Written questions by Opher.

What steps he is taking to help reduce the use of temporary care environments in patient care.

The Government recognises that long waits in accident and emergency departments are unacceptable and lead to worse patient outcomes. Patients should expect and receive the highest standard of service, and we are determined to tackle the issue of corridor care. NHS England published guidance in September 2024 regarding the use of temporary escalation spaces, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/principles-for-providing-safe-and-good-quality-care-in-temporary-escalation-spaces/In January 2025, the NHS England mandate and operational planning guidance for 2025/26 were published. These set out the priorities and actions to be taken to reform and improve urgent and emergency care services. This includes increasing the proportion of patients admitted, discharged, and transferred from an emergency department within 12 hours across 2025/26 compared to 2024/25.We will shortly set out the further improvements and actions to be taken to support urgent and emergency care services this year.

Whether he plans to complete the review of postgraduate medical training.

The postgraduate medical training review announced by the Chief Medical Officer for England and National Medical Director of NHS England is underway and on track. NHS England launched an extensive engagement and listening exercise to consider the future of postgraduate medical training in February 2025. This engagement exercise will run through to June 2025, with findings evaluated and reported in summer 2025.

Whether he plans to publish guidance on the use of temporary care environments before the publication of the urgent and emergency care plan.

The Government recognises that long waits in accident and emergency departments are unacceptable and lead to worse patient outcomes. Patients should expect and receive the highest standard of service, and we are determined to tackle the issue of corridor care. NHS England published guidance in September 2024 regarding the use of temporary escalation spaces, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/principles-for-providing-safe-and-good-quality-care-in-temporary-escalation-spaces/In January 2025, the NHS England mandate and operational planning guidance for 2025/26 were published. These set out the priorities and actions to be taken to reform and improve urgent and emergency care services. This includes increasing the proportion of patients admitted, discharged, and transferred from an emergency department within 12 hours across 2025/26 compared to 2024/25.We will shortly set out the further improvements and actions to be taken to support urgent and emergency care services this year.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of publishing year-round data on the number of patients being treated in temporary care environments.

We continue to keep the data available and published to support improvements to urgent and emergency care services under review.NHS England has been working with trusts since last year to put in place new reporting arrangements related to the use of temporary escalation spaces, to drive improvement. Subject to a review of data quality this information will be published later in 2025 and we will consider how this data could be published on a more regular basis.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2025 to Question 36815 on Community Development and Housing: Gloucestershire, if he will list the amount of funding allocated for each project.

A total of £22.8 million was allocated through the Levelling Up Home Building Fund/The Home Builders Fund. As this involves development finance provided to private companies, details cannot be disclosed due to commercial sensitivity. A total of £32.7 million was allocated through the Land Assembly Fund across three projects. Individual purchase prices cannot be disclosed due to commercial sensitivity. A total of £10.3 million was awarded through the Affordable Homes Programme. Funding is provided to schemes either through Strategic Partnerships with Registered Providers or via Continuous Market Engagement. Site specific information is not shared due to commercial sensitivity but updates to the overall spend of the programme by region are published on gov.uk here. £249 million was awarded to the M5 J10 improvements through the Housing Infrastructure Fund. Anything outside of this or linked to specific funding will unfortunately not be provided due to commercial sensitivities.

Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with stakeholders from the comedy industry on Government support for that industry.

Following on from my meeting with my Hon Friend and Louisa Jackson on 13 March 2025 to discuss support for the comedy industry, I am pleased to see one of my officials attended the Comedy-on-Prescription roundtable organised by Ms Jackson at Westminster Hall.I will continue to work with my Hon Friend on the role of the comedy sector and hope to organise a round table discussion on the sector shortly and hope to organise a round table discussion on the sector shortly.

Communities and Local Government, which housing and community development projects have received Government funding in Gloucestershire in financial year 2024-25.

These projects received funding from HMG through 2024/25 to develop housing and communities in Gloucestershire: Three sites across Forest of Dean, Cotswolds and Stroud have received funding through the Levelling Up Home Building Fund.Three projects across Cotswold and Tewkesbury supported through the Land Assembly Fund to accelerate the development of strategic sites.Fourteen sites across Gloucester City, Stroud and Tewksbury received support through the Affordable Homes Programme.The Tewkesbury Garden Town project has been awarded support through a Homes England Grant for infrastructure design.A Stroud housing project has received support through Homes England as part of the THBF scheme.Cheltenham Borough Council have been awarded £20,000,000 as part of the Levelling Up Round 3 for the Golden Valley DevelopmentGloucester City Council have been awarded £11,000,000 as part of the Levelling Up Round 3 for the Greyfriars RegenerationThe Chalford Hill Old Neighbourhood Pub in Stroud was awarded £299,400 as part of the Community Ownership Fund Round 4.Forest of Dean District Council and Gloucester City Council have continued to receive HMG funding as part of their ongoing Levelling Up Round 1 projects.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to include (a) educational access payments within the Sustainable Farming Incentive and (b) extend those payments to (i) social prescribing programmes and (ii) other adult educational visits.

We are developing educational access as a new 3-year capital item, which we expect to be available later in 2025. This will be a stand-alone capital item, though applicants must have an agri-environment or woodland agreement with management actions. Whilst there aren’t any specific links to social prescribing, we are extending the range of groups that are eligible for payable visits. The current criteria for educational access in CS is school age children and care farming groups only, but in the new educational access capital item, more diverse groups of people can visit, benefitting from an educational experience on farms and woodlands across England.

What her planned timeline is for the proposed extension of the maximum period that an eligible prisoner may spend on Home Detention Curfew.

The maximum period that an eligible prisoner may spend on Home Detention Curfew will be extended from 180 days to 365 days from 03 June 2025.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure early diagnosis of cancer.

Earlier diagnosis of cancer, at stages 1 or 2, is key to delivering improved cancer outcomes and boosting chances of survival. The earlier that cancer is diagnosed, the more options there are for effective treatment.The Government is committed to improving rates of early diagnosis. We are increasing public awareness of cancer signs and symptoms through the NHS Help Us, Help You campaigns, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point. Additionally, we are streamlining referral routes by introducing the non-specific symptom pathway, for patients who present with vague and non-site-specific symptoms which do not clearly align to a tumour type. We are also increasing the availability of diagnostic capacity through the roll-out of more community diagnostic centres.Furthermore, the latest rapid registration data shows our 12-month early diagnosis rate reached 58.7% as of July 2024; this is 2.7% higher than pre-pandemic levels. This means approximately 7,000 more people are being diagnosed at stage 1 and 2. The roll out of the lung screening programme has driven two thirds of this improvement and latest data shows early diagnosis for lung cancer is eight percentage points higher than pre-pandemic. We will build on recent successes, including further roll out of the lung screening programme, to diagnose cancer earlier and boost survival rates.Additionally, the recently announced National Cancer Plan, which will complement the 10-Year Health Plan and support delivery of the Government’s Health Mission, will set out further actions to improve early diagnosis.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that cancer screening programmes recommended by the National Screening Committee are (a) funded and (b) available to patients as quickly as possible.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) Secretariat works closely with NHS England. This means NHS England is aware of conditions that the committee is considering for a screening programme. The costs and workforce requirements of potential screening programmes are considered when setting budgets so that when a positive recommendation is made by the UK NSC and accepted by Ministers, the National Health Service can begin work on implementing the screening programme.The roll out of a screening programme needs to be done systematically and at a pace that the NHS’s capacity can cope with to ensure safety for those members of the public who accept the screening offer.

What consideration his Department has given to including a separate faster diagnosis target for children and young people with cancer.

The Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) includes children and young people and ensures that cancer is diagnosed or ruled out, within 28 days from referral. The latest FDS data, for December 2024, shows that 89.8% of children and young people with suspected cancer received a diagnosis or all-clear within 28 days of referral, above the overall FDS rate.We are committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more children and young people survive. That is why on 4 February 2025, we relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experience. The Taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experienceThe Taskforce will ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan.

With reference to her Department's publication entitled Good character: caseworker guidance, updated on 13 February 2025, whether her Department plans to review the £1,630 citizenship application fee.

Fees for immigration and nationality applications are kept under review. The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2025 laid on 21 January, sets out increases to the fee maxima that applies to applications made from within the UK to naturalise as a British citizen or a British Overseas Territories citizen from £1,500 to £1,605.As stated in the Explanatory Memorandum for that instrument, this maxima change has been made in order to support a subsequent increase to the application fee for naturalisation as a British citizen at £1,605, with the total cost coming to £1,735 when including the ceremony fee. The intention is that this change will be made following Parliamentary clearance of the Fees Order amendment, through a subsequent amendment to the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018, when Parliamentary time allows.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the backlog of (a) rape and (b) sexual offence cases in the Crown Court.

We know that victims of rape and other sexual offences can wait longer than victims of other offence types for their cases to complete at the Crown Court. Judges, where possible, look to prioritise cases involving vulnerable victims and witnesses, which will include rape and sexual offence cases. This Government has already taken decisive action to increase the capacity of the Crown Court to deliver swifter justice for victims – including victims of rape and sexual offences. This includes increasing magistrates’ court sentencing powers from 6 to 12 months to free up time in the Crown Court and funding 108,500 sitting days this financial year, the highest level in almost ten years. Next financial year, this Government is funding a record allocation of 110,000 sitting days in the Crown Court, which will mean that even more cases can be heard. However, we recognise we must go further. That is why the Lord Chancellor has commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to undertake an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, which will consider options for longer-term reform, as well as reviewing how the criminal courts could operate as efficiently as possible. The Review will report on recommendations for reform by late Spring, followed by recommendations on court efficiency by Autumn. We remain committed to delivering on our manifesto commitment to fast-track rape cases, with specialist courts. We are carefully considering the best way to do this, considering impacts on other offence types and wider Crown Court recovery. We plan to work with the judiciary to do this and will be able to say more in due course.

Whether he will visit the decommissioning power stations at (a) Oldbury and (b) Berkeley (Severn Edge); and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (i) deploying Small Modular Reactors at Oldbury and (ii) developing a Science & Technology Park at Berkeley.

Great British Nuclear is driving forward its Small Modular Reactor competition and has separately acquired the site at Oldbury-on-Severn. No decisions have yet been taken on deployment of technologies at specific sites but the merits of any projects would be considered. We will also consider where the UK's science and innovation infrastructure is best placed to deliver new nuclear’s needs.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with relevant stakeholders on the long-term strategic investment required to support flood mitigation along the Severn Estuary.

We are committed to supporting coastal communities and ensuring flood risk management is fit for the challenges we face now and in the future. We will work to improve resilience and preparation across central government and local authorities to better protect communities across the UK. As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, a record £2.65 billion will be invested over two years in building, maintaining and repairing flood defences, better protecting communities across the country, including from coastal erosion, as we adapt to climate change Regional Flood and Coastal Committees play a key role in bringing these schemes together, making local choices and agreeing the final programmes in their areas. The Environment Agency is undertaking computer based hydraulic modelling of the Severn Estuary to understand current and future flood risk. Using this information, improvements to existing flood schemes and construction of new flood schemes can then be planned in accordance with Government policy.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that breaches of child custody court orders are enforced (a) effectively and (b) in a timely manner.

A Child Arrangement Order may be made by the family court to specify whom a child should live with, spend time with or otherwise have contact with.If the court is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that a person has failed to comply with a Child Arrangement Order, the court has a range of powers available, they can: issue fines, enforcement (and suspended enforcement) orders, and orders for compensation for financial loss, and ultimately to commit an individual to prison, as well as varying the Child Arrangements Order to include a more defined order or a reconsideration of the child’s living or contact arrangements.The Department operates a fee system in which those who engage with courts and tribunals are asked to fund some of the cost of administration, where they can afford to do so. This aligns with HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money guidelines, which recommends that fees are charged at a level to recover the full cost of their underpinning service.The Department recognises that the Lord Chancellor has a duty to ensure access to justice for all those seeking support from a court or tribunal. The Help with Fees scheme offers partial and full remissions to those who cannot afford to pay a court or tribunal fee. Some fees, including those payable for applications relating to child arrangements, are intentionally set below their underpinning cost to further protect access to justice.Legal aid is available for private family matters, including an enforcement order following the breach of a child arrangements order if an individual is a victim of domestic abuse or at risk of being abused. This funding is subject to providing the required evidence of domestic abuse and passing the means and merits tests.

Whether her Department plans to review (a) the requirement to pay fees to initiate legal action when child custody court orders are breached and (b) other financial barriers to enforcing those orders.

A Child Arrangement Order may be made by the family court to specify whom a child should live with, spend time with or otherwise have contact with.If the court is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that a person has failed to comply with a Child Arrangement Order, the court has a range of powers available, they can: issue fines, enforcement (and suspended enforcement) orders, and orders for compensation for financial loss, and ultimately to commit an individual to prison, as well as varying the Child Arrangements Order to include a more defined order or a reconsideration of the child’s living or contact arrangements.The Department operates a fee system in which those who engage with courts and tribunals are asked to fund some of the cost of administration, where they can afford to do so. This aligns with HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money guidelines, which recommends that fees are charged at a level to recover the full cost of their underpinning service.The Department recognises that the Lord Chancellor has a duty to ensure access to justice for all those seeking support from a court or tribunal. The Help with Fees scheme offers partial and full remissions to those who cannot afford to pay a court or tribunal fee. Some fees, including those payable for applications relating to child arrangements, are intentionally set below their underpinning cost to further protect access to justice.Legal aid is available for private family matters, including an enforcement order following the breach of a child arrangements order if an individual is a victim of domestic abuse or at risk of being abused. This funding is subject to providing the required evidence of domestic abuse and passing the means and merits tests.

What steps she is taking to ensure that police forces are adequately (a) trained and (b) resourced to respond effectively to (a) reports of (i) coercive control and (ii) abuse and (b) breaches of court orders.

Tackling violence against women and girls is a top priority for this Government and we will treat it as the national emergency that it is.In our manifesto, we committed to strengthening training for policing to ensure they have the right knowledge and skills to respond appropriately to victims of violence against women and girls. Coercive and controlling behaviour is covered extensively in the Domestic Abuse Matters training. This was developed by the College of Policing with SafeLives, Women's Aid and Welsh Women's Aid, and has now been delivered to over 80% of police forces in England and Wales. We are working closely with the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs' Council to explore how we can further strengthen police training on violence against women and girls.In February, we launched Raneem's Law to embed new external domestic abuse specialists and dedicated teams within 999 control rooms, to support the police response to domestic abuse incidents. The DA specialists will give police access to specialist knowledge and advice on domestic abuse. They can review incoming calls, advise on risk assessments, and facilitate training for police staff.We expect the police to investigate and respond to breaches of a protective order in a timely manner and this has been made clear in police statutory guidance. The domestic abuse teams under Raneem's Law will provide dedicated resource to support the police, for example to ensure that officers attending an incident are fully informed of any protective orders in place.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of legal mechanisms available to victims of (a) coercive control and (b) other abuse when family courts do not enforce child custody arrangements.

A Child Arrangement Order may be made by the family court to specify whom a child should live with, spend time with or otherwise have contact with.If the court is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that a person has failed to comply with a Child Arrangement Order, the court has a range of powers available, they can: issue fines, enforcement (and suspended enforcement) orders, and orders for compensation for financial loss, and ultimately to commit an individual to prison, as well as varying the Child Arrangements Order to include a more defined order or a reconsideration of the child’s living or contact arrangements.The Department operates a fee system in which those who engage with courts and tribunals are asked to fund some of the cost of administration, where they can afford to do so. This aligns with HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money guidelines, which recommends that fees are charged at a level to recover the full cost of their underpinning service.The Department recognises that the Lord Chancellor has a duty to ensure access to justice for all those seeking support from a court or tribunal. The Help with Fees scheme offers partial and full remissions to those who cannot afford to pay a court or tribunal fee. Some fees, including those payable for applications relating to child arrangements, are intentionally set below their underpinning cost to further protect access to justice.Legal aid is available for private family matters, including an enforcement order following the breach of a child arrangements order if an individual is a victim of domestic abuse or at risk of being abused. This funding is subject to providing the required evidence of domestic abuse and passing the means and merits tests.