Written questions by Collins.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of e-invoicing on (a) payment times and (b) cash flow management for SMEs.

The Government is committed to tackling late payments, which can cause cash flow issues for SMEs. In September 2024 we announced measures including a new Fair Payment Code, legislation requiring large companies to report headline payment performance data in their annual reports, and a public consultation on further measures. Adoption of e-invoicing can also help improve payment times and cash flow management by reducing administrative burdens and data errors and streamlining invoicing processes. DBT and HMRC recently ran a joint 12-week consultation to gather views on promoting e-invoicing in the UK. The Government will publish a summary of responses and provide an update on next steps in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve survival outcomes for patients diagnosed with (a) ovarian cancer and (b) other rare and less common cancers.

The Department is committed to improving survival outcomes for all cancer types, including ovarian cancer and other rare and less common cancers, by catching it early, and treating it faster and more effectively. As a first step, the National Health Service is now delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, to support early diagnosis and faster treatment.NHS England is continuing the roll out of community diagnostic centres to ensure that patients can access the diagnostic tests they need as quickly as possible. The NHS is also improving pathways to get people diagnosed faster once they are referred, including non-specific symptom pathways for patients who do not fit clearly into a single urgent cancer referral pathway.To ensure patients have access to the best treatment for ovarian cancer, NHS England commissioned an audit on ovarian cancer. Using routine data collected on patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer in an NHS setting as part of their care and treatment, the audits bring together information to look at what is being done well, where it’s being done well, and what needs to be improved. The audit published its report in September 2024 and officials across NHS England and the Department are considering its findings.Further actions on improving the survival of all cancers, including ovarian cancer and other rare and less common cancers, will be outlined in the forthcoming National Cancer Plan, which will be published later this year. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer. The goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years, and the ambition will be set out as part of the National Cancer Plan.

Whether he plans to include targets on improving survival for (a) ovarian cancer and (b) other rare and less common cancers in the upcoming national cancer plan.

The Department is committed to improving survival outcomes for all cancer types, including ovarian cancer and other rare and less common cancers, by catching it early, and treating it faster and more effectively. As a first step, the National Health Service is now delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, to support early diagnosis and faster treatment.NHS England is continuing the roll out of community diagnostic centres to ensure that patients can access the diagnostic tests they need as quickly as possible. The NHS is also improving pathways to get people diagnosed faster once they are referred, including non-specific symptom pathways for patients who do not fit clearly into a single urgent cancer referral pathway.To ensure patients have access to the best treatment for ovarian cancer, NHS England commissioned an audit on ovarian cancer. Using routine data collected on patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer in an NHS setting as part of their care and treatment, the audits bring together information to look at what is being done well, where it’s being done well, and what needs to be improved. The audit published its report in September 2024 and officials across NHS England and the Department are considering its findings.Further actions on improving the survival of all cancers, including ovarian cancer and other rare and less common cancers, will be outlined in the forthcoming National Cancer Plan, which will be published later this year. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer. The goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years, and the ambition will be set out as part of the National Cancer Plan.

Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the funding allocation for planning enforcement for local authorities for the next (a) year and (b) five years; and what steps she is taking (i) to ensure timely enforcement action in cases of alleged breaches and (ii) with local authorities to help improve enforcement capacity.

Local planning authorities do not receive a standalone funding allocation for planning enforcement.Planning enforcement is at the discretion of local planning authorities and it is for them to decide when and how they use the powers available to them depending on the circumstances of any given case.Resourcing planning departments remains a priority for this government.On 25 February 2025, the draft Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2025 were agreed. These regulations increase planning fees for householder and other applications, with a view to providing much-needed additional resources for hard-pressed LPAs.The Planning and Infrastructure Bill also includes provisions that will allow LPAs to set planning fees or charges at a level that reflects the individual costs to the LPA to carry out the function for which it is imposed and to ensure that the income from planning fees or charges is applied towards the delivery of the planning function.

What plans his Department has to improve access to effective (a) symptom management and (b) pain relief for people with chronic urinary tract infections in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

The Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency is served by the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB). The ICB applies the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) to the treatment of chronic UTIs. The ICB has a defined care pathway which ensures that if primary care management is not sufficient, then patients are swiftly referred to specialist care for more intensive support, including further investigations and management of their symptoms and their pain.Appropriate treatment and support for people with chronic UTIs are dependent on receiving an accurate diagnosis. Diagnostic tests for chronic UTIs, such as urinalysis and urine culture, are widely available across all pathology networks in England, including Hertfordshire and West Essex. Ensuring accurate diagnostic testing not only aids more effective identification of infection but can also reduce unnecessary prescribing and overprescribing of broad-spectrum antimicrobials, and directly benefit patients in Harpenden and Berkhamsted, who will get the right treatment sooner.General practitioners can request testing for chronic UTIs via several pathways, including at point-of-care, via community diagnostic centres, or via laboratories. Laboratories across England adhere to stringent quality standards for diagnostic tests, including the UK Accreditation Standard ISO 15189, and implement robust internal and external quality assurance schemes. Together, these measures ensure the accuracy and reliability of diagnostic testing.Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Department is supporting work to understand the research gaps on UTIs that matter most to patients, carers, and clinicians. This is through a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership (PSP), led by Antibiotic Research UK, Bladder Health UK, and The Urology Foundation. This partnership will publish its findings in spring 2026. The aim of the Chronic and Recurrent UTI PSP is to identify the unanswered questions about chronic and recurrent UTIs from patient, carer, and clinical perspectives and then to prioritise those that patients, carers, and clinicians agree are the most important for research to address.NHS England is also supporting research into newer, more accurate point-of-care tests for UTIs, such as via the Toucan study. Further information on the study is available at the following link:https://www.phctrials.ox.ac.uk/recruiting-trials/toucan-platform-for-uti-diagnostic-evaluation

What discussions she has had with the (a) Financial Conduct Authority and (b) Chancellor of the Exchequer on the affordability of motor insurance for drivers requiring specialist vehicles due to (i) disability and (ii) mobility needs.

This Government is committed to tackle the high costs of motor insurance. The cross-Government motor insurance taskforce, launched in October, is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The taskforce is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector. The Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums. It is looking at the increased insurance costs on consumers and the insurance industry, including how this impacts different demographics, geographies, and communities. The Taskforce was co-chaired by the Secretary of State for Transport and the Economic Secretary to the Treasury when they most recently met on 28 April 2025 and further meetings are being planned. It has yet to make recommendations. The Government will provide updates in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting times are for appeals awaiting an inspector assignment.

The Planning Inspectorate's Strategic Plan commits to removing all casework backlogs and meeting all Ministerial targets by 2027. The Inspectorate continues to make considerable progress towards meeting that ambition across casework areas including nationally significant infrastructure projects, local plan examinations, critical Secretary of State casework and appeals against refusal of planning permission. It is, for example:meeting all statutory timeframes for national infrastructure applications;increasingly deciding planning appeals by hearing and inquiry in around 26 weeks (the Ministerial measure), having already cleared a backlog of casework;beginning to decide enforcement appeals by hearing and inquiry in around 26 weeks (the ministerial measure) for the first time in many years, as it clears a long standing backlog of casework; andreducing the total number of live planning appeals by written representations every month (the highest volume area of casework). Appeals against enforcement notices and refused lawful development certificates is the remaining significant area of casework backlog. The Planning Inspectorate is an Arm's Length Government Body with responsibility for allocation of resources, prioritisation and overall operational performance. The Inspectorate publishes updates on its performance on its website regularly. The Planning Inspectorate does not record the date an inspector is assigned to a case and are unable to give the average and longest wait time for an inspector.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken for enforcement appeals pending by written representations.

The Planning Inspectorate's Strategic Plan commits to removing all casework backlogs and meeting all Ministerial targets by 2027. The Inspectorate continues to make considerable progress towards meeting that ambition across casework areas including nationally significant infrastructure projects, local plan examinations, critical Secretary of State casework and appeals against refusal of planning permission. It is, for example:meeting all statutory timeframes for national infrastructure applications;increasingly deciding planning appeals by hearing and inquiry in around 26 weeks (the Ministerial measure), having already cleared a backlog of casework;beginning to decide enforcement appeals by hearing and inquiry in around 26 weeks (the ministerial measure) for the first time in many years, as it clears a long standing backlog of casework; andreducing the total number of live planning appeals by written representations every month (the highest volume area of casework). Appeals against enforcement notices and refused lawful development certificates is the remaining significant area of casework backlog. The Planning Inspectorate is an Arm's Length Government Body with responsibility for allocation of resources, prioritisation and overall operational performance. The Inspectorate publishes updates on its performance on its website regularly. The Planning Inspectorate does not record the date an inspector is assigned to a case and are unable to give the average and longest wait time for an inspector.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to review the current regulatory limits for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has provided guidance on PFAS to water companies since 2007; updated in August 2024, and a consolidated version was published in March 2025. In February 2025, the DWI published a report from the advisory group of drinking water quality recommending revisions to the drinking water regulations. One recommendation was to introduce DWI’s guideline value into legislation. Defra and the DWI will work together to consider this, and other, recommendations and will update our regulations where appropriate.The DWI monitors publications and advice provided by the World Health Organization and the UK’s Committee on Toxicity in relation to PFAS. It will continue to act accordingly to use a risk-based approach to monitor test results for both raw and treated water based on the scientific evidence as it emerges, to safeguard public health from the risks from PFAS in drinking water. Work continues across government to assess levels of PFAS to safeguard current high drinking water quality and to ensure our regulations remain fit for purpose.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to establish a national chemicals regulator to improve the (a) monitoring and (b) management of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination.

Defra and the Scottish and Welsh Governments work closely with regulators and government agencies to prioritise issues for regulatory action in the UK relating to chemicals. We are working across government to help us assess levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) occurring in the environment, their sources and potential risks to inform policy and regulatory approaches. The revised Environmental Improvement Plan, which will be introduced in 2025, will set out the Government’s approach to managing PFAS.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 55944, what steps her Department plans to take to support people with complex and overlapping health conditions who are subject to the current PIP assessment criteria before the reforms proposed in her Department's Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work, last updated on 18 June 2025, are implemented.

We announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that changes will be made to the eligibility criteria for the daily living component of PIP. Claimants will need to score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity. This change does not alter the Department’s approach to supporting vulnerable claimants or those with complex needs through the assessment process. We are exploring ways to improve the experience of people using the health and disability benefit system. This includes digitalising the transfer of medical information using evidence from other services to reduce the need for functional assessments for those with very severe conditions, and improving communication with claimants who are expected to remind on disability for life. We have also launched a comprehensive review of the PIP assessment process, which I am leading. Through the review, we want to make sure the PIP assessment is fit for the future. We are currently in the first phase of this work, engaging with disabled people, organisations who support them and other experts to shape the scope, timings and approach. This will inform development of the Terms of Reference which will be published as soon as they are drawn up.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to reform the residential conveyancing process to (a) reduce the time taken and (b) increase transparency for (i) buyers and (ii) sellers.

The government is committed to modernising the home buying and selling process. We recently announced local authority pilots involving making key property information available online and the introduction of common data standards so that data can be shared between trusted professionals more easily.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support the digitalisation of the property transaction process.

The government is committed to modernising the home buying and selling process. We recently announced local authority pilots involving making key property information available online and the introduction of common data standards so that data can be shared between trusted professionals more easily.

What plans her Department has to promote reading through (a) digital formats and (b) media platforms commonly used by young people.

The department wants children to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information, and teachers should encourage pupils to develop reading habits by listening to, discussing, and reading a wide range of literature. Departmental officials are working with the sector and other departments to consider how we can encourage reading for pleasure across a variety of formats and support children to develop a lifelong love of reading.The National Literacy Trust's 2025 annual literacy survey shows that more children who enjoyed reading engaged with a variety of formats, both on paper and on screen. It showed that paper remained the most popular format for reading among children and young people in 2025, but some types of content were preferred on screen, such as song lyrics and news articles.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of access to books in low-income households on reading outcomes among children eligible for free school meals.

I refer the hon. Member for Harpenden and Berkhamsted to the answer of 20 June 2025 to Question ​​59345​.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that employers provide disabled people with the support they need to stay in work in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) the rest of England.

Access to Work aims to support the recruitment and retention of disabled people into employment. It is a personalised discretionary grant that provides support with workplace adjustments beyond an employer’s obligation as outlined in the Equality Act 2010.As part of our Plan for Change, and as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published in March, we are consulting on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the programme to help more disabled people into work and support employers ensuring value for money for taxpayers. We will review all aspects of the Scheme following the conclusion of the consultation and carefully assess the impact of any proposed changes.In our Get Britain Working White Paper, published November 2024, we committed support for employers to recruit, retain and develop staff. As part of that, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead ‘Keep Britain Working’, an independent review to consider how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver a final report with recommendations in the autumn.At national level, DWP promotes the Disability Confident Scheme which encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. It provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace and to take positive action to address the issues disabled employees face.We recognise the need to make the scheme more robust, and we will work with employers, disabled people, and disabled people’s organisations to realise its full potential.In addition, DWP's current offer to employers includes a digital information service, (www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk/), which provides tailored guidance for employers to support employees with health and disability to remain in the workplace. This includes guidance on disclosures and having conversations about health and disabilities, plus guidance on legal obligations, including statutory sick pay and making reasonable adjustments. The St Albans and Hemel Hempstead Jobcentres provide support to constituents in Harpenden and Berkhamstead. Disability Employment Advisers work with employers to ensure they are aware of the support available. An example of this is the work undertaken by Disability Employment Adviser Leaders in collaboration with Hertfordshire County Council, through Inclusive Job fairs raising employer awareness of Disability Confident and Access to Work. If the employer is not already signed up to Disability Confident, we encourage them to do so. Our Jobcentres offer retention support to constituents already in employment when they either become disabled or their health deteriorates to such an extent it impacts on their ability to carry out their role at work. The Jobcentre Teams will support the customer and the employer to get the appropriate support/ adjustments in place to ensure the constituent stays in employment.

When his Department plans to include Parkinson’s disease in the Quality and Outcomes Framework.

There are currently no plans to include Parkinson’s disease in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF).The indicators included in QOF are developed in accordance with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, and are underpinned by a robust evidence base. The QOF is reviewed annually to ensure it remains aligned with NICE guidelines.For the 2025/26 contract year, 32 out of 76 QOF indicators were retired to streamline the scheme and reduce the administrative burden on general practice.

What information her Department holds on the number of special schools that have shortened school (a) days and (b) weeks for funding reasons; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children with special educational needs and disabilities receive a full education.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.The department does not hold data on reasons why special schools have changed their school day or week.To support children with SEND in special schools, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year. Total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND is over £12 billion in 2025/26. Of this total, Hertfordshire County Council is being allocated over £207 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), to support SEND provision in Hertfordshire. This is an increase of £17.6 million on their 2024/25 DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula (NFF), and a 9.8% increase per head of their 2 to 18 year-old population, on their equivalent 2024/25 NFF allocation.

If he will take steps to ensure that total triage systems in primary care do not compromise the continuity of care for patients with (a) Parkinson’s disease and (b) other chronic neurological conditions.

The triage process is designed to direct patients to the most appropriate healthcare professional based on their individual needs. This includes those who request or require continuity of care with the same general practitioner (GP), such as patients with Parkinson’s or other neurological conditions, as well as those who may be more appropriately supported by accident and emergency or pharmacy services. The system aims to accommodate a wide range of patient needs and enhance access across the broader healthcare network.To prevent digital exclusion, the GP contract clearly states that patients must always have the option to telephone or visit their practice in person. Online tools that are utilised to support ‘total triage’ should complement, not replace, traditional methods of access. Practice receptions must remain open to ensure that patients without access to telephone or digital services are not disadvantaged, especially those with conditions that require in-person support.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to support SEND provision in Hertfordshire.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.The department does not hold data on reasons why special schools have changed their school day or week.To support children with SEND in special schools, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year. Total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND is over £12 billion in 2025/26. Of this total, Hertfordshire County Council is being allocated over £207 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), to support SEND provision in Hertfordshire. This is an increase of £17.6 million on their 2024/25 DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula (NFF), and a 9.8% increase per head of their 2 to 18 year-old population, on their equivalent 2024/25 NFF allocation.