Written questions by Smith.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of research funding models, in the context of the forthcoming national cancer plan; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of research funding models on supporting (a) equitable, (b) clinical and (c) economic opportunities.

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.The Department is committed to turbocharging clinical research and delivering better patient care, to make the United Kingdom a world-leading destination for clinical research. We are working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of the medicines and therapies of the future, including treatments for cancer.The Department funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research and research infrastructure which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including research on cancer. The NIHR also provides an online service called Be Part of Research, which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them, including cancer studies.Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in health research through the NIHR. The NIHR spent £133 million on cancer research in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority. The National Cancer Plan, due to be published in the second half of this year, will have a focus on research and innovation. It will include details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of integrating smoking cessation services into (a) A&E, (b) mental health services and (c) lung screening.

We are fully committed to our ambition for a smoke-free United Kingdom. Quitting smoking is one of the best things a person can do for their health, and our assessment of the evidence is that targeting people with smoking cessation support in in-patient, accident and emergency, and lung screening services can be successful.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we remain committed to ensuring all hospitals integrate smoking cessation interventions into routine care. We will also fully roll out lung cancer screening for those with a history of smoking, which we expect will detect 9,000 cancers earlier each year.As of the end of 2024/25, 93% of National Health Service in-patient services and 97% of maternity services had a tobacco dependence treatment offer. Specifically in mental health services, there was a 41% quit rate amongst those setting a quit date in these settings.Further to this, awards under our National Swap to Stop programme have been made to many NHS services, including mental health and accident and emergency. The programme offers smokers across England a free vape starter kit alongside behavioural support to help them quit smoking.

What plans he has to increase screening programmes to improve early diagnosis of cancers, in the context of the forthcoming National Cancer Plan.

Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan, which will build on the three shifts in care set out in the 10-Year Health Plan to diagnose cancers earlier. Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it easier for people to access cancer screening, diagnostic, and treatment services in patients’ local areas. We will increase participation in screening programmes through digital booking and by taking innovative approaches like self-sampling for cervical screening.The National Cancer Plan, to be published later this year, will include further details on how we will speed up diagnosis, including how we will prioritise screening programmes and improve participation.

Whether she plans to allocate additional funding to support rural bus franchising pilots in North Yorkshire; and what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) the Yorkshire Dales and (b) other areas receive equitable levels of funding compared to urban regions.

The government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services long-term in the Spending Review. On 11 June, the government confirmed continued funding of around £900 million per year from 2026/27 to maintain and improve bus services, including taking forward franchising pilots in York and North Yorkshire. Allocations for individual LTAs for 26/27 onwards will be confirmed in due course. The government has committed to reforming bus funding. Giving local leaders more control and flexibility over bus funding will allow them to plan ahead to deliver their local transport priorities. The formula used in 25/26 is an interim process and is only the first step towards a reformed allocation system. By adopting a fairer method of allocating the bus grant going forward, we expect the current disparities to level out, putting all LTAs on a more equal footing. We ultimately want to create a fairer and simpler system for bus funding that takes into account local needs.

What steps her Department is taking to support councils in improving the frequency and reliability of rural bus services in North Yorkshire.

The government recognises the importance of accessible, frequent and affordable bus services in keeping communities connected as well as in supporting economic growth, tourism and social inclusion. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them, including in North Yorkshire and rural areas right across England. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million to local authorities across the country, of which York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority has been allocated £12.6 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities, including in rural areas. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to bus services in this Spending Review by confirming around £900 million each year from 26/27 to maintain and improve vital bus services, including taking forward bus franchising pilots in areas including York and North Yorkshire, and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of levels of availability of rural transport links on (a) economic growth, (b) tourism and (c) social inclusion; and what steps she is taking to improve rural transport links.

The government recognises the importance of accessible, frequent and affordable bus services in keeping communities connected as well as in supporting economic growth, tourism and social inclusion. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them, including in North Yorkshire and rural areas right across England. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million to local authorities across the country, of which York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority has been allocated £12.6 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities, including in rural areas. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to bus services in this Spending Review by confirming around £900 million each year from 26/27 to maintain and improve vital bus services, including taking forward bus franchising pilots in areas including York and North Yorkshire, and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to recommendation 27 of the report by the National Audit Office entitled Resilience to animal diseases, published on 4 June 2025, what steps his Department is taking to improve biosecurity at (a) UK borders and (b) high-volume entry points such as Dover.

Imports of animals and animal products are subject to strict biosecurity controls. These may include pre-notification, veterinary health certification and Border Control Post checks. We apply additional measures in response to specific biosecurity threats. For example, in response to recent outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in Europe, we imposed immediate restrictions on commercial imports of susceptible animals and their untreated products from specific countries and banned personal imports of certain meat and dairy products from the European Union single market area. We continue to work closely with officials at both ports and airports to deliver the required checks on goods to minimise the risk of animal diseases entering the UK. This includes providing funding to Dover Port Health Authority to support Border Force in the detection of illegal imports of animal products.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to recommendation 26(d) of the report by the National Audit Office entitled Resilience to animal diseases, published on 4 June 2025, whether his Department plans to publish a (a) comprehensive and (b) time-bound strategy for animal disease resilience.

The UK Government takes animal diseases seriously and works closely with industry partners, international fora and other government departments and local authorities to constantly monitor and react to new disease threats. We have in place robust measures to maintain and improve our ability to understand, detect, prevent, respond, and recover from outbreaks. Defra and APHA have noted the findings from the NAO report, including recommendation 26(d). A review is currently being undertaken of existing resilience plans and processes to assess where enhancements are required. This includes the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England which sets out the structures, governance, and processes for disease outbreaks. This is reviewed annually, and the next update is due to be laid before parliament in late autumn this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce veterinary workforce shortages.

Defra is exploring various avenues to improve the short- and long-term capacity issues. Defra has increased engagement across the veterinary profession and other stakeholders, to find a sustainable solution, ensuring the ongoing provision of high-quality veterinary surgeons both in the private and public sectors.

What his Department's planned timetable is for publishing its Review of the Whistleblowing Framework.

The previous Government commissioned a review of the UK’s whistleblowing framework. This report, conducted by Grant Thornton LLP, is currently being reviewed by the Department of Business and Trade and will be published in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the projected funding gap for peatland restoration in the Great North Bog region between 2025 and 2028 on (a) rural employment and (b) environmental outcomes.

The Government recognises the importance of England’s peatlands, and in our manifesto, we committed to expanding nature-rich habitats such as wetlands and peat bogs. This will contribute to ensuring nature’s recovery, one of Defra’s five priorities. Peatland restoration is currently funded via the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme. After this ends, we intend to work with partners, farmers and land managers to enable the delivery of peatland restoration, with continued support through agri-environmental schemes that provide long-term funding for restoration projects throughout the country.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure continuity of funding for peatland restoration between the closure of the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme and the full implementation of the Landscape Recovery Scheme.

The Government recognises the importance of England’s peatlands, and in our manifesto, we committed to expanding nature-rich habitats such as wetlands and peat bogs. This will contribute to ensuring nature’s recovery, one of Defra’s five priorities. We have ambitions to restore hundreds of thousands of hectares of peatlands across the country, and we are working to ensure that we have the most effective mechanisms in place to go further than we have before. Peatland restoration is currently funded via the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme. We will continue to work with partners, farmers and land managers to enable the delivery of peat restoration, supported by agri-environmental schemes that provide long-term funding to support restoration projects. We are providing advice and guidance to enable partners to transition to new funding arrangements. Private finance will also be vital to meeting our peatland restoration ambitions. To support peatland restoration, the Government is implementing a range of policies that will mobilise private investment. These include working with the IUCN to attract investment through the Peatland Code.

Whether she had made an assessment of the potential merits of the use of mandatory mediation in (a) group actions and (b) class action claims.

The merits of mediation are considerable. It offers parties a swifter and less costly way to resolve legal disputes and can save parties the time and cost of going to court, thus saving sitting days and reducing the court backlog.The Government has no plans to consider mandatory mediation at this time but continues to explore opportunities to expand the use of dispute resolution across the civil justice system.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the grievance and complaints process in employment claims to mandate mediation.

The Government has not made a decision to introduce mandatory mediation in Employment Tribunal claims. We are continuing to explore and assess the potential merits of options to utilise more mediation and alternative dispute resolution in the context of the forthcoming Employment Rights Bill.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of using mediation to facilitate an (a) easier and (b) speedier return to the workplace for people off work for (i) stress and (ii) mental health issues.

Employment Advisors in the jointly owned DWP-DHSC ‘Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies programme’ provide advice and support to those suffering with stress and/ or mental health conditions to remain in or return to work. Though not formal mediation, this support often includes liaising with employers to communicate the support that their clients need in the workplace. Additionally, if the client wishes, Employment Advisors can also work with NHS Talking Therapies patients and their employers to support returns to work following mental health-related absences.

What recent discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on the enforcement of third party litigation funding agreements following the PACCAR judgement.

The Government recognises the critical role litigation funding plays in ensuring access to justice.I have engaged with relevant stakeholders on the enforcement of third party litigation funding agreements and the wider market following the PACCAR judgment via my officials.The Government is due to receive the Civil Justice Council’s (CJC) report on litigation funding in summer 2025, which will inform further decisions on policy and legislation. As part of their review, the CJC conducted a consultation with key stakeholders in relation to third party litigation funding.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of using mediation in disputes in which the Government is a party in a (a) private and (b) public law capacity.

The Government conducts litigation in accordance with the relevant court rules and considers the individual circumstances of a dispute before deciding on an appropriate course of action, which may include mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on the potential merits of increasing the use of mediation in the planning process.

My Department has had no recent discussions with stakeholders about the increased use of mediation within the planning system.

What discussions she has had with HMRC on the effectiveness of using mediation in tax disputes.

HMRC’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) service can help in cases where there is a dispute. An HMRC mediator will work with the customer, their agent and the HMRC caseworker to explore points that might have been misunderstood and try and reach agreement on a way forward. If a case is accepted into HMRC’s ADR process, it will typically incur no cost to the customer, unless they choose to be represented by an agent, or hire a mediator of their own choice to co-mediate. A mediator will aim to conclude the process within 4 months. In 2024-25, of the cases accepted into the ADR process, 88.7% of these were resolved. This illustrates the benefit of ADR in appropriate cases in resolving and clarifying points to ensure both parties come to an agreement and prevent unnecessary litigation. A key component of successful ADR is the collaboration of both parties to the dispute working towards an agreed outcome within the parameters of ensuring the correct tax at the correct time.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of the use of mandatory mediation in the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

The Government supports the use, where appropriate, of mediation as a means to resolve regulatory disputes. However, the decision on whether to use mediation, and whether it is appropriate in a particular case, is primarily a matter for the parties in any dispute.Further, the Competition Appeal Tribunal is an independent specialist tribunal with significant expertise in the hearing and deciding of cases involving competition or economic regulatory issues. Any decisions or directions in relation to case management or party conduct are an independent judicial matter considered on a case-by-case basis.