Written questions by Davies.

Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of levels of (a) broadband and (b) mobile coverage in rural areas on mental health.

Everyone needs the right access, skills, support and confidence to participate in a modern digital society. Government recognises that digital inclusion can have a positive impact on social wellbeing, increasing social connectivity and enabling access to mental health resources, and is committed to improving broadband and mobile access in rural areas.Project Gigabit is delivering gigabit capable connectivity for millions of rural homes and the Shared Rural Network is improving 4G coverage in rural areas. For 5G, our ambition is for all populated areas, including rural areas, to have high-quality standalone 5G by 2030.

What steps he is taking to ensure parity in the adequacy of mental health resources in (a) rural and (b) urban areas.

Integrated care boards are responsible for providing health and care services to meet the needs of their local populations, taking into account local considerations such as access to services in rural areas.Too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are too long. We are determined to change that, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health. This should help people in rural areas to be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.We will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, including in rural areas. We will make sure mental health care is delivered in the community and close to people’s homes, through new models of care and support, so that fewer people need to go into hospital.

If he will make a comparative assessment of the adequacy of access to mental health provision in (a) urban and (b) rural areas.

Integrated care boards are responsible for providing health and care services to meet the needs of their local populations, taking into account local considerations such as access to services in rural areas.Too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are too long. We are determined to change that, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health. This should help people in rural areas to be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.We will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, including in rural areas. We will make sure mental health care is delivered in the community and close to people’s homes, through new models of care and support, so that fewer people need to go into hospital.

What steps her Department is taking to support prison leavers with severe mental illness.

We are committed to working with our partners across health and justice to better support prisoners leaving custody. Our Mental Health Approved Premises Project are piloting a partnership approach to working with people who have mental health challenges. It provides targeted, enhanced mental health support to high-risk prison leavers with the most complex needs, with the aim of building a clear bridge into services in the community. As part of the project, staff can access training to improve their ability to recognise and respond to mental health needs. We have also recruited over 50 Health and Justice Coordinators and Managers nationwide to improve links between prison and community treatment services, to support continuity of care upon release and NHS England’s RECONNECT service, supports prison leavers with vulnerabilities including mental health needs to engage with the right health services in the community through referrals and peer support.

How many and what proportion of prisons have a literacy programme.

All prisons assess prisoner literacy on entry, and deliver English Functional Skills qualifications via the main Prison Education Framework.HMPPS also fund 62 additional literacy and reading contracts across 80 prisons via the more locally commissioned Dynamic Purchasing System.All prisons have a library, and to further support reading the Shannon Trust operates their Turning Pages programme in nearly all prisons in England. This programme teaches prisoners to read and is delivered by prisoner mentors who work with individual learners.Every prison also has a reading strategy which has been supported by the donation of over 150,000 books to prisons by publishing houses through the ‘Bang-Up-Books’ campaign.In addition, the Literacy Innovation Fund provided funding to a further 15 prisons for projects delivered by the Shannon Trust, to further boost the reach of their peer mentoring and the National Literacy Trust who deliver workshops to encourage creative writing, reading and book groups.

Whether her Department has issued guidance on the criteria to be used to determine when to use a helicopter to help put out moorland fires.

Fire and Rescue Services are operationally independent in England. Each fire and rescue authority is required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfire), through their Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) while having regard to the views of other key local responders. The Government does not issue guidance on the operational use of helicopters.Fire and Rescue Services undertake a range of activities alongside local partners, including prevention and educational activities. Additionally, Defra encourage landowners and land managers to adopt good quality wildfire management plans, use sustainable land management practices that reduce fuel loads and restore their peatland – wetter, healthy-functioning peatlands are more resilient to the risk of wildfire.In 24/25, the Home Office is funding a new National Resilience Wildfire Advisor to assess what additional wildfire national capabilities might be needed to increase resilience to the wildfire risk and to ensure coordination of approaches across the sector.

What steps she is taking to provide reading support in prisons; and what programmes her Department funds to provide such support.

All prisons assess prisoner literacy on entry, and deliver English Functional Skills qualifications via the main Prison Education Framework.HMPPS also fund 62 additional literacy and reading contracts across 80 prisons via the more locally commissioned Dynamic Purchasing System.All prisons have a library, and to further support reading the Shannon Trust operates their Turning Pages programme in nearly all prisons in England. This programme teaches prisoners to read and is delivered by prisoner mentors who work with individual learners.Every prison also has a reading strategy which has been supported by the donation of over 150,000 books to prisons by publishing houses through the ‘Bang-Up-Books’ campaign.In addition, the Literacy Innovation Fund provided funding to a further 15 prisons for projects delivered by the Shannon Trust, to further boost the reach of their peer mentoring and the National Literacy Trust who deliver workshops to encourage creative writing, reading and book groups.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that local solutions to manage shortages of Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy are shared nationally.

The Department has been working with suppliers to address current supply issues with Creon, which is used by patients with conditions such as cystic fibrosis and certain cancers including pancreatic cancer. The supply issues with Creon are impacting countries throughout Europe and have been caused by limited availability of raw ingredients and manufacturing capacity constraints to produce volumes needed to meet demand. These issues have resulted in knock-on supply disruptions of alternative pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy medications. The Department is continuing to work with all suppliers of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy to help resolve the supply issues in the short and longer term. This includes asking that they expedite deliveries, source stock from other markets, and increase production.The supplier of Creon has advised that they expect to have regular supplies released each month going forward and are working to increase the quantities released. Serious Shortage Protocols are in place for Creon 10,000 and 25,000 capsules which pharmacists can use to restrict supply to one month at a time to ensure more patients have access to it whilst stock is limited.We have worked closely with colleagues in NHS England to issue comprehensive guidance to healthcare professionals about these supply issues and encourage sharing of local solutions. The guidance provides advice on how to manage patients whilst there is disruption to supply and is being kept under review, with updates made as necessary.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to provide training to rangers on the use of firefighting equipment.

Fire Services are responsible for responding to and fighting fires. Defra will not provide training on firefighting equipment beyond the control of managed vegetation fires.

How many and what proportion of prisons have a one-to-one literacy mentoring programme.

All prisons assess prisoner literacy on entry, and deliver English Functional Skills qualifications via the main Prison Education Framework.HMPPS also fund 62 additional literacy and reading contracts across 80 prisons via the more locally commissioned Dynamic Purchasing System.All prisons have a library, and to further support reading the Shannon Trust operates their Turning Pages programme in nearly all prisons in England. This programme teaches prisoners to read and is delivered by prisoner mentors who work with individual learners.Every prison also has a reading strategy which has been supported by the donation of over 150,000 books to prisons by publishing houses through the ‘Bang-Up-Books’ campaign.In addition, the Literacy Innovation Fund provided funding to a further 15 prisons for projects delivered by the Shannon Trust, to further boost the reach of their peer mentoring and the National Literacy Trust who deliver workshops to encourage creative writing, reading and book groups.

What steps her Department is taking to help (a) monitor and (b) prevent moorland fires through patrolling.

Fire and Rescue Services are operationally independent in England. Each fire and rescue authority is required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfire), through their Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) while having regard to the views of other key local responders. The Government does not issue guidance on the operational use of helicopters.Fire and Rescue Services undertake a range of activities alongside local partners, including prevention and educational activities. Additionally, Defra encourage landowners and land managers to adopt good quality wildfire management plans, use sustainable land management practices that reduce fuel loads and restore their peatland – wetter, healthy-functioning peatlands are more resilient to the risk of wildfire.In 24/25, the Home Office is funding a new National Resilience Wildfire Advisor to assess what additional wildfire national capabilities might be needed to increase resilience to the wildfire risk and to ensure coordination of approaches across the sector.

Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to (a) help build new grassroots football facilities and (b) renovate existing pitches for grassroots football in Colne Valley constituency.

High-quality, inclusive facilities help clubs to get more people active and by backing these clubs, the Government will support more people to get onto the pitch wherever they live.Colne Valley constituency has benefitted from £40,798 of DCMS investment across five sites under the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme to date.The Government will invest £123 million throughout 2024/25 to build and upgrade pitches and facilities UK wide. Funding from the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme is invested in England through Sport England and our delivery partner, the Football Foundation.The Football Foundation plans their investment pipeline based on Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs). These plans have been developed in partnership with local authorities and are in the process of being refreshed to reflect the current landscape. The existing LFFP for Colne Valley, Kirklees can be found by visiting the Football Foundation’s website.Should a constituent have an enquiry about prospective investment at a specific facility, they can get in touch with the Football Foundation directly via enquiries@footballfoundation.org.uk.

Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the Football Association on increasing funding for drainage works on grass pitches.

The Government is committed to helping all sports adapt to the impacts of climate change and works closely with the Football Association to improve the drainage facilities for grassroots football pitches. The Football Foundation, funded by the Government, the FA, and the Premier League, provides grants to help grassroots facilities improve pitch drainage and respond to the impacts of heavy rainfall.

What assessment her Department has made of the importance of banking hubs in rural areas.

The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to ensure that 350 banking hubs are delivered across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this parliament. Over 80 banking hubs are already open and Cash Access UK, who oversee banking hub rollout, expect 100 hubs to be open by Christmas. The specific location of these hubs is determined independently by LINK, the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network. Criteria that LINK considers includes whether another bank branch remains nearby, local population, number of cash-accepting businesses and the financial vulnerability of the community. An alternative option for accessing face-to-face banking services in rural areas is via the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, cash cheques, and check their balance at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of UNITAID.

As a founding partner, the UK has been a proud supporter of UNITAID for nearly 20 years. We continue to highly value our partnership and have contributed more than half a billion pounds in funding.We assess UNITAID to be a highly impactful partner. More than 300 million people use UNITAID-supported health products every year - and they have consistently delivered against their programmatic objectives. We welcome recent analysis from UNITAID and Cambridge Economic Policy Associates showing they deliver £46 of impact for every £1 invested.

Media and Sport, if she will take steps with relevant football bodies to help increase British Asian representation in football (a) on and (b) off the pitch.

We welcome the football industry’s ongoing commitment to provide fair opportunities for all. Since the publication of the independent Fan-Led Review in November 2021, the football leagues and the sport’s national governing body, the Football Association (FA), have introduced enhanced equality requirements for football clubs. It is ultimately for the FA to decide on the specific aims and appropriate initiatives to increase diversity and inclusion in the sport.The Code for Sports Governance sets out the standards all sporting organisations must meet in return for public funding from either UK Sport or Sport England. Sports organisations at Tier 3 of the Code, which includes the FA, are required to agree a diversity and inclusion action plan (DIAP) with Sport England and/or UK Sport, which will be published and updated annually.The Government acknowledges that there is still more progress to be made and will continue to work with the leagues, the FA, and other organisations on this.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) UNAIDS, (b) UNITAID, (c) the Global Fund and (d) the Robert Carr Fund on tackling HIV and AIDS.

The FCDO regularly engages with key partners including the Global Fund, UNITAID, UNAIDS and grassroots organisation the Robert Carr Fund, as part of our ongoing commitment to the HIV response and advocacy for sexual and reproductive health and rights, including for vulnerable groups. This includes through our Board representation, bilateral dialogue and programmatic funding.

If she will take steps to help ensure that tobacco duty contributes to the costs of (a) tobacco control and (b) public health initiatives.

The UK has some of the highest tobacco duty rates in the world, payable at £316.70 per thousand cigarettes, plus 16.5% of the retail price and £412.32 per kilogram for hand rolling tobacco. These have helped to support a significant fall in smoking prevalence over the last 10 years to 11.9%. The Chief Medical Officer considers them a key part of the wider anti-smoking strategy. The government is also funding more smoking cessation services. This includes providing an additional £70 million per annum for local Stop Smoking Services, working to ensure all NHS hospitals offer 'opt-out' smoking cessation services and delivering the national Smoke-free Pregnancy Financial Incentives scheme and the Swap to Stop scheme. As with all taxes, the Government keeps tobacco duty rates under review during its Budget process.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department provides funding to local councils to enforce the ban on the use of barbecues and open fires on the moors during the summer.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provides no specific funding to local councils to enforce the ban on the use of barbecues and open fires on moorland. The majority of the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced in acknowledgement that local areas know best how to prioritise spending within their communities.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to tackle loneliness in men aged (a) 18 to 30, (b) 30 to 60 and (c) over 60.

Chronic loneliness (feeling lonely often or always) can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender or background, although some groups, such as young people aged 16-25, are known to be at a higher risk. The government’s current work to tackle loneliness supports organisations working with a diverse range of groups at risk of chronic loneliness to take action. This includes delivering the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund, a grant fund designed to widen participation in volunteering and tackle loneliness in 27 disadvantaged areas across England.We also support a range of organisations through the Tackling Loneliness Hub, an online platform for professionals working to reduce loneliness, and provide advice on loneliness through the Better Health: Every Mind Matters campaign’s advice pages.The government is committed to continuing to tackle loneliness and to support people to connect with others. We will continue to engage with a wide range of organisations, including community organisations and health providers, as part of this work.