Written questions by Brash.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on economic growth in the North East generated by the creative industries following the BBC’s recent announcement of a cut of £500m in its budget and 2,000 job losses.

The BBC is a vital national institution and an engine of the nations and regions, including the North East of England. In that context, this news is concerning for the BBC workforce who are facing significant uncertainty, and for the sector as a whole. The BBC is delivering significant savings, which requires difficult decisions to be made independent of the Government. The BBC have stated that there will be more information on their plans later this year. Looking ahead, the Charter Review aims to deliver a BBC that is sustainably funded in a way that sets the BBC on a path to thrive until well into the latter half of this century. The Charter Review will consider how the BBC can support the creative economy and drive growth across the UK.

With reference to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report on changes to women's State Pension age, published on 21 March 2024, if he will make an assessment of the potential (a) economic and (b) social impact on 1950s-born women in Hartlepool.

The Government carefully considered the findings of the Ombudsman’s report on the communication of changes to women’s State Pension age, and a detailed response including an Equality Analysis has been deposited in the House Library.

If his department will make an assessment of the potential merits of using some of the additional £1 billion per year allocated for tailored employment support for Disabled people on out of work benefits for increasing levels of funding for the Access to Work programme.

We are continuing to consider what support we provide in this space in the future. We will make use of the outcomes of the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation, the Collaboration Committees, and upcoming work of the Independent Disability Advisory Panel to inform the future direction of Access to Work. We recognise the importance of the National Audit Office’s findings and are carefully reviewing their recommendations. These insights will support and strengthen our work to ensure the scheme continues to meet customer needs while delivering value for money.

With reference to the Get Britain Working White Paper of 2024, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of increased levels of demand for the Access to Work programme as a result of the increased funding for tailored employment support for Disabled people on out of work benefits.

We are continuing to consider what support we provide in this space in the future. We will make use of the outcomes of the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation, the Collaboration Committees, and upcoming work of the Independent Disability Advisory Panel to inform the future direction of Access to Work. We recognise the importance of the National Audit Office’s findings and are carefully reviewing their recommendations. These insights will support and strengthen our work to ensure the scheme continues to meet customer needs while delivering value for money.

What recent discussions she has had with the haulage sector on the safety of drivers using overnight facilities.

Department for Transport ministers and officials hold regular discussions with representatives from the logistics and haulage industry to understand the sector’s priorities, including the safety of drivers and overnight facilities. Recent engagement with the sector includes the Road Haulage Association’s (RHA) parliamentary reception on the 10 February, where I met with industry representatives and heard about their concerns, including the safety of drivers. I also chaired the Freight Council on the 11 February where industry representatives had the opportunity to raise concerns, including the safety of HGV drivers using overnight facilities. More recently, on the 25 February I jointly hosted a freight roundtable with the Minister for Policing and Crime, which was attended by haulage sector, trade bodies and police representatives. Both the Minister for Policing and Crime and I heard directly from the sector on their concerns relating to freight crime, including at overnight HGV parking facilities.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the Access to Work programme has adequate resources to meet projected demand.

Demand for Access to Work has increased significantly since 2019/20, with more than double the number of applications in 2024/25. Since March 2024 we have increased the number of staff working on Access to Work claims by 29% from 500 full time equivalent (FTE) to 648 FTE in March 2026. Case managers prioritise applications where the customer is due to start a job within four weeks, we continue to streamline processing, improving consistent decisions, strengthening quality checks and enhancing case manager calls with customers and employers. Further to this, we continue to recruit and train new case managers. We are continuing to consider what support we provide in this space in the future. We will make use of the outcomes of the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation, the Collaboration Committees, and upcoming work of the Independent Disability Advisory Panel to inform the future direction of Access to Work. We recognise the importance of the National Audit Office’s findings and are carefully reviewing their recommendations. These insights will support and strengthen our work to ensure the scheme continues to meet customer needs while delivering value for money.

Whether she plans to publish a long-term strategy for improving driver welfare facilities.

There are no current plans to publish a national strategy on HGV parking and welfare facilities. Work is underway in the Department to improve understanding of lorry parking capacity and demand and driver welfare needs, including a national survey of lorry parking. The survey will provide a fresh baseline on the availability of secure lorry parking and HGV driver welfare provision and is scheduled to be published in the autumn. The survey was last conducted in 2022 and provided the evidence base for the design of the HGV Parking Matched Funding Grant Scheme. Working with industry, this scheme is delivering up to £35.7 million in joint investment to enhance truck stops across England. The scheme is helping to improve driver welfare facilities, lorry parking provision, site security and decarbonisation. This investment is on top of up to £30 million in investment by National Highways and industry at truck stops and motorway service areas along the strategic road network. The government is also prioritising improvements to the planning system. Strengthened policy on freight and logistics has been proposed in the recent consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to improve the consideration of freight, including lorry parking, in the planning system.

Whether her Department will provide an update on the timeline of the Online Parenting Interventions project.

The government is committed to expanding access to high-quality, evidence-based parenting and home-learning support. This ensures that families receive interventions that best promote children’s early development and help close the gap before they start school. We want to help more parents to support their child’s development in communication, language, literacy, social and emotional skills and behaviour.‘Giving every child the best start in life’ highlighted the importance of combining digital and in‑person parenting support to broaden access and meet the diverse needs of families, including through the establishment of a national digital parenting offer.The department published a contract notice on the 23 September 2025 exploring the potential central procurement of a digital parenting programme. An update will be provided in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of trends in the level of the dispersal of homeless families from local authorities in the South East and the Midlands to the North East.

Published data shows only small numbers moving from the South East or Midlands to the North East, with most placements made within the same region. The Code of Guidance makes clear families should be placed locally first. That’s why we are improving data, raising expectations, and working with councils to reduce poor practice.

What assessment her Department has made of the costs and benefits of the Music and Dance Scheme.

The Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) have providers in every region of England and is open to young people across the UK. It supports the Creative Industries Sector Plan commitment to increase access to quality specialist creative education provision across England to strengthen our cadre of highly trained young musicians and dancers. The department currently provides £36.5 million for the MDS this academic year and future funding will be announced in due course.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Music and Dance Scheme on (a) trends in the level of regional economic growth and (b) contributing to the Creative Industries Sector Plan.

The Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) have providers in every region of England and is open to young people across the UK. It supports the Creative Industries Sector Plan commitment to increase access to quality specialist creative education provision across England to strengthen our cadre of highly trained young musicians and dancers. The department currently provides £36.5 million for the MDS this academic year and future funding will be announced in due course.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of clean energy industries on the economy of Hartlepool.

Clean energy is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver economic security for workers in every part of the country. Our Clean Energy Jobs Plan showed how by 2030 we could create over 400k good new clean energy jobs across the country, including up to 15k direct roles in the North East. Hartlepool will be a key driver for the region, we recently announced plans X-Energy and Centrica’s have announced proposed advanced modular reactors to create up to 2,500 good, skilled jobs in the town. Alongside wider roles in the region supporting the East Coast Cluster and Viking CCUS which could support tens of thousands of jobs across the region.

Whether he has considered sites in the Northeast of England for the location of the six new munitions factories.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) committed to build at least six new energetics and munitions factories in the UK. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently developing a plan to deliver this commitment alongside our wider Defence Industrial Strategy, delivering long-term investment to boost UK growth and generating skilled UK jobs and export opportunities. The MOD is carefully considering arrangements for those factories including their potential locations, and more detail will be set out in due course. It is currently considered to be premature to discuss specific proposals or sites until the necessary preparatory work has concluded.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Children’s Commissioners survey on school phone policies, published on 10 April 2025; what assessment he has made of the potential merits (a) of the recommendations for parents and carers to receive more support to manage their children’s online activities and (b) of evidence-based parenting programmes, like Triple P and Incredible Years, to deliver this support.

The Government recognises the vital role of parents in supporting children’s online safety, and work on media literacy, including helping families build healthy digital habits, is an ongoing priority. DSIT has funded a range of media literacy projects, including parent-focused interventions, and commissioned research into parents’ needs. These have contributed to the evidence base highlighting what works and identifying areas where further progress is needed. Using these insights, the Government is considering the next phase of work in this area. Meanwhile, DfE publishes guidance and hosts parent-specific resources on its ‘Educate Against Hate’ website.

Whether her Department provides funding to (a) the independent schools inspectorate and (b) cover the cost of inspections undertaken by the inspectorate.

The department does not provide funding to the Independent Schools Inspectorate, and does not cover the cost of inspections undertaken by the inspectorate.

Media and Sport, whether (a) tennis and (b) padel will have access to Government funding for (i) new and (ii) upgraded grassroots sport facilities.

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the nation following the Spending Review.We will now work closely with sporting bodies - including the Lawn Tennis Association - 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. Sport England provides long term investment to the LTA, which receives up to £10.2 million for 5 years from 2022 to invest in tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit as many people as possible.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) food, (b) drink and (c) other (i) aseptic and (ii) chilled liquid cartons are included in the core set of recyclable waste streams required to be collected from all households in England by 31 March 2026.

Yes, aseptic and refrigerated cartons made of a fibre-based composite are included within the plastic recyclable waste stream, required to be collected from all households in England by 31 March 2026.

What proportion of PIP recipients are in employment in Hartlepool.

At the end of March 2024, 14% of PIP recipients in Hartlepool were in employment. Notes: - HMRC data is used to determine whether a claimant was in employment. HMRC data covers up to the end of the tax year 2023/24, therefore March 2024 has been provided as the latest data available. - Self-employment data from the financial year 2023/24 is not available until the end of the 2024/25 financial year, so self-employment data for the financial year 2022/23 has been used as a proxy for 2023/24 instead. - The data provided includes both normal rules and special rules for end of life claimants.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that British suppliers are used for major energy infrastructure projects.

We have always been clear; our country’s clean energy future must be built in Britain. That’s why we launched the Clean Industry Bonus for offshore wind. The first round was hugely successful – more than doubling the budget for developers to invest in UK factories. It’s why we set up our National Wealth Fund to invest in crucial supply chains. And it’s why we created Great British Energy – which has already announced £300 million to invest in domestic offshore wind supply chains.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps with the youth homelessness sector to add a youth-specific section to the Homelessness Code of Guidance as part of the cross-government homelessness strategy.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 20895 on 19 December 2024.