Written questions by Taylor.

Whether the NHS 10-year plan will incorporate the Women’s Health Strategy for England, published on 20 July 2022.

We are committed to the Women's Health Strategy, which will be taken forward as part of the 10-Year Health Plan.

What steps he is taking to support St Helier Hospital while awaiting the construction of the Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Sutton.

Details on the multi-criteria decision support analysis tool, and how it was applied during the review, can be found in the New Hospital Programme Plan for Implementation, published on 20 January on the GOV.UK website, and available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome/new-hospital-programme-plan-for-implementationIntegrated care boards (ICBs) will collectively receive over £4 billion in annual capital allocations in 2025/26, which will be managed locally, with funds allocated according to local priorities, including maintenance at New Hospital Programme sites. Recently published National Health Service planning guidance sets out the NHS’s operational capital envelopes, national capital programmes, including a £750 million estates safety fund, and allocation processes for 2025/26. I would encourage the Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust to discuss options with the South West London ICB, to allocate operational capital and national capital programme allocations towards repairs at their sites.Final costs of schemes are subject to the approval of a Full Business Case. Cost estimates produced to enable planning during the business case development process are based on a variety of data which is generated by both the trust and the programme, and includes the capacity, design, and location of the hospital, the enabling works requirements, and the clinical requirements.

How the costs for the Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Sutton were estimated.

Details on the multi-criteria decision support analysis tool, and how it was applied during the review, can be found in the New Hospital Programme Plan for Implementation, published on 20 January on the GOV.UK website, and available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome/new-hospital-programme-plan-for-implementationIntegrated care boards (ICBs) will collectively receive over £4 billion in annual capital allocations in 2025/26, which will be managed locally, with funds allocated according to local priorities, including maintenance at New Hospital Programme sites. Recently published National Health Service planning guidance sets out the NHS’s operational capital envelopes, national capital programmes, including a £750 million estates safety fund, and allocation processes for 2025/26. I would encourage the Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust to discuss options with the South West London ICB, to allocate operational capital and national capital programme allocations towards repairs at their sites.Final costs of schemes are subject to the approval of a Full Business Case. Cost estimates produced to enable planning during the business case development process are based on a variety of data which is generated by both the trust and the programme, and includes the capacity, design, and location of the hospital, the enabling works requirements, and the clinical requirements.

With reference to the guidance entitled New Hospital Programme: plan for implementation, published on 20 January 2025, if he will publish the multi-criteria decision support analysis for the Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Sutton.

Details on the multi-criteria decision support analysis tool, and how it was applied during the review, can be found in the New Hospital Programme Plan for Implementation, published on 20 January on the GOV.UK website, and available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome/new-hospital-programme-plan-for-implementationIntegrated care boards (ICBs) will collectively receive over £4 billion in annual capital allocations in 2025/26, which will be managed locally, with funds allocated according to local priorities, including maintenance at New Hospital Programme sites. Recently published National Health Service planning guidance sets out the NHS’s operational capital envelopes, national capital programmes, including a £750 million estates safety fund, and allocation processes for 2025/26. I would encourage the Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust to discuss options with the South West London ICB, to allocate operational capital and national capital programme allocations towards repairs at their sites.Final costs of schemes are subject to the approval of a Full Business Case. Cost estimates produced to enable planning during the business case development process are based on a variety of data which is generated by both the trust and the programme, and includes the capacity, design, and location of the hospital, the enabling works requirements, and the clinical requirements.

Whether she has made representations to the Mayor of London on the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Action Plan.

The Secretary of State has not made any representations to the Mayor of London on the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Action Plan. The Government sets the regulatory structure within which 263 licensing authorities in England license the taxi and private hire vehicle sector and issues guidance to assist them in doing this. Transport for London is the licensing authority for London. The Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan is a matter for the Mayor of London and Transport for London.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take diplomatic steps to encourage the Japanese government to formally (a) acknowledge and (b) apologise for the sinking of the SS Tilawa in 1942.

The sinking of the S.S. Tilawa is a tragedy which has touched the lives of so many. Alongside the Prime Minister, I reiterate my heartfelt condolences to all the victims and families affected. The Government of Japan has apologised several times for its wartime actions in recent decades. Since the Second World War, the UK and Japan have worked hard to promote our shared values and respect for human rights, in the hope that we never see a repeat of these events anywhere in the world. I will continue to champion these efforts.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Chinese counterpart on the solitary confinement of Jimmy Lai.

Jimmy Lai's case is a priority for the Government. We continue to press for consular access, which the Hong Kong Prison Authorities have refused. The Government has consistently raised our concerns around Mr Lai's case with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities: the Prime Minister raised his case with President Xi in November, as did the Foreign Secretary with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 18 October in Beijing. I raised Mr Lai's case in my meetings during my November visit to Hong Kong, and most recently, the Chancellor raised this case on her visit to Beijing.

If she will take steps to ensure fair and competitive pay for people working in further education.

This government is committed to ensuring there is a thriving further education (FE) sector, which is vital to our missions to break down the barriers to opportunity and boost economic growth.FE colleges, rather than government, are responsible for setting and negotiating pay for their staff. Colleges are not bound by the national pay and conditions framework for schoolteachers. FE colleges were incorporated under the terms of the 1992 Further and Higher Education Act, which gave them autonomy over the pay and contractual terms and conditions of their staff.At the Autumn Budget 2024, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out an additional £300 million revenue funding for FE in the 2025/26 financial year to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs and a further £300 million to support colleges to maintain, improve and ensure suitability of their estate. We have recently announced that we are making approximately £50 million of the additional revenue funding available to statutory FE providers for April to July 2025. This one-off grant will enable colleges to respond to current priorities and challenges, including workforce recruitment and retention.The remaining funding will be made available in 16-19 funding rates for the 2025/26 academic year.This builds on the department’s investment to extend targeted retention incentive payments of up to £6,000 after tax to eligible early career FE teachers in key subject areas. We are also delivering funding to support those young people who do not pass mathematics and English GCSE at 16, who are predominantly studying in FE.The department will continue to offer financial incentives for those undertaking teacher training for the FE sector in priority subject areas. FE teacher training bursaries will be offered for a further year, worth up to £31,000 each, tax-free, in the 2025/26 academic year. Additionally, we are supporting industry professionals to enter the teaching workforce through our Taking Teaching Further programme.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help make lower league football clubs more financially viable.

The Government introduced a strengthened Football Governance Bill in October 2024, establishing an independent regulator and a new set of rules to protect clubs, empower fans and keep clubs at the heart of their communities. The Regulator will protect and promote the long term financial sustainability of the game.The legislation is progressing and the Bill concluded its Committee Stage in the other place on 15 January.

How the pilot rollout of (a) Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and (b) Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in Sutton will be reviewed to assess their effectiveness.

On 27 November 2024 we launched new Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Orders (DAPNs/DAPOs) in select areas - specifically Greater Manchester, three London boroughs (Croydon, Bromley and Sutton) and with the British Transport Police. We will soon be going further by onboarding two additional sites in early 2025 to give the greatest possible number of victims access.The Home Office has commissioned an independent evaluation of DAPNs and DAPOs. The evaluation aims to understand how the new order works in practice and its effectiveness.For the first time, these orders provide protection for all forms of domestic abuse including coercive or controlling behaviour; have no maximum duration; and can impose electronic monitoring or require attendance to a behaviour change programme.

Which prisons offer the provision of braille transcription services for prisoners with visual impairments.

Braille translation services are available in publicly operated prisons through the national translation and transcription contract, which is currently held by thebigword Group Limited. Privately managed prisons must have arrangements in place using either this national contract or equivalent arrangements.

What steps the NHS is taking to improve the accuracy of tests used by GPs to diagnose chronic urinary tract infections.

Diagnostic tests for chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs), such as urinalysis and urine culture, are widely available across all pathology networks in England. Ensuring accurate diagnostic testing not only aids more effective identification of infection but can also reduce unnecessary prescribing and overprescribing of broad-spectrum antimicrobials and directly benefit patients who get the right treatment sooner. General practitioners can request testing for chronic UTIs via several pathways, including at point-of-care, via community diagnostic centres, or via laboratories. Laboratories across England adhere to stringent quality standards for diagnostic tests, including the UK Accreditation Standard ISO 15189, and implement robust internal and external quality assurance schemes. Together, these measures ensure the accuracy and reliability of diagnostic testing. The development of new products to diagnose infections more accurately is essential to ensure we can continue to treat infections and protect public health. NHS England is also supporting research into newer, more accurate point-of-care tests for UTIs, such as via the Toucan study. More information on the study is available at the following link: https://www.phctrials.ox.ac.uk/recruiting-trials/toucan-platform-for-uti-diagnostic-evaluation

If she will have discussions with Transport for London on mitigation of the potential impact of fare increases on commuters in London in March 2025.

Transport in London is devolved and decisions on TfL fares are for the Mayor of London and TfL. Department for Transport ministers and officials speak regularly with TfL on a wide range of issues impacting commuters in the capital.

What steps the NHS is taking to improve training for doctors on (a) understanding and (b) treating chronic urinary tract infections.

The standard of training for doctors is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC). The GMC sets the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level. The curricula for postgraduate training is set by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges for foundation training, and by individual Royal Colleges and faculties for specialty training. The GMC approves curricula and assessment systems for each training programme. Curricula across the specialties where doctors in training might regularly treat patients with urinary tract infections will contain competencies relating to understanding, identifying and treating urinary tract infections and the associated symptoms. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Evidenced-based interventions (EBI) programme includes guidance on chronic UTIs, with more information available at the following link: https://ebi.aomrc.org.uk/interventions/investigation-and-onward-referral-of-women-with-recurrent-uti/ In September 2024, the EBI programme was adopted as standard operating procedure by the National Health Service. The Royal College of General Practitioners also provide e-learning on UTIs, with more information available at the following link: https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=12652

For what reason late-night services at Worcester Park station are not being reinstated between Thursday and Sunday.

Worcester Park continues to have a later train on Fridays and Saturdays from London Waterloo, but there is judged to be insufficient demand to justify the costs of a similar provision on Thursdays and Sundays.

What steps she is taking to increase public trust in the Metropolitan Police Service.

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Commissioner’s ‘New Met for London’ plan sets out the force’s work to improve its performance. The Mayor for London established the London Policing Board to hold the Commissioner to account for delivery of the plan. Home Office Ministers are in regular contact with the MPS Commissioner and Mayor of London to ensure progress is being made.The MPS is also currently in the enhanced ‘Engage’ phase of routine monitoring by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). The force has developed an improvement plan and on 13 November, HMICFRS closed one of the four causes of concern that led to the MPS being placed into ‘Engage’. The Home Office will continue to monitor progress through attendance at HMICFRS’s Police Performance and Oversight Board.

What steps he is taking to improve access to mental health services for young people in London.

Too many young people are not receiving the mental health care they need, including in London and we know that waits for mental health services are too long. As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, we will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across children and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment. We will also provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school and roll out Young Futures Hubs in every community.There are currently approximately 65 locally-funded early support hubs in England offering early easy access mental health interventions to thousands of children and young people aged between 11 and 25 years old including those from low-income families.The Department is running an £8 million Shared Outcomes Fund project throughout 2024/25 to boost and evaluate the impact of 24 of these existing early support hubs, including two in London.

What steps she is taking to tackle underreporting of stalking.

Stalking is an insidious crime that can leave victims living in fear just going about their daily lives. That is why this Government is fully committed to tackling it.On 3 December the Government announced six new measures to tackle stalking. This included legislating to introduce multi-agency statutory guidance on stalking and providing for the courts to impose Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs) on conviction and acquittal of their own volition. We will bring forward legislation to introduce measures at the earliest opportunity.The College of Policing provides an Authorised Professional Practice (APP) and e-learning on stalking to support the police. This includes guidance on identifying and investigating stalking and applying for and managing SPOs. The guidance and e-learning are being updated to reflect the findings from a recent super-complaint on stalking and will be kept under regular review. The CPS provides guidance for prosecutors with the general principles to be applied when making decisions about prosecutions involving stalking.We know there is a gap between the prevalence of stalking and stalking offences reported to the police. For example, the Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates 3.1% of adults over 16 experienced stalking in the year ending June 2024 while police recorded 131,912 stalking offences. This is why we are committed to playing a more active role in policing to ensure officers have the right support, to significantly improve standards across the board and to ensure justice is delivered for victims.Raising awareness of stalking is an important part of this and there are existing examples of local initiatives funded by police forces, Police and Crime Commissioners or local authorities. We are considering how raising awareness of VAWG crimes including stalking could form part of the upcoming new VAWG strategy.

What steps the NHS is taking to provide better pain relief for people suffering from chronic urinary tract infections.

Treating clinicians use National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, which helps practitioners and commissioners get the best care to patients, when assessing, signposting to, and prescribing pain relief medications. It is a prescriber’s duty when providing clinical care for conditions, such as urinary tract infections, to prescribe medicines, including pain relief, when they have adequate knowledge of the patient’s health and are satisfied that the medicine is clinically suitable for the patient.

Whether she plans (a) national and (b) local awareness campaigns on the crime of stalking.

Stalking is an insidious crime that can leave victims living in fear just going about their daily lives. That is why this Government is fully committed to tackling it.On 3 December the Government announced six new measures to tackle stalking. This included legislating to introduce multi-agency statutory guidance on stalking and providing for the courts to impose Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs) on conviction and acquittal of their own volition. We will bring forward legislation to introduce measures at the earliest opportunity.The College of Policing provides an Authorised Professional Practice (APP) and e-learning on stalking to support the police. This includes guidance on identifying and investigating stalking and applying for and managing SPOs. The guidance and e-learning are being updated to reflect the findings from a recent super-complaint on stalking and will be kept under regular review. The CPS provides guidance for prosecutors with the general principles to be applied when making decisions about prosecutions involving stalking.We know there is a gap between the prevalence of stalking and stalking offences reported to the police. For example, the Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates 3.1% of adults over 16 experienced stalking in the year ending June 2024 while police recorded 131,912 stalking offences. This is why we are committed to playing a more active role in policing to ensure officers have the right support, to significantly improve standards across the board and to ensure justice is delivered for victims.Raising awareness of stalking is an important part of this and there are existing examples of local initiatives funded by police forces, Police and Crime Commissioners or local authorities. We are considering how raising awareness of VAWG crimes including stalking could form part of the upcoming new VAWG strategy.