Written questions by Vickers.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that victims of grooming gangs have timely access to (a) justice and (b) compensation.

This Government recognises the profound harm caused by grooming gangs and is committed to ensuring that victims receive justice, support and redress through a robust and victim centred justice system that brings all perpetrators of this heinous crime before the courts.My Department continues to assess and improve court processes to ensure they are effective and responsive in all cases, including those involving grooming gangs. Where possible, judges prioritise serious sexual offences, and cases involving vulnerable complainants and witnesses. HMCTS staff support the delivering of fair and efficient hearings, with special measures available to vulnerable and intimidated witnesses. Recent reforms include new powers to compel offenders to attend sentencing hearings and enhanced training across the justice system to ensure victims are treated with fairness and dignity.The Government acknowledges the impact of delays in the justice system on victims, and Sir Brian Leverson continues to lead a comprehensive review of the criminal courts to deliver swifter justice. In the meantime, we have increased funding to ensure Crown Courts operate at their highest capacity in nearly a decade, 110,000 sitting days, and doubled magistrates’ sentencing powers.Victims are supported through Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) during court proceedings. Also, the Ministry of Justice funds the CSA Centre to develop evidence-based training and resources to professionals across the voluntary statutory sector workforce, as well as continuing to invest in specialist support services via the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund that awards ringfenced grants to Police and Crime Commissioners.  Additionally, the Home Office has invested £1.6 million in the Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Fund and an extra £1.6 million for national services for adult victims.To support victims in seeking redress, we are removing the three-year limitation period for civil claims in cases of child sexual abuse. The Government is also working to improve awareness of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme through campaigns and consultations.Parliament has legislated for robust custodial sentences for child sex offences, though sentencing decisions are made by independent courts. Recognising the severity of grooming, the Government has introduced legislation through the Crime and Policing Bill to make grooming an aggravating factor in sentencing for child sexual offences, ensuring this behaviour is appropriately reflected in sentencing outcomes.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to raise public awareness of (a) the potential impact of low-welfare animal attractions abroad and (b) encourage responsible tourism through (i) education and (ii) regulation.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire, Pippa Heylings on 23 September 2025 PQ UIN 73101.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure police forces have sufficient resources to investigate grooming gang offences.

This Government is committed to strengthening local and national responses to child sexual exploitation and abuse, through the new national police operation in response to Baroness Casey’s Audit recommendations, which will identify inconsistencies in approach to investigating group based child sexual exploitation (including grooming gangs) and ensure identified best practice and lessons learnt are shared through guidance, including on the identification and protection of children at risk.Additionally we continue to support existing investments to support policing to tackle this type of offending.Central to these efforts is the Home Office-funded Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce which provides practical, expert, on the ground support for all 43 forces in England and Wales. This includes identifying best practice and promoting it nationally to ensure any lessons learnt are shared widely, and providing specialist interventions where needed to support forces’ capabilities to identify and tackle group-based offending more effectively. The Home Office engages regularly with the Taskforce and policing leaders on this work which has victims and survivors at its heart.The Home Office is also investing over £9 million this year in the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme (TOEX), including an expedited rollout of its Capabilities Environment to ensure all police investigators in England and Wales have access to an array of AI-enabled and time-saving tools. This will increase law enforcement’s capability to respond to organised exploitation, including child sexual exploitation by providing dedicated intelligence, analytical and technical expertise.The Department has regular discussions with policing on the identification and protection of children at risk, particularly in relation to the risk of sexual exploitation due to policing’s duties as a statutory safeguarding partner. This is particularly the case as reforms are implemented through the introduction of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.We are also working with the College of Policing and the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection to consider how forces’ most important resource can be bolstered – its officers. We continue to identify opportunities to strengthen officer training at all ranks to ensure the most effective and up-to-date methods to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse are utilised.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that lessons learned from grooming gang cases are applied nationally.

This Government is committed to strengthening local and national responses to child sexual exploitation and abuse, through the new national police operation in response to Baroness Casey’s Audit recommendations, which will identify inconsistencies in approach to investigating group based child sexual exploitation (including grooming gangs) and ensure identified best practice and lessons learnt are shared through guidance, including on the identification and protection of children at risk.Additionally we continue to support existing investments to support policing to tackle this type of offending.Central to these efforts is the Home Office-funded Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce which provides practical, expert, on the ground support for all 43 forces in England and Wales. This includes identifying best practice and promoting it nationally to ensure any lessons learnt are shared widely, and providing specialist interventions where needed to support forces’ capabilities to identify and tackle group-based offending more effectively. The Home Office engages regularly with the Taskforce and policing leaders on this work which has victims and survivors at its heart.The Home Office is also investing over £9 million this year in the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme (TOEX), including an expedited rollout of its Capabilities Environment to ensure all police investigators in England and Wales have access to an array of AI-enabled and time-saving tools. This will increase law enforcement’s capability to respond to organised exploitation, including child sexual exploitation by providing dedicated intelligence, analytical and technical expertise.The Department has regular discussions with policing on the identification and protection of children at risk, particularly in relation to the risk of sexual exploitation due to policing’s duties as a statutory safeguarding partner. This is particularly the case as reforms are implemented through the introduction of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.We are also working with the College of Policing and the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection to consider how forces’ most important resource can be bolstered – its officers. We continue to identify opportunities to strengthen officer training at all ranks to ensure the most effective and up-to-date methods to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse are utilised.

What discussions her Department has had with police forces on improving the (a) identification and (b) protection of children at risk of sexual exploitation.

This Government is committed to strengthening local and national responses to child sexual exploitation and abuse, through the new national police operation in response to Baroness Casey’s Audit recommendations, which will identify inconsistencies in approach to investigating group based child sexual exploitation (including grooming gangs) and ensure identified best practice and lessons learnt are shared through guidance, including on the identification and protection of children at risk.Additionally we continue to support existing investments to support policing to tackle this type of offending.Central to these efforts is the Home Office-funded Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce which provides practical, expert, on the ground support for all 43 forces in England and Wales. This includes identifying best practice and promoting it nationally to ensure any lessons learnt are shared widely, and providing specialist interventions where needed to support forces’ capabilities to identify and tackle group-based offending more effectively. The Home Office engages regularly with the Taskforce and policing leaders on this work which has victims and survivors at its heart.The Home Office is also investing over £9 million this year in the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme (TOEX), including an expedited rollout of its Capabilities Environment to ensure all police investigators in England and Wales have access to an array of AI-enabled and time-saving tools. This will increase law enforcement’s capability to respond to organised exploitation, including child sexual exploitation by providing dedicated intelligence, analytical and technical expertise.The Department has regular discussions with policing on the identification and protection of children at risk, particularly in relation to the risk of sexual exploitation due to policing’s duties as a statutory safeguarding partner. This is particularly the case as reforms are implemented through the introduction of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.We are also working with the College of Policing and the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection to consider how forces’ most important resource can be bolstered – its officers. We continue to identify opportunities to strengthen officer training at all ranks to ensure the most effective and up-to-date methods to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse are utilised.

What steps he is taking to help prevent industrial action in the NHS.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and officials from the Department, on his behalf, regularly meet with representatives of the health trade unions to understand the views and concerns of the National Health Service’s workforces in England which they represent. He has been clear that he wants to continue to work constructively with all trade unions to improve the working conditions of all NHS staff and avoid unnecessary industrial action.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has accepted all headline pay recommendations from the independent pay review bodies for 2025/26 so that all NHS staff in England received a fair and sustainable pay rise, has committed to funding improvements to the Agenda for Change pay structure for staff such as porters, nurses, and paramedics, and is working with NHS England to implement a 10 point plan to improve resident doctors’ working lives.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care made a written offer on 5 November to the British Medical Association Resident Doctors Committee (BMA RDC) which included measures to tackle bottlenecks in training, put money back in resident doctors' pockets and ensure that there is consistent implementation of existing contractual entitlements. Unfortunately, the BMA RDC rejected this just hours after being set out in a letter to them, instead choosing to proceed with the damaging strike action taken between 14-19 November.

What recent steps he has taken to increase NHS capacity in winter 2025-26.

We have done more than ever to prepare for this winter, including stress testing winter plans, making sure community teams have the vaccines they need, and identifying patients most vulnerable in winter.The Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) Plan for 2025/26, published on 6 June 2025, focuses on those improvements that will see the biggest impact on UEC performance this winter and on making UEC better every day, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. The plan commits to increasing the number of patients receiving urgent care in the community by expanding services such as urgent community response, neighbourhood multidisciplinary teams and increasing the use of virtual wards, also known as hospital at home. This will support winter resilience by expanding and optimising services such as urgent community response and increasing the use of virtual wards in each integrated care system, as well as planning with the ambulance services and 111 how to use this capacity most effectively.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of funding a new hospital to replace the University Hospital of North Tees.

Repairing and rebuilding our healthcare estate is a vital part of our ambition to create a National Health Service that is fit for the future through our 10-Year Health Plan.We recognise that delivering high quality NHS healthcare services requires safe, sustainable, and effective infrastructure. That is why we prioritised investment in healthcare at the recent Spending Review, which delivered the largest ever health capital budget.However, the New Hospital Programme (NHP) is the current mechanism for the delivery of hospitals and there are currently no plans to invite further schemes to join the NHP. The focus of the NHP is on delivery aligned to our Plan for Implementation. As such, the Department has made no assessment of the potential merits of funding a new hospital to replace the University Hospital of North Tees.

What discussions he has had with NHS leaders on NHS workforce deployment from areas with staff surpluses to those with acute staffing deficits.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce that is ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The plan will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

What steps she is taking to encourage retraining into hospitality careers for older workers.

We know that work helps everyone, including older people, play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement. DWP delivers Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), which are fully funded by government and offer training, work experience and a guaranteed job interview to those ready to start a job, as well as those who are seeking to retrain and change career. DWP’s Strategic Relationship Team (SRT) and the local Employment Advisers (EAs) based in jobcentres work together to engage with employers to support these SWAPs. Building on our relationships with national employers, SRT continues to expand its current network to more employers in key sectors such as hospitality where there is a critical demand for workers.EAs can help employers write job descriptions, promote vacancies in job centres, help select and interview priority candidates, invite employers to local recruitment events to promote their vacancies, and help plan recruitment campaigns. DWP are focusing on the hospitality sector by delivering a hospitality SWAP pilot, launched in partnership with the trade body UKHospitality. This pilot is being rolled out to 26 new areas in need of jobs and opportunity, including 13 coastal towns such as Scarborough and Blackpool. As part of the pilot, participants are supported to gain accreditation for a digital Hospitality Skills Passport, which is designed to provide proof that they are qualified to perform their job effectively and safely, giving them a universal entry standard into the sector. In the last financial year, there were 5,620 SWAP starts in hospitality, which have helped people of all ages gain the relevant skills to move into work. Research has found that all demographics considered benefitted from taking part in a SWAP and that SWAPs had a greater impact improving employment outcomes for some of the most disadvantaged groups, including older claimants. Employers and training providers in the hospitality sector who are interested in offering SWAP opportunities can contact their local Jobcentre Plus Group Partnership Manager. A contact list is available on GOV.UK at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-partnerships/national-partnership-teams.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the information available on the NHS website for patients with Ehlers Danlos syndromes.

The National Health Service website offers comprehensive information to the public on Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), covering the symptoms, types, diagnosis, treatment, and how it is inherited. This includes detailed descriptions for the most common type, hypermobile EDS, as well as more serious but rarer types like vascular EDS. It also links to external sources of advice, like Ehlers-Danlos Support UK and the Hypermobility Syndromes Association, to provide a wider range of detailed, expert information.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the UK is a global hub for (a) relocation and (b) investment by generative artificial intelligence firms seeking to license creative content legitimately.

We are supporting the growth of a globally competitive AI sector in the UK and ensuring that the UK is the destination of choice for leading AI firms.Since July 2024, £44 billion has been invested in UK AI and tech. A further £31 billion has been committed by leading AI firms, including Microsoft, NVIDIA, Google, OpenAI and CoreWeave. The UK-US Tech Prosperity Deal announced in September further strengthens our position as a destination of choice for AI investment and relocation.As set out in the Industrial Strategy Creative Industries sector plan, we will establish a Creative Content Exchange to be a trusted marketplace for selling, buying, licensing, and enabling permitted access to digitised cultural and creative assets.

Whether his Department plans to include North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust in future phases of the New Hospital Programme.

The focus of the New Hospital Programme (NHP) is on the delivery of schemes in line with the Plan for Implementation. This was deposited into the House Library and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcomeThere are currently no plans to invite further schemes to join the NHP.

What estimate his Department has made of the cost of (a) maintaining facilities at the University Hospital of North Tees and (b) constructing a replacement hospital.

NHS England’s annual Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC) is our main source of information on the costs of maintaining acute hospital sites, including the University Hospital of North Tees.The latest published data (2024/25) on costs, including estates and property maintenance and hard and soft facilities management, is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2024-25The New Hospital Programme (NHP) is the current mechanism for the delivery of hospitals and there are currently no plans to invite further schemes to join the NHP. The focus of the NHP is on delivery aligned to our Plan for Implementation. As such, there are no current estimates of the cost of constructing a replacement hospital.

What discussions he has had with (a) NHS England and (b) Tees Valley Combined Authority on options for (i) funding and (ii) delivering a new hospital to serve Teesside.

We recognise that delivering high quality National Health Service services requires safe, sustainable, and effective infrastructure. That is why we prioritised investment in healthcare at the recent Spending Review 2025 – delivering the largest ever health capital budget.The New Hospital Programme (NHP) is the current mechanism for the delivery of hospitals and there are currently no plans to invite further schemes to join the NHP. The focus of the NHP is on delivery aligned to our Plan for Implementation. As such, there have been no discussions with NHS England and Tees Valley Combined Authority on options for funding and delivering a new hospital for Teesside.It is possible that local NHS organisations could develop new health infrastructure using existing funding, short of a new hospital, if it aligns with their local priorities.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the feasibility of introducing mandatory transparency obligations requiring generative artificial intelligence developers to disclose which copyrighted works have been used in their training datasets.

The Government published a consultation on 17 December 2024, seeking views on several topics relating to the interaction between copyright and artificial intelligence (AI), including seeking views on the use of copyright material in AI model development.As part of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, the Government has committed to publish a report by 18 March 2026 that will consider a number of areas including transparency.The Government is reviewing all responses to the consultation to help inform next steps. The Government will set out its position in due course.

What steps he is taking to reduce average diagnosis times for people with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

We recognise the negative impact that postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) has on patients, and the cost to health and care services and the wider economy through, for example, loss of work and an increased benefits bill.Improving health outcomes for everyone living with a long-term condition, including PoTS, is a key part of the Government's mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future.We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring waiting lists and times down. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard, that 92% of patients to wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029.Additionally, the shifts outlined in our 10-Year Health Plan will free up hospital-based consultants’ time by shifting care from hospitals to communities, utilising digital technology to reduce administrative burdens, and promoting prevention to reduce the onset and severity of conditions that lead to hospital admissions. This includes expanding community-based services, employing artificial intelligence for productivity, developing integrated neighbourhood health teams, and investing in digital tools and data. These shifts will allow specialists to focus on more complex cases of PoTS, enabling earlier identification and management, and improved patient outcomes.By shifting care into the community through Neighbourhood Health Services, promoting integrated, multidisciplinary models of care, and through the expansion of personalised care plans, as outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will ensure that people with conditions like PoTS receive more timely and accessible support closer to home.

Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the level of copyright protections in relation to the use of creative works for training generative artificial intelligence systems on the UK’s creative industries.

Copying protected material in the UK will infringe copyright unless it is licensed, or an exception to copyright applies. The Government recently consulted on several topics relating to the interaction between copyright and artificial intelligence (AI), including seeking views on the use of copyright material in AI model development. The Government’s priority now is to consider all responses to the consultation, to help inform its next steps. Alongside this we launched expert working groups in July, bringing together representatives of the creative, media and AI sectors, and have committed to convene a parliamentary working group on the issue. The Government will continue to engage extensively on this issue and its proposals will be set out in due course.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) access to specialist (i) diagnosis and (ii) treatment and (b) other NHS services for people with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

We recognise the negative impact that postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) has on patients, and the cost to health and care services and the wider economy through, for example, loss of work and an increased benefits bill.Improving health outcomes for everyone living with a long-term condition, including PoTS, is a key part of the Government's mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future.We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring waiting lists and times down. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard, that 92% of patients to wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029.Additionally, the shifts outlined in our 10-Year Health Plan will free up hospital-based consultants’ time by shifting care from hospitals to communities, utilising digital technology to reduce administrative burdens, and promoting prevention to reduce the onset and severity of conditions that lead to hospital admissions. This includes expanding community-based services, employing artificial intelligence for productivity, developing integrated neighbourhood health teams, and investing in digital tools and data. These shifts will allow specialists to focus on more complex cases of PoTS, enabling earlier identification and management, and improved patient outcomes.By shifting care into the community through Neighbourhood Health Services, promoting integrated, multidisciplinary models of care, and through the expansion of personalised care plans, as outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will ensure that people with conditions like PoTS receive more timely and accessible support closer to home.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions her Department has had with international counterparts on approaches to protecting intellectual property rights in the context of generative artificial intelligence.

The Government has consulted on several topics relating to the interaction between copyright and artificial intelligence (AI), including on the use of copyright material in AI development.As part of this work, the Government has engaged extensively, both with international counterparts and with industry stakeholders on the interaction between copyright and artificial intelligence (AI).The Government will review the responses to its consultation carefully as it considers its next steps. The Government will continue to engage extensively on this issue and its proposals will be sent out in due course