Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve efficiency in DBS processing for prospective teachers.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

As an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body of the Home Office, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is operationally independent and responsible for the service it provides. It currently operates to formalised service standards of completing 85% of Basic check applications within 2 days, 85% of Standard check applications within 3 days, and 80% of Enhanced check applications within 14 days.

Its latest performance against these service standards is available at DBS dataset 1: DBS checks, DBS Update Service, and disputes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Prospective teachers are likely to require an Enhanced level DBS check which must be sent to police forces for local intelligence checks. It is important from a safeguarding perspective that the DBS allows sufficient time for these robust checks to take place, as these are ultimately in place to protect the most vulnerable groups in society.

Whilst the vast majority of Enhanced checks are processed within target, there are a small number of police forces that have been experiencing difficulties in meeting their target times due to extra demand. The DBS has been working closely with these affected forces to improve performance, including by providing funding for overtime and additional staff whilst the forces recruit and train new staff to process the checks. The DBS is also facilitating workload sharing between police forces so that forces with capacity can provide assistance to those forces that are struggling.

This work should help to further improve efficiency in DBS processing of Enhanced checks for all, including for prospective teachers.

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) reduce wait times and (b) increase capacity for paediatric blood tests.

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

We inherited a broken National Health Service, and reducing elective waiting lists is a key part of getting it back on its feet and building an NHS that is fit for the future. To that end we have committed to achieving the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029. Cutting waiting times for diagnostic tests such as blood tests is a crucial step in reducing the elective waiting list.

Blood tests are among the most commonly requested diagnostic investigations across primary and secondary care, and they are readily available across all 27 NHS pathology networks. Phlebotomy, the procedure to collect blood samples, is widely available across general practice, community health services, and secondary care phlebotomy clinics, supporting equitable access to blood testing.

The NHS is taking steps to reduce wait times for blood tests. These include establishing more straight to test pathways, whereby a patient is referred straight to a diagnostic test without the need for an additional outpatient appointment first, as well as investing in digital pathology and automation of histopathology services to reduce the time patients wait for blood test results to be processed.

Alongside this, we are continuing to invest in expanding diagnostic capacity in the NHS. As set out in the Elective reform Plan, we plan to build up to five more community diagnostic centres (CDCs) in 2025/26, alongside increasing the operating hours of existing sites so that more offer services 12 hours a day, seven days a week. This is backed by part of the £600 million of capital for diagnostic services announced at the October Spending Review.

CDCs offer local populations, including children, a wide range of diagnostic tests closer to home and greater choice on where and how they are undertaken. This reduces the need for hospital visits, reduces pressure on hospitals, and speeds up diagnosis. CDCs are expected to offer their services to children and young people where it is safe and appropriate to do so. Phlebotomy is a core service provided by all standard and large model CDCs.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help ensure (a) legal and (b) ethical business practices are followed when firms undertake redundancies.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government’s Plan to Make Work Pay committed to strengthening collective redundancy protections. The Employment Rights Bill will double the maximum period of the protective award that can be made for an employer’s failure to comply with their collective redundancy consultation obligations, from 90 to 180 days’ pay. This will deter unscrupulous businesses from deliberately avoiding their obligations. We are also requiring employers to collectively consult affected employees’ representatives whenever a threshold number of redundancies are proposed across an entire organisation, rather than just at one establishment. This threshold number will be set following a public consultation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on the adequacy of levels of health and safety compliance by airlines in relation to airline crew.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

UK regulations set out requirements for operators of both aerodromes and aircraft, to mitigate risks and ensure operations are conducted as safely as possible. My officials are in regular contact with the UK’s independent safety regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), who are responsible for enforcing Aviation Safety regulations, as well as advising the Department when regulations may need to be updated. When advising updates to aviation safety regulations, the CAA works closely with industry experts as well as other government bodies, like the Health and Safety executive.

The risk of flight crew fatigue is managed under the flight time limitation (FTL) regulations which limit the number of hours pilots can be on duty. The CAA monitors and oversees UK Airlines’ management of FTL requirements and how these impact pilot fatigue, as well as investigating safety reports that cite fatigue as a contributory factor. The CAA will take action to recommend changes to regulation or update guidance if they see any evidence it may be required to manage the risk of fatigue.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making local fire services statutory consultees for industrial lithium-ion battery storage planning permission applications.

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

In January 2025 the government declared a moratorium on any new statutory consultees, along with a review of the existing statutory consultee arrangements to ensure they align with the government’s ambitions for growth. Further details can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 10 March 2025 (HCWS510).

Planning Practice Guidance encourages developers and local planning authorities to engage with local fire and rescue services and National Fire Chiefs Council guidance in relation to battery energy storage systems.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of foreign home ownership on the availability of housing stock.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 50763 on 16 May 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessments he has made of the potential impact of foreign home ownership on house prices in the UK.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 50763 on 16 May 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) support available to fire service staff who attend traumatic callouts and (b) suicide prevention training requirements for fire service managers in North East Hampshire constituency.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The health and wellbeing of firefighters is of the utmost importance. The Government recognises the risks firefighters face and is grateful to them for their bravery.

As the employer of fire and rescue service personnel, Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) are ultimately responsible for the health and wellbeing of firefighters. The Government-issued National Framework directs that all FRAs should have a people strategy which sets out the mental and physical health and wellbeing support available to firefighters.

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) supports good mental health in fire and rescue services as one aspect of its Health and Wellbeing Framework.

National organisations such as the Fire Fighters Charity and Mind also offer valuable support to individuals and services. Their resources can assist FRAs in developing local approaches to managing mental health risks and promoting the wellbeing of their workforce.

The health and wellbeing support provided by Fire and Rescue Services is considered by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services in the course of their work.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to support (a) businesses and (b) individuals in removing (i) Japanese knotweed and (ii) other invasive plant species.

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

Defra recognises the impacts caused by invasive non-native plant species (INNPs), including Japanese knotweed. Japanese knotweed is listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This makes it an offence to cause Japanese knotweed to grow in the wild.

In England, the Government has developed guidance on treating and disposing of Japanese knotweed, which can be found on GOV.UK: How to stop Japanese knotweed from spreading - GOV.UK. Guidance is also available on treating and disposing other INNPs, which can be found on GOV.UK: How to stop invasive non-native plants from spreading - GOV.UK.

In partnership with the Welsh Government and Natural England, Defra is funding the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) to conduct biological control (biocontrol) research into the use of living organisms as a cost and time-effective way of managing INNPs. This research has identified the psyllid (Aphalari itadori) as a biocontrol agent for tackling Japanese knotweed. Further information can be found on CABI’s website: Japanese knotweed - CABI.org.

Defra is providing funding for land managers to control and manage INNPs through the Environmental Land Management (ELM) Countryside Stewardship scheme. Further information can be found on GOV.UK: Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the availability of public transport to (a) Gatwick Airport and (b) other airports for those travelling on the first flights of the day.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government expects airports to work closely with local stakeholders to develop masterplans and surface access strategies to respond to the needs of the airport. The government recommends that masterplans and surface access strategies be updated every five years to meet the evolving requirements of airport. This can include ensuring suitable transport options to support passengers wanting to catch either the first flight of the day or those arriving on the final flight. We continue to work closely with Gatwick and other airports as they develop their plans.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) reduce paediatric surgical waiting times and (b) ensure timely access to treatment for children requiring surgery.

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

Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out how the National Health Service will reform elective care services and meet the 18-week referral to treatment standard for all patients, including children and young people, by March 2029.  As a First Step to achieving this, we have exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra 2 million operations, scans and appointments in our first year of government, delivering 5.2 million more appointments.

We have made it easier to track elective waiting times for children and young people through the publication of new demographic data as part of monthly inequalities statistical releases. This was a commitment in the Elective Reform Plan and is a big step forward in improving the transparency of waiting times and will provide accountability for children’s elective waiting lists.

The Plan also sets out several commitments specifically in relation to children and young people, including that integrated care boards and providers should ensure interventions are in place to reduce disparities for groups who face additional waiting list challenges; and primary and secondary care clinicians are to improve e-RS functionality (a national digital platform for referring patients into elective care), by including data to enable better prioritisation of children and young people.

Finally, the clinically-led Getting It Right First Time children and young people programme will continue to work with providers to ensure they are implementing best practice to improve children’s outcomes and waiting times across all medical and surgical specialities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) support available to ambulance staff who attend traumatic callouts and (b) suicide prevention training requirements for ambulance service managers in North East Hampshire constituency.

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

The mental health of all National Health Service staff is a high priority, including ambulance staff as responders to emergency incidents. Ambulance trusts and the Association of Ambulance Trust Chief Executives have worked closely with NHS England to ensure there is a good range of health and wellbeing support for staff. This includes an ambulance sector specific suicide prevention pathway to provide immediate support 24/7 for staff experiencing suicidal ideation.

Significant work is also underway to strengthen the quality and consistency of suicide training across the health system. NHS England published Staying Safe from Suicide: Best Practice Guidance for Safety Assessment, Formulation and Management to support the Government’s work to reduce suicide and improve mental health services. This is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/staying-safe-from-suicide/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help encourage the take-up of disability nursing courses.

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

We are working closely with key partners, including higher education providers and employers, to promote learning disability nursing roles and attract people into the profession through various routes including apprenticeships.

We want to remove the barriers to training in clinical roles, which is why in addition to the support available from the Student Loans Company, eligible students studying for a nursing degree receive supplementary non-repayable funding via the Learning Support Fund. This comprises a training grant of £5,000 per academic year and a £1,000 per academic year grant for priority subjects such as learning disability nursing, with further support depending on individual circumstances.

We will publish a refreshed 10-year workforce plan later this year to ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need.

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National inquiry into child sexual exploitation

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35 years of Macmillan Cancer Support’s Coffee Morning

Global Lobular Breast Cancer Awareness Day 2025

Parkrun’s 21st anniversary

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Flood Action Week 2025

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Leasehold reform (No. 2)

Pavement parking consultation response