Written questions by Jarvis.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with international sporting bodies on the use of dynamic pricing for major sporting events.

As a Government we are aware that the UK has a global reputation for excellence in staging major sporting events. These major cultural and sporting events are an important part of our national life.This Government is committed to putting fans back at the heart of live events, which is why we launched a call for evidence on pricing practices in the live events sector, alongside a consultation on ticket resales. The call for evidence looked at how practices like dynamic pricing are impacting consumers and businesses. We are reviewing responses and will publish the government's response shortly.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of NHS England’s processes for (a) identifying and (b) responding to concerns about the (i) quality and (ii) accuracy of children’s hearing test services; and what steps his Department is taking to improve the (A) consistency and (B) reliability of children’s hearing tests.

In December 2021, a report was published into service issues in children’s hearing services in NHS Lothian. The report focused on whether children’s hearing tests were being conducted properly and were effectively followed up. Further problems with the diagnosis of hearing issues in newborns and children were identified in other Scottish NHS trusts in 2023.Subsequent assessment of NHS hearing services in children’s departments across England in 2023 and 2024 identified similar problems. In 2023, NHS England established the Paediatric Hearing Services Improvement Programme to address the issues and oversee remedial action.In April 2025, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, appointed Dr Camilla Kingdon to chair an independent review into children’s hearing services. The review has considered:NHS England’s response to the service failures in children’s hearing services;how the relevant governance arrangements between the Department and NHS England could be improved, and identify lessons learned; andhow NHS England’s handling of any future service failures in similar services could be improved, and identify lessons learned.The Department is currently considering next steps and how to ensure lessons learned can be acted upon promptly, including whether steps need to be taken to improve both the consistency and reliability of children’s hearing tests.NHS England is supporting provider organisations and integrated care boards who are the commissioners of audiology services to improve performance and reduce waiting lists for appointments and assessments for hearing services. This includes capital investment to upgrade audiology facilities in NHS trusts, expanding audiology testing capacity via community diagnostic centres, and directing support through a national audiology improvement collaborative.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the financial performance of the Royal Mint in the last financial year.

The Royal Mint faced a challenging year in 2024-25, but took necessary steps to place the business on a sustainable footing. Over 60% of The Royal Mint’s reported losses were due to exceptional costs, including ending overseas coin production and a right-sizing initiative. Despite these challenges, the organisation continued to advance its transformation plan, adopting new technologies and refining its cost base. Notably, it launched the Precious Metals Recovery (PMR) plant, which uses pioneering technology to extract gold from electronic waste.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of ambulance response times in Eastleigh constituency.

The Government recognises that in recent years ambulance response times have not met the high standards that patients should expect.We are determined to turn things around. Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, backed by almost £450 million of capital investment, commits to reducing ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average this year. We are also tackling unacceptable ambulance handover delays by introducing a maximum 45-minute standard, supporting ambulances to be released more quickly and get back on the road to treat patients.We have already seen improvements in ambulance response times for the South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS), which serves Eastleigh. The latest NHS performance figures for SCAS show that Category 2 incidents were responded to in 30 minutes 44 seconds on average, over eight minutes faster than the same period last year.

Whether he plans to (a) expand the role of post offices as one-stop-shops for a range of needs and (b) enhance their role in government service delivery.

Government published a Green Paper on 14 July, seeking views on the future of the Post Office, from the services it provides, how we modernise and strengthen the network, through to changing the culture and the way in which the Post Office is managed.The consultation closed on 6 October and we thank all individuals and organisations for their detailed responses to our Green Paper which included proposals on expanding the role of post offices and on the provision of Government services. Government is carefully considering all responses to the Green Paper and aims to respond in early 2026.

What progress her Department has made in reaching its target to reduce average driving test waiting times to seven weeks by summer 2026.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. On 23 April 2025, the Secretary of State for Transport announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce driving test waiting times across the country. As part of this DVSA reintroduced the additional testing allowance (ATA) incentive scheme for driving examiners (DEs). Since DVSA introduced the ATA initiative on 1 June 2025, it has conducted over 10,000 additional overtime tests each month in comparison with the number conducted in the equivalent overtime scheme in 2024. Between June and September 2025, DVSA has conducted 41,931 more car practical driving tests in total, compared to the same period last year. In September 2025 alone, the Agency conducted 20,500 more tests compared to September 2024. DVSA continues to run recruitment campaigns for new DEs. Since April 2025, DVSA has recruited 225 new entrant DEs (onboarded and started a training course) and, of those, 174 successfully completed training and were placed in a driving test centre.

What estimate he has made of the number of households currently in fuel debt.

The Government does not have its own estimate of the number of households in fuel debt, but more needs to be done between regulators, suppliers and Government to tackle the problem of energy debt. In December, Ofgem published an updated debt strategy which included the publications of two consultations. The first proposed an energy debt relief scheme for consumers who accrued debt during the energy crisis. The second consulted on ways to improve debt standards. Both of these consultations have now closed and Ofgem will carefully consider the feedback received, and we will stand ready to work closely with them on their findings.

Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to bring into force the legislative provisions of the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023.

We continue to engage with stakeholders including the tourism industry and animal welfare groups to explore both legislative and non-legislative options to stop the advertising of low-welfare animal activities abroad.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing routine (a) blood glucose and (b) ketone testing for children presenting with symptoms consistent with Type 1 diabetes; and what steps he is taking to help improve early diagnosis and prevent deaths from diabetic ketoacidosis.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing guidance and quality standards on the treatment and care of diabetes in England. NICE NG18 guideline for type 1 and 2 diabetes provides clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and care of children and young people. Children with suspected type 1 diabetes should receive a blood test that checks blood glucose (sugar) levels. NG18 recommends that children and young people with suspected type 1 diabetes are referred immediately (on the same day) to a multidisciplinary paediatric diabetes team with the competencies needed to confirm diagnosis and provide immediate care. Where diabetic ketoacidosis is suspected, NG18 recommends that children and young people should be immediately transferred to a hospital with acute paediatric facilities.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of housing costs on the ability of people over 65 to retire.

The Department has made no such assessment. The Pensions Commission will consider the outcomes and risks for future cohorts of pensioners, taking into consideration the role housing plays amongst other factors.

If he will publish statistics for the time for blood cancer to be diagnosed.

NHS England has recently started publishing information on Faster Diagnosis Standard Activity and Performance by End Reason and Suspected Tumour. This data includes suspected haematological malignancies excluding acute leukaemia. A table showing the percentage of suspected haematological malignancies excluding acute leukaemia that are either diagnosed or that have cancer ruled out within the standard diagnosis time is attached.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making all asthma-related medication free on prescription for adults.

No specific assessment has been made of the potential merits of making all asthma-related medication free on prescription for adults.While there are no plans to amend the criteria for eligibility for free prescriptions, approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there are a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with asthma may be eligible.Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have another qualifying medical condition, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the National Health Service Low Income Scheme, which provides help based on a comparison between a person’s income and requirements. Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) are also available. PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with 3-month and 12-month certificates available. 12-month PPCs can be paid for in ten monthly instalments, allowing the holder to get all the prescriptions they need for just over £2 per week.

Whether his Department plans to review the exemption of small care companies from submitting audited accounts under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006.

The Government has delivered legislation which has increased the monetary size thresholds for micro-entities, small, medium-sized and large companies. This has extended access to the small companies audit exemption to 14,000 companies reclassified from being medium-sized to small. Together, the measures in this legislation are already saving UK businesses £240 million per year.The Government is continuing to work to identify reforms to company reporting and audit requirements to reduce the administrative burden of regulation. We will consult further in due course.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the use of acting performances to train AI-generated performers without (a) permission and (b) compensation for the original performers.

The Government published a consultation on 17 December 2024, seeking views on several topics relating to the interaction between copyright and artificial intelligence (AI). Given the rise of AI-generated ‘digital replicas’, the consultation sought views on whether the UK’s existing legal framework provides individuals, including performers, with sufficient control over their voice and appearance.The Government is reviewing all responses to the consultation. The Government will set out its position in due course.

What estimate he has made of the number of high-skilled jobs that will be created through the Life Sciences Sector Plan; and what steps he is taking to ensure that these will be distributed across regions.

The Life Sciences Sector Plan sets out a long-term vision to grow the UK's life sciences sector and create high-skilled jobs nationwide. In 2023/24, the sector employed almost 360,000 people across the UK. Around 60% of employment in the sector is based at companies registered outside of the London and South East regions. Many actions in the Plan - including a £520m innovative manufacturing fund - are designed to create and safeguard high-skilled, high-wage jobs. Our funds have already delivered over 1,900 jobs, with significantly more expected as the £520m scheme progresses. We will keep working with industry to address priority skills gaps.

What assessment his Department his made of the potential impact of extending EPC C minimum energy efficiency requirements to self-catering holiday lets on the financial viability of small businesses.

Government recently consulted on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector. The consultation sought views on whether short-term lets should be included in the scope of our changes to help ensure a consistent standard across all private rented properties. We have engaged widely with stakeholders during the consultation process, including the self-catering holiday lets sector, and a government response will be published in due course.

How many new driving examiners have (a) been recruited and (b) completed training since the reforms to driving test availability announced in April 2025.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. On 23 April 2025, the Secretary of State for Transport announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce driving test waiting times across the country. As part of this DVSA reintroduced the additional testing allowance (ATA) incentive scheme for driving examiners (DEs). Since DVSA introduced the ATA initiative on 1 June 2025, it has conducted over 10,000 additional overtime tests each month in comparison with the number conducted in the equivalent overtime scheme in 2024. Between June and September 2025, DVSA has conducted 41,931 more car practical driving tests in total, compared to the same period last year. In September 2025 alone, the Agency conducted 20,500 more tests compared to September 2024. DVSA continues to run recruitment campaigns for new DEs. Since April 2025, DVSA has recruited 225 new entrant DEs (onboarded and started a training course) and, of those, 174 successfully completed training and were placed in a driving test centre.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to review the welfare of racehorses sent to slaughter in abattoirs.

The Government has no plans to specifically review the welfare of racehorses sent to slaughter in abattoirs. The British Horseracing Authority introduced a requirement in January 2022 that all domestically trained racehorses must be signed out of the food chain, that is they must not go to slaughter in an abattoir, in order to race in GB.

Whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing a GCSE in digital creativity.

To help break down barriers to opportunity, this government will deliver a curriculum which is rich and broad, inclusive and innovative, and ensures that all young people get the opportunity to learn digital and creative skills as part of their education, with digital skills becoming increasingly important to the economy and our growth mission.To meet this ambition, the government commissioned the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review to advise on how to refresh the curriculum to ensure that young people leave compulsory education with the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to thrive, including digital skills. The Review is also looking at whether the current assessment system for young people aged 5 to 19, including qualification pathways, can be improved, while protecting the important role of examinations.The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in the autumn, at which point the government will respond.

What assessment her Department has made of (a) recent trends in levels of prevalence of assaults against railway staff and (b) the effectiveness of body-worn video cameras in helping to deter those assaults.

The Government is committed to ensuring that railway workers feel safe and are safe at work. There is no place for abuse or assault of any worker and so the recent reports of a rise in attacks on rail staff is of concern.The policing of the railway is the responsibility of the British Transport Police (BTP) who work closely with the rail industry and Department for Transport to monitor trends and intervene to ensure the railway remains a safe environment for rail staff and passengers.My department and BTP encourage rail operators to consider the personal safety of their rail staff, including encouraging greater use of Body Worn Video (BWV), which was academically proven in a 2019 trial to reduce violence against BWV wearing staff at railway stations by 47%.