Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of how Primary PE and Sport will be funded in the 2026–27 academic year; and when she plans to announce future funding arrangements for the Primary PE and Sport Premium.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Arrangements for the funding of PE and sport in the 2026/27 academic year and future will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
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 ensure that local health authorities provide parents with clear information regarding expected waiting times for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments for children; and whether he plans to implement a standardised minimum waiting time announcement for such appointments.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently no plans to implement a standardised minimum waiting time for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments for children.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline for the diagnosis of autism recommends the length of time between referral and first appointment should be no more than 13 weeks. We know that this is not happening routinely across the country. In respect of ADHD, the NICE guideline does not recommend a maximum waiting time for people to receive an assessment for ADHD or a diagnosis, however it sets out best practice on providing a diagnosis.
The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for autism and ADHD has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays for accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10 Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future and recognises the need for early intervention and support.
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including provision of autism and ADHD services, in line with relevant NICE guidelines.
Through the NHS Medium-term planning framework, published 24 October 2025, NHS England has set clear expectations for local ICBs and trusts to improve access, experience, and outcomes for autism and ADHD services over the next three years, focusing on improving quality and productivity.
The Secretary of State announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of Link’s possible responsibility for delivering access to banking services and access to cash services.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Banking is changing, with many customers benefiting from the convenience and flexibility of managing their finances remotely. However, the Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking services to communities and is committed to supporting sufficient access for customers across the country.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) assumed regulatory responsibility for access to cash in September 2024. Where a resident, community organisation or other interested party feels access to cash in their community is insufficient, they can submit a request for a cash access assessment. LINK, the independent industry coordinating body responsible for conducting access to cash assessments, will then assess a community’s access to cash needs, and will recommend appropriate solutions, including banking hubs, where it considers a community requires additional cash services.
LINK’s assessment criteria are based on rules set by the FCA. The FCA’s rules require LINK to consider a range of factors in their assessments. This includes travel times to nearby cash facilities and local population demographics, including the levels of vulnerability and the number of elderly people within the community.
Any decisions on changes to LINK’s independent assessment criteria are a matter for LINK, the financial services sector, and for the FCA, which oversees the access to cash regime. Neither the FCA or LINK have responsibility for access to banking or in-person services.
To support communities across the UK, the financial services industry is committed to rolling out 350 banking hubs across the UK by the end of this Parliament. Over 270 hubs have been announced so far, and more than 210 are already open.
Banking hubs provide access to everyday counter services through Post Office staff, including cash withdrawals and deposits, balance enquiries and bill payments. They also contain dedicated rooms where customers can see community bankers from their own bank to carry out other banking services.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of variations in ticket pricing between rail operators on the East Coast Main Line serving stations such as Berwick upon Tweed and Newcastle; and whether she plans to require more (a) transparent and (b) consistent pricing for passengers in regions where multiple operators provide competing services.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The move to Great British Railways will enable passengers to receive a more consistent offer across the network, and we are already taking steps to overhaul the complex fares system and make it easier and simpler for passengers to trust they are buying the right ticket and getting the best fare for their journey.
Through public ownership London North Eastern Railway (LNER), TransPennine Express and Northern have expanded the availability of advance fares, making journeys that cross between operators cheaper and simpler. In addition, passengers travelling between Berwick and London can access the same core range of fares whether travelling on a direct service or by changing at Newcastle or York, including using TransPennine Express and then LNER on a single ticket. The only exceptions are specific LNER promotions (mainly the family ticket) and the LNER only First Class single.
Further, the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement ensures that tickets valid for all train operators on the East Coast Mainline, including open access operators, will remain available for passengers.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to remove the mechanism in the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme that freezes bonus pension increase.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I am meeting the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme Trustees next month to discuss future surplus sharing arrangements. No decisions have been made yet.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on considering the needs of rural broadband investment in the Telecoms Access Review.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector and is currently finalising its Telecoms Access Review.
DSIT officials regularly engage with Ofcom on these issues. In July, we published our draft updated Statement of Strategic Priorities to Ofcom that sets out the government’s view on the importance of competition to promote investment in broadband deployment across the UK, including in rural areas.
In non-commercially viable, often rural, areas, more than £2.4 billion of Project Gigabit contracts have already been signed to connect over one million premises with gigabit-capable broadband.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to publish the Integrated National Transport Strategy for England, following the closure of the call for evidence on 20 February 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is committed to publishing the integrated national transport strategy shortly, which will set the long‑term vision for domestic transport across England.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what reassurance she can give to farmers whose cashflow relies on Higher Tier payments arriving in early December and who have not received their payments yet from the Rural Payments Agency.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The 2025 payment window opened on 1 December, and by mid-December around three quarters of eligible farmers had already received their Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship payments. The Agency continues to work hard improving payment performance and to deliver all remaining eligible Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship payments as quickly as possible.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the Rural Payments Agency’s performance in delivering Higher Tier and other payments in early December in line with past expectations.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The 2025 payment window opened on 1 December, and by mid-December around three quarters of eligible farmers had already received their Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship payments. The Agency continues to work hard improving payment performance and to deliver all remaining eligible Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship payments as quickly as possible.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help increase funding for education for children around the world.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is a world leader in championing safe, inclusive, quality education, working in partnership with governments and multilaterals to deliver the education that all children deserve. In a context of scarce resources, the UK is working to increase both the volume and effectiveness of global and national financial investments in education, including supporting innovative financing mechanisms such as the International Finance Facility for Education.