Written questions by Bedford.

What her planned timeline is for implementing recommendations arising from the Modernisation Committees Review.

The Modernisation Committee has not held a Review. The Modernisation Committee held a “call for views” between October and December 2024, seeking views on what it should prioritise for reform. In February 2025, it published the results of this exercise in a document entitled “Next steps for the Modernisation Committee following the Call for Views”, which is available on the Committee’s website. This document outlines the work the Committee is already undertaking.On outside interests and employment, the Modernisation Committee has asked the Committee on Standards to undertake an inquiry, which is currently underway. The timeline for this inquiry is in the hands of the Committee on Standards.The Modernisation Committee is also involved in discussions to take forward recommendation 3 from Paul Kernaghan’s review of the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme.Following my request, the Procedure Committee is undertaking an inquiry on proxy voting, including on whether proxy voting arrangements for serious long-term illness and injury should be made permanent. In addition, the Procedure Committee has announced inquiries into call lists and electronic voting, both of which were frequently raised topics in the call for views. The timelines for these inquiries are in the hands of the Procedure Committee.The next steps document also sets out three new packages of work that the Modernisation Committee is pursuing. The first is on improving accessibility for MPs, staff and the public. On 20 March 2025, the Committee launched an inquiry on this topic, which is currently taking oral evidence and which is expected to result in a report, with recommendations, in the autumn. The other two packages of work are on effective use of time in the Commons, and on creating more certainty about the timing and nature of parliamentary business. There is no fixed timeline, but work is ongoing and updates will be issued as it progresses.The Committee continues to work closely with key stakeholders, including the Speaker and Deputy Speakers, whips, smaller parties and other committees.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of integrated care boards in delivering new (a) GP and (b) medical centres in Leicestershire.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are best placed to understand the needs of their local population and to make decisions on new general practice (GP) surgeries based on those needs. ICBs’ annual commissioning plans must consider requirements for new practices, including those driven by population growth, contract expiries, or unplanned closures.The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future. That is why we have set out our commitment to fix the front door to the National Health Service, for example through the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund for upgrades to more than a thousand GP surgeries across England over this financial year.The NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB has been allocated the following amounts from national capital programmes and operational capital for 2025/26:- £14.8 million from the Constitutional Standards Recovery Fund;- £9.3 million from the Estates Safety Fund;- £1.8 million from the Primary Care Utilisation Fund; and- £70.8 million in operational capital funding.We will trial Neighbourhood Health Centres to bring together a range of services, ensuring healthcare is closer to home and patients receive the care they deserve.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential financial impact of the creation of a single unitary authority in Leicestershire.

We have made no such assessment for Leicestershire, nor any other area undergoing reorganisation. Ultimately it is for councils to develop robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of their whole area. In our invitation we provided guidance on efficiencies and financial sustainability, as well as size, sensible geographies, public service delivery, community engagement and devolution. It will be for the new councils to achieve the efficiencies identified in reorganisation proposals and subsequent detailed implementation and transformation plans.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of an increase in gambling levies on pools operators.

As set out in the government’s consultation response, the statutory gambling levy will be charged at a set rate for all holders of a Gambling Commission licence, ranging from 1.1% to 0.1% of Gross Gambling Yield (GGY). Remote and non-remote pool betting operators will be charged the levy at the lowest rate of 0.1%. We will conduct a formal review of the statutory levy system within five years where the structure and effectiveness of the system, including levy rates, will be assessed and any necessary adjustments made to ensure we are achieving our objectives and impacts are proportionate.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department holds data on dogs being transported to China for use as meat for human consumption.

APHA, Defra’s executive agency, has data on the number of commercial and non-commercial dogs exported to China. The system does not record the purpose of movement for commercial dogs and therefore does not hold data on dogs being exported to China for use as meat for human consumption.

What information her Department holds on the annual cost of free bus passes for people over the State Pension age.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually.

What the cost to the public purse is for free prescriptions for people over the age of 60.

There were 781 million items with a combined total net ingredient cost (NIC) of £5.9 billion dispensed to patients aged 60 years old and over in 2024/2025.National Health Service patients pay a fixed charge for each prescription item dispensed in primary care, unless they are exempt from prescription charges. All patients aged 60 years old and over are exempt so no prescription charges are collected from these patients. The flat-rate NHS prescription charge is not related either to the cost of the item prescribed or to the cost to the NHS of dispensing it. As well as the NIC of drugs and appliances, the cost of medicines prescribed in the NHS include the dispensing fees and allowances paid to pharmacists and appliance contractors for the service they provide to the NHS.To note, the NIC is the basic price of a drug excluding value-added tax. It does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charges income. The data is taken from supplementary data alongside official Prescription Cost Analysis statistics, for 2024/2025.

If she plans to review the governance of the Sentencing Council.

The Lord Chancellor is currently undertaking a review of the Sentencing Council’s role and powers and has indicated that she will introduce reforms in future legislation, if considered necessary

How much her Department spent on in-person surveys conducted by external polling companies in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025 to date.

The department’s expenditure is recorded by financial year. It has spent the following on public polling through external polling companies between 2023 and 31 May 2025:2022/23: £66,750.2023/24: £45,750.2024/25: £24,250.2025/26 (to date): £0.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Houthi rebels in Yemen on the interests of (a) the UK and (b) UK allies.

Over the last 19 months, the Houthis have conducted attacks against international commercial shipping, as well as British and American warships. This has violated the principle of freedom of navigation, further destabilised the region, and caused the peace process in Yemen to stall. In addition, the Houthis have waged economic warfare against the Government of Yemen and obstructed humanitarian aid from reaching Yemenis in need.The UK has underlined these concerns at the UN Security Council alongside our international partners.The best route towards a secure, stable and prosperous future for Yemen is through an inclusive peace process, under the auspices of the UN Special Envoy, and negotiated political settlement.Furthermore, the UK continues to call for de-escalation within the region. We have long been clear about our concerns over Iran's political, financial and military support to militant and proscribed groups, including the Houthis.

Whether she has made representations to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the monetary value of VAT registration thresholds.

At £90,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD. This keeps the majority of businesses out of the VAT regime altogether.The Chancellor has regular discussions with other Government Ministers on matters of common interest.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the cost pressures faced by local authorities in providing statutory services.

The government recognises the significant pressures that councils are facing. This Spending Review provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three years for local services that communities rely on. This includes £3.4 billion of new grant funding to be delivered through the Local Government Finance Settlement within financial years 2026-27 to 2028-29. The £3.4 billion, when taken together with a 3% core council tax referendum principle and a 2% adult social care precept, results in an average overall real terms increase in local authority core spending power of 2.6% per year over the next multi-year settlement (2026-27 to 2028-29). The Department works closely with local government and other government departments to understand specific demand and cost pressures facing local government on an ongoing basis. This involves looking at a range of cost and demand data, alongside regular engagement with local authorities.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of tax reliefs for research and development on economic growth.

The Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have regular discussions on a range of issues. Research and development (R&D) tax reliefs play a vital role in the Government’s mission to boost economic growth and drive innovation in the UK. Overall, R&D reliefs will support an estimated £56 billion of business R&D expenditure in 2029-30, roughly a 20 per cent increase from £47 billion in 2022/23.

With reference to the Comprehensive Spending Review 2025, what estimate he has made of the number of new Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisations which will be created.

Proposals for new bodies are subject to the ongoing ALB review, announced by the Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster on 6 April, to ensure their existence can be strongly justified against key principles.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential financial impact of applying the Government commercial function terms and conditions of employment to the wider civil service.

No such assessment has been made. Decisions on terms and conditions of employment are made by the employing department, depending on their specific business requirements and nature of the role and as set out in the Civil Service Management Code.

Whether her Department is taking steps to prevent criminals in India from scamming UK citizens.

With over 70% of fraud estimated to have an overseas element, international collaboration is a vital part of the Government’s work to protect UK citizens from that threat.The UK is driving global action on tackling fraud, working with individual countries as well as multilateral bodies to develop an expanded programme of upstream international work to stop fraud before it reaches our shores.In October 2024, the first ever UN Resolution on Fraud was passed at the 12th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime. This marked a significant advancement in the global fight against fraud and the UK played a leading role in supporting these efforts. The UK is also supporting the next Global Fraud Summit (after the first in London in 2024), at the UN in Vienna, to further raise fraud as a priority in Member States.We will build on this progress through the new Fraud Strategy, where a key priority will be expanding our international work to tackle fraud at source.

What steps he is taking to (a) reduce inequalities in cancer care and (b) improve outcomes for underserved communities through the National Cancer Plan.

Reducing inequalities in cancer diagnosis, care, and outcomes is a key priority for the National Cancer Plan. The plan will look at targeted improvements needed across different cancer types to reduce disparities in cancer survival, and will develop interventions to tackle these. This includes looking at protected characteristics, as well as inequalities related to socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and geographic location.We are committed to engaging with patient groups and all communities to make sure that we hear and learn from different voices to shape the long-term vision for cancer. We are also working closely with charities who focus on tackling health inequalities to develop the plan, which will be published later this year.

Whether he plans establish a governance framework for (a) monitoring and (b) ensuring accountability in the delivery of the National Cancer Plan.

Governance mechanisms for monitoring and ensuring accountability for delivery will be established as part of the development of the National Cancer Plan, which will be published later this year.

How many permanent civil servants had contracts of employment terminated for poor performance in (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25.

No permanent civil servants have had their contracts of employment terminated for poor performance in the time frame given.

What role the voluntary and community sector will have in delivering the Neighbourhood Cancer Care model in the National Cancer Plan.

The National Cancer Plan will seek to foster improved collaboration with the voluntary and community sector. We are committed to moving towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered locally to create healthier communities, spot problems earlier, and to support people to stay healthier and maintain their independence for longer.Neighbourhood Health Guidelines have been published alongside the 2025/26 NHS Operational Planning Guidance, and the 2025/26 Better Care Fund policy framework, to help integrated care boards, local authorities, and health and care providers to continue to progress neighbourhood health in 2025/26, in advance of the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan. NHS England has also recently published case studies alongside this, setting out examples of existing good practices, on 5 March 2025. The full vision for the health system will be set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The National Cancer Plan will be published later this year, following the 10-Year Health Plan.