Written questions by Wilkinson.

What his planned timetable is for publishing the independent economic review of pharmacies.

NHS England commissioned Frontier Economics to undertake an independent economic analysis of National Health Service pharmacy funding in 2024. The findings of this work were published by Frontier Economics on 28 March 2025.We have now concluded the consultation on funding for 2024/25 and 2025/26, and have agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows a commitment to rebuilding the sector.

Media and Sport, if she will publish a list of the sports governing bodies she has met with since 5 July 2024.

DCMS publishes transparency data on GOV.UK, including details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations. Details of all meetings between 1 July and 30 September 2024 were published on 30 January 2025 and details for the following quarter will be published in due course.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of moving sports and leisure policy into his Department on public health.

There have been no discussions with Cabinet colleagues on moving the responsibility for sports and leisure provision into the Department of Health and Social Care, nor are there any plans to make an assessment of the potential impact on public health of doing so.Addressing physical inactivity and getting people moving more is important for improving health outcomes, reducing demand on the National Health Service, and supporting economic growth, and the Government recognises the important role sport and leisure plays within that.Officials in the Department of Health and Social Care work closely with their counterparts at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and across other Government departments to ensure that sport and leisure is reflected in the Government’s ambition to reduce levels of physical inactivity as part of the Health Mission.

Whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of moving responsibility for sports and leisure provision into his Department.

There have been no discussions with Cabinet colleagues on moving the responsibility for sports and leisure provision into the Department of Health and Social Care, nor are there any plans to make an assessment of the potential impact on public health of doing so.Addressing physical inactivity and getting people moving more is important for improving health outcomes, reducing demand on the National Health Service, and supporting economic growth, and the Government recognises the important role sport and leisure plays within that.Officials in the Department of Health and Social Care work closely with their counterparts at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and across other Government departments to ensure that sport and leisure is reflected in the Government’s ambition to reduce levels of physical inactivity as part of the Health Mission.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing taxes on the developers of brownfield sites on the development of new homes in town centres.

The government has announced reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework that will deliver key steps to get Britain building, and the reforms introduced through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will streamline the delivery of new housing and regeneration projects.The government has also committed to deliver 1.5 million new homes as part of our mission to achieve economic growth across the country. At Autumn Budget, the government announced over £5 billion total housing investment in 2025-2026 to boost supply.Tax stability is important for investment in regeneration, and the government has committed through the Corporate Tax Roadmap to provide the stability needed for businesses to make investments that are critical to boosting growth in the UK.

Whether he has had recent discussions with Gloucestershire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust on the potential impact of the Big Space Cancer Appeal on cancer care at Cheltenham General Hospital.

As set out in the recent Autumn Budget 2024, we are providing an additional £1.8 billion to directly support elective recovery and activity in 2024/25, which includes cancer care. This funding is being provided to reduce waiting times and support the National Health Service to deliver 40,000 additional appointments each week.As my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, capital spending is set to increase to £13.6 billion in 2025/26, representing record levels of capital investment into health. This includes £1.65 billion for investments aimed at improving NHS performance against constitutional standards, delivering new surgical hubs, diagnostic scanners, and beds to increase elective and emergency care capacity. This funding also includes £70 million for new radiotherapy machines to improve cancer treatment. The Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board has been provisionally allocated £4.5 million from our Constitutional Standards Recovery Fund for 2025/26.

What assessment she has made of the potential cumulative impact of her Department's (a) economic forecasting and (b) fiscal rules on economic policy.

The Treasury does not produce economic forecasts. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the Government’s independent official economic and fiscal forecaster. The Government uses the forecasts and analysis it produces to inform policy decisions. The OBR will publish its next Economic and Fiscal Outlook on 26 March alongside The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Spring Statement.The fiscal rules demonstrate the Government’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and help underpin economic stability. The stability and investment rules put the public finances on a sustainable path and prioritise investment to support long term growth.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Big Space Cancer Appeal on funding for cancer care at Cheltenham General Hospital.

As set out in the recent Autumn Budget 2024, we are providing an additional £1.8 billion to directly support elective recovery and activity in 2024/25, which includes cancer care. This funding is being provided to reduce waiting times and support the National Health Service to deliver 40,000 additional appointments each week.As my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, capital spending is set to increase to £13.6 billion in 2025/26, representing record levels of capital investment into health. This includes £1.65 billion for investments aimed at improving NHS performance against constitutional standards, delivering new surgical hubs, diagnostic scanners, and beds to increase elective and emergency care capacity. This funding also includes £70 million for new radiotherapy machines to improve cancer treatment. The Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board has been provisionally allocated £4.5 million from our Constitutional Standards Recovery Fund for 2025/26.

If she will make an assessment of the potential (a) merits of reducing taxes on developers of brownfield sites and (b) impact of doing so on the regeneration of town centres.

The government has announced reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework that will deliver key steps to get Britain building, and the reforms introduced through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will streamline the delivery of new housing and regeneration projects.The government has also committed to deliver 1.5 million new homes as part of our mission to achieve economic growth across the country. At Autumn Budget, the government announced over £5 billion total housing investment in 2025-2026 to boost supply.Tax stability is important for investment in regeneration, and the government has committed through the Corporate Tax Roadmap to provide the stability needed for businesses to make investments that are critical to boosting growth in the UK.

What his Department's policy is on promoting deep geothermal energy.

The Government supports the development of geothermal projects, provided they deliver affordable energy for consumers and are environmentally appropriate. The following schemes are open to applications from deep-geothermal projects: Contracts for Difference (for geothermal power); the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and Green Heat Network Fund (for geothermal heat). Recognising that cost is a barrier, the Government commissioned research to understand how we can support the geothermal sector to achieve its potential.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Park Tennis Court project on encouraging more people to take up tennis.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. We recognise that everyone should have access to high quality facilities and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.The previous Government commissioned an independent impact evaluation assessment of the Park Tennis Court Programme in August 2023, with a key focus being the impact of the programme on participation. We expect the full evaluation impact report to be published during April 2026.

Communities and Local Government, whether the potential for deep geothermal energy for new housing developments is being considered in her planning reforms.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 makes clear that when determining planning applications, local planning authorities should give significant weight to the benefits associated with renewable and low carbon energy and the contribution of the proposal in question to a net zero future. The Framework also states that plans should identify opportunities for development to draw its energy supply from decentralised, renewable or low carbon energy supply systems and for co-locating potential heat customers and suppliers, to help increase the use and supply of renewable and low carbon energy and heat.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding for the provision of padel courts.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.Sport England provides long term investment to the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for padel tennis in Britain, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit everyone.All future funding of sports facilities will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the use of deep geothermal energy on energy bills for hospitals.

The Department recognises that deep geothermal has the potential to be valuable part of the National Health Service’s energy mix. The clean, consistent energy offered by successful geothermal projects could make a significant contribution to the NHS’s 2040 Net Zero target, whilst supporting the NHS’s overall energy security and resilience.However, there are barriers that must first be addressed, including the United Kingdom sector’s lack of relative maturity, the geological risks posed by deep bore projects, the extensive payback periods, project failure rates, and the high upfront capital demand of such projects. These issues are outside of the competence of the Department of Health and Social Care and would be for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to explore further as the lead energy department.

If he will make an assessment of the impact of social media addiction on (a) (i) adult and (ii) children's mental health and (b) the cost of mental health provision in the NHS.

In 2019, the UK’s Chief Medical Officers reviewed the evidence on the relationship between screen time and mental health in children. The commentary found an association between the two but could not establish a causal relationship.In 2023, The National Institute for Health and Care Research commissioned a longitudinal study exploring the potential causal impact of social media use on young people’s mental health in the United Kingdom. The study found little evidence to suggest that spending more time on social media is associated with more mental health problems in young people.Our focus is on keeping young people safe, while also benefitting from the latest technology. By the summer, robust new protections for children will be in force through the Online Safety Act to protect them from harmful content and ensure they have an age-appropriate experience online.The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology recently announced a feasibility study on methods and data to understand the impact of smartphones and social media on children; this began on 2 December 2024 and will be completed in May 2025.

Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to renew funding for the Park Tennis Courts programme.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.All future funding of sports facilities will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential (a) structural and (b) social causes of obesity.

Obesity is a complex public health issue with multiple interacting factors impacting over a life course. Genetic and physiological factors, growth and development early in life, eating and physical activity behaviours, individual beliefs and attitudes and broader environmental (structural), economic and social drivers play a role in determining obesity. As such, the assessment of social and structural factors influencing obesity, diet and physical activity has been, and will continue to be, integral to our assessments. This includes, for example: assessment of National Diet and Nutrition Survey data by index of multiple deprivation (IMD); assessment of Health Survey for England and National Child Measurement Programme data on overweight and obesity by region and IMD; assessments set out within Theme 4 of the UK food security report; assessments of Active lives adult survey data and Active lives children and young people survey on physical activity by local authority, region and England, and by IMD; assessment of data on fast food outlets in the built-up environment by local authority, region and England, and by IMD; impact assessments including regulations restricting the placement of less healthy products in key selling locations in store and online; and consideration of vulnerable groups, racially and ethnically diverse groups and health inequality underpins all risk assessments undertaken by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, which advises the Governments of the four United Kingdom nations on nutrition related matters. Under the Health Mission, the Government is committed to prevention and to tackling obesity, creating a fairer and healthier food environment.

Media and Sport, with reference to her Answer to the hon. Member for Cheltenham of 27 February 2025, Official Report, column 919, what the content was of her discussions with EU commissioners on reducing bureaucracy for artists touring EU countries.

The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, Chris Bryant, met the EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, on 26 February.The Minister communicated the UK’s commitment to seeking a closer, more cooperative relationship with the EU, including by supporting UK creative professionals to tour in Europe. By ensuring artists and crew can move efficiently, we can support economic growth, job creation, and artistic innovation across the continent. The Minister and the Commissioner agreed to meet again to continue these discussions.

Media and Sport, with reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society during the debate on gambling harms of 5 February 2025, Official Report, columns 373-377WH, if she will outline the conditions under which her Department would intervene to replace the self-regulating system in the gambling industry.

Gambling in Great Britain is independently regulated by the Gambling Commission.The independent Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is responsible for regulating advertising in the UK. There are robust rules in place to ensure that advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible. Gambling operators must comply with the advertising codes of practice, which are enforced by the ASA, as part of their licence conditions. The ASA has the power to take action where there is evidence of advertising in breach of the Codes, and can also refer operators’ advertising to the Gambling Commission for possible regulatory action. However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of mandating principal occupational therapist roles within (a) local authorities and (b) NHS trusts.

Whilst the Department is not responsible for decisions about the principal occupational therapist roles in adult social care or National Health Service trusts, the role of mandating would sit with employers and the regulator of principal occupational therapists, which is the Health and Care Professions Council.