Written questions by Ingham.

What steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are taking to support the widest possible implementation of the Play Well Toolkit.

We recognise the importance of supporting and maintaining children’s right to play, as games and active play in all settings build social skills and support children’s wellbeing. The Play Well toolkit that was recently jointly launched by NHS England and the charity Starlight helps services to identify opportunities to improve health play services.While funding decisions for health play services remain the responsibility of local commissioners, the Department remains supportive of NHS England’s work to continue to champion the toolkit and the importance of child-centred care across healthcare settings.To support implementation, NHS England is promoting the Play Well toolkit to managers of health play services across a wide range of settings, including community clinics, emergency departments, children’s hospices, and acute paediatric wards.A range of communication channels have been used to raise awareness, including engagement with services via professional bodies, messaging via the Chief Nursing Officer, and a forthcoming blog post and press release in partnership with Starlight. Starlight will be co-leading a webinar with NHS England this month to raise awareness of the toolkit.

Whether his Department is taking steps to mark Play in Healthcare Week 2025.

We recognise the importance of supporting children's right to play as games and play help build social-skills and support children’s wellbeing. In October 2025, the Starlight Children's Foundation will mark Play in Healthcare Week, celebrating 50 years of play and highlighting its importance for children in healthcare settings. Together with NHS England, Starlight co-published the Play Well Toolkit, which is designed to help services enhance the quality of health play provision.The Department remains supportive of the Starlight Foundation and NHS England’s work to champion that toolkit and promote child-centred care across healthcare settings and encourages work to publicise its use during this week.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory follow-up ultrasounds after surgery related to miscarriage in (a) general and (b) cases of pregnancy being over 10 weeks gestation.

Experiencing pregnancy or baby loss can be extremely difficult and traumatic and we are determined to make sure all women receive the right care.An assessment has not been made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory follow-up ultrasounds after surgery related to miscarriage in (a) general and (b) cases of pregnancy being over 10 weeks gestation.Best practice guidance for the care of women following surgical management of miscarriage is based on evidence about what will give the best outcomes of care. Ultrasound following the procedure is only clinically indicated in a small proportion of cases. Performance of ultrasound post procedure is determined by clinical need and judged on a case-by-case basis both before and after 10 weeks gestation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on improving sexual and reproductive health by implementing the programme entitled Strengthening grassroots organisations and countering efforts to roll back.

The UK is working with other governments globally to protect and progress sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) including through diplomacy and ODA programming. In December 2024, the Prime Minister announced the Grassroots and Counter Rollback Programme, which includes support to high-level cross country political coordination to defend and progress SRHR. The programme also works with other government donors in support of pooled funds, including the Robert Carr Fund, which strengthens, connects and amplifies bottom-up efforts to change laws and policies, improve accountability and expand access to services, including for the most marginalised people.The Foreign Secretary appointed Baroness Harman as Special Envoy for Women and Girls on 08 March 2025. She met international counterparts and programme partners at a Wilton Park meeting on SRHR in June 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of maintaining levels of funding commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The UK remains committed to tackling global health challenges and will continue to work with all international partners towards the collective goal of a healthier, safer and more prosperous world. We have long been a strong supporter of the Global Fund and are proud to be co-hosting the 8th replenishment this year in partnership with South Africa. Over the coming months, we will work through decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used, and the impact on specific programmes, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote (a) the sexual and reproductive health and rights and (b) other rights of women and girls globally.

We are strongly committed to standing up for the rights of women and girls, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). We are proud of the UK's long history as an influential global leader on gender equality and SRHR. We will continue to use our diplomacy with partners to defend and champion these fundamental rights in international fora. We will also make strategic use of our funds and technical partnerships.For example, in December 2024, the Prime Minister announced the Grassroots and Counter Rollback programme. This strengthens local and national civil society organisations' and movements' ability to expand access to SRHR and counter rollback. It focuses on neglected issues, including safe abortion, and marginalised groups whose rights and access to services are denied or being attacked. As the largest donor to the UNFPA Supplies Partnership (£60 million in 2024), the UK continues to ensure SRHR commodities reach where they are needed most.On International Women's Day, I appointed Harriet Harman to be the new UK Special Envoy on Women and Girls, progressing our foreign policy and development objectives to protect women and girls' rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, access to education and freedom from gender-based violence. Following this appointment, she spoke at a UK co-hosted event at the Commission on the Status of Women to galvanise renewed action to end child marriage. She also launched a Signature Initiative to champion the vital role of women's rights organisations and drive a focus on supporting them across our policy and programming.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will continue funding the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health Programme, implemented by MSI Reproductive Choices and IPPF.

The UK is proud to defend and promote universal and comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). Official Development Assistance (ODA) is one of multiple levers to achieve this. Over the coming months, we will work through how the ODA budget will be used in future years, informed by internal and external consultation and consideration of equalities impact assessments ahead of making decisions on budgets for individual programmes in the autumn.The transition to spending 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) on ODA requires significant shifts in the shape and scale of the work we do. However, we will continue to work with international and national partners and use targeted funding, technical partnership and diplomatic engagement to provide leadership on SRHR.

What mechanisms are in place to (a) monitor and (b) hold accountable (i) CAFCASS and (ii) family courts in private law proceedings where safeguarding concerns for children are identified; and what procedures there are to ensure action is taken in cases involving known risks to prevent serious harm.

As a Non-Departmental Body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice, the oversight and assurance arrangements for Cafcass are carried out in accordance with the Arms-Length Body Code of Practice. Specific areas of oversight are also covered in the Framework Document between the Ministry of Justice and Cafcass, which broadly sets out sponsorship governance arrangements, financial management and performance reporting. Cafcass is subject to regular inspection by Ofsted. The most recent inspection took place in January 2024 and key findings are available here.The judiciary is independent, and the Government therefore does not hold them to account, however support is available in the family courts where safeguarding concerns are identified and to ensure that action is taken to protect children.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of community provision of palliative care in Stafford constituency.

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.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 and end of life care. ICBs, including the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB, which covers the Stafford constituency, are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.As set out in the Government’s recently published 10-Year Health Plan, we are determined to shift more care out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative care and end of life care services, including hospices, will have a big role to play in that shift, and were highlighted in the plan as being an integral part of neighbourhood teams.The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to ensure that, in future, services reduce variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required shifts in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2024 to Question 11995 on Park Homes: Sales, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of removing the 10 percent commission on the sale of park homes.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 44299 on 16 April 2025.

What her plan is for the next phase of free breakfast club provision in primary schools.

The government is committed to delivering on its pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. This will ensure every child, regardless of circumstance, has a supportive start to the school day.From the start of the summer term, we have funded 750 schools to deliver a free breakfast club as early adopters.We are currently working through the outcomes of the latest spending review and the departmental business planning processes. Further details will follow in due course, including the timing of national rollout and the details of funding and support for schools.

What correspondence her Department has had with Fenland District Council on their decision not to permit the passage of the Terra Marique barge on the River Nene between Sutton Bridge and Wisbech.

The Department sought clarification from Fenland District Council of its decision not to permit passage, and the Council confirmed that its decision had been made on the basis of a risk assessment by qualified advisers. The Department remains committed to its ‘water-preferred’ abnormal load movement policy.

Whether he has made a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of (a) Urgent Treatment Centres and (b) Accident and Emergency Departments.

Urgent treatment centres and emergency departments, also known as accident and emergency, provide a different range of services to patients.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for this year will continue the expansion of urgent treatment centres that are co-located with emergency departments. This allows for the effective streaming of patients away from emergency departments, helping to reduce the number of people who spend time there, and overcrowding.

What recent discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on tackling online misogynistic radicalisation.

Tackling misogyny, both online and offline, is central to our mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade and we will address the drivers and root causes of VAWG as part of our upcoming cross-Government Strategy, due to be published this year. I have regularly engaged with VAWG stakeholders to help inform this work and held a roundtable on technological harms.

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of male GCSE attainment in Stafford constituency.

Data is available at Staffordshire local authority level, and shows that 36.3% of boys achieved grade 5 or above in English and mathematics GCSE in 2024, down from 37.2% in 2023. Attainment 8 for boys in 2024 was 41.0, down from 41.9 in 2023.Through the department’s work to deliver the Opportunity Mission, we will improve opportunities and life chances across the country for all children and young people.High and rising standards are the key to strengthening outcomes and closing gaps for every child and young person no matter who they are or their background, helping them to achieve and thrive.The department will deliver this through excellent teaching and leaders, a high quality curriculum, strong accountability with faster school improvement and an inclusive system which removes the barriers to learning.The department’s new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams are designed to accelerate improvement in education standards across England by providing targeted interventions as well as universal support to all schools. RISE teams will be working with Staffordshire County Council and local multi-academy trusts in the county to develop the RISE Regional Plan to address gaps in attainment.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act on (a) Stafford High Street and (b) Eccleshall High Street.

This Government is committed to rejuvenating high streets across the country including those in Stafford and Eccleshall. While no specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 on Stafford and Eccleshall high streets, High Street Rental Auction powers commenced by the Government in December 2024 were introduced by the Act. The Government encourages all councils, including Stafford Borough Council, to exercise these powers to tackle persistent vacancy on the high street.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of farrowing crates on the welfare of pigs.

We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. Defra’s statutory welfare Code of Practice for Pigs states that the aim is for farrowing crates to no longer be necessary and for any new system to protect the welfare of the sow as well as her piglets. Whilst the farrowing crate reduces the risk of piglet mortality, it also restricts sow movement, preventing her from turning around and performing normal behaviours such as nest building. The use of farrowing crates for pigs is an issue we are currently considering very carefully.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a banded tax on landlord profits.

If landlords own properties directly, they are taxed at their marginal rate under income tax rules, and profits made on the sale of properties are charged to capital gains tax. Where landlords operate through a company, the company will have to pay corporation tax on its profits and the owners will also pay income tax on dividends they receive. Profits made on the sale of properties are also liable for corporation tax.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of accumulation of UK residential property by foreign investors; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the accumulation of residential property by foreign investors on the property market for UK buyers.

The Department has not conducted a specific assessment of trends in the level of residential property ownership by foreign investors in the UK. Data on property ownership by overseas companies in England and Wales is published by HM Land Registry and is publicly available via the GOV.UK website. We recognise concerns about the impact of overseas investment on housing affordability, particularly for first-time buyers. In response, and as part of this government’s commitment to supporting first-time buyers, we have introduced fiscal measures to level the playing field. Non-UK residents already pay a 2% surcharge on top of the residential rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when purchasing a dwelling in England or Northern Ireland. In addition, at the Autumn Budget 2024, the government increased the higher rates of SDLT by two percentage points from 3% to 5%. The higher rates are also paid by non-UK residents purchasing additional property. Increasing the higher rates of SDLT helps to ensure that those looking to move home, or purchase their first property, have a greater advantage over second home buyers, landlords and companies purchasing residential property.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of property aggregation by wealth funds on the affordability of housing.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government regularly engages with other government departments on matters relating to housing affordability.