Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to foster (a) an inclusive and (b) a respectful working environment for NHS hospital staff in Surrey Heath Constituency.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is the role of National Health Service boards and leaders to provide strong and effective leadership that helps to build supportive and inclusive cultures in their NHS organisations. This should include promoting environments where staff feel safe to speak up and raise concerns.

To support local employers, NHS England has developed the NHS People Promise, which describes the values and cultures that we want to build across the NHS, to ensure that staff feel well supported and to improve their day-to-day experience of working in the NHS.

NHS England published an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Improvement plan in 2023 to actively promote inclusion in the NHS.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the (a) well-being, (b) morale and (c) working conditions of midwives at NHS hospitals in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government values midwives and is committed to supporting them as a profession and in their everyday working lives.

Local employers across the National Health Service have their own arrangements in place for supporting staff, including occupational health provision, employee support programmes, and a focus on healthy working environments. This, alongside strong leadership and a supportive culture, is central to improving staff engagement and morale and contributes to improved working conditions for staff.

To support local employers, NHS England has introduced targeted midwifery support, including the introduction of Perinatal Midwifery Advocates, who support trusts to offer additional capacity for wellbeing support and restorative clinical supervision, the national Preceptorship Framework, which provides early career support to help midwives transition from education to employment, the midwifery mentorship scheme, strengthened advice and support on pensions, and flexible retirement options.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to support neurodiverse people employed in the healthcare sector in Surrey Heath Constituency.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We do not currently collect data breaking down neurodivergent employment by sector, but, as a Government, we are committed to supporting neurodiversity in the workplace and encouraging employers to adopt neuro-inclusive working practices.

On 29 January 2025, the Government launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on improving neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. Many of the panel are diagnosed or identify as neurodivergent and/or have familial experience alongside their professional experience and expertise.

Recommendations are expected to include employer actions that can support the inclusion of neurodivergent people, including in recruitment and day to day workplace practices.

Our existing support to employers includes the online Support with Employee Health and Disability service. This guidance equips employers to discharge their legal obligations and feel confident having conversations about health and disability. The Disability Confident scheme helps employers to become exemplars, signposting to a range of expert resources.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of requiring water companies to report on the volume of sewage discharged into rivers in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government believes that it is important that we invest in the most appropriate type of monitors to ensure we gain valuable information on sewage discharges. Installing the type of monitor required to accurately measure the volume of a discharge is much more costly and provides limited additional insight into the impact of a discharge. It is important that we invest in reducing sewage discharges, as opposed to increasingly costly monitoring.

Since 1 January 2025, water companies have been required to publish data related to discharges from all storm overflows within one hour of the discharge beginning. The Secretary of State has authorised Ofwat to carry out enforcement action for this duty, in accordance with the powers conferred under sections 18 and 141DA (4) of the Water Industry Act 1991. Ofwat’s enforcement powers provide for a wide range of enforcement activity, including substantial penalties.

Ofwat is monitoring compliance with the duty to report relevant data in real time. Where it detects non-compliance, it will take appropriate enforcement action. In addition to this, the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 has introduced an equivalent duty for water companies to publish data related to discharges from all emergency overflows within one hour of the discharge beginning. Once commenced, this duty will be enforced in the same way.

This will create an unprecedented level of transparency, enabling the public and regulators to see where, and how often, overflows are discharging, and hold water companies to account.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect (a) wildlife and (b) plant life in heathland in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to taking action to recover threatened native species across England and we have set four legally binding targets to drive recovery of biodiversity. The government has also concluded a rapid review of the existing Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23) and published a statement of the key findings on 30 January 2025. We are developing a new EIP to protect and restore our natural environment, including delivery of our statutory biodiversity targets, which will be published later this year.

Surrey County Council is the responsible authority for preparing the Surrey Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which covers Surrey Heath, and which will agree priorities for nature recovery in the area and identify and map the best locations for action to be taken to benefit nature and the wider environment. Defra has provided funding to responsible authorities to prepare their strategies, as well as dedicated advice and support from Natural England, the Environment Agency, and the Forestry Commission.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if Ministers in her Department will meet with the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to discuss national infrastructure improvements where the A322 meets the M3 Junction 3.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I would be happy to meet to discuss potential improvements to this junction and surrounding roads as the Minister responsible for this matter.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department has taken to reduce congestion at the meeting of the A322 with the M3 Junction 3 in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

National Highways undertook an early-stage study of the M3 junction 3 in 2023. As well as a long-term large-scale enhancement to address both congestion and incidents, it is considering smaller, tactical solutions that can be delivered in the short-term. It is commencing a feasibility study on small-scale improvements, working closely with Surrey County Council who are responsible for the A322. This work will form the evidence base for potential future enhancements to be delivered during RIS3, beyond 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) retain, (b) recruit and (c) train NHS dentists in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are determined to rebuild National Health Service dentistry, but it will take time and there are no quick fixes. Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions.

Integrated care boards have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS, a central part of which will be our workforce. We will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.

To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of NHS dental capacity in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data on dental activity is available at an integrated care board (ICB) level. Information on dental statistics for England for 2023/24, published by the NHS Business Services Authority on 22 August 2024, is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324

The data for the NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB, which includes the Surrey Heath constituency, shows that 33% of adults were seen by a National Health Service dentist in the previous 24 months up to June 2024, compared to 40% in England, and that 55% of children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months up to June 2024, compared to 56% in England.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care, and work is underway to ensure that patients can access the 700,000 additional urgent dental appointments, with ICBs having been asked to make these available from 1 April 2025.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the ICBs across England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS dentistry in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data on dental activity is available at an integrated care board (ICB) level. Information on dental statistics for England for 2023/24, published by the NHS Business Services Authority on 22 August 2024, is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324

The data for the NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB, which includes the Surrey Heath constituency, shows that 33% of adults were seen by a National Health Service dentist in the previous 24 months up to June 2024, compared to 40% in England, and that 55% of children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months up to June 2024, compared to 56% in England.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care, and work is underway to ensure that patients can access the 700,000 additional urgent dental appointments, with ICBs having been asked to make these available from 1 April 2025.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the ICBs across England.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support children with special educational needs to access transport to educational settings in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to the answer of 19 November 2024 to Question 13396.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases to employer's National Insurance contributions on the (a) hospitality and (b) leisure sectors in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.

Estimates of the impact on businesses in Surrey Heath from changes to employer NICs announced at Autumn Budget 2024 are not available.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the national curriculum for encouraging physical education in mainstream schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The national curriculum sets out the subjects and programmes of study that schools are required to teach to children of compulsory school age in English maintained schools. Physical education (PE) is compulsory at all four key stages of the national curriculum.

Data collected in the ‘School and college voice: December 2023’ survey indicated that the median scheduled PE time was 120 minutes for key stage 1 to key stage 3 and 60 minutes for key stage 4. The data can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-voice-omnibus-surveys-for-2023-to-2024/school-and-college-voice-december-2023.

The government established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE The interim report can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-interim-report.

In the next phase, the Review will consider subject issues, working closely with the sector. The government has committed to protect time for PE and will respond to the Review’s final recommendations in the autumn.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the potential merits of increasing research funding for rare cancers in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), invests over £1.6 billion per year in health research. In 2023/24, the NIHR invested £133 million in cancer research.

While my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has made no assessment of the potential merits of increasing research funding for rare cancers in the Surrey Heath constituency, the Frimley Park Integrated Care System, located within the constituency, is part of the NIHR Research Delivery Network, and they play a key role in supporting the delivery of research, including into rarer cancers.

The NIHR invests in research capacity building, infrastructure, and delivery across the country in high priority areas, including cancer. The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health, including rarer cancers. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. The Government, through the NIHR, remains committed to improving research into rarer cancers.

The NIHR provides an online service called Be Part of Research, which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people, including those in the Surrey Heath constituency, to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her proposed changes to disability benefits on people in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course with some information published this week alongside the Spring Statement.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to help improve awareness of (a) apprenticeships and (b) sponsored degree programs in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Apprenticeships give employers the skills they need to grow, helping them to fill their vacancies and train their workforce to address industry skills gaps. Apprenticeships are a great way for individuals to begin, or progress in, a successful career.

The department continues to promote apprenticeships to young people, adults and employers through the Skills for Life campaign. The department is also transforming career opportunities and advice to increase awareness of the range of high quality options available to young people, including apprenticeships.

The government has committed to improve careers advice and guarantee two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person, as well as establish a national jobs and careers service to support people into work and help them succeed.

The department also supports the apprenticeship ambassador network, a network of over 2,000 volunteer employers and former and current apprentices, all of whom volunteer their time to inform and inspire the next generation of apprentices and apprentice employers.

Universities are autonomous and responsible for promoting their own programs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) raise awareness of and (b) support individuals impacted by breast cancer in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns in England to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on recognising a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.

NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including breast cancer. Further information can be found on the NHS.UK website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/

NHS England is committed to ensuring that all cancer patients, including those impacted by breast cancer, are offered a Holistic Needs Assessment and Personalised Care and Support Planning, ensuring care is focused on what matters most to each person. This is being delivered in line with the NHS Comprehensive Model for Personalised Care, empowering people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer, and maximise the potential of digital and community-based support.

Health and wellbeing information and support is provided to cancer patients from diagnosis onwards through their care pathway, and includes access to NHS Talking Therapy services for anxiety and depression, where appropriate. This is alongside wider work to improve psychosocial support for people affected by cancer, such as through local partnerships with cancer support charities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to provide patient transport to specialist treatment centres for young cancer patients living in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to improving outcomes and patient experience for children and young people with cancer, and we are aware that the cost of travel is an important issue for many cancer patients and their families, including those living in the Surrey Health constituency.

NHS England and the integrated care boards are currently responsible for commissioning and ensuring the healthcare needs of local communities are met, including providing support for travel. The National Health Service runs schemes in England to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostic tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional. The Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) provides financial assistance to patients in England who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain NHS services.

Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or a Personal Independence Payment. The provision of disability benefits is also the responsibility of the Department for Work and Pensions.

On 4 February 2025, the Department of Health and Social Care relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce. The taskforce will explore a range of issues, including patient experience, in order to identify improvements for this patient group.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of covid-19 on the long-term (a) educational attainment and (b) mental well-being of school children in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

All children and young people should have every opportunity to achieve and thrive, no matter who they are or where they are from. However, the pandemic harmed the attainment of all children, particularly those that are disadvantaged, and too many children and young people continue to face barriers to learning.

This is not acceptable, which is why the Opportunity Mission will break down barriers and raise standards across education, ensuring a better future for all children and young people in all areas of the country, including Surrey Heath.

High and rising standards across every school and for every child are at the heart of this mission, delivered through excellent teaching and leadership, a high-quality curriculum, robust accountability and faster school improvement and a system which removes additional barriers to learning.

The quality of teaching is the single most important in-school factor in improving outcomes for all children which is why we are committed to recruiting 6,500 new expert teachers. We have also launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which is closely examining the key challenges to attainment for young people and the barriers that hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve.

To strengthen school improvement, the new regional improvement for standards and excellence teams will provide both mandatory targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve and a universal service, acting as a catalyst for a self-improving system for all schools.

Independent research has found that COVID-19 led to increased depressive symptoms among teenagers and decreased life satisfaction, with girls being particularly affected.

The department is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. We will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school through expanding Mental Health Support Teams, so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate, and open new Young Futures Hubs with access to mental health support workers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of lowering the age threshold for routine breast cancer screening invitations.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The age thresholds for the current breast screening programme are based on recommendations from the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries. Screening women younger than 50 years old for breast cancer is currently not recommended due to their lower risk of developing breast cancer, and the fact that women below 50 years old tend to have denser breast tissue which reduces the likelihood of an accurate mammogram. This may increase the risk of over treatment and distress for women who do not have breast cancer but would be subjected to invasive and painful medical treatments and diagnostic tests.

The UK NSC is awaiting the results of screening in younger age cohorts from the AgeX trial which is looking at the benefits and risks of extending the age when women are invited for breast screening. The UK NSC Secretariat is in close contact with the researchers and will review the results as soon as they are available.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve mental health support for children with special educational needs in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Schools are required to identify and address the special educational needs (SEN) of the pupils they support and, in the case of mainstream settings, to use their best endeavours to make sure that a child or young person who has SEN gets the support they need. All schools should apply the ‘graduated approach’ that is outlined in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) code of practice, which means identifying a child’s needs, planning appropriate support, implementing that support and reviewing it regularly to ensure it continues to meet the identified needs.

We want to drive a consistent and inclusive approach to supporting children and young people with SEND through early identification, effective support, high quality teaching and effective allocation of resources. The department is also working closely with experts on reforms who will play a key role in convening and engaging with the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families, as we consider the next steps for the future of SEND reform.

Alongside this, the government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity and helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.

The department will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. Further information on the support (as at 31 March 2024) for pupil's provided by NHS funded Mental Health Support Teams in Surrey schools is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of effectiveness of her Department's programmes for supporting offenders in returning to employment in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

We know that finding employment after release reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points. That is why the Government’s manifesto commits to break the cycle of reoffending by better supporting prisons to link up with employers to get more people with convictions into work.

We have launched regional Employment Councils, including for the region Kent, Surrey & Sussex. For the first time, they bring businesses together with probation and the Department of Work and Pensions to support offenders in the community.

In addition, Prison Employment Leads, Employment Hubs, ID and Banking Administrators and Employment Advisory Boards are in every resettlement prison, including at HMP Coldingley in Surrey Heath. They play a key role in getting offenders work-ready, matching them to jobs on release and linking prisons with local businesses.

The proportion of ex-offenders in employment within six months of release in Kent, Surrey and Sussex was 29.5% in the year to March 2024, an increase of 4.7 percentage points from the previous reporting year to March 2023.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to protect teachers from assaults in schools in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

No teacher should feel unsafe or face violence or abuse in the workplace. The department will always support teachers to ensure they can work in safe and calm classrooms. All school employers, including trusts, have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees.

While the department expects schools to take immediate and robust action if incidents of violence occur, any decision on how to sanction the pupil involved is a matter for the school.

In the most serious cases, suspension or permanent exclusion may be necessary to ensure that teachers and pupils are protected from disruption and to maintain safe, calm environments. Should the incident constitute a criminal offence, the school should report it to the police.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of sewage discharge on local ecosystems in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.

That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Act. The Act will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.

The Environment Agency (EA) undertakes regular monitoring of the water quality in the River Thames catchment including the Surrey Heath constituency, and the assessment and proposed actions are set out in The Thames River Basin Management Plan. Water quality impacts from wastewater pollution are highlighted as one of the key pressures resulting in many waterbodies not currently achieving good ecological status.

The EA continues to respond and investigate any significant pollution incidents. There have been significant pollution incidents at Camberley and Chobham Sewage Treatment Works in the last few years and these are subject to ongoing Environment Agency investigations.

As part of Price Review 24 (PR24), Thames Water will undertake a significant investment programme to improve the environment over the 2025-30 period.These investments include: £784 million to reduce the use of storm overflows and £1.2 billion to prevent nutrient pollution. Ofwat expects the reduction of the use of storm overflows by at least 29% over the next five years, down to an average of 14 spills per overflow.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) cost-efficiency of pothole repair strategies in Surrey Heath Constituency.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Surrey County Council is the local highway authority for the Surrey Heath constituency. The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to helping local highway authorities such as Surrey County Council maintain and renew their local highway networks.

At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, with funding allocations to individual English local highway authorities announced on 20 December 2024. Surrey County Council will receive up to £32.4 million for local highway maintenance in 2025/26, an increase of around 38% compared to the current financial year.

The effectiveness and cost-efficiency of Surrey’s highway maintenance programmes, including strategies concerning potholes and other road defects, is a matter for the Council.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support disabled people with increases in the cost of living in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The extra costs disability benefits, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment (PIP), provide a contribution towards the extra costs that may arise from a long-term disability or health condition. These additional costs are not defined, and customers are able to spend the money they receive according to their own priorities.

In England, the Household Support Fund (HSF) provides discretionary support to those most in need towards the cost of essentials, such as food, energy, and water.

The Government is further extending the HSF by a year, from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026. Funding of £742 million will be provided to enable the HSF extension plus additional funding for the Devolved Government through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual. This builds on the previous investment of £421 million to extend the current HSF in England for six months, running from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help support young people to get onto the housing ladder in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many people are now locked out of home ownership. This government is determined to change that, ensuring that young families and hardworking renters can buy a home of their own.

The most sustainable long-term method to improve housing affordability and help people into home ownership is to increase the supply of housing. That is why the government committed to deliver 1.5 million homes over the Parliament in the Plan for Change.

In addition to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures, we are committed to introducing a permanent, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme meaning first-time buyers in Surrey Heath and across the country will be able to take their crucial first step on to the property ladder with only a small deposit.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of bank branch closures on local (a) residents and (b) businesses in market towns in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities, high streets and market towns in Surrey Heath and across the UK, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with banks to roll out 350 banking hubs, which will provide local residents and businesses up and down the country with critical cash and banking services. Over 220 banking hubs have been announced so far, and over 135 are already open.

Banking has changed significantly in recent years with many customers benefitting from the ease and convenience of remote banking. While branch closures are commercial decisions for banks and building societies, FCA guidance expects firms to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and put in place alternatives where reasonable.  This seeks to ensure that branch closures are implemented in a way that treats customers fairly.

Alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to take steps to help support older people to use self-checkout kiosks in banks in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Banking has changed significantly in recent years with many customers benefitting from the ease and convenience of remote banking. The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets in Surrey Heath and across the UK, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 220 hubs have been announced so far, and over 135 are already open.

The Financial Conduct Authority requires firms to provide a prompt, efficient, and fair service to all of their customers. This includes special considerations for vulnerable customers, such as the elderly and disabled. Additionally, under the Equality Act 2010, banks must make reasonable adjustments to ensure their services are accessible to all.

The Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT) has recently published a Digital Inclusion Action Plan which sets out the Government’s first steps towards our long-term objective of ensuring everyone has the access, skills, support and confidence to participate in our modern digital economy.

Alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing a Commissioner for Older People to amplify the voices of older demographics in policy-making.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

DWP offers employment support for eligible older people through the network of Jobcentres across the UK.

The White Paper published on 26 November focuses on support for people who are economically inactive, people who are looking for work or want to progress, and people who are at risk of economic inactivity despite having a desire to stay in work. This includes and goes beyond people who are claiming benefits. The new national jobs and careers service will be instrumental in achieving this objective. This service will be available for anyone, including older people, who wants to look for work, wants help to increase their earnings, or who wants help to change their career or re-train. The service will be tailored to local needs.

We are committing to the establishment of ‘collaboration committees’ to further develop the reforms set out in our Pathways to Work Green Paper. These we will bring together groups of people for specific work areas, collaborating with civil servants to provide discussion, challenge, and recommendations. Each group will have a different mix of people including older people.

My department also engages with employers to ensure their recruitment practises attract and support the retention of older people and encouraging employers to sign the Age-Friendly employer pledge.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help reduce animal (a) theft and (b) cruelty in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Pet Abduction Act makes pet abduction a criminal offence. In England, the maximum term of imprisonment in the Pet Abduction Act is five years and/or an unlimited fine.

Causing unnecessary suffering to an animal is an offence under Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, subject to a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. Those convicted of an offence may also be disqualified from owning or keeping animals.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to increase the availability of (a) affordable and (b) energy-efficient housing in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

At Spring statement, the government announced an immediate injection of £2 billion to support delivery of the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and contribute to our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 25 November 2025 (HCWS549).

The investment made at Spring statement follows the £800 million in new in-year funding which has been made available for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme and that will support the delivery of up to 7,800 new homes, with more than half of them being Social Rent homes.

We will set out set details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent.

The government has also announced the £450m third round of the Local Authority Housing Fund, followed by an uplift of £50m, enabling councils to grow their housing stock.

We also confirmed a range of new flexibilities for councils and housing associations, both within the Affordable Homes Programme and in relation to how councils can use their Right to Buy receipts. Having reduced Right to Buy discounts to their pre-2012 regional levels, we have allowed councils to retain 100% of the receipts generated by Right to Buy sales.

The government recognise that Registered Providers need support to build their capacity and make a greater contribution to affordable housing supply. Between 30 October 2024 and 23 December 2024, the government consulted on a new 5-year social housing rent settlement, to give Registered Providers the certainty they need to invest in new social and affordable housing.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 includes a number of changes that make the planning system more supportive of affordable housing, in particular Social Rent homes. These include new Golden Rules for development on the Green Belt. Prior to development plan policies for affordable housing being updated in accordance with the revised NPPF, the affordable housing contribution required to satisfy the ‘Golden Rules’ is 15 percentage points above the highest existing affordable housing requirement that would otherwise apply to the development, subject to a cap of 50%. We estimate that under this model, the median Green Belt local planning authority affordable housing requirement will be 50%.

The Government already intend to amend building regulations later this year as part of the introduction of future standards that will set more ambitious energy efficiency and carbon emissions requirements for new homes. The new standards will ensure that all new homes are future-proof, with low-carbon heating and very high-quality building fabric. Not only will they help us to deliver our commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, but they will reduce bills, tackle fuel poverty, grow skills, foster diverse job markets and make Britain energy secure.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve road safety near schools in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My Department is developing our Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course.

Active Travel England and my Department published joint School Streets Guidance in November 2024. School Streets schemes restrict motor traffic outside schools during pick-up and drop-off times; reducing congestion, improving safety and enabling more pupils to walk, wheel or cycle.

Renewal of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

Bank closures