Written questions by Qureshi.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of proposed neighbourhood health centres being able to (a) improve musculoskeletal health and (b) treat musculoskeletal health issues.

Improving health and work outcomes of people with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions will help deliver the Government's mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and kickstart economic growth. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service. Neighbourhood teams will bring together professionals, including nurses, doctors, social care staff, pharmacists, and health visitors, to provide comprehensive care that fits around people’s lives. Neighbourhood health approaches can help ensure that people with MSK conditions receive more personalised and coordinated support, reducing unnecessary hospital visits and enabling earlier, community-based interventions. Our aim is to have one Neighbourhood Health Centre in each community that brings together NHS, local authority, and voluntary sector services in one place, offering integrated, holistic support for all health needs, which could include MSK care, rehabilitation, and prevention. We have launched wave 1 of the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP) across 43 places in England. The NNHIP will support systems across the country by driving innovation and integration at a local level, to accelerate improvements in outcomes, satisfaction, and experience for people by ensuring that care is more joined-up, accessible, and responsive to community needs.

What steps is his Department taking to ensure people with suspected autoimmune or inflammatory conditions are referred to rheumatology services within 3 weeks.

We are committed to supporting people with long-term conditions and ensuring they receive the support that they need, including referral to specialist services as appropriate.To support health and care professionals in the early diagnosis and management of rheumatoid autoimmune or inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published expert guidance. This guidance states that people with suspected persistent synovitis, a condition closely associated with RA, should be assessed in a rheumatology service within three weeks of referral.The Getting It Right First Time Programme for Rheumatology has published a report for healthcare professionals on the diagnosis and management of a range of rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders, including autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. The report includes several recommendations designed to help reduce the number of unnecessary hospital visits and reduce waiting times for outpatient rheumatology services, including guidance on best approach for establishing patient initiated follow up, and specialist advice.More widely, the Elective Reform Plan recognises that the traditional delivery of outpatient care, via a hospital appointment with a specialist, can be resource intensive and is often not the right model for clinicians, patients, or their carers. Digital solutions, updated financial flows, appropriate job planning, and time and investment will lead to meaningful reform to outpatient services, including rheumatology services.The 10-Year Health Plan sets out further our vision for elective care by 2035, where most interactions no longer take place in a hospital building, instead happening virtually or via neighbourhood services. Planned care will be more efficient, timely, and effective and will put control in the hands of patients, including those with suspected autoimmune or inflammatory conditions.We are also committed to transforming and expanding diagnostic services and speeding up waiting times for tests. This includes investment in new and expanded community diagnostic centres, which is supporting a key Government priority to shift care from the hospital to the community, and offer the tests needed to support diagnosis of suspected rheumatoid autoimmune or inflammatory conditions such as RA.

What steps he is taking to expedite the roll-out of surgical hubs.

Dedicated and protected surgical hubs transform the way the National Health Service provides elective care by focusing on providing high volume low complexity surgery, as recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons of England.That is why we are investing in hubs as part of the £1.65 billion of capital funding in 2025/26 announced at the 2025 Spending Review to support NHS performance across secondary and emergency care.Since the Government came to office, 22 more surgical hubs have opened, bringing the total to 123 operational across England. We are committed to increasing that number over the next three years.

What steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for joint replacement surgery in South Bolton and Walkden constituency.

The Government is committed to putting patients first, nationally and in the South Bolton and Walkden Constituency. This means making sure that patients, including those waiting for joint replacement surgery, are seen on time and ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care.The South Bolton area is predominantly served by the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust (FT), whilst the wider region including Walkden is served by the Manchester University NHS FT.At the Bolton NHS FT, over half, or 55.6%, of waits on the trauma and orthopaedics (T&O) waiting list, which includes joint replacement surgery, were waiting within 18 weeks, an improvement of 8.8% since the start of July 2024. The number of long waits of more than 52 weeks has also reduced by 67% over the same period, down to 83.At the Manchester University NHS FT, 45% of T&O waits were within 18 weeks, an improvement of 3.7%. The number of long waits of over 52 weeks has also reduced by 6% over the same period, down to 893.We set out in the 2025 Elective Reform Plan, the productivity and modernisation efforts needed to reach the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029. The plan outlines actions that will help to ensure care is delivered in the right place. This includes £1.65 billion of capital funding in 2025/26 to increase capacity for elective and emergency care, partly through new surgical hubs. Hubs deliver quicker access to common surgical procedures, including T&O services. In October 2025, capacity in one of two surgical hubs that are part of the Manchester University FT was expanded, namely the Trafford Hospital Elective Surgical Hub. This means more patients can receive treatment faster and begin recovery sooner.The Government remains committed to continuing to expand the number of hubs over the next three years to increase surgical capacity and deliver faster access to common procedures including T&O procedures.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to help reduce the (a) number of steps required and (b) time taken to remove (i) honours and (ii) titles.

Peerages, styles, titles and honours are granted by the Sovereign. The Sovereign may change the entitlement to the titles and styles such as “Prince” and “Royal Highness” under the Royal Prerogative. An Act of Parliament is required to remove a peerage once conferred. Honours can only be revoked by the Sovereign, typically following a recommendation by the Forfeiture Committee to the Prime Minister.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle littering.

Local councils are responsible for keeping streets clear of litter with the role of central Government to support local action. The Pride in Place Strategy sets out how Government will support local action by bringing forward statutory enforcement guidance on both littering and fly-tipping, modernising the code of practice that outlines the cleaning standards expected of local authorities, and refreshing best practice guidance on the powers available to local authorities to force land and building owners to clean up their premises. We are introducing a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers due to go live in October 2027. Single-use drinks containers are some of the UK’s most commonly littered items, typically making up half of litter by volume. The Deposit Return Scheme is expected to drastically reduce litter.

On how many occasions ships' captains were given a direction under the Marine Safety Act 2003 between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2024; and if she will list the (a) date, (b) ship and (c) nature of each direction.

Safety directions are issued under Schedule 3A of the Merchant Shipping Act (MSA) 1995 (as amended); Schedule 1 of the Marine Safety Act 2003 was inserted as Schedule 3A of the MSA 1995 (as amended).In the period in question, ships’ masters were directed under Schedule 3A powers on four occasions: On 16 March 2013, the master, owners and insurers of the general cargo vessel Danio were directed to notify their plans or intentions, including the appointment of competent salvors, following the grounding of the vessel. On 3 February 2017, the master and owners of the bulk carrier V Due were directed to remove their ship from the port of Liverpool to take the undamaged cargo on board the ship for discharge to another port. The ship had previously been directed into the port of Liverpool after a cargo combustion fire on board and damaged cargo was subsequently discharged in the port. On 19 July 2018, the master, owners and insurers of general cargo vessel Priscilla were directed to appoint competent salvors following the grounding of the vessel. On 23 December 2018, the master and owners of the bulk carrier Kuzma Minin were directed to move the ship from an anchorage position to a casualty mooring buoy in Falmouth harbour. The ship had previously run aground and was then refloated in port controlled waters.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to the authorities in the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq on the cases of (a) Sherwan Sherwani and (b) Omed Baroshki.

I refer the hon Member to the answer provided on 17 September to Question 71439.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of emergency alerts being displayed in the language that the recipient's phone is set to.

The Emergency Alert system is a UK Government capability that allows time critical life saving information to be broadcast to phones within a certain area. English is the primary language Emergency Alerts are sent in. This is to ensure standardisation in message clarity and avoids the risk that any rushed translation may result in messaging which poorly conveys the necessary action to the recipient. However, where practicable, alerts impacting Wales will be sent in both English and Welsh. Local Resilience Forums also work with partners in a local area to alert people of an emergency. Owing to their local knowledge of each area, the Local Resilience Forums are well-equipped to ensure the relevant information is communicated to non-English speakers. The Cabinet Office will consider the feasibility for future technical improvements to the system in which an alert would come through in the language set by the individual user.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 on the (a) stress and (b) injury chances of farmed chickens and turkeys.

The Government is firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare. The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 introduces new requirements prohibiting one-leg catching of laying hens, meat chickens and turkeys weighing 5kg or less in Great Britain. These birds must now be caught, lifted and carried by two legs to directly minimise welfare harm. An impact assessment (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2025/149/pdfs/ukia_20250149_en.pdf) was published alongside this legislation, which also covers the welfare impacts of different catching and handling methods.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of creating a fashion watchdog to help tackle exploitation in the supply chains of clothing manufacturers.

The UK is one of the leading countries confronting the scourge of modern-day slavery, including forced labour. We engage through bilateral and multilateral fora to find ways to tackle forced labour in global supply chains and ensure workers benefit from high labour standards domestically and internationally. We recognise that trade policy is an important tool in a comprehensive approach to prevent, identify and eliminate forced labour in global supply chains and we are considering measures that can help improve supply chain transparency and traceability.As well as the Fashion Watchdog or Garment Trade Adjudicator idea, there have been other proposals including licensing and increased guidance on managing supply chains. We will continue to review measures to drive up standards across the sector and monitor global regulatory proposals in the sector.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending Northern Ireland’s rules for new drivers to all new drivers across the UK.

Whilst we are not considering Graduated Driving Licences, we absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads and continue to tackle this through our THINK! campaign. We are considering other measures to address this problem and protect young drivers, as part of our upcoming strategy for road safety - the first in over a decade.

Whether she intends the offence of assaulting a shop worker to apply to people working in a bureau de change.

Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 created a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public, including public-facing roles in banks, bureau de changes and building societies.Alongside this, through our Crime and Policing Bill, this Government has introduced a new specific standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to help tackle the epidemic of shop theft and violence towards shop workers that we have seen in recent years, and protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.For the purposes of this new offence, our definition of a ‘retail worker’ is intentionally narrow given the vital need to provide legal clarity and ensure there is no ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker, and the assault took place in the course of their work.

How she defines mainly by retail in Clause 15 of the Crime and Policing Bill.

Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 created a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public, including public-facing roles in banks, bureau de changes and building societies.Alongside this, through our Crime and Policing Bill, this Government has introduced a new specific standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to help tackle the epidemic of shop theft and violence towards shop workers that we have seen in recent years, and protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.For the purposes of this new offence, our definition of a ‘retail worker’ is intentionally narrow given the vital need to provide legal clarity and ensure there is no ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker, and the assault took place in the course of their work.

What steps her Department plans to take to amend the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to include decapod crustaceans.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is responsible for the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which provides a framework for animal protection and welfare. Defra is building an evidence base for considering if decapods should have greater protections. The Home Office will be guided by these decisions as to whether decapod crustaceans are regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.The Government is committed to accelerating the development, validation and uptake of non-animal alternatives in science and will publish a strategy later this year. The Government has a manifesto commitment to work towards a vision to phase out animal testing through the acceleration of development and uptake of validated non-animal alternatives.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that all British Overseas Territories have implemented publicly accessible registers for beneficial ownership before the end of the year.

Please refer to my Written Ministerial Statements of 3 July and 22 July which provide an update on progress achieved to date and details of next steps. We have clearly conveyed to our partners in the remaining Overseas Territories the urgency of meeting previously agreed deadlines and expect prompt action. To assist in this effort, we have offered technical support. The registers should offer streamlined access to a broad range of legitimate users, supporting proactive investigations, deterring the concealment of illicit gains, and promoting maximum transparency.Baroness Hodge will visit BVI at my request shortly to examine these issues directly with the Premier and his Government there, and I regularly raise our clear expectations in discussions with OT leaders, and will continue to do so.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2025 to Question 51054 on Teachers: Workplace Pensions, what progress has been made on reducing the number of teachers waiting for compensation since 30 May 2025.

As part of the Transitional Protection (McCloud) remedy, affected members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) can choose either final salary or career average benefits for the remedy period (April 2015 to March 2022). From June 2025, the TPS administrator began adjusting pensions for members who selected benefits different from those already in payment.As of 17 September 2025, 254 pensions had been adjusted. This process takes time, due to the complexity of the calculations required for the Remediable Service Statement (RSS), which reflects benefit choices as of its issue date. Additional calculations are needed if members opt for different benefits, as the pension position may change between RSS issuance and payment adjustment and some of these calculations cannot currently be automated so are done manually by clerical staff. The member’s existing pension benefits continue to be paid during this period, with any subsequent changes backdated with interest applied.The department continues to monitor these issues very closely and work with Capita to ensure issues of this nature are resolved as quickly as possible, and the Teachers’ Pension Scheme is delivered to the highest possible standard.

If he will make an estimate of the average increase in the cost of running a dental practice in the last 12 months.

The Government is conducting a research project to better understand the costs and pressures associated with running a dental practice in England.As part of this research, a survey was launched on 13 May and closed on 16 June 2025. This included questions on laboratory fees and dental materials as well as other associated costs with running a dental practice.We are currently reviewing and analysing the responses to understand the findings.

How much funding allocated for the NHS in the Spending Review 2025 will be allocated for dental provision in each of the next five years.

The Department settlement announced at the 2025 Spending Review means that annual National Health Service day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms, a £53 billion cash increase, by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. This will take the NHS resource budget to £226 billion by 2028/29, the equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the Spending Review period. The details of budget allocations within departments are still being determined. The Department is working to provide the detail and certainty needed on future funding and spending plans, including for NHS dentistry.NHS planning guidance for 2025/26 confirms that dental budgets are ringfenced. Planning guidance also confirms that improving access to urgent dental appointments is a key national priority.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a Business Human Rights and Environment Bill.

The UK has a range of measures in place to promote responsible business conduct across the economy. In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses, modern slavery, and environmental harms in global supply chains. The review will be a neutral, objective appraisal of policy, led by departmental officials. It will consider the effectiveness of the UK’s current regime and the merits of alternative means of supporting responsible business practices.