Written questions by Shannon.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the Northern Ireland film industry.

While culture is a devolved policy area, the department works closely with its Arm’s Length Body, the British Film Institute (BFI), and the devolved governments on a range of funding and initiatives for the film industry - including in Northern Ireland. This includes the UK-wide screen sector tax reliefs, as well as the £75 million Screen Growth Package announced in the Creatives Industries Sector Plan. DCMS will continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to support culture and creativity in Northern Ireland - particularly through the Belfast Cluster as an anchor location creating opportunities for businesses and talent. This includes continued annual funding from the UK government to NI Screen to support the Irish Language and Ulster-Scots Broadcast Funds. Through their National Lottery programmes, the BFI will also continue to support the screen sector in Northern Ireland - particularly through the dedicated Northern Ireland Screen fund. The British Film Commission (BFC), a national body supported by funding from DCMS, also supports and promotes UK-wide film and high-end television production and works in close partnership with the national and regional screen agencies.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the provision of cricket clubs across local communities.

The Government has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to supporting grassroots cricket through its recent announcement of funding for the England and Wales Cricket Board to build two new indoor cricket domes in Farington and Luton. This funding for cricket domes is in addition to the £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the nation which was announced following the spending review. As part of this funding, 40% of projects across the UK will be required to benefit a sport other than football, including cricket, basketball and rugby league. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans.The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding. This includes long term investment to the ECB, which receives up to £11.6 million for five years to invest in community cricket initiatives.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of the time taken for court hearings.

The Ministry of Justice published data concerning the average length of hearings in complete cases at the Crown Court as part of the Criminal Court Statistics series which is available at the following link: Criminal court statistics - GOV.UK The average hearing time for cases completed at the Crown Court in England and Wales has fallen 14% compared to the previous year. The Ministry of Justice does not collate hearing time information for the magistrates’ court or other jurisdictions.

What steps she is taking to support SEND training for teachers.

The department is committed to providing training for teachers to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). In the new year, we will publish a white paper to build a system where every child receives the support needed to achieve and thrive.The department has reviewed the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework. From September 2025 more content related to adaptive teaching and improving inclusivity for SEND pupils was added. The department also enhanced the requirement on providers to develop SEND training materials.Beyond the first few years of teaching, National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are available to education professionals at all levels. In 2024 we began delivery of the mandatory NPQ for Special Educational Needs (SEN) Co-ordinators. Participants will develop the knowledge and skills needed to set the strategic direction of SEN policy and the conditions for pupils with SEND to thrive.The department has committed to a full review of both NPQs and Early Career Teacher training, which will include a focus on SEND.The Universal Services programme helps the school and further education workforce to identify and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND earlier and more effectively.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of diagnosis times for COPD.

To enable faster diagnosis and earlier access to treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), access to spirometry tests in community diagnostic centres (CDCs) is growing and will continue to do so as more sites come online. The first five months of 2025/26 saw an increase in CDC spirometry testing of approximately 2,000 tests per month more than in the previous year.As of November 2025, CDCs are now delivering additional tests and checks in 170 sites across the country. 101 CDCs across the country now offer out of hours services, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning patients can access vital diagnostic tests around their busy working lives.Diagnosis times for COPD from spirometry tests are not routinely collected or available in a centralised dataset.

What steps he is taking to improve early diagnosis of COPD.

To enable faster diagnosis and earlier access to treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), access to spirometry tests in community diagnostic centres (CDCs) is growing and will continue to do so as more sites come online. The first five months of 2025/26 saw an increase in CDC spirometry testing of approximately 2,000 tests per month more than in the previous year.As of November 2025, CDCs are now delivering additional tests and checks in 170 sites across the country. 101 CDCs across the country now offer out of hours services, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning patients can access vital diagnostic tests around their busy working lives.Diagnosis times for COPD from spirometry tests are not routinely collected or available in a centralised dataset.

What steps he is taking to improve CAMHS referral times.

We know too many children and young people are waiting too long for mental health support and through our Plan for Change, we’re determined to give children and young people the best start in life.The Government is expanding access to mental health support teams in all schools and colleges to reach all pupils by 2029, ensuring that every pupil has access to early support services. This expansion will ensure that up to 900,000 more children and young people will have access to support from trained education mental health practitioners in 2025/26.More widely, we are, rolling out Young Futures Hubs. The Government’s first 50 Young Futures Hubs will bring together services at a local level to support children and young people, helping to ensure that young people can access early advice and wellbeing intervention. We will work to ensure there is no wrong door for young people who need support with their mental health.We have also committed to hiring 8,500 more mental health staff to reduce waiting times. Thus far, we have hired almost 7,000 extra mental health workers since July 2024.Furthermore, the Medium Term Planning Framework is also asking integrated care boards to prioritise eliminating the longest waits of over a year for children and young people to ensure timely access to care and better mental health outcomes.

What steps he is taking to help tackle alcohol misuse in people under 25.

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning alcohol treatment and recovery services as part of their public health responsibilities and can invest in interventions that strengthen the support available to children and young people affected by alcohol, according to a local assessment of need. £13.4 billion will be invested over the next three years, a 5.6% cash increase, in local authorities’ vital public health work through a consolidated Public Health Grant. This includes the overall £1 billion Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant over the next three years. The Government also has an alcohol and drug information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce alcohol and drug use and its harms by providing awareness to young people, parents, and concerned others.In addition, in Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England, the Government committed to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages. The Government has committed to tackling harmful levels of alcohol consumption through exploring options to encourage consumers to reduce their alcohol intake by substituting standard strength drinks with no- and low-alcohol alternatives. The Government will explore measures to regulate access to no- and low-alcohol products in line with other alcoholic beverages, including prohibiting sales to individuals under the age of 18 years old.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and his counterparts in Northern Ireland on the closure of major post offices and how this impacts unemployment across the province.

To create a long-term, sustainable future for post offices in communities across the UK, Post Office is transitioning to a fully franchised network. All 108 Directly Managed Branches (DMBs) – including Bangor and Newtownards in Northern Ireland – are within scope of these changes. The Government fully recognises the impact that Post Office branch closures can have on local communities. While decisions on the specific circumstances of each DMB are an operational matter for Post Office Limited, we understand that Post Office is actively advertising for an additional local branch in the town centres of both locations, complementing existing coverage in the area. In terms of the employees of those branches, all employees were offered TUPE transfer, settlement agreements, or redeployment.

What steps he is taking to update healthcare professional regulation.

The Government is committed to modernising the regulatory frameworks for all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.As a first step, we aim to consult on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework in early 2026 and to lay this legislation before Parliament in the same year. We also plan to update the governing legislation of the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council, as well as introducing a statutory barring system for National Health Service managers in England, within the current parliamentary period.

What steps he is taking to address the rising legal costs of clinical negligence.

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office’s report.The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps, in due course.

What steps he is taking to protect the mental wellbeing of soldiers and ex-servicemen.

The mental health and wellbeing of our Armed Forces and Veterans is a priority for the Government. All Service personnel have access to mental health support throughout their career, including medical and non-medical services. This includes, but is not limited to, preventative support such as wellbeing services, digital content, access to trained mental health first aiders, interventional support, and appointments with clinical staff. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) encourages and enables all personnel to take their mental fitness as seriously as their physical fitness. The Defence Annual Mental Fitness Brief is a mandatory training product provided to Serving personnel, which not only prompts individuals to continually consider their mental health but also advises how to increase resilience and protect mental wellbeing. For those requiring dedicated mental healthcare, the Defence Medical Services provides a responsive, flexible, accessible, and comprehensive treatment service. Additional training is provided at single Service level and particular processes are in place for when increased support may be required, such as around deployment. Over and above the existing welfare support system of dedicated personnel, Defence offers additional options such as a dedicated 24-hour support line and access to tools such as HeadFIT and HeadSpace so that there is choice available for engagement within or outside the chain of command.Former Service personnel can access free one-to-one welfare support provided by the MOD’s Veterans Welfare Service, and specific mental health support from NHS England’s Op COURAGE. Op COURAGE offers a fully integrated service with increased support for those needing help with alcohol or substance use and better links to mainstream mental health services to increase the range of support available. Importantly, unlike many other services, Op COURAGE accepts self-referral, empowering patients to take control of their care needs.

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on a Bill of Rights extending across the UK.

We have no plans to introduce a new Bill of Rights extending across the UK. The Human Rights Act 1998 provides human rights protections across the UK. It is an important part of our constitutional arrangements and will remain part of our law.

What steps she is taking to encourage more young men into education.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The department recognises that participation statistics indicate females generally have lower not in employment, education or training (NEET) rates than males in most years.In the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, we set out a comprehensive NEET prevention package to reduce NEET numbers.Local authorities are required to offer all young people aged 16–19 support to encourage, enable or assist them to effectively participate in education or training.The government has introduced a new Youth Guarantee to ensure that every young person has a clear pathway into education, training, or work. We have allocated £45 million for Trailblazers in the 2025/26 financial year, with a further £45 million in 2026/27, to develop and test innovative ways to bring together local leadership and support.The department will support the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university, regardless of their background and personal characteristics.

What steps he is taking to improve cadet provision in rural areas.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 September 2025 to Question 76173 to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Dr Al Pinkerton).

How much funding his Department provides for Legal Aid for women.

Legal aid is available, subject to the case being in scope and all relevant eligibility criteria being met, irrespective of the applicant’s gender.The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) publishes client diversity statistics on an annual basis as part of its official statistics [tables 11.1-11.5]. Legal aid diversity information over time can be accessed via the Legal Aid Client Diversity Statistics Dashboard. The diversity statistics include information on the volume of legal aid clients broken down by gender across all legal aid schemes. It is not mandatory to complete the equality and diversity sections of the legal aid application form and so in some instances the gender of the applicant will be recorded as ‘unknown’. Since the introduction of Crime Apply in August 2024 it has not been possible to collect diversity data, including gender, in connection with Crime Higher applications.As diversity data is only collected at application stage corresponding information about expenditure broken down by gender of the applicant would require an element of manual review and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Innovation and Technology, whether she has considered funding industry training programmes on AI.

The Government recognises the importance of industry adopting AI tools to drive growth and innovation. We recently announced a joint commitment with industry leaders such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google to upskill 7.5 million workers with the vital AI skills they need to thrive in their jobs. This will break down barriers to opportunity and unlock economic growth.We also recently announced further commitments to support AI adoption in industry. This includes a pledge to expand Innovate UK’s BridgeAI programme to sectors across our Industrial Strategy priorities, providing hands-on training and online programmes, as well as a £5 million local skills benefits package for each AI Growth Zone, to support local businesses adopt AI.

What steps are being taken to improve housing provision for ex servicemen personnel.

This is a Government that will always stand up for those who serve our country.This Government is fully committed to ensuring that all veterans across the UK have access to the support they need on housing. That is why we have committed an additional £12 million to ensure the continuation of the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme. Op FORTITUDE will also be extended, putting the service that has already supported over 1,000 veterans on a sustainable footing. These programmes will deliver three years of support services across the UK for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness. The Defence Housing Strategy will turbocharge the development of surplus military land with Service families and veterans to receive priority access to homes on Ministry of Defence development land as part of new 'Forces First' approach. I, and my predecessor also attend the Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping which brings together ministers from across Government to drive progress on the development of a cross-Government strategy to get back on track to ending homelessness. This group is designed to ensure we are working across Government, and in partnership with Local Authorities and Mayors, to tackle the root causes of homelessness.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with international partners on the violent crackdown on protestors in Nepal.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has consistently expressed the UK Government's support for democracy and fundamental freedoms in Nepal. In response to the violence and restrictions on peaceful protest that occurred in September, the UK joined international partners (Australia, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, and the United States of America) in issuing a statement on 8 September, reaffirming our strong support for the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression and urging all parties to exercise restraint. Our Ambassador in Kathmandu has also reiterated the UK's commitment to democratic principles, the rule of law, and the protection of free speech and peaceful assembly.

What steps he is taking to improve workplace catering and break facilities for healthcare workers.

Good physical working environments are important for staff wellbeing and retention. Staff need to be given the time and space to rest and recover from their work, particularly when working on-call or overnight. This is recognised as a priority in the NHS People Promise which sets out the importance of employers prioritising spaces for staff to rest and recuperate, and ensuring access to hot food and drinks.In May 2024, NHS England and NHS Charities Together launched a £10 million Workforce Wellbeing Programme to support National Health Service staff in England. It will provide tailored health and wellbeing support to NHS staff, including grants to improve facilities. A three-year programme of work named Great Food, Good Health, led by NHS England, aims to improve the experience and quality of nutritious food that patients, staff, and visitors receive in hospital. As part of this, the NHS made clear that NHS organisations must be able to demonstrate they have suitable 24/7 food service provision.