Written questions by Opher.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to help protect UK citizens from (a) foreign influence and (b) manipulation operations using fake accounts on social media through the forthcoming Elections Bill.

The Government takes any attempts to intervene in democratic processes very seriously. It is, and always will be, an absolute priority to protect our democratic and electoral processes, including from foreign interference. The Defending Democracy Taskforce brings together Whitehall departments, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies to monitor and mitigate risks, including foreign interference. The Joint Election Security and Preparedness unit (JESP) leads cross-government efforts in preparation for the 2026 elections, which are taking place across the UK. The Government’s strategy for modern, secure and inclusive elections, published in July, sets out our plan to strengthen oversight of and safeguards against known and emerging threats, including foreign interference through covert political funding. We are introducing tougher rules on political donations to protect UK elections, striking the right balance between safeguarding against foreign interference whilst making sure that legitimate donors can continue to fund electoral campaigns.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of allegations of foreign interference in recent elections in Romania and Germany through social media; and what steps he is taking to help prevent foreign interference in UK elections.

The Government takes any attempts to intervene in democratic processes very seriously. It is, and always will be, an absolute priority to protect our democratic and electoral processes, including from foreign interference. The Defending Democracy Taskforce brings together Whitehall departments, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies to monitor and mitigate risks, including foreign interference. The Joint Election Security and Preparedness unit (JESP) leads cross-government efforts in preparation for the 2026 elections, which are taking place across the UK. The Government’s strategy for modern, secure and inclusive elections, published in July, sets out our plan to strengthen oversight of and safeguards against known and emerging threats, including foreign interference through covert political funding. We are introducing tougher rules on political donations to protect UK elections, striking the right balance between safeguarding against foreign interference whilst making sure that legitimate donors can continue to fund electoral campaigns.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Education and (b) other Cabinet colleagues on the UK's position on proposals at the UN to negotiate an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to strengthen the right to education.

Officials in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Education worked together closely to determine the UK's position on the Optional Protocol, as set out in the answer provided on 3 November to Question 84390.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reasons the UK has opposed proposals at the UN to guarantee at least one year of free pre-primary education and free secondary education in international law.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I provided to question 84390 on 3 November.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to consult with recreational user groups during the development of the proposed White Paper on water reform.

The Government is considering the approach to improving access to nature, including for recreational water users, and is committed to working with stakeholders as this develops. Extensive consultation with stakeholders took place during the Independent Water Commission’s review of the water sector. The government will continue to engage key stakeholders as it develops its full policy response to the recommendations. A new partnership between Government, the sector, investors and communities will deliver the change the public expects.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking through the water reform white paper to consider potential options for increasing access rights for (a) swimming and (b) non-motorised craft.

The Government is considering the approach to improving access to nature, including for recreational water users. We will respond to the recommendations published in the final report of the Independent Water Commission through a White Paper and will bring forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for the environment and restore trust and accountability. The Government’s full response to the Commission’s recommendations will be published through the White Paper. The Government has already responded to a number of Sir Jon’s recommendations, as set out in the statement made by the previous Secretary of State on 21 July.  This set out the Government’s intention to establish a single regulator for water, to include a regional element within the new regulator, to establish a new statutory water ombudsman, to end operator self-monitoring and transition to Open Monitoring, and to issue an interim Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat and give Ministerial directions to the Environment Agency, setting out our expectations and requirements.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Environment Agency's Chief Scientist’s Group report entitled Exploring recreational water use in England, published in July 2025.

The Government is considering the approach to improving access to nature and is committed to working with stakeholders as this develops. The Environment Agency’s report on recreational water use will help to inform that process.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of method of production labelling on (a) the economy and (b) farm incomes.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Manchester Rusholme, Afzal Khan, on 20 October 2025, PQ UIN 78472.

If he will ensure that (a) universal lay terminology is used in the NHS app and (b) there is signposting to Lab Tests Online UK to enable patients to interpret their diagnostic results correctly.

The NHS App aims to use clear, universal lay terminology that is easy for the general public to understand. The content follows the National Health Service content style guide, which mandates writing in plain English to a reading age of nine to 11 years old. As part of the delivery of the 10-Year Health Plan, the NHS App will provide an improved and personalised experience for users, empowering them to access key elements of their health conditions like test results, and providing patients with advice and guidance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, that will help them to understand their health and make informed choices about what to do next.We regularly test our content with patients to ensure it is clear and effective. This includes working with users who have access needs, low digital literacy, or are from seldom-heard groups.This work builds on the current test results feature in the NHS App that is successfully used by millions of people each month to access the results of tests they have conducted with their general practitioner.There is signposting to Lab Tests Online-UK (LTO-UK) to help patients interpret their diagnostic results, though this may depend on how the patient's general practice (GP) has configured its systems. We currently provide links to LTO-UK for approximately 70 of the most common test types. While the NHS App itself primarily displays results along with any accompanying doctor’s comments or actions, GP systems can have embedded links to LTO-UK alongside the test results, providing a direct route for patients to access reliable information at the point of care.

If he will increase funding for (a) the pathology (i) workforce, (ii) estates and (iii) IT infrastructure and (b) pathology disciplines involved in the pathways for cancer patients.

The 2025 Spending Review prioritised health, with record investment in the health and social care system. The Spending Review announced that annual National Health Service day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms, a £53 billion cash increase, by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24.To provide stability and ensure public services and industries have certainty in their funding, the Government has committed to holding a Spending Review every two years. The 2025 Spending Review sets departmental budgets for day-to-day spending up to 2028/29 and for capital for five years, to 2029/30. The envelope for the next Spending Review, due to be held in 2027, will be set in due course.We will also publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.As part of the £600 million in capital for diagnostics in 2025/26, announced as part of the Spending Review, the NHS is investing in histopathology automation technology, which will speed up pathology test reporting across England, helping to ensure that patients get their diagnoses faster and supporting reductions in elective waiting lists.We are funding all pathology networks to increase digital capabilities by March 2026. This will reduce unnecessary waits and repeat tests to ensure that patients receive their blood test results sooner. These actions will help improve patient pathways, including for cancer.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 82020 on Energy: Buildings, what estimate his Department has made of the potential impact of the (a) Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, (b) Warm Homes: Local Grant and (c) Boiler Upgrade Scheme on (i) energy bills, (ii) carbon emissions (A) to date and (B) in each of the next three years and (iii) the nationally determined contributions target for 2030.

For Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) the Government publishes Official Statistics including WH:SHF Waves 1 and 2 measures installed, homes treated, carbon and bill savings. Statistics on WH:SHF Wave 3 and Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG), summary business cases covering both schemes 2025/26-2027/28 and evaluation findings, will be published in due course. There is a robust evaluation approach in place for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). The Government will publish an Impact Assessment covering the BUS from 2025/26 through to 2029/30. An Impact Assessment for period 2022/23 to 2024/25 is already published. The Government publishes Official Statistics including BUS deployment volumes to date (Table 1.1) and Energy and Emissions Projections (EEP) containing the estimated emission savings generated by BUS installations.

When his Department will publish ​the data on the number of patients treated in (a) corridors and (b) other inappropriate spaces.

The Government is committed to tackling the unacceptable practice of corridor care in our National Health Service. Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June, set out the steps that we are taking, including the commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care.NHS England has been working with trusts since 2024 to put in place new reporting arrangements related to the use of temporary escalation spaces, to drive improvement. This information will be published following a review of data quality, and we will consider how this data could be published on a regular basis.

Whether his Department will publish regular data on patients treated in (a) corridors and (b) other inappropriate spaces.

The Government is committed to tackling the unacceptable practice of corridor care in our National Health Service. Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June, set out the steps that we are taking, including the commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care.NHS England has been working with trusts since 2024 to put in place new reporting arrangements related to the use of temporary escalation spaces, to drive improvement. This information will be published following a review of data quality, and we will consider how this data could be published on a regular basis.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress she has made on the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme.

The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers will launch in October 2027 across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Earlier this year we appointed UK DMO as the deposit management organisation for the schemes in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, and they are continuing to progress at pace with delivery of the scheme.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will review plastic waste exports to promote domestic recycling.

We are committed to ensuring a level playing field for domestic plastic recyclers and we are currently considering the role of exports in dealing with the UK’s plastic waste. Defra is committed to building a circular economy that enhances industry competition and capitalises on the UK’s potential in plastic recycling and reprocessing, whilst realising our environmental objectives. We recognise that export markets can compliment domestic reprocessing to ensure more of our waste is recycled.

Whether she plans to increase the (a) Plastic Packaging Tax rate and (b) recycled content requirement to promote domestic recycling.

The Plastic Packaging Tax was introduced in April 2022 under the previous government and provides a price incentive for businesses to use recycled plastic in the manufacture of plastic packaging – thereby stimulating the collection and recycling of plastic waste. All tax rates and thresholds are reviewed at fiscal events.

If he will make it his policy to publish an implementation plan to ensure that each Integrated Care Board commissions a Fracture Liaison Service.

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.Officials continue to work closely with NHS England to explore a range of options to provide better quality and access to these important preventative services.

What steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for the Op Courage service.

NHS England meets with the regional providers of Op COURAGE on a regular basis to review the individual services, to ensure that they are meeting the needs of veterans. They are undertaking a comprehensive review which includes the time that veterans wait for assessment and treatment. Any recommendations from the review will be implemented from April 2026.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of improved energy efficiency in buildings on (a) energy security, (b) consumer bills and (c) carbon budgets.

Decarbonising buildings is the only certain way to permanently lower bills, protect the UK against price shocks, reduce demands and preserve energy security by helping the UK become energy independent. Government schemes are already delivering improvements to home energy efficiency through the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF), the new Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) and the continuation of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) supporting thousands of households to upgrade their heating systems and reduce carbon emissions. The Warm Homes Plan will help people find ways to save money on energy bills and transform our ageing building stock into comfortable, low-carbon homes that are fit for the future. We will publish more details soon.

Whether she plans to respond to the consultation entitled National guidance for community scrutiny panels, which closed on 19 October 2023.

Community scrutiny is a valuable means by which local communities can have a voice in how they are policed.The consultation on the national guidance for community scrutiny panels ran under the previous government. We have no plans to respond to this consultation.