Written questions by Shannon.

What steps she plans to take to support the availability of more construction apprenticeships.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The government is reforming the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, which will provide greater flexibility to employers and learners across England. This will create routes into skilled jobs in growing industries, such as construction.The department is developing new foundation apprenticeships, a work-based training offer that will provide young people with clear progression pathways into further work-based training and employment.Construction will be one of the key sectors that will benefit from new foundation apprenticeships, which will be launching in August 2025. This will inspire more young people into the construction industry, giving them the tools they need for a sustained and rewarding career. As part of this new offer, employers will be provided with £2,000 for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain in the construction industry.There is £140 million industry investment in Homebuilding Skills Hubs. The hubs are projected to deliver over 5,000 fast track apprenticeships per year by the 2027/28 financial year, in shortage occupations including bricklaying and groundwork.Additionally, on the 23 March, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced measures to address skills shortages in the construction sector. This package commits over £600 million over the Parliament to help deliver up to 60,000 skilled construction workers.

What steps he is taking to improve children's facilities in hospitals.

The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever across the United Kingdom. This involves ensuring that children receive the appropriate care and support whenever they need it. To make children’s services better, we are changing the National Health Service through our 10-Year Health Plan, to make it fit for the future. The plan will be published in June 2025. Health is a devolved matter, and it is the responsibility of the individual devolved administrations to commission comprehensive healthcare based on population need. Guidance has been provided to the NHS on the provision of children’s facilities in hospitals in the best practice guidance, Hospital accommodation for children and young people, which is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/HBN_23.pdf NHS England has work currently ongoing with the Starlight Foundation to produce recommended guidelines, standards, and checklists for designing health play services for babies, children, and young people.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Northern Ireland on changes to farming subsidies.

Agriculture is a devolved policy area. Defra and devolved Government officials meet routinely to share experiences and insight regarding our respective agricultural policies.

If he will take steps to provide funding for all hospice care.

Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end of life and their loved ones.Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between integrated care board (ICB) areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area, but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative and end of life care provided from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are pleased to confirm that the Government has released the first £25 million tranche of the £100 million of capital funding, with Hospice UK kindly allocating and distributing the money to hospices throughout England. An additional £75 million will be available from April 2025.We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant.In February, I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, and long-term sector sustainability, within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan, was discussed at length.

What recent steps she has taken to reduce terrorism threats in the UK.

The aim of CONTEST, the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy, is to reduce the risk from terrorism to the UK, its citizens and interests overseas, so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence.The Government constantly keeps our counter-terrorism approach under review to ensure it is fit for purpose.

Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of families on waiting lists for social housing.

The number of households on social housing registers (waiting lists) in England and for each local authority in England is available each year since 1987 in live table 600 on gov.uk here. My Department only collects data on housing registers for local authorities in England as social housing is a devolved matter. The number of households on the housing register (waiting list) is not the same as the number of households waiting. Local authorities periodically review their registers to remove households who no longer require housing, so the total number of households on housing registers may overstate the number of households who still require social housing at any one time. Housing register size may also be affected by other factors. For example, there is the potential for some households to be on the housing register of more than one local authority. The frequency of reviews varies between local authorities.

What information her Department holds on the number of people charged with drug trafficking in the last 12 months.

The Home Office collects and publishes official statistics on the number of charge or court summons recorded by the police in England and Wales on a quarterly basis, which can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tablesThis includes drug trafficking offences.

How many prosecutions has there been for illegal drug possession in the last 12 months.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of prosecutions for illegal drug possession, latest data is available to June 2024 in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: June 2024.

What steps she is taking to encourage the use of electric vehicles in public transport.

The Department is working with our rail industry stakeholders to develop credible long-term plans for further decarbonisation, bearing in mind the railway is already such a carbon efficient mode of transport. We expect electrification to play an important role in our programme to achieve our Net Zero 2050 target, tackle air pollution, and improve the passenger experience. Which rail lines will be electrified will broadly depend on the most suitable technological choice and value for money. All investment decisions require proper funding and are subject to current and future spending reviews and will be integrated with rolling stock decisions. Expanding the rollout of zero emission buses (ZEBs) is central to our efforts to decarbonise the bus fleet and improve air quality. The Bus Services Bill, currently going through Parliament, places a requirement on bus operators not to use new diesel buses on local bus routes in England. This will not take effect prior to 2030, giving time to the sector to plan a smooth transition. The UK continues to make positive advancements in the deployment of ZEBs year-on-year. More than 50% of new buses registered in 2024 were zero-emission: a record 1,600, up 33% on the previous year’s record of 1,200.

When he expects the permanent Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to be appointed.

The House of Commons leads on the recruitment of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, which is ongoing. We expect that further information will be made available shortly.

Whether glaucoma will be recognised in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan.

As part of the work to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, we have launched a significant public engagement process and we would encourage all those with an interest in eye care services to take part in that process, so that we can fully understand what is not working as well as it should, and what the potential solutions are. Further information is available at the following link:https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/Alongside the development of the 10 year plan, NHS England has been testing how integrating primary and secondary eye care services, through IT connectivity and the development of a single point of access, could improve the referral, triage, and management of patients with eye care needs, including those with suspected or diagnosed glaucoma. This approach aims to increase hospital eye service capacity and reduce avoidable blindness.

Whether (a) glaucoma and (b) irreversible blindness will be incorporated in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan.

As part of the work to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, we have launched a significant public engagement process and we would encourage all those with an interest in eye care services to take part in that process, so that we can fully understand what is not working as well as it should, and what the potential solutions are. Further information is available at the following link:https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/Alongside the development of the 10 year plan, NHS England has been testing how integrating primary and secondary eye care services, through IT connectivity and the development of a single point of access, could improve the referral, triage, and management of patients with eye care needs, including those with suspected or diagnosed glaucoma. This approach aims to increase hospital eye service capacity and reduce avoidable blindness.

Whether his Department's system strategy unit has plans to focus on (a) glaucoma and (b) irreversible blindness.

As part of the work to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, we have launched a significant public engagement process and we would encourage all those with an interest in eye care services to take part in that process, so that we can fully understand what is not working as well as it should, and what the potential solutions are. Further information is available at the following link:https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/Alongside the development of the 10 year plan, NHS England has been testing how integrating primary and secondary eye care services, through IT connectivity and the development of a single point of access, could improve the referral, triage, and management of patients with eye care needs, including those with suspected or diagnosed glaucoma. This approach aims to increase hospital eye service capacity and reduce avoidable blindness.

What information his Department holds on the number of people who have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the last 12 months.

The most recently published data on diagnoses of pancreatic cancer in England is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-sets/rcrdBetween November 2023 and October 2024, the most recent period available, a total of 9,396 people were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

What steps her Department is taking to encourage those eligible to apply for Universal Credit.

The Department provides extensive information including on Universal Credit on Gov.uk that supports claimants identify what support may be available. Additionally, we signpost potential customers to external benefit calculators where they can identify what they are likely to be eligible for. We also work closely with Citizens Advice who provide Help to Claim support for claimants in GB to make a claim to Universal Credit. This includes marketing and publicising Help to Claim support.

Whether he has had discussions with the National Institute for Health and Social Care on the accessibility of new medicines to treat cystic fibrosis.

The Department has regular discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about access to various new medicines.The NICE develops its recommendations for the National Health Service in England based on the clinical and cost effectiveness of medicines independently, based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and in line with its published methods and processes.In July 2024, the NICE approved three disease modifying treatments, orkambi, symkevi, and kaftrio, as treatment options for eligible NHS patients with cystic fibrosis, under the terms of a commercial agreement reached between NHS England and the manufacturer, Vertex. These treatments are now routinely funded by the NHS in England for eligible patients.The NICE is also currently developing guidance for the NHS on whether vanzacaftor-tezacaftor-deutivacaftor can be recommended for routine funding for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. The NICE is expecting to publish final guidance in August 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Bangladeshi counterpart on the destruction of the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum.

The UK Government supports the Interim Government's agenda to restore law and order, ensure accountability and promote national reconciliation. While we have not had discussions with the Interim Government of Bangladesh regarding the destruction of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum specifically, we have encouraged all sides to work together to end the cycle of retributive violence. In February, UK Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders, visited Bangladesh. She discussed a wide range of human rights concerns with the Interim Government. We continue to work with the Interim Government as it charts a peaceful transition to an inclusive and democratic future.

What progress his Department has made on routinely publishing the genomic testing turnaround times, in the context of the targets set out in the National Optimal Lung Cancer Pathway.

NHS England has specified turnaround times for genomic tests, with times varying based on the type of test and referral, ranging from a few days for urgent tests, a few weeks for single gene tests, to several months for complex tests. Genomic testing is delivered by a network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). Each GLH publishes their own turnaround time activity for genomics testing.The National Optimal Lung Cancer Pathway sets out the target to meet the Faster Diagnosis Standard of a maximum 28 days from referral to the communication of a cancer diagnosis, or to rule out cancer. The Department is supporting NHS England to meet this target by investing in increasing diagnostic capacity, with the capacity prioritised for cancer activity.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage recycling at beaches.

The Government has introduced Simpler Recycling, which from 31 March 2025 will require small, medium and large workplaces in England to recycle the core waste streams (plastic, metal, glass, paper and card) and food waste. This will include cafés, shops, and other establishments that are located across England’s seafronts and beaches. We have been proud to support and endorse national clean-up initiatives such as the Great British Spring Clean, and the Great British Beach Clean, and we will continue to use our influence to encourage as many people and businesses as possible to participate in these types of events.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the NHS's genomic testing capacity for patients diagnosed with cancer.

Genomic testing in the National Health Service in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service and delivered by a national genomic testing network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). The NHS GLHs deliver testing as directed by the National Genomic Test Directory, which includes tests for over 200 cancer clinical indications, and which sets out the eligibility criteria for patients to access testing.In the 2019 NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England set the commitment to offer whole genome sequencing as part of routine care, including for children with cancer and for adults suffering from specific cancers. The latest data, from April 2024 to December 2024, showed cancer genomic testing activity of 129,610, which was half of all types of genomic testing in the same period.To support more extensive cancer genomic testing, NHS England is working to ensure collaboration between pathology and genomics networks to address issues, including capacity, networking, and optimisation of cancer tissue pathways.