Written questions by Naish.

What steps his Department is taking to help upskill existing pharmacists to enable them to become independent prescribers, in the context that, from 2026, all newly qualified pharmacists will become prescribers from the point of registration.

The Government is committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better using the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes embedding services such as Pharmacy First and making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.The current seven conditions covered by Pharmacy First clinical pathways were informed by guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and were designed with input from an expert panel of clinicians. NHS England will keep the clinical scope of this service under review.The community pharmacy independent prescribing Pathfinder programme is currently piloting clinical models to inform a commissioning framework that can be used to deliver national and local National Health Service clinical services with a prescribing element.NHS England is funding up to 3,000 existing pharmacists each year to become independent prescribers and upskill the existing workforce to play a greater role in multidisciplinary clinical teams. This ensures we have more independent prescribers working in the community than ever before and is expected to lead to more diverse and rewarding careers in the community providing direct care for patients.To ensure adequate supervision during training, NHS England is also providing national funding of supervisors and Designated Prescribing Practitioners. This will ensure the NHS is ready to support and mentor the trainee pharmacists from 2025/26 alongside currently registered pharmacists learning to be independent prescribers.

For what reason Gonadotrophin-Releasing Hormone Analogues are permitted for treatment of precocious puberty but not gender incongruence.

Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues, puberty suppressing hormones, have been licenced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for the treatment of precocious puberty and certain types of cancer. In granting a licence for these purposes, the MHRA has made a robust assessment of safety and efficacy data for use in these specific indications.The MHRA has not licenced these medications for use in gender incongruence. There is not enough evidence about the long-term effects of using puberty suppressing hormones to treat gender incongruence to know whether they are safe or beneficial.This is why the Government is supporting NHS England to set up a study into the potential benefits and harms of puberty suppressing hormones as a treatment option for children and young people with gender incongruence. The trial aims to begin recruiting participants in spring 2025.

If she will meet with representatives of the ForThe100 to discuss the duty of care owed by higher education providers to their students.

The department is determined that children and young people receive the mental health care they deserve. This government is breaking down barriers to opportunity by providing young people with the mental health support they deserve. To support this, this government has committed to recruiting 8,500 additional staff across children and adult NHS mental health services.The department continues to work closely with students, parents, mental health experts and the higher education (HE) sector to drive meaningful change in mental health practice through the HE Mental Health Implementation Taskforce. The Taskforce recently published its second stage report, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/higher-education-mental-health-implementation-taskforce.The department’s position is that a duty of care in HE may arise in certain circumstances. Such circumstances would be a matter for the courts to decide, based on the specific facts and context of the case being considered, and will be dependent on the application by a court of accepted common law principles.My noble Friend, the Minister for Skills, welcomes the opportunity to meet with members of ForThe100 regarding these issues.

If he will take steps to encourage (a) pharmacists and (b) independent prescribers to work in the community.

The Government is committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better using the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes embedding services such as Pharmacy First and making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.The current seven conditions covered by Pharmacy First clinical pathways were informed by guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and were designed with input from an expert panel of clinicians. NHS England will keep the clinical scope of this service under review.The community pharmacy independent prescribing Pathfinder programme is currently piloting clinical models to inform a commissioning framework that can be used to deliver national and local National Health Service clinical services with a prescribing element.NHS England is funding up to 3,000 existing pharmacists each year to become independent prescribers and upskill the existing workforce to play a greater role in multidisciplinary clinical teams. This ensures we have more independent prescribers working in the community than ever before and is expected to lead to more diverse and rewarding careers in the community providing direct care for patients.To ensure adequate supervision during training, NHS England is also providing national funding of supervisors and Designated Prescribing Practitioners. This will ensure the NHS is ready to support and mentor the trainee pharmacists from 2025/26 alongside currently registered pharmacists learning to be independent prescribers.

What steps her Department plans to take to help (a) deaf and (b) other disabled people to find work.

Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched on 26 November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate. Employers play a key role in increasing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, to thrive as part of the workforce. Our support to employers includes increasing access to Occupational Health, Support with Employee Health and Disability service a digital information service for employers and the Disability Confident scheme. Appropriate work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals, including those who are deaf, to stay in work and get back into work, including those initiatives that join up employment and health systems. Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of taking (a) legislative and (b) regulatory steps to help improve lithium-ion battery safety; including in the planning application process for new battery energy storage systems.

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are regulated by the Health and Safety Executive within a robust framework which requires battery designers, installers, and operators to take the necessary measures to ensure health and safety through all stages of the system’s deployment. Government has updated planning practice guidance to encourage BESS developers to engage with local fire services and for local planning authorities to refer to guidance published by the National Fire Chiefs Council. Government has considered the merits of taking further steps, and in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan committed that Defra will consult by June 2025 on including BESS within the Environmental Permitting Regulations.

What steps she is taking to help end discrimination against disabled people.

We are tackling pay discrimination through our plan to make work pay – implementing disability pay gap reporting for large employers, and enshrining in law the right to equal pay for disabled people.On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, I announced new Lead Ministers for Disability in every Government department. Working together, we will break down barriers to opportunity and fulfil the manifesto commitment to ensure the views and voices of disabled people are at the heart of everything this Government does.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the fees charged by (a) not-for-profit children's home providers and (b) independent fostering agencies; and whether the proposed financial transparency measures set out in the Department's policy paper entitled Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive, published on 18 November 2024, will apply to charitable organisations operating in the children's social care sector.

Every child in care should have a safe, loving home which is also value for money for the taxpayer.However, some local authorities are on the brink of bankruptcy, in part due to the rising costs of spending on children in care which has increased significantly from £3.1 billion in 2009/10 to £8.1 billion in 2023/24. This is all while some providers are making excessive profits despite sometimes providing subpar care for our most vulnerable children.In their 2022 report, the Competition and Markets Authority examined prices and profits across the children’s social care market and estimated operating profit margins for the 15 largest providers between 2016 and 2020 were 22.6% for children’s homes, 19.4% for independent fostering agencies and 35.5% for supported accommodation.The department is clear that profiteering from vulnerable children in care is absolutely unacceptable and this is why the department is taking forward a package of measures to rebalance the children’s social care placement market and stamp out profiteering.The financial oversight measures set out in ‘Keeping children safe, helping families thrive’ will increase financial and corporate transparency among the most difficult to replace providers and their corporate owners.The scheme will apply to private, voluntary and charity providers of children’s homes and independent fostering agencies operating in England.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to consult on phasing out the use of cages for layer hens in England.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Wokingham, Clive Jones, on 31 October 2024, PQ UIN 11121 .

Which organisation is responsible for (a) litter collection and (b) tree management along the A52 in Nottinghamshire.

Responsibility for litter collection on the A52 in Nottinghamshire lies with the local authorities in the area, in this case that is Broxtowe Borough Council, Nottingham City Council and Rushcliffe Borough Council. National Highways is responsible for tree management on the A52 in Nottinghamshire, this includes cyclical inspections of trees within National Highways ownership and can include third party trees that are identified as being a significant and imminent hazard to the Strategic Road Network.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the results of the consultation entitled the Fur market in Great Britain, published on 31 May 2021.

Ministers are reviewing policies, which will be announced in due course, including the consultation on the Fur Market in Great Britain. Defra is continuing to build the evidence base on the fur sector. This includes commissioning our expert Animal Welfare Committee on what constitutes responsible sourcing of fur. The report that they produce will support our understanding of the fur industry and help inform our next steps. Labour Government will introduce the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation.

What steps she is taking to ensure that Highways England fulfils its statutory functions for (a) litter collection and (b) tree management.

The Department for Transport regularly engages with National Highways to discuss its performance and management of the Strategic Road Network.The Office for Road and Rail, as Highways Monitor, also plays an important role in monitoring on behalf of the Secretary of State, holding National Highways to account for its licence commitments to maintain, operate and improve motorways and major ‘A’ roads in England. Should the Office for Road and Rail deem that National Highways is not complying with its statutory functions or the requirements outlined in the Roads Investment Strategy, they may determine that enforcement action is appropriate.

What steps he is taking to ensure that domiciliary care is sustainably funded.

The Government is committed to reforming adult social care and improving the quality of care for people in need. That’s why we are taking steps to ensure all adult social care is sustainably funded, including domiciliary care. In 2025/26, the Government is providing at least £600 million in new grant funding for social care, as part of a broader estimated real terms increase in local government spending power of approximately 3.2%.

Whether her Department plans to take steps to (a) understand more about the relationship between smartphone use and young people’s mental health, (b) reduce any negative impact of those devices on young people’s mental health and (c) bring forward legislative proposals on the use of smartphones in schools.

Schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy that sets out what is expected of all pupils, including what items are banned from school premises. Additionally, the government’s non-statutory guidance supports schools on how to develop, implement and maintain a policy that prohibits the use of mobile phones throughout the school day. Headteachers are responsible for implementation of guidance within their schools. Research suggests excessive screentime can be detrimental to children’s wellbeing. The Online Safety Act aims to protects children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content and to ensure that technology companies take more responsibility for the safety of their users, particularly children.

What steps her Department is taking to improve approaches to tackling online crime.

As the Prime Minister has made clear the Government recognises the serious impact that online crime has on victims and wider society.This Government is working closely with tech companies to tackle criminal activity on their platforms. We are pressing ahead with the implementation of the Online Safety Act, which places duties on tech companies to take action to prevent the spread of illegal content online. The Act covers the full range of online harms including the most serious offences that can originate online, including child sexual exploitation and terrorism. We expect Ofcom to publish the first codes of practice on illegal content in December 2024. This will mark a significant shift in what we expect from platforms, as they will be required to assess illegal harms risk and implement appropriate safety measures by March 2025.Harmful content is just one component of online crime. Cybercrime where criminals gain unauthorised access to systems through hacking and other illegal methods is a significant challenge to the UK and our prosperity and security. This international problem requires an international response. Recently in conjunction with Singapore the UK has led innovative new policy guidance for ransomware victims.The new guidance agreed on 1st October 2024 at the Counter Ransomware Initiative summit will encourage organisations to carefully consider their options instead of defaulting to make payments to cyber criminals. This guidance also marks collaboration between government and the insurance industry on a global basis.

What steps he plans to take to include a focus on respiratory conditions in the NHS Long Term Plan.

The Ten Year Health Plan will consider the change needed to meet the three health mission goals: a fairer system where everyone lives well for longer; a National Health service that is there when people need it and fewer lives lost to the biggest killers. We will carefully be considering policies with input from patients, public, health staff and our stakeholders as we develop the plan, including on respiratory conditions.

What steps he plans to take to improve the (a) availability and (b) quality of data on respiratory health.

Chronic respiratory diseases are the third biggest contributor to Years of Life Lost in England. The annual economic burden of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on the National Health Service in the United Kingdom is estimated as £3 billion and £1.9 billion, respectively. In total, all lung conditions, including lung cancer, directly cost the NHS in the UK £11 billion annually. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/prevention/secondary-prevention/respiratory-high-impact-interventions/NHS England is working alongside a range of organisations with an interest in respiratory data, including Asthma and Lung UK, Health Data Research UK, and the British Thoracic Society, and have developed a collective vision for the future of high-quality respiratory data. The vision is due to be finalised in October 2024 and is supported by a working group of key stakeholders to take forward.

If he will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of respiratory conditions in (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2034.

Chronic respiratory diseases are the third biggest contributor to Years of Life Lost in England. The annual economic burden of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on the National Health Service in the United Kingdom is estimated as £3 billion and £1.9 billion, respectively. In total, all lung conditions, including lung cancer, directly cost the NHS in the UK £11 billion annually. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/prevention/secondary-prevention/respiratory-high-impact-interventions/NHS England is working alongside a range of organisations with an interest in respiratory data, including Asthma and Lung UK, Health Data Research UK, and the British Thoracic Society, and have developed a collective vision for the future of high-quality respiratory data. The vision is due to be finalised in October 2024 and is supported by a working group of key stakeholders to take forward.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to protect the welfare of farmed fish at slaughter.

Legislation on the protection of animals at the time of killing requires that farmed fish are spared avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations. In 2023 the Animal Welfare Committee’s updated Opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing was published. A GB-wide farmed trout joint Government and industry working group is now examining the issues raised in the report to explore the potential options for more detailed welfare at killing requirements. The Scottish Government are also working closely with the salmon industry.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the publication entitled The review for implementation of Schedule 3 to The Flood and Water Management Act 2010, published by his Department in January 2023, whether he plans to take steps to implement Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 to require the formation of sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) approval bodies.

Planning policy requires that Sustainable Drainage Systems are included in all new major developments, unless there is clear evidence that this would be inappropriate. The Government is currently assessing how best to implement its ambitions on sustainable drainage, while also being mindful of the cumulative impact of new regulatory burdens on the development sector.