Written questions by Morton.

What estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS and wider public sector of industrial action by doctors and other healthcare workers since July 2024; what assessment he has made of the impact of that industrial action on (a) waiting lists, (b) cancelled procedures and (c) patient outcomes; and whether he plans to reintroduce minimum service levels or amend protections relating to industrial action in essential public services.

Since the agreement made with resident doctors in July 2024 there have been four rounds of strikes. The resident doctors have been on strike for five days each in July, November, and December 2025, and for six days in April 2026. These have an estimated total cost of £50 million a day, including direct and indirect costs, so the total estimated cost is £1 billion. There have not been other national strikes of other healthcare worker groups in this time period.NHS England routinely publishes information on postponed inpatient and outpatient appointments during periods of industrial action. This information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/preparedness-for-potential-industrial-action-in-the-nhs/#heading-3NHS England has published further workforce and activity analysis for the most recent strikes, and this is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/supplementary-information/There are no plans to reintroduce minimum service levels or to amend protections relating to industrial action in essential public services. The Government is committed to bringing in a new era of partnership that sees employers, unions, and the Government work together in co-operation to resolve disputes through meaningful negotiations. Additionally, we have robust contingency plans in place to minimise disruption from any potential industrial action. Striking workers are still subject to section 240 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, which allows for criminal prosecutions for those who intentionally and maliciously endanger life or cause serious injury to a person by going on strike.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of whether packaging predominantly used in hospitality settings is being correctly classified under extended producer responsibility regulations.

Some packaging classified as household packaging under the packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) regulations will ultimately end up being managed through commercial waste management operations. Defra is working closely with stakeholders on this issue, including with representatives of the hospitality and food and drink sectors. Work is ongoing to look for opportunities to reduce the amount of packaging waste managed commercially that is liable for pEPR disposal cost fees.

Whether the forthcoming Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework will include proposals for (a) a national commissioning model for hospice services, (b) minimum standards for palliative and end of life care provision, (c) reducing regional disparities in access to hospice care, (d) improving access to community-based palliative care services and (e) reducing the reliance of hospices on charitable fundraising to deliver core clinical services; and whether Integrated Care Boards will be subject to any new statutory duties or funding expectations as part of that framework.

We will publish an interim update on the Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care shortly. The final MSF will be published this autumn, to allow comprehensive engagement with sector stakeholders.The MSF will provide a clinically-led, evidence-based framework to support sustained improvement in patient and carer outcomes, including reducing both inequality and unwarranted variation. The MSF will also provide the framework against which palliative care and end-of-life care will be improved across all settings, including hospital and community, through neighbourhoods. Areas of action will be identified for those commissioning and delivering services with associated performance and outcome metrics to support system accountability.As part of the MSF, we will consider contracting and commissioning arrangements. The MSF will seek to embed palliative care and end-of-life care within a strategic commissioning model that is centred on population need. Integrated care boards (ICBs) will be directed to move to sustainable contracting of hospice and other services based on population needs assessments. Further direction to ICBs will be set out in the MSF interim update.We have been engaging with a range of stakeholders, from approximately 70 organisations, to inform the MSF’s development. This includes the Ambitions Partnership and organisations representing the hospice sector. As there are approximately 170 adult and 40 children’s hospice in England, we have asked independent hospice stakeholders to engage via their membership organisations, Hospice UK and Together for Short Lives. We are also undertaking engagement with integrated care systems through National Health Service regional teams.Department and NHS England officials will continue to engage closely with stakeholders on the development of the final MSF. Future opportunities for stakeholder engagement will be communicated via our regional NHS England teams, NHS Alliance, and Ambitions Partnership.We have supported the hospice sector in England with a £125 million capital funding boost for adult and children and young people’s hospices to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

Communities and Local Government, what consultation his Department has undertaken with representatives of residential boat communities on the development of national planning policy.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department oversees Enforcement action taken by the Environment Agency in relations Extended Producer Responsibility.

Defra officials are working closely with the Devolved Governments and the national regulators, including the Environment Agency (EA), to ensure that robust plans are in place to scrutinise the accuracy of submissions and to bring into compliance those producers that have not yet registered or reported data. This is supported by more than doubling the number of EA compliance officers working on pEPR. Since the 1 October 2025 submission deadline, the EA and other regulators tracked down and brought more than 2,000 businesses into compliance.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance has been issued to the Environment Agency on distinguishing between household and non-household packaging, particularly where products are primarily used in the on-trade.

Under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, the regulators, including the Environment Agency, have a statutory duty to issue guidance for producers about the evidence which may be used to demonstrate that the household packaging conditions are met. Defra officials work closely with the regulators to ensure that we are aware of any issues and challenges, including where any future amendments to the pEPR regulations might be needed.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of whether the National Planning Policy Framework adequately reflects the housing and planning needs of residential boaters; and whether he plans to issue guidance to local planning authorities on making provision for residential boating communities in local plans.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate she has made of the number of deportation or removal cases in which claims made under Articles 2, 3 or 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights have delayed or prevented removal action in each of the last five years; what assessment she has made of the impact of those cases on public confidence in the immigration system; and whether she plans to review the role of domestic courts and tribunals in immigration and asylum proceedings.

We are committed to the European Convention on Human Rights. However, to retain public confidence in our policies on irregular migration, asylum and criminal justice, the European Convention on Human Rights and other instruments must evolve to face modern challenges.We are grateful for the vital work undertaken by the FTT-IAC and the Government continues to invest in its capacity through funding additional sitting days and judicial recruitment. However, the scale and nature of the current immigration and asylum appeals caseload cannot be sustainably managed within its existing limits. As previously announced, the Government will establish a new independent appeals body which will offer increased capacity and an enhanced ability to prioritise cases in the public interest.The information requested on numbers of deportation or removal cases is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

What assessment he has made of whether the current adult education funding model provides fair and equitable access to funding opportunities for small and medium-sized training providers; what assessment he has made of the impact of funding concentration among large national providers on competition, learner choice and innovation; and whether he plans to review current procurement and commissioning processes to ensure high-quality local providers are not excluded from accessing public funding opportunities.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to update the classification criteria for household and non-household packaging under Extended Producer Responsibility to better reflect real-world usage and distribution.

Defra is working closely with stakeholders to assess all options to amend the household packaging definition (regulation 8) in the packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) regulations. This includes both sector-based interim measures, as well as a long-term solution that addresses all affected sectors. We understand that this is a high priority issue for stakeholders and will provide an update as soon as possible.

Communities and Local Government, what consideration he has given to whether residential boaters constitute a distinct housing group for the purposes of national planning policy.

Awaiting answer.

Whether the Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework remains scheduled for publication in 2026; what factors have affected its publication date; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the timetable for publication on the financial sustainability, workforce planning and long-term service provision of hospices.

We will publish an interim update on the Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care shortly. The final MSF will be published this autumn, to allow comprehensive engagement with sector stakeholders.The MSF will provide a clinically-led, evidence-based framework to support sustained improvement in patient and carer outcomes, including reducing both inequality and unwarranted variation. The MSF will also provide the framework against which palliative care and end-of-life care will be improved across all settings, including hospital and community, through neighbourhoods. Areas of action will be identified for those commissioning and delivering services with associated performance and outcome metrics to support system accountability.As part of the MSF, we will consider contracting and commissioning arrangements. The MSF will seek to embed palliative care and end-of-life care within a strategic commissioning model that is centred on population need. Integrated care boards (ICBs) will be directed to move to sustainable contracting of hospice and other services based on population needs assessments. Further direction to ICBs will be set out in the MSF interim update.We have been engaging with a range of stakeholders, from approximately 70 organisations, to inform the MSF’s development. This includes the Ambitions Partnership and organisations representing the hospice sector. As there are approximately 170 adult and 40 children’s hospice in England, we have asked independent hospice stakeholders to engage via their membership organisations, Hospice UK and Together for Short Lives. We are also undertaking engagement with integrated care systems through National Health Service regional teams.Department and NHS England officials will continue to engage closely with stakeholders on the development of the final MSF. Future opportunities for stakeholder engagement will be communicated via our regional NHS England teams, NHS Alliance, and Ambitions Partnership.We have supported the hospice sector in England with a £125 million capital funding boost for adult and children and young people’s hospices to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of social housing allocations made to households where the lead tenant is not a UK national in each of the last five years; what assessment he has made of the potential impact of those allocations on waiting lists for UK citizens; and whether he plans to review eligibility criteria for access to social housing and other publicly funded housing support.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of people living permanently on residential boats in England; and what assessment he has made of the availability of suitable residential moorings.

Awaiting answer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what revised timetable the Government has set for (a) signature, (b) laying before Parliament, and (c) ratification of the UK-EU Agreement in respect of Gibraltar, in light of the stated implementation date of 15 July 2026.

We welcome the EU's announcement confirming agreement on the Gibraltar Treaty by the Committee of Permanent Representatives, which is an important milestone for the people and businesses of Gibraltar on the journey to full ratification.As soon as possible after the EU has concluded its other internal processes, the final version of the Treaty will be laid in Parliament for scrutiny in accordance with the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.As I have stated in my previous answers to the Hon Member, I look forward to going over the detail of the treaty with her when the final text is brought before the House.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the 21 sitting day scrutiny period for the UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar.

We welcome the EU's announcement confirming agreement on the Gibraltar Treaty by the Committee of Permanent Representatives, which is an important milestone for the people and businesses of Gibraltar on the journey to full ratification.As soon as possible after the EU has concluded its other internal processes, the final version of the Treaty will be laid in Parliament for scrutiny in accordance with the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.As I have stated in my previous answers to the Hon Member, I look forward to going over the detail of the treaty with her when the final text is brought before the House.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government will make time for a substantive debate and vote in both Houses during the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 period for the UK-EU Agreement in respect of Gibraltar, in light of the revised implementation date of 15 July 2026.

We welcome the EU's announcement confirming agreement on the Gibraltar Treaty by the Committee of Permanent Representatives, which is an important milestone for the people and businesses of Gibraltar on the journey to full ratification.As soon as possible after the EU has concluded its other internal processes, the final version of the Treaty will be laid in Parliament for scrutiny in accordance with the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.As I have stated in my previous answers to the Hon Member, I look forward to going over the detail of the treaty with her when the final text is brought before the House.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government intends to provisionally apply any provisions of the UK-EU Agreement in respect of Gibraltar prior to completion of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 process.

We welcome the EU's announcement confirming agreement on the Gibraltar Treaty by the Committee of Permanent Representatives, which is an important milestone for the people and businesses of Gibraltar on the journey to full ratification.As soon as possible after the EU has concluded its other internal processes, the final version of the Treaty will be laid in Parliament for scrutiny in accordance with the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.As I have stated in my previous answers to the Hon Member, I look forward to going over the detail of the treaty with her when the final text is brought before the House.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Local Government Finance Statement made on 23 February 2026, what the estimated annual operating cost of the proposed Local Audit Office will be; how it will be funded; how its powers and remit will differ from the existing audit framework; and what timetable has been set for clearing the backlog of outstanding local authority audits prior to its establishment in autumn 2026.

The Local Audit Office will take on a remit and powers currently fragmented across the existing system with its statutory objectives and functions detailed in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. We will confirm the estimated cost and funding mechanisms later in the year, ensuring that it provides greater value for money than the current failed system. Following the introduction of statutory local audit backstop dates in autumn 2024, the backlog of unaudited accounts has been cleared. The vast majority of opinions for financial years up to and including 2024/25 have been published. The government continues to engage with local bodies and audit firms to ensure that issues preventing the issuance of audit opinions are resolved, and that remaining opinions are published as soon as practicable.

What assessment her Department has made of accident rates at high-risk urban junctions in England; what funding streams are available to local authorities to improve junction safety through measures such as traffic signal redesign, new crossings, and improved signage; and whether the Government plans to expand dedicated road safety funding for local authorities seeking to address collision hotspots.

Data on reported road collisions, including location and whether at a junction, is collected by police forces via the system known as STATS19 and is published annually on gov.uk, which would allow this analysis to be carried out, but it is not analysed at that level of detail centrally.On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. The Strategy sets out the Department’s intention to establish a data-led road safety investigation branch to learn lessons from road incidents, by taking a strategic, thematic approach, focusing on patterns of collisions, injury trends, and systemic safety issues. It will adopt a test-and-learn approach, using real-world evidence to inform targeted safety interventions, data-driven policies, and proactive prevention and enforcement strategies. The Department provides significant funding for road infrastructure in England, both to local authorities and to National Highways. Road Safety is a crucial consideration in how that money is spent. The government will provide £24 billion of capital funding between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to maintain and improve motorways and local roads across the country. This future funding builds upon the record investment of £1.6 billion in local road maintenance for 2025 to 2026, representing a £500 million increase compared to last year. New funding arrangements for Mayors and Combined Authorities means less ring-fencing of funds by central Government. We know that many Mayors have ambitious road safety plans and strategies and we look forward to working in partnership with them. The traffic authority has the responsibility of making decisions about the roads under its care, based on its knowledge of the area and taking into account local needs and considerations.