Written questions by Goldman.

How her Department plans to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot extending the newly recognised refugee move-on period.

On 27 August, the Home Office announced that the 56-day “move on” grace period pilot will pause for all single adults in receipt of a positive asylum decision. Other who fall within the exception criteria (pregnant women, individuals aged 65 and over and individuals with a disability) will continue to be given the 56-day pilot move on period until the end of December.The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) & RSM have been contracted to undertake an evaluation of the changes to the move on period on behalf of the Home Office and we will publish the results of that evaluation in due course.

What her criteria are for making the extension of the newly recognised refugee move-on period permanent.

On 27 August, the Home Office announced that the 56-day “move on” grace period pilot will pause for all single adults in receipt of a positive asylum decision. Other who fall within the exception criteria (pregnant women, individuals aged 65 and over and individuals with a disability) will continue to be given the 56-day pilot move on period until the end of December.The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) & RSM have been contracted to undertake an evaluation of the changes to the move on period on behalf of the Home Office and we will publish the results of that evaluation in due course.

If she will ensure that changes to the move-on pilot for newly recognised refugees are announced in advance of the end date.

On 27 August, the Home Office announced that the 56-day “move on” grace period pilot will pause for all single adults in receipt of a positive asylum decision. Other who fall within the exception criteria (pregnant women, individuals aged 65 and over and individuals with a disability) will continue to be given the 56-day pilot move on period until the end of December.The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) & RSM have been contracted to undertake an evaluation of the changes to the move on period on behalf of the Home Office and we will publish the results of that evaluation in due course.

If he will implement localised reporting of CAMHS (a) funding and (b) performance.

Every local integrated care board (ICB) has a legal duty to produce an annual report on how it has discharged its functions in the previous financial year. This provides the opportunity for ICBs to demonstrate the full breadth of their work with people and communities and involves people and communities in decision-making, and includes working with children and young people.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that LGBT veterans are adequately informed about their rights and how to apply for compensation under the Financial Recognition Scheme.

As of 1 September 2025, the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS) had made payments of £8.3 million to 221 applicants. We have been prioritising payment to applicants who are terminally ill, over 80 and those in significant financial distress to ensure they receive support as quickly as possible, with the first payments issued as planned within 15 weeks of the Scheme going live to these prioritised groups. Applications are now being processed in date order, and we are in the process of recruiting additional staff, to speed up the process. Defence’s LGBT Restorative Action Team is working closely with external and internal Defence communications teams to deliver campaigns to drive awareness of, and encourage, eligible LGBT Veterans to claim under the FRS. To further support this effort, Defence has allocated £90,000 worth of grants to charities, including Fighting With Pride, to support Veterans with their FRS applications. The LGBT Restorative Action Team also continues to engage with relevant Veterans networks, and customer facing teams, to ensure that eligible applicants of FRS receive the appropriate information, support, and guidance. The Government encourages those affected by the Ban to visit gov.uk for further information, guidance, and support on how to make an application: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/veterans-of-the-lgbt-ban-financial-recognition-scheme Payments made by the FRS are not compensation payments and do not seek to compensate for any pecuniary losses or attempt to place personnel in a financial position they could have been in, had the ban not existed.

When his Department plans to publish (a) the full impact assessment and (b) equality impact assessment of the changes to the length of time between cervical cancer screenings.

Both the impact assessment and the equality impact assessment on the changes to the frequency of cervical screening have been published and are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cervical-screening-risk-stratification-impact-assessments

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of nightlife venue closures on local communities.

The Government recognises the vital role nightlife venues play in supporting local economies and community cohesion. We also recognise the pressures they are operating under.That's why we set up the Licensing Taskforce last April, which involved representatives from the nightlife sector to help shape reforms to the licensing system. I published the Government's response on 31st July, outlining a clear plan to support businesses, including the introduction of a new National Licensing Policy Framework to simplify outdated rules, making it quicker, easier, and more affordable to open and run hospitality venues, while helping small businesses grow and communities thrive.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of provisions for involuntary mental health interventions for children and young adults.

Our aim is to ensure that children and young people are only detained under the Mental Health Act for involuntary mental health interventions when it is absolutely necessary. The Mental Health Bill, currently being considered by the House of Commons, will strengthen the rights of children and young people detained under the act so they are involved in decisions about their care and so they can challenge these decisions. This includes statutory care and treatment plans, the right to choose a ‘Nominated Person’ to look after their interests, and expanded access to independent mental health advocates. As part of our mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future, we are focussing treatment away from hospital and inpatient care and improving community and crisis services, so that fewer children and young people need to be detained in hospital. We will also take action to ensure that young people in mental health inpatient settings are supported through a safe and effective transition to adult mental health services, to ensure they are treated with more dignity, given a greater say in their care, and that their health, education, and social needs are appropriately met.

What steps he is taking to reduce therapy waiting times for young people with mental health challenges.

The Government is investing an extra £688 million this year to transform mental health services by hiring more staff, delivering more early interventions, and getting waiting lists down so children can have the best possible start in life. We are delivering on our commitment to recruit an additional 8,500 staff across children and adult mental health services by the end of the Parliament, with 6,700 of these extra workers having been recruited since July 2024.We also want to intervene much earlier to support better outcomes for children and young people. That is why the 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will work with schools and colleges to better identify and meet children's mental health needs by expanding mental health support teams in schools to cover 100% of pupils by 2029/30, and by embedding mental health support in the new Young Futures hubs, to ensure there is no 'wrong front door' for people seeking help.Additionally, we are continuing to provide top-up funding of £7 million to 24 existing early support hubs to expand their services and to take part in an ongoing evaluation of these services in 2025/26. This funding will enable the supported hubs to deliver at least 10,000 additional mental health and wellbeing interventions, so that more children and young people are supported.

If he will take legislative steps to ensure vapes have a minimum number of refill options to be defined as reusable.

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs introduced a ban on single use vapes on 1 June, which ensures that all products must be designed and intended to be reused. To be refillable, a product should have a replaceable pod or a tank that a user can add liquid to.To compliment this and tackle youth vaping, the Department for Health and Social Care is also taking powers through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to enable regulation of many features of the design of a vape. This may include regulations on the size of a tank or refill container, the amount of liquid that can be included, as well as powers to standardise the size and shape of vapes, and to further restrict liquid availability.The Government will consider this issue further as part of its secondary legislation programme following Royal Assent of the bill.

Communities and Local Government, if she will provide additional funding to restart Essex County Fire and Rescue Service’s joint fleet workshop collaboration with Essex Police.

On 3 February, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue. These allocations, which include the National Insurance Contribution Grant, will see standalone fire and rescue authorities including Essex receiving an increase in core spending power of £69.1 million in 2025/26. This is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25. In 2025/26, Essex Fire Authority will have core spending power of £95.7 million; an increase of 4 per cent on 2024/25. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each fire and rescue authority.

Communities and Local Government, whether future local government finance settlements will increase grants to fire and rescue services in line with inflation.

This Spending Review provides £3.4 billion of new grant funding which will be delivered through the Local Government Finance Settlement within financial years 2026-27 to 2028-29.Decisions on how this funding is allocated are a matter for the upcoming multi-year Settlement and further detail will be published at the provisional Settlement later this year. The provisional Settlement will be subject to consultation, as in previous years.The Government has recently published The Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation document setting out detailed proposals to update and reform the local government funding system through the 2026–27 Local Government Finance Settlement. As part of this, the Government is proposing to update the Fire and Rescue Relative Needs Formula using the most up-to-date data in the fire and rescue relative needs formula.

What steps she is taking to ensure that reform of rural transport planning is considered alongside reform of housing planning application processes.

I recognise the importance of aligning rural transport with housing and wider spatial planning ambitions. I am working closely with my counterparts in the Ministry for Housing, Communities on Local Government on this important issue. As part of our commitment to deliver 1.5 million homes, and under the revised National Planning Policy Framework, local planning authorities must take a vision-led approach and consider transport issues, particularly public and active transport, at the earliest stages of plan-making. The review of the role of statutory consultee system is a further opportunity to focus on swifter provision of expert advice to inform development, including in rural areas.

Whether she plans to ensure that local councils who operate bus services will be eligible for additional grant funding without having to make continual applications.

The government has committed to reforming bus funding and moving away from competitive allocations processes. Every Local Transport Authority in England outside of London, will receive an allocation from the Local Authority Bus Grant without having to apply to the Department. Local leaders will decide how to use this funding to improve bus services and ensure services meet the needs of local communities. The allocation system used in 2025/26 marks the first step towards a reformed allocation process.

What plans his Department has for supporting community pharmacy, in the context of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan.

For 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework has been increased to £3.073 billion. This represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. The Government is clear that it wants to make full use of the skill sets of both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to help patients, which is why the Government has laid legislation that enables all pharmacies to use hub and spoke dispensing and will shortly lay legislation to enable the better use of people with mixed skills. This builds on the legislation to allow pharmacies to dispense in original packs and for pharmacy technicians to supply medicines. All of these measures support pharmacists to provide more care in the communities they serve and supports the Government’s ambition to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting close to home. We have also improved and continue to work on the digital transfer of information between settings, allowing pharmacies to have access to patient records and to record the outcomes of the care they provide, supporting another of our ambitions to move from analogue to digital. The 10 year plan will build on these foundations and set out how we will build a health service fit for the future.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework funding settlement for 2024-25 and 2025-26 on future levels of pharmacy closures.

The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework funding settlement for 2024/25 and 2025/26 provides the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service representing a 19.7% increase, with the total of £3.073 billion committed to community pharmacies.The individual financial positions of pharmacy contractors are not visible to the Government. It is therefore not possible for the impact on pharmacy closures to be quantified. However, we expect that this significant increase in funding will support contractors and begin to stabilise a sector that has been neglected for too long. This settlement was agreed with Community Pharmacy England as the representatives for the community pharmacy sector.

Whether he plans to increase funding for community pharmacies.

Funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework has increased to £3.073 billion for 2025/26. This represented the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26.Decisions on funding for community pharmacies beyond 2025/26 are subject to the current Spending Review. As is custom and practice, the Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to the reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors later this year.

Whether he plans to ensure annual health checks for all adults with cerebral palsy.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on care and support for adults with cerebral palsy, which is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng119The guidance recommends that people with cerebral palsy should have an annual review of their clinical and functional needs, carried out by a healthcare professional with expertise in neurodisabilities.Whilst NICE guidelines represent best practice, they are not mandatory, although the Government expects healthcare commissioners to take the guidelines fully into account in designing services that meet the needs of their local population, and to work towards their implementation over time.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) climate change and (b) extreme weather events that accompany it on the adequacy of Fire and Rescue Service budgets.

The 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement, published on 3 February by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government, sets out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £65.5m in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority. Local authorities in England, including Combined Fire Authorities, can apply for financial support through the Bellwin Scheme for their immediate eligible response costs in respect of emergencies and disasters in their area including for severe weather events. Link to the Bellwin guidance: Bellwin scheme of emergency financial assistance to local authorities: guidance notes for claims - GOV.UK

What steps she plans to take to ensure that Essex Police's share of national funding from the police funding formula adequately reflects the level of policing it provides nationally.

In 2025-26, overall funding for policing will total up to £19.6 billion in 2025-26, an increase of up to £1.2 billion when compared to the 2024-25 police settlement. Essex Police will receive up to £434.1 million in funding in 2025-26, an increase of up to £27.9 million when compared to the 2024-25 police settlement, equating to a 6.9% cash increase.The 2025-26 police settlement ensures that every local policing body in England and Wales will receive the same percentage increase in their Core Grant, offering funding certainty for forces in setting a balanced budget.Funding for policing in future years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in phase 2 of the Spending Review.