether she has made cost benefit analysis of the Health and Care Worker visa.

Impact Assessments evaluating the impacts of policy changes to the Health and Care Worker route since it was established can be found at: Impact assessments covering migration policy - GOV.UK. These provide insight into specific economic impacts of the route, addressing matters such as direct and indirect business impacts and the visa fee revenue collected by the Home Office.Further analysis of the economic impact of those on the Health and Care Worker visa can be found in Chapter 1 of the independent Migration Advisory Committee’s 2024 Annual Report (Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) annual report, 2024 (accessible) - GOV.UK). The OBR also assesses the potential economic implications of net migration, to which those on the Health and Care Worker visa contribute, as part of their Economic and Fiscal outlook (Net migration forecast and its impact on the economy - Office for Budget Responsibility).

Whether her department records the (a) employment and (b) earnings of (i) people who arrived in the UK on a Health and Care Worker visa and (ii) their dependents.

Every migrant is required to submit a valid certificate of sponsorship (CoS) that details their employment and earnings whenever they apply for a skilled worker (including a Health and Care) visa. These details remain on our Sponsor Management System.Home Office staff carry out compliance checks on the employers that sponsor the migrant workers to verify their roles and earnings. No equivalent data is currently collected in respect of their dependents.