Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to expand the support available to male victims of domestic violence.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
In 'Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls', the government committed to preventing violence and abuse, pursuing perpetrators, and supporting victims. This Government's aim is to get the foundations right for all victims, including men and boys.
Alongside the Strategy, we published the Men and Boys Explanatory Note, which sets out how the Strategy recognises men and boys as victims in their own right, and how each commitment set out in the Strategy also applies to men and boys.
The Ministry of Justice is leading work across government to improve outcomes for men and boys across the country, including across areas such as education, employment, positive role models, and mental health and suicide prevention.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) extending the forthcoming national £2 bus fare cap to tram services and (b) providing funding to local transport authorities and tram operators to enable tram fares to be capped at the same level as the bus fare cap.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As buses are the most widely used form of public transport in England, the Department is prioritising support for lowering bus fares as part of the Government's plan to give families more breathing space. Given the finite funding available, the Government has focused its investment where it can have the greatest impact for the largest number of passengers.
Responsibility for light rail, including tramways, is devolved in England. Local authorities own and are responsible for the operation and financial sustainability of their systems, including the setting of fares. Local transport authorities have received significant Government funding settlements to support local transport priorities and may choose to use this funding to support tram services or reduce tram fares where that aligns with local priorities.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if there are plans to extend the £2 bus fare cap to tram networks such as Sheffield's Supertram.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As buses are the most widely used form of public transport in England, the Department is prioritising support for lowering bus fares as part of the Government's plan to give families more breathing space. Given the finite funding available, the Government has focused its investment where it can have the greatest impact for the largest number of passengers.
Responsibility for light rail, including tramways, is devolved in England. Local authorities own and are responsible for the operation and financial sustainability of their systems, including the setting of fares. Local transport authorities have received significant Government funding settlements to support local transport priorities and may choose to use this funding to support tram services or reduce tram fares where that aligns with local priorities.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that older demographics in particular are safeguarded from the impacts of digital exclusion.
Answered by Vicky Foxcroft - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Everyone in every community should benefit from technology but we know some people face real barriers.
That’s why in 2025 we published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, helping over a million people get online and benefitting communities across the UK through the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund. A significant proportion of funded projects supported older people.
Government is also clear that digital services should work for everyone, including access through offline routes to essential public services.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of the National Literacy Trust’s report on ‘Children and young people’s reading in 2026’ relating to children’s reading enjoyment.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Reading for pleasure is hugely important and brings a wide range of benefits, from increased wellbeing, confidence and empathy to better vocabulary and aptitude for learning. That is why this government, in collaboration with our delivery partner, the National Literacy Trust (NLT), has declared 2026 the National Year of Reading (NYR), a UK-wide campaign to inspire a love of reading, combining a universal campaign with a targeted focus on priority groups who are least likely to read for pleasure. We are pleased to see that the NLT’s recent report shows children’s reading enjoyment increased in 2026 for the first time in five years.
Since the launch of NYR in January, the campaign has attracted significant attention and momentum, including 2.1 million children across the UK engaging in NYR events and activities, and over 6,000 schools and 11,000 teachers across the UK registering to get their schools involved in the NYR schools and settings offer, which includes exciting activities, resources, events and continuing professional development webinars.
This government has also committed £12.5 million to provide a library in every primary school in England by the end of this Parliament, alongside £5 million for secondary schools to purchase books and reading material to support reading for pleasure.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for publication of the cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) is being finalised to ensure it reflects the strongest available evidence and is due to be published soon.
The CVD MSF will support consistent, high quality, and equitable care whilst fostering innovation across the cardiovascular disease pathway.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing multi-year funding for Active Travel England grants.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Following publication of the Devolution White Paper in 2024, the majority of grants to local authorities are consolidated and are provided on a multi-year funding basis, including Active Travel England funding. This reduces burdens on authorities and allows greater flexibility to spend on local priorities. This funding is now paid out as part of wider integrated and consolidated funding arrangements for 2026/27 onwards.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the proportion of short stages in towns and cities in England that are currently walked and cycled.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Estimates of the proportion of short stages in towns and cities in England that are walked and cycled are obtained from the National Travel Survey. In 2024, 48% of stages of less than 5 miles made by residents of towns and cities in England were walked or cycled.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has identified links between menopause and a heightened risk of suicide; and what support his Department provides to safeguard the mental health of women reaching menopause.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
Menopause can have a significant impact on a woman’s mental health, and low mood and anxiety are recognised symptoms that some women may experience during the perimenopause and menopause.
The Department recognises the importance of ensuring that women experiencing menopause can access appropriate healthcare and mental health support. Any woman concerned about her mental health should seek advice from her general practitioner or another healthcare professional. Women can also self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies services, which provide support for common mental health problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression.
The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy identifies menopause as a core women’s health priority and recognises its impact on women’s health, wellbeing, and quality of life. The strategy will improve access to menopause care through neighbourhood women’s health services, women’s health hubs, and specialist regional centres, while improving information and awareness so women can access evidence-based support and treatment.
As announced in October, local authorities will be asked to include menopause in the NHS Health Check from 2026, supporting eligible women to access high-quality information about menopause symptoms, their management, and where to seek support.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough)
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 support the mental health of women going through (a) menopause, (b) perimenopause and (c) hormonal treatment related to menopause.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Government recognises the impact menopause can have on women’s lives.
The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy identifies menopause as a core women’s health priority, recognising its impact on women’s health, wellbeing, work, and quality of life. The strategy shifts menopause care into primary and community settings, including neighbourhood women’s health services and women’s health hubs, making care easier to access and closer to home.
Each region will have a specialist centre to support group-based clinics in women’s health, including menopause services, improving access, peer support, and consistency, with early rollout focused on areas of highest need. The strategy also commits to improving information and awareness so that women know their symptoms can be effectively managed, including through evidence-based treatments.
Menopause can have a significant impact on a woman’s mental health, with low mood and anxiety among the possible symptoms. It is important that all women experiencing perimenopause, menopause, or symptoms associated with menopause treatment can access high-quality healthcare support.
Any woman concerned about her mental health should seek advice from her general practitioner or another healthcare professional. Women can also self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies services, which help people experiencing common mental health problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression.