Written questions by Davies.

What standardised guidance is available to NHS maternity services regarding a) paternal involvement and b) support for fathers in childbirth.

National bodies such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Royal College of Midwives have issued guidelines emphasising the importance of involving fathers and partners in maternity and perinatal care. These guidelines set expectations for trusts to adopt family-centred care and to treat fathers as active participants, not just visitors or observers. These resources are available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng201/chapter/recommendations#:~:text=Antenatal%20classes-,1.3.,NICE%20guideline%20on%20postnatal%20carehttps://rcm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/engaging_dads_pocket_guide.pdfThe Department and NHS England do not hold data on the proportion of births in National Health Service facilities at which a father is present.

What the gender breakdown is of maternity services staff for each NHS trust.

NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England which include information on the gender of staff. The data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record, the human resources system for the National Health Service. Further information is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statisticsThe attached table presents data drawn from the underlying Electronic Staff Record information which is used by NHS England to produce the monthly NHS Workforce Statistics as the publication routinely presents data on the gender of staff by their staffing group but does not present this information broken down by individual organisation or the care setting or specialism staff are working in.Staff working in maternity services have been defined as doctors working in the specialty area of obstetrics and gynaecology, midwives, nurses working either maternity or neonatal nursing settings, and patient facing support staff working in either maternity services or neonatal nursing settings.

What steps he is taking to help reduce geographical variations in the cost of petrol and diesel.

The Government has introduced the Motor Fuel Price (Open Data) Regulations 2025, which requires all petrol stations in the UK to share live fuel price data through the Fuel Finder service from 2 February 2026. This will improve transparency and enable motorists to compare prices easily, helping to reduce regional disparities. The Competition and Markets Authority continues to monitor the road fuel market to assess the effectiveness of competition and advise the Government on any further action needed to protect consumers.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Department's answer of 20 October 2025 to Written Question 80401: Pet Travel Scheme, what recent steps she has taken to negotiate a pet passport scheme.

We have begun negotiations with the EU on the SPS agreement. As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will become easier and cheaper. Instead of getting an animal health certificate each time you travel, owners will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU. In the meantime, owners will still need an Animal Health Certificate for their dog, cat or ferret if they are travelling from Great Britain to an EU country.

Whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Government on support for mountain rescue services.

I want to pay a warm tribute to the extraordinary commitment and bravery of all mountain rescue teams, particularly volunteers across Scotland and the rest of the UK. Responsibility for mountain rescue is devolved to the Scottish Government, who have been provided with the largest settlement in the history of devolution. They must answer to the Scottish people on how they are using this record funding. While Police Scotland holds the statutory responsibility for search and rescue on land, one of the three RAF mountain rescue teams is based at RAF Lossiemouth. This crucial reserved military asset, under the UK Ministry of Defence, regularly works alongside civilian teams to save lives on Scotland’s mountains. It is crucial that the two Governments continue to work together saving lives on Scotland's mountains.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that food provided by schools participating in the Free Breakfast Club scheme meets nutritional and quality standards.

The department is committed to delivering on the pledge to provide free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. Since April 2025, we have delivered 2.6 million breakfasts and offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country. We are investing a further £80 million to fund approximately 2,000 additional schools between April 2026 and March 2027. Compliance with the School Food Standards is mandatory for maintained schools, academies and free schools. School governors have a responsibility to ensure compliance and should appropriately challenge the senior leadership team to ensure obligations are met. Alongside the School Food Standards statutory guidance, we published updated breakfast club guidance in November, which provides guidance on which foods should be served at breakfast clubs to ensure that the School Food Standards are met. We are working to revise the School Food Standards to ensure they support our work to create the healthiest generation of children in history.

What accountability measures her Department has put in place for the nutritional content of breakfasts provided by schools participating in the Free Breakfast Club scheme.

The department is committed to delivering on the pledge to provide free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. Since April 2025, we have delivered 2.6 million breakfasts and offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country. We are investing a further £80 million to fund approximately 2,000 additional schools between April 2026 and March 2027. Compliance with the School Food Standards is mandatory for maintained schools, academies and free schools. School governors have a responsibility to ensure compliance and should appropriately challenge the senior leadership team to ensure obligations are met. Alongside the School Food Standards statutory guidance, we published updated breakfast club guidance in November, which provides guidance on which foods should be served at breakfast clubs to ensure that the School Food Standards are met. We are working to revise the School Food Standards to ensure they support our work to create the healthiest generation of children in history.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Welltower's acquisition of HC-One, Barchester and Care UK on the quality and affordability of care in the UK.

The Department has not had any discussions with Welltower about their recent investment in the acquisitions of care homes.The Government has not made a specific assessment of the impact of Welltower’s acquisition of Barchester Healthcare on the market concentration in London and the South East. Merger investigations on competition grounds are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which operates independently of Government. The CMA determines which transactions to review based on statutory thresholds and whether there is a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition. The Government keeps the merger control regime under regular review to ensure it remains fit for purpose and works effectively within the current regulatory environment.Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all people, and to develop and build local market capacity. This includes commissioning a variety of different providers and specialist services that provide genuine choice to meet the needs of local people and that offer quality and value for money.Whilst fee rates are set by providers of adult social care, all businesses are required to comply with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 by ensuring that they use fair and clear terms in their standard agreements with customers. Private providers also hold much of the responsibility for recruitment and retention as adult social care employers. However, English local authorities do also have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care.

What discussions he has had with Welltower on ensuring that its acquisition of HC-One, Barchester and Care UK does not have adverse impacts on a) care staff and b) care home residents.

The Department has not had any discussions with Welltower about their recent investment in the acquisitions of care homes.The Government has not made a specific assessment of the impact of Welltower’s acquisition of Barchester Healthcare on the market concentration in London and the South East. Merger investigations on competition grounds are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which operates independently of Government. The CMA determines which transactions to review based on statutory thresholds and whether there is a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition. The Government keeps the merger control regime under regular review to ensure it remains fit for purpose and works effectively within the current regulatory environment.Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all people, and to develop and build local market capacity. This includes commissioning a variety of different providers and specialist services that provide genuine choice to meet the needs of local people and that offer quality and value for money.Whilst fee rates are set by providers of adult social care, all businesses are required to comply with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 by ensuring that they use fair and clear terms in their standard agreements with customers. Private providers also hold much of the responsibility for recruitment and retention as adult social care employers. However, English local authorities do also have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care.

What steps her Department is taking to use technological innovation to simplify the process of filing tax returns.

The government is investing in HMRC’s digital services to simplify tax filing, improve accuracy and reduce burdens on taxpayers. Improvements to digital journeys will make it easier for taxpayers to register, deregister or manage their obligations online, reducing the need for phone contact. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax will give sole traders and landlords an up-to-date view of their tax position during the year and reduce errors at the year end. HMRC is also expanding the use of third-party data and pre-population across Income Tax Self Assessment, allowing returns to be completed more quickly without re-entering information HMRC already holds. Where tax affairs are straightforward, HMRC also uses third-party data to issue Simple Assessments, removing the need for an Income Tax Self Assessment return altogether.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to heritage sites for young people.

One of the Secretary of State’s three priorities is richer lives with choices and opportunities for all. DCMS funds Historic England’s Heritage Schools programme which has facilitated almost 3 million pupils from areas of low social mobility to discover their local heritage since its launch in 2012, with 99% of teachers involved in the scheme agreeing that local heritage boosts students’ pride and sense of place. Historic England also partnered with the Youth United Foundation in 2022, which has increased access to heritage outside of formal education settings.Since 2001, the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) has awarded £23million of funding towards supporting young people’s access and engagement with heritage. Between 2017-2023, the NLHF ran a £10 million Kick the Dust Programme awarding 12 large-scale projects across the UK to transform how heritage organisations engage young people by making heritage relevant, inclusive, and youth-led. The legacy of this work with Children and Young people has transferred into their 2023-2026 strategy and delivery plan, which contains a commitment in the investment plan to “decide on approaches to support projects to engage children and young people in heritage and provide routes into skills development”.

What assessment she has made of her Department's progress on reducing unauthorised migration across the English Channel.

The Government has taken significant steps to address illegal migration and its Plan for Change sets out our ambition to secure borders and control immigration. We are committed to tackling illegal migration and the criminal networks which facilitate it. Since July 2024, nearly 50,000 individuals without lawful status have been removed from the UK. Our agreement with France means that those arriving by small boats can be detained and returned to France.The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 has now received Royal Assent and the overarching impact assessment for this can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-security-asylum-and-immigration-bill-2025-impact-assessment/border-security-asylum-and-immigration-bill-2025-impact-assessment-accessible#impact-assessment(opens in a new tab)The Government is continuously monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of our measures in place to tackle small boats. As stated in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, the Border Security Command will be publishing an annual report, which must state the Commander’s views on the performance in the financial year of the border security system. This is set out in the Act here:https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/31/section/4/enacted(opens in a new tab)Border security is fundamental to both our national security and economic security and evaluating our approach is a critical part of that.

What assessment she has made of the efficacy of the Government's efforts to reduce tax evasion.

HMRC is committed to closing the tax gap further and tackling non-compliant behaviours such as tax evasion, tax avoidance, criminal attacks, error, failure to take reasonable care, hidden economy activity, legal interpretation issues, and non-payment. In 2024 to 2025, HMRC’s compliance work contributed to record tax revenues of £875.9 billion, collecting and protecting £48 billion of tax that would have gone unpaid if HMRC hadn’t stepped in – up from £41.8 billion the previous year. At the Autumn Budget 2025, the government announced a package of measures that will raise a further £2.4 billion in additional tax revenues in 2029 to 2030. This builds on announcements at Autumn Budget 2024 (£6.5 billion), and Spring Statement 2025 (over £1 billion) and brings the total revenue from closing the tax gap announced this Parliament to £10 billion in 2029 to 2030.

What assessment he has made of his Department's progress on increasing the processing capacity of the court system.

The Government has made significant progress in increasing the processing capacity of the courts and tribunals system and remains committed to reducing backlog.In the Crown Court for this financial year, we have allocated 111,250 sitting days - the highest number of sitting days on record and over 5,000 more than the previous Government funded for the last financial year.In the Family Courts, reforms are already delivering results. Courts operating under the private law Pathfinder model are achieving some of the lowest case durations nationally, in South East Wales, for example, average duration fell from 37 weeks to 12 weeks on average. In addition, the Department for Education invested £10 million in 2024/25 to fund pilots aimed at reducing delays in family proceedings, with evaluation due to conclude in 2026.Across the tribunals system, we are taking a comprehensive approach to improve productivity. Sitting day capacity has been set at or close to the maximum deliverable level. We are also promoting early dispute resolution to reduce unnecessary demand, including judicial Alternative Dispute Resolution pilots in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal.The Deputy Prime Minister and Lady Chief Justice continue discussions on allocation for 2025-26 and we will say more in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Government's progress in meeting reforestation targets.

The Government is committed to meeting the Environment Act target to increase woodland cover to at least 16.5% of total land area in England by 2050. In the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 we have also set the interim target to increase England’s tree canopy and woodland cover by 0.33% of land area by December 2030 from the 2022 baseline of 14.9%, equivalent to a net increase of 43,000 hectares. Tree planting in England is at the highest recorded rate in over 20 years, with over 7,100 hectares planted in 2024/25.

What steps her Department is taking to improve rail connectivity in Shropshire.

West Midlands Railway’s (WMR’s) modern Class 196 fleet entered service between Shrewsbury and Birmingham in 2022, increasing capacity, and improving reliability and customer experience. Transport for Wales (TfW) are introducing new Class 197 trains from 2026 on their route through Shropshire to Birmingham International. The Department also worked with the West Midlands Rail Executive to restore the semi-fast WMR service between Shrewsbury and Birmingham New Street.

What assessment he has made of his Department's progress towards its target of increasing prison capacity.

This Government inherited a prison system in collapse. We have taken decisive action to put prison capacity on a sustainable footing and end the cycle of repeated crises. We have committed to the largest expansion of the estate since the Victorians, investing £7 billion in building prison places between 2024/25 and 2029/30. We are on track to deliver 14,000 new prison places by 2031 with c. 2,900 delivered already under this Government. On top of this, we have introduced landmark sentencing reforms to end our prisons crisis – and deliver punishment that cuts crime. On 2 September we introduced the Sentencing Bill to take forward most of the recommendations made by David Gauke’s Independent Sentencing Review, as well as the measures that go further to manage offenders in the community. The House of Lords committee stage was concluded on 3 December.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of his Department's progress towards its target of delivering 1,500,000 new homes over the course of this Parliament.

Progress toward the government’s Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in England in this Parliament will be measured through the number of net additional dwellings, the latest data on which can be found on gov.uk here.

What steps he is taking to use AI and digital technology to improve the efficacy of job and employment services.

We are adopting AI in DWP to help colleagues deliver better outcomes for customers and to improve productivity and efficiency. We will develop the Jobs and Careers Service to better support jobseekers and employers. As part of the design of the service, we will explore and test the most appropriate use of technology (including AI) to support job seekers with their work search.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the maximum penalty for dog fouling offences.

The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to anti-social behaviour. These powers include Public Space Protection Orders which can be used to, among other things, require dog owners to pick up their dog's faeces. Through the Crime and Policing Bill, the Home Office are increasing the upper limit for a fixed penalty notice for breaches of a Public Spaces Protection Order from £100 to £500.