Written questions by Jermy.

What steps she is taking to support children who do not meet the criteria for Specialist Provision Packages but require direct and ongoing support.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of Welsh ALN reforms; and what steps she is taking to ensure that requirements for schools and settings to produce Individual Support Plans does not discourage the identification and support of children and young people with SEND.

Awaiting answer.

What safeguards will be put in place to ensure children and young people who lose their EHCP under the transition to the new system are still provided with specialist provision.

Awaiting answer.

If his Department will fast track military pension cases from veterans who have not yet received their military pension.

Awaiting answer.

What progress has been made on the implementation of the Pension Sharing Orders.

Awaiting answer.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for (a) speech and language therapy, (b) physiotherapy, (c) psychological support and (d) other elements of stroke rehabilitation.

NHS England has set clear ambitions for community health services through its Medium Term Planning Framework. By 2028/29, 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks, bringing community health services in line with targets ...

What steps his Department is taking to address (a) regional differences in out-of-hours provision of and (b) other regional differences in access to thrombectomy services for stroke patients.

NHS England’s National Stroke Service Model and the National Service Model for an Integrated Community Stroke Service aim to reduce inequalities by standardising care, enhancing access to acute treatments, and providing comprehensive community rehabilitat...

What steps Department is taking to support people (a) at risk of stroke and (b) who have recently suffered strokes.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will develop new Cardiovascular Modern Service Framework which will prioritise ambitious, evidence-led, consistent, high quality, and clinically informed approaches to prevention, treatment, and care.The National ...

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of progress towards delivering universal 24/7 access to thrombectomy services for stroke patients in England.

Progress towards 24/7 access to thrombectomy services continues to be made. To achieve full coverage, thrombectomy centres have received funding aligned with individual provider readiness and implementation plans to deliver extended hours and 24/7 provisi...

How his Department plans to include (a) thrombectomy and (b) stroke rehabilitation in the Modern Service Framework for cardiovascular disease.

Progress towards 24/7 access to thrombectomy services continues to be made. To achieve full coverage, thrombectomy centres have received funding aligned with individual provider readiness and implementation plans to deliver extended hours and 24/7 provisi...

What recent steps his Department has taken to achieve (a) universal and (b) 24/7 access to thrombectomy services.

Progress towards 24/7 access to thrombectomy services continues to be made. To achieve full coverage, thrombectomy centres have received funding aligned with individual provider readiness and implementation plans to deliver extended hours and 24/7 provisi...

What contingency plans are in place if the target for 24/7 thrombectomy access is not achieved on schedule.

Progress towards 24/7 access to thrombectomy services continues to be made. To achieve full coverage, thrombectomy centres have received funding aligned with individual provider readiness and implementation plans to deliver extended hours and 24/7 provisi...

Whether she is taking steps to ensure that Initial Teacher Training equips all new teachers with the skills to deliver adaptive teaching for children with speech and language challenges.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for South West Norfolk to the answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 115276.

Whether non-animal alternatives must be validated if they are being used to provide data on the safety and efficacy of potential new pharmaceuticals within submissions to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

The term ‘validation’ is broad and subject to a variety of definitions. Regarding the use of animal models for submission to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), non-animal alternatives must be demonstrated to be fit for the purpose intended when used to characterise the safety and potential efficacy of new pharmaceuticals. A new guideline issued in March of this year describes the current MHRA approach to medicines using non-animal methods, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mhra-approach-to-medicines-using-non-animal-methods#:~:text=In%20making%20an%20application%20to,not%20support%20testing%20in%20animals

Whether harm–benefit analyses are undertaken for each individual toxicity study carried out under a service licence (involving multiple generic projects) issued to a contract research organisation.

All project licence applications, including service licences covering multiple generic projects, are subject to the harm–benefit analysis (HBA) process required under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).This process is undertaken by the Home Office Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) to ensure that harms caused to the animals is fully justified by the expected benefits for humans, animals or the environment and evaluates whether a project licence application can be legally authorised.The HBA is not undertaken for each individual study, because ASPA authorises project licences (programme of work), rather than requiring separate regulatory authorisation for each individual experiment. Individual studies carried out under a service licence must remain within the scope, severity limits and conditions of the licensed programme of work and are subject to scrutiny by the establishment’s Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body and inspection by ASRU.

How her Department is ensuring that early year’s provision includes learning about food, soil, biodiversity, and ecosystems.

The statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework (EYFS) sets the education requirements for all early years settings. The EYFS provides a curriculum framework for settings to build upon across seven areas of learning, to ensure every child has the best start in life and is prepared for school.The department provides a range of resources to support practitioners with promoting children’s learning about the natural world around them, including the Development Matters curriculum guidance, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/development-matters--2.Further resources can be found through the Help for Early Years Providers site, accessible at: https://help-for-early-years-providers.education.gov.uk/. Practitioners may also refer to the free, quality assured climate, nature and environmental education resources on the National Education Nature Park website: https://www.educationnaturepark.org.uk/resources.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to empower local community initiatives, farms, and schools to implement practical food and nature education; and how her Department is measuring their impact.

The food strategy recognises the key role that regional and local food systems can play in supporting delivery of the growth, health, sustainability, and food security/ resilience outcomes. Defra wants to create an environment that champions UK food cultures and celebrates British food. Connecting local communities can be a key vehicle for achieving this outcome and for harnessing a stronger food culture. As we develop the food strategy, we will be considering how we can better support local and place-based initiatives, to deliver the changes needed to deliver our outcomes. The Government will consider the approach to monitoring and evaluation as we develop the outcomes and delivery mechanisms.

Food and Rural Affairs, what dedicated funding streams exist across Departments to support food, nature, and sustainability education.

The majority of grant schemes administered by the department relate to Food or Nature outcomes, with grant funding being the primary funding stream used to support these outcomes. Details of all Defra grant schemes are recorded on the Government Grants Information System (GGIS), in line with cross‑government transparency requirements. Government grants data and statistics are published annually by the Cabinet Office in Official Statistics and are publicly available. These statistics include the full Defra portfolio. The most recent publication covers Financial Year 2023/24, and is available on GOV.UK, at the following link: Government grants data and statistics - GOV.UK. Data for Financial Year 2024/25 will be published later this year.

What steps her Department is taking to embed practical food, nature, and sustainability education across the national curriculum from EYFS to post-16, including T Levels.

The current national curriculum includes these topics, and there is a food preparation and nutrition GCSE, and science and geography are available at GCSE and A level. In response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the department will enhance the identity of food education by clearly distinguishing cooking and nutrition, which will be renamed food and nutrition, as a distinct subject within design and technology.The department will also enhance the focus on climate education and sustainability that already exists in subjects such as geography, science, and citizenship. We will also include sustainability within design and technology. The national curriculum will be taught in academies when it is implemented. At post-16, the department is continuing to support adults to retrain and reskill in line with the needs of the green economy. We have a range of qualifications for older learners that provide training in green skills including apprenticeships, T levels, Skills Bootcamps and higher technical qualifications.

How her Department is ensuring that young people gain practical, vocational skills in regenerative farming, agroecology, and sustainable horticulture.

The government is strengthening technical education so that young people can gain practical skills in areas such as regenerative farming, agroecology, and sustainable horticulture. This includes a range of apprenticeships in agriculture, environmental and animal care sector such as crop technician. Land-based colleges and institutes of technology offer applied learning experience with employer designed standards increasingly embedding regenerative and agroecological practices. Land based T Levels and technical qualifications include opportunities for hands on learning in soil health, sustainable crop production, biodiversity, and low-impact land management. Skills England works with employers to embed real world regenerative and agroecological practices in relevant occupational and apprenticeship standards to ensure they meet ongoing skills needs. Local Skills Improvement Plans help guide providers to match training with the priority skills needs, which include those related to agriculture and land-based industries. Together, these measures create a strong pipeline of young people equipped for careers in regenerative, low carbon land-based sectors.