Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to ensure that rural shops have (a) reliable broadband and (b) reliable mobile connectivity.

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

The government is continuing to work in partnership with industry to rollout gigabit coverage and maintain a stable pro‑competition regulatory environment that encourages private investment.

This is complemented by Project Gigabit, where we are delivering gigabit-capable connections to premises not included in suppliers’ commercial delivery plans. As of the end of December 2025, over 1.3 million homes and businesses in rural areas across the UK had been upgraded to gigabit-capable broadband through government-funded programmes.

More than one million further premises, which includes rural shops, have been included in over £2.4 billion worth of Project Gigabit contracts. This includes approximately 910 homes and businesses in Newbury constituency.

In Ofcom’s Connected Nations Report 2025 it was reported that the Newbury constituency has almost 100% geographic 4G coverage from at least one mobile network operator, and 96% coverage from all operators. Businesses should have access to the high-quality connectivity that allows them to thrive, and it is the government’s ambition that all populated areas should have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. Each of the network operators have set out delivery and investment plans that align with this government’s ambition.

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 24-hour Urgent Community Response services for people at the end of life.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring that people approaching the end of life receive high-quality, compassionate care whenever it is needed.

Urgent community response (UCR) services play a key role in this. UCR provides a two-hour community-based response to adults experiencing a sudden deterioration in their health and helps avoid unnecessary hospital admissions. People at the end of life are among those who can be referred into UCR services for urgent crisis, for symptom control and/or pain relief, in line with a person’s wishes.

We are committed to improving the consistency, capacity, and availability of UCR services across England. The Urgent and Emergency Care Delivery Plan 2025/26 includes actions to expand urgent care delivered in the community, including UCR, and the National Health Service 10-Year Health Plan further commits to increasing access to urgent care at home and in the community as part of the new Neighbourhood Health model.

Additionally, NHS England’s published statutory guidance on palliative care and end-of-life care states that integrated care boards, as commissioning authorities, must define how their local service providers meet population needs on a 24/7 basis.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline, NG142: End of life care for adults: service delivery, also recommends that adults nearing the end of life have access to a healthcare professional 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as well as an out-of-hours advice line and access to essential medicines for symptom management.

Although NICE guidance is not mandatory, there is an expectation that commissioners and service providers take the guidelines into account when making decisions about how to best meet the needs of their local communities.

Furthermore, to strengthen provision for people at the end of life, we will publish a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) later this year. Through our MSF, we will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end-of-life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality, including strengthening out-of-hours community health support, dedicated telephone advice, and overall consideration of 24/7 provision.

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 out-of-hours support for people at the end of life.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring that people approaching the end of life receive high-quality, compassionate care whenever it is needed.

Urgent community response (UCR) services play a key role in this. UCR provides a two-hour community-based response to adults experiencing a sudden deterioration in their health and helps avoid unnecessary hospital admissions. People at the end of life are among those who can be referred into UCR services for urgent crisis, for symptom control and/or pain relief, in line with a person’s wishes.

We are committed to improving the consistency, capacity, and availability of UCR services across England. The Urgent and Emergency Care Delivery Plan 2025/26 includes actions to expand urgent care delivered in the community, including UCR, and the National Health Service 10-Year Health Plan further commits to increasing access to urgent care at home and in the community as part of the new Neighbourhood Health model.

Additionally, NHS England’s published statutory guidance on palliative care and end-of-life care states that integrated care boards, as commissioning authorities, must define how their local service providers meet population needs on a 24/7 basis.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline, NG142: End of life care for adults: service delivery, also recommends that adults nearing the end of life have access to a healthcare professional 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as well as an out-of-hours advice line and access to essential medicines for symptom management.

Although NICE guidance is not mandatory, there is an expectation that commissioners and service providers take the guidelines into account when making decisions about how to best meet the needs of their local communities.

Furthermore, to strengthen provision for people at the end of life, we will publish a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) later this year. Through our MSF, we will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end-of-life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality, including strengthening out-of-hours community health support, dedicated telephone advice, and overall consideration of 24/7 provision.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to encourage nature-positive renewable energy development.

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

Government will ensure that the protection of nature is embedded into the delivery of clean power and we will be driving for nature to not only be protected but restored through clean power infrastructure.

In delivering our Clean Power Action Plan, we are considering how to use development to fund nature recovery unlocking a win-win outcome for the economy and for nature. We are working with Craig Bennett, CEO of The Wildlife Trust and one of our Clean Power Commissioners, nature delivery organisations and the sector to consider how we can better support the delivery of infrastructure whilst driving better environmental outcomes.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that youth and enrichment initiatives across government are aligned to (a) maximise impact, (b) avoid duplication and (c) better join-up in school and out-of-schools offers.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government's National Youth Strategy is a 10-year plan designed to ensure that every young person nationwide has somewhere to go, someone who cares for them, and a community they feel a part of. Halving the participation gap in enriching activities between disadvantaged young people and their peers is one of the clear ambitions of this cross-government strategy.

As part of our commitment to this ambition, DCMS, in partnership with DfE, will invest £22.5 million over 3 years to enable up to 400 schools in areas of greatest need across England to deliver a youth-voice led, tailored enrichment offer. This funding will help schools meet the Enrichment Framework benchmarks and improve join-up between in-school and out-of-school enrichment offers.

The programme will work in tandem with other initiatives, including the Richer Young Lives fund, which will invest over £60 million across the next three years to enable organisations to deliver high-quality youth work and activities, and the £132.5 million ‘Every Child Can’ programme, which will increase disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the culture, sport, and wider youth sectors.

We are also working closely with the Department for Education to ensure wider government programmes - including the PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, National Centre for Arts and Music Education, and Music Hubs - complement the programme and avoid duplication.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times in Impact Panel decisions under the LGBT+ Veterans Financial Recognition Scheme.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Defence is committed to ensuring that applications to the LGBT Veterans Financial Recognition Scheme are considered fairly and processed as quickly as possible.  We recognise the importance of timely decisions, and are prioritising applications for those aged over 80, those with serious health conditions and those experiencing serious financial hardship.

We have already taken steps reduce waiting times, by increasing the number of dedicated staff supporting the Scheme and doubling the number of Independent Panel sittings to two per week, to expedite the processing of applications.  Steps are being taken to increase the capacity of the Independent Panel, including the recruitment of an additional Chair and additional Panel Members, to allow it to sit up to three times per week. Defence will keep capacity under review and consider further adjustments if necessary.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what resources have been allocated to promote awareness of the LGBT+ Veterans Financial Recognition Scheme among isolated or digitally excluded veterans.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Defence is working closely with local councils, veteran employers, LGBT and Service charities, as well as the Services, to enhance awareness among affected veterans about the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme and how they may apply. As part of this outreach activity, we are working to identify effective ways of reaching veterans who have not yet engaged with the Scheme including those who are isolated or digitally excluded. The Government has allocated additional resources to support this work, including dedicated outreach funding.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to provide guidance to local authorities on working in partnership with Warm Welcome Spaces located in heritage faith buildings as part of local wellbeing and community support provision.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We recognise the value of religious heritage buildings in local communities and the important role they play in the UK’s national story. Listed places of worship are far more than bricks and mortar; they are at the hearts of our communities, serving as vital hubs for food banks, warm spaces, and social care. The new £92 million Places of Worship Renewal Fund will bring support for these important buildings into line with other heritage assets.

Warm Welcome Spaces can support improving social connection and reducing loneliness. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have an active partnership with the Warm Welcome Campaign, aimed at strengthening community connection and supporting customer wellbeing. DWP has promoted Warm Welcome widely across the Jobcentre network so colleagues, including those in Local Authorities, are aware of the offer and can confidently guide customers to local Warm Welcome Spaces.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress is being made towards meeting the 18-week referral-to-treatment standard, as set out in the Elective Recovery Plan.

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

NHS England’s Operational Planning Guidance for 2025/26 set a target that, by the end of March 2026, 65% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks.

To achieve this, we expect the size of the total waiting list to reduce and have already made significant progress. As of December 2025, the waiting list had reduced by over 330,000 since the Government came into office. This is despite 31.7 million referrals onto the waiting list. Performance against the referral to treatment standard had improved by 2.7% over the same period, reaching 61.5%.

This has been supported by the delivery of 5.2 million additional appointments between July 2024 and June 2025 compared to the previous year, more than double the Government’s pledge of two million. This marked a vital first step towards delivering the constitutional standard.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to engage key stakeholders on the assumptions underpinning workforce modelling in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

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

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out action to create a National Health Service workforce able to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. It is important we do this in a robust and joined up way. We are therefore engaging extensively with partners to ensure this plan delivers for staff and patients.

A formal call for evidence took place between 25 September and 7 November 2025, which provided stakeholders with the opportunity to contribute directly to the plan’s development. This was part of an ongoing and extensive programme of engagement, including several roundtables and an event hosted last year by ministers, which was attended by nearly one hundred representatives of partner organisations.

Insight from this engagement has informed the development of assumptions underpinning the plan’s modelling, which will also be subject to independent scrutiny from external experts.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the VAT implications of the Places of Worship Grant Scheme on historic churches, particularly those providing warm community spaces.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Places of Worship Renewal fund will have a budget of £23 million per year, continuing the 2025/26 funding levels of the previous scheme. The new fund will award grants for total project capital works rather than being restricted solely to the VAT element. By shifting the focus to overall project costs, the scheme ensures that in many instances, the financial support granted to preserve these historic community spaces could exceed the amount currently provided under the VAT-only model.

While an official estimate of the specific impact of VAT implications on those churches that provide warm community spaces has not been calculated, the design of the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund is intended to offer broader support for historic churches than simply rebating VAT, including those churches serving as vital community hubs.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to reduce retail crime in rural areas.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The central aim of our police reforms is to protect and revitalise neighbourhood policing. We are lifting national responsibilities off local forces so they focus on tackling local issues, like fighting retail crime. All communities, including rural communities, will benefit from and are included in these reforms.

We are on track to deliver an additional 3,000 neighbourhood officers by March. We are giving them the powers they need, including making it a specific offence to assault retail workers and ending the treatment of theft under the value of £200 as a summary-only offence. Again, these changes are applicable to all types of communities, including those defined as rural.

We are equipping the police to fight the organised crime gangs that are often responsible for driving shop theft across the country. Our £5m investment into OPAL (a specialist policing unit) will supercharge intelligence-led policing to identify offenders, disrupt the tactics used to target shops, and bring more criminals to justice.

Building from the Winter of Action, we are working with forces and local partners to identify and tackle the most prolific retail offenders - where a few individuals can drive a large proportion of the local crime problem.

We are already seeing a difference. Whilst it is unacceptable that shop theft offences continue to trend upward, this is at a slower rate than we have seen in recent years. The number of charges for shop theft have increased at a greater rate over the same period [up to 111,559 charges or 21%]. This increase in the charge rate from 17.9% to 20.1% shows police are taking these crimes seriously.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of the Online Safety Act 2023 in addressing online content that encourages, promotes or provides instructions relating to eating disorders.

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

The Government recognises the serious harm caused by online content that encourages, promotes or provides instructions relating to eating disorders.

The Online Safety Act 2023 makes platforms legally responsible for keeping people, especially children, safe online. All providers must mitigate the risks of illegal harm, including encouraging serious self-harm, on their services. Services likely to be accessed by children must also take steps to mitigate risks to children, including exposure to content relating to eating disorders.

Ofcom is responsible for ensuring that services uphold these duties. Its ‘Small But Risky Services Taskforce’ focuses on smaller platforms that host or promote the most acute harms, including self-harm and eating disorder content. These services are identified not by their size, but by the disproportionate level of harm they may present to UK users. The Taskforce has already engaged extensively with high-risk services associated with eating disorders and has assessed over 20 services relating to this harm, with over half identified as high-risk for eating disorder content.

The Department continues to work across Government to ensure that online safety measures support wider public health objectives and protect children and young people from harmful content.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of data published by NHS England on waiting times for children and young people to begin community eating disorder treatment.

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

The Government keeps data published by NHS England on waiting times for children and young people’s community eating disorder services under close review.

We recognise that demand for services has increased and that performance varies across the country. That is why we are reforming eating disorder services so that children and young people can access timely, effective support when they need it, rather than after their condition has escalated.

This shift towards prevention and stronger community-based support underpins the new National Health Service guidance for children and young people’s eating disorder services. The Government is also recruiting 8,500 additional mental health workers across the NHS to increase capacity and reduce unwarranted variation in waiting times.

We will continue to work with NHS England and the integrated care boards to improve performance against national access standards and ensure children and young people can access high-quality care regardless of where they live.

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 establish a national delivery model for NHS-commissioned clinical services for pupils in schools.

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

The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. The National Health Service is responsible for meeting the health needs of children and young people diagnosed with an illness or medical condition, including long term conditions.

On 5 February 2026, NHS England published ‘Standardising community health services – core component descriptions’ to support integrated care boards’ strategic commissioning of Community Health Services. This guidance sets out the core components and responsibilities of a special school nursing service and community children's nursing service, including the roles of these services in supporting children with medical conditions to access education settings. The document is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/standardising-community-health-services-core-component-descriptions/

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support apprenticeship programmes and technical training in the vehicle repair and salvage sector, in the context of the skills gap in the industry.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Several apprenticeships, including Level 2 Autocare Technician, Level 3 Accident Repair technician and Level 4 Vehicle Damage Assessor, are available to support employers and learners in the vehicle repair and salvage sector to develop the skills they need.

To support apprenticeship opportunities in all sectors, this government is investing an additional £725 million to deliver the next phase of the growth and skills levy and meet our ambition to support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships. We will launch a pilot with Mayoral Strategic Authorities to better connect young people to local apprenticeship opportunities and fully fund SME apprenticeships for eligible 16–24-year-olds from the next academic year.

For 16-19-year-olds, the T Level in Engineering and Manufacturing for Maintenance, Installation and Repair includes a specialism in service maintenance and repair activities for light and electric vehicles, helping to equip students with the skills needed for these in-demand sectors.

We have recently closed the consultation seeking views on our proposals on the Post-16 Level 3 and Below Pathways. We will be publishing the government’s response to the consultation in due course, which will set out our plans for V Levels, T Levels and qualifications at Level 2.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support he is providing to dispensing GP practices in Newbury to help prevent shortages of aspirin.

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

The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand.

The Department is aware of a recent disruption to the supply of aspirin tablets due to manufacturing issues and knock-on increased demand. The issues have been addressed, and we are working with suppliers to aid a return to normal supply as soon as possible, with stock regularly being made available for pharmacies to order. Guidance has been issued to healthcare professionals with management advice to consider until the supply issue fully resolves.

We are working with all partners in the supply chain, including manufacturers and United Kingdom distributors, to ensure maximum accessibility to pharmacies and hospitals irrespective of where they are in the country.

The Department will continue to monitor the situation and expects supplies to return to normal over the coming weeks.

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 ensure that rural dispensing GP practices in Newbury have a sufficient supply of aspirin.

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

The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand.

The Department is aware of a recent disruption to the supply of aspirin tablets due to manufacturing issues and knock-on increased demand. The issues have been addressed, and we are working with suppliers to aid a return to normal supply as soon as possible, with stock regularly being made available for pharmacies to order. Guidance has been issued to healthcare professionals with management advice to consider until the supply issue fully resolves.

We are working with all partners in the supply chain, including manufacturers and United Kingdom distributors, to ensure maximum accessibility to pharmacies and hospitals irrespective of where they are in the country.

The Department will continue to monitor the situation and expects supplies to return to normal over the coming weeks.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken in response to spills into the Kennet, Pang, and Lambourn chalk streams from Thames Water sewage treatment works between 2021 and 2025.

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

The Environment Agency (EA) has led the Water Industry National Environment Programme, which sets out a wide range of improvement schemes that Thames Water must deliver, including investigations and actions to reduce discharges from storm overflows, with priority given to sensitive sites such as chalk streams.

Groundwater infiltration into the Thames Water sewer system is a leading cause for storm overflow spills in the Kennet, Lambourn and Pang catchments. The EA has required Thames Water to produce Groundwater Impacted System Management Plans to set out how the company plans to reduce groundwater infiltration.

Since April 2025, the EA has completed inspections of sewage treatment works on the Rivers Kennet, Pang and Lambourn as part of its increased programme of inspecting over 800 Thames Water wastewater assets. Any permit breaches identified are assessed on a case-by-case basis for their environmental impact. Confirmed serious permit breaches are investigated and enforced against in line with the EA’s Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to increase engagement with public libraries during the National Year of Reading 2026.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

On 2 March DCMS announced £150,000 for public libraries to support the National Year of Reading. Funding will be delivered by The Reading Agency in support of the Go All In campaign to reconnect people with reading for pleasure.

The £150,000 fund is expected to support projects across 72 library authority areas which are disadvantaged by high deprivation, weak social infrastructure and low library engagement with the aim of encouraging greater library use and new members.

Public libraries are central to the success of the National Year of Reading’s campaign to engage people of all ages with reading across the UK. The Reading Agency has been appointed to work with sector partners to deliver and support public library engagement. The Summer Reading Challenge in 2026, and World Book Night, the annual celebration of reading for adults on 23 April 2026, will be key moments for libraries during the National Year of Reading 2026. Throughout the year, The Reading Agency will provide public libraries with resources, toolkits, and print and digital materials to support their work and boost engagement.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what role public libraries will play in the delivery of the National Year of Reading 2026.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

On 2 March DCMS announced £150,000 for public libraries to support the National Year of Reading. Funding will be delivered by The Reading Agency in support of the Go All In campaign to reconnect people with reading for pleasure.

The £150,000 fund is expected to support projects across 72 library authority areas which are disadvantaged by high deprivation, weak social infrastructure and low library engagement with the aim of encouraging greater library use and new members.

Public libraries are central to the success of the National Year of Reading’s campaign to engage people of all ages with reading across the UK. The Reading Agency has been appointed to work with sector partners to deliver and support public library engagement. The Summer Reading Challenge in 2026, and World Book Night, the annual celebration of reading for adults on 23 April 2026, will be key moments for libraries during the National Year of Reading 2026. Throughout the year, The Reading Agency will provide public libraries with resources, toolkits, and print and digital materials to support their work and boost engagement.

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 out-of-hours access to medicines for people at the end of life.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring that people at the end of life can access the medicines they need, including outside of normal pharmacy opening hours.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative care and end-of-life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

NHS England’s statutory guidance states that ICBs work with community pharmacies, out-of-hours providers and palliative care teams to ensure timely access to medicines, including through locally commissioned services that make end of life medicines available on a 24/7 basis.

Additionally, those nearing the end of life who are likely to need symptom control can be prescribed anticipatory medicines with written instructions for how to use or administer treatment. These medicines are often called 'just in case' medicines and may be provided in a specially marked container called a 'just in case' box. The medicines are prescribed in advance so that they can be obtained during local pharmacy opening hours and kept safely at home, or at a care home, so that the person or their carer has access to them if they develop symptoms. Providing medicines in advance means that there is no delay in getting medicines that might be needed quickly to help with symptoms. The use of anticipatory prescribing is recommended in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline, Care of dying adults in the last days of life.

Furthermore, the Government will publish a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England later this year. The MSF will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life and enable ICBs to address challenges in access, quality and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to make training in palliative and end-of-life care mandatory for health and care professionals.

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

There are no current plans to make training in palliative care and end-of-life care mandatory for health and care professionals.

We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. To ensure the health and social care workforce is equipped and well supported to deliver personalised care to people at the end of life, Health Education England, now part of NHS England, hosts the End of Life Care for All e-learning training programme, which includes nine modules on improving care for people at the end of life.

Independent statutory regulatory bodies such as the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council have the general function of promoting high standards of education and coordinating all stages of education to ensure that health and care students and newly qualified healthcare professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for professional practice.

The training curricula for postgraduate specialty training, including palliative care and end-of-life care, is set by the relevant royal college and have to meet the standards set by the GMC.

For general practitioners (GPs), the Royal College for General Practice has established the GP with Extended Roles (GPwER) in Palliative and End of Life Care Framework. The GpwER framework sets out standards, capabilities, training requirements, supervision and governance for GPs working beyond core practice, including in palliative and end-of-life care.

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 simplify the navigation of care pathways for patients and general practitioners.

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

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out that the NHS App will also allow patients to book appointments, communicate with professionals, receive advice, draft or view their care plan, and self-refer to local tests and services. These developments will streamline how patients move through the system and support clearer navigation of their care.

We are also improving digital access in general practices (GPs), including online request routes, modernising triage models, and strengthening care navigations. GPs are responsible for their own clinical knowledge and advising patients on the most appropriate care pathways. To support this, we are delivering the recommendations of the Red Tape Challenge to remove unnecessary administrative burdens between primary and secondary care. The new Advice and Guidance scheme gives GPs specialist advice, reducing unnecessary referrals and helping patients reach the right care first time.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many responses were received to the recent consultation on the reform of statutory consultees, specifically in relation to the proposal to remove Sport England as a statutory consultee.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Members to the answers given to Questions UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026, and UIN 112696 on 2 March 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how the proposed revised National Planning Policy Framework will protect and enhance playing fields, pitches and community sports facilities.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 107478 on 30 January 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of removing Sport England as a statutory planning consultee on the future provision of playing fields, pitches and community sports facilities.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Members to the answers given to Questions UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026, and UIN 112696 on 2 March 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the sport and recreation sector on proposals to remove Sport England as a statutory planning consultee.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Members to the answers given to Questions UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026, and UIN 112696 on 2 March 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to increase regulation of retirement management companies in relation to their policies governing the resale of managed retirement properties following the death of the occupier.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 95245 on 5 December 2025 and UIN 68820 on 2 September 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of housing associations’ policies relating to the resale of retirement properties managed by retirement management companies on beneficiaries.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 95245 on 5 December 2025 and UIN 68820 on 2 September 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to increase investment in social housing.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statements made on 28 January 2026 (HCWS1283) and 2 July 2025 (HCWS771).

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 accelerate WINEP/AMP upgrades for chalk stream catchments given their protected status.

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

Chalk streams are incredible source of national pride. As one of Britain’s most nature-rich habitats, they support some of our rarest wildlife.

Water companies will invest £2 billion over the next 5 years to deliver more than 1,000 targeted actions for chalk stream restoration through the Price Review 24 (PR24) Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP).

Additionally, chalk streams will be prioritised as part of the record £10.2 billion of investment to improve over 2,500 storm overflows in England.

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 merits of extending business rates relief o community pharmacies providing NHS services.

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

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Farnham and Bordon on 23 February 2026 to Question 113205.

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 the time taken to publish guidance on Neighbourhood Health Plans on community health services.

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

No specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of the time taken to publish guidance on community health services. We are developing guidance on Neighbourhood Health Plans to provide greater clarity and consistency for systems in developing and scaling neighbourhood health. We expect this to be available soon.

Our upcoming guidance will build on and complement our existing set of publications that set out the actions needed to lay the groundwork for a Neighbourhood Health Service. This suite of guidance, which includes the NHS Medium Term Planning Framework for 2026/27 to 2028/29, the strategic commissioning framework for integrated care boards (ICBs), and the Model Region and ICB blueprints, supports National Health Service operational planning and joined-up partnership work between local government and ICBs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish guidance on Neighbourhood Health Plans.

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

No specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of the time taken to publish guidance on community health services. We are developing guidance on Neighbourhood Health Plans to provide greater clarity and consistency for systems in developing and scaling neighbourhood health. We expect this to be available soon.

Our upcoming guidance will build on and complement our existing set of publications that set out the actions needed to lay the groundwork for a Neighbourhood Health Service. This suite of guidance, which includes the NHS Medium Term Planning Framework for 2026/27 to 2028/29, the strategic commissioning framework for integrated care boards (ICBs), and the Model Region and ICB blueprints, supports National Health Service operational planning and joined-up partnership work between local government and ICBs.

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 timely access to general practice appointments.

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

We are committed to improving timely access to general practice appointments. Last year, we delivered 6.8 million more appointments in general practices. Since October 2024, we have invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) to support the recruitment of over 2,000 general practitioners (GPs), exceeding our initial target of 1,000. For the 2026/27 GP Contract, we’re investing an additional £485 million into GPs, removing restrictions to allow primary care networks to hire more GPs via ARRS, and introducing a practice-level reimbursement scheme which will be available to practices to hire additional GPs, or fund additional sessions with existing GPs to improve access in GPs which aims to strengthen capacity, access, and improve patient satisfaction.

NHS England published the Medium‑Term Planning Framework in October, setting a new requirement for all urgent appointments to be delivered on the same day, ensuring that patients needing urgent care are prioritised. Building on this, the 2026/27 GP Contract makes it explicit that any requests identified as clinically urgent, as determined by the GPs, must be dealt with on the same day

Patient satisfaction is already rising after a decade of decline. Office for National Statistics data from January 2026 shows that 76.8% of patients reported it was “easy” to contact their GP, up from 60.9% in July 2024.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Thames Water on preventing early and dry discharges at Newbury, Hungerford, East Shefford, Compton, and Hamstead Marshall sewage treatment works.

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

The Secretary of State meets with water companies to discuss a range of issues, including the need to reduce sewage discharges into our rivers, lakes and seas.

The Environment Agency (EA) has had regular engagement with Thames Water on the issue of early and dry discharges. In the Rivers Kennet, Lambourn and Pang catchments, a leading cause is groundwater infiltrating the Thames Water sewer network. The EA requires Thames Water to produce Groundwater Impacted System Management Plans to set out how the company plans to reduce groundwater infiltration.

Across all water companies, the EA continues to progress its largest ever national criminal investigation into potential breaches of environmental permit conditions at wastewater treatment works. When its investigation is complete, the EA will consider all available options under its Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential compliance risks caused by erroneous monitoring data at Thames Water sewage treatment works, including East Shefford, Winterbourne, Hamstead Marshall, and Hungerford.

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

The Environment Agency (EA) has undertaken inspections of Thames Water sewage treatment works at East Shefford, Winterbourne, Hamstead Marshall and Hungerford. It has also assessed Event Duration Monitoring data from these sites and completed Event Duration Monitoring flow data assessments.

Winterbourne, Hamstead Marshall and Hungerford sewage treatment works had no permit breaches caused by erroneous flow monitoring data. East Shefford sewage treatment works had a breach relating to flow monitoring systems and missing flow data which will be enforced against in line with the EA’s Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her department has plans to mandate real time, publicly available MCERTS certified data for all storm overflow and treatment flows by Thames Water.

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

The Environment Act 2021 requires all water companies, including Thames Water, to publish near real time Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) data for all storm overflows. EDM installation follows specifications set out in the CIWEM (Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management) Event Duration Monitoring Good Practice Guide to ensure robust data quality.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, State what assessment she has made of the potential environmental impact of Thames Water’s decision to defer upgrades at sewage treatment works impacting the River Kennet, Pang, and Lambourn until 2030.

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

The Environment Agency (EA) is clear that delays to any water company schemes, required under the Water Industry National Environment Programme are unacceptable as they will delay environmental improvement and risk failure of statutory requirements.

The EA is issuing new environmental permits in line with regulatory deadlines and is assessing compliance against these. The EA has completed inspections of sewage treatment works on the Rivers Kennet, Pang and Lambourn as part of its increased programme of inspecting over 800 Thames Water wastewater assets since April 2025.

Any permit breaches identified are assessed on a case-by-case basis for their environmental impact. Any confirmed serious permit breaches will be investigated and enforced against in line with the EA’s Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of consumer and small business protections when parcels are lost or delayed by couriers; and whether he plans to review the refund and reimbursement processes between couriers, sellers, and consumers in such cases.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

When a consumer purchases a product, the contract is with the seller, not the delivery company. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the seller is responsible for delivery of goods bought online until they are in the consumer's possession. This removes the burden of the consumer having to raise the issue with both the delivery company and the retailer. My department currently has no plans to review this process.

Ambulance handover times

Funding for rural fire and rescue services

National Keep Britain Tidy Campaign

World Hearing Day 2026

Cardiac risk in the young

Covid Day of Reflection 2026

Eating disorder services

Temporary accommodation and its impact on neurodivergent children

Cancer care in Gaza

NHS dentistry

International Women's Day 2026 and women’s inclusion in placemaking

Recognition of armed forces personnel wounded in terrorist attacks outside of operational deployment

Royal Mail delivery standards

Airport drop-off charges

Delay Repay scheme

Endometriosis Awareness Month 2026

Leasehold reform (No. 3)

UNESCO World Heritage status for chalk streams in England

Energy prices for households and businesses

Outdoor learning

Heating oil prices

New US sanctions on Cuba

Found: 58.3%) Chris Curtis (Labour, Milton Keynes North) (added 21 Oct 2024) 40 of 49 (81.6%) Mr Lee Dillon

Found: membership Bob Blackman (Conservative; Harrow East) (Chair) Jonathan Davies (Labour; Mid Derbyshire) Mr Lee Dillon

Found: (95.9%) Jonathan Davies (Labour, Mid Derbyshire) (added 3 Mar 2025) 33 of 35 (94.3%) Mr Lee Dillon

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Bob Blackman (Chair); Jonathan Davies; Mr Lee Dillon; Mary Glindon

Found: meeting Members present: Florence Eshalomi (Chair); Lewis Cocking; Andrew Cooper; Chris Curtis; Mr Lee Dillon