Written questions by Campbell.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to simplify the planning permission process for pubs.

The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should plan positively for the provision and use of community facilities, such as pubs. On 28 May 2025, the government published the Planning Reform Working Paper: Reforming Site Thresholds (which can be found on gov.uk here) which seeks views on taking a gradated approach to the system as a whole – removing and streamlining disproportionate requirements on small and medium sites, while maintaining and strengthening requirements on major development.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce incidents of stillbirths amongst black and Asian families.

The Government recognises that losing a baby or pregnancy loss is extremely difficult for parents and families. We are determined to make sure all women and babies receive safe, personalised, and compassionate care, regardless of their background, location, or ethnicity. While the vast majority of births in England are safe, the stark inequalities in maternity outcomes demonstrate that there are deep-seated issues across maternity and neonatal services.To address these and other issues within maternity and neonatal care, a rapid independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services is being launched. This will look at the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care, taking into account findings from previous maternity reviews.This includes the Maternity Outcome Signalling System, a new system that will monitor the rates of term stillbirth, neonatal death, and brain injury. It will immediately flag unusually high rates to prompt a rapid review of any safety concerns. We have already made progress in this area, for example through the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle, which provides maternity units with detailed guidance to reduce stillbirths, neonatal brain injury, neonatal deaths, and preterm births.

What steps her Department is taking to support estranged and care-experienced students in higher education.

The department is committed to ensuring that care experienced and estranged people can access, participate and achieve in higher education (HE).All looked-after children must have a personal education plan, which should set out the support needed to help realise their short and long-term academic outcomes. To ensure they have a greater chance of achieving the prior attainment needed to access HE, the government provides £14 million per year of additional funding to support looked-after children up to the age of 19. This is administered by virtual school heads and can be used on attainment raising activity such as tuition, mentoring or careers advice and other activities based on the individual needs of each looked-after child.In addition to a statutory £2,000 Care Leavers in HE bursary, all HE providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) that intend to charge higher level tuition fees must have an Access and Participation Plan (APPs) approved by the OfS. These plans articulate how providers will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups. Care experienced and estranged students are classed as ‘at risk’ groups in the Equality of Opportunity Risk Register and providers should take account of inequalities they may experience when developing their APPs.

How many GP practices (a) opened and (b) closed in (i) Broxtowe constituency, (ii) Nottinghamshire, (iii) the East Midlands and (iv) England between May 2010 and June 2024.

The table attached shows the number of general practices which have opened and closed between January 2014 and May 2024 in the Broxtowe constituency, Nottinghamshire, the East Midlands, and England. This is as far back as the data goes, up to the most recently published data.This analysis only considers head practices and ignores branch practices. If a practice ceases to be a main practice and becomes a branch practice of another, this will count as a “closure” in this data, while in reality general practice provision at the site may well have continued under the new head practice. Practices close for a variety of reasons, including mergers or retirement, and so this data does not necessarily indicate a reduction in the quality of care. When a practice does close, patients are informed of the closure and advised to register at another local practice of their choice within their area.

What steps his Department is taking to provide final year medical students assigned placeholder jobs with clarity on where they will begin working as doctors in August 2025.

We are aware that there is a delay in NHS England allocating some foundation year one doctors their programme details and work schedules. We have asked NHS England to urgently tackle this issue. We know there is more to do and NHS England is working to ensure that all posts are confirmed as soon as possible, while keeping applicants informed throughout the process, including through webinars. NHS England is due to review the foundation programme allocation process to make sure it works well for applicants. The review is scheduled for after the 2025/26 allocations and is aiming to commence in 2026. NHS England will advise stakeholders on how they can input in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to support parents looking after ill children (a) in the long-term and (b) immediately after diagnosis.

We are committed to supporting people with long term conditions and to ensuring that they receive the support they need, including referral to specialist services as appropriate. We want a society where every person, including those with a long-term condition, and their families and carers, receive high-quality, compassionate continuity of care.The Department is taking a range of practical steps to support parents caring for ill children. Immediately after diagnosis and in the longer term, parents may be eligible for travel cost support through the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme. In cases where a child has complex health needs, they can be assessed under the Children’s Continuing Care framework to determine appropriate ongoing support. Wider work is underway, such as the development of initiatives to support parents in hospital settings. Counselling and mental health support are typically provided through local services, and peer support is often offered by voluntary organisations.As per Section 97 (3b) of the Children’s and Families Act 2014, parent carers have the right to request an assessment of their need for support from the local authority. Having been assessed, Section 17 (10b) of the Children’s Acts 1989 makes provision for a child whose physical or mental health is impaired, as well as his or her family, to receive the appropriate support services from the local authority.

What steps his Department plans to take to ensure workforce planning aligns with the availability of trained candidates.

We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure that patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it.We will publish a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service. The plan will set out a bold 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. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. Later this year, we will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.

What progress his Department has made on the review of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan; and whether his Department has a planned timetable for publication.

The new workforce plan, to be published later this year, will be influenced by the 10-Year Health Plan and the Spending Review.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of current EPC rating assessment criteria on landlords' ability to meet those criteria.

The Government is reforming Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), including the current EPC rating assessment criteria and the methodology that underpins this, with new and amended metrics due to be introduced for domestic buildings under the Home Energy Model (HEM). More information, including the consultation stage impact assessment, can be found in the consultation ‘Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime’ on gov.uk.

What steps her Department is taking to support parents looking after ill children (i) in the long-term and (ii) immediately after diagnosis.

This government is committed to properly supporting pupils with medical conditions, and their parents, at home and school. As per Section 97 (3b) of the Children’s and Families Act 2014, parent carers have the right to request an assessment of their need for support from the local authority. Having been assessed, Section 17 (10b) of the Children’s Acts 1989 makes provision for a child whose physical or mental health is impaired, as well as his or her family, to receive the appropriate support services from the local authority.

What steps his Department is taking to support people with Multiple Sclerosis.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services for their local population, including for multiple sclerosis (MS). The Government expects ICBs to assess the demand for service provision when designing their local services. There are initiatives to support better care for patients with neurological conditions like MS, across England. These include the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, which aims to improve MS care by supporting the National Health Service to address variations in care and by promoting best practice. The Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit, published by NHS England’s RightCare Programme, supports healthcare systems in improving the care of individuals living with progressive neurological conditions, including MS. It aims to enhance local services and reduce hospital admissions by focusing on preventative care and by optimising the delivery of services. NHS England’s Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP) is a multi-year programme to develop a new model of integrated care for neurology services. The NTP has collaborated with clinicians and patient groups to create specific pathways for MS, aiming to improve the quality and coordination of care. NHS England is also updating its Specialised Neurology service specification, which includes MS. Service specifications define the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care. Our 10-Year Health Plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed, to move healthcare from the hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention. We also plan to publish our refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver a transformed health service over the next decade and to treat patients wherever they live in England, including those with MS, on time again.

What plans she has to prevent the use of illegally modified e-bikes.

Only e-bikes that comply in full with the requirements of the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983 can be legally used on public roads. This is the case regardless of whether the e-bike has been modified.Where an e-bike does not comply with these Regulations, it counts as an e-moped or motorbike and must therefore be registered, taxed and insured. The rider must wear a safety helmet and hold the appropriate driving licence. Enforcement is a matter for the police.

What plans the Government has to tackle the illegal use of e-bikes.

Only e-bikes that comply in full with the requirements of the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983 can be legally used on public roads. This is the case regardless of whether the e-bike has been modified.Where an e-bike does not comply with these Regulations, it counts as an e-moped or motorbike and must therefore be registered, taxed and insured. The rider must wear a safety helmet and hold the appropriate driving licence. Enforcement is a matter for the police.

What steps her Department is taking to support universities in stabilising their financial positions.

To support universities in stabilising their financial positions, the Office for Students (OfS) will continue dedicating significant resources to ensuring the sector's financial sustainability. The department has appointed Professor Edward Peck as the substantive Chair of the OfS, where he will play a key role in strengthening this commitment while also expanding opportunities in higher education (HE).Additionally, we have made the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year, aligning with inflation.The department will outline its plans for HE reform in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, set to be published this summer.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to tackle homelessness in (a) Broxtowe Constituency and (b) the East Midlands.

The Government has increased funding for homelessness services across England by £233 million to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26. This includes funding allocations for Broxtowe and the East Midlands. Allocations have been published on gov.uk here.

What steps his Department is taking to help support (a) fathers and (b) partners take (i) paternity leave and (ii) unpaid parental leave in Broxtowe constituency.

Through the Employment Rights Bill, the government will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave 'day one' rights. This will bring an extra 32,000 fathers and partners into scope of Paternity Leave and an extra 1.5 million parents into scope of Unpaid Parental Leave. We will also remove the requirement that Paternity Leave and Pay must be taken before Shared Parental Leave and Pay.The parental leave system needs improvement and we have committed to conduct a review to ensure that it best supports working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

What progress he has made on pay uplifts for NHS staff for the 2025-2026 financial year; and what steps he is taking to engage with UNISON to resolve disputes to NHS pay structure.

On 22 May 2025, the Government announced that it was formally accepting the 2025/26 headline pay recommendations for National Health Service staff in England from the NHS Pay Review Body, the Review Body on Doctors and Dentists Remuneration, and the Senior Salaries Review Body. These awards will be backdated to 1 April 2025, and staff can expect to receive their awards from August.All Agenda for Change (AfC) pay points in England will be uplifted by 3.6% for 2025/26. We have also accepted the recommendation to provide the NHS Staff Council with a funded mandate to deliver changes to the AfC pay structure. We will work with the NHS Staff Council so that we can implement the changes by 1 April 2026.

What steps his Department is taking to support people with long Covid.

NHS England has invested £314 million since the start of the pandemic to provide care and support for people with long COVID. This includes establishing specialist clinics throughout England to assess adults, children, and young people who are experiencing long-term effects of COVID-19 infection. A further £86.7 million of funding was included in integrated care board core allocations for 2024/25, and specific regional funding was also allocated for assurance and system support.These services offer physical, cognitive, and psychological assessment, and, where appropriate, refer patients onto existing services for treatment and rehabilitation. Further information can be found via the National Health Service website, at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/post-covid-syndrome-long-covid/Between 2019/20 and 2023/24, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council, we have invested over £57 million on research into long COVID, with almost £40 million of this through two specific research calls on long COVID. The funded projects aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of clinical care.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing free Covid-19 vaccine boosters to people with long Covid.

The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).The JCVI stated in its advice for the autumn 2024 COVID-19 vaccination programme that there remains considerable uncertainty regarding the impact of additional vaccine doses, beyond the primary vaccination, on the risk, progression, and outcome of post-COVID syndromes. The JCVI advised that better data is needed on the impact of additional vaccine doses on the occurrence and severity of post-COVID syndromes in the current era of omicron sub-variants of the COVID-19 virus, and high population immunity. This advice is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-autumn-2024-vaccination-programme-jcvi-advice-8-april-2024/jcvi-statement-on-the-covid-19-vaccination-programme-for-autumn-2024-8-april-2024On 13 November 2024, the JCVI published advice on the COVID-19 vaccination programmes in spring 2025, autumn 2025, and spring 2026. This advice is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-in-2025-and-spring-2026-jcvi-advice/jcvi-statement-on-covid-19-vaccination-in-2025-and-spring-2026The Government has accepted the JCVI’s advice on eligibility for the spring 2025 COVID-19 vaccination programme, to include those aged 75 years old and above, those aged six months old or above with immunosuppression, and those living in care homes for older adults. The Government response is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/advice-accepted-on-spring-2025-covid-19-vaccination-programmeThe Government is considering the advice for autumn 2025 and spring 2026 carefully, and will respond in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to support disabled households with additional energy costs from (a) medical equipment and (b) home adaptions.

The Government knows that more needs to be done to support vulnerable households which are struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power, particularly those where energy costs are high out of medical necessity. The Department’s Warm Home Discount (WHD) provides a £150 rebate off winter energy bills for eligible low-income households. On 25 February, we published a consultation on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring around 2.7 million households into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million. The Warm Home Discount regulations expire in 2026, and we will want to consider all options for future bill support beyond this point. In the interim, I appreciate that one of the biggest practical barriers to providing help to households that need it, is the availability of the right data to target financial support and advice. The Department is working closely with other government departments to unlock the data that will enable us to target support more effectively to those who need help with their energy bills.