Written questions by Kirkham.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed increase to the standard qualifying period for settlement on trends in the level of NHS staffing levels.

A technical annex has been published alongside the White Paper. It can be found at the following link: Restoring control over the immigration system: white paper - GOV.UKWe will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time. An impact assessment will be developed alongside any finalised policy.

When she will publish the consultation on the earned settlement scheme.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time.

Whether the proposed increase to the standard qualifying period for settlement to ten years will apply retrospectively.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed increase to the standard qualifying period for settlement on (a) higher education and (b) research.

A technical annex has been published alongside the White Paper. It can be found at the following link: Restoring control over the immigration system: white paper - GOV.UK.We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time. An impact assessment will be developed alongside any finalised policy.

What steps she is taking to help ensure the sustainability of early years providers.

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity. We want 75% of children to achieve a good level of development by the end of reception by 2028. By focusing on child development rather than just childcare, the government aims to ensure that children are better prepared for school and future learning.In 2025/26 alone, we plan to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements. This is a more than 30% increase compared to 2024/25, as we roll out the expansion of the entitlements.As announced at the Spending Review, the government will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents. Employment Allowance is being increased to protect businesses by providing relief of up to £10,500 per annum on their employer Class 1 National Insurance Contributions liabilities from 6 April 2025. Early years childcare providers are entitled to claim the Employment Allowance if they are private businesses or charities, and we expect the vast majority will be eligible to do so.

Whether she has reviewed the effectiveness of legislation relating to joint enterprise.

Joint enterprise is a complex area of law which is not set out in statute but evolves through case law. It is an important principle ensuring that those who act with others to commit crimes are held to account.The Government is aware of concerns about the use of joint enterprise, and understands its importance, particularly in terms of the consequences that can result from convictions. The Crown Prosecution Service is collecting data on joint enterprise homicide/attempted homicide cases and will publish a report later this year. In addition, the Law Commission review of criminal appeals is considering the “out of time” appeals process which is an issue of relevance to historic joint enterprise cases decided before the 2016 case of Jogee.

What progress his Department has made on issuing payments to terminally ill veterans under the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme.

The Ministry of Defence has made significant progress in issuing payments to terminally ill Veterans under the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme. All eligible terminally ill Veterans who have applied for the Dismissed or Discharged payment have been paid. We have been prioritising payment to the elderly and those with serious health conditions to ensure they receive support as quickly as possible, with the first payments issued as planned within 15 weeks of the scheme going live to these prioritised groups. Some cases are more complex and require additional time due to the unique and individual circumstances involved. We envisage the scheme speeding up once the most complex cases are delt with.

How many payments have been issued under the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme.

As of 9 June 2025, 44 Veterans had received payments through the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS). Payments made by the FRS are not compensation payments and do not seek to compensate for any pecuniary losses or attempt to place personnel in a financial position they could have been in, had the ban not existed. We have been prioritising payments to the elderly and those with serious health conditions to ensure they receive support as quickly as possible, with the first payments issued as planned within 15 weeks of the scheme going live to these prioritised groups. Some cases are more complex and require additional time due to the unique and individual circumstances involved. We envisage the scheme speeding up once the most complex cases are delt with.

Communities and Local Government, if she will consider introducing enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks as a condition of being a councillor.

Disclosure and Barring Service checks (‘DBS checks’) for local government members are currently optional; it is for individual local authorities to adopt eligible DBS checks as they feel necessary.I am considering the benefits and disbenefits to potential changes in local government member DBS check policy.

Communities and Local Government, if she will consider introducing stronger (a) censure and (b) sanction options for serious breaches of member codes of conduct in local authorities.

In December 2024 the Government launched a consultation seeking views on proposed measures to strengthen the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England, including the introduction of the sanction of suspension, to empower local authorities to deal appropriately member misconduct where it arises. The Government Response will be issued in due course. After its release, we will continue to work actively with local government on developing the detailed policies for implementation.

What assessment she made made of the potential impact of the Crime and Policing Bill on levels of protections for (a) bank, (b) building society and (c) banking hubs workers.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, this Government has introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.Our definition of a ‘retail worker’ is intentionally narrow given the vital need to provide legal clarity and ensure there is no ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker, and the assault took place in the course of their work. The Government does not plan to include bank, building society or banking hub workers within the new offence.Assaults against workers in these sectors are already an offence (common assault) under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and are covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public, including public-facing roles in banks and building societies.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 50758 on Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors: Sexual Dysfunction, which regulatory options are under consideration; and what his planned timeframe is for the review.

Following the next meeting of the Expert Working group (EWG), the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will seek advice from the Commission on Human Medicines on the recommendations of the EWG, on a wide range of regulatory options for the communication of the risk of sexual dysfunction where symptoms continue after taking antidepressants.Once the regulatory procedure is completed, a public assessment report will be published which will contain the evidence underpinning any regulatory action. The MHRA anticipates that regulatory action will be finalised in Autumn 2025.

What steps she is taking to ensure that (a) transgender and (b) intersex (i) people and (ii) groups are consulted on Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance on the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.

The EHRC has opened its consultation on the draft updated statutory Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations, seeking views from affected stakeholders. We encourage people to ensure their views are heard by submitting a response to the consultation by Monday 30th June. We will consider the final draft Code once it has been submitted and engage with the EHRC to ensure it provides the further certainty and clarity service providers need, in line with the ruling.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that fire and rescue services have the (a) personnel and (b) life saving equipment they need to safely respond to incidents of (i) flooding, (ii) wildfires and (iii) other extreme weather events.

The 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement, published on 3 February by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG), sets out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £65.5m in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority.MHCLG also supports fire and rescue authorities in responding to flood incidents by providing national resilience High Volume Pump (HVP) capability comprising 45 HVPs.Additionally, since 2024 the government has funded a national resilience wildfire advisor to consider whether additional national wildfire capabilities might be needed within the Fire and Rescue Services and to increase the coordination approaches across the sector.The Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure Fire and Rescue Services have the resources they need to protect communities.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to align the UK with EU regulatory protections for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in his revised Environmental Improvement Plan.

The revised EIP, which will be published later this year, will set out action the government is taking to address environment risks from chemicals, including PFAS. We have reset our relations with our European partners, and we now need to use our strengthened relations to deliver a long-term UK-EU strategic partnership. However, it is too early to comment on the outcome of discussions linked to the UK/EU Summit that takes place on 19 May.

What guidance (a) his Department and (b) NHS England provide to people who are prescribed SSRIs on the risks of developing Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved product information provided to healthcare professionals and patients for all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) was updated in 2019 to inform them that reports had been received of long-lasting sexual dysfunction where symptoms continue despite discontinuation of the SSRI. The MHRA was an integral part of the European Union-wide review of the available evidence, which underpinned the current warnings. An Expert Working Group of the Commission on Human Medicines has been established to review evidence from patients and the scientific literature available since 2019, to address concerns about the ongoing lack of awareness of the existing warnings in the product information. A range of regulatory options are under consideration to help improve the communication of the risk of sexual dysfunction where symptoms continue after taking SSRIs.

If he will recognise Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction as a condition.

The current Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved product information for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has a warning for the risk of sexual dysfunction where symptoms continue despite stopping treatment. The term Post SSRI Sexual Dysfunction was added to the regulatory dictionary in 2021, which will help with the recording and retrieval of Yellow Card data and literature cases, and in the future, will contribute to the much needed research into this important health issue. Persistent sexual dysfunction following withdrawal of an SSRI, as a disorder, was added to the electronic health records system SNOMED in October 2024, as a code that will help with the clinical identification of patients with persistent sexual dysfunction, including after taking SSRIs. An Expert Working Group of the Commission on Human Medicines has been established by the MHRA to consider how the risk of sexual dysfunction which continues after stopping antidepressants use is communicated in patient information leaflets, however this work will not address the clinical recognition of post-SSRI sexual dysfunction, as that is outside the remit of the MHRA.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the recommendations of the report entitled Recipe for health: A plan to fix our broken food system by the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee, published on 24 October 2024.

After the House of Lords’ Food, Diet and Obesity Committee report published in October 2024, the Government published its response to the report on 30 January 2025. It is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-house-of-lords-food-and-health-reportThe Government welcomed the report and gave thanks to everyone involved in giving evidence and producing the recommendations. The response agreed with the committee’s assessment of the challenges in the food environment driving obesity rates. To best direct further policy action here, we are developing the National Health Service’s 10-Year Health Plan as well as a cross-Government Food Strategy, and will make more information available in due course.As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, we are committed to achieving our Health Mission to build an NHS fit for the future, and under the 10-Year Health Plan to shift from sickness to prevention.

What support is available for people discontinuing anti-depressants.

In 2022, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published the guideline Medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms: safe prescribing and withdrawal management for adults, which makes recommendations on discontinuing antidepressant medication. This is also addressed in Depression in adults: treatment and management. Further information on the guidelines on medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms and depression in adults is available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng215https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng222/chapter/RecommendationsIn 2023, NHS England published Optimising personalised care for adults prescribed medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms: Framework for action for integrated care boards (ICBs) and primary care. The framework includes five actions, resources, and case studies to help develop plans that can support people who are taking medicines associated with dependence and withdrawal symptoms. The framework is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/optimising-personalised-care-for-adults-prescribed-medicines-associated-with-dependence-or-withdrawal-symptoms/NHS England is also encouraging ICBs to address inappropriate antidepressant prescribing and to consider commissioning services for patients wishing to reduce or stop prescribed medicines that can cause dependence and withdrawal. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-medicines-optimisation-opportunities-2023-24/The Government recognises that too many people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long. This is why we are committed to ensuring we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health, so that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a tax on ultra-processed food.

The ‘Strengthening the Soft Drinks Industry Levy’ consultation, published last month, seeks ways to encourage producers to remove added sugar from soft drinks. Specifically, it sets out proposals to reduce the minimum sugar threshold at which the levy applies from 5g to 4g sugar per 100ml, and to remove the current exemptions for milk-based and milk substitute drinks with added sugar. These changes would be estimated to reduce calorie consumption by 15 million kcal per day in children and 46 million kcal per day in adults, achieving health and economic benefits of around £4.2 billion over 25 years.