Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce the gender pay gap.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Women’s equality and economic growth go hand in hand, but in spite of reporting requirements, progress on closing the gender pay gap stalled under the previous administration.

This government will Make Work Pay – including for women. As part of the Employment Rights Bill, we will require large employers to publish gender pay gap action plans alongside their figures. We are committed to working closely with partners both inside and outside government to make this a reality.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on using local growth funding to help increase economic growth in West Yorkshire.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department’s Ministerial team has had a range of discussions with Ministerial colleagues in His Majesty’s Treasury as well as the Mayor of West Yorkshire and the Combined Authority about their priorities and plans, as part of the Government’s mission to empower local leaders to drive economic growth. We are working with the area to identify shared priorities for growth through the Local Growth Plan and are providing West Yorkshire with over £1.14 billion of funding over 30 years to support growth and business investment.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on routes into the creative sector for young people in West Yorkshire.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) works closely with the Department for Education (DfE) on skills policy affecting the creative sector. This includes understanding routes into the sector for young people across the country, such as apprenticeships. As part of the DfE’s work on Growth and Skills Levy reform, new shorter apprenticeships will be available from August 2025 (subject to the legislative timetable) as a first step towards a more flexible levy.

In West Yorkshire in particular, Bradford and Kirklees have been priority areas for the Creative Careers Programme, which is designed to raise young people’s awareness of creative careers and pathways into them by providing specialist advice and information. By providing £3 million to expand the programme, DCMS will continue to boost opportunities and support for young people from backgrounds that are under-represented in the creative sector.

The Secretary of State visited Bradford in September last year for the programme launch of UK City of Culture 2025, which included speaking to members of the Bradford 2025 Youth Panel. Bradford 2025's work with young people, including an apprenticeship scheme, is encouraging the next generation of creatives with 6,000 training opportunities expected across the district. Arts Council England also provides funding to a range of organisations in West Yorkshire that supports the creative education provision for its children and young people, including In Harmony Opera North and Northern Ballet, which offer pathways into music and dance.

At the Creative Industries Growth Summit in January, the Secretary of State announced West Yorkshire as a priority region for the Creative Industries, and one of six Mayoral Combined Authorities to receive additional funding to be approved as part of the upcoming Spending Review.

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 increase the accountability of water company executives for water service failures.

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

The Water (Special Measures) Act will deliver on the Government’s commitment to put water companies under tough special measures, by strengthening regulation as a first legislative step towards improving the sector. The Act will:

• Strengthen regulation to ensure water bosses face personal criminal liability for lawbreaking.
• Give the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met.
• Introduce new powers to bring automatic and severe fines.
• Require water companies to install real-time monitors at every sewage outlet with data independently scrutinised by the water regulators.
• Give Ofwat the power to set rules to increase customer representation in decision-making to hold companies to account.

Following public consultation, the Government confirmed on 17 December 2024 the introduction of new and increased statutory payment rates, which will ensure that customers get at least double the previous amounts or more when water service standards are not met.

These reforms underscore this Government’s commitment to hold water companies to account for poor performance and to stand up for consumers who receive compromised water services. Water customers around the country will benefit from significantly higher payments to compensate them for water company service failures.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has plans to provide disabled access at Shepley train station in Ossett and Denby Dale constituency.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We are carefully considering the best approach to the Access for All programme. Since April 2024, 19 stations have been completed with a further 8 due to be completed by April 2025. We will shortly be updating MPs and other stakeholders on our approach to Access for All. This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

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 provision of endometriosis care services in West Yorkshire.

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

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health and improving the care received by those suffering from gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis. We have taken urgent action to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan. In gynaecology, the plan supports innovative models offering patients care closer to home, and piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres.

We encourage any woman or girl with symptoms of endometriosis to contact their GP. Within West Yorkshire endometriosis care services are delivered in three ways; through work taking place to provide care in women’s health hubs supported by primary care, support provided by secondary care, and specialist services for the treatment of severe endometriosis.

The Leeds women’s health hub opened on 1 May 2024 and a virtual West Yorkshire women’s inclusion health hub is due to go live in March 2025. Services provided in the women’s health hubs include assessment and treatment of menstrual problems, including but not limited to care for heavy, painful or irregular menstrual bleeding, as well as care for conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome.

Secondary care endometriosis diagnosis and treatment is provided by several hospital trusts across West Yorkshire. The Mid Yorkshire Teaching Trust is the only commissioned specialist endometriosis centre in West Yorkshire, commissioned by NHS England to provide interventions for severe endometriosis. The local gynaecology clinical network is currently reviewing opportunities to maximise patient access to endometriosis services across West Yorkshire, utilising the available sub-specialty skill set across the hospital trusts in the network.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on upgrading the Penistone rail line.

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

The Penistone Line is a Levelling Up Fund programme scheme valued at £47.9m and is subject to business case approval. Funding for Levelling Up Fund schemes is currently only confirmed until the end of financial year 2025/26. Funding for local transport capital schemes beyond March 2026, including for Levelling Up Fund schemes, will be considered as part of the Spending Review, due to conclude in Spring.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help ensure value for money in public spending.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

At Autumn Budget, we launched the Office for Value for Money to realise benefits from every pound of public spending. The Chair of the Office for Value for Money will advise the Chancellor and I on decisions for the Spending Review. This will include an assessment of how to root out waste and inefficiency, value for money studies in high‑risk areas of cross‑departmental spending, and scrutiny of investment proposals to ensure they offer value for money.

At launch of Phase 2 of the Spending Review, I asked each department to carry out a line-by-line review of existing day-to-day budgets, last undertaken 17 years ago, to identify where spending is no longer aligned with this government’s priorities or is poor value for money.

Building on the 2% productivity, efficiency, and savings target the government set departments in Phase 1 of the Spending Review, departments are expected to identify a minimum of 5% savings and efficiencies against their current budgets freeing up funding to achieve the government’s priorities.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the Mineworkers Pension Scheme on the living standards of the recipients of that pension in Ossett and Denby Dale constituency.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

At the end of November last year, the first uprated payments for the Mineworkers Pension Scheme landed for over 100,000 miners and their families. This is an average increase of 32% on their monthly payments (or an average additional £28/week).

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the contribution of the creative industries to economic growth.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The creative industries sector is one of eight growth-driving sectors identified in the government’s Industrial Strategy. We will publish a Creative Industries Sector Plan to drive growth in the late spring.

Creative industries GVA grew at 1.5 times the rate of UK GVA between 2010 and 2023 (35.4% vs 22.3%).

In 2023, the sector employed 2.4m people, and contributed £124bn in UK GVA, more than 5% of total UK GVA. In the 2024 Global Innovation Index the UK ranked third for creative outputs.

The government is committed to tackling barriers to growth, including skills shortages and gaps, to drive growth in the sector and across the economy.

At the Creative Industries Growth Summit in January, the Secretary of State announced West Yorkshire as a priority region for the Creative Industries, and one of six Mayoral Combined Authorities to receive additional funding to be approved as part of the upcoming Spending Review.

Businesses in West Yorkshire, including in Ossett and Denby Dale constituency, are able to benefit from support from DCMS and its arms-length bodies. This includes through the £3m Creative Careers Programme, which provides schoolchildren with information, advice, and guidance on creative career paths, and the £28.4m Create Growth Programme, which supports high-growth creative businesses to scale up and become investment ready.

The Arts Council England 2023-2026 Investment Programme is also investing £444m each year into arts and culture in England and is providing around £22m per year to cultural organisations in the Yorkshire and The Humber region.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help support creative industries in Ossett and Denby Dale constituency.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The creative industries sector is one of eight growth-driving sectors identified in the government’s Industrial Strategy. We will publish a Creative Industries Sector Plan to drive growth in the late spring.

Creative industries GVA grew at 1.5 times the rate of UK GVA between 2010 and 2023 (35.4% vs 22.3%).

In 2023, the sector employed 2.4m people, and contributed £124bn in UK GVA, more than 5% of total UK GVA. In the 2024 Global Innovation Index the UK ranked third for creative outputs.

The government is committed to tackling barriers to growth, including skills shortages and gaps, to drive growth in the sector and across the economy.

At the Creative Industries Growth Summit in January, the Secretary of State announced West Yorkshire as a priority region for the Creative Industries, and one of six Mayoral Combined Authorities to receive additional funding to be approved as part of the upcoming Spending Review.

Businesses in West Yorkshire, including in Ossett and Denby Dale constituency, are able to benefit from support from DCMS and its arms-length bodies. This includes through the £3m Creative Careers Programme, which provides schoolchildren with information, advice, and guidance on creative career paths, and the £28.4m Create Growth Programme, which supports high-growth creative businesses to scale up and become investment ready.

The Arts Council England 2023-2026 Investment Programme is also investing £444m each year into arts and culture in England and is providing around £22m per year to cultural organisations in the Yorkshire and The Humber region.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dentists are taking on new NHS patients in (a) Ossett and Denby Dale constituency and (b) West Yorkshire.

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

As of 4 February 2025, there were 13 National Health Service dental practices in Ossett and Denby Dale constituency, with three, or 23%, showing as ‘accepting new child patients when availability allows’ and two, or 15%, showing as ‘accepting new adult patients when availability allows’. In West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, there were 269 NHS dental practices, with 86, or 32%, showing as ‘accepting new child patients when availability allows’ and 48, or 18%, showing as ‘accepting new adult patients when availability allows’.

This data is sourced from the Find a Dentist website and is matched to constituencies based on the postcode data shown on the website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial support she is providing to local transport authorities and Mayors to improve local bus services in Yorkshire.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The government is committed to delivering the better, more reliable bus services that passengers deserve. In the Budget the government confirmed investment of over £1 billion to support and improve bus services and keep fares affordable. Local transport authorities (LTAs) in Yorkshire have been allocated over £76 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services. This includes £36 million allocated to West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

In addition to funding for LTAs, eligible bus operators in Yorkshire can claim funding through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) and BSOG Plus, which supports bus service provision.

All future funding for buses will be considered as part of the upcoming multi-year spending review. We have also committed to reforming bus funding to give local leaders more control and flexibility to allow them to plan ahead to deliver their local transport priorities.

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 reduce NHS waiting times in West Yorkshire.

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

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for this government. On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, which sets out how we will cut the waiting list and get back to the 18-week constitutional standard so that patients are seen on time and have the best possible experience during their care, including those using the National Health Service in West Yorkshire.

The Elective Reform Plan sets out how we will create an NHS fit for the future, modernising care so that it takes place efficiently and closer to home, prioritising patient experience and ensuring that wherever you live in England, you will be seen, diagnosed and treated in a timely way.

We have already supported this with additional investment in the Autumn Budget 2024, which has enabled us to deliver an additional two million appointments, seven months ahead of schedule. This includes operations, consultations, diagnostic tests, and treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and endoscopy. These additional appointments will help cut waiting times nationally, including across West Yorkshire.

We will also continue to boost regional capacity to deliver elective care by increasing the number of surgical hubs and expanding and increasing the opening times of community diagnostic centres (CDCs). There are currently seven CDCs and four operational surgical hubs already in West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, with plans to open a further two hubs.