Written questions by Collins.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the accessibility of the consultation entitled Growing up in the online world: a national consultation, published on 2 March 2026, for people (a) without technical expertise.

Awaiting answer.

Innovation and Technology, in what way she plans to use responses to the consultation entitled Growing up in the online world: a national consultation, published on 2 March 2026, to inform policymaking; and how those responses will be considered alongside the findings of the expert panel convened as part of the same process.

All responses to the consultation titled: Growing up in the online world: a national consultation will be analysed and summarised, with a summary published on the GOV.UK website. Ministers will consider these views alongside evidence gathered through our National Conversation and stakeholder engagement across the UK with families, young people, schools, civil society and industry.These views will be considered alongside insights from an expert panel of academics, to help the department understand the information from the consultation in the context of the evolving evidence base. All views and evidence will inform the government’s next steps to improve children’s digital wellbeing and safety.

When his Department's response to the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s report entitled Everyday Business: Addressing domestic abuse and continuing harm through a family court review and reporting mechanism, published on 15 October 2025, will be published.

The Government welcomes the publication of the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s report “Everyday Business: Addressing domestic abuse and continuing harm through a family court review and reporting mechanism.”We are carefully considering the recommendations made in the report and we expect to publish a full response in the coming weeks.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the stakeholder engagement in relation to the consultation entitled Growing up in the online world: a national consultation, published on 2 March 2026; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) clinicians, (b) police officers and (c) social workers are included.

Alongside the consultation, which has had over 63,000 responses already, the Government launched a National Conversation to support broad and accessible engagement across the UK, including through schools, community settings and civil society organisations, ensuring a wide range of perspectives inform policymaking.The Department is engaging clinicians, police officers and social workers through existing networks, representative bodies and cross‑government channels, including organisations such as the British Association of Social Workers, and encouraging contributions to the consultation.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she plans to take to include children’s perspectives in the policymaking process for generative AI.

Awaiting answer.

How many carers have lost entitlement to Carer’s Allowance as a result of exceeding the 21‑hour study limit in each of the last five years.

Awaiting answer.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the levels of funding for music and dance schools on the adequacy of the provision of music and dance training.

Awaiting answer.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Valuation Office Agency’s performance in responding to Checks and Challenges to rateable values of non‑domestic properties; and what steps her Department is taking to help speed up that process.

I refer the hon member to the answer to UIN 126458, tabled on 10 April 2026.

What workplace support the Menopause Action Plan will deliver for constituents in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

This Spring, we launched voluntary action plans for large employers, encouraging them to publish what they are doing to support employees experiencing menopause, alongside the steps they are taking to address their gender pay gap.We have published step-by-step guidance, including a list of evidence-informed actions, to support employers in developing their action plans. Our common-sense actions include menopause training for managers, transparent, flexible working policies, and tailored workplace adjustments.Action plans aim to enhance workplace support and tackle the barriers faced by women, benefiting both employers and employees across the country, including those in the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

What support his Department is providing to people living with Multiple Sclerosis in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

At the national level, initiatives such as NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme and the NHS RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions toolkit both aim to reduce unwarranted variation in services and improve equity of care for people with multiple sclerosis (MS).At the local level, the West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s neurology department provides care to patients with MS in the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency. The team consists of consultant neurologists, a consultant neurophysiologist, and two specialist nurses. All consultants hold joint appointments with University College London Hospitals or the Royal Free Hospital, giving access to specialised neurological care. The Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust provides the community neurological rehabilitation service for adults in the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency. The service provides specialist therapy to patients with long term neurological conditions, including those with MS. Specialist advice and oversight is available from a consultant neurologist where clinically appropriate. The service offers complex care, needs-led intervention, specialist equipment, and self-management support according to intensity of clinical needs.

What steps his Department is taking to increase public participation in the bowel cancer screening programme in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

Bowel screening uptake in Berkhamsted and Harpenden is currently between 84% and 87%. The NHS Central East Integrated Care Board (ICB) works closely with general practices (GPs) to encourage promotion of bowel screening through a ‘making every contact count’ approach when they are informed which of their patients have not returned their faecal immunochemical test (FIT).The ICB has also used regional innovation screening funding to support cancer screening projects in Hertfordshire, including some specifically for bowel cancer. In 2025/26, the programme included:delivering outreach to people on the Serious Mental Illness Register who face barriers to screening because of their mental ill health;targeting non-responders from communities who find National Health Services hard-to-reach, including traveller and asylum seeker communities;supporting screening uptake within the learning disability population, with a particular focus on bowel screening;providing public education on cancer awareness to specific postcodes with low uptake of screening, delivered by the patient-led ‘Cancel out Cancer’ group;reviewing 130,000 bowel screening non-responders to identify themes in order to understand potential barriers; andreaching out to patients who are eligible for screening but who haven’t taken up the opportunity to answer any questions they have and book in appointments for people as needed, via Cancer Care Co-ordinators who form part of the GP teams across Hertfordshire.In England, coverage of bowel cancer screening has been increasing in recent years. In 2019, 60.5% of people took the offer up, while now it is 71.8%. To further increase coverage across England, NHS England is doing the following:delivering new approaches to communicating with people about screening through the NHS App;incorporating the reasonable adjustment flag into screening to ensure that people get information in the way they want, and that adjustments are made to support people at appointments;has recently updated the bowel cancer screening leaflets and is updating the bowel cancer screening letters to improve accessibility; andhas made the bowel cancer screening FIT kit more accessible for people who are blind or partially sighted.

How far the proposed SEND reforms will address the postcode lottery in access to specialist education support.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of children’s physical safety in schools.

Nothing is more important than the safety of children. It is the responsibility of those running our schools (academy trusts, local authorities, and voluntary-aided school bodies) to ensure their school buildings are safe, well-maintained, and compliant with relevant regulations. The School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 specify minimum standards for the premises of all local-authority maintained schools in England, with the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 fulfilling the same function for voluntary aided, foundation and academy trust schools.The department provides guidance, tools and support to help schools and responsible bodies effectively manage their school buildings.The department has published the statutory safeguarding guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ alongside a range of other guidance, which sets out clear expectations in relation to training staff and putting effective systems in place to ensure the physical safety of children whilst in school. Schools are expected to have policies in place on security measures and to conduct risk assessments and develop plans, covering everything from deterring attacks and keeping learners safe, to developing lockdown procedures.

What recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of children’s happiness at school.

The department is committed to improving pupils’ experience of school, which can affect attendance, engagement, attainment and wider wellbeing.As set out in the Every Child Achieving and Thriving white paper, the government will work with partners to produce a Pupil Engagement Framework to be published later this year. This framework will help schools to measure and improve the key factors that determine pupils’ engagement in education, including their sense of belonging and safety, inclusion and relationships with teachers and fellow pupils. By the end of the Parliament, we expect every school to monitor children’s sense of belonging and engagement, up from around 60% of schools today, and take action in line with the Framework so more children, including those who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs and disabilities, will feel a strong sense of belonging in school.

What assessment she has made of the trends in the length of time it takes parents who suspect their child has SEND to get an assessment in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), rests with local authorities. To support this, we are investing at least £3.7 billion in high needs capital funding between 2025/2026 and 2029/2030. In 2025/26 and 2026/27, Hertfordshire has been allocated just over £11.1 million and circa £17.3 million respectively through high needs provision capital allocations.This funding can be used to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools to deliver more tailored support. It can also be used to improves accessibility in mainstream settings and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.Hertfordshire County Council will receive over £220 million through the high needs funding block of its 2026/27 dedicated schools grant, following a 10% per-head increase in its high needs revenue funding last year.Across Hertfordshire, the rate of education, health and care plans issued within 20 weeks was 94% in January 2026, 97% in February, and 93% in March.

What steps he is taking to reform access to work in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of the Access to Work scheme. We also considered the role of employers in creating accessible and inclusive workplaces as well as how we can shape the market for aids, appliances and assistive technology, to reduce their cost and spread their adoption. We are using the outcomes of the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultations, the Collaboration Committees, and upcoming work of the Independent Disability Advisory Panel to inform the future direction of Access to Work. Once the outcome is established, we will consider timelines, and work closely with stakeholders to ensure an appropriate transition, including in Harpenden and Berkhamsted.

Whether the Statutory Instrument required to enable civil enforcement against unnecessary pavement obstruction has been drafted; and when he plans to lay that instrument before Parliament.

The Statutory Instrument is being drafted and will be laid before Parliament by the end of the year.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle hate crimes in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

The Government is committed to tackle all forms of hate crime wherever in the country it occurs, including in Harpenden and Berkhamsted.We have a robust legislative framework in place to respond to hate crimes and work closely with the police to ensure the strongest action is taken against the perpetrators of these appalling offences.We have taken steps to strengthen this framework, through the Crime and Policing Bill, to extend the aggravated offences in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to cover hostility based on disability, sexual orientation, transgender identity and sex. This will provide parity with existing racially and religiously aggravated offences and strengthen protection for victims across the country.We are also providing record levels of funding for protective security for faith communities, with up to £73.4 million in funding available in 2026/27.In addition, we have commissioned an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation, led by Lord Ken Macdonald of River Glaven KC, to assess whether existing legislation is effective and proportionate, and whether it adequately protects communities from intimidation and hate.

What steps her Department is taking to improve levels of confidence in the police amongst minority communities.

The Government actively supports the aims of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and College of Policing’s ‘National policing culture and inclusion strategy’ which aims to tackle discrimination within policing, as well as the Police Race Action Plan, which aims to address confidence in policing among black communities.The Angiolini Inquiry is also examining a range of issues relating to processes and cultures in policing so that the public can have confidence that the police are there to protect them, and we will carefully consider any recommendations it makes.

What steps he is taking to support disabled people into work in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

In the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency, we have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants. Our Supported Employment programme, Connect to Work is being delivered by Hertfordshire County Council (HCC), and is supporting disabled people, people with health conditions and people with complex barriers to employment. DEAs in the Jobcentres supporting the constituency hold in-depth Work Ability conversations that focus on strengths, suitable work options, workplace adjustments and confidence building. There is a Weekly Wednesday Job Club for Berkhamsted customers. As part of the Pathways to Work initiative, DEAs work in collaboration with HCC to deliver joined-up services for residents by supporting disabled people into employment through our Connect to Work programme and referrals to Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies. DWP is also working with the NHS and HCC as part of the Get Hertfordshire Working strategic plan. Representatives from DWP and the NHS co-chair the Work and Health subgroup of the plan. This group is working with local employers and key partners from the statutory, education and voluntary sectors to support residents with health conditions to both stay in and return to work through a range of activities such as employment and skills training and through providing support in managing their health conditions. The group is also developing employment pathways such as work experience, internships and apprenticeships with partner agencies.