Written questions by Shannon.

What steps he is taking to reform Access to Work.

The Pathways to Work Green Paper launched a consultation on the future of Access to Work which has now concluded. We are considering responses to the consultation and will set out our plans in due course. We also have recently concluded the Access to Work Collaboration Committees, in which we engaged with a range of stakeholders, including disabled people’s organisation representatives and those with lived experience, to provide discussion, experience, and challenge to the design of the future Access to Work Scheme.

How many people have been disqualified or suspended from driving due to not holding a valid insurance policy over the last 12 months.

The courts are responsible for convicting and sentencing individuals for road traffic offences and notify the DVLA of any driving endorsement ordered following a conviction and sentence.The offence of using a motor vehicle while uninsured is represented by DVLA offence code IN10.  Should an individual be convicted of offence IN10 they could face a fine, 6 to 8 penalty points or a period of disqualification.  There were 2,564 drivers between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025 where a disqualification was recorded against offence code IN10 on the driver record.There is a possibility that there could be some records where someone has been disqualified for multiple offences where an IN10 was one of those offences, but the disqualification may not be recorded against IN10 in the statistics.

How much funding he plans to provide for the NHS in each of the next three financial years.

At the 2025 Spending Review, HM Treasury announced that the National Health Service would receive £204.9 billion in 2026/27, £215.4 billion in 2027/28, and £226.1 billion in 2028/29. Further information on the 2025 Spending Review is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-2025-document/spending-review-2025-html

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations her Department has made to the Chinese government on the detention and forcible disappearance of Gao Zhisheng and other religious leaders.

The UK Government is aware of reports concerning the disappearance of Gao Zhisheng and other religious leaders. We continue to follow developments closely and regularly raise human rights concerns with the Chinese authorities.We remain committed to promoting human rights and the rule of law globally. We continue to work with partners and in multilateral fora to end arbitrary detention, to advocate for those who have been arbitrarily detained to be released, and to demand accountability. We call on all states that engage in the practice of politically motivated detention and enforced disappearance to respect their international obligations and commitments.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of food poverty over the last 12 months.

We are committed to tackling poverty and ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels. We published the Good Food Cycle in July which identified ten priority outcomes needed to build a thriving food sector while tackling a range of food related challenges. Improving food price affordability and access, in particular targeting costs that lead to food price inflation and supporting those who most need access to healthy affordable nutrition, is a key priority. From 1 April 2026, we are introducing a new Crisis and Resilience Fund in England. This fund aims to enable local authorities to provide preventative support to communities as well as assisting people when faced with a financial crisis, to support our ambition to end mass dependence on emergency food parcels. The Crisis and Resilience Fund Guidance for local authorities was published on 13 January 2026, enabling local authorities to prepare for delivery in line with the new fund. The removal of the two child limit will lift 450,000 children out of poverty across the United Kingdom, rising to around 550,000 alongside other measures set out in our Strategy, such as the expansion of free school meals. These interventions will lead to the largest expected reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began. The most recent official statistics show for the United Kingdom, in 2023/24, 7.5m individuals lived in food insecure households. The rate is unchanged on 2022/23 but the total number of individuals living in food insecure households has increased by 300,000. The most recent official statistics show for the United Kingdom, in 2023/24, 2.8m people, were living in households where a food bank has been used in the 12 months prior to the interview, up by 500,000 since 2022/23.

How many people were convicted of arson in the last 12 months.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a wide range of offences including arson in England and Wales within the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to remove asbestos from buildings in town centres.

Building owners are responsible for managing safety and performance risks in their buildings, including asbestos, in a proportionate, risk based and evidence-based way. Duty holders must comply with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, which require them to identify any asbestos, assess its condition, and determine the risk of exposure.They must maintain an asbestos management plan that sets out how asbestos containing materials will be monitored or, where necessary, safely removed by a licensed contractor. In most cases, asbestos that is in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed is safer left in place and managed appropriately.The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the UK’s primary regulator for asbestos. It enforces the regulations, operates the asbestos licensing regime, and provides technical guidance to support compliance.

What steps he is taking to support disabled people who face the greatest barriers to work.

Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. The Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 set out how we will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity, backed by £240 million investment, for which the Northern Ireland executive received consequential funding in the usual way. Disabled people and people with health conditions, including young disabled people can face a wide range of unique, yet intersecting barriers, relating to not just their health, but their employment and circumstance (Work aspirations and support needs of health and disability customers: Final findings report - GOV.UK). We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres in Great Britain. DWP set out our plan for the “Pathways to Work Guarantee” in our Pathways to Work Green Paper and we are building towards our guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits in Great Britain. The guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding for the UK by the end of the decade, the Northern Ireland executive will receive their share of this funding in the usual way. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out in Great Britain, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support. In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the independent Keep Britain Working Review across the UK. The Report was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC, we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work and develop a Healthy Workplace Standard, putting Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action. Additionally, the Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) has developed a digital information service for employers and continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme in Great Britain where we have recently announced plans to make the scheme more robust. Alan Milburn will author an independent report to tackle the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training. The report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun. It will make recommendations for policy response to help young people access work, training or education, ensuring they are supported to thrive and are not sidelined. In Northern Ireland, health, skills, careers and employment support are transferred matters. My officials work closely with those in the Northern Ireland Executive, sharing best practice in regard to providing employment support to disabled people.

What steps he is taking to ensure that young disabled people can enter and stay in work.

Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. The Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 set out how we will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity, backed by £240 million investment, for which the Northern Ireland executive received consequential funding in the usual way. Disabled people and people with health conditions, including young disabled people can face a wide range of unique, yet intersecting barriers, relating to not just their health, but their employment and circumstance (Work aspirations and support needs of health and disability customers: Final findings report - GOV.UK). We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres in Great Britain. DWP set out our plan for the “Pathways to Work Guarantee” in our Pathways to Work Green Paper and we are building towards our guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits in Great Britain. The guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding for the UK by the end of the decade, the Northern Ireland executive will receive their share of this funding in the usual way. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out in Great Britain, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support. In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the independent Keep Britain Working Review across the UK. The Report was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC, we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work and develop a Healthy Workplace Standard, putting Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action. Additionally, the Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) has developed a digital information service for employers and continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme in Great Britain where we have recently announced plans to make the scheme more robust. Alan Milburn will author an independent report to tackle the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training. The report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun. It will make recommendations for policy response to help young people access work, training or education, ensuring they are supported to thrive and are not sidelined. In Northern Ireland, health, skills, careers and employment support are transferred matters. My officials work closely with those in the Northern Ireland Executive, sharing best practice in regard to providing employment support to disabled people.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to funding for schools on the development of young children.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The additional funding announced at the Spending Review will deliver an above real terms per pupil increase up to 2028/29. Core school funding is increasing by £1.7 billion in the 2026/27 financial year to a total of £67 billion.This investment is a critical step forward in our mission to support all children and young people to achieve and thrive and will support teachers and leaders to deliver high and rising standards.

What assessment has been made on trends of indoor air pollution.

The Air Quality Expert Group state that there is a challenge of establishing overall trends in indoor air pollution due to limited monitoring and heterogeneity of indoor environments.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is actively addressing this evidence gap through its involvement in two research hubs, headed by UK Research and Innovation and the Medical Research Council, the Child and Adolescent Health Impacts of Learning Indoor Environments under Net Zero Hub, also known as the CHILI, Hub, and the Indoor HABItability during the Transition to Net Zero Housing Hub, also known as the INHABIT, Hub. In addition, the UKHSA contributes to the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Health Protection Research Unit on Climate Change and Health Security Theme on Healthy Indoor Environments. Collectively these projects aim to strengthen the evidence base on the impact of climate change policies on indoor exposure to air pollution and will include monitoring of indoor environments.

What assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the letter from Chief Constable Craig Guildford to the Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, published on14 January 2026, in relation to his appearances before the Committee on the 1 December 2025 and 6 January 2026.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) reported on 14 January 2026 on its inspection into West Midlands Police’s match assessment and the advice provided to Birmingham City Council’s Safety Advisory Group ahead of the Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv UEFA Europa League match played on 6 November 2025. The report referenced West Midlands Police’s use of AI in generating fictitious data used within their intelligence documents.The Home Secretary made an oral statement to Parliament on 14 January, setting out the government’s response to HMICFRS’s findings. HMICFRS’s findings have been shared with the Home Affairs Select Committee, with copies placed in the libraries of both Houses. They have also been published in full: Inspection of police forces’ contributions to safety advisory groups: West Midlands PoliceWe know that AI can be a powerful tool to support investigations and to free up officer time to get them back on our streets. But of course, any use of AI must be used responsibly and ethically, and its output should be thoroughly sense checked by officers before use. Responsible use of AI will be an important part of our upcoming Police Reform White Paper.

What steps are being taken to encourage more women to get smear tests.

The Government is committed to eliminating cervical cancer by 2040 through improved uptake of cervical screening and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England.From early 2026, under-screened women will be offered a home testing kit, starting with those who are the most overdue for screening. This will help tackle deeply entrenched barriers that keep some away from life-saving screening.New digital services will support screening participants to manage their screening appointments via the NHS App as well as delivering new, artificial intelligence ready services for staff, freeing up their time to focus on care.NHS England is launching its first ever cervical cancer elimination creative campaign and communications toolkit for Cervical Screening Awareness Week.We are delivering screening in any primary care setting, including sexual health clinics, rather than just at general practices. This includes evenings and on weekends.

What steps his Department are taking to ensure that there is adequate funding of sexual health services.

The Department provides funding for sexual health services through the Public Health Grant, which is allocated to local authorities in England. Sexual health is one of a number of public health services funded through the Public Health Grant, and the Department does not specify how much is spent on sexual health specifically. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning sexual health services to meet the needs of their populations.In 2025/26 the Public Health Grant, which funds Sexual and Reproductive Health services, rose to £3.884 billion. This was a cash increase of £224 million compared to 24/25, providing local authorities with an average 6.1% cash increase.We will continue to invest in local authorities' vital public health work, providing over £13.4 billion over the next three years through a consolidated ringfenced Public Health Grant. This will support vital local health services, including sexual health services.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to protect victims of AI deepfakes.

The Online Safety Act requires in-scope services to tackle illegal content and protect children from harmful content, including where it is AI generated. Ofcom has robust enforcement powers for non-compliance.In the coming weeks, the offence of creating intimate images without consent, including using AI, will come into effect. The Secretary of State announced it will be made a priority offence under the Act, giving users the strongest protections from such content. In addition, the Government has announced that it will criminalise nudification apps – which will make it illegal for companies to supply tools designed to create non-consensual intimate images.

What steps he is taking to increase access to healthcare services in rural areas.

The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan has set out a long-term vision to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future. Addressing healthcare inequity is a core focus of the 10-Year Health Plan, to ensure the NHS is there for anyone who needs it whenever they need it.This includes ending the postcode lottery for cancer patients through introducing new training places targeted at trusts with the biggest workforce gaps, prioritising rural and coastal areas.There are also a range of adjustments made to integrated care board funding allocations that account for the fact that the costs of providing health care may vary between rural and urban areas. These adjustments specifically support remote or sparsely populated areas.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of attacks on healthcare workers in the last 12 months.

Everyone working in the National Health Service has a fundamental right to be safe at work. Trends in violence towards NHS staff have generally stayed at the same levels in recent years.Individual employers are responsible for the health and safety of their staff, and they put in place measures, including security, training, and emotional support, for staff affected by violence. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has been clear that there is zero tolerance of violence and harassment against NHS staff, and in April 2025 accepted all the Social Partnership Forum’s recommendations on tackling and reducing violence, part of the 2023 Agenda for Change pay deal. These measures will be strengthened by the introduction of a new set of staff standards, as detailed in the 10-Year Health Plan. These are likely to focus on areas such as improving staff health and wellbeing and dealing with violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace.

How many calls were made to police to report incidents of domestic abuse over the Christmas period in December 2024 and 2025.

The Home Office collects information from the police on the number of domestic abuse-related incidents from police forces in England and Wales on a quarterly basis. However, these data cannot be further broken down by specific time periods, such as weeks or months.The latest published data, for the year ending March 2025, are available here: Domestic abuse prevalence and victim characteristics - Office for National Statistics

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the humanitarian situation in Sudan.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November 2025, and to the most recent Urgent Question debate on 15 December 2025.

What discussions he had had with the PSNI on the time taken to process FAC renewals and applications.

While I meet regularly with the Chief Constable and his senior team regarding national security, and a range of issues, I have a limited role in relation to certain appeals against the decision of the Chief Constable not to issue firearms licences. The issuing of firearms licences is a devolved matter.