Written questions by Ellis.

What steps he is taking to support the (a) mental health and (b) wellbeing needs of British farmers.

We know that too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we recognise that British farmers, and others living and working in isolated communities, may face particular challenges in accessing the mental health services that they need.We are working with NHS England on a refreshed workforce plan, which will revolve around the three shifts to deliver our 10-Year Health Plan: moving more care from hospitals to communities; making better use of technology in health and care; and focusing on preventing sickness, not just treating it, including in rural and agricultural communities.Specifically in relation to farmers mental health and wellbeing, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is supporting access to farmer mental health support services by funding the Farmer Welfare Grant. This aids organisations in delivering projects which will support mental health and build resilience in local farming communities. One recipient, the Farming Community Network, is using the funding to expand their FarmWell platform. This online resource provides business and personal resilience advice on topics including mental health, isolation, depression, and suicide.Defra is also developing options in consultation with communities, farming support organisations, and experts across Government, as to how it can further support the investment in mental health interventions for those in agricultural communities.

Media and Sport, how many (a) museums and (b) local arts and cultural organisations have received funding from Arts Council England in (i) Ribble Valley constituency and (ii) Lancashire.

Between 2023/24 and 2024/25 four arts and cultural organisations in the Ribble Valley constituency received Arts Council England funding totalling £81,281. For the same period, three museums and 114 arts and cultural organisations received Arts Council England Funding in Lancashire, with awards totalling £11,721,145.

Which organisations fed into the development of the Best Start digital service.

​​The Best Start in Life Parent Hub website launched on 1 September as the department’s first step in developing the Best Start digital service. The site has been designed based on insights from extensive user research with parents and brings together content from across government under the Best Start in Life banner, aligning with the campaign launch and Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life.​The department is ambitious for the digital service and as we move into the next stage, building new, rather than existing content, we will work with families and organisations such as local authorities, the Local Government Association, and the NHS to ensure the service fulfils parents’ needs.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle agricultural pollution in (a) Ribble Valley constituency and (b) Lancashire.

In 2025/26 the Ribble Catchment around Edisford Bridge was identified as a priority area for farm inspections due to a new bathing water designation. Since April this year 13 farms in the area of the new bathing water and Bashall Brook have been inspected and advice and guidance provided where non-compliance relating to the Farming Rules for Water and SSAFO Regulations (Storing silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil - GOV.UK ) has been identified. In the wider Ribble Catchment in Lancashire, the Environment Agency has inspected 27 farms since April this year. Where advice and guidance has been given and not followed, the Environment Agency will consider enforcement in line with its Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

Whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to remove parental rights from convicted rapists to children conceived through rape.

The Government has no plans to bring forward legislation to grant automatic parental responsibility to a father in unfortunate circumstances where the mother dies during childbirth.In England and Wales, a father only acquires parental responsibility automatically if he is married to, or in a civil partnership with the mother at any point between the conception or the birth of the child, or he subsequently marries or enters a civil partnership with the mother. In other cases, parental responsibility may be obtained through formal agreement with the mother, being named on the birth certificate, or a court order. The Government recognises that in cases where the mother dies during childbirth, the father, if not married to the mother at the time of the birth, may be unable to acquire parental responsibility through the usual mechanisms. In such cases, the family courts retain discretion to grant parental responsibility based on the child’s welfare and the circumstances of the case.The Government is aware of the calls to broaden the parental responsibility measure in the Victims and Courts Bill to include instances where an individual has been convicted of rape and a child has been conceived as a result of that offence. We are carefully considering these suggestions as the Bill progresses through Parliament.

Whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to allow a newborn child's father to have automatic parental rights over his child in light of the mother’s death during childbirth.

The Government has no plans to bring forward legislation to grant automatic parental responsibility to a father in unfortunate circumstances where the mother dies during childbirth.In England and Wales, a father only acquires parental responsibility automatically if he is married to, or in a civil partnership with the mother at any point between the conception or the birth of the child, or he subsequently marries or enters a civil partnership with the mother. In other cases, parental responsibility may be obtained through formal agreement with the mother, being named on the birth certificate, or a court order. The Government recognises that in cases where the mother dies during childbirth, the father, if not married to the mother at the time of the birth, may be unable to acquire parental responsibility through the usual mechanisms. In such cases, the family courts retain discretion to grant parental responsibility based on the child’s welfare and the circumstances of the case.The Government is aware of the calls to broaden the parental responsibility measure in the Victims and Courts Bill to include instances where an individual has been convicted of rape and a child has been conceived as a result of that offence. We are carefully considering these suggestions as the Bill progresses through Parliament.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to allocate adequate resources to support households at risk of flooding in Ribble Valley constituency.

The Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authorities and other stakeholders continue to work in partnership with local communities to deliver innovative and alternative flood risk management practices. This includes Natural Flood Management measures, demonstrated most notably in Ribchester with an £80,000 investment. Advice and support are given to flood action groups, and the Environment Agency continue to issue flood warnings to residents. Collectively, all these measures serve to reduce the risk of flooding for households within the Ribble Valley.

How many early years recruits received the sign-on bonus launched in 2024.

The department is supporting the sector to attract talented new staff to join the workforce, as well as encourage skilled and qualified staff to return to early years roles by creating conditions for improved recruitment.The department has been running a pilot that tests whether offering an incentive payment would increase recruitment levels in 20 local authorities. New starters in early years settings, and those returning to the sector, were required to have started in an eligible provider and meet certain eligibility criteria in one of these local authorities in order to receive a £1,000 payment.Delivery on the scheme ended in March 2025. Data on the number of recruits receiving financial incentives will be included in the evaluation report, which will be published in due course.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that UKMDR audit fees remain affordable for UK based businesses who source medical devices from overseas manufacturers.

In Great Britain, medical devices are regulated under the Medical Device Regulations 2002 (MDR 2002), which is available at the following link:https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/618/contents/madeManufacturers of the lowest risk medical devices can self-declare the conformity of their devices against these regulations, and manufacturers of medium and high-risk medical devices must seek third party conformity assessment from an approved body to obtain a UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking.Fees are set by the approved body themselves and vary depending on the specific service provided.To protect supply, the government continues to accept CE-marked medical devices on the Great Britain market until 30 June 2028 or 2030, depending on the type of device and the legislation it complies with. If a device has a valid CE marking, the manufacturer is therefore not required to also obtain a UKCA marking. We will consult further on our long-term approach to the recognition of CE-marked medical devices later this year.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is currently developing a reformed regulatory framework for medical devices, designed to protect patient safety, while improving access to innovative medical devices. This will introduce an international reliance framework, allowing the MHRA to use the expertise and decision-making of other regulatory partners to introduce a new, streamlined, route to market for certain devices with prior approval from comparable regulatory countries (Australia, Canada and the US). This will reduce unwarranted regulatory burden on manufacturers of medical devices with overseas approval.

What steps his Department is taking to strengthen protections for whistle-blowers.

A worker who ‘blows the whistle’ (known as making a ‘protected disclosure’) on certain types of wrongdoing is entitled to protections under the Employment Rights Act 1996 from detriment or dismissal as a result of blowing the whistle, and a route to redress through Employment Tribunals if those protections are infringed.The Government’s Employment Rights Bill will strengthen protections for whistleblowers, by making it explicit that sexual harassment can be the basis for a protected disclosure. This will mean an employee making a protected disclosure about sexual harassment will be entitled to protection from being subjected to detriment or being dismissed by their employer for speaking out.

How many applications from Afghan women who have been denied asylum status at initial decision since the fall of Kabul in 2021 have subsequently (a) appealed that decision and (b) had that appeal granted.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum appeals lodged and determined, by nationality and sex, is published in tables Asy_D06 and Asy_D07, respectively, of the asylum detailed datasets. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relates to 2023 Q1 (January to March). Appeals data for April 2023 onwards is not available due to ongoing work on a new case working system. Updated data will be included in a future edition of the Immigration system statistics release.

What steps her Department is taking to increase the number of available driving tests in Ribble Valley constituency.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce driving test waiting times across the country.Further information on these actions and progress on the plan can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-acts-to-make-thousands-of-extra-driving-tests-available-each-month. The driving test centres that serve candidates in the Ribble Valley are Blackburn, Nelson, Skipton and Preston. Blackburn and Nelson are part of the same cluster of centres. From recruitment campaigns, DVSA has recruited two new entrant driving examiners (DE) and offered a further four DEs a position for this cluster. Following successful completion of training the new entrant DEs will be in post late autumn. A further DE has also been offered a post in Skipton. After successful completion of training, they will also be in post by late autumn.

Whether he plans to review the medical conditions on the list of exemptions for prescription charges.

There are no plans to review the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate.There are extensive arrangements in place in England to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone. Approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there is a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with chronic illnesses may be eligible. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. People who need to pay and need many prescription items could save money with a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC). PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with 3-month and 12-month certificates available. The 12-month PPC can be paid for in direct debit instalments.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce waiting lists for diagnostic services at Preston Royal Hospital Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (the Trust) has agreed a Diagnostic Improvement Programme with key focuses including:Increasing capacity within its Community Diagnostic Centre (Preston Healthport CDC), where a number of diagnostic services are available in a community setting offering care closer to home over a period of extended working hours.Upgrading of the CT scanner in the emergency department (ED) at Royal Preston Hospital in July 2025 which will improve testing productivity by i) reducing unplanned downtime (for example through reduced maintenance requirements) and ii) minimising the staff training needed to operate different types of machine.Working to develop new opportunities to recruit and retain diagnostic staff. The Trust also makes use of mutual aid. In the NHS, mutual aid is the voluntary cooperation and resource-sharing between different healthcare organisations or sectors to meet shared needs, especially during emergencies or when systems are under extreme pressure. The Trust continues to scope other options to increase capacity and support from other local organisations via mutual aid.Performance at the Trust has significantly improved against the Diagnostics Waiting Times and Activity data collection (DM01) six-week target from 49.3 percent of patients on the waiting list waiting in excess of 6 weeks from referral in June 2024, to 39.6 percent in June 2025.Nationally, the government is supporting the NHS to recover diagnostic services and bring down waiting times through investment in new capacity and technology. At the Spending Review in June 2025, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £6 billion in capital funding across 5 years for new diagnostic, elective and urgent and emergency capacity in the NHS. This includes £600 million in 2025/26.

What recent steps she has taken to help support youth democracy in schools in (a) Ribble Valley constituency and (b) Lancashire.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Ribble Valley to the answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 55746.

What steps his Department is taking to support businesses to transition to clean energy sources in (a) Ribble Valley and (b) Lancashire.

The government offers various support for business to transition to clean energy source, including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for low carbon heating. We also know that it is important that businesses have access to reliable information and advice to help them take action to reduce their emissions. We support the UK Business Climate Hub which provides advice to support business, particularly SMEs, to act. It is run by the Broadway Initiative, in partnership with government and a coalition of business organisations.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle drones flying over properties at under 400 feet.

All drone operators in the UK must adhere to the Drone and Model Aircraft Code, overseen by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). This includes protections for privacy. For a drone operator to undertake operations under 400ft they must successfully apply for an Operational Authorisation from the CAA.Government is currently reforming Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS or drones) Regulations, which should come into force from 1 January 2026 and will enhance the safety, security and manufacturing standards for drones. These reforms will include the requirement for Remote Identification (a system that allows drones to be tracked and identified in real time) for all drones over 250g, which will enable law enforcement to identify non-compliant operators.

What recent discussions her Department (a) has had and (b) plans to have with stakeholders on the Best Start digital service.

​​The Best Start in Life website, launched on 1 September. This is accessible at: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.​As development continues, the department is committed to ensuring the service is designed, positioned, and delivered in a way that meets the needs of parents and families. To date, discussions have taken place with officials across Whitehall and parents have been engaged directly through user research. We will broaden this engagement, including with local authorities and other key stakeholders, and continue to conduct further user research to ensure the service is responsive, effective and accessible to those who will benefit most.​

What discussions she has had with the Scottish Government to ensure financial provision is in place for English nursing students studying in Scotland.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has regular discussions with the Scottish Government over a range of important matters.Eligible undergraduate students from England, who are attending a course in nursing at a university in Scotland, qualify for the same student support package from Student Finance England as English students studying in England, which includes a fee loan for meeting the full costs of their tuition, a partially means-tested loan for living costs and, for students with adult or child dependants, means-tested dependants’ grants. In addition, students with disabilities may qualify for non-means-tested Disabled Students’ Allowance.The government has increased maximum grants and loans for living and other costs for students from England by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year, in line with forecast inflation, based on the RPIX inflation index.Students studying on nursing courses also qualify for additional support through the NHS Learning Support Fund. However, this is only available to students who study at English Universities, regardless of where they are domiciled.

What steps his Department plans to take to (a) increase the provision of and (b) improve autism services in (i) Ribble Valley constituency and (ii) Lancashire.

On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help integrated care boards (ICBs) and the National Health Service to deliver improved outcomes for children, young people and adults referred to an autism assessment service. The guidance also sets out what support should be available before an assessment and what support should follow a recent diagnosis of autism, based on the available evidence. Since publication, NHS England has been supporting systems and services to identify where there are challenges for implementation and how they might overcome these.The NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB has secured £1.8 million in funding to improve the Neurodivergent Pathway across Lancashire and South Cumbria, which the ICB has decided will primarily focus on children and young people (CYP) in the first instance, given the complexities and inconsistency of current CYP pathways. This investment will support frontline services, digital systems, a redesign of clinical pathways, and an increase in direct support available for families and young people. The ICB is working closely with Lancashire County Council and local schools to ensure the offer is joined up. The ICB has also commissioned an all-age online pre- and post-diagnostic support resource.