Written questions by Ingham.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of working with private sector organisations to expand rent-to-buy schemes to support first-time buyers.

Rent to Buy is funded through the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) 2021 to 2026.To own and manage rent to Buy homes funded through the AHP an organisation must be a Registered Provider with the Regulator of Social Housing.Some private sector organisations also offer rent-to-buy schemes funded by other means. The government has not made any assessment of such schemes.

If she will set out a timeline for bringing forward guidance to bring the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act 2023 into force.

We are going further than ever before to deliver a cross-government transformative approach to tackle violence against women and girls, which will be underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published this year.Public sexual harassment is a crime that often leaves victims feeling unsafe on their own streets. That is why tackling that criminal behaviour will form an important part of our mission to halve VAWG within a decade.We will confirm next steps on implementation of the Protection from Sex Based Harassment in Public Act at the earliest opportunity.

What proportion of appeals against decisions on NHS Continuing Healthcare funding by integrated care boards were upheld in favour of the applicant in the last 12 months.

If an individual disagrees with the outcome of an NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) assessment, they may apply to the integrated care board (ICB) for a Local Resolution procedure. Where it has not been possible to resolve the matter through the Local Resolution procedure, the individual may apply to NHS England for an Independent Review of the decision. We have interpreted ‘appeals against decisions’ as a request for Local Resolution or Independent Review of CHC eligibility decision requests, and ‘were upheld in favour of the applicant’ to mean the number of these found eligible. The following table, provided by NHS England, shows the number of Local Resolution requests to review a CHC eligibility decision completed by ICBs, and the number and percentage of those found eligible, from Quarter four of 2023/24 to Quarter three of 2024/25, for England:Number of Local Resolution requests completed by ICBsNumber found eligiblePercentage eligible2,45337615% In addition, the following table show the number of Independent Review requests to review a CHC eligibility decision carried out by NHS England, and the number and percentage found eligible, from Quarter four of 2023/24 to Quarter three of 2024/25, for England: Number of Independent Review Panels carried out by NHS EnglandNumber found eligiblePercentage eligible47611624%

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the benefits of regulating private-owned retirement residential services.

In November 2024, the Government published the independent Older People’s Housing Taskforce report, originally commissioned prior to the July 2024 General Election. The Taskforce undertook an assessment of public and private specialised and supported older people’s housing, with a particular focus on the private market for those on middle incomes, and explored options for the provision of greater choice, quality and security of housing for older people. The full report and recommendations alongside two pieces of research undertaken for the Taskforce are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-older-peoples-housing-taskforce-reportThe Government is currently considering the recommendations set out in the report and remain fully committed to providing homeowners with greater rights, powers and protections over their homes by quickly implementing the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.

What steps his Department is taking to provide information for Gurkha personnel at recruitment and transition about their rights and entitlements.

The Government greatly values the Service of the Gurkhas who have a long and distinguished history of service to the UK, both at home and overseas. We take the welfare of our Gurkha personnel extremely seriously and remain committed to supporting them and their families during and after their Service with the British Army. All Gurkha personnel are briefed and provided with access to information on their rights and entitlements at every stage throughout their career, in the British Army and beyond, from the initial recruitment phase through to post-service. During the recruitment phase, information regarding rights and entitlements is passed to all candidates through both written and verbal communications, including providing forums for candidates to ask questions. During Resettlement and Transition, all Gurkha personnel have access to Resettlement training to ensure a successful transition to civilian life in the UK or overseas.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Council of Europe.

The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary had discussions with the former Council of Europe Secretary General at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit last July. The Prime Minister met with the current Secretary General at the Budapest EPC Summit in November 2024. The Lord Chancellor and the Attorney General have both attended recent Council of Europe events in Vilnius and Strasbourg respectively.I have regularly engaged with our Ambassador to the Council of Europe on a range of matters, and recently met with members of the UK delegation.

What steps her Department is taking to support prison officers working in HMP Drake Hall in Stafford.

HMP Drake Hall provides early days support for new Officers to ensure they are well informed pre-start date. The New Colleague Mentor supports staff in their first year along with an assigned mentor in addition to their Line Manager.Line Mangers support staff through the Staff Wellbeing Offer, with referrals to Occupational Health and workplace adjustments passports if required. Staff Support networks are promoted to all staff. Onsite Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) practitioners and Care Team members are available. Staff are also able to access the Mental Health Allies service and Employee Assistance Programme.Furthermore, Officers are allocated to training to support working with women and have touchpoint meetings with their Line Managers to aid their development and wellbeing. They have the opportunity to take part in various development schemes to help their career progression.I recognise that prison officers work in difficult environments every day and I want to thank all prison officers for the important job they do in keeping the public safe.The previous Government left our hardworking staff to face the brunt of prison overcrowding, which has damaged morale and put the safety and security of staff at risk. I know that a well-staffed and skilled HM Prison Service is fundamental to delivering safe, secure, and rehabilitative prison regimes and we are determined to improve their safety at work and ensure they get a fair pay reward.

What her planned timetable is for confirming 2026-27 funding for (a) the PE and sport premium and (b) School Games Organisers.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Stafford to the answer of 10 March 2025 to question 33607.

What assessment she has made of the access to (a) sport and (b) physical education for (i) primary and (ii) secondary school-aged children.

This government is committed to providing all children and young people with more opportunities to be physically active. This government has set out its intention to support more children to be active by protecting time for physical education (PE) in schools and working across government to support the role grassroots clubs play in expanding access to sport and physical activity.To further support children to be active, the government has committed £320 million for the primary PE and sport premium in the 2024/25 academic year, benefiting over 18,000 schools and around 3.9 million pupils in England.In the 2023/24 academic year, the country-wide network of 450 School Games Organisers, funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), provided 2.3 million opportunities for school children to engage in local and inclusive sporting competitions across 40 different sports and activities.We have also launched an open procurement for a new grant programme from spring 2025, of up to £300,000 a year. This will focus on improving and increasing PE, school sports and physical activity opportunities for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.The department is working with DHSC and DCMS when considering future investment into PE and school sport, to ensure this provides children and young people with as many opportunities as possible to be physically active.The department also launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review in 2024 which will seek to deliver a curriculum which is rich and broad, inclusive and innovative, so that children and young people do not miss out on subjects such as music, art, PE and drama, as well as vocational subjects. The Review’s interim report was published on 18 March 2025.

Whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Equality Act 2010 in tackling age discrimination in job applications.

The Equality Act 2010 has strong protections that enable people to challenge age discrimination across a range of fields, including recruitment processes. Where age discrimination cannot be objectively justified and is unlawful, individuals can seek redress in the courts or, where relevant, at an employment tribunal. We would encourage larger employers to monitor their recruitment processes, including job applications in the context of relevant protected characteristics, as a useful indicator of the strength of their compliance with the 2010 Act. More widely, the Government's £240 million Get Britain Working package will improve support for people who are economically inactive, unemployed, or want to develop their careers.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of trends in the level of people being required to pay full council tax after vacating properties due to flooding.

The government does not collect data on the council tax paid by all homes which are empty due to flooding. However, where a property is assessed as uninhabitable it may be removed from the council tax list, making it no longer liable for council tax. Councils also have the power to provide discretionary council tax discounts where they consider this appropriate. In exceptional circumstances the government may activate the flood recovery framework, requesting councils to provide a 100% council tax discount for affected homes.

If he will have discussions with Bark.com on their effectiveness in vetting tradespeople employing their services.

All traders, including online platforms, must exercise professional diligence in their commercial practices in order to comply with the requirements in the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (2008), restated and updated in the DMCC Act 2024. Part 3 of the DMCC Act will strengthen the CMA's powers to enforce the law and enable the CMA and courts to impose monetary penalties for breaches.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of job centres on economic growth in Stafford.

Supporting everyone to find good, meaningful work and helping them to progress is vital for economic growth. Stafford Jobcentre works in partnership with local employers, the NHS, colleges and the voluntary sector on initiatives that support people to get into and on at work.Through our plans to create a new jobs and careers service we will transform our ability to support people into work, help those on low pay to increase their earnings, and create a more flexible workforce for a fast changing, higher skilled jobs market. This transformation is expected to contribute significantly to economic growth by addressing local skills gaps and providing tailored support to meet the needs of local labour markets.We are currently considering our evaluation strategy to assess the effectiveness, efficiency and impact of the new jobs and careers service. This includes funding in 2025/26 to take forward the first steps of building the new service through a pathfinder, as set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing guidelines to social workers for parents with autism.

Social workers involved in an autistic person’s care have a duty to promote their human rights, safety and wellbeing, assess their needs and help facilitate access to the right services.The regulator for the social work profession, Social Work England, sets the professional standards. These are standards all social workers must meet. The professional standards include that social workers must be able to provide, or support people to access, advice and services tailored to meet their needs.Social workers complete initial education and training, for which training providers must meet Social Work England’s Education and Training Standards. These standards require training providers to ensure that the course is continually updated because of developments in research, legislation, Government policy and best practice.Additionally, under the Health and Care Act 2022, Care Quality Commission-registered providers are required to ensure their staff receive specific training on learning disability and autism appropriate to their role. This will help to ensure that staff, including social workers, have the right knowledge and skills to provide safe and informed care.To support this, we have been rolling out the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism. Over two million people have already completed the e-learning package which is the first part of this training.

What steps she is taking to tackle drug related crime in Stafford constituency.

The Government recognises the considerable impact of drug use and dealing on individuals, families and communities. Tackling this is a vital part of our missions to deliver safer streets, improve health outcomes and contribute to opportunities. That is why we are taking a collaborative, cross-government approach to drugs at a national level.This Government is dedicated to reducing drug-related harms through prevention and treatment, while acting quickly and decisively to stop the criminals peddling these harmful substances. We also expect the police to intervene to tackle illicit drug use, recognising the significant harms it causes.Delivery focused local drugs partnerships across England provide a whole-system, multi-agency response from police, probation, public health, the NHS and other local partners. The partnership in Staffordshire, led by the Police and Crime Commissioner, has recognised and responded to the impact locally of the illicit supply and misuse of synthetic cathinones, sometimes referred to as ‘monkey dust’.It is also crucial that the Government tackles the gangs that lure children and young people into crime and run county lines through violence and exploitation. County Lines are the most violent model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, we will continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs and break the organised crime groups behind the trade. Since July 2024, policing activity delivered through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, the arrest and charge of over 200 deal line holders, 500 arrests and 800 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people.Also, by disrupting drug supply chains, increasing treatment access, and targeting organised crime, we can reduce anti-social behaviour, knife crime, and the exploitation of young people through county lines.The Government will set out its approach to drugs in more detail later this year.

What assessment his Department has made of the capacity of the UK transport network to facilitate the delivery of Special Order category abnormal indivisible loads required to achieve the Government’s Net Zero targets.

National Highways manage the High and Heavy Loads Grid on behalf of the Department to facilitate the movement of abnormal indivisible loads. Management of assets (such as bridges) is a devolved matter with responsibility falling to the relevant owner, such as National Highways for those on the Strategic Road Network, or a local transport authority for local roads. All special-order proposals require case-by-case consultation with National Highways’ central team and a special-order permit to be issued. That team co-ordinate the route clearance with every road and structure owner and police authority along a suggested route to gain approval, taking into account the dimensions of a proposed vehicle configuration. Only when all affected parties give their approval that the proposed route is safe to traverse can a special-order permit be issued.

What recent assessment he has made of the levels of ambulance delays for Category (a) 1, (b) 2, (c) 3 and (d) 4 calls; and what assessment he has made of the impact of ambulance delays on healthcare in Stafford constituency in the last 12 months.

Ambulance services in Stafford are provided by the West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, with responsibility for commissioning services a matter for the local Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board. Any assessment of the specific local actions needed to improve response times should be undertaken and agreed locally by National Health Service organisations in the best interests of the local population and patients.At a national level, the Government and NHS England are committed to improving ambulance response times. The NHS 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance sets national priorities, which include improving accident and emergency waiting times and ambulance response times compared to 2024/25.

What assessment she has made of the impact of the (a) closure of local banks and (b) opening of banking hubs on people who are elderly or disabled.

Banking has changed significantly in recent years with many customers benefiting from the ease and convenience of remote banking. While branch closures are commercial decisions for banks, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) guidance expects firms to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and put in place alternatives where reasonable. This seeks to ensure that branch closures are implemented in a way that treats customers fairly. The FCA requires firms to provide a prompt, efficient, and fair service to all of their customers. This includes special considerations for vulnerable customers, such as the elderly and disabled. Additionally, under the Equality Act 2010, banks must make reasonable adjustments to ensure their services are accessible to all. The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 200 hubs have been announced so far, and over 100 are already open. The FCA introduced regulatory rules for access to cash in September 2024. Its rules require the reasonable provision of free cash withdrawal and deposit facilities for personal current accounts. Where a branch closure is announced or a community has submitted a cash access assessment request, LINK (the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network) assesses a community’s access to cash withdrawal and deposit needs, and can recommend a new service if necessary. Where a resident, community organisation or other interested party feels access to cash in their community is insufficient, they can submit a request for a cash access assessment. Further information about submitting a cash access request can be found on LINK’s website. Alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.

How much funding has been allocated to (a) Stafford Constituency for (i) road maintenance and (ii) pothole filling since July 2024.

For the 2024/25 financial year, the previous Government allocated Staffordshire County Council £28.935 million for local highway maintenance. For the 2025/26 financial year, this Government is providing Staffordshire County Council with £39.4 million, an increase of around £10.5 million, for local highway maintenance. The Department advocates a risk-based whole life cycle asset management approach to local authority highway maintenance programmes. This considers all parts of the highway network, such as bridges, cycleways and lighting columns – not just the fixing of potholes. Funding is not ring-fenced, and it is entirely a matter for Staffordshire County Council to determine how the money is best spent to improve its local highway network according to local needs and circumstances.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the inclusivity of public parks for children with Special Educational Needs and Disability.

The government is firmly committed to creating better access to public parks. They are an essential part of local social infrastructure which supports more connected, stronger communities.Local authorities must consider their obligations under the Equalities Act of 2010 when providing public spaces, this includes ensuring that they are accessible and inclusive. Furthermore, the National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should aim to achieve healthy, inclusive and safe places. The government is committed to improving opportunities and outcomes for all disabled people and putting their voices at the heart of what we do.