Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many a) nursing and b) residential care home beds have been lost in England due to provider closures in the past five years.

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

Over the past five years, 399 nursing homes registered with the Care Quality Commission have deactivated their locations in England. The following table shows the number of beds impacted (please note, this data does not include any data for new beds):

Over the past five years, 1,833 residential homes registered with the Care Quality Commission have deactivated their locations in England. The following table shows the number of beds impacted (please note, this data does not include any data for new beds):

The following table shows the total number of beds that have been impacted due to nursing home and residential home deactivations in England, over the past five years (please note, this data does not include any data for new beds):

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Patients to benefit from improved access to dental appointments, published on 21 February 2026, what steps he is taking to help ensure that high street dentists offer the additional urgent appointments.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring people can access urgent dental care when they need it. Over the past year, integrated care boards (ICBs) have been commissioning additional urgent dental appointments and there is now an urgent care safety net available in all areas of the country. We will ensure a continued urgent care safety net by requiring, from April 2026, high street dentists to deliver 8.2% of their total contract value as urgent or unscheduled care.

We are broadening the scope of the commitment to deliver additional appointments so that they can be used for more patients, not just those who meet the clinical criteria for “urgent” care. Additionally, we are increasing the urgent care payment to dentists from an average of £42 to £75 so that reimbursement better incentivises dentists to deliver the care patients need.

ICBs already have capacity in place for urgent dental care and can now consider where capacity could be more effectively used, ahead of the April 2026 reforms that will embed urgent care requirements into all high‑street dental contracts. NHS England has written to ICBs with further information on the commissioning of the additional dental appointments.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of accident and emergency waiting times on the incidence of reported patient harm.

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

The Government is committed to transparency in reporting patient harm in the National Health Service. The Learn from Patient Safety Events (LFPSE) service provides a national database of patient safety incidents, whereby frontline workers in NHS providers are able to record and analyse their own patient safety events to identify trends. NHS England reviews hundreds of incidents each week via LFPSE, looking for risks that can be acted on, including by issuing National Patient Safety Alerts and collaborating with partners to address issues identified.

We recognise that urgent and emergency care performance has not consistently met expectations in recent years and are committed to restoring waiting time standards set out in the NHS Constitution by the end of this Parliament, as outlined in the Medium-Term Planning Framework, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/medium-term-planning-framework-delivering-change-together-2026-27-to-2028-29/

NHS England has also published guidance on the Model Emergency Department, setting out core principles and pathways for high‑performing emergency departments, including a national model for extended emergency medicine ambulatory care to support faster decision‑making, improved patient flow and reduced overcrowding. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/the-model-emergency-department-high-performing-urgent-and-emergency-care-pathways/

We are also taking action to tackle corridor care by introducing new reporting arrangements and are committing to publishing data on its prevalence for the first time, improving transparency and driving operational improvement. Where corridor care cannot be avoided, updated guidance has been published to support trusts to deliver it safely, while maintaining patient dignity and privacy, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/principles-for-providing-patient-care-in-corridors/

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the lifecycle environmental impact of electric vehicles.

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

Lifecycle analysis of UK road vehicles, conducted by Ricardo Energy & Environment on behalf of the Department for Transport, shows that the lifetime carbon emissions of electric vehicles are lower than equivalent petrol and diesel vehicles. Over its lifetime, including manufacture, a battery electric car will save approximately 65% greenhouse gas emissions compared to an equivalent petrol car. As the UK’s electricity supply is increasingly decarbonised, savings are expected to grow to approximately 76% by 2030 and 81% by 2050. These lifecycle emissions reductions are consistent across vehicle types, with battery electric articulated heavy goods vehicles expected to save approximately 74-78% greenhouse gas emissions compared to equivalent diesel trucks by 2030. The study can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lifecycle-analysis-of-uk-road-vehicles.

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 ensure the safe disposal of electric vehicle batteries at the end of their life.

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

Electric vehicle (EV) batteries are classed as industrial batteries under the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, which requires producers of industrial batteries to offer free take back upon request from end users.

The Office of Product Safety and Standards is the regulator for waste industrial batteries and investigates reported instances of failure by producers to take back end of life EV batteries.

The Government is committed to effective end-of-life management for batteries and is engaging with industry and other stakeholders to inform a review of the UK batteries regulations, including obligations on producer responsibility for end-of-life EV batteries.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the total cost of electric vehicle ownership, including a) purchase price, b) insurance, c) maintenance, d) charging costs and e) vehicle excise duty.

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

Electric vehicles (EVs) are typically cheaper to own and run than petrol equivalents when purchased using salary sacrifice or when making use of the best available home off-peak charging tariffs. EVs continue to benefit from preferential tax breaks compared to the most polluting vehicles, including via salary sacrifice, and the Electric Car Grant offers up to £3,750 off eligible new EVs.

Drivers of a new EV can save as much as £1,400 a year compared to petrol car drivers on running and maintenance costs if they can charge at home using off-peak tariffs. A breakdown of how this is calculated is available here: https://cleanenergy.campaign.gov.uk/electric-vehicle/.

Analysis suggests that the average EV driver will pay around £20 a month under the Government’s eVED proposals once the new policy starts in 2028, roughly half the equivalent rate for a petrol car.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to improve the collection of data on the locations of fly-tipping incidents.

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

Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents, including fly-tipping incidents by land type to Defra, which are published annually here.

Defra has published guidance for local authorities to support them to improve the quality of their data collection and reporting. This can be found here.

The Environment Agency investigates fly tipping where the waste is more than 20 tonnes, a specified amount of hazardous waste, or is suspected to be linked to organised crime.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the average lifespan of electric vehicle batteries and the implications this may have for the second hand market for electric vehicles.

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

The latest evidence on electric vehicle (EV) battery lifespans shows that average degradation is much slower than originally expected, with different studies suggesting the average battery retains between 81.6 and 85% of its original capacity after eight years. Battery replacements remain rare and do not require the full vehicle to be scrapped. Old batteries must be recycled.

The Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate regulations require manufacturers to provide a warranty of 8 years or 100,000 miles on EV batteries. During the warranty period, if battery capacity drops below 70% for cars or 65% for vans, the manufacturer must provide a replacement battery. Additionally, eligibility for the Government’s Electric Car Grant requires manufacturers to offer customers a 2-year extension on the warranty to 10 years, ensuring vehicles and their batteries have long useable lives. The Government expects a significant positive downstream effect in the used EV market.

The Government is exploring options to adopt battery health regulations which would provide consumers with clearer information on an EV’s remaining battery capacity. These measures would further strengthen consumer confidence in second-hand EV purchases.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential for increased vehicle scrappage if electric vehicle batteries require replacement earlier than expected.

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

The latest evidence on electric vehicle (EV) battery lifespans shows that average degradation is much slower than originally expected, with different studies suggesting the average battery retains between 81.6 and 85% of its original capacity after eight years. Battery replacements remain rare and do not require the full vehicle to be scrapped. Old batteries must be recycled.

The Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate regulations require manufacturers to provide a warranty of 8 years or 100,000 miles on EV batteries. During the warranty period, if battery capacity drops below 70% for cars or 65% for vans, the manufacturer must provide a replacement battery. Additionally, eligibility for the Government’s Electric Car Grant requires manufacturers to offer customers a 2-year extension on the warranty to 10 years, ensuring vehicles and their batteries have long useable lives. The Government expects a significant positive downstream effect in the used EV market.

The Government is exploring options to adopt battery health regulations which would provide consumers with clearer information on an EV’s remaining battery capacity. These measures would further strengthen consumer confidence in second-hand EV purchases.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the transition to electric vehicles on the number and proportion of vehicles disposed of annually.

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

The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate and the Government’s Electric Car Grant both require vehicle manufacturers to provide a warranty of at least 8 years or 100,000 miles on electric vehicle (EV) batteries, ensuring vehicles and their batteries have long useable lives.

The latest evidence on vehicle lifespans shows that EVs last just as long as their petrol equivalents. Battery replacements remain rare, and do not require the full vehicle to be disposed of. The number and proportion of vehicles scrapped annually is not expected to be affected by the transition to ZEVs.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many recorded sewage discharge incidents into (a) the river Thames and (b) any other waterways in Essex that have occurred in each of the last five years; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce such incidents.

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

The Environment Agency (EA) received 635 reports of sewage pollution in Essex and 330 reports for the River Thames originating from water companies and private sewage treatment facilities in the last five years.

The EA has strengthened its regulation of the water industry by recruiting additional specialist officers and has increased inspections of water company wastewater assets. The EA is on track to deliver 10,000 inspections nationally this year. Since April 2025, over 2,400 inspections have been completed across Thames Water and Anglian Water assets.

Any permit breaches identified are assessed and serious permit breaches investigated and enforced against in line with the EA’s Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Tough new rules force suppliers to fix faulty smart meters, published on 10 March 2026, what the penalty to suppliers will be for each faulty smart meter not repaired within the proposed 90 day period.

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

Ofgem is responsible for monitoring the compliance of energy suppliers against their licence conditions and to take any compliance or enforcement action, which could include fines.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Tough new rules force suppliers to fix faulty smart meters, published on 10 March 2026, what monitoring mechanisms will be in place to verify that faulty smart meters are repaired within 90 days.

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

Ofgem is responsible for monitoring the compliance of energy suppliers against their licence conditions and to take any compliance or enforcement action, which could include fines.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Tough new rules force suppliers to fix faulty smart meters, published on 10 March 2026, what information his Department holds on the number of smart meters installed which are faulty.

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

The Department collects data on smart meters not operating in smart mode at a GB-wide level. The latest statistics on smart meters in operation across Great Britain until the end of 2025 are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/smart-meters-statistics#2025-quarterly-updates.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Tough new rules force suppliers to fix faulty smart meters, published on 10 March 2026, what information his Department holds on the number of smart meters connected to 2G and 3G networks.

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

The Department collects statistics on the total number of smart meters in operation at a GB-wide level which use a range of technologies including 2G and 3G mobile communications. The latest statistics on smart meters in operation across Great Britain are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/smart-meters-statistics#2025-quarterly-updates.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Tough new rules force suppliers to fix faulty smart meters, published on 10 March 2026, what information his Department holds on the average time taken for suppliers to fix faulty smart meters.

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

The Department does not hold data on the average time taken by energy suppliers to resolve reported issues with smart meters, but we know too many are waiting an unacceptable amount of time. Ofgem is responsible for regulating suppliers against their obligations to restore smart meters into smart mode and are taking compliance action against the worst performers.

The Government wants to speed up the resolution of smart metering communication issues and has confirmed a new requirement (coming into force in May) for suppliers to restore smart meters into smart mode within 90 days or face action by Ofgem.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Tough new rules force suppliers to fix faulty smart meters, published on 10 March 2026, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure consumers are aware of their rights when a smart meter is not functioning correctly.

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

In August 2025, the Department published a consumer guide, outlining rights and expectations, on the government website available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smart-meters-your-rights-and-expectations/smart-meters-your-rights-and-expectations.

The Department works closely with Smart Energy GB, who run the national campaign for smart meters, and consumer organisations such as Citizens Advice to raise awareness of consumer rights in relation to smart metering. Ofgem also publishes consumer guidance on its website.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Tough new rules force suppliers to fix faulty smart meters, published on 10 March 2026, whether his Department has a preferred target response time for suppliers to fix faulty smart meters separate to the proposed 90 day maximum response time.

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

From May 2026 energy suppliers will be obligated to take all reasonable steps to resolve issues with smart meters not operating in smart mode as soon as possible, and within 90 days from when they first become aware of the issue. In many cases we would expect resolution to be well within the 90-day limit. Ofgem is responsible for regulating energy suppliers against this obligation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients discharged from hospital to nursing or residential care placements outside their home local authority area due to local shortages of provision.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold an estimate of the number of patients discharged from hospital to nursing or residential care placements outside their home local authority area due to local shortages of provision. Local authorities have statutory responsibility for assessing and meeting eligible care needs and for arranging appropriate placements.

Enabling people to be discharged from hospital more quickly and with the right support contributes to speedier recovery and better outcomes. In some instances, this may mean discharging a patient outside of their local area so that they can receive the most appropriate care after discharge.

The Hospital Discharge and Community Support Guidance sets out that integrated care boards and local authorities should agree local arrangements to ensure that any decisions about the joint funding of care can be made swiftly. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hospital-discharge-and-community-support-guidance/hospital-discharge-and-community-support-guidance

These arrangements should follow the Who Pays? guidance for services funded by the NHS, and reference ‘ordinary residence’ rules for services funded by local authorities, so that there is no adverse effect on timely discharge. The Who Pays? guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/who-pays/

The Government provides £9 billion through the Better Care Fund (BCF) to be used jointly by the NHS and local authorities towards achieving agreed goals for reducing discharge delays. This February, the Government published guidance setting out new arrangements for the BCF. As well as supporting timely discharge from hospital, the BCF will also focus on services that help people regain independence and prevent avoidable admissions.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to Answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 111407, whether the consultation will include policy proposals relating to the visibility of children’s a) profile images and b) public biographical information.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Our landmark consultation on measures to protect children and enrich their online wellbeing launched on 2^nd March. This is open to the public, industry and civil society to respond to. We have also published parent and child versions to ensure all voices are reflected.

Measures in the consultation include implementing a minimum age to access certain social media and gaming platforms and limiting children’s access to ‘risky’ functionalities like livestreaming, location sharing and connecting with strangers. Respondents have the opportunity to list any other features they think should be age-restricted, which could include children’s public profile images and biographical information.

The consultation closes on 26 May. We will respond by the summer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 5 March 2026 to Question 115670, how many National Patient Safety Alerts have been issued in response to incidents originating in accident and emergency departments in the past three years.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In the period from 2023 to 2025, three full calendar years, the National Patient Safety Team issued seven National Patient Safety Alerts.

Whilst none of those originated from a single incident occurring in an emergency department, one alert in January 2023 was issued in response to a general concern that increasing pressure on the urgent and emergency care system was impacting the delivery of oxygen therapy to patients in clinical areas. To optimise the safe delivery of oxygen via portable oxygen cylinders, an alert was issued by the National Patient Safety Team, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2023/01/use-of-oxygen-cylinders-where-patients-do-not-have-access-to-medical-gas-pipeline-systems/

The alert asked providers to review NHS England guidance and conduct a risk assessment for all patient escalation/transient areas without piped oxygen and for trust medical gas committees to review and act on findings. Further information on the guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Official-sensitive-Oxygen-Cylinder-Comms-24-Jan-2023-UPDATE.pdf

Compliance with all National Patient Safety Alerts is overseen by the Care Quality Commission.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of social care workforce shortages on delayed discharges from hospitals in Essex.

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

The Department have made no assessment of the potential impact of social care workforce shortages on delayed discharges from hospitals in Essex.

It is important that people are discharged promptly from hospital with the right support, both for their outcomes and to free up beds for other patients.

The Government provides £9 billion through the Better Care Fund to be used jointly by the National Health Service and local authorities towards achieving agreed goals for reducing discharge delays.

English local authorities have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care.

That is why we are committed to transforming adult social care and supporting adult social care workers, turning the page on decades of low pay and insecurity. That is why we plan to introduce the first ever Fair Pay Agreement in 2028, backed by £500 million of funding to improve pay and conditions for the adult social care workforce.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the average difference in the purchase price of electric vehicles compared with petrol and diesel vehicles on consumers.

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

The £2 billion Electric Car Grant (ECG) is encouraging more drivers to purchase EVs by reducing upfront costs by up to £3750. Since launch in July 2025, the grant has helped over 75,000 drivers to choose an EV.

The grant has been designed to make lower-cost, sustainably manufactured EVs more widely available and only applies to vehicles priced at or below £37,000.

Industry intelligence suggests that some EVs on the used market are now similar in price to their petrol and diesel equivalents, with two in five used EVs available for under £20,000.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the availability of charging facilities for households without off-street parking.

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

The Government’s £400 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund is expected to deliver over 100,000 further local public charge points for drivers without off-street parking.

The Department is also working with local authorities to encourage the use of cross-pavement solutions and in July last year, announced the £25 million EV Pavement Channel Grant. This will ensure that more people without off-street parking can benefit from cheaper and more convenient domestic EV charging.

We remain committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an EV. As of March 2025, the Government and industry have supported the installation of 118,321 publicly available charging devices in England and Wales.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of people currently waiting for disability equipment through a) local authority or b) NHS community services.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Not all of the data requested is held centrally. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, and responsibility for providing equipment and wheelchairs to disabled people typically falls to local authorities and the National Health Service.

Local authorities in England have a statutory duty to make arrangements for the provision of community equipment for disabled people in their area. Responsibility for managing the market for these services, including commissioning and oversight of delivery, rests with local authorities. The NHS is responsible for providing wheelchairs for people with longer-term, complex needs.

The Medium Term Planning Framework, published in October 2025, requires that from 2026/27 all ICBs and community health services must actively manage and reduce the proportion of waits across all community health services over 18 weeks and develop a plan to eliminate all 52-week waits. These targets will guide systems to reduce longest waits.

NHS England is supporting ICBs to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of NHS wheelchairs, and to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment. This includes publishing a Wheelchair Quality Framework on 9 April 2025, which sets out quality standards and statutory requirements for ICBs, such as offering personal wheelchair budgets.

Since July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required.

In Quarter 3 of 2025/26, the proportion of patients whose episode of care was closed in the reporting period and prescribed equipment was delivered within 18 weeks or less was 79% for children, up from 77.7% in Quarter 2, and 83.1% for adults, down from 84.1% in Quarter 2.

The following publications and data sources provide some relevant information about disability equipment, but this is not a complete picture.

Firstly, the Acute discharge situation report: technical specification, regarding equipment and associated training not yet delivered, for pathways one to three. The patient requires equipment in order to allow them to be discharged. This has been requested by the care transfer hub but not yet provided, or further training for formal or informal carers is required before it can be safely used. This publication is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/acute-discharge-situation-report-technical-specification/#annex-c-reason-for-discharge-delay

Secondly, the Intermediate care data collection – technical guidance, where intermediate care is a collective term for short-term interventions that aim to maximise people’s independence and quality of life following or during a period of illness. It includes ‘step-down’ services after discharge from an episode of acute care to support recovery and ‘step-up’ services to avoid admission to hospital. Intermediate care commonly involves rehabilitation, reablement, and recovery support, and can be provided in a person’s home or in a community bedded setting. This publication is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/intermediate-care-data-collection-technical-guidance/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the waiting times for the provision of disability equipment, such as a) wheelchairs, b) hoists and c) grab rails.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Not all of the data requested is held centrally. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, and responsibility for providing equipment and wheelchairs to disabled people typically falls to local authorities and the National Health Service.

Local authorities in England have a statutory duty to make arrangements for the provision of community equipment for disabled people in their area. Responsibility for managing the market for these services, including commissioning and oversight of delivery, rests with local authorities. The NHS is responsible for providing wheelchairs for people with longer-term, complex needs.

The Medium Term Planning Framework, published in October 2025, requires that from 2026/27 all ICBs and community health services must actively manage and reduce the proportion of waits across all community health services over 18 weeks and develop a plan to eliminate all 52-week waits. These targets will guide systems to reduce longest waits.

NHS England is supporting ICBs to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of NHS wheelchairs, and to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment. This includes publishing a Wheelchair Quality Framework on 9 April 2025, which sets out quality standards and statutory requirements for ICBs, such as offering personal wheelchair budgets.

Since July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required.

In Quarter 3 of 2025/26, the proportion of patients whose episode of care was closed in the reporting period and prescribed equipment was delivered within 18 weeks or less was 79% for children, up from 77.7% in Quarter 2, and 83.1% for adults, down from 84.1% in Quarter 2.

The following publications and data sources provide some relevant information about disability equipment, but this is not a complete picture.

Firstly, the Acute discharge situation report: technical specification, regarding equipment and associated training not yet delivered, for pathways one to three. The patient requires equipment in order to allow them to be discharged. This has been requested by the care transfer hub but not yet provided, or further training for formal or informal carers is required before it can be safely used. This publication is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/acute-discharge-situation-report-technical-specification/#annex-c-reason-for-discharge-delay

Secondly, the Intermediate care data collection – technical guidance, where intermediate care is a collective term for short-term interventions that aim to maximise people’s independence and quality of life following or during a period of illness. It includes ‘step-down’ services after discharge from an episode of acute care to support recovery and ‘step-up’ services to avoid admission to hospital. Intermediate care commonly involves rehabilitation, reablement, and recovery support, and can be provided in a person’s home or in a community bedded setting. This publication is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/intermediate-care-data-collection-technical-guidance/

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of nursery places in Essex.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department continually monitors the sufficiency of childcare in Essex.

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the ‘Early education and childcare’ statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents.

This government is boosting availability and access through the School-based Nursery programme, supporting school-led provision and private, voluntary and independent providers and childminders operating from school sites. Phase 1 is already delivering results, with £37 million awarded to 300 primary-phase schools, including 13 in Essex, creating up to 6,000 new childcare places in total.

The department is due to announce successful Phase 2 projects in spring 2026.

Where Essex reports any sufficiency challenges, the department discusses what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and, where needed, support them with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps is she taking to address waiting lists and delayed start dates for nursery placements.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department continually monitors the sufficiency of childcare in Essex. The number of places on Ofsted’s Early Years Register in Essex rose by 4% (or 1,500) from 37,400 as at 31 December 2024 to 38,900 as at 31 December 2025.

The department has regular contact with all local authorities in England about childcare sufficiency and any issues they are facing, including disclosing any waiting lists or delayed start times.

The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is adequate to meet the requirements of parents and children.

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the ‘Early education and childcare’ statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents.

Where the local authority reports any sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action they are taking to address those issues and, where needed, support them with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of staffing capacity in early years settings.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The early years workforce is at the heart of our mission to give every child the best start in life and deliver the Plan for Change. The department has seen strong growth in the workforce so far, with early years provision delivered by an estimated 353,700 paid staff in 2025, compared to 353,100 in 2024. We know more growth will be needed as children age into the 30 hours offer from September 2025 onwards, so we continue working closely with providers and local authorities.

The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. No local authority is reporting sufficiency issues.

We continue to support the sector to attract talented staff and childminders by creating conditions for improved recruitment alongside programmes to better utilise the existing workforce. Recruitment and retention are being boosted through national recruitment campaigns, financial incentives, new teacher training and apprenticeships routes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with local authorities in Essex on pressures on adult social care services and the adequacy of the Better Care Fund support.

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

While the Department regularly engages with local authorities, including in Essex, there have not been discussions about pressures facing adult social care services specifically. The Better Care Fund (BCF) is a mechanism to support Essex and other areas to manage pressures, strengthen prevention, and deliver more timely and effective discharge from hospital.

For 2025/26, approximately £9 billion is committed through the BCF, which must be pooled to support better integrated health and care. Reducing delayed discharge and improving the timeliness and effectiveness of support in the community remain key priorities of the BCF.

For the initial year of BCF reform, for 2026/27, over £9 billion will again be committed, with no changes to the current funding system. The National Health Service minimum contribution to adult social care has also been uplifted by 4.4% for 2026/27. The new guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-care-fund-framework-2026-to-2027/better-care-fund-framework-2026-to-2027

The Government will consult on further reforms to the BCF from 2027/28 onwards.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, what metrics her Department will use to assess whether the new measures improve safety and reduce extremism on campus.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has assessed that Prevent related concerns, harassment and intimidation on university campuses in England have increased in recent years, reflecting wider societal and geopolitical tensions.

Prevent related concerns in higher education reached a record high in the 2023/24 reporting year of 65 Prevent referrals according to the Office for Students annual reporting data here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/prevent-monitoring-summary-of-2023-24-accountability-and-data-returns/. Reports also highlight a significant rise in harassment and intimidation, particularly following the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023.

There is no place for unlawful extremist behaviour on university campuses, including harassment or intimidation, and we expect Vice Chancellors to tackle it decisively. The department will continue to work closely with key sector organisations to understand how their data and reported campus experiences evolve over time.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of extremism, harassment and intimidation on university campuses in England.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has assessed that Prevent related concerns, harassment and intimidation on university campuses in England have increased in recent years, reflecting wider societal and geopolitical tensions.

Prevent related concerns in higher education reached a record high in the 2023/24 reporting year of 65 Prevent referrals according to the Office for Students annual reporting data here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/prevent-monitoring-summary-of-2023-24-accountability-and-data-returns/. Reports also highlight a significant rise in harassment and intimidation, particularly following the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023.

There is no place for unlawful extremist behaviour on university campuses, including harassment or intimidation, and we expect Vice Chancellors to tackle it decisively. The department will continue to work closely with key sector organisations to understand how their data and reported campus experiences evolve over time.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, when she plans to review the effectiveness of the increased campus extremism protections.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has assessed that Prevent related concerns, harassment and intimidation on university campuses in England have increased in recent years, reflecting wider societal and geopolitical tensions.

Prevent related concerns in higher education reached a record high in the 2023/24 reporting year of 65 Prevent referrals according to the Office for Students annual reporting data here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/prevent-monitoring-summary-of-2023-24-accountability-and-data-returns/. Reports also highlight a significant rise in harassment and intimidation, particularly following the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023.

There is no place for unlawful extremist behaviour on university campuses, including harassment or intimidation, and we expect Vice Chancellors to tackle it decisively. The department will continue to work closely with key sector organisations to understand how their data and reported campus experiences evolve over time.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of staff in his Department have (a) office-based, (b) hybrid and (c) remote-working contracts.

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

As of January 2026, 97% staff are on office‑based contracts, no staff are on hybrid contracts, and 3% staff are on remote‑working contracts.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 115668, what estimate he has made of the number of additional patients who will need to be treated within four hours in order to meet his target.

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

NHS England publishes data on the number of patients admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours in accident and emergency (A&E) departments on a monthly basis. The information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2025-26/

March 2026 data will be published in April. However, in March 2025, there were 2.4 million total A&E attendances, and four hour performance was 75%. In order to meet 78% in March 2025, approximately 72,000 additional patients would have needed to wait less than four hours from arrival to admission, transfer, or discharge.

The Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance has fallen short in recent years.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out clear actions to deliver improvements this winter and beyond. We are aiming for 78% of patients to be seen in in four hours this year, meaning over 800,000 people will receive more timely care.

We are investing £250 million into expanding same day and urgent care services, helping avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital and supporting faster diagnosis, treatment, and discharge for patients.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps is he taking to help ensure there are sufficient a) prosecutors, b) defence barristers and c) court staff to increase the number of Crown Court trials.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Deputy Prime Minister has announced that the Crown Court in England and Wales will be funded to hear as many cases as possible next year to speed up justice for victims. We are working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that there are sufficient prosecutors, and funding has been provided for this.

We are taking significant action to support defence barristers and the wider criminal defence profession. In December 2025, we announced additional funding of up to £34 million a year for criminal legal aid advocates, and a commitment to work with the profession to match-fund a number of criminal barrister pupillages to open a career at the Criminal Bar to even more young people from across society. The support for advocates is on top of up to £92 million per year in additional investment, announced in December 2024, we have implemented for criminal legal aid solicitors, which built on a £24 million per year investment in criminal solicitors earlier in the Parliament. This investment reflects the valuable role of criminal defence and will help them to continue to make sure justice is served.

An increase in Crown Court staff to support additional sitting days is funded and factored into HMCTS’ workforce planning, and recruitment for these roles is already progressing in each region.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to expand the number of judges authorised to sit in the Crown Court to address the backlog in criminal cases.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

We have ambitious but realistic recruitment plans for judges for the Crown Court. In January 2026, recruitment for Circuit Judges, including 45 in Crime, commenced. We are expecting a positive outcome from the 2024/25 Recorder recruitment exercise for 70 judges, most of whom work in Crime. More recruitment for both salaried and fee-paid Judges is planned for 2026/27.

The authorisation and deployment of judges is a matter for the judiciary. High Court Judges contribute sitting days in Crown, as do some District Judges (Magistrates Court), with the appropriate authorisation. Judges sitting in retirement are also used in Crown.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of paediatric a) physiotherapy and b) occupational therapy workforce capacity.

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

Decisions on recruitment and employment are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are working closely with NHS England, employers, and educators to improve the transition into the workforce.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the Plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Prevent duty in higher education institutions.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Higher education (HE) providers are subject to the Prevent duty to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.” To comply with the Prevent duty, providers must demonstrate they have effective policies and procedures in place to safeguard individuals susceptible to radicalisation. This includes assessing the risk of learners becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. Under the Prevent duty, the Office for Students (OfS) monitors and evaluates whether universities and other HE providers have due regard to the need to prevent people being drawn into terrorism. The OfS has assessed that HE providers are broadly compliant with their Prevent duty requirements. The latest assessment of Prevent monitoring in HE is available here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/prevent-monitoring-summary-of-2023-24-accountability-and-data-returns/.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of available courtrooms currently sitting in the Crown Court estate, and whether additional courtrooms could be brought into use.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

In January 2026 there were 508 Crown courtrooms available for use in the court estate.

In respect of whether additional courtrooms can be brought into use, Harrow Crown Court which has been closed since August 2023, will reopen in April following significant roof replacement works, bringing back into operation an eight-courtroom building. Two temporary Crown courtrooms at Willesden Magistrates’ Court, used as a contingency for Harrow, will revert back to magistrates’ courtrooms. Additionally, the City of London Law Courts is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in 2027, providing eight additional Crown courtrooms.

We continue to keep the court estate under regular review to ensure it aligns with operational priorities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, whether the updated guidance includes safeguards to protect free speech.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The updated guidance will include safeguards to protect freedom of speech within the law and will clearly signpost higher education providers to the Office for Students’ guidance related to freedom of speech here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/regulatory-advice-24-guidance-related-to-freedom-of-speech/. Further guidance will be issued in the Spring on Managing External Speakers and Events to ensure providers can meet their Prevent duty obligations while upholding freedom of speech.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, what protections will be available for university staff who report concerns relating to extremism and intimidation on campus.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Universities are autonomous institutions and therefore have their own policies and procedures for handling employee concerns.

In addition, the government will work with the Department for Business and Trade to add the Office for Students (OfS) to the list of prescribed bodies under the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2024. This change will help ensure that whistleblowers can report wrongdoing related to registered higher education providers with confidence.

The OfS will also strengthen how it monitors universities’ efforts to prevent individuals from becoming involved in terrorism or supporting it. It will publish a new monitoring framework and accompanying guidance in September, which will come into effect at the beginning of 2027.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the Home Office regarding the collection of detailed data on freight crime and its hotspots.

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

The Department for Transport holds regular discussions with the Home Office regarding freight crime and where it occurs.

Most recently, on 25 February, the Minister for Policing and Crime and I hosted a freight roundtable with representatives from the haulage sector, trade bodies and police in attendance. We heard directly from the sector on their concerns relating to freight crime.

The Home Office have engaged with police forces on how to make freight crime more visible within the police recorded crime statistics. A freight crime recording flag has been developed and is currently being piloted in two police forces. The results of the pilot will be assessed soon, any changes necessary will be made and, if successful, the flag will be rolled out across all forces in due course for mandatory collection.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, how many university students have been referred under the Prevent duty in each year since 2020.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Home Office publishes overall Prevent referrals by sector but does not break down the ‘Education’ category between schools, colleges, and universities. However, the Office for Students publishes annual Prevent monitoring data for higher education providers here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/prevent-monitoring-summary-of-2023-24-accountability-and-data-returns/.

This includes formal external Prevent referrals. The most recent reporting period 2023/2024 indicates that universities made 65 Prevent referrals, but it does not indicate how many of the individuals involved were students versus staff.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, whether any additional resources will be allocated to the Office for Students to help monitor universities.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Office for Students will strengthen its monitoring activity by reprioritising its existing resources.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of measures for identifying the deterioration of patients' health in Accident and Emergency waiting rooms.

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

The safety of patients waiting in accident and emergency is of the highest priority, and we have set out various measures in national guidance. There is a national target that patients receive an initial assessment within 15 minutes of arrival in accident and emergency. This assessment considers patient acuity, ensuring those that are most unwell and at greatest risk are identified and prioritised. Patients should be then observed at clinically appropriate intervals to identify any deterioration, with specific arrangements determined through local clinical decision making and governance.

The National Health Service and the Department have taken significant steps forward to improve patient safety, including by implementing significant programmes under the NHS Patient Safety Strategy, published in 2019.

We are also introducing new clinical operational standards for the first 72 hours of care. These are largely focused on the period after patients leave emergency departments, setting clear expectations for timely reviews and specialist input, but also provide guidance on early assessment and monitoring of older people for frailty and delirium.

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 help ensure that patients waiting in Accident and Emergency are adequately monitored.

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

The safety of patients waiting in accident and emergency is of the highest priority, and we have set out various measures in national guidance. There is a national target that patients receive an initial assessment within 15 minutes of arrival in accident and emergency. This assessment considers patient acuity, ensuring those that are most unwell and at greatest risk are identified and prioritised. Patients should be then observed at clinically appropriate intervals to identify any deterioration, with specific arrangements determined through local clinical decision making and governance.

The National Health Service and the Department have taken significant steps forward to improve patient safety, including by implementing significant programmes under the NHS Patient Safety Strategy, published in 2019.

We are also introducing new clinical operational standards for the first 72 hours of care. These are largely focused on the period after patients leave emergency departments, setting clear expectations for timely reviews and specialist input, but also provide guidance on early assessment and monitoring of older people for frailty and delirium.

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 help reduce delays between triage and clinical assessment in Accident and Emergency departments.

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

The Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance has fallen short in recent years. We are committed to restoring accident and emergency waiting times to the NHS Constitutional standard.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out clear actions to deliver improvements this winter and make services better every day. This plan set out our aim for 78% of patients to be seen in four hours this year, meaning over 800,000 people will receive more timely care.

The plan is backed by almost £450 million of capital investment for Same Day Emergency Care, Mental Health Crisis Assessment Centres, and new ambulances, avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital and supporting the diagnosis, treatment, and discharge for patients.

There is a target for initial assessment to take place within 15 minutes of patients’ arrival in accident and emergency, and part of this clinical assessment should be determining their priority. Therefore, patients who are most unwell and at most risk should be identified during this process and clinical oversight adjusted accordingly.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of import-related costs on food prices.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra modelling shows consumer food prices are driven by domestic farmgate prices, agricultural and food import prices, exchange rates and manufacturing costs.

ONS input producer price inflation rates for domestic and imported food inputs were 2.1% and 1.2% respectively in January 2026. This compares with 1.7% and -3.1% in January 2025.

Import prices are driven by movements in global commodity markets. For example, cocoa prices have risen strongly since 2024 following poor weather conditions in West Africa and contributed to UK chocolate prices rising 14.7% higher in January 2026 compared to the previous year.

The Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD)’s latest forecast, published November 2025, suggests that they expect food price inflation to peak at 4.3% at the start of 2026 and average 3.8% over 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, what organisations and student groups will be involved in co-designing the proposed Campus Cohesion Charter.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Campus Cohesion Charter will not preclude or discourage any lawful speech or behaviour and the department will work closely with the Office for Students to ensure that is the case. Universities will be strongly encouraged but not compelled to adopt the charter.

It will be a student-led product, facilitated by a partnership of the department, the National Union of Students and University of Salford. Other groups and experts will be invited to collaborate as the product evolves.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, whether universities will be required to adopt the Campus Cohesion Charter as a condition of registration with the Office for Students.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Campus Cohesion Charter will not preclude or discourage any lawful speech or behaviour and the department will work closely with the Office for Students to ensure that is the case. Universities will be strongly encouraged but not compelled to adopt the charter.

It will be a student-led product, facilitated by a partnership of the department, the National Union of Students and University of Salford. Other groups and experts will be invited to collaborate as the product evolves.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, if she will take steps to ensure that the Campus Cohesion Charter does not prevent student societies supporting registered political parties.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Campus Cohesion Charter will not preclude or discourage any lawful speech or behaviour and the department will work closely with the Office for Students to ensure that is the case. Universities will be strongly encouraged but not compelled to adopt the charter.

It will be a student-led product, facilitated by a partnership of the department, the National Union of Students and University of Salford. Other groups and experts will be invited to collaborate as the product evolves.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, what safeguards will be in place to ensure that the Campus Cohesion Charter is not utilised to curtail freedom of speech.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Campus Cohesion Charter will not preclude or discourage any lawful speech or behaviour and the department will work closely with the Office for Students to ensure that is the case. Universities will be strongly encouraged but not compelled to adopt the charter.

It will be a student-led product, facilitated by a partnership of the department, the National Union of Students and University of Salford. Other groups and experts will be invited to collaborate as the product evolves.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government launches consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID, published on 10 March 2026, how many people will be on the People’s Panel.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Participants will be recruited through a process called sortition. This is a random postcode lottery. It is a way of selecting individuals to take part in deliberative processes, where everyone is given an equal chance to be invited. No individual can buy their way in or simply turn up at the event. All participants must be 18 or over to join the People’s Panel.

Our partners at the Sortition Foundation manage this process. Sortition Foundation will mail out to thousands of households, at random, to invite members of the public to take part. Over 100 people will be selected to participate in the People’s Panel on Digital ID.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government launches consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID, published on 10 March 2026, what proportion of the People’s Panel will be from Essex.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

As per my response to PQ 120739, participants will be recruited through a process called sortition. This is a random postcode lottery. It is a way of selecting individuals to take part in deliberative processes, where everyone is given an equal chance to be invited. No individual can buy their way in or simply turn up at the event.

Our partners at the Sortition Foundation manage this process. Sortition Foundation will mail out to thousands of households, at random, to invite members of the public to take part. Once volunteers have been received, a set of criteria is used to determine a broadly representative sample.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government launches consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID, published on 10 March 2026, what steps he is taking to ensure no pre-existing bias by members of the People’s Panel.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Participants will be recruited through a process called sortition. This is a random postcode lottery. It is a way of selecting individuals to take part in deliberative processes, where everyone is given an equal chance to be invited. No individual can buy their way in or simply turn up at the event.

Our partners at the Sortition Foundation manage this process. Sortition Foundation will mail out to thousands of households, at random, to invite members of the public to take part. Once volunteers have been received, a set of criteria is used to determine a broadly representative sample.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government launches consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID, published on 10 March 2026, what weight will be given to the discussions of the People’s Panel.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The consultation will be open until 5 May 2026. The People’s Panel will convene throughout May and June to hear expert evidence, concluding their work on 21 June 2026. Outputs from the People’s Panel will be weighed alongside the broader consultation feedback to inform the design and delivery of the voluntary digital ID system.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government launches consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID, published on 10 March 2026, whether Government by app will store all data together for digital IDs.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is committed to the principle of data minimisation, ensuring the new digital ID system only processes the information necessary to provide a specific service.

There will be no new single central database storing all government data on a person in one place.

We are consulting on how we can build on existing infrastructure to provide a modern “Government by App” experience that gives users more control over their data than they have now and reduces reliance on manual paperwork.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 118667, which community healthcare service types have the longest waiting times, and what steps is he taking to reduce them.

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

We know people are waiting too long for community services and that is why we have set a clear target for systems to work to reduce long waits in NHS England’s Medium Term Planning Framework. By 2028/29 at least 80% of community health service activity should take place within 18 weeks. In addition, in 2025 we published Standardising Community Health Services which provides an overview of the core community health services, with further detail published in February 2026.

As of January 2026, there were 1.4 million people on waiting lists for community health services, with 59,245 people who had been on waiting lists for 52 to 104 weeks, and 30,946 people who had been on waiting lists for over 104 weeks.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients are waiting over a) 52 weeks and b) 104 weeks for community healthcare services.

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

We know people are waiting too long for community services and that is why we have set a clear target for systems to work to reduce long waits in NHS England’s Medium Term Planning Framework. By 2028/29 at least 80% of community health service activity should take place within 18 weeks. In addition, in 2025 we published Standardising Community Health Services which provides an overview of the core community health services, with further detail published in February 2026.

As of January 2026, there were 1.4 million people on waiting lists for community health services, with 59,245 people who had been on waiting lists for 52 to 104 weeks, and 30,946 people who had been on waiting lists for over 104 weeks.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s Eastern Neighbourhood Small Projects Programme, what evaluation she has made of the effectiveness of the project entitled AZE: Support Azerbaijan to develop Carbon Market.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to him on 17 March 2026 to Question 120276.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s Eastern Neighbourhood Small Projects Programme, how much has been spent on the project entitled AZE: Support Azerbaijan to develop Carbon Market.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to him on 17 March 2026 to Question 120276.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends since 2021 in the number of patients waiting more than 12 hours in Accident and Emergency departments.

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

No such assessment has been made. NHS England began publishing data on number of patients waiting more than 12 hours in accident and emergency (A&E) departments in February 2023. The data is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2025-26/

For Type 1 and Type 2 attendances, the proportion of patients spending more than 12 hours in A&E during the 12 months to February 2026 was 10.1%. This represents an improvement of 0.2 percentage points compared to the figure of 10.3% recorded in the 12 months to June 2024.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to increase the availability of rapid and ultra-rapid charging infrastructure in rural areas.

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

As of January 2026, 20.3% of rapid and ultra-rapid EV chargers were in rural areas, higher than the proportion of the population of England and Wales that live in rural areas (17.5%).

There are currently over 26,378 open-access 50kW+ chargers in the UK. This includes over 6,400 charge points within one mile of the Strategic Road Network (SRN, motorways and major A-roads in England), which have more than quadrupled in the last three years (July 2022 – October 2025, Zapmap).

The Government will continue to work closely with industry to target support where it is needed, including gaps in charging provision on the SRN. This includes support through a £10 million innovation fund, which is open to applications until later this month.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government launches consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID, published on 10 March 2026, whether the proceedings, findings and recommendations of the people’s panel will be published.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The People’s Panel will convene throughout May and June to hear expert evidence, concluding their work on 21 June 2026. Outputs from the People’s Panel will be weighed alongside the broader consultation feedback to inform the design and delivery of the voluntary digital ID system.

As announced in parliament on 10 March 2026, the People’s Panel will form part of the legal consultation on digital ID. The Government will respond to the Consultation in the usual way.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government launches consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID, published on 10 March 2026, what steps his Department plans to take to help ensure that People’s Panel panellists are not unduly influenced by a small number of influential voices.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The People’s Panel will be facilitated by our suppliers, Ipsos UK. Ipsos have a trained team of skilled facilitators who will guide discussions and ensure all members of the People’s Panel have equal opportunities to contribute.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government launches consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID, published on 10 March 2026, whether the People’s Panel will be a single group.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Yes, the People’s Panel will consist of a single group of 100 to 120 individuals, selected via civic lottery to ensure a representative sample of the public.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to Answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 119800 on Sentencing: Gender, what the evidential basis is for the conclusion that female offenders are typically lower risk to the public than male offenders.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The statement that women in the criminal justice system are typically lower risk to the public reflects a statement made by the Independent Sentencing Review (ISR) in its Part 2 Report.

Through its engagement programme, the ISR heard from third sector organisations working with women in the criminal justice system that many female offenders present with complex vulnerabilities and typically pose a lower level of risk to the public. This feedback was based on practitioners’ operational experience supporting women in custody and the community.

Government data, published here, supports this as women make up a small proportion (around 4%) of the overall offender and prison population. Women are also less frequently convicted of the most serious violent offences. For example, in the year to September 2025 data shows that out of all offenders where the sex is known, females account for only 17% of sentences for violence against the person, 2% for sexual offences, and 16% for criminal damage and arson. These patterns contribute to a different typical offending profile compared with men, though individual sentencing decisions must always be based on the facts of the case.

Sentencing remains a matter for the courts, which must assess culpability, harm, and all relevant aggravating and mitigating factors in line with statutory sentencing guidelines.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to work with local authorities to improve safeguarding standards in early years settings.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department works closely with local authorities to strengthen safeguarding standards across early years settings, including nurseries and childcare centres.

Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we are seeking to require the automatic involvement of education and childcare settings in multi-agency safeguarding arrangements, ensuring their participation and that their views are represented at both strategic and operational levels. These measures strengthen the role of education and childcare providers in safeguarding and support effective information sharing through statutory guidance.

As part of wider safeguarding reforms, in September 2025 we strengthened safeguarding requirements through changes to the early years foundation stage statutory framework, including enhanced expectations on safer recruitment, child absences, safer eating, safeguarding training and whistleblowing.

In addition, we have appointed an expert panel to inform the development of guidance for the early years sector on the use of digital devices and CCTV within safeguarding. This guidance is due to be published in the autumn and will set out best practice, technical information and clear expectations for providers.

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 help ensure patients with minor ailments are directed to appropriate NHS services before they attend accident and emergency departments.

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

The Government is committed to continuing to improve National Health Services, including NHS 111 to ensure patients can access the right care first time, only visiting accident and emergency when necessary.

The Urgent and Emergency Care Plan is backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding, including £250 million of capital investment for the continued expansion of co-located urgent treatment centres and same-day emergency care. This provides additional capacity for minor urgent health problems, ensuring that resources are targeted appropriately and that emergency care remains available for the most acutely unwell patients.

The plan also commits to reviewing NHS 111 services and incorporating the recommendations from the review, to make the service more effective, quicker and simpler to navigate.

We are also expanding urgent care in primary, community, and mental health settings, increasing vaccination uptake, and offering health checks to the most vulnerable. Integrated care boards and trust winter plans have been stress-tested to ensure resilience, reducing pressure on accident and emergency.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of endometriosis a) education and b) training within i) undergraduate medical degrees and ii) GP training.

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

The Government will soon publish a renewed Women’s Health Strategy that will set out how the Government is taking further steps to improve women’s health, including reproductive health, as we deliver the 10-Year Health Plan.

The standard of undergraduate medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), the independent regulator of the medical profession, which set the outcomes and standards expected at undergraduate level. Medical schools are responsible for their curricula. The delivery of these undergraduate curricula must meet the standards set by the GMC, who then monitor and check to make sure that these standards are maintained.

The curriculum for specialty training is set by individual Royal Colleges and faculties. The GMC approves curricula and assessment systems for each training programme. Curricula emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is responsible for publishing the postgraduate curriculum for general practitioners (GPs) and ensuring it remains up to date. The RCGP curriculum covers endometriosis as part of its gynaecology and breast health module.

GPs are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. The RCGP has worked with partners, including Endometriosis UK, to develop educational resources relating to endometriosis to support GPs and other healthcare professionals to deliver the best possible care for women, based on the latest evidence.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 110313 on NHS: Standards, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the variation between NHS trusts in protocols for monitoring patients after initial triage.

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

Patients are triaged upon initial entry to accident and emergency departments, after which their condition and any deterioration is monitored through observation at clinically appropriate intervals. How this happens and how often is down to local clinical decision making and governance.

There is a national target that patients receive an initial assessment within 15 minutes of arrival in accident and emergency. This assessment considers patient acuity, ensuring those most unwell and at greatest risk are identified and prioritised, so that clinical oversight can be adjusted accordingly and to ensure the sickest patients are seen first.

On 9 February 2026 NHS England published guidance on the Model Emergency Department, which is intended to set out a consistent national framework by defining the core principles and pathways of high‑performing emergency departments. The guidance recognises that there is variation in how emergency departments operate across National Health Service trusts, reflecting differences in local populations, clinical judgement, and governance arrangements.

The Model Emergency Department does not remove local decision‑making, but provides a shared national model, including extended emergency medicine ambulatory care, to support greater consistency, faster decision‑making across urgent and emergency care pathways, and stronger whole‑system responsibility for performance. This approach is intended to improve patient experience and patient flow, with lower waiting times and reduced overcrowding.

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 NHS trusts to maintain an appropriate level of bed occupancy during winter months.

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

As set out in the 2025/26 Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, the National Health Service is focussing on improvements that will see the biggest impact on urgent and emergency care performance during winter, including:

- improving hospital flow, with a focus on reducing the number of patients waiting more than 12 hours and making progress towards eliminating corridor care;

- reducing ambulance handovers to a maximum of 45 minutes, ensuring patients are transferred more quickly into hospital care;

- agreeing local pathway profiles to support discharge capacity planning and eliminate internal discharge delays of more than 48 hours in all settings;

- reducing the average length of stay for patients requiring an overnight emergency admission by at least 0.4 days returning closer to pre-pandemic levels;

- expanding access to urgent care in primary, community, and mental health settings - including increasing the number of people supported by Urgent Community Response teams and treated in virtual wards; and

- improving vaccination uptake among frontline staff, aiming to raise coverage in 2025/26 by at least 5% towards the pre-pandemic 2018/19 level.

We started planning earlier and have taken more action than in previous years to prepare for winter pressures. We continue to monitor the impact of winter pressures on the NHS over winter months, providing additional support to services across the country as needed.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a comparative assessment of bed occupancy levels at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust between October and December 2025 with the national average during the same period.

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

NHS England publishes data on general and acute bed (G&A) occupancy and capacity. Between October and December 2025, the average G&A bed occupancy rate at the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust was 94.8%, compared to 93% nationally.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 110313 on NHS: Standards, whether any national guidance exists on the reassessment of patients whose clinical condition deteriorates while waiting in Accident and Emergency departments.

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

Patients are triaged upon initial entry to accident and emergency departments, after which their condition and any deterioration is monitored through observation at clinically appropriate intervals. How this happens and how often is down to local clinical decision making and governance.

There is a national target that patients receive an initial assessment within 15 minutes of arrival in accident and emergency. This assessment considers patient acuity, ensuring those most unwell and at greatest risk are identified and prioritised, so that clinical oversight can be adjusted accordingly and to ensure the sickest patients are seen first.

On 9 February 2026 NHS England published guidance on the Model Emergency Department, which is intended to set out a consistent national framework by defining the core principles and pathways of high‑performing emergency departments. The guidance recognises that there is variation in how emergency departments operate across National Health Service trusts, reflecting differences in local populations, clinical judgement, and governance arrangements.

The Model Emergency Department does not remove local decision‑making, but provides a shared national model, including extended emergency medicine ambulatory care, to support greater consistency, faster decision‑making across urgent and emergency care pathways, and stronger whole‑system responsibility for performance. This approach is intended to improve patient experience and patient flow, with lower waiting times and reduced overcrowding.

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 help reduce the financial cost arising from clinical negligence claims within the NHS.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.

Although forecasts remain uncertain, it is likely that, without action to address it, the costs of clinical negligence will continue to grow substantially. The Government Actuary’s Department forecasts that annual payments for compensation and legal costs will increase from £3 billion in 2024/25 to £4.1 billion by 2029/30.

Between 2006/7 and 2024/25, the total volume of claims settled by NHS Resolution increased from 5,923 to 13,329. In 2025, the National Audit Office’s Costs of clinical negligence report stated that "settled claim volumes for hospital activity under CNST have remained relatively stable since 2016-17. Recent increases in clinical negligence claims are largely due to the introduction of two new indemnity schemes in 2019 covering both current and historic claims in primary medical services”.

As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office’s report. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Chancellor and Energy Secretary meet with fuel bosses in No11 as government order crackdown on pump prices, published on 13 March 2026, what follow-up meetings with fuel retailers are planned following the Downing Street roundtable on pump prices.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The roundtable was attended by representatives from the CMA, in their capacity as the regulator; relevant trade associations; and major petrol retailers and energy suppliers.

Government publishes a record of meetings in regular transparency releases. To ensure we continue to foster an open dialogue as the situation in the Middle East develops, we will not be publishing full minutes of the meeting.

The Chancellor has written to Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, expressing support for the CMA’s work to ensure customers are not affected by undue price rises, including for road fuel. Letter to the CMA on vigilance for unjustifiable price increases.

The CMA has a statutory monitoring function in the road fuel sector and has released a statement confirming their plans to step up monitoring of petrol and diesel prices. CMA steps up monitoring of petrol and diesel prices - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government to go "further and faster" in becoming energy secure, published on 15 March 2026, whether the plug-in solar panels will be subsidised for purchase.

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

As set out in the announcement we are working to make plug-in solar panels available in shops as quickly as possible.

Plug-in solar panels are not currently eligible for government grants or loans however we keep technology eligibility for government schemes under review.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government to go "further and faster" in becoming energy secure, published on 15 March 2026, whether the plug-in solar panels received Government funding.

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

As set out in the announcement we are working to make plug-in solar panels available in shops as quickly as possible.

Plug-in solar panels are not currently eligible for government grants or loans however we keep technology eligibility for government schemes under review.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Chancellor and Energy Secretary meet with fuel bosses in No11 as government order crackdown on pump prices, published on 13 March 2026, which companies and industry representatives attended the Downing Street meeting with fuel retailers and energy suppliers on 13 March 2026.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The roundtable was attended by representatives from the CMA, in their capacity as the regulator; relevant trade associations; and major petrol retailers and energy suppliers.

Government publishes a record of meetings in regular transparency releases. To ensure we continue to foster an open dialogue as the situation in the Middle East develops, we will not be publishing full minutes of the meeting.

The Chancellor has written to Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, expressing support for the CMA’s work to ensure customers are not affected by undue price rises, including for road fuel. Letter to the CMA on vigilance for unjustifiable price increases.

The CMA has a statutory monitoring function in the road fuel sector and has released a statement confirming their plans to step up monitoring of petrol and diesel prices. CMA steps up monitoring of petrol and diesel prices - GOV.UK.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Chancellor and Energy Secretary meet with fuel bosses in No11 as government order crackdown on pump prices, published on 13 March 2026, whether (a) minutes and (b) a summary of the meeting held with fuel retailers in Downing Street on 13 March 2026 will be published.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The roundtable was attended by representatives from the CMA, in their capacity as the regulator; relevant trade associations; and major petrol retailers and energy suppliers.

Government publishes a record of meetings in regular transparency releases. To ensure we continue to foster an open dialogue as the situation in the Middle East develops, we will not be publishing full minutes of the meeting.

The Chancellor has written to Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, expressing support for the CMA’s work to ensure customers are not affected by undue price rises, including for road fuel. Letter to the CMA on vigilance for unjustifiable price increases.

The CMA has a statutory monitoring function in the road fuel sector and has released a statement confirming their plans to step up monitoring of petrol and diesel prices. CMA steps up monitoring of petrol and diesel prices - GOV.UK.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Chancellor and Energy Secretary meet with fuel bosses in No11 as government order crackdown on pump prices, published on 13 March 2026, what representations she received from industry representatives regarding the costs they charge for fuel.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The roundtable was attended by representatives from the CMA, in their capacity as the regulator; relevant trade associations; and major petrol retailers and energy suppliers.

Government publishes a record of meetings in regular transparency releases. To ensure we continue to foster an open dialogue as the situation in the Middle East develops, we will not be publishing full minutes of the meeting.

The Chancellor has written to Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, expressing support for the CMA’s work to ensure customers are not affected by undue price rises, including for road fuel. Letter to the CMA on vigilance for unjustifiable price increases.

The CMA has a statutory monitoring function in the road fuel sector and has released a statement confirming their plans to step up monitoring of petrol and diesel prices. CMA steps up monitoring of petrol and diesel prices - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Chancellor and Energy Secretary meet with fuel bosses in No11 as government order crackdown on pump prices, published on 13 March 2026, what proportion of petrol forecourts are currently providing real-time price data to the Government’s Fuel Finder scheme.

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

There are currently approximately 7,400 petrol filling stations (PFSs) registered with Fuel Finder (approximately 90% of UK PFSs). Over 80% of UK PFSs have updated at least one price within the past week.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is responsible for enforcing Fuel Finder, but has confirmed that until at least May 2026, its focus will be on supporting retailers to comply, rather than enforcement.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 118132, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in number of clinical negligence claims made against the NHS since 2006-07.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.

Although forecasts remain uncertain, it is likely that, without action to address it, the costs of clinical negligence will continue to grow substantially. The Government Actuary’s Department forecasts that annual payments for compensation and legal costs will increase from £3 billion in 2024/25 to £4.1 billion by 2029/30.

Between 2006/7 and 2024/25, the total volume of claims settled by NHS Resolution increased from 5,923 to 13,329. In 2025, the National Audit Office’s Costs of clinical negligence report stated that "settled claim volumes for hospital activity under CNST have remained relatively stable since 2016-17. Recent increases in clinical negligence claims are largely due to the introduction of two new indemnity schemes in 2019 covering both current and historic claims in primary medical services”.

As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office’s report. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment, published on 17 March 2026, how many of the jobs associated with Nigerian investment mentioned in his press release he attributes specifically to the UK-Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership.

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

As an integral part of the UK's growth objective, the Government is making it simpler and easier for business to make long term investment into the UK, including Nigerian inward investment.

DBT routinely publishes official statistics on foreign direct investment in the UK on the GOV.UK website, including the number of jobs involved.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment, published on 17 March 2026, what estimate he has made of the net economic impact of the investments announced.

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

As an integral part of the UK's growth objective, the Government is making it simpler and easier for business to make long term investment into the UK, including Nigerian inward investment.

DBT routinely publishes official statistics on foreign direct investment in the UK on the GOV.UK website, including the number of jobs involved.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment, published on 17 March 2026, what proportion of the jobs announced will be (a) full-time, (b) part-time and (c) temporary roles.

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

As an integral part of the UK's growth objective, the Government is making it simpler and easier for business to make long term investment into the UK, including Nigerian inward investment.

DBT routinely publishes official statistics on foreign direct investment in the UK on the GOV.UK website, including the number of jobs involved.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment, published on 17 March 2026, how many jobs will be created in Essex as a result of that investment.

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

As an integral part of the UK's growth objective, the Government is making it simpler and easier for business to make long term investment into the UK, including Nigerian inward investment.

DBT routinely publishes official statistics on foreign direct investment in the UK on the GOV.UK website, including the number of jobs involved.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment, published on 17 March 2026, how many of the jobs announced have already been created.

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

As an integral part of the UK's growth objective, the Government is making it simpler and easier for business to make long term investment into the UK, including Nigerian inward investment.

DBT routinely publishes official statistics on foreign direct investment in the UK on the GOV.UK website, including the number of jobs involved.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment, published on 17 March 2026, over what timeframe the jobs will be created.

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

As an integral part of the UK's growth objective, the Government is making it simpler and easier for business to make long term investment into the UK, including Nigerian inward investment.

DBT routinely publishes official statistics on foreign direct investment in the UK on the GOV.UK website, including the number of jobs involved.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to Answer of 12 January 2026 to Question 102600, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those funded qualifications on employment rates in the logistics sector.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Further Education Outcomes statistics publication provides data on the progression from further education courses to sustained employment in the following academic year. It is published annually each November, with the most recent edition available at:

https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-outcomes/2022-23#explore-data-and-files.

Note this does not show the logistics sector specifically or assess the impact of funded qualifications on employment rates.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment, published on 17 March 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of these investments on opportunities for UK-based workers aged 18–24.

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

As an integral part of the UK's growth objective, the Government is making it simpler and easier for business to make long term investment into the UK, including Nigerian inward investment.

DBT routinely publishes official statistics on foreign direct investment in the UK on the GOV.UK website, including the number of jobs involved.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment, published on 17 March 2026, what assessment he has made of the trends in the level of inward investment from Nigeria into the United Kingdom.

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

As an integral part of the UK's growth objective, the Government is making it simpler and easier for business to make long term investment into the UK, including Nigerian inward investment.

DBT routinely publishes official statistics on foreign direct investment in the UK on the GOV.UK website, including the number of jobs involved.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment, published on 17 March 2026, what mechanisms will be used to monitor whether the jobs announced are delivered in practice.

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

As an integral part of the UK's growth objective, the Government is making it simpler and easier for business to make long term investment into the UK, including Nigerian inward investment.

DBT routinely publishes official statistics on foreign direct investment in the UK on the GOV.UK website, including the number of jobs involved.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment, published on 17 March 2026, what estimate he has made of the monetary value of the investments confirmed by Nigerian companies as a result of the UK–Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP).

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

As an integral part of the UK's growth objective, the Government is making it simpler and easier for business to make long term investment into the UK, including Nigerian inward investment.

DBT routinely publishes official statistics on foreign direct investment in the UK on the GOV.UK website, including the number of jobs involved.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment, published on 17 March 2026, what proportion of jobs created will require high-skilled workers.

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

As an integral part of the UK's growth objective, the Government is making it simpler and easier for business to make long term investment into the UK, including Nigerian inward investment.

DBT routinely publishes official statistics on foreign direct investment in the UK on the GOV.UK website, including the number of jobs involved.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) fuel duty and (b) VAT on trends in the level of cost of petrol and diesel for consumers.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is already taking action to ensure that fuel at the pump remains affordable.

At Budget 2025, the Government extended the 5p-per-litre cut for a further five months, until the end of August this year. The Government has also cancelled the increase in line with inflation for 2026/27; instead, rates will only gradually return to early 2022 levels by March 2027.

Since Autumn Budget 2024, the Government's decisions to freeze fuel duty will save the average motorist over £90 – or 8-11 pence per litre –compared to the plans inherited from the previous government.

Prices are set by petrol retailers taking into account wholesale costs; fuel duty is a fixed levy and VAT applied as a percentage of the prices retailers charge.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of fixed fuel duty on fuel prices during periods of high oil prices.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is already taking action to ensure that fuel at the pump remains affordable.

At Budget 2025, the Government extended the 5p-per-litre cut for a further five months, until the end of August this year. The Government has also cancelled the increase in line with inflation for 2026/27; instead, rates will only gradually return to early 2022 levels by March 2027.

Since Autumn Budget 2024, the Government's decisions to freeze fuel duty will save the average motorist over £90 – or 8-11 pence per litre – compared to the plans inherited from the previous government.

As the Chancellor has set out, a rapid de-escalation in the Middle East remains the best way to keep prices low at the pump.

As with all taxes, the Government keeps fuel duty under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the financial losses to UK consumers resulting from fraud facilitated via social media and online platforms in each year since 2020.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Government takes the issue of fraudulent activity arising on social media and online platforms very seriously. The Office of National Statistics estimates that, in year ending March 2024, nearly half of all frauds were online-enabled.

The department does not currently collect data on the financial losses from victims of fraud through social media channels directly. However, there have been 228,141 reports to Report Fraud of cyber-enabled fraud in 2025, totalling approximately £1.9 billion of losses. The government has also estimated that the total socio-economic cost of fraud to the UK was £14.4 billion between 2023-2024.

Whilst the Government does not collect this type of data directly, as part of the recently published Fraud Strategy, the Government has committed to working with industry, including social media and online platforms, to develop metrics, with the purpose being to improve transparency and accountability and track sectors’ performance in tackling fraud.

We encourage anyone to report instances of online fraud to Report Fraud, the UK’s dedicated fraud reporting service, and visit the Stop! Think Fraud website for information on how they can stay safe from fraud.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in online-enabled fraud, including investment fraud involving deepfake content, since 2020.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Fraud and cybercrime are deeply interconnected. The Office of National Statistics estimates that in year ending March 2024, nearly half of all frauds were online-enabled.

The government’s Fraud Strategy (2026-2029) sets out the latest trends and evolving drivers of online fraud. Criminals routinely hijack online channels to socially engineer people into sending money directly, through fraudulent adverts or through convincing fraudulent emails and text messages. Criminals exploit data breaches, and use phishing techniques, to obtain personal information to takeover online accounts directly. We have also seen the growth of ‘fraud-as-a-service’ marketplaces, which lower the barrier to entry for new criminals.

The government is aware that criminals have adopted generative AI as a tool to increase the scale and sophistication of attacks, as well to bypass company’s security procedures to impersonate customers for account takeovers. Measuring these types of attacks is a challenge as often victims will be unaware of whether AI has been used. While reports of AI enabled fraud are increasing, they still account for a fraction of all Report Fraud cases (0.2% in 2025); but it is almost certain that the true number of AI enabled frauds is much higher.

We encourage anyone to report instances of online fraud to Report Fraud, the UK’s dedicated fraud reporting service, and visit the Stop! Think Fraud website for information on how they can stay safe from fraud.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Children to get swifter justice as new family court approach expands nationally, published on 17 March 2026, whether Child Focused Courts will provide additional resources and services for (a) children and (b) parents compared to standard courts.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Child Focused Courts introduce a streamlined, problem-solving approach in relevant private law proceedings that ensures early identification of needs and risks, enabling the court to make safe decisions without delay. Under the model, the proportion of children seen by social workers more than doubles and parents who are victims of domestic abuse are able to access additional support through Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs). Communication with families can improve their understanding of, and engagement in, the court process and the Child Impact Report provides an opportunity for parents and parties to share their views on the recommendations made to the court.

Key metrics from existing pilot areas show backlogs have reduced by more than fifty percent and cases are being resolved up to seven and a half months faster, thereby reducing delays and improving outcomes for children and families. Nationally, information on open caseload and average case duration is routinely published through Family Court Statistics and HMCTS management information. In addition, we have published additional management information demonstrating the effectiveness of the Child Focused Courts and have also published a process evaluation and a research report exploring the experience of children and families.

Following the announcement of national rollout, a phased approach will see the model operating across the whole of England and Wales by 2029. Launch dates in court areas beyond those already announced will be agreed with operational partners in due course.

The funding announced in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Statement of 17 March includes a permanent increase in social worker capacity for Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru, in recognition of the additional resources required to deliver the model, and for new domestic abuse specialists to work in the family courts.

During the implementation period, we are providing funding for additional court staff to support preparation activity, such as reducing outstanding legacy cases, and to support transition to the new model. The evaluation of the pilot areas shows that cases are being resolved earlier and the number of open cases is decreasing, indicating that the model uses existing court capacity more efficiently and that no additional judicial, magistrates, or court staff will be needed once the model is fully implemented in a court area. Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial College, which operates independently from the Government.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Children to get swifter justice as new family court approach expands nationally, published on 17 March 2026, how many additional (a) judges, (b) magistrates, and (c) court staff will be required to support the national rollout of the Child-Focused Courts model.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Child Focused Courts introduce a streamlined, problem-solving approach in relevant private law proceedings that ensures early identification of needs and risks, enabling the court to make safe decisions without delay. Under the model, the proportion of children seen by social workers more than doubles and parents who are victims of domestic abuse are able to access additional support through Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs). Communication with families can improve their understanding of, and engagement in, the court process and the Child Impact Report provides an opportunity for parents and parties to share their views on the recommendations made to the court.

Key metrics from existing pilot areas show backlogs have reduced by more than fifty percent and cases are being resolved up to seven and a half months faster, thereby reducing delays and improving outcomes for children and families. Nationally, information on open caseload and average case duration is routinely published through Family Court Statistics and HMCTS management information. In addition, we have published additional management information demonstrating the effectiveness of the Child Focused Courts and have also published a process evaluation and a research report exploring the experience of children and families.

Following the announcement of national rollout, a phased approach will see the model operating across the whole of England and Wales by 2029. Launch dates in court areas beyond those already announced will be agreed with operational partners in due course.

The funding announced in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Statement of 17 March includes a permanent increase in social worker capacity for Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru, in recognition of the additional resources required to deliver the model, and for new domestic abuse specialists to work in the family courts.

During the implementation period, we are providing funding for additional court staff to support preparation activity, such as reducing outstanding legacy cases, and to support transition to the new model. The evaluation of the pilot areas shows that cases are being resolved earlier and the number of open cases is decreasing, indicating that the model uses existing court capacity more efficiently and that no additional judicial, magistrates, or court staff will be needed once the model is fully implemented in a court area. Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial College, which operates independently from the Government.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Children to get swifter justice as new family court approach expands nationally, published on 17 March 2026, what training will be provided to judges and magistrates to support the rollout of the new approach.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Child Focused Courts introduce a streamlined, problem-solving approach in relevant private law proceedings that ensures early identification of needs and risks, enabling the court to make safe decisions without delay. Under the model, the proportion of children seen by social workers more than doubles and parents who are victims of domestic abuse are able to access additional support through Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs). Communication with families can improve their understanding of, and engagement in, the court process and the Child Impact Report provides an opportunity for parents and parties to share their views on the recommendations made to the court.

Key metrics from existing pilot areas show backlogs have reduced by more than fifty percent and cases are being resolved up to seven and a half months faster, thereby reducing delays and improving outcomes for children and families. Nationally, information on open caseload and average case duration is routinely published through Family Court Statistics and HMCTS management information. In addition, we have published additional management information demonstrating the effectiveness of the Child Focused Courts and have also published a process evaluation and a research report exploring the experience of children and families.

Following the announcement of national rollout, a phased approach will see the model operating across the whole of England and Wales by 2029. Launch dates in court areas beyond those already announced will be agreed with operational partners in due course.

The funding announced in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Statement of 17 March includes a permanent increase in social worker capacity for Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru, in recognition of the additional resources required to deliver the model, and for new domestic abuse specialists to work in the family courts.

During the implementation period, we are providing funding for additional court staff to support preparation activity, such as reducing outstanding legacy cases, and to support transition to the new model. The evaluation of the pilot areas shows that cases are being resolved earlier and the number of open cases is decreasing, indicating that the model uses existing court capacity more efficiently and that no additional judicial, magistrates, or court staff will be needed once the model is fully implemented in a court area. Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial College, which operates independently from the Government.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Children to get swifter justice as new family court approach expands nationally, published on 17 March 2026, how many Child Focused Courts are planned to operate in Essex at the completion of the rollout.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Child Focused Courts introduce a streamlined, problem-solving approach in relevant private law proceedings that ensures early identification of needs and risks, enabling the court to make safe decisions without delay. Under the model, the proportion of children seen by social workers more than doubles and parents who are victims of domestic abuse are able to access additional support through Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs). Communication with families can improve their understanding of, and engagement in, the court process and the Child Impact Report provides an opportunity for parents and parties to share their views on the recommendations made to the court.

Key metrics from existing pilot areas show backlogs have reduced by more than fifty percent and cases are being resolved up to seven and a half months faster, thereby reducing delays and improving outcomes for children and families. Nationally, information on open caseload and average case duration is routinely published through Family Court Statistics and HMCTS management information. In addition, we have published additional management information demonstrating the effectiveness of the Child Focused Courts and have also published a process evaluation and a research report exploring the experience of children and families.

Following the announcement of national rollout, a phased approach will see the model operating across the whole of England and Wales by 2029. Launch dates in court areas beyond those already announced will be agreed with operational partners in due course.

The funding announced in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Statement of 17 March includes a permanent increase in social worker capacity for Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru, in recognition of the additional resources required to deliver the model, and for new domestic abuse specialists to work in the family courts.

During the implementation period, we are providing funding for additional court staff to support preparation activity, such as reducing outstanding legacy cases, and to support transition to the new model. The evaluation of the pilot areas shows that cases are being resolved earlier and the number of open cases is decreasing, indicating that the model uses existing court capacity more efficiently and that no additional judicial, magistrates, or court staff will be needed once the model is fully implemented in a court area. Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial College, which operates independently from the Government.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Children to get swifter justice as new family court approach expands nationally, published on 17 March 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Pathfinder model on the level of ability of parents to present evidence and challenge decisions in court.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Child Focused Courts introduce a streamlined, problem-solving approach in relevant private law proceedings that ensures early identification of needs and risks, enabling the court to make safe decisions without delay. Under the model, the proportion of children seen by social workers more than doubles and parents who are victims of domestic abuse are able to access additional support through Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs). Communication with families can improve their understanding of, and engagement in, the court process and the Child Impact Report provides an opportunity for parents and parties to share their views on the recommendations made to the court.

Key metrics from existing pilot areas show backlogs have reduced by more than fifty percent and cases are being resolved up to seven and a half months faster, thereby reducing delays and improving outcomes for children and families. Nationally, information on open caseload and average case duration is routinely published through Family Court Statistics and HMCTS management information. In addition, we have published additional management information demonstrating the effectiveness of the Child Focused Courts and have also published a process evaluation and a research report exploring the experience of children and families.

Following the announcement of national rollout, a phased approach will see the model operating across the whole of England and Wales by 2029. Launch dates in court areas beyond those already announced will be agreed with operational partners in due course.

The funding announced in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Statement of 17 March includes a permanent increase in social worker capacity for Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru, in recognition of the additional resources required to deliver the model, and for new domestic abuse specialists to work in the family courts.

During the implementation period, we are providing funding for additional court staff to support preparation activity, such as reducing outstanding legacy cases, and to support transition to the new model. The evaluation of the pilot areas shows that cases are being resolved earlier and the number of open cases is decreasing, indicating that the model uses existing court capacity more efficiently and that no additional judicial, magistrates, or court staff will be needed once the model is fully implemented in a court area. Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial College, which operates independently from the Government.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Children to get swifter justice as new family court approach expands nationally, published on 17 March 2026, what metrics his Department will use to assess whether the rollout has improved outcomes for children and reduced delays in the family justice system.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Child Focused Courts introduce a streamlined, problem-solving approach in relevant private law proceedings that ensures early identification of needs and risks, enabling the court to make safe decisions without delay. Under the model, the proportion of children seen by social workers more than doubles and parents who are victims of domestic abuse are able to access additional support through Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs). Communication with families can improve their understanding of, and engagement in, the court process and the Child Impact Report provides an opportunity for parents and parties to share their views on the recommendations made to the court.

Key metrics from existing pilot areas show backlogs have reduced by more than fifty percent and cases are being resolved up to seven and a half months faster, thereby reducing delays and improving outcomes for children and families. Nationally, information on open caseload and average case duration is routinely published through Family Court Statistics and HMCTS management information. In addition, we have published additional management information demonstrating the effectiveness of the Child Focused Courts and have also published a process evaluation and a research report exploring the experience of children and families.

Following the announcement of national rollout, a phased approach will see the model operating across the whole of England and Wales by 2029. Launch dates in court areas beyond those already announced will be agreed with operational partners in due course.

The funding announced in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Statement of 17 March includes a permanent increase in social worker capacity for Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru, in recognition of the additional resources required to deliver the model, and for new domestic abuse specialists to work in the family courts.

During the implementation period, we are providing funding for additional court staff to support preparation activity, such as reducing outstanding legacy cases, and to support transition to the new model. The evaluation of the pilot areas shows that cases are being resolved earlier and the number of open cases is decreasing, indicating that the model uses existing court capacity more efficiently and that no additional judicial, magistrates, or court staff will be needed once the model is fully implemented in a court area. Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial College, which operates independently from the Government.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Children to get swifter justice as new family court approach expands nationally, published on 17 March 2026, whether he plans to publish regular data on the performance of courts operating under the Pathfinder model.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Child Focused Courts introduce a streamlined, problem-solving approach in relevant private law proceedings that ensures early identification of needs and risks, enabling the court to make safe decisions without delay. Under the model, the proportion of children seen by social workers more than doubles and parents who are victims of domestic abuse are able to access additional support through Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs). Communication with families can improve their understanding of, and engagement in, the court process and the Child Impact Report provides an opportunity for parents and parties to share their views on the recommendations made to the court.

Key metrics from existing pilot areas show backlogs have reduced by more than fifty percent and cases are being resolved up to seven and a half months faster, thereby reducing delays and improving outcomes for children and families. Nationally, information on open caseload and average case duration is routinely published through Family Court Statistics and HMCTS management information. In addition, we have published additional management information demonstrating the effectiveness of the Child Focused Courts and have also published a process evaluation and a research report exploring the experience of children and families.

Following the announcement of national rollout, a phased approach will see the model operating across the whole of England and Wales by 2029. Launch dates in court areas beyond those already announced will be agreed with operational partners in due course.

The funding announced in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Statement of 17 March includes a permanent increase in social worker capacity for Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru, in recognition of the additional resources required to deliver the model, and for new domestic abuse specialists to work in the family courts.

During the implementation period, we are providing funding for additional court staff to support preparation activity, such as reducing outstanding legacy cases, and to support transition to the new model. The evaluation of the pilot areas shows that cases are being resolved earlier and the number of open cases is decreasing, indicating that the model uses existing court capacity more efficiently and that no additional judicial, magistrates, or court staff will be needed once the model is fully implemented in a court area. Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial College, which operates independently from the Government.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Children to get swifter justice as new family court approach expands nationally, published on 17 March 2026, whether the earlier identification of risks to children’s welfare referenced in the press release is due to any additional resources being allocated to courts.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Child Focused Courts introduce a streamlined, problem-solving approach in relevant private law proceedings that ensures early identification of needs and risks, enabling the court to make safe decisions without delay. Under the model, the proportion of children seen by social workers more than doubles and parents who are victims of domestic abuse are able to access additional support through Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs). Communication with families can improve their understanding of, and engagement in, the court process and the Child Impact Report provides an opportunity for parents and parties to share their views on the recommendations made to the court.

Key metrics from existing pilot areas show backlogs have reduced by more than fifty percent and cases are being resolved up to seven and a half months faster, thereby reducing delays and improving outcomes for children and families. Nationally, information on open caseload and average case duration is routinely published through Family Court Statistics and HMCTS management information. In addition, we have published additional management information demonstrating the effectiveness of the Child Focused Courts and have also published a process evaluation and a research report exploring the experience of children and families.

Following the announcement of national rollout, a phased approach will see the model operating across the whole of England and Wales by 2029. Launch dates in court areas beyond those already announced will be agreed with operational partners in due course.

The funding announced in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Statement of 17 March includes a permanent increase in social worker capacity for Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru, in recognition of the additional resources required to deliver the model, and for new domestic abuse specialists to work in the family courts.

During the implementation period, we are providing funding for additional court staff to support preparation activity, such as reducing outstanding legacy cases, and to support transition to the new model. The evaluation of the pilot areas shows that cases are being resolved earlier and the number of open cases is decreasing, indicating that the model uses existing court capacity more efficiently and that no additional judicial, magistrates, or court staff will be needed once the model is fully implemented in a court area. Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial College, which operates independently from the Government.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Children to get swifter justice as new family court approach expands nationally, published on 17 March 2026, whether Child Focused Courts will represent additional court capacity or utilise existing court capacity more efficiently.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Child Focused Courts introduce a streamlined, problem-solving approach in relevant private law proceedings that ensures early identification of needs and risks, enabling the court to make safe decisions without delay. Under the model, the proportion of children seen by social workers more than doubles and parents who are victims of domestic abuse are able to access additional support through Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs). Communication with families can improve their understanding of, and engagement in, the court process and the Child Impact Report provides an opportunity for parents and parties to share their views on the recommendations made to the court.

Key metrics from existing pilot areas show backlogs have reduced by more than fifty percent and cases are being resolved up to seven and a half months faster, thereby reducing delays and improving outcomes for children and families. Nationally, information on open caseload and average case duration is routinely published through Family Court Statistics and HMCTS management information. In addition, we have published additional management information demonstrating the effectiveness of the Child Focused Courts and have also published a process evaluation and a research report exploring the experience of children and families.

Following the announcement of national rollout, a phased approach will see the model operating across the whole of England and Wales by 2029. Launch dates in court areas beyond those already announced will be agreed with operational partners in due course.

The funding announced in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Statement of 17 March includes a permanent increase in social worker capacity for Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru, in recognition of the additional resources required to deliver the model, and for new domestic abuse specialists to work in the family courts.

During the implementation period, we are providing funding for additional court staff to support preparation activity, such as reducing outstanding legacy cases, and to support transition to the new model. The evaluation of the pilot areas shows that cases are being resolved earlier and the number of open cases is decreasing, indicating that the model uses existing court capacity more efficiently and that no additional judicial, magistrates, or court staff will be needed once the model is fully implemented in a court area. Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial College, which operates independently from the Government.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Children to get swifter justice as new family court approach expands nationally, published on 17 March 2026, when the first Child Focused Court is expected to open in Essex.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Child Focused Courts introduce a streamlined, problem-solving approach in relevant private law proceedings that ensures early identification of needs and risks, enabling the court to make safe decisions without delay. Under the model, the proportion of children seen by social workers more than doubles and parents who are victims of domestic abuse are able to access additional support through Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs). Communication with families can improve their understanding of, and engagement in, the court process and the Child Impact Report provides an opportunity for parents and parties to share their views on the recommendations made to the court.

Key metrics from existing pilot areas show backlogs have reduced by more than fifty percent and cases are being resolved up to seven and a half months faster, thereby reducing delays and improving outcomes for children and families. Nationally, information on open caseload and average case duration is routinely published through Family Court Statistics and HMCTS management information. In addition, we have published additional management information demonstrating the effectiveness of the Child Focused Courts and have also published a process evaluation and a research report exploring the experience of children and families.

Following the announcement of national rollout, a phased approach will see the model operating across the whole of England and Wales by 2029. Launch dates in court areas beyond those already announced will be agreed with operational partners in due course.

The funding announced in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Statement of 17 March includes a permanent increase in social worker capacity for Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru, in recognition of the additional resources required to deliver the model, and for new domestic abuse specialists to work in the family courts.

During the implementation period, we are providing funding for additional court staff to support preparation activity, such as reducing outstanding legacy cases, and to support transition to the new model. The evaluation of the pilot areas shows that cases are being resolved earlier and the number of open cases is decreasing, indicating that the model uses existing court capacity more efficiently and that no additional judicial, magistrates, or court staff will be needed once the model is fully implemented in a court area. Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial College, which operates independently from the Government.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been released earlier than originally scheduled as a result of capacity pressures since 2024.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.

Without the changes this Government made, courts would have had to halt trials and the police cancel arrests, undermining public safety and leading to a disastrous impact on public confidence in the criminal justice system.

We regularly publish data on release from prison, including on forms of early release – for example we publish SDS40 data alongside the quarterly Offender Management statistics: Standard Determinate Sentence (SDS40) release data - GOV.UK.

Whilst measures like the SDS40 change provided the intended medium-term relief to the system, this was only ever a temporary change as a bridge to a more sustainable solution. That is why the Sentencing Act has now been passed, to ensure we never run out of prison space again and to deliver a more sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the long-term adequacy of using early release measures to manage prison capacity.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.

Without the changes this Government made, courts would have had to halt trials and the police cancel arrests, undermining public safety and leading to a disastrous impact on public confidence in the criminal justice system.

We regularly publish data on release from prison, including on forms of early release – for example we publish SDS40 data alongside the quarterly Offender Management statistics: Standard Determinate Sentence (SDS40) release data - GOV.UK.

Whilst measures like the SDS40 change provided the intended medium-term relief to the system, this was only ever a temporary change as a bridge to a more sustainable solution. That is why the Sentencing Act has now been passed, to ensure we never run out of prison space again and to deliver a more sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis.

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 improve public awareness of alternative urgent care services, such as a) community pharmacies, b) urgent treatment centres and c) NHS 111.

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

The Department and NHS England have launched national campaigns to raise awareness of urgent National Health Services. The Pharmacy First campaign, from October 2025 to January 2026, encouraged people to seek treatment for seven common conditions at pharmacies, helping to relieve pressure on general practice over winter. It used various media channels, including television, radio, outdoor adverts, social media, and online platforms. The NHS 111 campaign, from November 2025 to March 2026, promoted the use of the 111 service for urgent medical needs, directing people to suitable care options, including urgent treatment centres and mental health support, through similar advertising channels. Government and NHS online resources also signpost people to the most appropriate urgent care services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Pharmacy First scheme in reducing avoidable attendances to accident and emergency departments.

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

The Department does not hold data on the number of avoidable attendances to accident and emergency departments have been prevented by Pharmacy First. Pharmacy First is a complex service that links to multiple parts of the healthcare system. The service aims to offer eligible patients a complete episode of care in the pharmacy setting and to receive treatment for seven common health conditions releasing pressure on general practice appointments and the wider National Health Service. Since the service launched, there have been over 4.8 million consultations, with over 3.6 million consultations resulting in supply medicines.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of out-of-area residential and nursing care placements on individuals’ access to family support networks.

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

Decisions about care placements are made locally, based on individual assessments of need and personal circumstances. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets and commission services to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a variety of different providers and specialist services that provide genuine choice to meet the needs of local people and that offer quality and value for money.

There is no single national assessment of the impact of out‑of‑area placements on access to family support networks. However, local authorities should engage with people who draw on care and support, and their families and carers, to inform commissioning decisions and to consider the outcomes which matter to them.

Under the Health and Care Act 2022, the Care Quality Commission has a statutory duty to assess how well local authorities are delivering their adult social care duties. However, we recognise that out-of-area placements can sometimes occur due to a lack of available provision in the area.

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 reduce the need for out-of-area placements in residential and nursing care.

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

Decisions about care placements are made locally, based on individual assessments of need and personal circumstances. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets and commission services to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a variety of different providers and specialist services that provide genuine choice to meet the needs of local people and that offer quality and value for money.

There is no single national assessment of the impact of out‑of‑area placements on access to family support networks. However, local authorities should engage with people who draw on care and support, and their families and carers, to inform commissioning decisions and to consider the outcomes which matter to them.

Under the Health and Care Act 2022, the Care Quality Commission has a statutory duty to assess how well local authorities are delivering their adult social care duties. However, we recognise that out-of-area placements can sometimes occur due to a lack of available provision in the area.

Outdoor learning

30th anniversary of the Dunblane Primary School tragedy

European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism (No. 2)

Cardiac risk in the young

45th anniversary of Only Fools and Horses

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month (No. 2)