Written questions by Smart.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the nationalisation of Northern Rail on punctuality, reliability, and frequency of service; and whether any improvements have been identified that can be used to improve wider nationalisation of the rail industry.

My Department has regular discussions with Northern Trains, as with all publicly owned operators, to ensure it remains focused on reducing train service cancellations and providing a reliable, predictable train service for customers. As part of this, we share success between operators so each one can assess how it could build on others’ good practice to improve its services.

What information her Department holds on the number of local authorities which voluntarily provide support for self-employed adoptive parents in each of the last five years.

The department does not collect information from local authorities or regional adoption agencies on the extent to which they provide voluntary support for self-employed adoptive parents.

How many of the places intended to be filled by the Government's Golden Hello Scheme for NHS dentists have been, and what work the Government will be doing with local ICBs to ensure that they hit more of their targets.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are continuing to recruit dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. The scheme offers a £20,000 recruitment incentive payment to dentists to work in those areas that need them most. The scheme remains a national priority.Golden Hello data will be published this year and will consist of data showing the regional distribution of the original allocation of posts and the number of posts recruited to at both a national and regional level.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of promoting zipper merging at roadworks to reduce congestion and improve traffic flow.

The Department for Transport works closely with local authorities to encourage effective traffic management during highway works, ensuring disruption to road users is kept to a minimum. Local authorities are responsible for determining the most appropriate traffic management plan as part of the permit conditions for the work, which may include measures such as zipper merging. National Highways who maintain and operate the Strategic Road Network are always looking at ways to keep traffic flowing better during roadworks. This includes keeping the maximum number of lanes open at all busy times and carrying out the vast majority of work requiring extra restrictions overnight or at the weekend when traffic flows are lowest. National Highways has also increased the speed limit through most roadworks from 50mph to 60mph and is using more contraflows on its schemes, which can reduce the need for closures.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce a mechanism allowing councils to insist that property developers are registered with the New Homes Ombudsman to make development applications.

The government expects all housebuilders to deliver high-quality homes and to swiftly resolve issues if and when things go wrong. We have committed to working with the devolved administrations to implement a statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman that developers will have to join and remain members of. This Ombudsman will investigate and resolve complaints and provide new home buyers with redress.

What steps his Department is taking to reimburse or provide financial support to families of dementia patients who are required to pay for care while local authorities consider their applications for support.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs, as set out in the Care Act 2014.The Care and Support Statutory Guidance states that “an assessment should be carried out over an appropriate and reasonable timescale taking into account the urgency of needs and a consideration of any fluctuation in those needs”. In addition, under Section 19 of the Care Act 2014, local authorities have powers to meet urgent needs for care and support without first carrying out a needs assessment or financial assessment.There is no legal entitlement to reimbursement for care costs incurred prior to a local authority decision.Individuals who are concerned about delays or decisions may raise these through local authority complaints processes or with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

What assessment his Department has made of the financial and emotional impact of current waiting times for mandatory reconsideration on individuals; and what his Department is doing to ensure that mandatory reconsiderations are carried out in a timely manner.

Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) offers claimants the opportunity to challenge decisions and provide additional information which may be relevant to their claim. Entitlement is usually from the date of claim, so if a decision is changed at MR, the amount awarded will be the same as if it were awarded at the initial decision stage. Arrears are paid as a lump sum. We are allocating more decision makers to MRs to ensure decisions are made in as timely manner as possible.

What assessment he has made of whether eating disorder services adequately meet the needs of boys and young men; and what steps he is taking to ensure that diagnosis, treatment pathways and clinical support are appropriate and accessible for male patients.

NHS England will shortly publish refreshed guidance on children and young people’s eating disorders. This guidance strengthens the focus on early identification and intervention across the whole care pathway, including in settings such as schools and primary care, to support prevention and timely access to help. It places particular emphasis on high-quality community provision, while ensuring that children and young people can access specialist support swiftly as soon as an eating disorder is suspected.Since 2016, investment in children and young people’s community eating disorder services has increased every year. This includes an additional £54 million per year from 2023/24, which continues to enhance the capacity and capability of community eating disorder teams to deliver early intervention, evidence-based treatment, and ongoing support for all children and young people, including boys and young men.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning eating disorder pathways for their local populations. In doing so, ICBs are expected to assess and respond to the needs of their local communities and to ensure services are provided equitably, including that diagnosis, treatment pathways, and clinical support are appropriate and accessible for all patients. This includes maintaining effective transitions from inpatient care into community services, with robust follow-up and ongoing support to reduce the risk of deterioration following discharge.

What assessment he has made of the continuity of care for children and young people discharged from inpatient eating disorder units into community settings; and what steps he is taking to prevent deterioration in patients’ conditions following discharge.

NHS England will shortly publish refreshed guidance on children and young people’s eating disorders. This guidance strengthens the focus on early identification and intervention across the whole care pathway, including in settings such as schools and primary care, to support prevention and timely access to help. It places particular emphasis on high-quality community provision, while ensuring that children and young people can access specialist support swiftly as soon as an eating disorder is suspected.Since 2016, investment in children and young people’s community eating disorder services has increased every year. This includes an additional £54 million per year from 2023/24, which continues to enhance the capacity and capability of community eating disorder teams to deliver early intervention, evidence-based treatment, and ongoing support for all children and young people, including boys and young men.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning eating disorder pathways for their local populations. In doing so, ICBs are expected to assess and respond to the needs of their local communities and to ensure services are provided equitably, including that diagnosis, treatment pathways, and clinical support are appropriate and accessible for all patients. This includes maintaining effective transitions from inpatient care into community services, with robust follow-up and ongoing support to reduce the risk of deterioration following discharge.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of current NHS strategies to prevent eating disorders, particularly among children and young people; and what steps he is taking to strengthen early intervention and prevention services.

NHS England will shortly publish refreshed guidance on children and young people’s eating disorders. This guidance strengthens the focus on early identification and intervention across the whole care pathway, including in settings such as schools and primary care, to support prevention and timely access to help. It places particular emphasis on high-quality community provision, while ensuring that children and young people can access specialist support swiftly as soon as an eating disorder is suspected.Since 2016, investment in children and young people’s community eating disorder services has increased every year. This includes an additional £54 million per year from 2023/24, which continues to enhance the capacity and capability of community eating disorder teams to deliver early intervention, evidence-based treatment, and ongoing support for all children and young people, including boys and young men.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning eating disorder pathways for their local populations. In doing so, ICBs are expected to assess and respond to the needs of their local communities and to ensure services are provided equitably, including that diagnosis, treatment pathways, and clinical support are appropriate and accessible for all patients. This includes maintaining effective transitions from inpatient care into community services, with robust follow-up and ongoing support to reduce the risk of deterioration following discharge.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure online safety regulations adequately address harmful eating disorder-related content on social media platforms.

Under the Online Safety Act, services must implement rigorous safeguards to eliminate illegal content that promotes or facilitates serious self-harm.For services accessed by children, the bar is even higher: they are required to deploy highly effective age-assurance to prevent children encountering content that while not strictly illegal, still promotes, encourages, or provides instructions for eating disorders. These protections are critical to preventing harm and safeguarding vulnerable users.Services must also protect children from content that shames or otherwise stigmatizes body types as this type of content may cause harm if encountered in high volumes.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of mandatory reconsiderations on the (a) finances and (b) emotions of affected people; and how the Department is ensuring those reconsiderations are completed in a timely manner.

Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) offers claimants the opportunity to challenge decisions and provide additional information which may be relevant to their claim. Entitlement is usually from the date of claim, so if a decision is changed at MR, the amount awarded will be the same as if it were awarded at the initial decision stage. Arrears are paid as a lump sum. We are allocating more decision makers to MRs to ensure decisions are made in as timely manner as possible.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the receipt of combined monthly benefit payments on claimants with (a) severe mental health conditions and (b) reduced capacity.

Universal Credit (UC) is designed to support people both in and out of work, using up to date information to assess UC entitlement each month, meaning that the benefit calculated accurately reflects the needs of the household. DWP understands that some customers will require support to help them adjust to monthly payments. Money guidance on budgeting, debt, pensions and savings is provided at the customer’s initial work search interview. More frequent payments are available to customers who are struggling to adapt to monthly payments.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of neurology waiting times on patients; and what steps his Department is taking to support NHS trusts in reducing routine neurology backlogs.

The Department recognises that long waits for neurology appointments can have a significant impact on patients, including delayed diagnosis, prolonged uncertainty, and potential deterioration in health and quality of life. Neurological conditions are often complex and require timely specialist input to prevent complications and support effective management. To address these challenges, the Government and NHS England are taking a range of steps to reduce waiting times and improve access to care.Our Elective Reform Plan sets a clear target to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients start consultant-led treatment within 18 weeks of referral by March 2029. We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring lists and waiting times down. The plan sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard.Initiatives such as Getting It Right First Time and RightCare are supporting systems to redesign neurology pathways, reduce unwarranted variation, and improve outpatient flow. These programmes provide evidence-based recommendations for integrated care models and better workforce planning.NHS England’s Standardising Community Health Services guidance asks integrated care boards to include community neurorehabilitation as a core component of local services, helping to shift care closer to home and reduce pressure on hospital-based neurology clinics.The 10-Year Health Plan sets out a transformed vision for elective care by 2035, where the majority of interactions no longer take place in a hospital building, instead happening virtually or via neighbourhood services. Planned care will be more efficient, timely, and effective, and will put control in the hands of patients.We are also committed to transforming and expanding diagnostic services and speeding up waiting times for tests. This includes investment in new and expanded community diagnostic centres, which are supporting a key Government priority to shift care from the hospital to the community, which offer the tests needed to support diagnosis of suspected neurological conditions.The Government’s forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.These actions form part of a wider strategy to improve access, reduce backlogs, and deliver high-quality neurological care across England.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the use of formaldehyde and other chemicals in fire retardants for furniture.

As set out in the policy paper the fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture, published in January 2025, we are reviewing the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (FFRs) with the aim of maintaining a high level of fire safety while facilitating a reduction in chemical flame retardant use. We will provide a further update in due course. The FFRs do not mandate the use of chemical flame retardants. Any chemicals used in the manufacture of furniture placed on the UK market, including to meet the FFRs’ flammability requirements, must comply with all relevant UK chemicals legislation.

What service standards on timeliness are in place for making decisions on Work Capability Assessments; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce these waiting times.

The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is one part of the process for making a UC or ESA benefit entitlement decision. Health Care Practitioners undertake the Work Capability Assessment and following this functional assessment make a recommendation to the department. Thereafter, a DWP Decision Maker reviews this recommendation and makes the decision on benefit entitlement. We monitor customer journey times for WCAs, deploying additional staff if required, prioritising urgent cases and addressing backlogs. We consistently prioritise assessments for new claims to minimise waiting times. Due to unforeseen high levels of WCAs required in late 2024, a backlog of reassessment cases built up from individuals reporting a change in their condition before May 2025. We are working with suppliers to increase capacity for clearing this backlog, including the acceleration of the recruitment of assessors. There are no backlogs within the DWP Decision Making stage. The UC WCA statistics remain under development with Phase 2 having been completed in September 2024. WCA clearance times will be introduced during phase 4 (there are no timelines). Details of this strategy can be found on gov.uk at the below link. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-wca-statistics-release-strategy/universal-credit-work-capability-assessment-statistics-release-strategy.

What assessment he has made of call-handling capacity at MyCSP and what action is being taken to reduce waiting times for members seeking assistance.

As of Monday 1 December, MyCSP is no longer the contracted administrator for the Civil Service pension scheme. The new contract was awarded to Capita. To support the transition, Capita has employed an additional 194 staff over and above the workforce transferred from MyCSP. This has seen a 60% increase in the capacity of the customer contact centre. The Cabinet Office has secured a robust contract containing strict performance levers; this includes financial penalties should Capita fail to answer calls within agreed timescales. A comprehensive governance structure is fully operational and reporting via oversight groups to ensure performance remains consistent with these contractual requirements.

What steps are being taken to support GP practices in providing specialist in-house coil clinics, in the content of levels of staffing, clinic space, equipment and stock availability; and what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for coil fittings.

The Government remains committed to ensuring equitable access to a range of contraceptive methods, including the coil.Under the GP Contract, contraceptive services are part of the essential services that practices must provide, either directly or by making arrangements for their patients to access them. Integrated care boards (ICBs) may commission GPs to offer long acting reversible contraception, such as the contraceptive coil, as an enhanced service to their local population, in addition to the service provided through the GP Contract. It is for ICBs to decide on commissioning arrangements for their area based on an assessment of local need. Information on levels of staffing, clinic space, equipment and stock availability, and waiting times for coil fittings are not held centrally.

What steps he is taking to ensure that patients receiving (a) ADHD and (b) autism treatment through the Right to Choose pathway receive safe and uninterrupted care when GPs are unable to accept shared care arrangements.

Shared care within the National Health Service refers to an arrangement whereby a specialist doctor formally transfers responsibility for all or some aspects of their patient’s care, such as prescription of medication, over to the patient’s general practitioner (GP). The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates and sets standards for doctors in the United Kingdom, has made it clear that GPs are not contractually obliged to enter into shared care agreements, and GPs may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds. The GMC has also issued guidance to help GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities.In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors to determine whether it is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate.On initiating a treatment, the specialist clinician must follow GMC guidance that if continuation of the treatment is dependent on shared care, then an agreement with the GP must be in place before the treatment is started. If a shared care agreement is not in place, the responsibility for ongoing prescribing remains with the specialist clinician, and this applies to both NHS and private medical care.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism services and support, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

Whether his Department has considered a national workforce strategy to retain ADHD and autism clinicians within NHS services.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.