Written questions by Kirkham.

Media and Sport, regarding the Better Youth Spaces Fund, what the timeline is for Phase 2; what the criteria will be; and whether it will include rural and coastal areas.

Awaiting answer.

What steps HMRC takes to publicise closing dates for applications for funded childcare.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the number of rural properties that will struggle to reach the minimum EPC C rating by the 2030 deadline for all rental properties.

Awaiting answer.

What recent discussions his Department has had with NHS England on expanding medical exemption criteria to include people with multiple sclerosis dependent on long-term medication.

Awaiting answer.

Whether she has considered financing the provision of EpiPens for all children in an educational establishment.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of calculating student loan repayments on an annual basis so that people with fluctuating monthly incomes are not penalised and required to make larger repayments than those with stable incomes.

Awaiting answer.

Whether the government plans to review procurement rules that prevent local authorities from prioritising UK-built buses.

Awaiting answer.

Whether businesses that re-power existing buses will be eligible for future government funding rounds for zero-emissions buses.

Awaiting answer.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of trends in notices to quit issued under paragraph 31 of the Electronic Communications Code; and what comparative assessment she has made of those trends with the valuation provisions introduced by the 2017 Code reforms.

Awaiting answer.

Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a register of mobile sites and their legal status to monitor telecoms masts at risk of removal after a site provider serves a notice to quit.

Awaiting answer.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of implementing sections 61 to 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 on existing mobile mast sites and on the number of notices to quit issued under paragraph 31 of the Electronic Communications Code.

Awaiting answer.

Whether the new community sponsorship safe routes will be open to nationals from Myanmar.

In the Restoring Order and Control statement, published in November 2025, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes. This included the creation of a named sponsorship scheme and capped routes for refugee and displaced students to come to the UK to study or for work.Work is underway to deliver the new routes. Further details, including who will be eligible for the new routes, will be set out in due course.

Whether the new work and study immigration routes will be open to nationals from Myanmar.

In the Restoring Order and Control statement, published in November 2025, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes. This included the creation of a named sponsorship scheme and capped routes for refugee and displaced students to come to the UK to study or for work.Work is underway to deliver the new routes. Further details, including who will be eligible for the new routes, will be set out in due course.

Whether she has considered financing the provision of EpiPens for all children in an educational establishment.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on the Horticulture Sector Growth Plan.

Defra is preparing a Sector Growth Plan for the horticulture sector, following the first meeting of the Farming and Food Partnership Board in March. Defra officials are meeting with horticulture sector experts to shape an industry-led, sector-owned plan that brings together Government and industry expertise. The plan will identify key industry challenges and opportunities to boost productivity and profitability, while cutting environmental impact, and taking into account market realities and government priorities.

What assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of the time taken and (b) effectiveness of the General Optical Council's action in cases of malpractice.

The Department has regular discussions with the General Optical Council (GOC) on regulatory matters.While the GOC is an independent regulator responsible for managing its fitness to practise processes, the Government expects the GOC to take steps to improve the efficiency and timeliness of case handling.In March 2026, the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) published its 2024/25 performance review of the GOC, concluding that that it met all 18 Standards of Good Regulation, including those relating to fitness to practise. The PSA found that most fitness to practise investigations were timely and adequate, with risks managed appropriately. However, the PSA identified some areas for improvement which the GOC is addressing through an action plan. The PSA will monitor the progress of this plan as part of its continuous oversight of GOC’s performance.In parallel, the Department is progressing wider, longer-term reforms to the regulatory frameworks of the healthcare professional regulators. These will enable them to be more responsive to changes in the health and care workforce and give them the flexibility to modernise their fitness to practise processes whilst maintaining public protection.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to maximise UK food security in the context of climate instability.

Steps being taken to maximise food security in the context of climate instability include: An £11.8 billion allocation to deliver sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. This includes increasing spend on nature-friendly farming, with Environmental Land Management Schemes to £2bn by 2028/29. £120 million in funding, starting this year, to improve productivity, trial new technologies and drive innovation across the agricultural sector. £70 million of this funding has been allocated to Farming Innovation Programme grants, supporting investment in new technologies to boost Britain’s food security. Defra investment, with the Met Office Hadley Centre, in the Food, Farming and the Natural Environment programme strengthen the evidence base on adaptation options and identify and evaluate key adaptation measures to improve agri-food sector, resilience.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing the Child Maintenance Service to issue a deduction from earnings order rather than a deduction of earnings request to HM Paymaster General when the paying parent is a member of the armed forces.

Deduction from Earnings Orders (DEO) are applied as a method of payment where the Child Maintenance Service deducts maintenance directly from the Paying Parent’s wages. The DEO is primarily used to enforce payments but can be set up voluntarily. Deduction from Earnings Requests are similar to a Deduction from Earnings Order but used for Paying Parents who are serving members of the Armed Forces. The Child Maintenance Service can only request a deduction to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and, unlike with civilian employers, they cannot order or enforce payments. MOD policy aims to comply with requests; however, if the Paying Parent is committed to operational duties MOD may suspend the collection of debt. The Child Maintenance Service takes action to ensure the correct method of payment is applied by identifying whether a Paying Parent is in the Armed Forces through its use of Real Team Information (RTI) Data taken from HMRC. This provides up to date information about Pay As You Earn income as the information submitted by employers online is displayed in RTI immediately. To ensure that the correct method of payment is used for a Paying Parent who is serving in the Armed Forces, caseworkers are provided with step-by-step procedural instructions and training.

Whether she has considered the potential merits of making farmers with land in a Self-Invested Personal Pension eligible for Agricultural Property Relief.

Assets do not qualify for agricultural property relief or business property relief when held within a pension. This is because the pension member is not treated for inheritance tax purposes as beneficially entitled to the underlying assets held by the pension scheme. This is consistent with the existing policy on the treatment of assets held by a pension scheme and there are no plans to make any changes.

What steps he has taken to protect whistleblowers in the NHS.

The Employment Rights Act 1996, as amended by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, gives employees protection against unfair dismissal and detriment in employment on the basis that they have made a protected disclosure, as well as a right to seek remedy through an employment tribunal where this occurs. Separate regulations also protect National Health Service job applicants from discrimination on the grounds they have made a protected disclosure in the past. In addition to legal protections, there is a range of support in place for NHS workers who wish to report concerns, including local Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, a National Freedom to Speak Up policy, and support from independent organisations such as Speak Up Direct. Through delivery of the 10‑Year Health Plan, we will ensure that the Care Quality Commission, as part of its existing inspection and regulatory responsibilities, takes account of whether NHS providers have effective Freedom to Speak Up arrangements, where this forms a relevant line of enquiry. Where relevant, this includes whether providers have effective whistleblowing arrangements in place and whether staff feel able to raise concerns safely without fear of detriment.