Written questions by Whittome.

What steps she is taking to ensure that creditors and debt collection agencies respond to customer enquiries and amend credit files in a timely manner.

Under data protection laws, the information on a person’s credit file must accurately reflect their credit history. If an individual believes that an organisation, such as a creditor or a debt collection agency, has not corrected inaccurate information reported to credit reference agencies, they can submit a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO is responsible for upholding information rights and enforcing data protection legislation. If the ICO finds that the organisation has indeed failed to make the necessary corrections, it may take enforcement action.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of her proposed changes to disability benefits on (a) people who receive social care support and (b) social care support providers.

This Government has already started to bring about change to address health-related economic inactivity. We are injecting almost £26 billion of extra funding next year to get the health and social care system back on its feet and bring down waiting lists. The Pathways to Work Green Paper set out our plans to reform the health and disability and employment support system. As we bring forward changes, we will ensure that the most vulnerable and severely disabled people are protected, so that they can live with dignity and security. For those affected by the changes to PIP eligibility, we are consulting on how best to support this group, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. For new claimants on the Universal Credit health element after April 2026, we are proposing that those with the most severe, life-long health conditions, who will never be able to work, will see their incomes protected. As we develop detailed proposals for change, we will continue to consider the potential impacts of reforms.

What steps she is taking to help improve (a) early intervention and (b) post-adoption support for (i) adoptive parents and (ii) local authorities.

The government’s goal is to ensure all adoptive families receive ongoing support from the moment the child is placed with them and throughout their childhood, delivering on the government’s mission to provide all children with the best start in life and breaking down barriers to opportunity.The department has recently announced funding of £8.8 million for Adoption England to improve adoption services, including adoption support. This includes supporting regional adoption agencies (RAAs) to provide an early support core offer for all families in the first 12 to 18 months after an adoption placement, as well as providing families with a new adoption support plan to give them information and guidance, including how they can access help.Adoption England will be supporting RAAs to develop and make sustainable Centres of Excellence with local health partners, so families receive holistic assessment and packages of support.They will also be supporting RAAs to put in place services that can respond quickly and more effectively to adoptive families in crisis.The government will be providing therapeutic support to adoptive children via the £50 million adoption and special guardianship support fund. Local authorities and RAAs can apply for funding of up to £3,000 per child.Adoptive families can also receive help from local authority Family Help services. The government is doubling investment in these services to over £500 million in the 2025/26 financial year.

Whether she has had discussions with the Metropolitan Police on the policing at the Quaker meeting house in Westminster on 27 March 2025.

The Metropolitan Police are operationally independent of the government. It is for the police to make decisions about how to respond to specific incidents based on their professional judgement and the circumstances at hand.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the (a) recruitment of nurses and (b) availability of jobs for newly qualified nurses.

Decisions about the employment of newly qualified nurses are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.We will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Nicaraguan counterpart on the detention of (a) Carmen María Sáenz Martinez and (b) Lesbia del Socorro Gutiérrez Poveda.

We share widespread international concern about the relentless suppression of human rights in Nicaragua. We continue to urge the Nicaraguan authorities to re-establish democratic freedoms in our engagements with the Nicaraguan Embassy and in Managua, as well as through our public statements in international fora. Most recently, on 28 February at the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council, we raised our grave human rights concerns, including relating to freedom of religion and belief, and arbitrary detentions. Nicaragua's declaration on 27 February that it is leaving the UN Human Rights Council does not change the need to hold the authorities accountable for the suppression of human rights in Nicaragua.

If she will make caste-based discrimination illegal.

No one should suffer prejudice or discrimination on any grounds, including any perception of their caste. The judgment of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in Tirkey v. Chandhok shows that someone claiming caste discrimination may rely on existing statutory remedies in the Equality Act 2010 where they can show that their ‘caste’ is related to their ethnic origin, which is itself an aspect of 'race' under the 2010 Act.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of cutting ICB running costs by 50% on (a) Nottingham, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) other areas with higher levels of deprivation.

NHS England has asked integrated care boards (ICBs) to act primarily as strategic commissioners of health and care services and to reduce the duplication of responsibilities within their structure, to achieve a 50% cost reduction in their running cost allowance. NHS England provided additional guidance to ICBs, National Health Service trusts, and NHS foundation trusts on 1 April 2025, with ICBs being tasked to develop plans by the end of May 2025 setting out how they will manage their resources to deliver across their priorities.NHS England will be working closely with ICBs to support the development of these plans, ensuring that their implementation reduces duplication and supports patient care. Further details are available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/working-together-in-2025-26-to-lay-the-foundations-for-reform/In his letter to ICBs, Sir Jim Mackay committed to greater transparency and moving back to a fair shares allocation policy over time. The Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB is within range of its fair shares allocation targets.

What steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for radiotherapy.

The Department is committed to improving cancer care and reducing waiting times for treatment. To ensure the most advanced radiotherapy treatment is available to patients, we are investing £70 million in 28 new radiotherapy machines. The Department is committed to improving waiting times for cancer treatment across England and aims to ensure that no one is waiting longer than they should for lifesaving treatment. As a first step to achieving this, we will deliver an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, helping to ensure earlier diagnoses and faster treatment for those who need it most.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as reducing waiting times for diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a Government-backed zero per cent interest loan scheme to support the rollout of solar panels on homes.

Private finance can play a key role in helping us achieve our decarbonisation ambitions. As part of the Government’s ambitious Warm Homes Plan, officials are exploring the role of incentives and private finance for households to support homeowners with the upfront costs of energy efficiency upgrades and low carbon energy technology. This includes engaging with the finance sector on the potential for low-interest loans.

What assessment he has made of the impact of AI-based auto contouring on radiotherapy waiting times.

No assessment has been made. However, the Department supports the National Health Service in reviewing opportunities to utilise artificial intelligence to transform performance, bring down waiting times, and support staff with their workload. We expect that radiotherapy treatment centres will use all appropriate technology for treating patients, to ensure that they receive the best possible care. This includes the use of artificial intelligence where available.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as reducing waiting times for diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of a cross-government mental health strategy for children and young people.

The Government is committed to taking a cross-government strategic approach to children and young people’s mental health.We are currently co-developing the NHS 10 Year Health Plan with the public, staff and patients. We continue to listen to emerging insights on children and young people’s mental health and are taking the concerns of participants seriously. The consultation process has provided invaluable feedback, and we are in the process of exploring how we best take this forward.Whilst the National Health Service is responsible for evidence-based treatment of mental ill health, we recognise the levers to prevent mental ill health sit largely outside of the health system. That’s why we are using the cross-government missions as a strategic tool to tackle the socioeconomic determinants of mental ill health amongst children and young people.We continue to work with the Department for Education to deliver our commitment of providing access to a specialist mental health professional in every school in England. We are also working across government and with NHS England to set up a network of community Young Futures hubs.

What steps she is taking to support apprenticeships in the hairdressing industry.

Apprenticeships are a great way for individuals to begin or progress a successful career in the hair and beauty industry. Employers in the sector have developed several apprenticeships, including the level 2 hairdressing professional standard, to help them develop their workforce.The department continues to promote apprenticeships to young people, adults and employers through the Skills for Life campaign.Employers can benefit from £1,000 payments when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, or apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or have been in local authority care. To support smaller employers access apprenticeships, the government pays full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an EHC plan, or have been in local authority care.Employers also benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 where they earn less than £967 a week, or £50,270 a year.

What steps she has taken to ensure that those operating under disguised employment models in the hairdressing industry do not receive tax advantages compared to traditional employers since the Minister for Employment Rights, Competition and Markets met with representatives from the personal care sector in November 2024.

HMRC is committed to ensuring the tax system operates fairly and efficiently, creating a level playing field for all compliant businesses. Most businesses pay what they owe, but a minority fail to register or only declare a portion of their earnings for tax. This minority deprives our vital public services of funding, affects fair competition between businesses, and places unfair burdens on everyone else. The ‘rent-a-chair’ model is a legitimate business model widely used in the hair and beauty sector and, where applied correctly, can result in individuals being classed as self-employed for employment purposes. Whether an individual is employed or self-employed is not a matter of choice but is determined by the actual terms and conditions under which they work. This is underlined by an agreement between HMRC and the National Hair and Beauty Federation, which clarifies standard practices in the industry for VAT purposes. The agreement advises that salon owners and their contractors should have an agreement in writing that clearly and accurately reflects their working practices. Both parties can use HMRC’s Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) tool to check the employment status of an engagement. HMRC will stand by the self-employed or employed determination that the CEST tool provides, so long as the information given is accurate. If a business chooses to operate the ‘rent-a-chair’ business model this could result in individuals being classed as self-employed for tax purposes. In all such cases HMRC would expect businesses to meet their legal obligations regarding paying the right taxes and National Insurance contributions. HMRC are committed to tackling false self-employment and will investigate evidence that suggests businesses have misclassified individuals for tax purposes. HMRC will challenge businesses that either artificially separate to avoid exceeding the VAT registration threshold or design schemes to reduce the amount of VAT they owe and will take steps to ensure that they pay the right amount of tax. HMRC’s approach to tax compliance includes a range of activities that aim to both detect and tackle current non-compliance and change future behaviours. HMRC aims to help and support customers to understand their tax obligations and promoting compliance by simplifying policies and procedures, providing clear guidance to make it easy for them to get things right, providing accessible digital services to make it easier to register to pay the appropriate taxes, providing targeted support and guidance, and intervening early to reduce mistakes. However, HMRC will not hesitate to use stronger sanctions against those who deliberately choose not to comply, including potential criminal prosecutions for the most serious cases involving tax evasion.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with international counterparts to help prevent the forced transfer of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta.

This government has been clear that stability in the West Bank is crucial. All sides should work to ensure a lowering of tension in the West Bank at this time. The risk of instability is serious and the need for de-escalation urgent. We continue to call on Israeli authorities to exercise restraint, adhere to international law, and clamp down on the actions of those who seek to inflame tensions. The UK is clear that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and harm prospects for a two-state solution. Israel must clamp down on settler violence and end settlement expansion. We are also clear that in all but the most exceptional of cases, demolitions by an occupying power are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The Foreign Secretary has raised the situation in the West Bank with his Israeli and other international counterparts and during previous visits has met with Palestinian community members in the West Bank where he heard how communities are affected.

What discussions she has had with (a) UK Finance, (b) individual lenders, (c) credit reference agencies and (d) other relevant organisations to ensure that (i) credit reference agencies and (ii) lenders differentiate between individuals who (A) responsibly manage their debts through (1) payment plans or (2) debt management plans and (B) those who are subject to (a) court or (b) bankruptcy proceedings.

The Government recognises that credit, when provided responsibly, can be crucial for people facing unexpected expenses or managing their cash flow. That is why it is committed to expanding access to affordable credit, so that everyone has the opportunity to access products and services which support their financial wellbeing and goals. In December 2023, the FCA published the final report for the Credit Information Market Study, proposing twelve remedies to improve the market. This included a mandatory data sharing proposal to improve the availability of accurate, consistent and comprehensive credit information,which is intended to support the responsible provision of credit services, and a proposal to streamline the processes regarding vulnerability markers. The FCA and industry are jointly establishing a new Credit Reporting Governance Body, which will be responsible for overseeing the sharing of credit information and implementing these recommendations. More broadly, HM Treasury regularly engages with the consumer credit sector to discuss a range of policy matters, including provision of affordable credit, which also forms a key part of the financial inclusion strategy work announced last year.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including absences for religious observances within the category of absences entitled unable to attend school because of unavoidable cause.

The department does not currently have plans to reclassify absences for religious observance.The law recognises that absences for a small number of circumstances, including for religious observance, are allowable. Where parents choose not to send their child to school on a day that is exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body that they belong to, they will not be taken to have failed to secure their child’s regular attendance, and enforcement action cannot be taken. Schools must record such absences in the attendance register using code R, which is classified for statistical purposes as authorised absence. Other forms of authorised absence include illness or suspension from school.Sessions recorded as ‘unable to attend because of unavoidable cause’ relate to issues that make attendance genuinely impossible, such as unexpected school closure, widespread travel disruption caused by emergencies, or a pupil being in youth detention. It would not be appropriate to classify absence for religious observance, or other types of authorised absence, under the ‘unavoidable cause’ category.

How many council-run children’s centres have closed in the East Midlands since 2010.

Data on Sure Start children’s centres is supplied by local authorities via the department’s Get Information about Schools database portal at: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.Based on information supplied by local authorities in the East Midlands, 41 children’s centres have closed since 2010. Local authorities in the East Midlands have converted a further 44 children’s centres into children’s centre linked sites. ‘Children’s centre linked sites’ are formerly children's centres in their own right, but they no longer meet the statutory definition of a children’s centre. They offer some early childhood services on behalf of another children's centre.The information on children’s centres closed since 2010 is based on data supplied by the local authorities in the East Midlands as of 8 April 2025. These figures could change again in future, since local authorities may update the database at any time.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding for councils in the East Midlands to provide (a) accessible and (b) integrated family support services for children in the first 1,001 days of life.

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, measured by a record 75% of children starting school ready to learn and measured by the number hitting the early learning goals at the end of reception. Delivering this will require strengthening and joining up family services to improve support through pregnancy and early childhood. This includes continuing to invest in and build up Family Hubs and Start for Life programmes. In the 2025/26 financial year, the government is providing a £126 million boost for Family Hubs and Start for Life services to give every child the best start in life and to deliver on the Plan for Change. More information on this funding can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/families-to-receive-126-million-in-early-years-support.Five local authorities in the East Midlands currently receive funding for Family Hubs and Start for Life services: Derby, Lincolnshire, Nottingham, North Northamptonshire and Leicester. Leicestershire, the upper-tier authority for the council, separately receives funding for Family Hubs only, as part of the Family Hubs Transformation Fund. On 3 April, participating local authorities received confirmation of their funding allocations for the 2025/26 financial year.

If he will (a) take steps to help reduce financial pressures on pharmacy students and (b) make an assessment of the potential merits of including pharmacy students in the Learning Support Fund scheme.

The Government is committed to financially supporting healthcare students in England, including pharmacy students, throughout their studies. Support is predominantly provided through the Department for Education and the student loans system.For the 2025/26 academic year, the Government has announced that the maximum loans and grants for living and other costs from Student Finance England will increase by 3.1% to meet forecast inflation.There are no immediate plans to make changes to the NHS Learning Support Fund scheme design. The Government keeps the funding arrangements for all healthcare students under close review. At all times the Government must strike a balance between the level of support students receive and the need to make the best use of public funds to deliver value for money.