Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of autism assessments.

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

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism assessments and diagnosis, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. In doing so, ICBs should take account of waiting lists, considering how local funding can be deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.

On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the National Health Service to deliver improved outcomes for children, young people, and adults referred to an autism assessment service. Since publication, NHS England has been supporting systems and services to identify where there are challenges for implementation and how they might overcome these.

NHS England is also working with research organisations to explore evidence-based models that support improved outcomes for those people waiting for an autism assessment.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of prohibiting the use of weed killers such as glyphosate.

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

The Government’s first priority with regard to pesticides, including weed killers, is to ensure that they will not harm people or pose unacceptable risks to the environment. Pesticides are only authorised following a thorough scientific risk assessment that concludes all safety standards are met.

We recently held a useful and informative roundtable event with some local authorities to discuss the work they had done to reduce the use of glyphosate and other weed killers in the urban environment.

Active substances used in pesticides are periodically reviewed to ensure they still meet safety standards and requirements set out in legislation. We will consider the GB position on glyphosate when its approval is next due for renewal.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of (a) a legal code of conduct for and (b) mandatory inspections of the premises of funeral directors.

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

The Government is thoroughly evaluating all potential next steps to ensure that the high standards upheld by many within the funeral director sector are consistently reflected throughout the entire industry. This includes assessing the potential merits of a legal code of conduct for funeral directors and mandatory inspections of their premises. Further updates on the next steps will be provided in due course.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answers of 6 March 2025 to Question 36136 on Geothermal Power: County Durham and to Question 36137 on Data Centres: Energy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding for AI hubs in County Durham by using geothermal energy production.

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

The Government recognises the importance of continued innovation and improvements in the efficiency of AI.

AI Growth Zones will help shift energy demand to areas with more capacity, reducing pressure on congested parts of the grid. DSIT are working closely with DESNZ and the National Energy System Operator to align AI energy demand with future energy planning and ensure long-term sustainability.

Through the AI Energy Council, we will also build on this progress by exploring bold, clean energy solutions to ensure our AI ambitions align with the UK’s net zero goals.

UK government and local authorities will actively seek to secure the best deal possible for local communities where AI Growth Zones are allocated.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increasing musical and wider cultural education alongside the child poverty reduction strategy.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Participation in the arts can bring a range of benefits for children and young people, over and above its intrinsic value, including a positive impact on academic outcomes in other curriculum areas, as well as benefits to children’s wellbeing and attitude to learning.

That is why this government is committed to ensuring the arts are no longer the preserve of the privileged few.

The department has announced a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, which will support excellent teacher training in the arts. We have also invested in the Music Opportunities Pilot, with a £2 million contribution from the department, offering free instrument and vocal lessons to disadvantaged pupils. In addition, we are providing £79 million revenue funding per year for the Music Hubs programme, supporting children to access music opportunities in and beyond school, with an additional £25 million capital for musical instruments, equipment and adaptations for pupils with special education needs and disabilities.

The government has also established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which seeks to deliver a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum, so that children and young people do not miss out on subjects such as music and drama.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances for every child. Evidence suggests that children growing up in low-income families miss childhood experiences central to their wellbeing, including being less likely to participate in extra-curricular activities and having less access to wider social and cultural activities.

This government’s commitment to a deep understanding of the drivers and experience of poverty in households across the UK underpins every aspect of our approach to the Child Poverty Strategy. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience and better local support especially in the early years.

Fee waivers for ILR applications

Overseas aid budget

Oversight of homelessness

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