Written questions by Jarvis.

What steps her Department is taking to help support the decarbonisation of the cruise industry.

The Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, published in March this year, sets out key UK policies to reach zero emissions by 2050. These policies will work alongside measures to reduce emissions from global shipping, which were agreed at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in April. UK Government funding is also available, through the UK SHORE programme, for research & development of the technologies required for maritime decarbonisation. Together, this creates a clear framework and package of support for the decarbonisation of all parts of the maritime sector, including the cruise industry.

What steps he is taking to increase support for children with Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community: these include getting a final diagnosis faster; increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals; better coordination of care; and improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs.  In February, we published the annual England action plan, where we report on the steps we have taken to advance these priorities.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of conditional selling by estate agents.

Figures relating to conditional selling by estate agents are not held by the department. It is unacceptable for estate agents to withhold offers from sellers because the potential buyer declines to use their additional services. Where there is evidence of such practices, agents can face sanctions including a ban. The government is committed to protecting people from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents and to improving estate agent standards more generally. The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team (NTSEAT) is the lead estate agent enforcement authority. Alongside local authority Trading Standards teams, they are responsible for ensuring estate agents comply with the Estate Agents Act 1979 and other relevant legislation. NTSEAT have powers to issue warnings and banning orders against rogue agents. In cases of conditional selling, it is essential that any misconduct or manipulation in the offer process is reported to help build a clearer picture of the problem and support potential investigations. My Department engages regularly with NTSEAT to discuss how best to address specific issues, including conditional selling, and continue to look at options to improve standards across the estate agent sector.

What steps his Department is taking to improve awareness of the potential impact of Group B Strep on (a) pregnant women and (b) newborn children.

Practitioners are expected to take a risk-based approach to the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of group B streptococcus (GBS). Under current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, pregnant women who are known to carry GBS, or who have risk factors such as a previous baby with GBS infection or fever during labour, should be offered antibiotics during labour to help prevent early-onset infection in their baby.To improve understanding, prevention, and treatment of GBS infection, the Department is supporting a trial, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. It aims to determine whether routine testing for GBS for all women, either in late pregnancy or on admission for labour with point of care testing, reduces early-onset neonatal sepsis compared to the current approach of risk-based screening. Findings from the trial will be submitted to the Department and reviewed by the UK National Screening Committee to inform future decisions on national screening policy.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure the safety of Uyghur (a) exiles and (b) dissidents residing in the UK.

The first duty of government is to keep its citizens safe. The National Security Act 2023 provides the necessary tools to deter, detect and disrupt modern-day state threats. The Government, working alongside operational partners, continuously assess the risks and threats faced by people living within the UK. Where we identify individuals at heightened risk, we are front footed in deploying protective security guidance and other measures as appropriate. Where individuals have concerns for their safety, they are advised to contact the police via 101, a local police station or dial 999 in an emergency.

What steps she is taking to support (a) children experiencing Emotionally Based School Avoidance and (b) their families.

Tackling absence is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity. However, we recognise that some pupils face barriers to attendance, such as those who have mental health conditions, or who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).To tackle these issues our statutory guidance, ‘Working together to improve school attendance’, sets out a ‘support first’ approach. Specific guidance for schools on mental health and attendance has also been published, and the department is committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. This guidance is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-issues-affecting-a-pupils-attendance-guidance-for-schools.Six in ten pupils will have access to a mental health support team by March 2026 and, under government plans, all pupils will have access to mental health support in school by 2029/30.

What assessment has she made of potential impact of the public spaces protection orders process on taxi and professional drivers.

The Home Office lead on Public Spaces Protection Orders policy. Public Spaces Protection Orders can be issued by local authorities to stop people committing anti-social behaviour in a public place. It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers depending on the specific circumstances. They are best placed to understand what is driving the behaviour in question, the impact that it is having, and to determine the most appropriate response.

Whether her Department plans to review the VAT rules that apply to the supply of medicines by (a) NHS and (b) private pharmacy services.

The supply of drugs is subject to VAT at the standard rate unless an exception applies. One of these exceptions is that the zero rate of VAT is applied when a drug is supplied to an individual for personal use on prescription and dispensed by a registered pharmacist. These supplies may be made by the NHS or private pharmacies. In July 2025, the Government laid the draft Human Medicines (Authorisation by Pharmacists and Supervision by Pharmacy Technicians) Order 2025, which will enable pharmacists to authorise registered pharmacy technicians to carry out, or supervise others carrying out, the preparation, assembly, dispensing, and sale and supply of medicines. The Government intends to legislate to enable medicines dispensed by or under the supervision of a registered pharmacy technician to benefit from the zero rate of VAT.

Whether (a) disabled people and (b) carers will be consulted on the outcomes of the Timms review.

The Timms review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard. This will include carers' organisations so that the voices of unpaid carers are heard. We are committed to concluding the review by Autumn 2026 and reporting outcomes to the House in a ministerial Oral Statement. We have committed to a general debate on this, in Government time. Any legislation to implement the outcomes of the review will not be brought forward until that has happened.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of clean air zone enforcement policies.

Clean Air Zones work. Between 2019-2023, in the areas of cities that have a CAZ, NO2 concentrations have reduced by between 15% and 42%. Local authorities are responsible for the implementation and enforcement of Clean Air Zones, for example issuing Penalty Charge Notices. Therefore, any assessment of the effectiveness of enforcement policy is a matter for them.

Whether the forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England will include measures to improve the early diagnosis of blood cancers.

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers such as myeloma, as well as other unstageable cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, in order to improve outcomes.To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancer earlier and treating it faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Housing Benefit (a) earnings disregard and (b) taper rate on the work incentives of young people in supported accommodation; and whether she plans to review those rules.

It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment. The Department acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those living in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit. The department will consider the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.Like Universal Credit, Housing Benefit has an income taper. As Housing Benefit may be claimed by those both in work and out of work, there are no rules around the number of hours that someone may work; instead, there are income tapers which apply. The income taper in Housing Benefit ensures people in work are better off than someone wholly reliant on benefits. In addition to any financial advantage, there are important non-financial benefits of working. These benefits include learning new skills, improved confidence and independence as well as a positive effect on an individual's mental and physical health. However, the treatment of earnings in Housing Benefit is less generous than that of Universal Credit. Therefore, although customers living in Supported Housing are better off working than doing no work at all, they can be financially better off limiting the hours they work to ensure they retain a small amount of Universal Credit entitlement.Changing the current rules would require a fiscal event and funding at a Budget. As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.

What steps his Department is taking to increase public awareness of (a) the causes of and (b) actions they can take to help prevent skin cancer.

NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns in England to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and to address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.The Department continues to advise patients to follow National Health Service guidance on reducing the risk of skin cancer. This advice is available publicly on the NHS website, at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/sunscreen-and-sun-safety/The forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and aftercare. The plan will seek to improve both the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer, including skin cancer.

What steps is her Department taking to encourage schools to take part in active travel schemes in Hampshire.

Hampshire is a partner in Living Streets’ Walk to School Outreach programme, which Active Travel England provided £5 million of funding in 2025-26. The programme supports schools both to tackle barriers to walking and take part in a walk to school challenge. Hampshire schools can also access Modeshift STARS school travel planning scheme and the Active Travel Inspectors scheme which an additional £1 million of funding was provided in 2025-25. This aims to empower pupils identify ways to make walking, wheeling, and cycling easier and more enjoyable for school journeys. Registration on Modeshift STARS is free for all schools in England, outside London. In addition, the Department recently announced an additional £30 million to support the delivery of Bikeability cycle training to children across England. The programme offers a range of training levels, starting with basic cycle handling skills and progressing to more advanced road cycling techniques to help teach children and adults the skills and confidence they need to cycle safely on roads.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of NHS Trusts outsourcing pharmacy services to private providers on patient care.

The Department has not made any assessment of the potential impact of outsourcing National Health Service trust services to private pharmacies on the time taken to deliver prescriptions to customers or on patient care.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of outsourcing NHS trust pharmacy services to private pharmacies on the time taken to deliver prescriptions to customers.

The Department has not made any assessment of the potential impact of outsourcing National Health Service trust services to private pharmacies on the time taken to deliver prescriptions to customers or on patient care.

What steps she is taking to reduce processing times for Disclosure and Barring Service checks for care workers.

As an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body of the Home Office, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is operationally independent, responsible for the service it provides. It currently operates to formalised service standards of completing 85% of Basic check applications within 2 days, 85% of Standard check applications within 3 days, and 80% of Enhanced check applications within 14 days.Its latest performance against these service standards is available at DBS dataset 1: DBS checks, DBS Update Service, and disputes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).For applicants intending to work with vulnerable adults, the DBS provides an “Adult First” service. This is a service whereby individuals working in certain care settings are permitted to start work with adults before a DBS certificate has been obtained. This applies to adult services such as care homes, domiciliary care agencies and adult placement schemes where DBS certificates are required by law. Further information about the service can be found at DBS Adult First Terms of Use (isaadultfirst.co.uk).

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to raise public awareness of the post-Brexit passport validity rules.

Since 1 January 2021, British Citizens are treated as third-country nationals under the EU's Schengen Border Code (SBC). This means that their passport issue date must be less than 10 years on entry and must be valid for at least three months after the date they plan to leave.Before travelling overseas, we advise British Citizens to check the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) travel advice on gov.uk. This includes entry requirements by country and advice on passport validity. Our travel industry partners amplify our travel advice to their customers through their channels.

With reference to the Office for National Statistics' dataset entitled CC02 Regional labour market, published on 12 August 2025, what steps she is taking to support young people into work in Eastleigh constituency.

The Department is committed to ensuring young people have access to the support they need to move into sustainable employment. DWP currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities, working alongside partners such as the Kings Trust, Local Authorities, National Careers Service/Career Wales, local colleges and Youth Trusts. Local Youth Employment Coaches in Eastleigh are providing tailored, intensive support through extended appointments and a range of targeted opportunities including: Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs): delivered in partnership with three local colleges, offering training and work experience across key sectors including construction, hospitality, retail, and health and social care. The Movement to Work Programme: recently supported young people through a two-week course focused on overcoming employment barriers – such as access to clothing and IT –and improving job readiness. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and of the 10 attendees, 2 young people have already secured employment with another 4 awaiting interview outcomes. Sessions focused on the benefits of work experience and shifting mindsets: Employment Advisors in Eastleigh have developed sessions highlighting the benefits of work experience and shifting attitudes towards employment. These are delivered in collaboration with charities and employers, offering work experience placements that build skills and enhance CVs. We have also set up job matching support to assist young people with their job applications and securing suitable roles. In addition, we are providing outreach services in Romsey, while not exclusively aimed at young people, these services help overcome transport barriers in a region with a predominantly younger demographic.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his small business plan of research published by Intuit QuickBooks in August 2025 entitled Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Index.

The Government published its Small Business Plan in July 2025 delivering the most comprehensive package of support for small and medium sized businesses in a generation The Plan outlines a series of actions, including unlocking access to finance, ending the scourge of late payments and revitalising high streets. It was developed through engagement with businesses and drew on a significant body of evidence and research. The Intuit report referenced was published after the Plan’s launch.We will continue to monitor delivery of the Small Business Plan and work with businesses as we implement it, alongside the Modern Industrial and Trade Strategies.