Written questions by Brown-Fuller.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of full-time psychiatrists in the NHS (a) nationally and (b) in Chichester constituency.

Decisions about recruitment are matters for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.However, we know that the NHS has been facing workforce shortages for a number of years. While there has been growth in the mental health workforce over recent years, more is needed. That is why, as part of our mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, the Government is recruiting an additional 8,500 mental health workers, including psychiatrists, by the end of this Parliament. We are more than halfway towards this target, which will help to ease pressure on busy mental health services.

Whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing schemes that that would reduce the cost of replacement passports to those in receipt of (a) state and (b) other pensions.

All income from passport fees is used to meet the cost of processing passport applications and delivering associated services, and any reduction in fees would need to be considered in terms of its impact on the funding of those services.

What steps he is taking to widen access to appropriate therapy treatments for people with post-traumatic stress disorder (a) nationally and (b) in Chichester constituency.

The NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board is responsible for commissioning services to meet the mental health needs of the people in Chichester.People with post-traumatic stress disorder can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies or their general practitioner can refer them.Nationally, the Government is investing an extra £688 million this year to transform mental health services. We have chosen to prioritise funding to expand NHS Talking Therapies, so that the number of people completing a course of treatment is expected to increase by 384,000 by 2028/29.We are also delivering on our commitment to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers for children and adults by the end of this Parliament. We are more than halfway towards this target, which will help to ease pressure on busy mental health services.

How many and what proportion of appeals in the First-tier Tribunal for (a) Personal Independence Payment, (b) Disability Living Allowance and (c) Employment and Support Allowance were upheld in favour of the claimant in the last year.

Information on overturned appeals for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) can be found in Table SSCS_3 of the Tribunal Statistics Quarterly publication here: Tribunals statistics - GOV.UK.

What proportion of Disability Living Allowance Tribunal hearings her Department sent a presenting officer to in the last year.

The information requested on the proportion of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Tribunal hearings the Department sent a presenting officer to is not readily available within the Department. However, we estimate that 47% of DLA Tribunal hearings had a presenting officer in FY2024/25. This estimate uses DWP internal statistics on total number of DLA Hearings Attended by presenting officers and published statistics on number of DLA disposals cleared at hearing from Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS).

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report entitled World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative UK Report 2024, published in March 2025.

The Government is committed to giving children the best start in life, and infant feeding plays a crucial role in achieving this. We recognise the concerns raised in the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative’s United Kingdom report and are considering the recommendations.We are already taking action to improve infant feeding support. We are strengthening the midwifery and health visiting workforce and building on these services by investing £18.5 million this year for infant feeding services through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 75 local authorities in England. We are also investing in the National Breastfeeding Helpline which provides UK-wide support 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and are expanding Start for Life communications.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) paid flexible breastfeeding breaks and (b) suitable facilities to (i) breastfeed, (ii) express and (iii) store milk in (A) workplaces and (B) places of education.

The Government provides advice to employers on requirements and best practice arrangements on breastfeeding. Under health and safety law an employer must provide a suitable area where pregnant workers and breastfeeding mothers can rest, with additional advice that this should:include somewhere to lie down if necessarybe hygienic and private so they can express milk if they choose to – toilets are not a suitable place for thisinclude somewhere to store their milk, for example a fridgeEmployers must complete an individual risk assessment for workers who are pregnant, breastfeeding or have given birth in the last 6 months. This risk assessment must be regularly reviewed and provides an opportunity for employers to review arrangements for workers who are breastfeeding and discuss any concerns they may have. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provide guidance on rest breaks and breastfeeding at work: Protecting pregnant workers and new mothers: employers - Rest and breastfeeding at work Acas also provide guidance on: Returning to work - Maternity leave and pay - Acas While Schools and Colleges are not legally required to provide dedicated breastfeeding or lactation facilities for students, they are expected to comply with broader obligations under the Equality Act 2010, which protects students from discrimination related to pregnancy and maternity. Many institutions choose to support student parents by offering private, hygienic spaces for breastfeeding or expressing milk, often as part of their commitment to inclusivity and wellbeing. However, it's important to note that colleges are autonomous bodies, meaning the availability and nature of such facilities can vary significantly between institutions. Students are encouraged to contact their college’s student services or equality office to inquire about available support and request reasonable accommodations where needed.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of widening the scope of the infant formula legislation to include the (a) digital and (b) other marketing of all (i) formula milks up to age 36 months and (ii) (A) bottles, (B) teats and (C) other equipment.

Infant feeding is critical to a baby’s healthy growth and development. The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life, and that includes helping families to access support to feed their baby.Whilst breastfeeding has significant health benefits, we recognise that for those families that cannot or choose not to breastfeed, it is vital that they have access to infant formula that is affordable and high quality. Infant formula regulations ensure that all infant formula and follow on formula are safe and meet the nutritional requirements of babies and infants.The regulations cover the composition, marketing, and labelling of infant formula and follow-on formula but they do not cover bottle, teats, or other equipment, and there are no plans to extend the regulations to these areas nor to extend the regulations to other formula milks.

What plans his Department has to improve the (a) protection, (b) promotion and (c) support of optimal infant feeding.

It is important that all families are supported to make the right choices for them and to achieve their infant feeding goals. This includes families who cannot breastfeed or choose not to. We know that breastfeeding has significant benefits and are committed to encouraging and supporting breastfeeding.Most families will receive infant feeding information and support from midwives and health visitors. We are taking action to strengthen these services. We are taking further steps, including investing £18.5 million through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 2025/26 to encourage breastfeeding and to provide infant feeding support across 75 local authorities in England. We have increased the capacity of the National Breastfeeding Helpline. The Start for Life communication programme also includes advice on breast and bottle-feeding and introducing solid foods.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of autism assessments in (a) England and (b) Chichester constituency.

The Government has recognised that, nationally, the demand for assessments for autism has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays for accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future, and it recognises the need for early intervention and support, without the need for diagnosis.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including provision of autism services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the NHS to deliver improved outcomes for children, young people, and adults referred to an autism assessment service. The guidance also sets out what support should be available before an assessment and what support should follow a recent diagnosis of autism, based on the available evidence. Since publication, NHS England has been supporting systems and services to identify where there are challenges for implementation and how they might overcome these.

Whether her Department's rollout of Best Start Family Hubs will include (a) provisions and (b) support services for home-educating families.

On 7 July, the government published ‘Giving every child the Best Start in Life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life. This outlines the government’s commitment to deliver a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services. The department will provide over half a billion pounds of investment in the Best Start Family Service over the 2026/29 spending review period.Best Start Family Hubs will provide both universal and targeted support, with open-access activities and referral routes for families with complex needs. They will bring together professionals from health, education, early years, and community services, prioritising delivery in areas of disadvantage, where families face the greatest barriers to support. Each Best Start Family Hub will have a children and family services professional specifically trained in working to support inclusion for children with additional needs.

Whether her Department's rollout of Best Start Family Hubs will include (a) provisions and (b) support services for home-educating families that require SEND support.

On 7 July, the government published ‘Giving every child the Best Start in Life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life. This outlines the government’s commitment to deliver a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services. The department will provide over half a billion pounds of investment in the Best Start Family Service over the 2026/29 spending review period.Best Start Family Hubs will provide both universal and targeted support, with open-access activities and referral routes for families with complex needs. They will bring together professionals from health, education, early years, and community services, prioritising delivery in areas of disadvantage, where families face the greatest barriers to support. Each Best Start Family Hub will have a children and family services professional specifically trained in working to support inclusion for children with additional needs.

What steps his Department is taking to improve NHS 111 response times.

The Government is committed to continuing to improve NHS 111 to ensure patients can access the right care the first time, only visiting accident and emergency when necessary.The latest published data shows that May 2025 saw the lowest average NHS 111 call answer time since records began in April 2021, 4 seconds faster than in April 2025, and 58 seconds faster than in May 2024. The average NHS 111 call answer time in the year to date is 46 seconds, compared to 157 seconds in the same period in 2024.Whilst NHS 111 response times have improved, we recognise there is more to do. On 6 June 2025, we published our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, which includes the commitment to publish and implement the recommendations from the NHS 111 review to make the service quicker and simpler to navigate.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of excluding dental therapists from the skilled worker visa scheme on NHS dentistry provision.

On 12 May, we published our Immigration White Paper ‘Restoring Control over the Immigration System’, outlining our future approach to legal migration routes. The first set of immigration rules giving effect to the policies in the White Paper was published on 1 July, including raising the skills threshold to RQF 6 and we will publish an impact assessment of this change in due course.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of trends in levels of charges incurred at ports due to customs procedures on small businesses.

HMRC and Border Force do not typically charge for any customs related processes or checks carried out at ports, and any costs levied at ports are a commercial matter for port operators. HMRC is committed to making customs processes as simple as possible while ensuring effective checks are in place at the border and to reducing trader burden related to complying with customs obligations.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the rates for Extended Producer Responsibility fees for more recyclable materials.

The RAM has been used by producers to assess packaging recyclability from January 2025.  The RAM is an important aspect of pEPR as it will determine the modulation sub-category, and therefore the level of fees applicable to that material, with higher fees applied to less sustainable packaging. Fee modulation will begin from year two of the scheme for payments in the 2026/27 financial year, based on 2025 producer data. We have made a full impact assessment of implementing packaging extended producer responsibility will have which we published when The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 were laid before parliament. The Government will continue to monitor modulation to ensure fees reward improved recyclability.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of a reduction on the savings limit on Individual Savings Accounts on savers.

The Government is committed to incentivising greater saving and investment. Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) help people save for their future goals and build greater financial resilience. The Government recognises the important role that cash savings play in helping households build a financial buffer for a rainy day. The Government also wants to see more consumers participate in capital markets and benefit from the long-term financial security and returns that investing can provide. The impact of any changes to ISAs would be set out in a tax information impact note. The Government continues to keep all aspects of savings policy under review.

If she will take steps to set up an independent body to process Disclosure and Barring Service checks with formalised processing time targets.

As an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body of the Home Office, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is already an operationally independent body. It also already operates to formalised service standards of completing 85% of Basic check applications within 2 days, 85% of Standard check applications within 3 days, and 80% of Enhanced check applications within 14 days.Its latest performance against these service standards is available at DBS dataset 1: DBS checks, DBS Update Service, and disputes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of basing the calculation of Extended Producer Responsibility fees on volume.

The Government is not considering the adoption of a units-based metric. In accordance with the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, Extender Producer Responsibility disposal fees for packaging are calculated in £ per tonne of household packaging placed on the market. Producers report the packaging they supply on a weight basis, and the costs for managing different material types, such as glass, are apportioned according to relevant cost drivers for their collection and management, including the volume of the container in bins and collection vehicles. This ensures the fair apportionment of costs between material types in line with the regulations.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of job opportunities for newly qualified nurses.

Decisions on the employment of newly qualified nurses are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts, which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.We are working closely with NHS England, employers, universities, and regional nursing leads to ensure support is in place to help graduating nurses find a role as soon as possible after qualification and transition into the workplace.