Written questions by Evans.

Pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2026 to WPQ 122758, what professionals will be allowed to triage in the Elective Single Point of Access Model.

NHS England has published technical guidance to secondary care providers and integrated care boards (ICBs) regarding the Elective Single Point of Access Model (SPoA). This sets out governance, quality assurance, and clinical oversight requirements for SPoA. Existing local processes and structures for quality assurance, performance management, and clinical governance remain in place, for instance through National Health Service trusts and ICBs, including specialty-level clinical leadership and senior oversight to ensure this change is implemented safely and appropriately, and that patients who require specialist assessment are referred without delay.Specialist clinical assessment is undertaken within robust clinical governance arrangements, with senior clinical oversight at specialty level to ensure that referrals are managed safely and appropriately, and that patients who require a hospital appointment are referred without delay.

Pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2026 to WPQ 122758, if his Department will publish a list of all the (a) professional and (b) clinical criteria which staff will need to meet in order to triage in the Elective Single Point of Access Model.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2026 to WPQ 122758, whether there will be any limitations on what qualifications staff will be required to have in order to triage in the Elective Single Point of Access Model.

NHS England has published technical guidance to secondary care providers and integrated care boards (ICBs) regarding the Elective Single Point of Access Model (SPoA). This sets out governance, quality assurance, and clinical oversight requirements for SPoA. Existing local processes and structures for quality assurance, performance management, and clinical governance remain in place, for instance through National Health Service trusts and ICBs, including specialty-level clinical leadership and senior oversight to ensure this change is implemented safely and appropriately, and that patients who require specialist assessment are referred without delay.Specialist clinical assessment is undertaken within robust clinical governance arrangements, with senior clinical oversight at specialty level to ensure that referrals are managed safely and appropriately, and that patients who require a hospital appointment are referred without delay.

Pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2026 to WPQ 122758, whether his Department will stipulate who should be triaging in the Elective Single Point of Access Model.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

If he has made an assessment of the impact on his Department’s policies of Community Pharmacy England’s recently commissioned survey on abuse in pharmacies.

The Department and NHS England condemn any form of abuse directed at healthcare workers. Pharmacy teams should be able to go to work without fear and have a fundamental right to be safe at work.NHS England has met with Community Pharmacy England to discuss the findings of the survey and how we can further support community pharmacies and their staff.

Whether he plans to publish a response to Community Pharmacy England’s recently commissioned survey on abuse in pharmacies.

The Department and NHS England condemn any form of abuse directed at healthcare workers. Pharmacy teams should be able to go to work without fear and have a fundamental right to be safe at work.NHS England has met with Community Pharmacy England to discuss the findings of the survey and how we can further support community pharmacies and their staff.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 119478 on General Practitioners: Contracts, how he defines ‘avoiding’ in the context of avoiding 1.3 million patients being added to a waiting list.

Advice and Guidance (A&G) is a pre‑referral service used to enable general practitioners (GPs) and hospital specialists, including consultants, to work together to make the best care plans for patients, ensuring patients receive care in the most appropriate setting. A&G requests are distinct from hospital referrals, whereby a patient is added onto a waiting list. A&G does not take away a GP’s right to refer, which remains a matter of clinical judgement.“Avoiding” being added to a waiting list reflects when, following an A&G request, a patient is deemed not to require a secondary care referral at that time. Without A&G, these patients might otherwise have had to wait for an unnecessary appointment and instead are expected to receive more timely care with earlier specialist input. In these cases, the GP may still subsequently refer their patient at any point if they have concerns.Between April 2025 and December 2025, there were nearly 16 million referrals for Referral to Treatment services. For the same period there were over 1.2 million pre-referral A&G requests directed to treatment that is not a secondary care referral at that time, or 45.9% of total A&G requests, and this figure has been updated to reflect the latest data.Additionally, the National Director for Primary Care and Community Services set out further information here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/letter-specialist-advice-elective-single-point-of-access/

When he will respond to the outcomes of the Small Breweries Access to Market Review and outline the next steps to determine the future market for products in local pubs.

The Government recognises that breweries, particularly small and independent producers, play an important role in the UK’s brewing heritage, supporting diversity, innovation and consumer choice within the pub sector.The Government will respond to the outcomes of the Small Breweries Access to Market Review in due course and will set out next steps once this consideration is complete. I will meet representatives from across the sector in the next month to discuss the issue before reaching conclusions.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 120986 on General Practitioners: Contracts, if he will publish the evidence that shows that patients had improved care as a result of changes to Advice and Guidance.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What [i] recent assessment he has made about levels of customer support for the increased availability of local and independent brewery products in local pubs, and [ii] whether this evidence is being considered as part of the Government's response to the Small Breweries Access to Market Review.

The Government recognises that breweries, particularly small and independent producers, play an important role in the UK’s brewing heritage, supporting diversity, innovation and consumer choice within the pub sector.The Government will respond to the outcomes of the Small Breweries Access to Market Review in due course and will set out next steps once this consideration is complete. I will meet representatives from across the sector in the next month to discuss the issue before reaching conclusions.

Whether she has had discussions with the (a) British Independent Retailers Association and (b) Independent Menswear Trade Organisation on the potential impact of changes to business rate bills on small independent retailers.

The Government’s Call for Evidence on business rates and investment has sought views from industry representatives, to establish more detailed evidence on how the business rates system influences investment decisions, with questions on the business rates system’s tax structure, Small Business Rates Relief, Improvement Relief and Empty Property Relief.The Government is carefully considering the representations received – including those from BIRA and other retailers - and a summary of responses will be published in due course. HM Treasury also continues to have regular discussions with sector representatives to understand the impact of business rates on the sector’s financial sustainability.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 120986 on General Practitioners: Contracts, what evidence his Department holds which shows that patients had improved care as a result of changes to Advice and Guidance.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pursuant to WPQ 110045 titled 'Nature Conservation: Crime,' answered on 10 February 2026, what recent conversations she has had with the National Wildlife Crime Unit about the effectiveness of their intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to tackle wildlife crime in [a] England and [b] Leicestershire.

The Home Office worked in partnership with Defra to support the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) in delivering their Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy for 2025-28. The Strategy – which was published on 25 November -provides a framework through which policing, and its partners can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues including wildlife crime.We also fund the National Wildlife Crime Unit who provide intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to forces and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime. Throughout the grant agreement period, we hold regular official‑level meetings to discuss progress, engagement and delivery.We are ensuring forces have the tools and resources they need to deal with rural crime including wildlife crime. We have hit our target of 3,000 more neighbourhood officers in March – and our target remains 13k by the end of the parliament

What steps will be taken to consider rural GP practices in the review of the Carr-Hill formula.

Phase one of the Carr-Hill review concluded on 31 March, with work currently under way to review options presented by the review team for reforming the formula. Given the complexity of the currently funding model, any changes to the formula will be given careful consideration. Subject to ministerial agreement to the recommendations of the review, the technical development of the new formula will begin. There is currently no confirmed timetable for the conclusion of the next stage of the review.Findings from the review will be published in due course by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Members of Parliament will be updated once the review findings are available.The purpose of the review is to ensure that funding for general practice is distributed equitably and is targeted towards areas that need it most. As part of this, the review has given consideration to the unavoidable costs based on geographical areas, including delivering services in rural areas.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 121056 on General Practitioners: Contracts, when the review of the Carr-Hill formula will conclude; and when he plans to publish its findings.

Phase one of the Carr-Hill review concluded on 31 March, with work currently under way to review options presented by the review team for reforming the formula. Given the complexity of the currently funding model, any changes to the formula will be given careful consideration. Subject to ministerial agreement to the recommendations of the review, the technical development of the new formula will begin. There is currently no confirmed timetable for the conclusion of the next stage of the review.Findings from the review will be published in due course by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Members of Parliament will be updated once the review findings are available.The purpose of the review is to ensure that funding for general practice is distributed equitably and is targeted towards areas that need it most. As part of this, the review has given consideration to the unavoidable costs based on geographical areas, including delivering services in rural areas.

Whether he has had recent discussions with (a) NHS England and (b) integrated care boards on the potential impact of the adequacy of physical therapy services on patients' cognitive ability.

Department officials hold regular discussions with NHS England on how integrated care boards are commissioning and delivering community health services, which includes physical therapy.Access to sufficient, high-quality physical therapy is important in supporting patients’ physical function and overall wellbeing. Appropriate, individualised therapy can help to improve mobility, manage pain, and support participation in day-to-day activities. These outcomes may also contribute to maintaining independence and promoting engagement in activity, which can be beneficial for cognitive health and wider quality of life.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. The plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.

What discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Research on the development of UK based research about (a) emerging drugs and (b) treatment options for patients with MND.

Government responsibility for delivering motor neurone disease (MND) research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation, primarily by the Medical Research Council.The Government is investing in MND research across a range of areas, including possible treatments. For example, the MND Translational Accelerator, supported by £6 million of Government funding, has twelve projects all aimed at speeding up the development of treatments for MND.The NIHR has also invested £8 million into EXPERTS-ALS, a pre-clinical study which is designed to accelerate the identification and testing of the most promising treatment candidates for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common form of MND. This will connect to the later phase platform trial, MND SMART.In August 2025, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency approved Tofersen to treat SOD1-ALS, a rare form of MND. Research into Tofersen was supported by NIHR’s Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre, and all three trial phases were delivered by the NIHR’s Research Delivery Network, demonstrating tangible impact of NIHR funded research into MND.The NIHR continues to welcome high quality applications for research into MND. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to the public and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.Welcoming applications on MND to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

Whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on reviewing the penalties associated with uninsured driving.

The Government wants to ensure that the motoring offences framework is suitable. That is why, as part of our new Road Safety Strategy we are consulting on changes to the motoring offences, including consideration of whether the minimum penalties for the offence of driving uninsured should be increased.

Communities and Local Government, what consideration his Department has given to the role of the CQC in the process of the Supported Housing regulation: consultation.

My department has engaged with the CQC throughout the development of the reforms to address poor quality supported housing and will continue to do so. The government remains committed to implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act and published a response to the consultation on the measures in the Act on 16 April.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March to Question 116014 on Supported Housing: Regulation, what measures he has put in place to respond to the Supported Housing regulation: consultation.

My department has engaged with the CQC throughout the development of the reforms to address poor quality supported housing and will continue to do so. The government remains committed to implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act and published a response to the consultation on the measures in the Act on 16 April.