Written questions by Smith.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory mediation within the tribunals system.

The Government recognises the value of mediation in helping parties to resolve disputes more swiftly and consensually. Since integrated mediation was introduced for county court small claims under £10,000 in 2024, parties have been required, as part of the litigation process, to attend a free, one-hour appointment with HMCTS’ Small Claims Mediation Service. A formal evaluation of integrated mediation will be published this summer and will inform decisions on any future expansion.In the tribunals, where disputes are resolved without the need for a full hearing, this can reduce demand and capacity pressures. The Department recognises the potential benefits of mediation and will consider carefully the merits and potential impact of any further reform in tribunals to encourage this, while respecting judicial independence.Further expansion of the use of mediation, would need to take into account the differing characteristics of individual tribunal jurisdictions and the interests of tribunal users. There are currently no further plans by the Government to assess the merits of making mediation mandatory or extending judicial powers to order mediation in the tribunals or to assess the impact of such measures on tribunal backlogs.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of giving judges in tribunals the power to order mandatory mediation.

The Government recognises the value of mediation in helping parties to resolve disputes more swiftly and consensually. Since integrated mediation was introduced for county court small claims under £10,000 in 2024, parties have been required, as part of the litigation process, to attend a free, one-hour appointment with HMCTS’ Small Claims Mediation Service. A formal evaluation of integrated mediation will be published this summer and will inform decisions on any future expansion.In the tribunals, where disputes are resolved without the need for a full hearing, this can reduce demand and capacity pressures. The Department recognises the potential benefits of mediation and will consider carefully the merits and potential impact of any further reform in tribunals to encourage this, while respecting judicial independence.Further expansion of the use of mediation, would need to take into account the differing characteristics of individual tribunal jurisdictions and the interests of tribunal users. There are currently no further plans by the Government to assess the merits of making mediation mandatory or extending judicial powers to order mediation in the tribunals or to assess the impact of such measures on tribunal backlogs.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Act on the number of employment disputes before the employment tribunal; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory mediation.

The Employment Rights Act (ERA) is part of the Government’s commitment to Make Work Pay. The Act includes measures that strengthens worker’s rights, which we expect will increase demand in the Employment Tribunal. The impact on the Employment Tribunal has been considered in the published impact assessments and economic analysis. A summary of the impact of the number of employment disputes before the Employment Tribunal is available in Table A11 here: Employment Rights Act 2025: economic analysis.It is a question for the judiciary on whether they would like to expand judicial mediation. Judges can choose to mediate, depending on whether they think the case is appropriate, which is typically claims of discrimination or complex unfair dismissals.We do recognise that there are significant demand pressures on the Employment Tribunals and are therefore working with the judiciary, HMCTS and the Department for Business and Trade on any further actions needed to alleviate pressures on the Employment Tribunals, improve efficiency and reduce waiting times to ensure the Employment Tribunal is able to absorb the impact of the Employment Rights Act whilst ensuring timely access to justice for claimants and respondents.

What steps he is taking to encourage greater use of mediation in the tribunals system.

The Government recognises the value of mediation in helping parties to resolve disputes more swiftly and consensually. Since integrated mediation was introduced for county court small claims under £10,000 in 2024, parties have been required, as part of the litigation process, to attend a free, one-hour appointment with HMCTS’ Small Claims Mediation Service. A formal evaluation of integrated mediation will be published this summer and will inform decisions on any future expansion.In the tribunals, where disputes are resolved without the need for a full hearing, this can reduce demand and capacity pressures. The Department recognises the potential benefits of mediation and will consider carefully the merits and potential impact of any further reform in tribunals to encourage this, while respecting judicial independence.Further expansion of the use of mediation, would need to take into account the differing characteristics of individual tribunal jurisdictions and the interests of tribunal users. There are currently no further plans by the Government to assess the merits of making mediation mandatory or extending judicial powers to order mediation in the tribunals or to assess the impact of such measures on tribunal backlogs.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing mandatory mediation for tribunals on the tribunals system backlog.

The Government recognises the value of mediation in helping parties to resolve disputes more swiftly and consensually. Since integrated mediation was introduced for county court small claims under £10,000 in 2024, parties have been required, as part of the litigation process, to attend a free, one-hour appointment with HMCTS’ Small Claims Mediation Service. A formal evaluation of integrated mediation will be published this summer and will inform decisions on any future expansion.In the tribunals, where disputes are resolved without the need for a full hearing, this can reduce demand and capacity pressures. The Department recognises the potential benefits of mediation and will consider carefully the merits and potential impact of any further reform in tribunals to encourage this, while respecting judicial independence.Further expansion of the use of mediation, would need to take into account the differing characteristics of individual tribunal jurisdictions and the interests of tribunal users. There are currently no further plans by the Government to assess the merits of making mediation mandatory or extending judicial powers to order mediation in the tribunals or to assess the impact of such measures on tribunal backlogs.

If he will take steps to ensure that parties who are referred to the Small Claims Automatic Referral to Mediation pilot actively engage in the process.

The Government recognises the value of mediation in helping parties to resolve disputes more swiftly and consensually. Since integrated mediation was introduced for county court small claims under £10,000 in 2024, parties have been required, as part of the litigation process, to attend a free, one-hour appointment with HMCTS’ Small Claims Mediation Service.HMCTS supports this by issuing guidance to parties and writing to them in advance of their appointment with practical information about the mediation process, including relevant contact details. Judges also retain discretion to apply sanctions where a party fails to engage appropriately.

What plans he has to include palliative and end of life care as part of compulsory training for health and care professionals.

We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it, including at the end of life.The training of health and care professionals is the statutory responsibility of the United Kingdom’s independent regulatory bodies, including the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and the Health and Care Professions Council, which set the standards of proficiency, conduct, and performance required for registration. Approved education institutions and practice partners are responsible for designing, delivering, and assessing education programmes that meet these regulatory standards. Programmes are then approved and monitored by the relevant regulator.To ensure the health and social care workforce, including volunteers, are equipped and well supported to deliver personalised care to people at the end of life, Health Education England, now part of NHS England, hosts the End of Life Care for All e-learning training programme, which includes nine modules on improving care for people at the end of life.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing a 24/7 end of life care advice line on the number of hospital admissions for those with a palliative care need.

We recognise that 24/7 advice lines can support people nearing the end of life to remain at home where appropriate and to reduce avoidable hospital admissions.NHS England has published statutory guidance on palliative care and end of life care to support commissioners. The guidance makes specific reference to commissioners defining how their services will meet population needs 24/7 and includes a priority action for ensuring that staff, patients, and carers can access the care and advice they need, whatever the time of day.National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines also recommend that adults approaching the end of life, and their carers, have access to an out of hours end of life care advice line. Although NICE guidance is not mandatory, there is an expectation that commissioners and service providers take the guidelines into account when making decisions about how to best meet the needs of their local communities.We are developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework, which will set out evidence-based interventions to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of care. Availability of 24/7 advice will be considered as part of the interventions that can potentially achieve our goal of improving palliative care and end of life care for all.

What plans he has to embed palliative care in neighbourhood health services.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative care and end-of-life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.Those at the end of life are highlighted in the recently published Neighbourhood Health Framework as a high-priority cohort, making services more convenient, joined-up, personalised, and based around the person. The framework is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/neighbourhood-health-framework/neighbourhood-health-framework

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a 24/7 end of life care advice line.

We recognise that 24/7 advice lines can support people nearing the end of life to remain at home where appropriate and to reduce avoidable hospital admissions.NHS England has published statutory guidance on palliative care and end of life care to support commissioners. The guidance makes specific reference to commissioners defining how their services will meet population needs 24/7 and includes a priority action for ensuring that staff, patients, and carers can access the care and advice they need, whatever the time of day.National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines also recommend that adults approaching the end of life, and their carers, have access to an out of hours end of life care advice line. Although NICE guidance is not mandatory, there is an expectation that commissioners and service providers take the guidelines into account when making decisions about how to best meet the needs of their local communities.We are developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework, which will set out evidence-based interventions to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of care. Availability of 24/7 advice will be considered as part of the interventions that can potentially achieve our goal of improving palliative care and end of life care for all.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of restrictions on the production of lead ammunition on the supply of ammunition for a) UK defence, b) law enforcement agencies and c) land management bodies.

The UK REACH Restriction on lead in ammunition does not cover the use, including storage, of lead ammunition by the military, police, Government security services, private maritime security companies and for border force purposes.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of excluding bullets from restrictions on the production of lead ammunition.

The UK REACH Restriction on lead in ammunition is based on extensive scientific evidence and analysis by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency. In developing their proposal, the HSE assessed the risks posed by lead ammunition – including bullets – to the environment and human health, as well as the socio-economic impacts of their proposal and the availability of alternatives. Minister Hardy’s Decision Report, published on 10 July 2025, sets out the rationale for the final UK REACH Restriction, including in relation to lead bullets.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that approved pesticides do not pose a risk to public health.

A pesticide may only be placed on the market in Great Britain (GB) if the product has been authorised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), GB’s pesticide regulator. This only happens following a thorough scientific risk assessment that concludes all safety standards are met. The GB pesticide Maximum Residue Level (MRL) regime sets high standards of consumer protection to ensure that residues in food do not harm human health. An MRL is the maximum concentration of a pesticide residue in or on food that is legally tolerated. MRLs are always set below the level considered safe for people eating the food.

Food and Rural Affairs, what support she provides to farmers when changes are made to pesticide regulations; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring the availability of approved alternative substances.

If changes are made to regulations including pesticides we aim to do so transparently, for example through consultation, with those impacted including the farming sector. When a decision is made about an active substance or plant protection product by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) this is done in line with the legislation which ensures that affected individual farmers and businesses are made aware in sufficient time to make changes. As set out in the UK Pesticides National Action Plan (NAP), we want to ensure that farmers and growers have sufficient access to safe and sustainable tools to deal with pests and diseases. This includes improving access to biopesticides. The HSE runs the biopesticides scheme to support companies who want to apply for approval of a biopesticide. The scheme includes dedicated HSE biopesticide champions, free pre-submission advice, and capped fees for biopesticide active substance approval.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the Health and Safety Executive maintains up to date standards for pesticides.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) makes decisions on whether to approve pesticides based on a careful scientific assessment of the risks, with the aim of achieving a high level of protection for people and the environment in line with regulatory requirements.HSE uses a number of mechanisms to assure its decisions are based on up-to-date standards including:- Using internal HSE scientific expertise. This includes internal peer reviews as well as review meetings involving senior leaders not directly involved in the decision,- Drawing on independent scientific advice from groups such as the Expert Committee on Pesticides as necessary, and- Where appropriate, using public consultations and calls for evidence, allowing further evidence that may be relevant to be submitted and considered as part of the decision-making process.

Whether he will make an assessment of the risks of the use of a) Benthiavalicarb, b) Clofentezine, c) Dimethomorph, d) Dimoxystrobin, e) Flufenacet, f) Ipconazole, g) Mepanipyrim, h) Metribuzin, i) S-metolachlor, and j) Triflusulfuronmethyl, in the context of reports that they pose serious health and environmental risks, including cancer and infertility.

Pesticides are subject to strict regulation in Great Britain (GB) and are only approved on the basis that they will not cause harm to human or animal health, and that there are no unacceptable effects to the GB environment.If new information comes to light that raises questions over the safety of a pesticide, The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) can and does review active substance approvals under pesticides legislation. HSE is aware of new information which relates to the ten pesticide active substances listed and is working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, GB governments and, where appropriate, the pesticide producers, to determine what action is most suitable for these substances.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2026 to Question 110371 on Driving under Influence: Rural Areas, whether the impact assessment will consider rural (a) hospitality businesses and (b) pubs.

The Government is consulting on proposed changes to penalties for motoring offences, as part of the recently published Road Safety Strategy. As part of this, the Government is consulting on the general principle of lowering the drink drive limit in England and Wales, which has remained unchanged since 1967 and is currently the highest in Europe. Current evidence does not suggest a widespread or sustained adverse impact on the hospitality sector overall. However, the Government will consider potential impacts on rural hospitality businesses, including pubs, as part of its analysis of consultation responses. The Government will conduct an impact assessment following consultation responses and an evidence-led options analysis, and will publish it in line with usual practice where required.

If he will review the effectiveness of the assessment process for NHS Continuing Healthcare in ensuring that decisions are based on sufficient clinical evidence; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that assessments are carried out and validated by a minimum of two independent medical practitioners.

Operational delivery of NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs), with oversight from NHS England. NHS England’s assurance regime promotes accurate assessment, equal access, and consistency within CHC delivery.Eligibility for CHC is determined through a two-stage assessment process. The second stage is carried out by a multidisciplinary team. The legislation for CHC sets out that the multidisciplinary team must include a minimum of two health professionals or one health and one social care professional. The multidisciplinary team should also ideally include someone with specialist knowledge about the individual’s health and social care needs.As part of the assessment, the multidisciplinary team review evidence such as the individual’s medical records, examinations, and assessments using a standardised decision support tool to help inform the eligibility decision.

Media and Sport, what support she is providing to small sports clubs.

The Government is committed to supporting grassroots sport clubs, which play an important role within communities across the country.The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding. Their Movement Fund offers grants ranging from £300 - £15,000 to sports clubs to improve physical activity opportunities for the people and communities that need it most. Sport England’s free online resource, Buddle, also offers free guidance to support small sports clubs.In addition, on 27 January, the Government announced that £85 million of the £400 million package for grassroots sport facilities will be invested in during 2026/27, funding the continuation of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme. This funding is designed to increase participation opportunities and benefit the areas most in need, with 50% investment going to the 30% most deprived areas in the UK.

With reference to paragraph 116 of the report by the Justice Committee entitled The Coroner Service, published on 27 May 2021, HC 68, when he plans to take legislative steps to introduce this measure.

The Government intends to bring forward the necessary amendments to section 13 of the Coroners Act 1988 as soon as Parliamentary time allows. Whilst we have not undertaken a formal impact assessment on timings, there remains a well-established process for applications to be made under section 13, which is available in relevant circumstances. The proposed change builds on that existing framework by enabling the High Court, in appropriate cases, to resolve issues rather than directing that a matter be remitted to a coroner for a fresh inquest. This will provide the court with greater flexibility to ensure that it can fulfil its role as expediently as possible and in a way that best serves the interests of justice.