Written questions by Collins.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve testing methods, (b) strengthen labelling regulations and (c) help tackle honey adulteration in other ways.

Defra carries out scientific research in partnership with the Food Standards Agency to help improve testing methods help address honey adulteration. The Honey (England) Regulations 2015 lay down detailed specifications which honey must comply with regarding its composition and quality criteria. They mandate that honey cannot be sold in England unless the country of origin where the honey has been harvested is indicated on the label. However, for reasons of practicality special provisions apply to ‘blended’ honeys, where honey producers can opt for alternative wording indicating that the honey is a blend from more than one country. Defra works closely with enforcement authorities, responsible for enforcing our honey laws on investigating any potential fraud issues raised, to ensure honey sold in the UK is not subject to adulteration, meets our high standards and maintains a level playing field between honey producers.

Innovation and Technology, what measures his Department has discussed with social media companies to help tackle the spread of misinformation online.

The Online Safety Act focuses on the worst kinds of mis- and disinformation - that which is illegal content or content harmful to children. For example, its Foreign Interference Offence forces platforms to take proactive action against state-linked online interference. Platforms must remove other in-scope illegal mis- and disinformation where they become aware of it.The government is clear on platforms’ responsibility to keep their users safe and tackle harmful content, and DSIT engages with major social media platforms on issues or events that create risks for public safety or national security.

Innovation and Technology, if he will take steps to provide financial support to help scientists phase out the use of animals in medical research.

The Government is committed to supporting the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. UK Research and Innovation is committed to reducing the use of animals in research and provide a number of financial support mechanisms to do that. This includes, for example, core funding to the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research, and supporting ‘human-specific’ research through the MRC Experimental medicine programme.

With reference to the Official Statistics by HMRC entitled Measuring tax gaps 2024 edition: tax gap estimates for 2022 to 2023, updated on 20 June 2024, updated on 21 March 2025, what steps she is taking to collect the uncollected theoretical tax liabilities.

A key part of restoring economic stability and fiscal responsibility is closing the tax gap. Unpaid tax deprives UK public services of vital funding and puts businesses who pay the right tax at a competitive disadvantage. At the Budget last autumn, the government introduced the most ambitious package ever to close the tax gap, ensuring more individuals and businesses pay the taxes they owe. At the Spring Statement, the government built on this and announced a package of measures to further close the tax gap and raise over £1 billion in additional gross tax revenue per year by 2029-30. At the Spring Statement, the government announced it will fund the recruitment of a further 500 compliance officers, bringing the total compliance officer growth since July 2024 to 5,500 by 2029/30.In addition, the government will fund the recruitment of an additional 600 staff into HMRC’s debt management teams to ensure those who can afford to pay their tax debts do so. It is also delivering on its commitments to prosecute more tax fraudsters, to introduce a new HMRC reward scheme for informants, to tackle ‘phoenixism’, and to overhaul HMRC’s approach to offshore tax non-compliance. The government has also set out its plans to go further in the future to make it easier for taxpayers to pay the right tax through a modern and digital tax system.

What steps his Department is taking to support small and medium-sized businesses in Harpenden and Berkhamsted, in the context of US tariffs.

We will always act in the best interests of UK businesses. That’s why the government has been focused on negotiating an economic deal with the US. We will continue to engage with businesses to assess and understand the impact of these tariffs. On 3 April the government launched a Request for Input from businesses to help inform the UK’s response to US tariffs. We continue to support businesses to grow and export across the world, including to the United States. Through the recently announced Business Growth Service, businesses can access export support via Great.gov.uk. including the Export Academy, International Markets Network, Growth Hubs and Help to Grow: Management scheme.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to take steps to regulate unrealistic beauty standards in online content aimed at younger children.

Under the Online Safety Act, platforms and search services that are likely to be accessed by children must prevent children of all ages from encountering content that promotes, encourages or provides instructions for eating disorders.Providers must also consider how algorithms can impact children’s exposure to harmful content and mitigate this risk.Ofcom’s draft children’s code of practice also acknowledge that body image content may be linked to significant harm arising from body or image dissatisfaction.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure disabled children can access social care support.

This government is taking forward significant reform of children’s social care, with the aim to rebalance the system towards earlier intervention and ensure that all children and families can access the right help at the point of need, rather than needing to meet a particular threshold. This is particularly the case for children with disabilities, whose need is potentially different from others who may require help and support from children’s social care. Disabled children may require support for the entirety of their childhood and sit across children’s social care, education and health, and their support offer should be adjusted to reflect this.To that end, on Thursday 20 March, I announced the launch of the national Families First Partnership Programme, including the publication of the Families First Programme guide. The guide has been produced to support safeguarding partnerships across England implement Family Help and multi-agency child protection reforms and make greater use of Family Group Decision Making. The guide can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/families-first-partnership-programme.The programme is backed by over £500 million of investment in the 2025/26 financial year, made available through England’s final local government finance settlement (LGFS) for the 2025/26 financial year. This doubles direct investment into preventative support, ensuring access to support at the earliest opportunity, which over time, we expect to safely reduce the number of looked after children, keeping more families together. More information on the LGFS can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2025-to-2026.Programmes delivered by local government over many years have paved the way for these reforms, including evidence from the Supporting Families, and Strengthening Families, Protecting Children programmes. We will also take forward lessons so far from the ten local areas part of the Families First for Children Pathfinder. Best practice for improving the support provided to disabled children includes appointing special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) specialist lead practitioners to lead work with families and recruiting SEND expertise into local authorities’ ‘front doors’ to ensure timely and effective decision making and promote access to services at the earliest opportunity.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle period poverty for young girls in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) England.

No-one should have to miss out on education because of their period, which is why the department provides free period products to girls and women in all state-maintained schools and 16 to 19 education organisations in England.Since the launch of the Period Products Scheme in January 2020, 99% of secondary schools and 87% of post-16 organisations in England have placed orders through the scheme. The department publishes statistics regarding the Scheme’s operation, including take up by local authorities, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/period-products-scheme-management-information.

If she will make it her policy to fund the Adoption and Special Guardianship fund after 2025/26.

The department remains committed to supporting adoptive and kinship families, who play an essential role in providing stable and loving homes for children in need. On 1 April, it was announced that the adoption and special guardianship support fund would continue into 2025/26, with a budget of £50 million. This funding will enable eligible families to receive support in the coming year. All decisions regarding the future of the fund past March 2026 will be made as part of the next spending review.

What steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of available NHS dental appointments in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 April 2025 to Question 44281.

What steps he is taking to help improve staffing levels at GP surgeries to ensure ring timely access to women's health services.

The Government committed to recruiting over 1,000 recently qualified general practitioners (GPs) through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment and secure the future pipeline of GPs. Since 1 October 2024, 851 full-time equivalent (FTE) GPs have been recruited through the scheme.In addition, for GPs employed by practices directly, as of January 2025, there were 573 more fully qualified, FTE GPs working in practices in England compared to July 2024. The recruitment boost, part of the Government’s Plan for Change, will help to end the scandal of patients struggling to see a doctor, easing pressure on GPs and cutting waiting times. Alongside changes to the GP Contract for 2025/26, these additional GPs will help end the 8:00am scramble for appointments which so many patients currently endure every day.The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service. Women's health is included the Royal College of General Practitioners’ curriculum for trainee GPs, including gynaecology, menopause, sexual health, and breast health.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve (a) rates of early diagnosis, (b) access to treatment and (c) specialist care for people with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), by supporting earlier diagnosis, improving access to treatment, and enhancing specialist care. Under the England Rare Diseases Action Plan 2025, we remain focused on delivering against the four key priorities set out in the UK Rare Diseases Framework. The 2025 England Rare Diseases Action Plan was published on 28 February 2025, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/england-rare-diseases-action-plan-2025.To support earlier diagnosis, we are digitalising the National Genomic Test Directory to improve access to genomic testing, and have established eight Genomic Networks of Excellence to standardise services and speed up diagnoses.We are improving access to treatment for rare conditions like DMD by reforming clinical trial regulations through the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which facilitates the development and approval of new therapies.Progress is also being made on repurposing existing medicines and advancing new therapies, to expand treatment options. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) plays a key role by making recommendations on which licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service, based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. The NICE has recently published guidance recommending vamorolone as an option for treating DMD in people aged four years old and older, and the NHS in England is legally required to fund treatment for eligible patients in line with the NICE’s recommendations. The NICE is currently appraising givinostat, which received a conditional marketing authorisation from the MHRA in December 2024 for treating DMD in patients aged six years old and over, to see if it can be recommended for routine funding on the NHS.To enhance specialist care, NHS England is supporting multi-system disorder clinics to reduce appointments and ease care coordination for families. Research is underway to improve service integration, and five new Rare Disease Collaborative Networks have been launched to strengthen specialist support across the NHS.

If will make it his policy that unpaid carers are the central focus of the Independent Commission into Adult Social Care.

We are launching an independent commission chaired by Baroness Louise Casey into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service.The commission is independent. We expect it will engage unpaid carers as part of a national conversation on what adult social care should achieve for people. This will produce recommendations that address major challenges and drive meaningful reform to better meet the needs of everyone, including unpaid carers.

Whether the 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme applies a currency model to commission (a) palliative and (b) end-of-life care services.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.  ICBs are responsible for commissioning palliative and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations.Details of currency models for the last year of life and end of life care were published as supporting documents to the 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme. This supporting document is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-nhs-payment-scheme/#heading-3The currencies are not directly linked to payment for 2025/26, but providers and commissioners should ensure that all data items for the currency models are collected. The currencies should be used to inform ICB commissioning plans and to support service planning and local benchmarking, as well as evaluating service provision.

What steps her Department is taking to support the (a) early commencement of services and (b) reliability of bus services between (i) Tring, (ii) Aylesbury, and (iii) Hemel Hempstead.

The Government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England, including in Tring, Aylesbury and Hemel Hempstead. In addition, the Government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Hertfordshire County Council has been allocated over £12 million of this funding, and Buckinghamshire over £6 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, support early morning or evening services and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve bus connectivity in )a) Great Gaddesden and (b) other rural areas.

The Government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England, including in Tring, Aylesbury and Hemel Hempstead. In addition, the Government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Hertfordshire County Council has been allocated over £12 million of this funding, and Buckinghamshire over £6 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, support early morning or evening services and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to improve the rights of residents in non-traditional housing against (a) eviction, (b) sudden contract cancellations and (c) large rent increases.

All renters, regardless of tenure or agreement type, deserve to feel safe and secure in their homes.Residents in non-traditional housing who fall outside the assured tenancy system are likely to possess a licence to occupy and thus are excluded from the scope of reforms in the Renters’ Rights Bill.The government is satisfied that protection exists for residents with a licence to occupy the property through the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 and broader consumer protection legislation.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce the cost of dental care for (a) low income families and (b) pensioners.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most.The responsibility for commissioning primary care, including dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards across England. Free NHS dental care is available to people who meet the following criteria: - under 18 years old, or under 19 years old and in full-time education;- pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months;- being treated in an NHS hospital and the treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist, although patients may have to pay for any dentures or bridges; or- receiving low-income benefits, or under 20 years old and a dependant of someone receiving low-income benefits.Support is also available through the NHS Low Income Scheme for those patients who are not eligible for an exemption or a full remission of dental patient charges. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/who-is-entitled-to-free-nhs-dental-treatment-in-england/

If her Department will take steps to (a) update the basic rate of Universal Credit annually inline with inflation and (b) introduce an essentials guarantee to reflect the cost of living.

We will bring in a permanent, above inflation, rise to the standard allowance in Universal Credit for the first time ever by raising the standard allowance above inflation from 2026/27 until 2029/30. This is in stark contrast to a freeze between 2016/17 and 2019/20 and crucially, this is a permanent increase so we can give families certainty. To the lowest income and working families up and down the country this will be crucial. We have also uprated benefit rates for 2025/26 in line with inflation and are introducing a new Fair Repayment Rate, allowing 1.2 million households to keep more of their Universal Credit.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on reviewing the eligibility of unpaid carers for (a) legal aid and (b) advocacy; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing funding for respite breaks for unpaid carers.

To be eligible for legal aid, which includes advice, assistance, and advocacy, where applicable, generally an applicant’s legal matter must be in scope for legal aid, and they must pass both a merits and a means test. The merits test, for civil legal aid, and the interests of justice test, for criminal legal aid, assess the merits of the case, including the likelihood of success, and the benefit to the applicant. The means test assesses an applicant’s financial eligibility. Unpaid carers that meet the eligibility criteria are eligible for legal aid.On the potential merits of increasing funding for respite breaks for unpaid carers, local authorities have duties to support people caring for their family and friends. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers.The Better Care Fund includes funding that can be used for carer support, including short breaks and respite services. Local areas determine how the money is best used to support carers, depending on local need and with reference to their statutory responsibilities.Ministers regularly engage with colleagues in other Government departments on a range of issues.