Written questions by Fenton-Glynn.

Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of consumer protections for mobile phone users impacted by long term service outages; and whether she plans to introduce additional regulation to increase those protections.

Telecoms consumers should rightly expect to have access to reliable and affordable connectivity no matter where they live, work or travel.We have engaged with providers to ensure customers are eligible for compensation and are assessing options to proactively engage affected customers. While we have no current plans to extend regulatory requirements to include service outages, we and Ofcom keep the regulatory framework under review.Ofcom is responsible for the Automatic Compensation Scheme and so any decision to extend the scheme would be for them. Ofcom also monitors trends in complaints. Operators are required to report significant incidents to Ofcom, who have powers to investigate, rectify and penalise communications providers for any infringement of their duties to ensure their network and services remain available.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions her Department has had with mobile network operators on the timetable for restoring mobile coverage in Calder Valley constituency; and what steps she is taking to help expedite that process.

Senior officials within the department have been in regular contact with Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) about the coverage issue in Calder Valley constituency that impacted both O2 and Vodafone customers, along with customers of Mobile Virtual Network Operators using their networks. VMO2 have confirmed that a temporary fix has been put in place to restore mobile connectivity to the Hebden Bridge community. This was implemented on 7 November. VMO2 have told us the solution put in place will ensure that the coverage in Hebden Bridge is equivalent to the level of coverage experienced prior to the outage.While we will be launching a call for evidence as soon as possible to assess the merits of further planning reform to support the deployment of mobile networks, VMO2 has indicated that obtaining planning permission was not a barrier to restoring coverage in the area.Communications providers are legally required to ensure appropriate network availability, mitigate risks, and report significant incidents to Ofcom, which can investigate and enforce compliance. In December 2023, Ofcom launched a Call for Input on power back-up at mobile access sites. An update in February 2025 confirmed further analysis is underway to determine proportionate measures for operators. The Department supports this work and looks forward to its conclusions.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the resilience of mobile networks in rural areas; and whether her Department plans to review (a) planning and (b) infrastructure requirements to prevent prolonged outages.

Senior officials within the department have been in regular contact with Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) about the coverage issue in Calder Valley constituency that impacted both O2 and Vodafone customers, along with customers of Mobile Virtual Network Operators using their networks. VMO2 have confirmed that a temporary fix has been put in place to restore mobile connectivity to the Hebden Bridge community. This was implemented on 7 November. VMO2 have told us the solution put in place will ensure that the coverage in Hebden Bridge is equivalent to the level of coverage experienced prior to the outage.While we will be launching a call for evidence as soon as possible to assess the merits of further planning reform to support the deployment of mobile networks, VMO2 has indicated that obtaining planning permission was not a barrier to restoring coverage in the area.Communications providers are legally required to ensure appropriate network availability, mitigate risks, and report significant incidents to Ofcom, which can investigate and enforce compliance. In December 2023, Ofcom launched a Call for Input on power back-up at mobile access sites. An update in February 2025 confirmed further analysis is underway to determine proportionate measures for operators. The Department supports this work and looks forward to its conclusions.

What steps his Department is taking to prepare for the expiry of NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust contracts, including the continuity of (a) primary care and (b) community health services.

From 2029, the leases on 308 NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) buildings will begin to expire. The Department has initiated a national programme, Securing the Future, to manage these lease expiries through a structured, phased approach, and has determine which buildings should be retained to meet future health requirements.Securing the Future will be led by Community Health Partnerships (CHP), a Department owned company that manages the LIFT estate. A business case is being developed to determine how best to secure the required estate after LIFT contract expiry, and this will assess the financial impact of different commercial approaches.The Securing the Future programme will be informed by CHP’s expertise in managing Public Private Partnership assets. The business case will ensure that commercial arrangements to manage LIFT expiry are robust, and that any wider lessons from managing private finance initiatives are taken on board.The number of NHS LIFT buildings in each region of England and the percentage of those contracts due to expire before the end of the 2029/30 financial year are as follows:59 buildings in London, with 5% due to expire;70 buildings in the Midlands, with 1% due to expire;67 buildings in the North East. With 6% due to expire;75 buildings in the North West, with 5% due to expire;12 buildings in the South East, with 0% due to expire;14 buildings in the South West, with 0% due to expire; and11 buildings in the East of England, with 0% due to expire.

How many NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust facilities there are in each region of England; and what proportion of those contracts are due to expire before 2030.

From 2029, the leases on 308 NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) buildings will begin to expire. The Department has initiated a national programme, Securing the Future, to manage these lease expiries through a structured, phased approach, and has determine which buildings should be retained to meet future health requirements.Securing the Future will be led by Community Health Partnerships (CHP), a Department owned company that manages the LIFT estate. A business case is being developed to determine how best to secure the required estate after LIFT contract expiry, and this will assess the financial impact of different commercial approaches.The Securing the Future programme will be informed by CHP’s expertise in managing Public Private Partnership assets. The business case will ensure that commercial arrangements to manage LIFT expiry are robust, and that any wider lessons from managing private finance initiatives are taken on board.The number of NHS LIFT buildings in each region of England and the percentage of those contracts due to expire before the end of the 2029/30 financial year are as follows:59 buildings in London, with 5% due to expire;70 buildings in the Midlands, with 1% due to expire;67 buildings in the North East. With 6% due to expire;75 buildings in the North West, with 5% due to expire;12 buildings in the South East, with 0% due to expire;14 buildings in the South West, with 0% due to expire; and11 buildings in the East of England, with 0% due to expire.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the expiry of NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust contracts on the finances of Integrated Care Boards over the next 10 years.

From 2029, the leases on 308 NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) buildings will begin to expire. The Department has initiated a national programme, Securing the Future, to manage these lease expiries through a structured, phased approach, and has determine which buildings should be retained to meet future health requirements.Securing the Future will be led by Community Health Partnerships (CHP), a Department owned company that manages the LIFT estate. A business case is being developed to determine how best to secure the required estate after LIFT contract expiry, and this will assess the financial impact of different commercial approaches.The Securing the Future programme will be informed by CHP’s expertise in managing Public Private Partnership assets. The business case will ensure that commercial arrangements to manage LIFT expiry are robust, and that any wider lessons from managing private finance initiatives are taken on board.The number of NHS LIFT buildings in each region of England and the percentage of those contracts due to expire before the end of the 2029/30 financial year are as follows:59 buildings in London, with 5% due to expire;70 buildings in the Midlands, with 1% due to expire;67 buildings in the North East. With 6% due to expire;75 buildings in the North West, with 5% due to expire;12 buildings in the South East, with 0% due to expire;14 buildings in the South West, with 0% due to expire; and11 buildings in the East of England, with 0% due to expire.

Whether he is applying lessons learned from the expiry of hospital Private Finance Initiative contracts to the management of NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust contract expiries.

From 2029, the leases on 308 NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) buildings will begin to expire. The Department has initiated a national programme, Securing the Future, to manage these lease expiries through a structured, phased approach, and has determine which buildings should be retained to meet future health requirements.Securing the Future will be led by Community Health Partnerships (CHP), a Department owned company that manages the LIFT estate. A business case is being developed to determine how best to secure the required estate after LIFT contract expiry, and this will assess the financial impact of different commercial approaches.The Securing the Future programme will be informed by CHP’s expertise in managing Public Private Partnership assets. The business case will ensure that commercial arrangements to manage LIFT expiry are robust, and that any wider lessons from managing private finance initiatives are taken on board.The number of NHS LIFT buildings in each region of England and the percentage of those contracts due to expire before the end of the 2029/30 financial year are as follows:59 buildings in London, with 5% due to expire;70 buildings in the Midlands, with 1% due to expire;67 buildings in the North East. With 6% due to expire;75 buildings in the North West, with 5% due to expire;12 buildings in the South East, with 0% due to expire;14 buildings in the South West, with 0% due to expire; and11 buildings in the East of England, with 0% due to expire.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of introducing a presumption against building onshore wind developments on deep peat on the UK’s ability to meet its carbon emissions reduction targets.

The Government has considered the impact of planning regulation around wind farm development on peatland, including on deep peat, recognising the importance of England’s peatlands for biodiversity, water, and carbon storage. There are existing protections for peatland habitats and deep peat within the National Policy Planning Framework. The Government also recently consulted on updated National Policy Statements for renewable energy development, including guidance around peatland and onshore wind. This will ensure a balanced approach to onshore wind development and peatland protection, where Government can enable nature’s recovery while not impeding our commitments to Net Zero and Clean Power 2030.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of introducing a presumption against building onshore wind developments on deep peat on the Government’s (a) biodiversity and (b) peatland restoration targets.

The Government has considered the impact of planning regulation around wind farm development on peatland restoration and biodiversity. The Government recognises the importance of England’s peatlands for biodiversity, water, and carbon storage. That’s why we are investing significantly in protecting and restoring nature, including peatlands. There are existing protections for peatland habitats within the National Policy Planning Framework. In addition, this Government recently consulted on updated National Policy Statements for renewable energy development, which included updated guidance around peatland and onshore wind developments.

With reference to the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee’s Second Report of Session 2024–25, Gridlock or growth? Avoiding energy planning chaos, published on 7 July 2025, when he plans to publish the Government’s response.

Government is grateful to the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee for its scrutiny of the draft updated National Policy Statements. The Committee’s conclusions and recommendations have been carefully considered and the Government response will be published once the final updated National Policy Statements are laid in Parliament later this year.

What assessment he has made of whether the absence of mandatory strike‑off in the new MPTS guidance for proven sexual misconduct by doctors adequately protects patients.

The new guidance for Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service tribunals includes more detail about assessing the seriousness of an allegation and the features that may increase the seriousness. The guidance now also includes sanction bandings. These indicate the range of outcomes that can be expected in different case types, once a tribunal has decided whether a doctor poses a low, medium, or high level of risk to the public.In cases relating to sexual misconduct, because the level of current and ongoing risk to public protection will generally be considered medium or high, tribunals should consider suspension or erasure. The guidance sets out that in cases where misconduct is found to be sexually motivated, the inherent seriousness is likely to be high, and that makes any outcome short of erasure from the register inappropriate.The Department monitors how regulators perform their duties and will continue to engage with the General Medical Council, including assessing how the new guidance impacts the outcomes of tribunal findings in cases of sexual misconduct.

What recent discussions his Department has had with the (a) General Medical Council and (b) Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service on the implementation of the new Guidance for MPTS Tribunals, published in October 2025.

Discussions have taken place between the Department and both the General Medical Council and the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service to understand how the updated guidance will influence tribunal decision making and whether the new sanction bandings in the guidance, which set out recommended sanction levels based on the type and severity of the case, will lead to more consistent outcomes.

What proportion of doctors accused of sexual misconduct were placed under interim suspension by the GMC between 2018 and 2025.

The Department does not hold this information centrally.The General Medical Council (GMC) is the regulator of all medical doctors, physician assistants, and physician assistants in anaesthesia, still legally known as anaesthesia associates and physician associates, practising in the United Kingdom. The GMC is independent of the Government, being directly accountable to Parliament, and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.

Whether any doctors were erased or struck off due to sexual misconduct between 2018 and 2025.

The Department does not hold this information centrally.The General Medical Council (GMC) is the regulator of all medical doctors, physician assistants, and physician assistants in anaesthesia, still legally known as anaesthesia associates and physician associates, practising in the United Kingdom. The GMC is independent of the Government, being directly accountable to Parliament, and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.

What proportion of nurses and midwives accused of sexual misconduct were placed under interim suspension by the NMC between 2019 and 2024.

The Department does not hold this information centrally. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom, and nursing associates in England. The NMC is independent of the Government, directly accountable to Parliament, and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties. The UK's model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of skills levels on advanced manufacturing businesses in Calder Valley constituency.

This Government recognises the importance of skills for manufacturing across the UK, including for businesses in West Yorkshire’s Calder Valley. Through our new Modern Industrial Strategy we are investing an extra £1.2 billion yearly by 2028-29 to develop workforce capabilities and career opportunities.The accompanying Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan outlines further government support for building a skilled, inclusive workforce through skills reforms including shorter apprenticeships, sector-wide reskilling, and changing public perceptions of manufacturing.DBT works closely with Department for Education and Skills England. Skills England published two reports this summer, the Skills for growth and opportunity report, and the Assessment of priority skills to 2030, providing invaluable evidence to shape skills policy, including for the manufacturing sector.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients with (a) vague and (b) non-specific symptoms can undergo a range of tests in one visit at Community Diagnostic Centres.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the 18-week constitutional standard by the end of this Parliament. The plan commits to transforming and expanding diagnostic services and to speeding up waiting times for tests, a crucial part of reducing overall waiting times and returning to the referral to treatment 18-week standard.As well as expanding capacity by building up to five more community diagnostic centres (CDCs) in 2025/26 and by expand existing CDCs, the plan commits to optimising the use of this capacity by increasing same day tests and consultations, as well as the range of tests offered. We are also increasing the operating hours of CDCs so that more offer services 12 hours a day, seven days a week, so that tests are accessible for patients around their busy working lives. This is backed by part of the £600 million of capital for diagnostic services announced at the October Spending Review.NHS England is also taking steps to improve diagnostic pathways. Strongly coordinated pathways will involve testing in one visit in order to support early and accurate diagnosis.Patients can be referred to CDCs via their general practitioner or via hospital based clinical teams. Clinicians are responsible for working with patients to assess symptoms that may be considered as vaguer and more non-specific, ensuring that this includes referral for appropriate diagnostic tests.

What steps he is taking to support the engineering and manufacturing industry to take on apprentices.

This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will give greater flexibility to employers and learners across the country, including in Calder Valley, and support the industrial strategy. We know that skills gaps are holding back business growth across the country and that is why the government is supporting employers to invest in skills training. Employers have long been calling for greater flexibility in the apprenticeships levy, and we are delivering this. In August, we reduced the minimum duration of an apprenticeship to 8 months so that shorter apprenticeships are possible. All sectors will be able to make use of this flexibility where this is appropriate for the role or the apprentice. These flexibilities will help more people learn new high-quality skills at work and fuel innovation in businesses across the country. Additionally, we have introduced new foundation apprenticeships, to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills. The first foundation apprenticeships are focussed on industrial strategy and priority areas including engineering and manufacturing. They will be underpinned by an employer incentive payment of up to £2,000 to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career. This is in addition to the £1,000 we pay to employers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in care.

What steps his Department is taking through the provision of apprenticeships to tackle skills shortages in manufacturing in Calder Valley.

This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will give greater flexibility to employers and learners across the country, including in Calder Valley, and support the industrial strategy. We know that skills gaps are holding back business growth across the country and that is why the government is supporting employers to invest in skills training. Employers have long been calling for greater flexibility in the apprenticeships levy, and we are delivering this. In August, we reduced the minimum duration of an apprenticeship to 8 months so that shorter apprenticeships are possible. All sectors will be able to make use of this flexibility where this is appropriate for the role or the apprentice. These flexibilities will help more people learn new high-quality skills at work and fuel innovation in businesses across the country. Additionally, we have introduced new foundation apprenticeships, to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills. The first foundation apprenticeships are focussed on industrial strategy and priority areas including engineering and manufacturing. They will be underpinned by an employer incentive payment of up to £2,000 to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career. This is in addition to the £1,000 we pay to employers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in care.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support research and development projects using novel diagnostic technologies.

The Life Sciences Sector Plan commits to enabling world class research & development (R&D) within the UK, with specific actions to support Medtech and Biotech companies including those focused on diagnostics. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) will deliver on this in parallel, accelerating the transition from ideation to commercialisation for novel diagnostic productions and providing wraparound support that will connect innovators to testbeds, regulators, and procurement processes. We will also further expand our significant investments in UK health data and genomics capabilities.