Written questions by Hendrick.

What steps she is taking with financial institutions to provide (a) (i) emergency and (ii) discreet access to banking, (b) financial independence tools, (c) specialist support services and (d) other (A) privacy and (B) safety measures for people fleeing domestic violence.

The Government recognises the important role that access to financial services products plays in supporting victim-survivors of domestic abuse to establish financial independence. The financial services sector has carried out significant work on this to date to enhance understanding of financial and economic abuse and develop solutions which provide support to their customers. This includes initiatives like UK Finance’s Financial Abuse Code which provides guidance for firms on how they should respond when a customer is facing abuse, including training employees to recognise and respond to the potential signs and effects of financial abuse and to support victim-survivors to access financial services in their own name. Economic abuse is also a cross-cutting theme of the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy which will be published later this year. The strategy will seek to tackle a range of barriers to individuals’ access to financial services and products and build on the sector’s work to date in supporting victim-survivors to establish financial independence. More widely, the Government recently announced a £19.9 million investment to support victims of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). As part of this, £1.96m is being invested into the Flexible Fund which provides financial support to victim-survivors to enable them to leave abusive situations and begin to rebuild their lives.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase climate resilience in agriculture.

We are providing farmers and land managers with the support needed to help restore nature, which is vital to safeguard our long-term food security and build resilience to climate change. There are currently record numbers of farmers taking part in farming schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive. As of April 2025, these schemes supported 885,000 hectares of arable land being farmed without insecticides; 330,000 hectares of low input grassland being managed sustainably; and 85,000 kilometres of hedgerows being protected and restored. In the recent spending review, we allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament, the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history. This means: Funding for the Environmental Land Management Schemes paid to farmers will increase by 150% from £800 million in 2023/24 to £2 billion by 2028/29. Overall farmers and land managers will benefit from an average of £2.3 billion a year through the Farming and Countryside Programme. And up to £400 million from additional nature schemes, including those for tree planting and peatland restoration.

What steps she is taking to ensure the safety of asylum seekers accommodated in hotels in the North West, in the context of rising community tensions.

The safety and security of the local communities in which hotels are located, the staff who work there, and the asylum-seekers staying there is of paramount importance, and on-site security staff monitor each hotel round the clock. Our accommodation providers are experienced and have robust policies and procedures in place around health and safety, security, safeguarding, and critical incident management. Security arrangements are kept under continual review and can be adapted at pace if required, in consultation with the police and other agencies.

What steps she is taking to increase (a) cycling safety and (b) increase uptake of cycling in (i) Preston and (ii) Lancashire.

In February, we announced almost £300 million funding for active travel in 2024/25 and 2025/26. Lancashire County Council has been awarded over £1.4 million in capital funding for 24/25 and over £4.5 million in revenue funding for 24/25 and capital funding for 25/26. Officers in Active Travel England are working with colleagues in Lancashire County Council to support the delivery of active travel schemes and to signpost guidance and best practice on safety and accessibility. We look forward to working with the new county combined authority as it takes over strategic highways responsibilities into 2026.

What metrics are used to assess the (a) uptake and (b) effectiveness of the Ask for Angela scheme; and what information her Department holds on its usage in licensed venues.

Ask for Angela is not a Government scheme and therefore the Home Office does not hold information on the metrics to assess uptake and effectiveness. The scheme may hold relevant information and can be contacted online at: https://askforangela.co.uk/contact-us/

How many victims of domestic violence had a known mental health disorder in (a) Preston and (b) Lancashire in the latest period for which data is available.

The Home Office collects information on the number of offences recorded by the police in England and Wales that were domestic abuse-related at the Police Force Area level. Information is not collected on whether the victims of these offences had known mental health disorders or not.The Home Office does not hold data on how many people with domestic abuse allegations have gone on to be convicted for offences related to public disorder or extremism. Information on convictions is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.

How many people with domestic abuse allegations have gone on to be convicted for offences related to public disorder or extremism in each of the last five years.

The Home Office collects information on the number of offences recorded by the police in England and Wales that were domestic abuse-related at the Police Force Area level. Information is not collected on whether the victims of these offences had known mental health disorders or not.The Home Office does not hold data on how many people with domestic abuse allegations have gone on to be convicted for offences related to public disorder or extremism. Information on convictions is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.

What information her Department holds on the rate of people who were killed or seriously injured between junctions 31 and 33 of the M6 in the latest period for which data is available.

Safety is National Highways’ top priority and it regularly reviews the safety performance of routes in the North West region. National Highways will be undertaking a route safety study for the M6 this financial year, which it expects to complete by March 2026. The information requested on killed and seriously injured rates is not readily available as National Highways does not routinely undertake this analysis at specific junctions.

With reference to the English national concessionary travel scheme, if she will extend (a) free bus travel to before 9.30am and (b) eligibility for free buss travel to (i) companions and (ii) carers of disabled people who are unable to travel alone.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.However, local authorities in England do have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations, for example, by extending the times passes can be used or offering companion passes for those travelling with someone eligible for the ENCTS. The decision on whether to offer discretionary concessions is for the local authority to make depending on their needs and circumstances.The Government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Lancashire County Council has been allocated £27.1 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available.The Government recently conducted a review of the ENCTS, which included considering travel times for disabled passholders and is currently considering next steps.

What steps she is taking to increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations in (a) Preston, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West.

The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable and accessible charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle (EV). As of 1 June 2025, the Government and industry have supported the installation of 80,552 publicly available charging devices, up 29% on this time last year. Lancashire County Council, which includes Preston, was allocated over £10.8 million capital and resource funding through the Government’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund to leverage additional private investment and increase the number of local public chargepoints across the area. More broadly, the North West Region has been allocated almost £56.6m capital and resource funding through the LEVI Fund. In total, the £381m LEVI Fund will support the installation of at least 100,000 local chargepoints across England.

How many convictions for manslaughter there have been in (a) Lancashire, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Liverpool in cases involving suicide where domestic abuse was a contributing factor.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for manslaughter by Police Force Area in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool. The latest data is available up to December 2024. This can be downloaded at the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: Criminal justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK. However, it is not possible to provide the number of convictions for manslaughter involving suicide where domestic abuse was a contributing factor, as this information is not held centrally in the Court Proceedings Database.

What steps he is taking to (a) encourage the installation of heat pumps and (b) ensure that homes are properly insulated to support the effective operation of those heat pumps.

The Government is making is easier for households to install heat pumps. This includes increasing the budget for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and amending Permitted Development Rights in England to give households greater flexibility to install a heat pump. Our schemes such as the Warm Homes: Local Grant, Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Energy Company Obligation provide support for energy efficiency measures and low carbon technologies like heat pumps. The Warm Homes Plan (WHP) will focus on ensuring homes are more comfortable to live in and cheaper to heat. In many cases, that will mean improvements to the fabric of the building in order to maximise the bill savings and thermal comfort, alongside switching to low carbon heat. Further detail on the WHP will be announced by October.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 60419 on Surgery: Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of cancellations of elective operations for non-clinical reasons at (a) Lancashire Teaching Hospitals and (b) hospitals in England.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. The Government is clear that to help achieve this target we must reduce the cancellation of procedures wherever possible.The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, states that systems and providers will be expected to consistently focus on the smaller aspects of service delivery that can make a big difference in reducing cancellations, including embedding theatre scheduling for elective surgery, and reviewing list allocation for past and upcoming theatre lists.At the Lancashire Teaching Hospital, a number of initiatives are in place to reduce the number of cancelled appointments, including theatre efficiency and utilisation programmes, focused on the reduction of late starts, improved turnaround times, and reduced overruns. The opening of the new elective admissions unit, the Lancashire Elective Surgery Unit, at the Royal Preston Hospital supports improved admission processes and theatre efficiency. Investment in the Hospital Sterilisation and Decontamination Unit workforce and tracking systems within theatres helps reduce the number of cancellations due to equipment issues. This is in addition to improved administrative processes to ensure care is delivered in the most productive way.No specific assessment has been made of the cost of cancelled appointments at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 60420 on Health Services: Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of cancelled appointments (a) at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals and (b) in England; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of missed appointments at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals in the last three years.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. The Government is clear that to help achieve this target we must reduce the cancellation of procedures wherever possible.The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, states that systems and providers will be expected to consistently focus on the smaller aspects of service delivery that can make a big difference in reducing cancellations, including embedding theatre scheduling for elective surgery, and reviewing list allocation for past and upcoming theatre lists.At the Lancashire Teaching Hospital, a number of initiatives are in place to reduce the number of cancelled appointments, including theatre efficiency and utilisation programmes, focused on the reduction of late starts, improved turnaround times, and reduced overruns. The opening of the new elective admissions unit, the Lancashire Elective Surgery Unit, at the Royal Preston Hospital supports improved admission processes and theatre efficiency. Investment in the Hospital Sterilisation and Decontamination Unit workforce and tracking systems within theatres helps reduce the number of cancellations due to equipment issues. This is in addition to improved administrative processes to ensure care is delivered in the most productive way.No specific assessment has been made of the cost of cancelled appointments at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals.

What the average processing time was for asylum applications in the latest period for which data is available; and what steps her Department plans to take to reduce the time taken to process asylum applications.

Available data on processing of asylum claims is published in table ASY_01 of the ‘Immigration and Protection data’. The latest data is as of 31 March 2025.The Home Office continues to invest in a programme of transformation and business improvement, to speed up decision making and improve the quality and consistency of our work.

Whether his Department plans to have further phases of civil service relocation; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of relocating civil servants to (a) Preston and (b) other host cities.

The next phase of Places for Growth will move thousands more roles out of London to bring the Civil Service closer to the communities it serves. Preston will continue to have a thriving Civil Service community as part of the North West Digital and Cyber Security corridor. Government departments can also continue to build on the existing Civil Service presence there if it aligns with their business needs.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that patients seeking fertility treatment are protected from unregulated concierge IVF clinics that fall outside the remit of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

Digital clinics do not currently fall within the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act and therefore are out outside of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s (HFEA) remit at present.The HFEA published Modernising Fertility Law in November 2023, which made a number of recommendations for legislative change, including around its regulatory powers.Ministers have met with the HFEA Chair and discussed the emerging regulatory challenges. The Government is considering the HFEA’s priorities for changing the law and will decide how to take this forward at the earliest opportunity.

How much funding has been allocated to the police to help tackle hate crimes against people from the LGBQT+ community in (a) Lancashire, (b) Cumbria and (c) Greater Manchester.

The Government is also committed to giving police the resources they need to tackle crime. That is why the Chancellor has announced a real terms increase in police spending power over the next three years. This builds on the 25/26 police funding settlement, which provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales and includes an additional £200 million to kickstart the first phase of putting 13,000 additional police officers and personnel into neighbourhood policing roles. As usual, more detail on force funding allocations will be set out at the provisional police settlement.It is for Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners to make operational decisions, including how to allocate resources based on their local knowledge and experience.We currently fund an online reporting portal to ensure victims do not have to visit a police station to report any hate crime they experience, and we also fund a National Hub which provides expert advice to police forces across the country on what they can do to tackle the increasing levels of online hate crime.

How many ADHD assessments are outstanding for (a) children and (b) adults in Lancashire; and what steps he is taking to ensure that people receive a timely assessment.

For the first time, NHS England published management information on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) waits at a national level, on 29 May 2025, as part of its ADHD data improvement plan. It has also released technical guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) to improve the recording of ADHD data, with a view to improving the quality of ADHD waiting time data and to publishing more localised data in future. NHS England has also captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is bringing together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors, to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June 2025, with the final report expected later in the summer.

How many court cases listed for trial in a Crown Court were (a) cancelled and (b) rescheduled in (i) Lancashire, (ii) Cumbia and (iii) Greater Manchester in the last three years.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information concerning trials which are rescheduled (ineffective) but does not have a measure of trials “cancelled” - rather we publish information concerning trials which are cracked.A cracked trial is a trial that does not go ahead on the day as an outcome is reached and so does not need to be re-scheduled. This occurs when an acceptable plea is offered by the defendant, or the prosecution offers no evidence against the defendant.This data regarding trial effectiveness at the Crown Court including cracked and ineffective trials by LCJB area is published in the “Trial effectiveness in the courts” data tool (latest to March 2025). This can be downloaded from the Criminal Court Statistics landing page here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics.