Written questions by Davies.

What steps NHS England plans to take to improve (a) awareness and (b) training for (i) GPs and (ii) frontline healthcare professionals to better (A) recognize and (B) refer suspected cases of adrenal cancer.

General practitioners (GPs) are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge, including on adrenal cancer, remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.The training curriculum for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), and has to meet the standards set by the General Medical Council. The RCGP provides a number of resources on cancer prevention, diagnosis, and care for GPs, relevant for the primary care setting.NHS England supports initiatives aimed at enhancing early cancer diagnosis and awareness among healthcare professionals. These initiatives include GatewayC, an online education platform providing modules on early cancer diagnosis for primary care professionals, and the Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development programme, designed to improve cancer-related knowledge and capabilities across the non-medical workforce. These measures aim to equip GPs and frontline professionals with the skills necessary to identify and act on potential cancer symptoms, including those of rare cancers such as adrenal cancer.

Innovation and Technology, if he will take steps to ensure the equitable geographic distribution of health research funding.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funds health research across the UK, primarily through their Medical Research Council (MRC). The UKRI place toolkit underpins MRC’s vision to encourage and support excellent and impactful research, wherever it is found in the UK. MRC recognises the importance of place for strengthening capacity across the UK, for the long-term benefit of UK science. MRC draws on and fosters talent, research communities and capacity from across the UK to address major health challenges and the recently published MRC Place Framework sets out MRC’s principles for place and how it is used to guide decision making.

How many incidents of battery fires on (a) converted and (b) non-converted e-bikes were reported to the Office for Product Safety and Standards in the last 12 months for which data are available.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards received reports of 161 UK e-bike fires in 2023, of which 46% were post-market conversions. Data for 2024 is being complied and will be published in due course.

What assessment he has made of the potential risk of e-bike battery fires caused by products manufactured outside the (a) UK and (b) EU.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards leads a programme of activity to tackle the fire risks from unsafe lithium-ion e-bike batteries. All e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries placed on the UK market must be safe and producers are responsible for ensuring their products comply with the law. Last year, the Government published statutory guidelines on lithium-ion batteries for e-bikes, setting out the safety mechanisms they must contain.

Whether she has consulted with independent retailers on the development of the new Business Growth service.

My department is working closely with independent retailers and the wider business community on the design of the Business Growth Service. We’ve held roundtables and consultation events across the country, in partnership with local organisations, to hear directly from entrepreneurs and small business owners about the support they need to grow. My department continues to engage regularly with retailers through key trade associations, and feedback will remain central to how the service evolves. Our goal is to build a service shaped by business, for business.

What progress he has made towards publishing the Small Business Command Paper.

The Government will publish its SME Strategy later this year. The Strategy will set out the Government’s ambition to champion entrepreneurship, create an environment for SMEs to thrive and support them in their growth ambition.

What steps she plans to take to ensure that pensioners who are earning below £11,400 are able to obtain winter fuel allowance.

Pension Credit provides extra money to help with living costs for people over State Pension age and on a low income. The Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit tops up a person’s other income and also prompts recipients to receive a Winter Fuel Payment to a minimum of £227.10 per week for a single person and £346.60 per week for couples with extra amounts paid in respect of severe disability, caring responsibilities and certain housing costs. We want to ensure as many people as possible who are entitled to this support receive it, which is why the Government has taken action to maximise the take-up of Pension Credit by undertaking the biggest ever awareness campaign. This has included promoting Pension Credit on television, radio, social media as well as directly contacting pensioners who we think could be eligible alongside working with stakeholders and partners.The latest Pension Credit applications and awards statistics were published on 27 February. Details can be found at: Pension Credit applications and awards: February 2025 - GOV.UK.The statistics show that the Department received 235,000 Pension Credit applications in the 30 weeks since the Winter Fuel Payment announcement – an 81% increase on the comparable period in 2023/24 and made 117,800 new Pension Credit awards – a 64% increase or 45,800 extra awards on the comparable period in 2023/24.

What steps she plans to take to ensure autism is considered in the Youth Employment Strategy.

As a Government, we want to support all forms of neurodiversity in the workplace, and we are looking to build on the findings of the Buckland Review of Autism Employment by gathering expert evidence in line with this expanded focus.As part of plan to Get Britain Working, we will launch a Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work.Our Youth Guarantee will meet the needs of those facing disadvantages relating to mental or physical health. Collaborating closely with stakeholders from a range of sectors will be integral to improving opportunities for young people. And that is why we have launched eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers to test and learn before further roll out of the Youth Guarantee. These Trailblazers are testing joining-up locally and nationally delivered work, health and skills approach.Autism creates employment barriers that can affect young people's daily lives and mental health. As outlined in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we have ambitious plans to better support our young people to lead fulfilling lives and careers.Jobcentre Plus already offers extensive assistance to young disabled people and those with health conditions, focusing on individual needs and collaborating with local partners for appropriate support. In addition, work coaches in Youth Hubs and Youth Employability Coaches, provide targeted interventions to build skills, confidence, and employment opportunities.

What the evidential basis is for age-based exclusion criteria in cancer clinical trials; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that young people have equitable access to participation in such trials.

The Department is committed to maximising the United Kingdom’s potential to lead the world in clinical research, with the aim of ensuring that all patients, including teenagers and young adults with cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.The eligibility of patients for a clinical trial is determined by a set of criteria designed to ensure the safety of participants and the scientific validity of the study. These criteria are decided by each study's sponsors and researchers, based on scientific evidence, study goals, and safety considerations.The Department is working closely with the National Health Service, industry, academia, research regulators, and charities to make clinical research in the UK more efficient, more competitive, and more accessible. We expect these efforts to attract more commercial investment in clinical research and yield a broad and diverse portfolio of clinical trials in the UK, including clinical trials for teenagers and young adults with cancer.The Department funded National Institute for Health and Care Research funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including clinical trial participation for young people with cancer.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of age-related eligibility criteria on the inclusion of teenagers and young adults in cancer clinical trials.

The Department is committed to maximising the United Kingdom’s potential to lead the world in clinical research, with the aim of ensuring that all patients, including teenagers and young adults with cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.The eligibility of patients for a clinical trial is determined by a set of criteria designed to ensure the safety of participants and the scientific validity of the study. These criteria are decided by each study's sponsors and researchers, based on scientific evidence, study goals, and safety considerations.The Department is working closely with the National Health Service, industry, academia, research regulators, and charities to make clinical research in the UK more efficient, more competitive, and more accessible. We expect these efforts to attract more commercial investment in clinical research and yield a broad and diverse portfolio of clinical trials in the UK, including clinical trials for teenagers and young adults with cancer.The Department funded National Institute for Health and Care Research funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including clinical trial participation for young people with cancer.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the collection and reporting of age-disaggregated data on participation in cancer clinical trials, in addition to collecting participation data through NIHR.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), funded by the Department, funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including cancer clinical trials.The NIHR Research Delivery Network collects age-disaggregated data on participation in cancer clinical trials across all age groups, for studies supported by NIHR infrastructure, and reports on this data where appropriate.The Department is working with NHS England and other partners to develop a new data collection approach which will include the age of people participating in NIHR funded studies, including for cancer clinical trials. Once established, this could be expanded to include age data from studies supported by other funders.The Department is committed to maximising the United Kingdom’s potential to lead the world in clinical research, with the aim of ensuring that all patients, including those with cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

What steps he plans to take to ensure the gonorrhoea vaccination programme reaches (a) young people aged 15-24 (b) women, (c) gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men and (d) other communities most at risk.

In November 2023, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) issued advice on standing up a targeted, routine vaccination programme for protection against gonorrhoea.Officials across the Department, the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England have been developing options based on the JCVI advice, assessing all the relevant factors to ensure that the United Kingdom’s high standards for world-leading vaccination programmes are maintained, and the best value for money for taxpayers is delivered. A decision on a vaccination programme for the prevention of gonorrhoea is expected shortly, following the outcome of this process.NHS England will work with partners across national, regional, and local levels to ensure that plans for any new vaccination programme will meet local need, ensure equity of access and support a high level of uptake of the vaccination offer by those who are eligible.

What steps his Department plans to take to implement the targeted roll-out of the Gonorrhoea vaccine.

In November 2023, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) issued advice on standing up a targeted, routine vaccination programme for protection against gonorrhoea.Officials across the Department, the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England have been developing options based on the JCVI advice, assessing all the relevant factors to ensure that the United Kingdom’s high standards for world-leading vaccination programmes are maintained, and the best value for money for taxpayers is delivered. A decision on a vaccination programme for the prevention of gonorrhoea is expected shortly, following the outcome of this process.NHS England will work with partners across national, regional, and local levels to ensure that plans for any new vaccination programme will meet local need, ensure equity of access and support a high level of uptake of the vaccination offer by those who are eligible.

What steps he is taking to improve the geographical spread of cancer clinical trial sites to enable equitable access for teenagers and young adults.

The Department is committed to maximising the United Kingdom’s potential to lead the world in clinical research, with the aim of ensuring that all patients, including teenagers and young adults with cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), funded by the Department, funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including clinical research for teenagers and young adults with cancer.This research infrastructure includes a network of Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres, co-funded by the NIHR, Cancer Research UK, and the Little Princess Trust, which work across the whole of the UK, bringing together world-leading laboratory and clinical researchers to test new treatments for adults and children with cancer.The NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) supports patients, the public, and health and care organisations across England to participate in high-quality research. The RDN consists of 12 regional RDNs, which support sites across England to deliver clinical research, including clinical research for teenagers and young adults with cancer.The newly designated Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs) will build further capacity in delivering commercial clinical research. There are 21 CRDCs spread across the UK, and one of the CRDCs, based at the Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, is dedicated to the delivery of commercial clinical trials for treating children and young people.

When her Department last reviewed the level of penalties for (a) driving without insurance and (b) keeping a vehicle without insurance.

The Government keeps motoring offences under review, including those for driving uninsured. In respect to how many and what proportion of road traffic offences were committed by uninsured drivers, my Department does not hold this information.

If she will include measures to help tackle uninsured driving in the forthcoming road safety strategy.

The Government keeps motoring offences under review, including those for driving uninsured. In respect to how many and what proportion of road traffic offences were committed by uninsured drivers, my Department does not hold this information.

How many and what proportion of road traffic offences were committed by uninsured drivers in the last two years; and if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of this data.

The Government keeps motoring offences under review, including those for driving uninsured. In respect to how many and what proportion of road traffic offences were committed by uninsured drivers, my Department does not hold this information.

Whether her Department is taking steps to help reduce the impact of uninsured drivers on car insurance premiums.

The Government takes uninsured driving seriously. Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE) has enabled action to be taken against those who keep a vehicle without insurance. The scheme allows uninsured vehicles to be identified from a comparison of the DVLA’s vehicle register and the Motor Insurance Database of insurance policies managed by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau. Under CIE keepers of vehicles which appear to be uninsured are sent reminder letters. Those who take no action receive a fixed penalty of £100, followed by enforcement action including prosecution. CIE supplements enforcement action taken by the police on the road. Since 2005 the police have had the power to seize vehicles that are being driven without insurance. In addition to a £300 fixed penalty and 6 penalty points on their licence for the offence, those whose vehicles have been seized face a cost to recover the vehicle and must provide proof that it has been insured. Seized vehicles that are not claimed within 14 days can be sold or crushed.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Yorkshire Outreach Programme for leukaemia monitoring; and whether he plans to roll that programme out nationally.

The Department commends the Yorkshire Outreach Programme for leukaemia monitoring, which supports more than 3,500 people across the region, and will consider the programme as we develop a new National Cancer Plan to improve patient outcomes.For early-stage blood cancers, including leukaemia, early treatment is not always beneficial, with national and international clinical guidelines advising life-long monitoring to enable prompt intervention in the small group of patients who eventually need treatment. Models for monitoring these patients differ across England, with cancer alliances and integrated care boards rolling out programmes they have evaluated and have shown to improve benefits to patients, with oversight from NHS England.The National Health Service is committed to ensuring that cancer patients have access to personalised care, including a needs assessment, a care plan, and health and wellbeing information and support. Personalised care includes provision of information, empowering people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer, ensuring that each person’s care is planned holistically, covering mental and physical health as well as any practical or financial concerns.

Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to publish the Forest Risk Commodities regulations.

The Government recognises the need to take action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation and we will set out our approach to addressing this in due course.