Written questions by Holden.

If she will introduce a three month extension to the transition period for capital allowance rules for Double Cab Pick Ups.

Following recent case law from 2020, Double Cab Pick Ups with a payload of one tonne or more must be treated as cars for capital allowances purposes, in line with the Court of Appeal's judgement on the primary suitability of such vehicles. The government recognised that this change will affect businesses, who need certainty and predictability. Which is why HMRC has put in place substantial transitional arrangements. These ensure that current owners, and those who purchased Double Cab Pick Ups before 1 April 2025 (for Corporation Tax) and 6 April 2025 for (Income Tax), and incur expenditure before 1 October 2025, are not impacted. The purpose of the transition period was to provide certainty and allows businesses time to adapt. The government gave just under a year’s notice of the October 2025 deadline.

Innovation and Technology, how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had had with Ofcom to discuss the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025 within Ofcom guidance.

None.

Whether her Department has considered extending eligibility for the Children’s Funeral Fund to include babies lost before 24 weeks’ gestation; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing financial support to parents arranging funerals for pregnancy losses occurring from 20 weeks onward.

Losing a baby is an unimaginably painful experience for any family. To help ease the financial burden during such a difficult time, the Children’s Funeral Fund for England provides support towards the cost of a funeral.The Fund, established under the Social Fund (Children’s Funeral Fund for England) Regulations 2019, uses the definition of stillbirth set out in section 41 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953. This definition applies to babies lost after 24 weeks of pregnancy and is consistent with the Department for Work and Pensions Funeral Expenses Payment scheme.The Department remains committed to regularly keeping the operation of the Children’s Funeral Fund under review to ensure it continues to meet the needs of bereaved families with compassion and care.

What steps his Department is taking to support local authorities in Essex to deliver place-based foreign direct investment strategies in line with the Harrington Review recommendations.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) promotes investment across the UK. At the International Investment Summit, we announced a major overhaul of how DBT will implement the Harrington Review - strengthening the Office for Investment (OfI) and aligning government efforts under a single strategic delivery plan.We have established an expanded OfI at the heart of government to reduce duplication, offer a clearer 'single door' for investors, and increase our influence on regulation and policy across HMG. We continue working with local partners, including Essex Council, to support and showcase investment opportunities aligned with industrial and infrastructure strategies to global investors.

What steps she is taking through the Growth and Skills levy to introduce greater flexibility for blended and modular learning.

The growth and skills offer will introduce greater flexibility to employers and learners in England, creating routes into good, skilled jobs in growing industries, aligned with the government’s industrial strategy.Initially, the department will introduce new short courses in areas such as digital, artificial intelligence and engineering, funded through the growth and skills levy, to support Industrial Strategy sectors from April 2026, with more courses added as they are developed. The skills needs to be addressed by short courses will be informed by Skills England’s engagement with employers and key stakeholders.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to bring forward pilot zoning schemes to provide easier planning for commercial development in financial and professional service hubs in the East of England.

The government recognises a local zonal approach where upfront planning permission is granted for certain types of commercial development can be a useful tool to attract new investment to specific places.Local planning authorities already have the power to make Local Development Orders to do this, and the National Planning Policy Framework encourages them to use this tool.Through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, we are also now giving mayors a similar power to make Mayoral Development Orders, enabling them to bring forward proactively new strategic sites for commercial development in their area.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with Ofcom on the potential impact of the Supreme Court ruling in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers on the guidance it issues.

None.

Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to support the development of local industrial strategies for financial and related professional services in Essex.

Greater Essex is part of the Devolution Priority Programme, which aims to see a new Mayoral Strategic Authority established by spring 2026. If a Mayoral Strategic Authority is established, it will need to develop a Local Growth Plan to provide a long-term strategic framework for growth in the region. Foundation Strategic Authorities and Local Authorities in non-devolution are also encouraged to set out a vision for growth in their area that builds on existing local economic strategies where possible. The Industrial Strategy Sector Plans for Financial Services and Professional and Business Services include measures to grow these sectors across the UK.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the Strategic Investment Opportunities Unit within the Office for Investment supports SMEs and scale-ups to access investment in (a) Basildon and Billericay constituency and (b) other areas outside major conurbations.

As announced in the Infrastructure Strategy the new Strategic Investment Opportunities unit will identify, shape and deliver on strategic projects and programmes with significant scope for private capital and investor interest. These will be aligned to investor demand and matched to relevant institutional investors. Attracting investors and capital is crucial to driving growth across the country, and will ultimately benefit SMEs in locations outside major conurbations, where aligned to investor demand.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that new mothers experiencing (a) anxiety, (b) postnatal depression and (c) other difficulties after birth are routinely referred to local third-sector or community-based support services.

We recognise that supporting women’s mental health is a crucial aspect of care at all stages of pregnancy and post-partum.General practitioners (GPs) can offer initial support for mild to moderate mental health problems including depression and anxiety. If a pregnant woman needs further support, a range of specialist mental health services have been made available to access during the perinatal period. For women with or at risk of more serious mental health problems, such as severe depression, who are planning a pregnancy, pregnant or have a baby up to two years old, specialist perinatal mental health services provide care in all 42 integrated care system areas of England. As of June 2025, Maternal Mental Health Services are now available across all areas of England. They are available for women experiencing mental health difficulties directly arising from, or related to, their maternity or neonatal experience, such as post-natal depression. Women can be referred to these services, which are often community-based, by any healthcare professional, including midwives, health visitors, GPs, hospital-based teams, mental health services and social workers. Self-referrals are accepted by some services.Additionally, 165 Mother and Baby Unit beds have now been commissioned, with 153 currently operational. These units provide inpatient care to women who experience severe mental health difficulties during and after pregnancy, including postpartum psychosis. A mother could be admitted to a mother and baby unit for treatment of severe depression or an anxiety disorder.NHS England guidance sets out that all women who have given birth should be offered a postnatal check-up with their GP after six to eight weeks. This check-up provides an important opportunity for women to be listened to by their GP in a discreet, supportive environment, and for women to be assessed and supported not just in their physical recovery post-birth but also their mental health. In line with the National Health Service guidance, during this appointment, GPs have a duty to ask every woman about her mental health, and to prioritise identifying and addressing serious mental health concerns such as severe depression. This means any woman needing extra mental health support can be referred to primary care mental health support including Talking Therapies or to a specialist perinatal mental health team, if appropriate.On 17 July 2025, the Prime Minister also announced the launch of Diagnosis Connect, a new service that will better-connect patients to both local and national charities. This will ensure that patients are referred directly to trusted charities and support organisations as soon as they are diagnosed, providing personalised advice, information and guidance to help them manage their condition and feel more in control. This support will include physical and mental wellbeing in the perinatal period.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a duty to refer new mothers experiencing mental distress to appropriate local services.

We recognise that supporting women’s mental health is a crucial aspect of care at all stages of pregnancy and post-partum.General practitioners (GPs) can offer initial support for mild to moderate mental health problems including depression and anxiety. If a pregnant woman needs further support, a range of specialist mental health services have been made available to access during the perinatal period. For women with or at risk of more serious mental health problems, such as severe depression, who are planning a pregnancy, pregnant or have a baby up to two years old, specialist perinatal mental health services provide care in all 42 integrated care system areas of England. As of June 2025, Maternal Mental Health Services are now available across all areas of England. They are available for women experiencing mental health difficulties directly arising from, or related to, their maternity or neonatal experience, such as post-natal depression. Women can be referred to these services, which are often community-based, by any healthcare professional, including midwives, health visitors, GPs, hospital-based teams, mental health services and social workers. Self-referrals are accepted by some services.Additionally, 165 Mother and Baby Unit beds have now been commissioned, with 153 currently operational. These units provide inpatient care to women who experience severe mental health difficulties during and after pregnancy, including postpartum psychosis. A mother could be admitted to a mother and baby unit for treatment of severe depression or an anxiety disorder.NHS England guidance sets out that all women who have given birth should be offered a postnatal check-up with their GP after six to eight weeks. This check-up provides an important opportunity for women to be listened to by their GP in a discreet, supportive environment, and for women to be assessed and supported not just in their physical recovery post-birth but also their mental health. In line with the National Health Service guidance, during this appointment, GPs have a duty to ask every woman about her mental health, and to prioritise identifying and addressing serious mental health concerns such as severe depression. This means any woman needing extra mental health support can be referred to primary care mental health support including Talking Therapies or to a specialist perinatal mental health team, if appropriate.On 17 July 2025, the Prime Minister also announced the launch of Diagnosis Connect, a new service that will better-connect patients to both local and national charities. This will ensure that patients are referred directly to trusted charities and support organisations as soon as they are diagnosed, providing personalised advice, information and guidance to help them manage their condition and feel more in control. This support will include physical and mental wellbeing in the perinatal period.

What progress his Department has made on the roll-out of Fracture Liaison Services.

Fracture Liaison Services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local need.Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030.The Department is working closely with NHS England to consider a range of options to ensure better quality and access to these important preventative services.

Whether the Government plans to commission an independent review of training for (a) family court judges, (b) Cafcass officers and (c) expert witnesses on (i) coercive control, (ii) post-separation abuse and (iii) the misuse of legal processes by perpetrators.

The Government currently has no plans to commission an independent review of training for family court judges, Cafcass officers and expert witnesses.The judiciary is independent of the Government; under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the Lady Chief Justice has statutory responsibility for the training of the judiciary of England and Wales. This is fulfilled on behalf of the Lady Chief Justice by the Judicial College.Cafcass is an independent Arm’s Length Body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and is responsible for its own training. Cafcass Family Court Advisers complete mandatory domestic abuse training including on using Cafcass’ Child Impact Assessment Framework which has guidance and tools for assessing when domestic abuse is a feature of the child’s case, including when coercive control is present. Family Court Advisers are also trained to follow Cafcass’ Domestic Abuse Practice Policy which sets out the actions they must undertake when working with children and adults who have experienced domestic abuseThe annex to Practice Direction 25B outlines the standards an expert witness in children proceedings must adhere to. These include that they are appropriately qualified (where relevant), have sufficient experience of the issue on which they are to give evidence and undertake continuous professional development. It is at the courts’ discretion whether to give permission for the instruction of an expert; this decision is based on all of the information available to the court, including whether the expert has undertaken suitable training and qualifications.

Whether the evaluation of the Pathfinder pilot family courts will be published in full prior to any national policy changes based on its findings.

The Government commissioned formal evaluation of the Pathfinder pilots in North Wales and Dorset in two parts. The first part was a process evaluation and financial analysis which was published in March 2025. The second part examines the experiences of children and families and will be published later this year.The two evaluation reports are already informing policy and operational changes; and monitoring and evaluation of Pathfinder is ongoing. A feasibility study, to identify options for further impact and economic evaluation of Pathfinder, is underway and will be published later this year.

How often the presumption of contact was disapplied in family court proceedings where (a) allegations and (b) findings of domestic abuse were present in the last 12 months; and whether her Department plans to publish data on how Domestic Abuse Protection Orders are being used to safeguard (i) survivors and (ii) children during ongoing family court contact disputes.

Data is not held centrally on how often the presumption of parental involvement is disapplied in family court proceedings under either a) or b). The relevant data could only be obtained by an analysis of individual case files at a disproportionate cost.Domestic Abuse Protection Orders, known as DAPOs, can be made in ongoing family proceedings to protect victims from domestic abuse or the risk of domestic abuse. DAPOs are being tested in selected areas and will be subject to evaluation.

When her Department plans to publish its review of the presumption of parental contact in family courts; and whether that review will include consideration of disapplying the presumption in cases where domestic abuse has been evidenced.

The Review into the Presumption of Parental Involvement is now complete. The Review and the Government’s response and next steps will be published shortly.

Pursuant to the Answers of 2 July 2025 and 11 July 2025 to Questions 62768 and 64918 on Pay: Publicity, whether he has considered releasing the (a) aggregate value of the payments made to and (b) the names of the six digital influencers hired for its campaign.

I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2nd July 2025 to question 62768 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament) and the answer I gave on 11th July to question 64918 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament).

What proportion of serving teachers have completed continuous professional development specifically covering ADHD and dyslexia since 2020; and what plans she has to make such training compulsory.

The requested information on continuous professional development completed by teachers is not collected centrally.The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other neurodiverse conditions.From September 2025, the new initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF) will set out a minimum entitlement to training for all new teachers. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and SEND which was tested with SEND educational experts to ensure new teachers are equipped to support pupils with a range of additional learning needs.The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential and has committed to review the ITTECF in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support. This review will include a focus on teaching pupils with SEND.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the feasibility of allowing general practitioners to initiate ADHD diagnostic referrals for school-age children.

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available the appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including decisions on local referral processes for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. General practitioner teams can already refer patients for an ADHD assessment, both for adults and school-age children, where this is clinically appropriate and indicated according to NICE guidelines.NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is bringing together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June, with the final report expected to be published later in the year, and we will carefully consider its recommendations.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the under-diagnosis of ADHD in girls; and what targets have been set for improving identification rates by 2026.

We recognise that diagnosis rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are lower in women and girls and lower than the best evidence on prevalence. This may reflect differences in how ADHD present in males and females, which may make ADHD more difficult to identify in women and girls.ADHD assessments should be undertaken by appropriately skilled clinicians who consider several factors before coming to a clinical decision. Integrated care boards and health professionals should have due regard to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines when commissioning and providing health care services, including ADHD assessment services. NICE guidelines on ADHD set out considerations for clinicians when assessing for ADHD, including highlighting that ADHD may be under-recognised in women and girls.NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is bringing together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June 2025, with the final report expected to be published later in the year, and we will carefully consider its recommendations.