Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department issues to GPs and health visitors on recognising the symptoms of lead exposure in children and when to refer for testing.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), which advises ministers on screening matters, made a recommendation not to screen children for lead poisoning in 2018. This is because the number of children affected in the United Kingdom is currently not known, the test was not reliable enough, and treatments in children with mild symptoms have not been proven and may also be harmful.

The UK NSC plans to look at the evidence again, however a timetable for review has not yet been confirmed. The UK Health Security Agency guidance on lead poisoning for healthcare professionals can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lead-poisoning-advice-for-the-public-and-healthcare-professionals

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of targeted blood lead screening for children in high-risk housing.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), which advises ministers on screening matters, made a recommendation not to screen children for lead poisoning in 2018. This is because the number of children affected in the United Kingdom is currently not known, the test was not reliable enough, and treatments in children with mild symptoms have not been proven and may also be harmful.

The UK NSC plans to look at the evidence again, however a timetable for review has not yet been confirmed. The UK Health Security Agency guidance on lead poisoning for healthcare professionals can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lead-poisoning-advice-for-the-public-and-healthcare-professionals

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the National Screening Committee's evidence review on lead screening.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), which advises ministers on screening matters, made a recommendation not to screen children for lead poisoning in 2018. This is because the number of children affected in the United Kingdom is currently not known, the test was not reliable enough, and treatments in children with mild symptoms have not been proven and may also be harmful.

The UK NSC plans to look at the evidence again, however a timetable for review has not yet been confirmed. The UK Health Security Agency guidance on lead poisoning for healthcare professionals can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lead-poisoning-advice-for-the-public-and-healthcare-professionals

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what engagement was carried out with schools before the changes to school’s sport premium were made.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

In June 2025 the government announced the introduction of a partnerships network to support schools to consistently deliver high-quality experiences in PE, sport, and physical activity for all children with a particular focus on those that are less active. To inform policy development and fully understand schools' support needs, the department has worked with sector organisations and representative bodies before launching the procurement to identify a delivery partner.

The department recognises the importance of supporting schools through the transition from Sports Premium Funding to the Partnership Network and has engaged with sector representatives to identify additional support that may be required. In response to concerns raised by schools, we increased the transitional PE premium payment to £150 million. We will publish guidance and conditions of grant this autumn to help schools prepare for the changes and are continuing to work with stakeholders on this.

Once the new National Delivery Partner is in place, engagement across the school-age childcare sector will continue to monitor and mitigate any impacts on providers; which will include regular assessments and input from the sector to inform delivery and provide the support which schools need.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department made of the potential impact of changes to sports premium funding on a) wraparound childcare, b) enrichment provision, and c) the external workforce that supports school’s provision of physical education.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

In June 2025 the government announced the introduction of a partnerships network to support schools to consistently deliver high-quality experiences in PE, sport, and physical activity for all children with a particular focus on those that are less active. To inform policy development and fully understand schools' support needs, the department has worked with sector organisations and representative bodies before launching the procurement to identify a delivery partner.

The department recognises the importance of supporting schools through the transition from Sports Premium Funding to the Partnership Network and has engaged with sector representatives to identify additional support that may be required. In response to concerns raised by schools, we increased the transitional PE premium payment to £150 million. We will publish guidance and conditions of grant this autumn to help schools prepare for the changes and are continuing to work with stakeholders on this.

Once the new National Delivery Partner is in place, engagement across the school-age childcare sector will continue to monitor and mitigate any impacts on providers; which will include regular assessments and input from the sector to inform delivery and provide the support which schools need.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changing the Primary Physical Education and Sport Premium arrangements partway at the beginning September 2026 on schools' ability to plan ahead.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

In June 2025 the government announced the introduction of a partnerships network to support schools to consistently deliver high-quality experiences in PE, sport, and physical activity for all children with a particular focus on those that are less active. To inform policy development and fully understand schools' support needs, the department has worked with sector organisations and representative bodies before launching the procurement to identify a delivery partner.

The department recognises the importance of supporting schools through the transition from Sports Premium Funding to the Partnership Network and has engaged with sector representatives to identify additional support that may be required. In response to concerns raised by schools, we increased the transitional PE premium payment to £150 million. We will publish guidance and conditions of grant this autumn to help schools prepare for the changes and are continuing to work with stakeholders on this.

Once the new National Delivery Partner is in place, engagement across the school-age childcare sector will continue to monitor and mitigate any impacts on providers; which will include regular assessments and input from the sector to inform delivery and provide the support which schools need.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has given schools on how a) physical education, b) school sport, and c) physical activity will be supported during the 2026/2027 academic year.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

In June 2025 the government announced the introduction of a partnerships network to support schools to consistently deliver high-quality experiences in PE, sport, and physical activity for all children with a particular focus on those that are less active. To inform policy development and fully understand schools' support needs, the department has worked with sector organisations and representative bodies before launching the procurement to identify a delivery partner.

The department recognises the importance of supporting schools through the transition from Sports Premium Funding to the Partnership Network and has engaged with sector representatives to identify additional support that may be required. In response to concerns raised by schools, we increased the transitional PE premium payment to £150 million. We will publish guidance and conditions of grant this autumn to help schools prepare for the changes and are continuing to work with stakeholders on this.

Once the new National Delivery Partner is in place, engagement across the school-age childcare sector will continue to monitor and mitigate any impacts on providers; which will include regular assessments and input from the sector to inform delivery and provide the support which schools need.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the gap in attainment between disadvantaged students and their peers across schools in Frome and East Somerset.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ white paper establishes our plan to improve outcomes for all children across all constituencies. We recognise that poverty can have a significant impact on children's attainment and life chances, and tackling child poverty is central to the government's work to break down barriers to opportunity. When children born under this government finish secondary school, it is our ambition that the key stage 4 disadvantage gap will be halved.

The department’s approach is comprehensive and includes rebuilding early family support and improving teacher recruitment and retention, so that every child benefits from high-quality teaching. Further measures include broadening the curriculum and enabling access to high-quality enrichment, as well as launching two place-based missions to drive improvement in areas where outcomes remain stubbornly low.

We will introduce government funded pupil premium strategy reviews for schools that need additional support. These targeted reviews will equip school leaders to improve outcomes for disadvantaged children.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women's health hubs have been established in NHS Somerset ICB.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 16 July to Question 13401.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of solar panels installed on (a) supermarket car parks and (b) supermarket roofs to renewable energy generation targets.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The government has not made an assessment of the potential impact of solar panels installed on supermarket car parks or supermarket roofs to renewable energy generation targets.

We do, however, recognise that deployment of solar capacity on car parks has several potential key benefits to help meet our targets by:

• Enabling deployment in urban and commercial areas closer to demand sites, reducing electricity network constraints.
• Resulting in multi-functional land use, generating clean, renewable electricity and providing shelter to vehicles while maintaining the primary purpose of parking.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what data her Department holds on the proportion of large retail premises, including supermarkets, that have installed solar panels on (a) roofs and (b) car parks.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) tracks the progress of UK renewable electricity projects over 150kW through the planning system. It is possible to filter the database for rooftop solar PV installations, but we cannot identify which are for large retail premises, including supermarkets, and will not likely capture installations which fall below the 150kW threshold. It is therefore also not possible to identify which installations are on car parks.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the availability and accessibility of Healthy Start vouchers for people within the immigration and asylum systems.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office provides support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to asylum seekers and their dependants who would otherwise be destitute in order to comply with its legal obligations. The support package provided usually consists of accommodation and a weekly cash allowance to meet other essential living needs.

Additional financial support is also available to pregnant women and children under the age of 4 for the purposes of buying healthy food. Pregnant women and young children aged between 1 and 4 each receive an additional £5.25 per week. Babies under 1 each receive an additional £9.50 per week.

These payments were amended in 2023 to align with the Department of Health and Social Care’s ‘Healthy Start’ payments, with an additional allowance added onto this to allow for the purchase of vitamins, which are provided separately as part of the Healthy Start scheme.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what data her Department collects on the number of live music concerts, gigs, or events held each year; and what data her Department uses to monitor trends in the live music sector in the UK.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS monitors the music sector’s contribution to the UK economy over time through our Economic Estimates, which provide regular official estimates including Gross Value Added (GVA), employment, and trade. To capture live music sector trends, the Department monitors data, evidence and reports produced by key sector bodies - including UK Music, LIVE, and the Music Venue Trust - including on event activity, ticket sales, music tourism, and venue health. This joint approach ensures the Department maintains robust intelligence on the live music ecosystem across the UK.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the interaction between heritage protections and planning policy in delivering solar energy.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

DESNZ and MHCLG work regularly together on planning policy. For Nationally Significant (NSIP) solar projects, the National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure, updated in January 2026, sets out the importance of solar and how heritage considerations should be accounted for. For solar projects under 100MW, the updated National Planning Policy Framework published in August 2026 gives greater prominence to, and strengthens the framework for, renewable generation infrastructure such as solar. The Government will continue to work together to update the Planning Practice Guidance including how specific considerations for solar farms such as heritage impacts, should be applied in practice.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding available for a) pre-natal, b) post-natal and c) baby loss mental health support and services in Frome and East Somerset constituency.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has made this issue a personal priority and is chairing the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to develop a national action plan that will reform maternity and neonatal services to deliver lasting change for women, families, and their babies. The Taskforce will consider all aspects of those current services, including mental health support.

NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board undertakes needs assessments on behalf of a Somerset wide geography in terms of funding available for pre-natal, post-natal and baby loss mental health support services. Funding is not allocated or assessed at constituency level.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department are taking to improve access to free dental care for survivors of head and neck cancer in Frome and East Somerset.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of local populations, including those with a diagnosis or previous diagnosis of head and neck cancer.

NHS England has published guidance for ICBs to help ensure patients with a diagnosis of cancer can access oral healthcare in a timely manner. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/oral-healthcare-provision-for-cancer-pathways/

It outlines an “oral health in cancer pathway”, which includes patients with a diagnosis of head and neck cancer. This guidance applies throughout England.

There are currently no plans to extend free dental care to those with a diagnosis of head or neck cancer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the availability of NHS dental care for head and neck cancer survivors.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of local populations, including those with a diagnosis or previous diagnosis of head and neck cancer.

NHS England has published guidance for ICBs to help ensure patients with a diagnosis of cancer can access oral healthcare in a timely manner. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/oral-healthcare-provision-for-cancer-pathways/

It outlines an “oral health in cancer pathway”, which includes patients with a diagnosis of head and neck cancer. This guidance applies throughout England.

There are currently no plans to extend free dental care to those with a diagnosis of head or neck cancer.

Wyke Farms at the 2026 Global Cheese Awards

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) rescue operations

Support for hospices

Publication of Legal Advice on Local Government Reorganisation

Contribution of women to the Bayeux Tapestry