Written questions by Swallow.

What assessment he has made of the accessibility of TG6 blood tests for diagnosis of gluten ataxia.

Awaiting answer.

Innovation and Technology, whether her Department is taking steps to help tackle loyalty penalties for phone and broadband customers.

As regulator for telecoms, Ofcom has introduced a range of measures to improve transparency and consumer engagement in telecoms markets, including clearer end-of-contract notifications, new rules on in-contract price rises, and the One Touch Switching process to make switching broadband providers quicker and easier.Ofcom’s 2026 pricing report shows that consumers who switch or renegotiate their contract typically pay less than those who remain out of contract, with over 2 million customers using One Touch Switching between September 2024 and the end of 2025. In addition, 26% of households switched at least one communications provider in the past year.In February, the Government launched the Telecoms Consumer Charter, a public set of industry commitments that builds on Ofcom’s rules to ensure consumers get a fair deal.Ofcom continues to monitor pricing practices and consumer outcomes closely and will take action where it identifies harm.

What recent progress he has made on consulting on reform to the calculation of Child maintenance.

We will announce further details in due course.Given the significant amount of time since the child maintenance calculation was updated, we need to assess carefully the impact of any proposed changes on all parents that use the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to ensure they effectively support families and children and that they are introduced in a way which works well for CMS customers.

What progress has her Department made on helping to reduce the waiting time for driving test appointments.

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. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests that will break down barriers to opportunity as part of the government’s Plan for Change. The national average waiting time for a car practical driving test in January 2026 was 21.2 weeks. DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country to provide as many tests as possible. A full-time driving examiner (DE) can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system. Examiner capacity is rising. Since April 2025, and as of January 2026, DVSA has seen an increase in the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) DEs, from 1,413 to 1,546; an increase of 130 FTE DEs. During the current financial year to 31 January 2026, DVSA has conducted 1,623,925 tests. DVSA introduced the additional test allowance scheme in June 2025; from this date to 31 January 2026, DVSA has seen an increase of 123,320 tests when compared to the same period in the previous year.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is considering measures to restrict those convicted of animal abuse from purchasing animals.

Post‑conviction sentencing powers under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 already include disqualification orders, which prevent individuals convicted of animal cruelty from owning, keeping, or participating in the care of animals. Where police or local authorities have concerns that a person subject to a disqualification order may be breaching it, they are able to carry out checks and take appropriate enforcement action. While the Government continues to keep all animal welfare measures under review, there are currently no plans to introduce additional measures.

What progress he has made on providing the NHS staff council with a funded mandate to make improvements to the Agenda for Change pay structure.

The NHS Staff Council was provided with a mandate to negotiate changes to the Agenda for Change pay structure for their agreement on 5 March 2026.Pay structure changes that are agreed by the NHS Staff Council under the mandate will deliver additional pay increases for some staff in 2026/27 on top of the 3.3% increase to all pay points that was announced on 12 February 2026.

What steps she has taken to consult with groups representing motorcyclists to inform the Integrated National Transport Strategy for England.

The department has conducted extensive research and engagement with stakeholders and members of the public to inform the strategy. We have heard directly from motorcyclists and motorcycle representative groups, including the Motorcycle Action Group, through our Call for Ideas which closed with 6,340 responses and an 11-stop Regional Roadshow across England. The insights gathered through our engagement activities have been analysed and have directly informed the strategy. The strategy will seek to address the main barriers people face in accessing good transport that were identified through our engagement. Officials also met bilaterally with the Motorcycle Action Group on 29 August 2025 to respond to a range of matters of concern to motorcyclists which included an update on the development of the strategy. An update was also provided at a meeting of the officials-led Motorcycle Strategic Focus Group on 15 September 2025, chaired by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.

What steps she is taking to implement the recommendation of the Independent Loan Charge Review 2025 on holding promoters of loan charge schemes to account.

As set out in the Government’s response to the Loan Charge Review, since the Loan Charge was introduced, HMRC’s approach to tackling promoters has become far more robust. The Government is also introducing new powers in Finance Bill 2025/26 to close in on promoters of marketed tax avoidance and the other professionals who market or enable tax avoidance schemes. These new powers will go further and include more criminal sanctions. This shows the Government’s clear determination to close in on the few remaining promoters by strengthening deterrents and introducing significant additional consequences for promoters who continue promoting tax avoidance schemes. The Government will also publish a consultation in early 2026 on further measures for tackling promoters of avoidance.

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help protect democratic processes from foreign interference.

Protecting UK democratic processes from foreign interference is a top priority for the Government. The Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit coordinates work across government to respond to a range of threats to elections, including foreign interference. We are implementing our Counter Political Interference and Espionage Action Plan to harden UK politics against foreign interference, and the Rycroft review into foreign financial interference in UK politics is underway.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of Ofgem's powers to regulate energy companies and protect customers from overpayment on energy bills.

The Government is carrying out a review of Ofgem to re-establish it as a strong consumer champion, driving up standards for household and business consumers. The outcome of the review will be published shortly. The Government has also consulted on strengthening the Energy Ombudsman to ensure that, where complaints have been escalated to the Ombudsman, suppliers comply with its final decisions or pay compensation to their customers. The Government is also working with Ofgem to look at increasing the value of automatic compensation paid to customers when errors are made and expanding automatic compensation to cover more key issues faced by consumers, including when suppliers fail to adjust their Direct Debits.

What steps he is taking to improve patient experience of the NHS App.

The NHS App is at the forefront of a major digital transformation and will revolutionise access to healthcare by putting patients at the centre of a modern, personalised, and data-driven service. One of the key aims is to empower individuals with greater choice, transparency, and control over their care.The NHS App is co-designed with patients from a wide range of background and needs, with 14,000 users involved in user research in 2025 alongside 42,000 survey completions. Our research teams also have a rule of always doing rounds of research with often excluded or disadvantaged groups. This is often facilitated by partners like the Royal National Institute of Blind People and Mencap who help us to involve the appropriate people.The NHS App is already helping people manage their health more easily, whether that’s viewing records, booking appointments, ordering prescriptions, or accessing test results. In the past year alone, the app has sent over 181 million messages, supported over 32 million vaccination invites, and offered more than 16 million vaccination appointments, many in local pharmacies. These numbers show how the app is not just supporting care but actively shifting it closer to home.By 2030, patients will be able to manage their care remotely, contribute to their health records, and navigate the system with confidence, driving better outcomes and a more integrated, responsive National Health Service.

If he will take steps to ensure that businesses pay for goods and services, including those from freelancers, on time.

This Government will legislate to end the scourge of late payments, which costs the UK economy £11bn per year and closes down 38 UK businesses every day. On 23 October we concluded a 12-week public consultation on our legislative proposals. We are now analysing and carefully considering the responses to our consultation. These responses are representative of a range of business sizes, including freelancers, and we are grateful for their contributions. We will publish a Government response to the consultation in the new year and intend to take forward legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

What steps she is taking to support students with dyslexia in the context of the Curriculum and Assessment Review Final Report and the SEND white paper.

The government is committed to ensuring that all pupils receive the support they need to achieve and thrive, including those with dyslexia. The Curriculum and Assessment Review emphasised inclusion and high standards for all, recommending evidence-led resources to help teachers adapt curricula for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). We know that effective early identification and intervention is critical to improving the outcomes for children and young people with SEND. We are strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve early identification in mainstream settings. This includes recently published evidence reviews from University College London which highlight the most effective tools, strategies and approaches to identify and support different types of needs The department also recently announced new government-backed research into SEND identification, which will aim to develop and test effective approaches to help the early identification of children needing tailored educational support.

What steps he is taking to ensure that NHS patients in Bracknell Forest can access clinical trials.

There is a revolution taking place in medical science, and we want the next generation of treatments to be discovered, developed and distributed here in Britain. As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, we will fast-track clinical trials set up times to 150 days by March 2026.The Department is supporting National Health Service patients in Bracknell Forest to access clinical trials through the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help restore the ceasefire in Gaza.

We welcome the news that US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander will be released. We thank Qatar and Egypt for their support in bringing Edan out. We call on all parties to use this opportunity to re-engage with negotiations to ensure a lasting ceasefire is implemented, with the release of all hostages, and for Israel to allow the resumption of aid delivery for Palestinians in Gaza immediately. The Foreign Secretary issued a statement with his French and German opposite numbers last month urging all parties to return to a ceasefire and lift the block on aid.

What steps she is taking with the Welsh Government to build on the participation of Wales at UEFA Women's Euro 2025.

I’m thrilled that our Wales Women’s football team has qualified for the Euros for the first time, and I wish them all the very best for their games, especially the one against the Lionesses on 13 July. We are working closely with the Welsh Government to take full advantage of this unique opportunity to promote Wales as a first-class destination for international investment and tourism.