Written questions by Platt.

What steps his Department is taking to support Integrated Care Boards to use flexible commissioning to improve (a) dental provision and (b) efficiency.

Flexible commissioning is available to commissioners where they have identified a need that cannot be easily met through the provision of mandatory services.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to commission primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local populations, and to determine the priorities for investment. Commissioners are encouraged to work with local dental network chairs, managed clinical network chairs, dental public health experts, professional representatives, and with the public as appropriate and necessary to discharge statutory duties. NHS England published guidance on flexible commissioning in 2023, which is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/opportunities-for-flexible-commissioning-in-primary-care-dentistry-a-framework-for-commissioners/

What steps his Department is taking to ensure Integrated Care Boards maintain timely ADHD (a) assessment and (b) diagnosis services.

The Government has recognised that, nationally in England, demand for assessments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan for England will make the National Health Service fit for the future, recognising the need for early intervention and support.It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to ADHD assessment and treatment, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.NHS England established an ADHD taskforce which brought together those with lived experience with experts from the NHS, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June, with the final report expected in the coming weeks. We will carefully consider its recommendations.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure sustainable funding linked to inflation for the Holiday Activities and Food programme.

Through our Plan for Change, the government is committed to giving every child the best start in life. On 28 August 2025, the department confirmed over £600 million for the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme for the next three financial years, from 2026/27. This equates to just over £200 million each year.This multi-year commitment gives parents and providers certainty that clubs will be available over what can otherwise be an expensive holiday period, ensuring that children and young people continue to benefit from enriching holiday experiences and nutritious meals. The programme also opens work opportunities for parents on low incomes to support their families.The department will be releasing further details about the HAF programme by the end of the year.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Holiday Activities and Food programme on levels of (a) food insecurity and (b) support for families during school holidays.

The holiday activities and food programme (HAF) ensures that children who are eligible for free school meals can access enriching activities and healthy meals during school holidays, benefiting their health, wellbeing and learning. On 28 August, the department announced that over £600 million has been confirmed for the programme for the next three financial years, from 2026/27.This multi-year commitment gives parents and providers certainty that clubs will be available over what can otherwise be an expensive holiday period, ensuring that children and young people continue to benefit from enriching holiday experiences and nutritious meals. The programme also opens work opportunities for parents on low incomes to support their families.Almost five million HAF days were provided across the Christmas, Easter and summer holidays this year, reaching over half a million children. During summer 2024, over 628,000 children attended the HAF programme.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the number of companies making charitable donations.

Corporations donate around £4 billion per year to charity. This Government has three priorities for philanthropy, to: connect philanthropic investment with the places that need it most; unlock extra philanthropic investment; and partner with civil society, communities, donors and businesses to celebrate a culture of giving. This includes championing existing reliefs and ways to donate, with Government granting around £1 billion a year in tax relief for companies' donations.

Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to take steps to help encourage companies to give more to charity.

Corporations donate around £4 billion per year to charity. This Government has three priorities for philanthropy, to: connect philanthropic investment with the places that need it most; unlock extra philanthropic investment; and partner with civil society, communities, donors and businesses to celebrate a culture of giving. This includes championing existing reliefs and ways to donate, with Government granting around £1 billion a year in tax relief for companies' donations.

What steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of part 2 overseas registration exam places to help increase the number of dentists delivering NHS care.

The General Dental Council (GDC), as the independent regulator of dentists and dental care professionals in the UK, is responsible for overseeing provision of the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE).The GDC shortly expects to be able to announce the outcome of its procurement for a new provider to deliver the ORE from April 2026.Once the new exam provider has been announced, the GDC will meet with me to present its action plan to reduce the waiting list for the ORE, including for those waiting to sit part 2 of the exam. This meeting will take place in the coming weeks. I will continue to meet regularly with the GDC to monitor and review progress as its plan is implemented.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Flood Resilience Taskforce has made on (a) developing new toolkits for MPs and Mayors to support their understanding of flood warning systems, (b) streamlining the Flood Recovery Framework to enable faster identification of eligibility areas and (c) extending the time by which local authorities can claim business and community recovery grants.

The Flood Resilience Taskforce developed a Flood Awareness Toolkit for MPs and Mayors which was distributed in September 2025. It provides information to support their constituents to prepare for, respond to and recover from flooding. The Floods Resilience Taskforce has reviewed the Flood Recovery Framework to streamline recovery support. It has also worked to improve awareness and access to recovery funding for local authorities and flood-affected communities. Following activation of the Framework for Storms Babet and Henk in 2023/24, a joint review was undertaken to improve delivery of flood recovery grants. Enhancements have been made to streamline processes, clarify responsibilities and extend data returns and claims deadlines and share best practice.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that affordable new homes are built to a high standard of flood resilience.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk (whether existing or in the future). Where development is necessary in such areas, the development should be made safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere. If it is found to be necessary to build homes in areas of flood risk, statutory guidance accompanying the Building Regulations promotes flood resilient building work in flood-prone areas, through Approved Document C which can be found on gov.uk here. This may include adequate sub-soil drainage; use of non-return valves and anti-flooding devices on sewers and drains; water resistant construction; and provision for inspection and clearance of sub-floor voids.

Food and Rural Affairs, when the outcomes of her Department’s Flood Funding Reform consultation will be announced.

On 14 October, following consultation, the government announced major changes to its flood and coastal erosion funding policy. The new funding policy will optimise funding between building new flood projects and maintaining existing defences and will ensure that deprived communities continue to receive vital investment. We will use government funding to unlock investment from public, private and charitable sources, making every £1 of government investment go further. We will also invest at least £300 million in natural flood management over ten years – the highest figure to date for the floods programme.

Communities and Local Government, if his Department will provide a revised target for the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26 split between (a) total grant-funded completions and (b) completions for letting at social rents.

All homes delivered through the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme are supported by grant. Those homes are in addition to affordable homes that developers have committed to delivering under negotiated Section 106 agreements.My Department published an update on targets for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme, including our target for delivering homes for social rent, on 30 July 2024. It can be found on gov.uk here.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of business rates valuation methods on grassroots music venues.

I refer the honorable Member to the response to UIN 22711.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 58428 on Cooperatives: Government Assistance, when he plans to publish the call for evidence into co-operative growth.

The Department for Business and Trade committed to launching a Call for Evidence on co-operative and mutual business by the end of the year.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of her plans for business rates reform on grassroots music venues.

As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000, including grassroots music venues, from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure they benefit from much-needed certainty and support. The Government intends to sustainably fund this by introducing a higher multiplier on all properties with RVs of £500,000 and above.When the new multipliers are set, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements. In the interim period, for 2025-26, we have prevented the current RHL relief from ending in April 2025, extending it for one year at 40% up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business.The Transforming Business Rates: Interim Report, published on 11 September, brings together extensive feedback from a broad range of stakeholders and outlines the Government’s next steps to deliver a fairer business rates system that supports investment and is fit for the 21st century. The Government will provide a further update at the Budget. Transforming the business rates system is a multi-year process. The Government will consider reforms beyond Budget 2025, and any reforms taken forward will be phased over the course of the Parliament.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) colleges and (b) schools will be able to offer appropriate post-16 pathways in the (i) 2026-2027 and (ii) 2027-2028 academic years.

The department published the Post-16 education and skills white paper on 20 October 2025. This sets out comprehensive reforms to build a world-leading skills system that break down barriers to opportunity, meets student and employers’ needs, widens access to high quality education and training, supports innovation, research and development, and improves people’s lives.We are investing nearly £800 million extra in 2026/27 in funding for 16 to 19-year-old education, helping to enable the recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers. We will also pilot an automatic guaranteed provider place for all 16-year-olds, to ensure no one is left behind after year 11.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that delivery of the 10 Year Plan effectively tackles domestic abuse.

The 10-Year Health Plan will transform the healthcare model in England to create a National Health Service that is fit for the future, delivering more integrated health and care, closer to home, with a renewed focus on prevention and neighbourhoods that will address the injustices faced by victims of domestic abuse.We know that those who experience domestic abuse can have worse NHS access, poorer health outcomes, and die younger. The health sector has a vital role to play in preventing, identifying, and responding to violence and abuse, and in providing healthcare to victims.All health care staff are required to complete mandatory safeguarding training, which includes a focus on domestic abuse. This training is being revised and is due to be re-launched in early 2026.In addition, the Government is working to deliver an ambitious strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG), including domestic abuse. The new VAWG Strategy is being finalised and will be published as soon as possible.

Whether measures to (a) recognise and (b) support under-16s who perpetrate abuse towards their (i) parents, (ii) siblings and (iii) intimate partners will be included in the forthcoming Violence against women and girls strategy.

The upcoming Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy will outline the steps we are taking to respond to teenage relationship abuse and child to parent abuse.The VAWG Strategy will underpin a transformative, cross-government approach to deliver on the Government's unprecedented ambition to halve VAWG in a decade.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the level of misogynist attitudes amongst young people at (a) primary and (b) secondary level.

Through compulsory relationships education, all pupils should learn how to form positive and respectful relationships and develop an understanding of the concepts and laws around misogyny, sexual harassment and sexual violence.The relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) guidance has been reviewed and updated, with the final guidance published on 15 July. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.The guidance is clear that schools should provide pupils with the knowledge and skills they need to recognise sexism and misogyny and report abuse, including emotional, physical and sexual abuse, as well as to build empathy and promote respect for all. Positive action should be taken to build a culture where misogynistic attitudes and behaviour are not tolerated, and any occurrences are identified and tackled.To help support the sector implement changes following the publication of the revised RSHE guidance, we are piloting a teacher training grant, starting in early 2026.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of amending the early morning alcohol restriction orders to help tackle early morning street drinking.

Licensing authorities already have powers under the Licensing Act 2003 to introduce Early Morning Alcohol Restriction Orders (EMROs) which can prohibit the sale of alcohol between midnight and 6am where appropriate for promoting the licensing objectives.We keep the Licensing Act under review.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) encourage research on and (b) support the development of (i) strategic partnerships and (ii) research infrastructure for ME and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including post-acute infection condition such as myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), for which research funding is available. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality, rather than designating an amount of funding for a particular condition. Welcoming applications on ME/CFS and other post-acute infection conditions to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.The NIHR Academy offers extensive support for early-career researchers through various fellowships, training awards, and mentoring structures. For instance, through the INSIGHT Programme, they work with universities to fund research masters studentships and to attract students into research. Through Academic Clinical Fellowships, for doctors and dentists, and Predoctoral Academic Fellowships, for other health professionals, the NIHR Academy supports healthcare practitioners in integrating research with clinical practice.Together with the Medical Research Council (MRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation, we are actively exploring next steps in ME/CFS research, as outlined in the ME/CFS final delivery plan. This includes a new funding opportunity for a development award focussed on evaluating repurposed pharmaceutical inventions for post-acute infection syndromes and associated conditions, including ME/CFS. This funding opportunity is one component of our approach to improve evidence around the diagnosis, management, and treatment of post-acute infection conditions, including ME/CFS. We are also planning an NIHR and MRC hosted showcase event for post-acute infection conditions research, including for ME/CFS and long COVID, later this year to stimulate further research in this field.