Written questions by Dhesi.

What recent discussions she has had with transport stakeholders on the adequacy of CCTV coverage in rail stations in (a) preventing and (b) prosecuting incidents of sexual offences.

Everyone should be able to use the rail transport without fearing for their safety. As part of the government’s Safer Streets mission we have a commitment to reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG) by half over the next decade. We recognise that police access to CCTV is vital to being able to identify offenders and bring them to justice, as well as to prevent crime, which is why my Department has recently announced nearly £17 million of funding to provide greater direct CCTV access from railway stations to British Transport Police (BTP). The project, to be delivered by Network Rail in collaboration with the rail industry, will enable BTP officers to have more access to real-time footage from across the railway and help to identify sexual offenders as quickly as possible without having to request this from rail operators.

What steps she is taking to ensure the mandatory reimbursement scheme for Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud adequately protects consumers at risk of being scammed.

The Government takes the issue of fraud very seriously and is dedicated to protecting the public from this appalling crime. To protect consumers, under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has introduced a mandatory reimbursement regime for Authorised Push Payment (APP) scams taking place over the Faster Payment system. This came into force on 7 October 2024. The details of the APP reimbursement regime are a matter for the independent PSR. The PSR monitors compliance with the reimbursement regime closely and has powers to take action where firms fall short of their obligations.

What recent steps she has taken to prevent sexual (a) harassment and (b) abuse on the transport network.

The Department is working across government and with partners, including the transport industry, local authorities and the British Transport Police (BTP), who are responsible for policing the railway in England, Scotland and Wales, to ensure that everyone feels and is safe when travelling. Last month, the Department and Greater Manchester Combined Authority jointly hosted a Safer Streets, Safer Transport Summit which brought together representatives from across the transport industry, Government, local authorities, the third sector and policing to commit to taking action against anti-social behaviour (ASB) and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). As part of the Government’s aims to reduce VAWG by half over the next decade, the Department has an ambitious, evidence-based programme of work to help tackle VAWG on transport. This includes measures in the Bus Services Act 2025 such as training on how to recognise and respond to incidents of criminal and ASB. The Act also enables all Local Transport Authorities to introduce byelaws to tackle ASB on vehicles, as well as within and at bus-related infrastructure (for example bus stations). On the rail network, DfT and the BTP are committed to working closely with Train Operating Companies to ensure our railways are safe, reliable, and efficient for all passengers, staff, and communities. This includes tackling ASB that might annoy, frighten, intimidate, or otherwise upset other people. The Department supports BTP’s zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and sexual offences. This includes using a range of policing techniques to pursue offenders on the rail network to ensure it remains a safe environment and encourage reporting of incidents via BTP’s 61016 text number or 999 in an emergency.

What recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of CCTV in (a) preventing and (b) prosecuting crime committed on the transport network.

Everyone should be able to use public transport without fearing for their safety. As part of the government’s Safer Streets mission we have a commitment to reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG) by half over the next decade. On the railway, we recognise that police access to CCTV is vital to being able to identify offenders and bring them to justice, as well as to prevent crime, which is why my Department has recently announced nearly £17 million of funding to provide greater direct CCTV access from railway stations to British Transport Police (BTP). The project, to be delivered by Network Rail in collaboration with the rail industry, will enable BTP officers to have more access to real-time footage from across the railway and help to identify sexual offenders as quickly as possible without having to request this from rail operators. Across the bus network, as at March 2024, the proportion of buses used by local operators in England that were equipped with CCTV was 96%, a significant increase from 44% in the year ending March 2006. We will be considering the use of, and access to, CCTV on buses as part of our work on the Government’s Safer Streets mission.

What steps he is taking to increase the proportion of written parliamentary questions which receive answers within the usual time period.

The Department takes seriously its parliamentary obligations. I am grateful to my colleagues for their patience as we respond to a very high number of written parliamentary questions (PQs).The Department of Health and Social Care is the busiest Department in Whitehall in terms of the volume of PQs that we receive, routinely receiving in excess of 1,400 PQs each month. In the most recent period for which the Table Office has provided data on PQ performance, from 24 March to 30 June 2025, the Department of Health and Social Care received nearly double the number of PQs as the next highest volume departments, and received 15% of all PQs tabled across Whitehall.We are taking action to improve PQ performance. This includes enhancing the data available to policy teams on outstanding casework and ensuring that the joint leadership of the Department is championing the importance of PQs.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has assessed the potential merits of introducing a statutory Code of Practice on the Sikh articles of faith to help prevent discrimination against (a) public sector workers and (b) users of public services.

This Government attaches great importance of correctly applying equalities legislation in the public sector to avoid discrimination on the basis of religion or belief, one of the protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) regulates equality law across England, Wales and Scotland, and human rights across England and Wales, and is independent of government. It has published Code of Practice on Equal pay, Employment and Services, public functions and associations. These Codes of Practice provide individuals, businesses, employers and public authorities the information they need to understand the Act, exercise their rights, and meet their responsibilities, including on the basis of religion or belief.

What steps her Department is taking to improve awareness of milk entitlement schemes among schools.

Milk is an excellent food for children’s growth and development. To help schools understand the milk entitlement schemes available to them, departmental advice is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england/school-food-in-england. This includes links to the guidance on the school milk subsidy scheme and the nursery milk scheme.

What recent steps he has taken to help ensure that unsafe children's toys are not sold on online marketplaces.

Under the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, all toys placed on the market must meet essential safety requirements. Despite this, we recognise that it remains too easy for non-compliant products to be made available to UK consumers on online marketplaces. The Office for Product Safety and Standards works to assess the prevalence of unsafe toys online and takes enforcement action where needed.Government has also introduced the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025, which allows us to introduce clearer requirements on online marketplaces to improve consumer safety and ensure fair competition. We will consult on proposals with stakeholders in due course.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, whether steps are being taken to improve the reliability of security scanners (a) in Portcullis House and (b) across the Parliamentary estate.

The security scanners (X ray machines) in Portcullis House and across the Parliamentary estate are owned by Parliament and maintained by an external company under a maintenance and service contract. The contract is managed rigorously with robust KPI targets. In support of the contract, engineers are security cleared and have regular attendance on site.The equipment at high volume entrances such as Portcullis House is in constant use Monday through Friday, and this heavy usage will lead to occasional failures of the equipment, despite regular servicing, with daily and weekly testing. When such temporary failures occur, alternative search regimes are utilised to ensure the entrance can remain open as normal without compromising the security of the Estate. During these infrequent occasions, wait times at the affected entrance may be longer, and some visitors may be directed to an alternative search point to facilitate speedier entry.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, whether any assessment has been made as to the potential impact of changes to the Parliamentary Security Directorate's budget on average queue length times at the public entrance at (a) Portcullis House and (b) Cromwell Green.

Both the security and efficiency of search and screening for visitors sit at the core of the Parliamentary Security Department’s (PSD’s) responsibility to keep Parliament safe, secure and open for business. Visitors are advised to allow 30 minutes to pass through search and screening (45 minutes at busier times, like Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons).Budgets for 2026–27 and the following two years are currently being finalised, and work is under way to realise the savings which have been submitted by PSD as part of the House of Commons Savings and Improvements Programme. These proposals will not affect the levels of resourcing at search points or increase waiting times for visitors at Portcullis House and Cromwell Green or in any way compromise security. PSD is actively exploring technology which would both accelerate security screening of visitors and improve security assurance.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will take steps to improve vehicle egress times at Carriage Gates.

Two-way vehicle access in New Palace Yard was restored in October 2025, as part of the phased completion of the works in New Palace Yard designed to improve security following the tragic murder of PC Keith Palmer. The upgrade includes new gates and tiger traps for vehicles, which are now active.These new security measures have increased exit times for vehicles, and we are aware that there have been several occurrences at peak exit times where wait times were unacceptable. In response, the Parliamentary Security Department has made adjustments to operational procedures, and will deploy marshals at peak times to enact contingency plans to avoid a recurrence of these delays.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken alongside local stakeholders to reduce child homelessness in the Slough constituency.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 86837 on 10 November 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of children in temporary accommodation in the Slough constituency.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 86837 on 10 November 2025.

Whether she has had discussions with train operating companies on the potential merits of introducing train tickets with a 24-hour validity period to support commuters working night shifts.

There are no current plans to introduce 24-hour return tickets. Regular commuters, including those working night shifts, can make significant savings with season tickets. As part of our fares simplification, preparing for Pay as You Go expansions in urban areas, we are introducing single leg pricing meaning a single fare will cost roughly half the price of a return.

What recent steps his Department has taken to ensure an adequate number of NHS dentists are recruited in (a) Slough and (b) Berkshire.

We are determined to rebuild National Health Service dentistry, but it will take time and there are no quick fixes. Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are recruiting dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.We recently held a public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and improve the quality of, NHS dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. We will publish a response shortly.We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. The Government is committed to achieving fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.

What the current average waiting time is for an (a) ADHD and (b) autism assessment in (i) Slough constituency and (ii) the South East.

There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for the assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners.For the first time, NHS England published management information on ADHD waits at a national level on 29 May 2025, as part of its ADHD data improvement plan, and has also released technical guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) to improve the recording of ADHD data, with a view to improving the quality of ADHD waits data and publishing more localised data in future. NHS England has also captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.In respect of autism, the most recent data, published on 13 November 2025, is available on the NHS England website at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/autism-statistics/october-2024-to-september-2025

What recent steps his Department has taken to support South Central Ambulance Service to meet target waiting times.

We acknowledge that urgent and emergency care performance has not consistently met expectations in recent years, and we are taking serious steps to address this.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, backed by almost £450 million of capital investment, commits to reducing ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average this year. We are also tackling unacceptable ambulance handover delays by introducing a maximum 45-minute standard, supporting ambulances to be released more quickly and get back on the road to treat patients.This commitment is supported by significant investment in upgrading hundreds of ambulances and expanding the capacity of urgent and emergency care services, enhancing both the speed and quality of care for patients in greatest need.The latest National Health Service performance figures, from October 2025, for South Central Ambulance Service which covers Slough, show that Category 2 incidents were responded to in 31 minutes 54 seconds on average, over six minutes faster than in October 2024.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of ambulance response times in Slough constituency.

We acknowledge that urgent and emergency care performance has not consistently met expectations in recent years, and we are taking serious steps to address this.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, backed by almost £450 million of capital investment, commits to reducing ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average this year. We are also tackling unacceptable ambulance handover delays by introducing a maximum 45-minute standard, supporting ambulances to be released more quickly and get back on the road to treat patients.This commitment is supported by significant investment in upgrading hundreds of ambulances and expanding the capacity of urgent and emergency care services, enhancing both the speed and quality of care for patients in greatest need.The latest National Health Service performance figures, from October 2025, for South Central Ambulance Service which covers Slough, show that Category 2 incidents were responded to in 31 minutes 54 seconds on average, over six minutes faster than in October 2024.

What recent steps his Department has taken to ensure an adequate number of places are available for foundation year doctors moving onto speciality training posts.

As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan published on 3 July, we will work across the Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training. The plan also sets out that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.NHS England has also taken steps to tackle competition for speciality training places this year by changing General Medical Council registration requirements and limiting the number of applications that can be submitted by individuals.

What recent discussions he has had with integrated care boards on the steps they are taking to reduce waiting times for (a) ADHD and (b) autism assessments.

The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays for accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future and recognises the need for early intervention and support.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to autism and ADHD assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.The Medium-Term Planning Framework, published 24 October, was explicit that ICBs and providers are expected to optimise existing resources to reduce long waits for autism and ADHD assessments and improve the quality of assessments by implementing existing and new guidance, as published.In April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the NHS to deliver improved outcomes for people referred to an autism assessment service. NHS England has continued to support services to identify challenges and how they might overcome these.  NHS England also established an ADHD taskforce to better understand the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing timely and equitable access to services and support. We are pleased that the final report was published on 6 November, and we are carefully considering its recommendations.