Written questions by Gordon.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle delays in processing ARAP applications (a) from people at immediate risk of harm in Afghanistan and (b) generally.

It is a priority for this Government to relocate all those eligible under ARAP as quickly as possible, with multiple Government Departments playing a key role to deliver this service. The Ministry of Defence have received over 107,000 unique applications in total but all require consideration. In addition, the Ministry of Defence receive additional family member applications in relation to most eligible applicants, as well as requests for review of ineligible decisions, all of which must be considered. We are working to process these applications as quickly as possible. However, every case has to be considered individually based on the information available. Where cases are particularly complex, time must be taken to properly take into account all considerations to ensure the right outcome is reached.

What resources have been allocated to ensure that the ARAP scheme is functioning (a) efficiently and (b) effectively.

The successful delivery of the ARAP scheme is contingent on the joint capabilities of the Defence Afghan Relocation and Resettlement (DARR) directorate and the Operation LAZURITE programme. The Ministry of Defence has allocated £308 million in funding for Afghan resettlement, for this year. As of 1 December 2024, there are also 304 contractors, civilian and military colleagues working within DARR, and 365 Service personnel deployed under Operation LAZURITE, who ensure the ARAP process is efficient and effective; this ranges from determining eligibility, through to providing resettlement support for Afghan eligible principals and their families in the UK.

How many applicants to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme are awaiting a response; and what the average time taken is to process applications under that scheme.

As of 12 December 2024, 7,662 principal applicants are awaiting an initial eligibility decision under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme. This Government has inherited a large number of ARAP applications but is committed to continuously improving the efficiency of the decision-making process across all cases, so that eligible applicants are identified and relocated quickly. . The time it takes to process an ARAP application varies, and not all applicants will receive an eligibility decision in the same timeframe due a wide range of factors, for example the length of time an applicant takes to respond to a request for information and verification checks required with Other Government Departments. Each case is assessed on its own merit and, as such, some may take longer than others to process.

What the average pupil-to-teacher ratio is in (a) Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) nationally.

Information on the school workforce, including the pupil to adult and pupil to teacher ratios at national, regional, local authority, parliamentary constituency (prior to 2023 boundary changes) and individual school level, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.In the 2023/24 academic year, which is the latest data available, the ratio of pupils to teachers (qualified and unqualified) in state-funded schools was 19.2 in Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency (2024 boundary), 18.0 in North Yorkshire local authority and 18.1 nationally in England.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidents of flooding have been reported in (a) Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency and (b) North Yorkshire in the last 12 months.

The Government inherited flood assets in their worst condition on record following years of underinvestment by the previous Government – 92.1% of the Environment Agency’s 38,000 high consequence assets are currently at required condition Lead Local Flood Authorities undertake formal investigations after significant floods and produce Section 19 reports, which include the number of properties affected. Not all floods require a Section 19 investigation. Criteria for investigation include the number of properties internally flooded, nature of flooding, frequency of flooding, and critical infrastructure affected. Over the last year, there have been three periods when areas of North Yorkshire have experienced significant or prolonged flooding, including one in Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency. North Yorkshire Council has 125 recorded reports of flooding since January 2024, over 50 of those in Knaresborough. Knaresborough experienced significant surface water flooding in May 2024, with over 50 homes and businesses affected. Last winter, York and parts of North Yorkshire were affected by continued high river levels following prolonged wet weather and storms. Although widespread flooding was largely avoided, lower lying areas and communities were impacted. Storm Darragh recently affected communities in Derwent and Rye catchments in North Yorkshire, with 30-40 properties flooded. Villages such as Kirkby Mills, Kirkbymoorside and Marton were affected.

What estimate he has made of GP-to-patient ratios in (a) Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency and (b) North Yorkshire in each of the last five years.

Each general practice (GP) is required to provide services to meet the reasonable needs of their patients. There is no recommendation from NHS England for how many patients a GP should have assigned, or the ratio of GPs or other practice staff to patients. The demands each patient places on their GP are different and can be affected by many different factors, including rurality and patient demographics. It is necessary to consider the workforce for each practice as a whole, not only the GPs but also including the range of health professionals available who are able to respond to the needs of their patients. The following table shows the full-time equivalent (FTE) doctor to patient ratios in the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency, for the last five years:DateMedian number of GP FTE doctors per 10,000 registered patientsSeptember 20206.9September 20216.3September 20226.8September 20236.4September 20246.7 While it is not possible to provide data specifically for the county of North Yorkshire, the following table shows the FTE GP doctor to patient ratios within the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), for the last five years: DateMedian number of GP FTE doctors per 10,000 registered patientsSeptember 20205.8September 20215.6September 20225.7September 20235.8September 20246.2Notes: the data does not include estimates for practices that did not provide fully valid staff records;doctors in GP includes both fully qualified GPs and GPs in training grades;FTE refers to the proportion of full-time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work, as one would indicate they work a full set of hours, 37.5 hours, and 0.5 would indicate that they worked half time;in the GPs in Training Grade contracts, one FTE equals 40 hours, and in this table these FTEs have been converted to the standard Workforce Minimum Data Set measure, of one FTE equalling 37.5 hours, for consistency;figures shown do not include staff working in Prisons, Army Bases, Educational Establishments, Specialist Care Centres, including Drug Rehabilitation Centres, Walk-In Centres and other alternative settings outside of traditional GPs, such as urgent treatment centres and minor injury units;practices in the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency were identified using practice postcodes and the National Statistics Postcode Lookup; andat both an ICB and constituency level, practices have been assigned to these geographies using their 2024 boundaries.

What proportion of complaints to the Trustmark scheme in relation to the Green Homes Grant scheme have been upheld; how much compensation has been paid to Green Homes Grant recipients due to upheld complaints to the Trustmark scheme in total; and how many Green Homes Grant recipients have since received compensation due to an upheld complaint.

The department does not hold the Trustmark complaint data regarding the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme.

What steps his Department has taken to (a) identify and (b) notify people who may have had spray foam installed through a Green Homes Grant about (i) potential damage caused by spray foam to their property and (ii) the potential impact of spray foam installation on their ability to secure a mortgage.

The Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme required that consumers seek advice from a suitably qualified TrustMark registered installer before they applied for a voucher. It also required that installations meet Publicly Available Standard (PAS) 2035.If a homeowner believes that any installation work carried out in their home under a government scheme is faulty, they should first contact the installer. The TrustMark website contains further guidance on steps consumers can take if things go wrong (https://www.trustmark.org.uk/homeowners/if-things-go-wrong). If a product has been installed to the standard it should not require removal.A surveyor should be able to use the published inspection protocol (https://www.property-care.org/resources/spray-foam-insulation-inspections) to make an assessment as part of the mortgage lending process.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the (a) voucher approval, (b) issuance and (c) payment processes for the Green Homes Grant.

An evaluation of the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme was published in November 2023 under the previous Government. It can be found on GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-homes-grant-voucher-scheme-evaluation.Further evaluation of the scheme will support the delivery of future schemes under the Warm Homes Plan, which will be upgrading up to 300,000 homes next year alone.

Whether he will take steps to provide redress to people whose (a) property values or (b) access to mortgage finance has been impacted by spray foam insulation installed using a Green Homes Grant Voucher.

The Department has worked with the insulation industry and lending community to address concerns relating to spray foam. Protocols were published in March 2023 to support surveyors to assess spray foam, provide reassurance to lenders, and inform consumers. While the Department cannot comment on the decisions made by individual lenders, the presence of spray foam should not automatically prevent lending. Decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis following a survey. Recent indications are that most mortgage lenders no longer have blanket policies on spray foam insulation. Any borrower seeking to take out a mortgage may find it useful to shop around and speak to a mortgage broker to find the best possible product for them.

What data his Department holds on the number of homes that used Green Homes Grant vouchers for spray foam insulation.

A breakdown of measures installed under the Green Homes Grant voucher scheme can be found in the Green Homes Grant evaluation report: www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-homes-grant-voucher-scheme-evaluation.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve outcomes for bowel cancer.

The National Health Service is taking crucial steps to improve cancer outcomes for patients across England, including for bowel cancer. We will improve cancer survival rates and hit all NHS cancer waiting time targets, so no patient waits longer than they should.The NHS will maximise the pace of roll-out of additional diagnostic capacity, delivering the final year of the three-year investment plan for establishing community diagnostic centres (CDCs) and ensuring timely implementation of new CDC locations and upgrades to existing CDCs, with capacity prioritised for cancer diagnostics.The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening program currently invites people aged between 56 and 74 years old for screening every two years. However, this age cohort is increasing to people aged between 50 and 74 years old by 2025 with the use of Faecal Immunochemical Test kits which can be sent directly to people's homes.

What steps his Department is taking to help increase the early diagnosis rate for bowel cancer.

The Department is taking steps to improve the rate of early diagnosis for all cancers, including bowel and bowel-related cancers. We will support the National Health Service to transform diagnostic services by spending £1.5 billion on new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners, to build capacity for over 30,000 more procedures and 1.25 million diagnostic tests.

What steps his Department plans to take to reduce the number of people waiting more than 6 weeks for a colonoscopy in England.

Cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. It is unacceptable that some patients are waiting over six weeks for a diagnostic test, including for a colonoscopy. To cut waiting lists for diagnostic tests, each integrated care board will have a recovery plan for diagnostic services, including endoscopy as needed.NHS England is continuing to develop gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy networks across the country, which will address variations in care, including in the timely access to care. The Department is supporting NHS England in completing the rollout and expansion of the community diagnostic programme, including delivering additional endoscopy capacity closer to patients in the community. GI endoscopy training academies have also been established, with one per region, to enable the training and education of the required workforce.The National Health Service is delivering on a number of specific steps to reduce waiting times for GI endoscopy services, including colonoscopy procedures. This includes the establishment of a national transformation project to enable and support the timely recovery of GI endoscopy services, and investment into an expected net increase of 80 additional dedicated endoscopy rooms to expand capacity, as well as a number of Community Diagnostic Centres offering endoscopy services.

What steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of bowel cancer.

Lord Darzi’s report has set out the scale of the challenges we face in fixing the National Health Service, and the need to improve cancer waiting time performance and cancer survival. In particular, he has highlighted the need to improve the number of patients starting their treatment within 62 days of referral, and increase the number of patients diagnosed at an earlier stage.The NHS will maximise the pace of the roll-out of additional diagnostic capacity, delivering the final year of the three-year investment plan for establishing Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) and ensuring timely implementation of the new CDC locations, and upgrades to existing CDCs, with capacity prioritised for cancer diagnostics.We are committed to transforming diagnostic services, and will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners. Furthermore, in 2024/25, we will continue to extend the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme to additional cohorts, specifically to 50 to 52-year olds.

Media and Sport, what progress her Department has made on implementing the reforms outlined in the white paper entitled High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age, published in April 2023; and what her planned timeline is for the full implementation of the proposals.

We are committed to reviewing the best available evidence from a wide range of sources and working with all stakeholders in order to support the sector and ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk. We will provide further updates to the House soon.The Gambling Commission is responsible for the implementation of a number of the regulatory reforms set out in the white paper, such as introducing new regulations to make online games safer and financial vulnerability checks aimed at reducing cases of unaffordable losses. It has consulted on and implemented the majority of these reforms.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle the (a) physical and (b) mental health challenges faced by unpaid carers.

The Government is committed to ensuring that families have the support that they need. We want to ensure that people who care for family and friends are better able to look after their own physical and mental health and wellbeing.People, including unpaid carers, with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they deserve, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health. This includes recruiting 8,500 more mental health workers, introducing specialist mental health professionals in every school, rolling out Young Futures hubs in every community, and modernising the Mental Health Act.

Whether she plans to review the adequacy of the level of Carer's Allowance in the context of increases in the cost of living.

Unpaid carers play a vital role in supporting elderly or disabled relatives or friends. Sometimes unpaid carers will need to turn to the benefit system for financial support, so it is right that we keep Carer’s Allowance under review, to see if it is meeting its objectives, and giving unpaid carers the help and support they need and deserve. In addition to Carer’s Allowance, carers on low incomes can claim income-related benefits, such as Universal Credit and Pension Credit. These benefits can be paid to carers at a higher rate than those without caring responsibilities through the carer element and the additional amount for carers respectively. Currently, the Universal Credit carer element is £198.31 per monthly assessment period. The additional amount for carers in Pension Credit is £45.60 a week. The Secretary of State undertakes a statutory annual review of benefit and pensions, and the level of Carer’s Allowance is protected by Up-rating it each year in line with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI).

How many and what proportion of eligible people have received a check through the targeted lung health check programme in Yorkshire since the establishment of that programme; and what steps he plans to take to help increase the update of those checks.

The NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme is available in some areas of England and offers a lung cancer screen to those who are over 55 years old but younger than 75 years old; are registered with a general practitioner; and have a history of smoking.The Yorkshire region is covered by three Cancer Alliances. NHS England has advised that in the Humber and North Yorkshire, of the 202,527 estimated eligible population, 75,973 people were invited for a lung check, representing 37.5% population coverage. 34,217 had lung checks, and 24,726 had scans. Uptake since inception of the programme is 45%.In West Yorkshire and Harrogate, of the 202,836 estimated eligible population, 36,277 were invited, representing 17.9% population coverage. 19,941 people had lung checks, and 10,404 had scans. Uptake since inception of the programme is 55%.In South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, of the 177,788 estimated eligible population, 132,658 were invited, representing 74.6% population coverage. 49,682 had lung checks, and 32,561 had scans. Uptake since inception of the programme stands at 37%.The Cancer Alliances undertake a range of community engagement, advertising, and ‘reminder’ activities to increase uptake. At a national level, NHS England continues to carry out behavioural insights research to inform their approach to supporting and improving uptake of the programme. NHS England has produced a range of engagement assets including for social media adverts, leaflets and posters which are used by local sites. They aim to run further social media adverts in future.The NHS Lung Cancer Screening programme will be fully rolled out by 2029.

What steps he plans to take to (a) increase breast cancer screening rates to pre-covid-19 levels and (b) meet his Department's breast cancer screening targets.

Following COVID-19, a national restoration plan was implemented by NHS England in 2020/21 with targeted support to all breast screening services, to clear the backlog by the summer of 2023. In 2021/22 and 2022/23, activity was higher than in the previous 10 years with more women invited for breast screening compared to pre-pandemic years.NHS England’s national uptake improvement plan aims to address the fact that despite this action, some women are still not coming forward for breast screening. The plan includes active follow up of women who have missed appointments or who have not engaged with screening, a review to establish reasons for non-attendance to identify and address any barriers, and a look at how different invitation methods may impact on uptake, for instance factors such as age, screening history, and deprivation.