Written questions by Allin-Khan.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the procedures of the Prisoner Escort and Custodial Service at HMP Wandsworth on prisoners' (a) mental and (b) physical health.

The PECS (Prisoner Escort and Custody Services) contract management team scrutinises supplier performance, ensures adherence to all applicable HMPPS policies, and assures that the care, welfare, and decency of prisoners in PECS custody is at the very core of service delivery. This commitment is further reinforced through the quarterly Welfare Partnership Board meetings, where all key stakeholders convene to collaboratively review welfare standards, share insights, and drive continuous improvement across the service.Before any transfer, prisoners are medically assessed and cleared for travel by HM Prison healthcare professionals, ensuring they are fit for the journey.Additionally, Enhanced Court Healthcare services delivered through the PECS contract offer timely medical assessments and interventions to support PECS supplier teams. These services, provided by paramedics and doctors either virtually or in person, ensure that any emerging health concerns during attendance at court are promptly addressed.Collaboration with HMCTS Liaison and Diversion teams at court also provides support for individuals with vulnerabilities such as mental health conditions or learning disabilities.Contractual delivery to HMP Wandsworth over the past three months has exceeded performance targets for timely delivery from court.

What steps she is taking to reduce the number of self-inflicted deaths of prisoners in HMP Wandsworth.

Every death in custody is a tragedy and we continue to do all we can to improve the safety of prisoners.HMP Wandsworth entered the HMPPS cluster death support process in 2023, and a task force chaired by the Prison Group Director for London has been overseeing the implementation of an action plan to address the issues arising from self-inflicted deaths. Ligature-resistant cells have been provided to Wandsworth as part of this process, among other actions including strengthening the local safety team and increasing the number of Samaritans trained Listeners who provide emotional support to fellow prisoners.Each death is the subject of an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) and a Coroner's inquest, and action is being taken to address the findings and recommendations from these investigations to help improve safety outcomes at Wandsworth.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2025 to Question 53118 on NHS: Workplace Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing NHS Professionals under the direct control of his Department to allow bank employees access to the NHS Pension Scheme.

NHS Professionals is constituted as a company that competes for business in a commercial market. The terms and conditions that it offers its employees, including access to pension schemes, are the equivalent to those of its market competitors. If access to the NHS Pension Scheme was provided, the company would be required to fully pass on any additional associated costs to its National Health Service customers. This would be counter to the Government’s ambition to eliminate agency use and reduce bank spend in the NHS.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of Sections 2.26 to 2.36 of the statutory guidance entitled Modern Slavery: statutory guidance for England and Wales (under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015), published on 2 June 2025, on people who are victims of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the UK’s framework for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery and human trafficking and is intended as a means of fulfilling certain obligations from the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (ECAT).The Home Office publishes relevant statutory guidance, legislation and national strategies to support professionals to identify and support victims, including those who have experienced sexual exploitation.The Modern Slavery: statutory guidance for England and Wales (under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015) and non-statutory guidance for Scotland and Northern Ireland was updated in May 2024 to aid Competent Authority decision makers within the NRM process to more clearly indicate exploitative scenarios, and as such identify sexual exploitation victims of modern slavery for the purpose of the NRM.The Government is fully committed to identifying, supporting and protecting victims, and tackling the devastating harm associated with modern slavery, including sexual exploitation, and keeps all policies and processes under review.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of aligning the statutory guidance entitled Modern Slavery: statutory guidance for England and Wales (under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015) and non-statutory guidance for Scotland and Northern Ireland, published on 2 June 2025, with (a) the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings and (b) other international regulations in the context of assessments of whether a person is likely to be a victim of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the UK’s framework for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery and human trafficking and is intended as a means of fulfilling certain obligations from the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (ECAT).The Home Office publishes relevant statutory guidance, legislation and national strategies to support professionals to identify and support victims, including those who have experienced sexual exploitation.The Modern Slavery: statutory guidance for England and Wales (under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015) and non-statutory guidance for Scotland and Northern Ireland was updated in May 2024 to aid Competent Authority decision makers within the NRM process to more clearly indicate exploitative scenarios, and as such identify sexual exploitation victims of modern slavery for the purpose of the NRM.The Government is fully committed to identifying, supporting and protecting victims, and tackling the devastating harm associated with modern slavery, including sexual exploitation, and keeps all policies and processes under review.

When his Department plans to announce phase two of the non-domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards.

The Government consulted on strengthening the non-domestic PRS Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards to EPC C by 1 April 2027, and EPC B by 1 April 2030. We are currently reviewing the policy design, including the timelines for introduction, to ensure that it remains fair and proportionate for landlords and tenants. We plan to publish a response to the consultations as early as possible this year.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of proceeding with phase 2 of the non-domestic minimum energy efficiency standards.

Non-domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards are a key tool in helping businesses reduce their energy bills and strengthen the UK’s energy security, with the potential to deliver £millions in annual energy bill savings from the proposed EPC B deadline. This policy is a part of government’s mission to deliver clean power by 2030 and accelerate to Net Zero. The standards required under the regulations will also generate demand for skilled building retrofit and energy assessor jobs, building on the existing grants for training.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of existing emergency planning in relation to infants and children.

Cabinet Office non-statutory guidance sets out that emergency planning should consider groups that require special consideration, including those who are dependent on others, such as children. All education, childcare, and children’s social care settings should have emergency plans in place. Plans should explain how to respond and take any temporary actions in the event of an emergency. This expectation is set out in DfE’s (non-statutory) emergency planning guidance for education, childcare and children’s social care settings. The guidance includes an expectation to evaluate and test plans. DfE also publishes statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment.

How many cases were awaiting hearing at Wandsworth County Court as of 1 June 2025.

There were 145 cases awaiting listing for a hearing and 4479 cases already listed at the week commencing 2 June 2025.

What steps she is taking to improve (a) response times and (b) service standards at Wandsworth County Court.

Wandsworth County Court is part of the London Civil and Family Cluster. Performance is discussed weekly, and the cluster priorities agreed. Work is moved around the cluster to ensure that the quickest possible service is delivered. Continuous Improvement exercises continue to be undertaken to ensure the best customer service.Over the last 12 months, overall workload in the cluster has reduced by 30%, and in Wandsworth by 20%. This has been achieved by sharing work with other courts, additional judicial recruitment, sitting days and digitalisation of online money claims.While there have been significant recruitment and retention issues at Wandsworth in the past, we have now filled all vacancies following a targeted recruitment campaign.

If she will take steps to encourage local authorities to provide free period products in public buildings.

The Government supports a number of schemes so that those in most need can access period products. All women and girls being cared for by the NHS are entitled to be given, on request, appropriate period products free of charge. Similarly, the Department for Education run a scheme to provide free period products to girls and women in their place of study; with all state-maintained primary and secondary schools, and 16-19 educational organisations, eligible. We recognise that period poverty is a symptom of wider poverty and the wider pressures of the cost of living, which is the government is taking steps to improve the overall affordability of products.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of empty properties on the rental market in (a) Tooting and (b) Greater London.

Statistics on empty properties are published annually and are accessible on gov.uk here. We do not hold records on vacant homes per constituency.Local authorities have strong powers and incentives to tackle empty homes. They have the discretionary powers to charge additional council tax on properties which have been left unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for one or more years. The maximum premium that a council can apply increases, depending on the length of time that the property has been empty for, with a premium of up to 300% on homes left empty for over ten years.Local authorities can also use powers to take over the management of long-term empty homes to bring them back into use in the private rented sector. Local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) when a property has been empty for more than two years, subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for their proposal. More information can be found on gov.uk here.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of including NHS Professionals employees in the NHS Pension Scheme.

No such assessment has been made. NHS Professionals is a private limited company operating in a competitive environment to secure contracts with National Health Service trusts, and as such it makes its own assessment of the terms upon which it attracts and retains its employees.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the merits of flexible working patterns in (a) the Civil Service and (b) the wider public sector.

The government continues to monitor the impact of flexible working. There are numerous benefits of flexible working, which apply to both the public and private sectors.Flexible working is essential in helping people achieve a better work life balance, which can lead to happier, healthier and more productive employees. This is good for employees and good for businesses. Flexible working can help make work more accessible to several groups by helping people to balance work with other responsibilities and needs in their personal lives. This includes those with disabilities, parents, and others with caring responsibilities.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that public sector employers provide adequate support to employees returning from maternity leave.

Starting with the Employment Rights Bill, we will put in place legislation that makes it unlawful to dismiss pregnant women, mothers on maternity leave, and mothers who return to work for a six-month period after they return - except in specific circumstances. The Government will also make flexible working the default, except where it is not reasonably feasible. This will benefit employees returning to work from maternity leave by making it easier to balance work and childcare needs.These changes will apply to eligible employees, regardless of whether they work in the public sector or elsewhere.

Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria his Department plans to use to decide when personal imports of meat and dairy products from the European Union can be reinstated.

Personal imports of meat and dairy products from the European Union (EU) into Great Britain (GB) are subject to a transitional exemption from rules that apply to personal imports from outside the EU single market. As part of our national mission to protect our food sector and farmers, we have put in place a series of emergency safeguard measures banning personal imports of certain animal products into GB, in response to outbreaks of Peste des Petits Ruminants, African Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth Disease in the European Union. The devolved governments in Wales and Scotland have put in place equivalent measures. Decisions on whether to lift safeguard measures on personal imports of animal products are based on expert risk assessments and advice from the UK Chief Veterinary Officer and the Chief Veterinary Officers in Wales and Scotland. We publish risk assessments on GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/government/collections/animal-diseases-international-monitoring.

Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria his Department uses to determine when bans on personal imports of food products should be implemented following disease outbreaks.

Personal imports of meat and dairy products from the European Union (EU) into Great Britain (GB) are subject to a transitional exemption from rules that apply to personal imports from outside the EU single market. As part of our national mission to protect our food sector and farmers, we have put in place a series of emergency safeguard measures banning personal imports of certain animal products into GB, in response to outbreaks of Peste des Petits Ruminants, African Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth Disease in the European Union. The devolved governments in Wales and Scotland have put in place equivalent measures. Decisions on whether to impose safeguard measures on personal imports of animal products are based on expert risk assessments and advice from the UK Chief Veterinary Officer and the Chief Veterinary Officers in Wales and Scotland. We publish risk assessments on GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/government/collections/animal-diseases-international-monitoring.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of Meta's use of the LibGen database to train artificial intelligence models on UK creative workers.

The Government has no plans to make a formal assessment. However, while the case highlighted relates to legal proceedings in the United States, we take seriously the implications for UK rights holders. The unauthorised use of copyright works, particularly at industrial scale, is unacceptable and not permitted under the UK copyright framework, which is a vital part of our support for the creative industries, which in turn make a substantial contribution to our economy and national identity.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme on tourism.

Electronic travel authorisations (ETAs) have been introduced to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK. ETAs will help deliver a more streamlined, digital immigration system which will be quicker and more secure for the millions of people who pass through the UK border each year.The Home Office published an initial impact assessment on the introduction of ETAs, and a further Impact Assessment published alongside the Fee Regulations in March that increased the chargeable ETA fee (alongside other fees) - The Immigration, Nationality and Passport (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025.The experience of other countries with similar schemes in operation shows that genuine visitors are unlikely to be deterred by the small additional cost. For example, the USA (which operates the ESTA scheme) has seen continued growth in overseas visitor volumes since the introduction of the ESTA in 2010.

What steps he is taking to help improve autism (a) awareness and (b) understanding among the adult population.

The Government is committed to creating a more inclusive society where autistic people are supported to thrive.The Department is taking action to increase awareness and understanding of autism within health and adult social care services. From 1 July 2022, service providers registered with the Care Quality Commission are required to ensure their staff receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role, as set out in the Health and Care Act 2022. To support this, we are rolling out the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism. Over two million people have now completed the e-learning module, which is the first part of the training.The Government has also committed to raising awareness of all forms of neurodiversity, including autism, in the workplace. An independent panel made of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity, including autism, has been launched to advise the Government on fostering more inclusive workplaces. This will build on the recommendations outlined in the Buckland Review of Autism Employment, which related solely to autism.The panel will advise employers and ministers on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work, including for autistic people. The panel will consider mechanisms for change, making recommendations in the summer.