Written questions by Kirkham.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the new Food Strategy Advisory Board will make assessment of the merits of the association between higher consumption of ultra-processed foods and adverse health outcomes.

The Food Strategy Advisory Board will stress test ideas and provide advice to shape the outcomes the food strategy should deliver, including looking at ways of improving health outcomes.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she has taken to ensure the effectiveness of permitted development rights for farms.

The government continues to keep permitted development rights under review.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of making (a) fipronil and (b) imidacloprid prescription-only.

Parasiticides containing imidacloprid and fipronil play a crucial role in protecting animal and human health against fleas, ticks, and the diseases they spread. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) also acknowledges concerns raised about their presence in the environment. The VMD is gathering evidence on the environmental impact of flea and tick treatments and has led in establishing the cross-government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) Group, which has developed a roadmap to help reduce levels of fipronil and imidacloprid in UK surface waters. The immediate priority is to work with stakeholders to promote appropriate use of topical parasiticides for pets, aiming to reduce environmental impacts. Beyond this, actions focus on building our evidence base to inform future policy activities. While we continue to assess emerging evidence, we consider it essential that these treatments remain appropriately accessible to all pet owners that may need them, in order to effectively manage parasitic disease, which has implications for animal welfare and human health. Therefore, at this stage, there are no plans to restrict flea and tick treatments to prescription. Any future regulatory decisions will be based on robust scientific evidence to ensure both environmental protection and continued access to essential veterinary medicines for pet owners.

What the average waiting time is for a practical driving test in Cornwall.

The table below shows the average waiting time in weeks for driving test centres (DTCs) that serve customers in Cornwall, as of 5 May 2025. DTCAverage waiting time as of the 5 May 2025 (in weeks).Bodmin24Cambourne24Launceston24

Media and Sport, how she plans to support listed places of worship with repairs and renovation after the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme ends.

Future Government spending is a matter for the 2025 Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to prevent long leases from becoming assured shorthold tenancies.

The Renters’ Rights Bill will abolish assured shorthold tenancies, so most private rented sector tenancies will be assured tenancies in future. The Bill will also exclude leases over 21 years in length from the assured tenancy regime. This will mean that long leases cannot be considered assured or assured shorthold tenancies once the Bill’s reforms have been brought into force. This will close the ‘Tenancy Trap’, a problem for some leasehold-homeowners where their properties can be repossessed via the assured tenancy possession ground for rent arrears.

Media and Sport, which listed places of worship have received grants under the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme in Truro and Falmouth constituency.

Reliable data from before 2022 is not available, but since August 2022, 16 listed places of worship have received awards to a total value of £126,888.95 through the grant scheme in the Truro and Falmouth constituency. These were Truro Cathedral receiving £72,954.73; Portscatho United Church receiving £10,851.15; St John the Evangelist Church receiving £6,800.77; St Moran Church receiving £5,916.02; St Ladock Church, Ladock receiving £5,000.00; St Mawes Church receiving £4,166.00; The Parish Church of St Probus and St Grace receiving £4,492.00; St Just in Roseland Church receiving £3,739.70; Kenwyn Parish Church receiving £3,508.00; St Budock Church receiving £1,804.81; King Charles the Martyr Church receiving £1,744.10; St Symphorian Church receiving £1,847.00; St Gerrans receiving £1,656.53; All Saints Parish Church, Falmouth receiving £1,400.00; All Hallows Church Of St Kea receiving £662.03; and Penryn Methodist Church receiving £354.11.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of permitting pay-as-you-save soft loans from community energy enterprises into solar panels on schools.

This government continues to look for opportunities to support schools in the growth of renewables in order to reduce emissions and energy bills. Options like Great British Energy’s scheme, which will provide funding to put rooftop solar panels on around 200 schools, provide a way forward.The department has considered the soft solar loan scheme models being offered by community energy enterprises. However, commercial loans by schools impact on public debt, and broader fiscal considerations at this time around accountability and achieving best value for investment mean schemes of this type cannot currently be supported.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of training convenience store staff and managers on the (a) administration and (b) acceptance of NHS Healthy Start cards.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) runs the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Retailers do not need to register to be part of the Healthy Start scheme. Retailers can accept Healthy Start card payments where they sell eligible Healthy Start foods, and where their store accepts Mastercard. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/retailers/The NHSBSA does not provide training for convenience store staff or managers. The NHSBSA provides a range of materials to help retailers promote the scheme and understand where the prepaid card is accepted. The NHSBSA provides a guide for retailers to explain how the scheme works, their role, and how to promote the scheme. A copy of this guide for retailers is attached.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the qualifying earnings threshold for free school meals on levels of child poverty in (a) Truro and Falmouth constituency, (b) the south west and (c) England.

The government is committed to delivering an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty by tackling the root causes and giving every child the best start in life. To support this, a new Ministerial taskforce has been set up to begin work on a Child Poverty Strategy, co-chaired by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.The continued provision of free school meals (FSM) to disadvantaged children also plays an important role in this. In total, this government spends around £1.5 billion annually on free lunches for 2.1 million school-age pupils under benefits-based FSM, and a further 1.3 million infant pupils under the universal infant free school meal scheme to ensure they receive a nutritious lunch. This includes 16,781 eligible pupils in Truro and Falmouth and 158,794 pupils in the South West.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of registering eligible households for (a) free school meal and (b) NHS Healthy Start entitlements through the Universal Credit system.

No such assessment has been made. The Universal Credit system permits Department for Education to check eligibility for Free School Meals and Department of Health and Social Care to check a citizen’s entitlement to Healthy Start vouchers.

What steps she is taking to support rural and regional universities to access funding.

Providers in rural and regional locations are important in supporting their local economies and driving the growth of skills in those areas.Providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) and in the ‘Approved (fee cap)’ category of registration, including those located in rural and regional areas, are allocated targeted grant funding through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG). The government provides this funding on an annual basis to support teaching and students in higher education, including expensive-to-deliver subjects, such as science and engineering and for students at risk of discontinuing their studies. Of the £1.4 billion recurrent funding distributed by the OfS for the 2024/25 academic year, more than two-thirds is being directed to support the provision of high-cost courses.Falmouth University, which makes an important local and regional contribution, is in receipt of SPG funding for the 2024/25 academic year.

What steps he is taking to ensure that everyone entitled to NHS Healthy Start is registered to receive it.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Those eligible for Healthy Start must apply to the NHSBSA to receive Healthy Start payments.All applicants, where they meet the eligibility criteria, must accept the terms and conditions of the Healthy Start prepaid card at the point of application. As the prepaid card is a financial product and cannot be issued without the applicant accepting these terms, the NHSBSA is not able to automatically provide eligible families with a prepaid card.We remain open to all viable routes to improve uptake to ensure that as many eligible people as possible are accessing the scheme, to support their children with a healthy start in life. In March 2025 Healthy Start supported over 359,000 people.

Whether she has assessed the potential merits of enabling local authorities to expand eligibility criteria for the Holiday Activities and Food programme to ensure that children who are (a) living in poverty and (b) do not qualify for free school meals can access the programme.

The holiday activities and food (HAF) programme supports disadvantaged children and their families with enriching activities, providing them with healthy food, helping them to learn new things, improving socialisation and benefitting their health and wellbeing during school holidays.The HAF programme, although aimed at those children in receipt of benefits related free school meals (FSM), is not exclusively for them. As set out in the HAF guidance, while the majority of funding that local authorities receive should be used for holiday club places for children in receipt of FSM, local authorities have discretion to use up to 15% of their funding to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of benefits-related FSM, but who the local authority believe could benefit from HAF provision. Local authorities are responsible for understanding the needs of the children and families in their area and ensuring that the programme reaches those who need it.Funding beyond March 2026 will be determined in the next government spending review.