Written questions by Hall.

Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of levels of child homelessness in Warrington.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 114250 on 2 March 2026.

Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has held discussions with Ofcom on the adequacy of content moderation resources on social media platforms.

The Department engages with Ofcom regularly on a wide range of online safety matters.The Online Safety Act is clear that services must comply with their illegal content duties and child safety duties, which include taking effective steps to moderate harmful and illegal content on their platforms.Ofcom has our full backing to use their full suite of enforcement powers including imposing fines and pursuing further sanctions where necessary, to hold companies accountable.We will continue to work closely with Ofcom to make sure platforms are taking appropriate action to protect users, especially children, from illegal and harmful content.

Whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit all forms of physical punishment of children in England.

The department continues to look closely at the legislative changes made in Wales and Scotland but has no plans to legislate to remove the reasonable punishment defence in England at this time. It is right that we protect all children at risk of harm, but it is also right that we do not intervene in family life when children are safe, loved and well supported.The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will provide greater protection for children who are at risk of abuse and neglect. We have also launched plans for a new Child Protection Authority and are providing £2.4 billion funding for the Families First Partnership programme to support families who need targeted support. In addition, we are rolling out Best Start Family Hubs, backed by over £500 million, to ensure families in every part of the country have access to a range of universal services, including evidence-based interventions for parenting.

Media and Sport, whether she plans to review the adequacy of the UK’s advertising regulatory framework in preventing misleading environmental claims by fossil fuel companies.

There are currently no plans for the Government to review the UK’s regulatory framework for adverts from fossil fuel companies. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the independent regulator for advertising in the UK and enforces the ‘CAP Code’ and ‘BCAP Code’, which set the standards for non-broadcast and broadcast advertising, respectively. Section 11 of the CAP and Section 9 of the BCAP Codes contain rules on Environmental Claims, and specifically warn against the use of unqualified claims, due to their potential to mislead if significant information is omitted. The Codes also include rules intended to protect consumers from misleading marketing communications. Advertising may be considered misleading if it contains the omission, exaggeration, or ambiguous presentation of information. If an advertisement is found to be in breach of the Codes, the ASA will instruct that it be withdrawn or amended, and in some cases may escalate to the appropriate statutory backstop.

What steps her Department is taking to improve access to speech and language support for children with communication needs in schools.

Speech and language therapists (SaLTs) break down communication barriers, but too often, children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) wait too long to receive support from them.As part of our new £1.8 billion investment, schools will be able to access support from professionals such as SaLTs through the Experts at Hand offer. These experts will work directly with school staff to equip them with skills and strategies to better meet need.We are also investing £15 million to establish new SaLT advanced practitioners in every integrated care board area to support more SaLTs to work with educational settings, upskill speech and language support workers, and promote the SaLT apprenticeship route.This is in addition to £3.4 million being invested this year in the Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) programme, helping to identify and respond to speech and language needs, continued investment in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, which has demonstrated significant impact on speech and language skills particularly for disadvantaged pupils, and an expansion of English Hubs support to include specialist early language support from the 2026/27 academic year.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of social security assessment and application processes on the mental health of claimants.

The Pathways to Work Green Paper set out our commitment to get the basics right and improve the experience for people who use the system of health and disability. This includes exploring ways to improve trust and transparency in PIP and WCA through reviewing our approach to safeguarding, recording assessments to increase trust in the process, and moving back to having more face-to-face assessments while continuing to meet the needs of people who may require different methods of assessment. We have also launched the Timms Review, the first ever full review of PIP, to ensure we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment. The Review is being co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, carers, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard. The Review will consider how PIP can enable disabled people to live independently; whether the assessment effectively captures the impact of long-term health conditions and disability in the modern world; and whether it should consider any other evidence. It will also look at how the assessment could ensure people access the right support at the right level.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that infant feeding advice provided in healthcare settings is independent of commercial influence.

Infant feeding is critical to a baby’s healthy growth and development. The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and that includes helping families to access support to feed their baby.The Department has policy responsibility for infant formula regulations in England.  Legislation covers the composition, labelling, and standards, including marketing, to ensure infant formulas provide all the nutrients a healthy baby needs for development and growth and to ensure consumers are informed correctly about their contents so that families receive clear, accurate, and non-misleading information about their use. The legislation makes clear that any infant formula used in health care settings must be provided without any form of commercial promotion. Labels or information supplied to healthcare professionals must be strictly factual and scientific, with no marketing claims.The majority of maternity services are either accredited under or are working towards the quality standards of UNICEF-UK’s Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI). The BFI sets out quality standards for complying with the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. This includes requiring maternity services to avoid commercial influence and prohibit promotion of substitutes to families. The Department is also taking action to ensure parents and carers receive proactive information on the nutritional sufficiency of infant formula, regardless of its price. In response to the Competition and Markets Authority’s recommendations on the infant and follow-on formula market, the four governments of the United Kingdom will work with the National Health Service in England, Scotland, and Wales, the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland, and other relevant bodies to develop and test clear, impartial messaging on the nutritional sufficiency of infant formula. This will include reviewing existing channels used in healthcare settings, such as online content and supporting materials provided to parents, to ensure messaging is delivered effectively and consistently.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to specialist care and support for people living with motor neurone disease.

NHS England commissions the specialised elements of motor neurone disease (MND) care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurology centres across England. Within these specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure patients can access a range of health professionals and specialised treatment and support, according to their needs. At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with MND, including the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit. In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines a number of minimum service requirements for key specialties, including neuromuscular disorders like MND.Baroness Casey has set out that the Government must take immediate action on motor neurone disease. Where someone has a severe, reasonably predictable, and life-limiting condition, it is essential that we provide rapid access to the support they need, and we will take forward immediate work to develop a fast-track process, or “passport”, that speeds up assessments and access to care for people diagnosed with MND. We will consider how best to safely implement a process that expedites assessments and gets people with MND the care and support they need more quickly.

What steps he is taking to (a) improve the Child Maintenance Service and (b) ensure that payments are made.

The Government’s aim is for the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to remove the direct pay service in order to tackle non-compliance more quickly. This change will be made when Parliamentary time allows. Moving to a single, strengthened Collect and Pay system will allow the CMS to monitor all payments, identify missed or partial payments immediately, and take faster enforcement action. Ahead of this change, the CMS is already moving noncompliant parents more quickly from Direct Pay to Collect and Pay. Where compliance cannot be achieved, the CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers that are designed to get money flowing quickly, prevent the build-up of arrears and ensure children get the financial support they deserve.  These powers include the ability to deduct directly from the paying parent’s earnings or bank accounts and disqualifications from holding or obtaining driving licenses and passports. To further improve arrears collection, the CMS will introduce administrative liability orders (ALOs) to replace the current court based process. This will streamline enforcement, reduce delays, and help the CMS act more quickly against parents who avoid their responsibilities. Work with HM Courts and Tribunals Service and the Scottish Government is underway, and regulations will be brought to Parliament as soon as possible.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the Child Maintenance Service is able to identify hidden earnings.

Where a paying parent changes jobs, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) uses real-time information from HMRC where available, to quickly identify new employment and adjust maintenance calculations accordingly. People who are self-employed are required to keep accurate records of their business income and expenses for tax purposes. HMRC can charge penalties for inaccurate reporting where it results in tax being unpaid. Where the information available from HMRC does not give rise to a liability which accurately reflects what a customer believes a paying parent should be paying, the customer can seek a Variation. Variations allow the CMS to look at some circumstances which are not covered by the basic maintenance calculation. A variation can be requested on grounds of diversion of income. This is when the paying parent may be able to control the amount of income they receive. This includes diverting income to another person or for another purpose (including excessive pension contributions). Cases involving complex income can be investigated by the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU). This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions to check the accuracy of information the Child Maintenance Service is given.

What assessment his Department has made of the level of staff required to provide specialist women’s health services through the NHS online hospital.

Analysis shows that, in the first three years, the anticipated workforce available is sufficient to meet the demand for the National Health Service online hospital, including for women’s health services. Across all specialities, only a small percentage, approximately 4%, of consultants will need to contribute fewer than six hours per week to meet the 8.5 million forecasted appointments and assessments in the first three years.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of State Pension age changes on 1950s-born women in Warrington South constituency.

All women born since 6 April 1950 have been affected by changes to State Pension age. Estimates can be made with ONS 2022 Census Data of how many women born in the 1950s were resident in each constituency in that year.

What steps his department is taking to reduce waiting times for gynaecology services.

Women’s health is a priority for the Government, including tackling gynaecology waiting lists. We are committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients are treated within 18 weeks of referral to consultant-led care by March 2029.Our Elective Reform Plan, published January 2025, sets out a number of ways which we will improve gynaecology waiting times. This includes innovative models of care that offer care closer to home and in the community, piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres for patients with post-menopausal bleeding, and increasing the relative funding available to incentivise providers to take on more gynaecology procedures. These reforms will mean shorter waits and more convenient gynaecological care for patients.We are also introducing an “online hospital” through NHS Online. This will give people on certain pathways the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home, providing additional appointments to cut waiting times. Women’s health issues, including severe menopause symptoms and menstrual problems that may be a sign of endometriosis or fibroids, will be among the conditions available for online referrals from 2027.

If he will meet with the hon. Member for Warrington South, colleagues and representatives of Royal College of Pathologists about the recruitment of Paediatric and Perinatal Pathology consultants in the South West and the Midlands.

Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver effective care.The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills when needed.We are engaging with partners throughout this process. As we continue the open and wide-ranging conversations we’ve been having with staff, patients, and organisations, including royal colleges across the country, we will ensure that the engagement is robust and representative of different stakeholder groups.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce regional inequalities with standing charge rates.

Regional variations in standing charges arise from differences in electricity distribution costs and reflect the different costs of maintaining and upgrading the distribution network in a specific area, and the number of consumers those costs are spread across. The Government is committed to bearing down on standing charges. Ofgem has also been working to ensure that domestic consumers can choose tariffs with lower standing charges. Ofgem’s consultation on these proposals closed on 23 October 2025, and they will provide a further update in due course. In addition, through their Cost Allocation and Recovery Review, Ofgem has also been reviewing how ‘fixed’ costs, which tend to be funded through standing charges, should be recovered in the future energy system. This includes whether those fixed costs could be recovered in more progressive ways, and we are working closely with the regulator on this.

What plans he has to fill vacant consultant posts in Paediatric and Perinatal Pathology working in the South West and the Midlands.

Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver effective care.The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills when needed.

What steps his department is taking to reduce the diagnosis waiting time for Endometriosis.

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, including endometriosis care. The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, has commissioned studies focused on endometriosis diagnosis, treatment, and patient experience.Diagnosis may involve magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound, but laparoscopy remains the definitive diagnostic and treatment method. We are taking action to transform diagnostic services and increase capacity, including MRI and ultrasound. This includes expanding existing community diagnostic centres (CDCs) and building up to five new ones in 2025/26. Our Elective Reform Plan also committed to CDCs opening 12 hours per day, seven days a week, delivering more same-day tests and consultations.Surgical hubs are helping endometriosis patients get quicker treatment. National Health Service surgical hubs deliver high-volume, low-complexity elective surgeries, including gynaecological procedures. Currently, over half of the 123 operational elective surgical hubs in England provide gynaecology services, and laparoscopies are a key part of this offering. The Elective Reform Plan commits to expand the number of hubs over the next three years to increase surgical capacity and reduce waiting times.From 2027, a new “online hospital” will also offer patients the choice to access specialist care, including for menstrual problems potentially indicating endometriosis or fibroids from home, providing additional appointments to cut waiting times.

If he will consider an expansion of Paediatric and Perinatal Pathology training posts up to 37 (31.1 WTE) by 2030 to help fill consultant vacancies and help ensure succession planning.

In the 10-Year Health Plan for England, published in July 2025, we set out that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the 2024 changes to Employer National Insurance Contributions on job creation and retention in the hospitality sector.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts. The hospitality sector makes significant contribution the exchequer, the UK economy, and society and we are determined to support hospitality businesses to succeed. The Government protected the smallest hospitality businesses from the recent changes to employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500.We have also taken a number of other steps to support the hospitality industry. This includes:Introducing a permanently lower business rates multiplier for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026-27. Ahead of the new multipliers being introduced, the government extended the RHL relief for 2025-26 at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business and frozen the small business multiplier.Establishing the Licensing Taskforce and issuing a call for evidence on a National Licensing Policy Framework which will set out national direction for licensing authorities to consider economic growth and cultural value,Protecting hospitality businesses from upward only rent clauses through the English Devolution Bill, and;Introducing a strong new ‘Community Right to Buy’ to help communities safeguard valued community assets – such as pubs.

If she will consider introducing the maximum business rates discount for hospitality properties with a rateable value under £500,000 to support high street recovery.

In April 2026, the Government will introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000. This permanent tax cut will ensure eligible RHL businesses benefit from much-needed certainty and support. The Government is sustainably funding this by introducing a higher tax rate on properties with RVs of £500,000 and above. The final design, including the rates, for the new business rates multipliers will be announced at Budget 2025, so that the Government can factor the revaluation outcomes, as well as the broader economic and fiscal context, into decision-making.