Written questions by White.

What steps she is taking to help protect businesses facing (a) scams and (b) fraudulent activity.

We remain absolutely committed to protecting all of society from the threat of fraud, including businesses. The Home Office is currently developing a new fraud strategy which will include additional measures to protect businesses and educate them on the threat of fraud.Fraud against business frequently starts with a cyber-attack. The Government also supports the network of cyber resilience centres which provide guidance to businesses to help them protect themselves against cyber threats. There are 10 centres in England and Wales with a particular focus on sole traders, micro companies and small companies.

Food and Rural Affairs, in what way he plans to help tackle the environmental impact of vapes.

On 1 June 2025 we banned the sale and supply of single-use vapes due to the harm that they cause to the environment, with over 5 million of these products being thrown away each week in 2023. This will help to prevent the environmental harms caused by vapes, including littering, the leaching of harmful chemicals into the soil and the risk of fires. In addition, on the 12th of August we introduced legislation to create a new category under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations specifically for vapes (including reusable vapes). This will ensure that the costs of collection and treatment fall fairly on vape producers. We will continue to monitor the impact of these changes to ensure that they have the desired positive environmental impact and will not hesitate to act further to tackle the environmental impact of vapes if needed.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to create more national parks.

Natural England have the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new National Park designations. The Government is committed to supporting our existing Protected Landscapes to become greener, wilder and more accessible.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to create high quality new developments which (a) enhance communities and (b) restore nature.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out that planning policies and decisions should plan positively for the provision and use of shared spaces, community facilities (such as local shops, meeting places, sports venues, open space, cultural buildings, public houses and places of worship) and other local services to enhance the sustainability of communities and residential environments.Additionally, planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by minimising impacts on and providing net gains for biodiversity, including by establishing coherent ecological networks that are more resilient to current and future pressures and incorporating features which support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats and hedgehogs.Moreover, under the new statutory framework for Biodiversity Net Gain, every grant of planning permission (subject to some exemptions) is subject to the condition that the development must deliver at least a 10% increase in biodiversity value relative to the pre-development biodiversity value of the onsite habitat.When it comes to development and the environment, we know we can do better than the status quo, which too often sees both sustainable housebuilding and nature recovery stall. Instead of environmental protections being seen as barriers to growth, we want to unlock a win-win for the economy and for nature. Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill introduces a new Nature Restoration Fund that will unlock and accelerate development while going beyond neutrality to unlock the positive impact development can have in driving nature recovery.

Following the recent appointment of a Small Business Commissioner, what further steps he is taking to help ensure SMEs can access support.

Late payments are one of the biggest problems facing small businesses in the UK. Government has already taken steps to tackle the issue through the launch of a new Fair Payment Code which will encourage and highlight businesses with the best payment practices. We will soon be laying secondary legislation which will make it a requirement for large companies to include payment performance data in their annual reports. Finally, we will be launching a public consultation in the coming weeks which sets out measures that will go even further to tackle late payments, including additional powers for the Small Business Commissioner.

What steps she is taking to help improve rail (a) reliability and (b) performance to ensure people are able to access (i) work and (ii) educational opportunities.

We are starting to see train performance stabilise, following a decade of decline. We are working with the rail industry on a Performance Restoration Framework, with five clear areas of focus to recover performance to acceptable levels, including timetable resilience, staffing and keeping trains safely moving during disruptive events. The Rail Minister is meeting with the Managing Directors of all train operators and their Network Rail counterparts, to address poor performance and demand immediate action to raise standards.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase access to nature for young people.

The Government is committed to increasing access to nature for all, especially young people. In 2024, Defra invested £4.45 million in a second phase of the Generation Green programme, enabling over 25,000 disadvantaged children and young people to experience the natural environment. While Environmental Land Management schemes don’t specifically target youth, a new three-year capital item supports educational access to farmland and woodland for school groups and care farming initiatives. Defra also leads a cross-Government Children and Nature Working Group to share best practices on improving outcomes for young people through nature. The £16 million Access for All programme has funded inclusive facilities like pedal and play areas for young people. Most of the 254,000-hectare public forest estate managed by Forestry England is open to the public, welcoming 313 million visits annually. England’s 15 Community Forests, supported by the Nature for Climate Fund, engage schools and community groups in tree planting and outdoor learning—53% of England’s population lives within 10 miles of one. Additionally, on 15 May 2025, DCMS announced £4.7 million to increase access to outdoor learning. The competition for the Adventures Away from Home delivery partner is live and closes on 15 July 2025.

What steps he is taking to integrate (a) movement and (b) exercise into cancer rehabilitation.

To encourage movement, the National Health Service’s Better Health Campaign signposts people, including those living with long term conditions like cancer, to digital support like the NHS Active 10 walking app and Couch to 5K.The NHS Cancer Programme, through local Cancer Alliances, is working to ensure physical activity is fully integrated across the whole cancer pathway, which includes opportunities within rehabilitation for people who have undergone treatment.We know that more can be done to support people living with and beyond cancer. The National Cancer Plan, due to be published later this year, will set out how we will seek to improve the experiences and outcomes for people at every stage of the cancer pathway, including after treatment.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking with local authorities in Leeds to support research and development across the region.

My department is committed to unlocking innovation-led growth across UK through targeted initiatives.UK Research and Innovation invested £236 million in West Yorkshire in 2023-24, including the University of Leeds’ £5 million “innovating medical technologies across the Yorkshire region” project. Innovate UK is partnering with West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) on a Health Technologies Launchpad, funding several business-led projects in Leeds including the Hipsense project led by Eventum Orthopaedics.We are also actively working with the region through the West Yorkshire Innovation Partnership and we have earmarked WYCA for at least £30 million from the new Local Innovation Partnership Fund.

What steps he is taking to improve access to insulin for people who need it.

We are aware of supply issues with a limited number of insulin products, some of which are affected globally, including the discontinuation of Levemir pens and cartridges. We are working intensively with manufacturers of alternative insulin products to help mitigate these issues, including expediting deliveries where possible and ensuring there are sufficient volumes of alternative products to support the market during this time. We have issued communications to National Health Service healthcare professionals, providing comprehensive management guidance and information to allow them to support their patients as well as advise on alternative recommended insulin products. We are continuing to closely monitor the insulin market to ensure access to insulin for patients who need it.The production of medicines is complex and highly regulated, and materials and processes must meet rigorous safety and quality standards. Medicine supply problems can occur for a number of reasons, for example due to manufacturing difficulties, regulatory problems, problems with the supply of raw materials, sudden demand spikes, or from issues which are related to the distribution of the product.While we can’t always prevent supply issues from occurring, we have a range of well-established processes and tools to manage them when they arise, to mitigate risks to patients. These include close and regular engagement with suppliers, use of alternative strengths or forms of a medicine to allow patients to remain on the same product, expediting regulatory procedures, adding products to the restricted exports and hoarding list, and issuing NHS communications to provide management advice and information on the issue to healthcare professionals including general practitioners and pharmacists, so they can advise and support their patients.

What funding his Department has allocated for the provision of insulin pumps for local services in the (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27 financial years.

Insulin pumps were recommended for certain groups of the type 1 diabetes population in 2008 via the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) Technology Appraisal TA151.The National Health Service is legally obliged to fund and resource medicines and other treatments recommended by NICE’s Technology Appraisals, and commissioners are required to meet the costs. Local integrated care board leaders should already have plans in place, and budgets identified, to meet the needs of their populations who meet the recommended eligibility criteria of TA151, in accordance with the NHS Constitution.A national contribution is available to meet 75% of the additional costs of the requirements of NICE TA943 on hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems, as a funding variation was agreed with NICE. Insulin pumps are one of the components of HCL systems.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support creative industries in Leeds North West constituency.

The Creative Industries Sector Plan, published 23rd June, contains ambitious proposals to bolster growth in the creative industries across the UK, and spotlights West Yorkshire along with 11 other high-potential clusters for CI growth and their unique investment offer. The plan also announces the new Creative Places Growth Fund, which will provide £150m of devolved funding across six Mayoral Strategic Authorities in England, including Leeds North West, West Yorkshire, empowering local leaders to turbocharge the creative industries in their places.Further support outlined in the Sector Plan includes increased support from the British Business Bank, with debt and equity finance to help creative businesses scale up; almost £150m funding for key sub-sectors, a £9 million creative careers service, £100 million via UKRI for an ambitious new wave of clusters across the UK to accelerate R&D, and a £25 million DCMS-funded Creative Futures Programme.

What steps she is taking to (a) ensure that AI sources used in schools are (i) accurate and (ii) credible and (b) support children to use AI effectively.

The department has published product safety expectations for generative artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure AI tools are safe for classroom use. The expectations set out clear technical safeguards, including prioritising child-centred design and enhanced filtering of harmful content.The Education Content Store pilot aims to generate high-quality underpinning content and data needed for high-quality AI tools. By making pre-processed educational content available, the store aims to improve the accuracy of AI tools.Additionally, online resources and guidance materials are also available to help teachers and leaders use AI safely and effectively, and these materials were published in June 2025.Finally, the department recently appointed a task and finish group to advise on digital, AI and technology. We will consider how best to develop and implement any of their recommendations. This includes those which aim to prepare children and young people to be ready for an AI and tech-enabled world.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with Natural England on the potential merits of increasing access to nature in order to benefit physical and mental health.

The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure this is safe and appropriate. This is why we have set out our ambitious manifesto commitments to create nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England, expanding access to the great outdoors. We have also committed to ensuring that everyone lives within a 15-minute walk of a green or blue space. Delivering this commitment will drive increased access to nature for both physical and mental health. We work closely with Natural England on delivering enhanced access to nature and hold regular discussions on this topic. For example, we collaborate closely on delivery of the King Charles III England Coast Path, the new Coast to Coast National Trail, and Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework. We will continue to work together as we drive forward our commitments in this area.

What steps he is taking to reduce the number of mental health conditions among young people.

As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, the Government is recruiting 8,500 mental health workers to help ease pressure on busy mental health services.The Government is investing an extra £688 million this year to transform mental health services, including reducing the number of children with mental health problems.The 2025 Spending Review and the NHS 10-Year Health Plan confirmed that we will fulfil our commitment to provide access to mental health support within schools in England by expanding mental health support teams to cover 100% of pupils by 2029/30. This expansion will ensure that up to 900,000 more children and young people will have access to support from trained education mental health practitioners in 2025/26.Additionally, we are continuing to provide top-up funding of £7 million to the 24 Early Support Hubs to expand their services, and will take part in an ongoing evaluation of these services in 2025/26. This new funding will enable the supported hubs to deliver at least 10,000 additional mental health and wellbeing interventions, so that more children and young people are supported.

If she will take steps to improve student access to apprenticeships.

There is a range of support available to increase access to apprenticeships for students across England.The department promotes apprenticeships to young people through the Skills for Life campaign and the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (AAN). The AAN, which has around 2,000 volunteers, aims to champion apprenticeships for young people by aligning an ambassador to every state-funded secondary school and further education college by March 2026. As of May 2025, the AAN covers 75% of schools and colleges in England.We are further increasing access to apprenticeships for young people by introducing new foundation apprenticeships from August 2025. Foundation apprenticeships, which are jobs with training at level 2, will support young people to transition from full-time education to work, providing entry level competence in sectors such as construction and engineering.Foundation apprenticeships are underpinned by an employer incentive payment of £2,000 to contribute to the costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career. Additionally, the government provides £1,000 to employers and providers for apprentices aged 16 to 18, or 19 to 24 for care leavers or those with an education, health and care plan. We also offer a bursary of £3,000 for apprentices under 25 who are care leavers.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory labelling of food products which describe (a) how an animal has been reared and (b) the welfare standards.

A consultation on proposals to improve and extend current method of production labelling was undertaken last year by the previous government. The Government’s response to this consultation is now available on GOV.UK.

How many people are claiming PIP and not in work in Leeds North West constituency.

At the end of March 2024, 2,700 people in Leeds North West parliamentary constituency were in receipt of PIP but were not 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. - People without any employment record in the HMRC data, as well as those who have been confirmed to not be in employment in the data, have been considered not employed. - The data provided includes both normal rules and special rules for end of life claimants. - The volume provided is rounded to the nearest 100.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to support the Fur (Import and Sale) Bill.

In accordance with parliamentary convention, the Government will set out its formal position on this Bill when it receives its Second Reading. Defra is continuing to build the evidence base on the fur sector. This includes commissioning our expert Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) to produce a report on what constitutes responsible sourcing of fur. The AWC report will add to our understanding of the fur industry and help inform next steps.

What steps her Department is taking to increase employment opportunities for university graduates.

As part of the Get Britain Working package, the government is investing £240 million to trial new ways of getting people into work. The government will test new approaches and collect robust evidence on how to tackle the root causes of ill-health related inactivity, support young people who are not in education, employment or training, and help people to develop their careers.Jobcentre Plus is fully equipped to offer advice to anyone who is looking for work, regardless of their background, profession or occupation. It offers comprehensive services including, job search advice, skills advice, CV and job applications support, help with retraining, and access to the thousands of new vacancies posted daily.In addition to general support, Jobcentre Plus provides a range of tailored opportunities to improve individuals’ likelihood of entering or re-entering the labour market. This includes demand-led training for higher skilled jobs in specific sectors.Jobcentre Plus provides guidance and good practice ideas to help individuals to direct their job search in the most effective manner. Jobcentres work closely with several organisations to support graduates to secure employment. Our strong network of partnerships with external training providers, universities and colleges enhances the support available. We have also improved online signposting for graduates, managers and professionals looking to use our services.