Written questions by Morris.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for ADHD assessments in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.

There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for the assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nationally or for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, the relevant information may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners.We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop a data improvement plan, understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from integrated care boards (ICB) who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services.The NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB advises that it has developed a Mental Health, Learning Disability and Neurodiversity Improvement Plan, which is available publicly at the following link:https://northeastnorthcumbria.nhs.uk/about-us/corporate-information/governance/meetings/board-meeting-held-in-public-tuesday-1-october-2024/The ICB has advised that it has established an all-age ADHD and autism working group which will be responsible for understanding the current pathways and for making recommendations to improve the pathways and capacity in future. The ICB’s review of the ADHD pathway commenced in December 2024 and will include stakeholders from the NHS, local authorities, and the community and voluntary sector, and will also consider the best way to engage people with lived experience of ADHD. The ICB also continues to work across the region with local providers of ADHD services and local authorities on the transformation of these pathways, including the 'waiting well' offer for support.

How many adults are on the waiting list for ADHD assessments in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.

There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for the assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nationally or for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, the relevant information may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners.We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop a data improvement plan, understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from integrated care boards (ICB) who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services.The NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB advises that it has developed a Mental Health, Learning Disability and Neurodiversity Improvement Plan, which is available publicly at the following link:https://northeastnorthcumbria.nhs.uk/about-us/corporate-information/governance/meetings/board-meeting-held-in-public-tuesday-1-october-2024/The ICB has advised that it has established an all-age ADHD and autism working group which will be responsible for understanding the current pathways and for making recommendations to improve the pathways and capacity in future. The ICB’s review of the ADHD pathway commenced in December 2024 and will include stakeholders from the NHS, local authorities, and the community and voluntary sector, and will also consider the best way to engage people with lived experience of ADHD. The ICB also continues to work across the region with local providers of ADHD services and local authorities on the transformation of these pathways, including the 'waiting well' offer for support.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency is taking to monitor the contribution of septic tanks to sewage pollution in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) the North East, (c) Northumberland, (d) Newcastle and (e) England.

Septic tanks provide safe waste management for properties, often located in isolated rural areas, without access to the mains sewage network. Typically small in volume, discharges from septic tanks are regulated under General Binding Rules established in 2023. The General Binding Rules impose requirements designed to prevent pollution without the need for an environmental permit. Discharges from septic tanks operating under the General Binding Rules must not cause pollution of surface water or groundwater. The Environment Agency considers the contribution of septic tanks to sewage pollution in England as part of its approach to River Basin Management Plans. When a water body is not achieving good status, the cause is investigated and, where sufficient evidence is available, it is attributed to a sector such as private sewage systems (including septic tanks). The Environment Agency also receives reports from the public, its partners, and its own staff monitoring the water environment in catchments across the country about pollution caused by discharges from septic tanks. The Environment Agency responds to these reports by assessing the risk posed to the environment. Where necessary the Environment Agency will take further action to ensure that discharges comply with the General Binding Rules.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking steps to use the Government's tree planting programme to help tackle down-stream flooding.

Tree planting along rivers, as well as woodland creation across hill slopes in the wider catchment, can help slow water flow and temporarily store water as part of natural flood management. The England Woodland Creation Offer provides financial support for tree planting and incentivises woodland creation that reduces flood risk through supplementary payments. The ‘Woodlands for Water’ project, supported by Defra, has been providing targeted facilitation to support landowners to access tree planting grants to support the creation of woodland along rivers, which can improve water quality, manage flood risks and boost biodiversity.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his Departments planned timeline is to ensure that at least 50% of all food purchased by the public sector is (a) locally produced and (b) sustainable; and what progress he has made on this.

At last month’s Oxford Farming Conference, as part of the government’s New Deal for Farmers, the Government announced a series of reforms, including, where possible, backing British produce. It was also announced that for the first time ever, the government will review food currently bought in the public sector and where it is bought from. This work will start right away and be a significant first step in understanding how to capitalize on the Government’s purchasing power: informing any changes to public sector food procurement policies in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the findings in the UK Food Security Report, published on 11 December 2024 on resilience to exogenous shocks in the food system.

The UK has a high degree of food security, but the 2024 UK Food Security Report shows that food security cannot be taken for granted. Strengthening food security by supporting our farmers and food producers is a top priority for this Government. While climate and geopolitical volatility have weakened aspects of food supply stability since 2021, food availability or the quantity of food available to the UK has been maintained thanks to continued resilience in food production and the global trading system. Food production faces pressing risks from climate change and nature loss over the longer term. Defra is taking action to reduce this impact and support the continued production and supply of food for UK citizens. For example, the third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3), sets out a range of measures to improve resilience and adaptation to climate change across the agri-food chain. Work is also underway to develop an ambitious food strategy. The strategy will set the food system up for long-term success and will deliver wide ranging improvements; through building resilience in the face of climate shocks and geopolitical changes, while protecting the supply chain which operates so effectively to feed the nation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which farmers will contribute towards natural flood defence measures.

Environmental Land Management schemes and other Government grant payments create incentives for land managers to adopt sustainable farming practices, which provide benefits for agricultural productivity, biodiversity and resilience to climate events. For example, we are providing funding for farmers to implement natural flood management measures on their land, boosting resilience and supporting flood preparedness. Funding for soil health actions can help reduce the impacts of drought and flooding. The record £2.65 billion floods investment programme also delivers natural flood management, with the impact of a project on agricultural land included as part of the funding calculator. In addition, the government published a rapid evidence assessment in 2024 of flooding and coastal erosion on agricultural land and businesses, and this discusses the evidence for agriculture as a provider of natural flood management.

Communities and Local Government, how many people are homeless in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.

Published data on homelessness including number of people in temporary accommodation can be found here:Tables on homelessness - GOV.UK

What steps his Department is taking to reduce NHS dental service waiting lists in (a) Hexham, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.

Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend. Some dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements.It is a contractual requirement for NHS dentists to update their NHS website profiles at least every 90 days to ensure patients have up-to-date information on where they can access care. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients. Integrated care boards can review which practices in their area have not updated their profile in a 90-day period, and work with practices to ensure websites are up to date.The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people on NHS waiting lists in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government. On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, part of the Government’s Plan for Change to ensure that patients are seen on time and have the best possible experience during their care, including those using National Health Services in the Hexham constituency, Northumberland, Newcastle and the North East. Further information on the Elective Reform Plan is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/reforming-elective-care-for-patients.pdfWe have set an ambition to make progress on the 18-week standard in 2025/26, to 65% of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment nationally. At the end of November 2024, the rate at the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust was 80.3%, and the rate at the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals was 68.4%. This compares to 59.1% nationally. These two trusts are performing better than the average, which is very much welcomed, but we are pressing to ensure we build on that, and have set out our expectation that all English trusts will deliver a minimum 5% improvement by March 2026.To support this ambition, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £1.5 billion of capital funding, including for new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners, at the Autumn Statement. This will build capacity for over 30,000 additional procedures and over 1.25 million diagnostic tests as they come online, as well as new beds which will create more treatment space and reduce waiting times.The Elective Reform Plan sets out a number of ways which we will increase productivity and improve patient experience, including increasing the number of surgical hubs, and expanding and increasing the opening times of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs). Three hubs are currently operational in the North-East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System, which serves patients across Hexham, Northumberland, Newcastle and the North-East, with one due to open at the South Tees Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, namely the Friarage Hospital Elective Hub.There are currently five CDCs located across the North East of England, including the Metrocentre CDC in Gateshead.

What steps his Department is taking to shift care from hospitals into the community in (a) Hexham, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) rural areas.

As part of our mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future, we launched a 10-Year Health Plan. The plan will set out an agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed, to move healthcare from hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention.We are committed to moving towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered locally to create healthier communities, spot problems earlier, and support people to stay healthier and maintain their independence for longer.Integrated care boards (ICB) are responsible for planning health services for their local area and are best placed to make decisions on care services in the community according to local need.Neighbourhood Health Guidelines have been published alongside the 2025/26 NHS Operational Planning Guidance and 2025/26 Better Care Fund policy framework, published 30 January 2025, to help ICBs, local authorities, and health and care providers to continue to progress neighbourhood health in 2025/26, in advance of the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan.We will provide further details of a National Implementation Programme in the coming months, designed for all parts of the health and social care system involved in delivering neighbourhood health. This programme will adopt a test and learn approach, to help identify what is working most effectively and the conditions required to deliver a set of target outcomes.Community health services are an essential building block in developing a neighbourhood health service, working closely with primary care, social care, and other community services to provide more care in the community.

What steps he is taking to support hospices in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.

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 working at great pace to get this year’s funding to hospices as soon as possible. We are currently finalising the delivery mechanisms, and are pleased that Hospice UK is standing ready to distribute the money to hospices throughout England, including to hospices in Hexham, Northumberland, Newcastle, and the North East.We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices. NHS England is currently making decisions on the allocation and administration mechanisms for the £26 million of revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices in 2025/26, and hopes to communicate plans to the sector later this month.I met with key palliative and end of life care, including hospice, stakeholders on 3 February to discuss the long-term sustainability of palliative and end of life care, within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.

What discussions he has had with NHS England on the provision of clear care pathways for children with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder.

Ministers and departmental officials hold discussions regularly with NHS England and stakeholders on a range of issues.We recognise the devastating impact an eating disorder, such as avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), can have on someone’s life, and the earlier treatment is provided, the greater the chance of recovery. We continue to work closely with NHS England to ensure that people with an eating disorder get the care and treatment they need.In 2019/20, NHS England funded seven community eating disorder teams for children and young people in a pilot programme to improve access, assessment, and treatment for children presenting with ARFID. The training from these pilots is now available for providers in local areas for their children and young people’s community eating disorder services. And in 2021, NHS England commissioned ARFID training for staff delivering treatment in inpatient children and young people’s mental health services.NHS England also commissioned the research charity Autistica to produce an ARFID and Autistic People briefing paper. This informed two awareness raising webinars, one for staff from the eating disorders charity BEAT, and the other for commissioners, clinicians, and providers, to consider how autistic children and young people with ARFID could benefit from eating disorder support and services.Building on the work of the Children and Young People’s ARFID pilot, NHS England is developing a framework for community eating disorder services to support them in delivering an ARFID pathway for adults.

What discussions he has had with NHS England on (a) neurodivergence and (b) avoidant restrictive food intake disorder.

Ministers and departmental officials hold discussions regularly with NHS England and stakeholders on a range of issues.We recognise the devastating impact an eating disorder, such as avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), can have on someone’s life, and the earlier treatment is provided, the greater the chance of recovery. We continue to work closely with NHS England to ensure that people with an eating disorder get the care and treatment they need.In 2019/20, NHS England funded seven community eating disorder teams for children and young people in a pilot programme to improve access, assessment, and treatment for children presenting with ARFID. The training from these pilots is now available for providers in local areas for their children and young people’s community eating disorder services. And in 2021, NHS England commissioned ARFID training for staff delivering treatment in inpatient children and young people’s mental health services.NHS England also commissioned the research charity Autistica to produce an ARFID and Autistic People briefing paper. This informed two awareness raising webinars, one for staff from the eating disorders charity BEAT, and the other for commissioners, clinicians, and providers, to consider how autistic children and young people with ARFID could benefit from eating disorder support and services.Building on the work of the Children and Young People’s ARFID pilot, NHS England is developing a framework for community eating disorder services to support them in delivering an ARFID pathway for adults.

What discussions he has had with (a) NHS specialists, (b) support groups and (c) all other stakeholders on increasing available support for children with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID).

Ministers and departmental officials hold discussions regularly with NHS England and stakeholders on a range of issues.We recognise the devastating impact an eating disorder, such as avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), can have on someone’s life, and the earlier treatment is provided, the greater the chance of recovery. We continue to work closely with NHS England to ensure that people with an eating disorder get the care and treatment they need.In 2019/20, NHS England funded seven community eating disorder teams for children and young people in a pilot programme to improve access, assessment, and treatment for children presenting with ARFID. The training from these pilots is now available for providers in local areas for their children and young people’s community eating disorder services. And in 2021, NHS England commissioned ARFID training for staff delivering treatment in inpatient children and young people’s mental health services.NHS England also commissioned the research charity Autistica to produce an ARFID and Autistic People briefing paper. This informed two awareness raising webinars, one for staff from the eating disorders charity BEAT, and the other for commissioners, clinicians, and providers, to consider how autistic children and young people with ARFID could benefit from eating disorder support and services.Building on the work of the Children and Young People’s ARFID pilot, NHS England is developing a framework for community eating disorder services to support them in delivering an ARFID pathway for adults.

How many people are seeking support for avoidant restrictive food intake disorder in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, d) the North East (e) England.

NHS England has advised that the information requested is not available in the format requested. This is because it is not possible to specifically identify avoidant restrictive food intake disorder in relation to other eating disorders within the Mental Health Services Dataset.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on tackling violence against women and girls using the Online Safety Act 2023.

Tackling VAWG in all of its forms, including when it takes place online, is a top priority for this Government, and that's why we have set out an unprecedented mission to halve VAWG within a decade.The misuse of technology to abuse or harm others (including online) has a disproportionate impact on women and children and we know this is a significant and growing issue in the UK and worldwide.We will go further than before to deliver a cross-Government transformative approach to halve all forms of violence against women and girls, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published next year. In January 2025, the Government introduced new legislation which will make creating sexually explicit 'deepfake' images a criminal offence.The Online Safety Act designates material relating to child sexual exploitation and abuse as a priority offence. Platforms must put in place systems and processes to minimise and remove this content. The Illegal Harms Codes, laid before Parliament in December and coming into force from 17 March this year, sets out the steps companies must take to meet their duties under the Act to tackle this content."I regularly meet with Baroness Jones of Whitchurch, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to discuss these matters.My officials also engage regularly with DSIT and the Ministry of Justice to identify the most appropriate legislative vehicles to tackle technology-facilitated VAWG.

What steps her Department is taking through Young Futures Hubs to help tackle violence against women and girls.

The government has set an ambitious target to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. To achieve this, we plan to reduce the current levels of offending and reoffending and prevent abuse from happening altogether.This focus on prevention also sits at the heart of the Young Futures programme, which will establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures prevention partnerships.Young Futures Hubs will be set up across the country, bringing together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling young people to thrive.Young Futures Prevention Partnerships will bring local partners together to intervene earlier to ensure that vulnerable children at-risk of being drawn into a variety of crime types (including anti-social behaviour, knife crime and violence against women and girls) are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.Officials from across government, including my department, the Home Office, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice are working together using their various bodies of evidence of what works to shape Young Futures Hubs.

When she plans to publish the Financial Inclusiveness Strategy.

On 5 December, the Government announced work on a Financial Inclusion Strategy which will be developed alongside a supporting committee, chaired by me. The Financial Inclusion Committee’s mission is to tackle barriers to individual and households’ ability to access affordable and appropriate financial products and services. The strategy will be published later this year.

How many veterans are accessing mental health support in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.

NHS England commissions Op COURAGE, the integrated mental health and wellbeing service, which allows veterans to make self-referrals. The Op COURAGE North service, run by the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, covers the Hexham area.The service, which is available across England, has been designed to support veterans from all areas, and is delivered from a range of locations, including National Health Service trusts, general practices (GPs), Poppy Shops, veteran hubs, and drop-in centres. Elements of the service may also be provided online if this is clinically appropriate. The Government recognises that not all veterans want to use veteran-specific mental health services, and they can instead choose to use mainstream NHS services, such as Talking Therapies, which are available to both veterans and civilians.GPs are able to participate in the Veteran Friendly Practice Accreditation Scheme, which is a free support programme for GPs in England that enables GPs to easily identify, understand, and support veterans and, where appropriate, refer them to specialist healthcare services designed especially for them, such as Op COURAGE. Over 99% of Primary Care Networks have at least one GP accredited as Veteran Friendly.For Op COURAGE, between April and November 2024, Op COURAGE North received 2,040 referrals. Across all Op COURAGE services in England, there were over 5,000 referrals in the same time period. For NHS Talking Therapies, between April and November 2024, NHS Talking Therapies in the North of England received 5,100 referrals from veterans. Across all NHS Talking Therapies there were over 13,400 referrals over the same period.