Written questions by McMurdock.

How many a) nursing and b) residential care home beds have been lost in England due to provider closures in the past five years.

Over the past five years, 399 nursing homes registered with the Care Quality Commission have deactivated their locations in England. The following table shows the number of beds impacted (please note, this data does not include any data for new beds): YearBeds20213,77520224,13520234,07620243,46320252,371Total17,820 Over the past five years, 1,833 residential homes registered with the Care Quality Commission have deactivated their locations in England. The following table shows the number of beds impacted (please note, this data does not include any data for new beds): YearBeds20216,27520226,24420236,49120244,91620254,632Total28,558 The following table shows the total number of beds that have been impacted due to nursing home and residential home deactivations in England, over the past five years (please note, this data does not include any data for new beds): YearBeds202110,050202210,379202310,56720248,37920257,003Total46,378

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of social care workforce shortages on delayed discharges from hospitals in Essex.

The Department have made no assessment of the potential impact of social care workforce shortages on delayed discharges from hospitals in Essex.It is important that people are discharged promptly from hospital with the right support, both for their outcomes and to free up beds for other patients.The Government provides £9 billion through the Better Care Fund to be used jointly by the National Health Service and local authorities towards achieving agreed goals for reducing discharge delays.English local authorities have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care.That is why we are committed to transforming adult social care and supporting adult social care workers, turning the page on decades of low pay and insecurity. That is why we plan to introduce the first ever Fair Pay Agreement in 2028, backed by £500 million of funding to improve pay and conditions for the adult social care workforce.

What estimate he has made of the number of patients discharged from hospital to nursing or residential care placements outside their home local authority area due to local shortages of provision.

The Department does not hold an estimate of the number of patients discharged from hospital to nursing or residential care placements outside their home local authority area due to local shortages of provision. Local authorities have statutory responsibility for assessing and meeting eligible care needs and for arranging appropriate placements.Enabling people to be discharged from hospital more quickly and with the right support contributes to speedier recovery and better outcomes. In some instances, this may mean discharging a patient outside of their local area so that they can receive the most appropriate care after discharge.The Hospital Discharge and Community Support Guidance sets out that integrated care boards and local authorities should agree local arrangements to ensure that any decisions about the joint funding of care can be made swiftly. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hospital-discharge-and-community-support-guidance/hospital-discharge-and-community-support-guidanceThese arrangements should follow the Who Pays? guidance for services funded by the NHS, and reference ‘ordinary residence’ rules for services funded by local authorities, so that there is no adverse effect on timely discharge. The Who Pays? guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/who-pays/The Government provides £9 billion through the Better Care Fund (BCF) to be used jointly by the NHS and local authorities towards achieving agreed goals for reducing discharge delays. This February, the Government published guidance setting out new arrangements for the BCF. As well as supporting timely discharge from hospital, the BCF will also focus on services that help people regain independence and prevent avoidable admissions.

What steps is she taking to address waiting lists and delayed start dates for nursery placements.

The department continually monitors the sufficiency of childcare in Essex. The number of places on Ofsted’s Early Years Register in Essex rose by 4% (or 1,500) from 37,400 as at 31 December 2024 to 38,900 as at 31 December 2025.The department has regular contact with all local authorities in England about childcare sufficiency and any issues they are facing, including disclosing any waiting lists or delayed start times.The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is adequate to meet the requirements of parents and children.Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the ‘Early education and childcare’ statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents.Where the local authority reports any sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action they are taking to address those issues and, where needed, support them with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of nursery places in Essex.

The department continually monitors the sufficiency of childcare in Essex.Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the ‘Early education and childcare’ statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents.This government is boosting availability and access through the School-based Nursery programme, supporting school-led provision and private, voluntary and independent providers and childminders operating from school sites. Phase 1 is already delivering results, with £37 million awarded to 300 primary-phase schools, including 13 in Essex, creating up to 6,000 new childcare places in total.The department is due to announce successful Phase 2 projects in spring 2026.Where Essex reports any sufficiency challenges, the department discusses what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and, where needed, support them with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of staffing capacity in early years settings.

The early years workforce is at the heart of our mission to give every child the best start in life and deliver the Plan for Change. The department has seen strong growth in the workforce so far, with early years provision delivered by an estimated 353,700 paid staff in 2025, compared to 353,100 in 2024. We know more growth will be needed as children age into the 30 hours offer from September 2025 onwards, so we continue working closely with providers and local authorities.The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. No local authority is reporting sufficiency issues.We continue to support the sector to attract talented staff and childminders by creating conditions for improved recruitment alongside programmes to better utilise the existing workforce. Recruitment and retention are being boosted through national recruitment campaigns, financial incentives, new teacher training and apprenticeships routes.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled £271 million to clean up shipping and power coastal communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy regional distribution of funding from the £271 million clean maritime investment.

Regional investment levels will be assessed as part of the project bidding process, which operates through fair and open competition and is independently assessed. Since 2021, the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) has allocated £260 million in funding to over 200 projects in all 12 regions and nations of the UK, and we expect similar coverage for the recently announced £271m. To ensure the funding is widely communicated and all regions benefit from the competitions, we are working through Innovate UK to host industry events across the country. Innovate UK hosted a national briefing event online on the 19th of March, where details of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 7 were shared. This event is open to all organisations who are interested in applying to the CMDC7 competition. Further events will be held for the Zero Emission and Vessel Infrastructure scheme.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Better Care Fund on reducing hospital discharge delays caused by shortages in social care provision.

The Better Care Fund (BCF) provides around £9 billion in 2025/26 to support integrated planning between local authorities and integrated care boards, with reducing discharge delays identified as a key priority for local BCF plans.From 2026/27, the BCF is being reformed to support services that help people regain independence, such as intermediate care, rehabilitation and reablement services, prevent avoidable admissions, and support timely discharge from hospital. Over £9 billion will be committed to the BCF in 2026/27, and local systems will be expected to improve intermediate care by increasing capacity, ensuring services can meet demand, and strengthening both homebased and bed-based provision to reduce delays linked to social care provision.Whilst the Department has made no specific assessment of the potential impact of the BCF on reducing hospital discharge delays caused by shortages in social care, the Government recognises the importance of supporting more timely discharge.Previous research funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) has shown that the BCF helps reducing discharge delays though it did not specify whether these were caused by social care provision. More information is available at the following link:https://kar.kent.ac.uk/77827/1/bcf.pdfFrom August 2025, NHS England has started to publish data on the cost of discharge. This is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/discharge-delays/acute-discharge-situation-report/The publication includes the estimated cost of discharge delays due to capacity for people who have been in hospital seven days or longer. However, it is not possible to say whether the delays were caused by capacity constraints in social care, the National Health Service or elsewhere.This analysis does not include wider costs, such as opportunity cost of care foregone by not being able to admit other patients, or the cost to the patient themselves of being in an inappropriate setting. The estimates do not consider the alternative cost of providing health and care support to patients outside of the acute hospital setting if these patients were not delayed in hospital.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled £271 million to clean up shipping and power coastal communities, how much of the £271 million has been allocated to ports in Essex.

All UK SHORE funding, including the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition and the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure scheme, is allocated through fair and open competition. Assessments of the bids will be made once the application window closes, 15 July for CMDC Round 7 and 16 September for ZEVI Round 2. To date, UK SHORE funding has supported eleven different organisations in Essex, eight of which were small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is out of a total of 500 businesses across the UK, including 250 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The first two Clean Maritime Decarbonisation Competition (CMDC) rounds alone supported over 750 new and existing jobs. Ports in Essex have received £129,152 of UK SHORE funding to date.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled £271 million to clean up shipping and power coastal communities, what proportion of projects funded through the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition and the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure Fund are expected to involve small and medium-sized enterprises.

All UK SHORE funding, including the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition and the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure scheme, is allocated through fair and open competition. Assessments of the bids will be made once the application window closes, 15 July for CMDC Round 7 and 16 September for ZEVI Round 2. To date, UK SHORE funding has supported eleven different organisations in Essex, eight of which were small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is out of a total of 500 businesses across the UK, including 250 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The first two Clean Maritime Decarbonisation Competition (CMDC) rounds alone supported over 750 new and existing jobs. Ports in Essex have received £129,152 of UK SHORE funding to date.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled £271 million to clean up shipping and power coastal communities, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs in (a) the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency and (b) Essex expected to be created and supported as a result of the £271 million investment in clean maritime technologies and infrastructure.

All UK SHORE funding, including the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition and the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure scheme, is allocated through fair and open competition. Assessments of the bids will be made once the application window closes, 15 July for CMDC Round 7 and 16 September for ZEVI Round 2. To date, UK SHORE funding has supported eleven different organisations in Essex, eight of which were small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is out of a total of 500 businesses across the UK, including 250 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The first two Clean Maritime Decarbonisation Competition (CMDC) rounds alone supported over 750 new and existing jobs. Ports in Essex have received £129,152 of UK SHORE funding to date.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of repeat fly-tipping hotspots.

Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement action, such as prosecutions, to Defra, which the department have published annually since 2012, at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england. Defra does not hold data that allows for trends in more localised fly-tipping hotspots to be monitored.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is he taking to help prevent household waste fly-tipping.

The Government is taking action to prevent household waste being fly-tipped by supporting local authorities to make good use of their enforcement powers. Local authorities have powers to take enforcement action against offenders. Anyone caught fly-tipping may be prosecuted which can lead to a significant fine, a community sentence or even imprisonment. Instead of prosecuting, local authorities can choose to issue a fixed penalty notice (on-the-spot fine) of up to £1,000 to fly-tippers and £600 to householders who pass their waste to an unlicensed waste carrier.Following a review of local authorities’ powers to seize and crush vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, we have recently published best practice guidance and case studies on the website of the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group. This will support councils to make better use of their power to seize vehicles of suspected fly-tippers. An action that could lead to the local authority selling or crushing the vehicle.We are seeking powers in the Crime and Policing Bill to provide statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance to support councils to consistently, appropriately and effectively exercise these existing powers.Defra chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG), through which we work with a wide range of interested parties such as local councils, the Environment Agency, National Farmers Union and National Police Chiefs Council, to promote and disseminate good practice with regards to preventing fly-tipping.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to review the (a) maximum fines and (b) custodial penalties for fly-tipping offences.

The Government is taking action to clamp down on rogue waste operators by moving the regulation of waste management and transport from a light-touch registration system into environmental permitting. This will introduce tougher background checks for operators and tougher penalties for those who break the law.

Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of fly-tipping incidents in South Basildon and East Thurrock led to formal enforcement action over the past five years.

Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement action, such as prosecutions, to Defra, which the department has published annually since 2012, at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england. The data covers trends in the number of fly-tipping incidents, with a breakdown by land type, waste type and size as well as enforcement and prosecution actions undertaken for fly-tipping incidents. However, it does not include a breakdown of enforcement action taken by a constituency or district.

Pursuant to Answer of 5th March 2026 to Question 115670, what proportion of the £28.3 million for reading and writing initiatives has been allocated to schools in Essex.

The department’s £28.3 million funding will deliver a range of support for schools, including new training for primary schools, delivered through the English Hubs programme, to help children progress from the early stages of phonics through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school.Since the launch of a new continuous professional development (CPD) programme ‘Unlocking Reading’ in January 2026, 59% of secondary schools in England have signed up to the in-person training. We do not currently have a breakdown of how many of these are in Essex, but would encourage all secondary schools to express their interest via the website:https://fft.org.uk/literacy/unlocking-reading/The local English Hubs for schools in Essex are New Vision and Myland English Hubs. 29 schools in Essex are currently English Hub partner schools, receiving intensive support from literacy specialists with the teaching of early reading.Over 300 schools in Essex have received some form of support from the English Hubs programme since its launch, and 100 schools in Essex are signed up to access CPD provided by the Hubs this academic year.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Weekend voting and shopping centre polling stations to be trialled, published on 2 March 2026, what safeguards will be in place to ensure the secrecy of the ballot if a polling station is in a shopping centre.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 84647 on 31 October 2025. In August 2025, local authorities were invited to apply to pilot a range of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England. Authorities were required to demonstrate a clear understanding of the pilot objectives, feasibility to deliver within the timeframe, appropriate resourcing and supplier management, proportionate contingency planning, and effective communication arrangements. The Government is funding the costs of the flexible voting pilots. Final costs are not yet available. As with all elections, responsibility for the manner, conduct and security of polls lies with the Returning Officer. Voting hubs, either on or in advance of the regular day of poll, will be subject to the same security and secrecy provisions as regular polling stations. The Electoral Commission is responsible for carrying out an independent, statutory evaluation of the pilot schemes and will publish its findings.

What the average waiting time is for patients referred to community healthcare services in England.

NHS England does not publish a single national average waiting time for patients referred to community healthcare services.Community healthcare services cover a wide range of different service types, with varying referral routes and urgency profiles, and waiting times can differ significantly depending on the service provided and the local area.NHS England publishes monthly data on community health service waiting lists, which show the number of patients waiting for care within defined time bands rather than an overall average. These data include the number of patients waiting zero to one weeks, one to two weeks, two to four weeks, four to 12 weeks, 12 to 18 weeks, 18 to 52 weeks, 52 to 104 weeks, and over 104 weeks, and are available at a national, regional, integrated care system, and provider level.The data indicates that over one million people are waiting for community health services in England, with waiting times varying widely by service type, age group, and geography. NHS England continues to improve the coverage and quality of community health services data to support transparency and service improvement.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to community healthcare services in rural areas.

Integrated care boards are responsible for the planning and commissioning of community health services. In doing so, integrated care boards (ICBs) must take into account the needs of their local population, which includes meeting the healthcare needs of their rural populations as part of the shift from hospitals to community.We know people are waiting too long for community health services. That is why, for the first time, we have set a clear target for systems to work to reduce long waits in NHS England’s Medium-Term Planning Framework.By 2028/29 at least 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks, bringing community health services in line with targets for elective care.In 2025, we published for the first time an overview of the core community health services, Standardising Community Health Services, that ICBs should consider when planning for their local populations to support improved commissioning and delivery of community health services, a vital part of neighbourhood health. Further guidance was published in February 2026, providing more detailed descriptions of the core components of community health services for ICBs.A consistent definition of core community health services will enable systems to measure demand, capacity, and workforce, and reduce unwarranted variation.The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Weekend voting and shopping centre polling stations to be trialled, published on 2 March 2026, what discussions he has had with local authorities on their capacity to conduct early in-person voting.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 84647 on 31 October 2025. In August 2025, local authorities were invited to apply to pilot a range of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England. Authorities were required to demonstrate a clear understanding of the pilot objectives, feasibility to deliver within the timeframe, appropriate resourcing and supplier management, proportionate contingency planning, and effective communication arrangements. The Government is funding the costs of the flexible voting pilots. Final costs are not yet available. As with all elections, responsibility for the manner, conduct and security of polls lies with the Returning Officer. Voting hubs, either on or in advance of the regular day of poll, will be subject to the same security and secrecy provisions as regular polling stations. The Electoral Commission is responsible for carrying out an independent, statutory evaluation of the pilot schemes and will publish its findings.