Written questions by Wrigley.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support fire and rescue workers in Devon.

Fire and rescue workers in Devon are employed by Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority which is responsible for workforce wellbeing and operational deployment based on local risk. Government supports fire and rescue services nationally through funding, policy and resilience arrangements, while operational and employment decisions remain a matter for local fire and rescue authorities, working with partners to respond to risks in their communities. The 2026/27 Local Government Finance Settlement makes available almost £1.95 billion in core spending power for Fire and Rescue Authorities in England, representing an average increase of 4.71 per cent compared to 2025/26. This is part of a multi‑year settlement which will deliver a 12.75 per cent increase in core spending power by the end of the period, alongside a further £15 million secured since the provisional settlement to support services to plan, invest and strengthen workforce health and wellbeing.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increased flexible working rights for workers in Devon.

We are making changes through the Employment Rights Act to make it more likely that flexible working requests are accepted. The impacts of the Employment Rights Act have been assessed through a comprehensive package of published analysis. This includes an assessment of regional impacts, which is available here: Employment Rights Act 2025: economic analysis. In addition, this package features the Impact Assessment ‘Making flexible working the default’, available here: http://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments From 2027, employers will have to discuss challenges in accommodating requests with employees and consider alternative options, and, if they can’t agree an arrangement, to explain their reasoning.

What steps her Department is taking to consider the recommendations in the Law Commission's 2025 report on disabled children's social care; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of legislative reform alongside the rollout of the Family Help programme.

The Law Commission published its final report on 16 September 2025 following a department-commissioned review in April 2023 of the legal framework for disabled children’s social care. The report sets out 40 recommendations, which we are now considering, aimed at improving how the law operates, with a focus on simplifying and strengthening the system to better support disabled children and their families. In line with the protocol agreed between the Lord Chancellor and the Law Commission, the department provided an initial response to these recommendations on 16 March 2026 and is expected to provide a full response within one year, setting out which recommendations will be accepted, rejected or modified, and any implementation timeline. Policy development is ongoing and the department continues to engage with key stakeholders, therefore it would not be appropriate to comment on specific recommendations ahead of publication of the full response. Alongside this, we believe the rollout of Family Help as part of the Families First Partnership programme, backed by £2.4 billion of funding over three years, is already beginning to deliver many of the intended outcomes of the report. Our wider reforms are designed to make a real and tangible difference to children and families, including disabled children.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that disabled children have access to social care support following the Law Commission's report on social care law; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing legal reform to achieve that objective.

The Law Commission published its final report on 16 September 2025 following a department-commissioned review in April 2023 of the legal framework for disabled children’s social care. The report sets out 40 recommendations, which we are now considering, aimed at improving how the law operates, with a focus on simplifying and strengthening the system to better support disabled children and their families. In line with the protocol agreed between the Lord Chancellor and the Law Commission, the department provided an initial response to these recommendations on 16 March 2026 and is expected to provide a full response within one year, setting out which recommendations will be accepted, rejected or modified, and any implementation timeline. Policy development is ongoing and the department continues to engage with key stakeholders, therefore it would not be appropriate to comment on specific recommendations ahead of publication of the full response. Alongside this, we believe the rollout of Family Help as part of the Families First Partnership programme, backed by £2.4 billion of funding over three years, is already beginning to deliver many of the intended outcomes of the report. Our wider reforms are designed to make a real and tangible difference to children and families, including disabled children.

What plans he has for the NHS Federated Data Platform after 15 February 2027.

The Medium-Term Planning Framework 2026/27 to 2028/29 sets out the expectation that all providers and integrated care boards onboard to the NHS Federated Data Platform and start making use of core products, data capabilities, and population health management tools by 2028/29. The framework available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/medium-term-planning-framework-delivering-change-together-2026-27-to-2028-29/The supplier contract will be reviewed this year in line with standard contract management processes, and a decision will be made on its extension.

What steps she is taking to protect the right to peaceful protest in Devon.

This Government is committed to protecting the right to peaceful protest, while ensuring public order legislation balances freedom of expression with protecting the public from serious disruption or harm.Under the Public Order Act 1986, the police have the necessary powers to manage protests, and it is for individual forces to determine the most appropriate approach based on the specific context.The Government is taking the Crime and Policing Bill through Parliament to equip police with targeted powers to manage evolving protest tactics while safeguarding public safety and the right to protest. The measures aim to protect the right to protest while keeping public spaces safe and accessible.The Home Secretary launched an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation on 5 October 2025. It will ensure police powers remain fit for purpose, are used consistently, and strike the right balance between protecting the public and upholding the right to lawful protest.   Lord Ken Macdonald of River Glaven KC is leading the review and is expected to report its findings to the Home Secretary by the end of May.

What guidance the Department issues on the acceptable duration of full closures of rail lines for planned engineering works, with particular reference to the coastal route between Newton Abbot and Dawlish.

The Department for Transport does not set acceptability criteria for access to rail lines for engineering works. Access is agreed through the established regulatory and contractual framework. Network Rail engages train operators via the Network Code and Access Agreements to agree possessions, taking account of passenger and stakeholder impacts.

Whether the Department considered introducing measures for businesses comparable to those available to households to mitigate rising energy costs.

Just as we are looking across Government at the situation that households face, the Government is absolutely focused on the impact of the crisis on business and industry, and we will not hesitate to act. We will continue to monitor the situation and consider what contingency plans need to be put in place. We are reviewing the support provided to business through the Energy Bill Discount scheme that ran until 31 March 2024, including the higher level of support provided to Energy Intensive Industries compared to the universal offer for all businesses.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help support rewilding in Devon.

Rewilding projects tend to be run by environmental NGOs and private organisations. Defra’s focus is to support nature recovery through a range of mechanisms, funding and policies. While Defra does not lead on nature recovery projects directly, it supports Natural England, the Environment Agency and Forestry England in their regulatory and partnership roles at a local level – including in Devon. Examples range from local projects such as species reintroductions to catchment scale habitat and river restoration, providing benefits to people and nature.

What the average duration has been of full closures of the rail line between Newton Abbot and Dawlish for planned works in the latest period for which data is available.

During the 2025-26 Financial Year, there were planned closures for two midweek nights during the last week of February, for 6 hours each night. On the first weekend in March, there was a planned closure for 52 hours. On the second weekend in March, there was a planned closure for 10 hours. All other access required for maintenance of our infrastructure is carried out during ‘rules of the route possessions’ when no trains are running, to avoid impact to train operators.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Sentencing Act 2020 to record crimes motivated by misogyny as hate crimes.

The Government has no current plans to extend the Sentencing Act 2020 to include sex as an aggravating factor in the enhanced sentencing regime.However, an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill has added sex to the list of protected characteristics under the aggravated offences in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. When this provision has been implemented – offences listed in the Act motivated by hostility against someone’s sex or presumed sex can be charged as an aggravated offence and the courts will be able to impose a longer sentence on conviction beyond those provided for in the Sentencing Act 2020.

How NHS organisations will remain financially sustainable where activity is shifted out of acute settings.

Lord Darzi’s independent investigation into the National Health Service in England identified that the NHS’s current financial trajectory is not sustainable, and that spending has risen sharply and productivity has fallen. We are clear that without reform, rising demand, an ageing population, and inefficiencies will cause the NHS to crowd out other public services, undermining long‑term sustainability of the NHS.The reforms we have set out in the 10-Year Health Plan will ensure that the NHS has long-term sustainability, by shifting from hospital to community care to deliver care that is cheaper and more effective, by shifting from analogue to digital to raise productivity and reduce unit costs, and by shifting from sickness to prevention. Our plan is to bend the cost curve in acute services, so that costs grow more slowly via a combination of shift activity to community settings and increasing productivity. As per existing funding arrangements, acute providers will be fully funded for all activity they undertake.To ensure that NHS organisations remain financially sustainable during these reforms, we have published the Medium-Term Planning Framework 2026/27 to 2028/29, published in October 2025, which required integrated care boards and NHS providers to complete an integrated planning process with their three‑year numerical plans and five‑year narratives for the commissioning and delivery of NHS services, including the shift from hospital to community over this three year period. These plans will ensure that reform is delivered in a managed way that protects the financial sustainability of NHS organisations.

What the evidential basis is that shifting care into community settings will reduce waiting times and improve patient outcomes.

Shifting care into community settings is at the heart of the Government’s efforts to modernise and improve productivity in the National Health Service. Our vision is for a new model of planned care that is local where possible. This shift will provide rapid access to patient-centred services.The Elective Reform Plan sets out our plan to deliver care in the right place, so patients are able to access the right care more quickly. This includes, for example, expanding the use of Advice and Guidance (A&G), which helps general practitioners and hospital specialists to work together to make the best treatment plans for patients, and decide whether a hospital referral is truly needed.Where the outcome of A&G is for care management in the community, we expect patients to be seen more quickly, closer to home, benefiting from earlier specialist input. Ensuring patients receive the right care the first time can reduce the waiting list, so that people who need hospital care can receive it in a timely manner.The plan is working. The waiting list has decreased to 7.22 million in February 2026, a drop of over 405,000 since July 2024. 18-week performance has improved by over 3% from the start of July 2024. The number of waits over 18 weeks has decreased to 2.7 million in February 2026, the lowest it’s been since July 2022.

Whether interim capital support will be provided for the estate at Torbay Hospital ahead of full redevelopment.

We are supporting the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust to ensure Torbay Hospital remains safe, comfortable, and capable of delivering high quality National Health Service care ahead of the delivery of a replacement hospital. As a first step towards this, Torbay Hospital received over £9.7 million from the Estates Safety Fund in 2025/26 for vital works.The Estates Safety Fund will continue over the next nine years with a total of £6.75 billion of investment to continue addressing poor quality estate. The NHS South West Region, responsible for Torbay Hospital, has been allocated £271.2 million from the Estates Safety Fund for the 2026/27 to 2029/30 period, alongside a further £339.0 million in planning assumption to 2034/35.The regional teams are currently prioritising the funding between hospital sites across the South West, including allocations for this financial year, and will be considering the needs of Torbay Hospital as part of this process.In addition to national capital, the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust has been allocated £82.4 million in operational capital across 2026/27 to 2029/30, which can be allocated to local priorities, including estates works.

What support is provided to recruit and retain staff in coastal and rural health economies such as Torbay and South Devon.

Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

Whether the scope of the Torbay Hospital rebuild has been revised in the context of the 10-year health plan.

The scope of individual New Hospital Programme (NHP) schemes, including Torbay Hospital, are only confirmed and agreed through the approval of a Full Business Case. The NHP will build “right-sized” hospitals, based on consistent and robust assumptions appropriate for local health needs that supports the shift from hospital to community care. To support this, the programme has developed a National Health Service demand and capacity model reflecting demographic change, including population growth, which will inform future business case development.

What the top risks are to delivering the Neighbourhood Health Framework; and how those risks are mitigated in areas with ageing hospital infrastructure such as Torbay.

The Neighbourhood Health Framework is designed to empower local leaders to develop and scale neighbourhood health. Risks to delivery include workforce capacity and capability, the need for effective collaboration across local partners, and the ability to align neighbourhood health models with existing estate and infrastructure.These risks are mitigated through a locally led and deliberately non-prescriptive approach. The framework sets national minimum aims and objectives but enables systems to build on what already works locally and prioritise activity according to population need and local context.We are committed to addressing the risks posed by poor quality infrastructure and ensuring facilities, like Torbay Hospital, remain safe, comfortable, and capable of delivering the 10-Year Health Plan’s radical vision for National Health Service care. As a first step towards this, Torbay Hospital received over £9.7 million from the Estates Safety Fund in 2025/26 for vital works. The Estates Safety Fund will continue over the next nine years with a total of £6.75 billion of investment to carry on addressing the poor quality of the estate. The regional teams are currently prioritising the funding between hospital sites across the South West, including allocations for this financial year, and will be considering the needs of Torbay Hospital as part of this process.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of adult social care capacity on delivering the 10-year health plan.

A fairly paid adult social care workforce with the right training, qualifications, and values will be able to provide high quality tailored care and support to those who need it and will support the priorities that we set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, namely shifting care from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from treating sickness to promoting prevention.The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how the Government’s aims to shift towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered locally to create healthier communities, spot problems earlier, and wrap around people’s lives to help people stay independent for longer. This speaks to the heart of what adult social care, done well, already is. More integrated working between the National Health Service, adult social care, local government, and civil society will be crucial to the delivery of neighbourhood health.The Government recognises the scale of the reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth, and improve the recruitment and retention of the workforce. That is why we plan to introduce the first ever Fair Pay Agreement in 2028 to improve pay and conditions for the adult social care workforce, backed by £500 million of new investment.

What estimate he has made of the average increase in energy costs for small businesses since 2021.

The department publishes statistics on the price paid for electricity and gas by the non-domestic sector.Industrial energy price statistics - GOV.UK This includes tables 3.4.1 and 3.4.2 outlining the prices of fuels purchased by non-domestic consumers split by consumption size band.

Whether his Department plans to introduce targeted support for small businesses facing significant increases in energy costs.

Through our Clean Power 2030 mission we are accelerating the transition to clean, homegrown electricity to shield end-users from the volatility of fossil fuel prices and to deliver reliable, affordable energy to every part of the UK economy. A significant proportion of businesses are on fixed-term contracts that shield them from market volatility for the contract duration. However, we recognise that at the point of contracting, businesses are exposed to international fossil fuel markets, and clearly, for both businesses and consumers, much will depend on the length of this crisis. Just as we are looking across Government at the situation that households face, the Government is absolutely focused on the impact of the crisis on business and industry, and we will not hesitate to act.