Maya Ellis

A worker who ‘blows the whistle’ (known as making a ‘protected disclosure’) on certain types of wrongdoing is entitled to protections under the Employment Rights Act 1996 from detriment or dismissal as a result of blowing the whistle, and a route to redress through Employment Tribunals if those protections are infringed.

The Government’s Employment Rights Bill will strengthen protections for whistleblowers, by making it explicit that sexual harassment can be the basis for a protected disclosure. This will mean an employee making a protected disclosure about sexual harassment will be entitled to protection from being subjected to detriment or being dismissed by their employer for speaking out.

The government offers various support for business to transition to clean energy source, including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for low carbon heating.

We also know that it is important that businesses have access to reliable information and advice to help them take action to reduce their emissions. We support the UK Business Climate Hub which provides advice to support business, particularly SMEs, to act. It is run by the Broadway Initiative, in partnership with government and a coalition of business organisations.

We want to support local leaders to unlock their regions’ innovation potential – ensuring everyone benefits from innovation-led growth. Regardless of whether they have a Mayor or are a local authority. That’s why UK Research and Innovation invests in innovation across the UK, including through the £316 million Strength in Places Fund and £80 million Launchpads programmes. These are bolstering clusters in areas with and without devolution agreements. UKRI has awarded £85,000 to Ultraframe UK in the Ribble Valley, to develop high quality retrofit solutions.

The government provides financial support to creative professionals through DCMS funding programmes, grants from arm’s length bodies and wider government support, including through InnovateUK.

The Creative Industries Sector Plan sets out an ambitious target to increase annual investment in the Creative Industries from £17 billion to £31 billion by 2035 and delivers £380 million of targeted spending in the sector over the next Spending Review. This builds on the £40 million in funding announced earlier this year, supporting cross-sector initiatives plus programmes in music, video games, film and TV.

Sustainability of local journalism across the country is an area of particular concern for this Government, including in Ribble Valley and Lancashire. The Government understands the important work that local news does across the UK, including outlets such as the Lancs Live and the Lancashire Telegraph. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level, reporting on the issues that matter to communities, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story.

We are working across Government and with other stakeholders as the Strategy develops, and we recently held a roundtable discussion with local news editors to discuss our planned approach and collaboration with industry on the Strategy. An industry working group has now been set up to consider the issues in more detail and we will announce more in the coming months.

The department is supporting the sector to attract talented new staff to join the workforce, as well as encourage skilled and qualified staff to return to early years roles by creating conditions for improved recruitment.

The department has been running a pilot that tests whether offering an incentive payment would increase recruitment levels in 20 local authorities. New starters in early years settings, and those returning to the sector, were required to have started in an eligible provider and meet certain eligibility criteria in one of these local authorities in order to receive a £1,000 payment.

Delivery on the scheme ended in March 2025. Data on the number of recruits receiving financial incentives will be included in the evaluation report, which will be published in due course.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has regular discussions with the Scottish Government over a range of important matters.

Eligible undergraduate students from England, who are attending a course in nursing at a university in Scotland, qualify for the same student support package from Student Finance England as English students studying in England, which includes a fee loan for meeting the full costs of their tuition, a partially means-tested loan for living costs and, for students with adult or child dependants, means-tested dependants’ grants. In addition, students with disabilities may qualify for non-means-tested Disabled Students’ Allowance.

The government has increased maximum grants and loans for living and other costs for students from England by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year, in line with forecast inflation, based on the RPIX inflation index.

Students studying on nursing courses also qualify for additional support through the NHS Learning Support Fund. However, this is only available to students who study at English Universities, regardless of where they are domiciled.

​​The Best Start in Life website, launched on 1 September. This is accessible at: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

​As development continues, the department is committed to ensuring the service is designed, positioned, and delivered in a way that meets the needs of parents and families. To date, discussions have taken place with officials across Whitehall and parents have been engaged directly through user research. We will broaden this engagement, including with local authorities and other key stakeholders, and continue to conduct further user research to ensure the service is responsive, effective and accessible to those who will benefit most.​

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Ribble Valley to the answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 55746.

The percentage of girls and boys in the Ribble Valley constituency at the end of key stage 2, that met the expected standard in mathematics and science in 2023/24, is provided in the table below.

The Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authorities and other stakeholders continue to work in partnership with local communities to deliver innovative and alternative flood risk management practices. This includes Natural Flood Management measures, demonstrated most notably in Ribchester with an £80,000 investment. Advice and support are given to flood action groups, and the Environment Agency continue to issue flood warnings to residents. Collectively, all these measures serve to reduce the risk of flooding for households within the Ribble Valley.

In 2025/26 the Ribble Catchment around Edisford Bridge was identified as a priority area for farm inspections due to a new bathing water designation. Since April this year 13 farms in the area of the new bathing water and Bashall Brook have been inspected and advice and guidance provided where non-compliance relating to the Farming Rules for Water and SSAFO Regulations (Storing silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil - GOV.UK ) has been identified.

In the wider Ribble Catchment in Lancashire, the Environment Agency has inspected 27 farms since April this year. Where advice and guidance has been given and not followed, the Environment Agency will consider enforcement in line with its Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

Defra officials have engaged extensively with local authorities and representative bodies such as the Local Government Association and the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee on the introduction of the Simpler Recycling reforms to both workplaces and households. Through Simpler Recycling, every household and workplace across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core waste streams: metal, glass, plastic, paper and card, food waste, and garden waste (for households only). This includes some items which are not currently widely collected for recycling, such as cartons. From 31 March 2027, this will also include kerbside plastic film collections.

Alongside Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging and a Deposit Return Scheme, these reforms should guarantee a consistent supply of recyclable materials. This should provide certainty, increasing investor confidence and unlocking investment in waste infrastructure.

We are working with the waste management sector to explore opportunities for infrastructure development and how we support them to create these conditions. We recently published a Recycling Infrastructure Capacity Analysis in partnership with WRAP, setting out the size of the investment opportunity. Those looking to invest in waste management infrastructure are encouraged to engage with the National Wealth Fund.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.

On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce driving test waiting times across the country.

Further information on these actions and progress on the plan can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-acts-to-make-thousands-of-extra-driving-tests-available-each-month.

The driving test centres that serve candidates in the Ribble Valley are Blackburn, Nelson, Skipton and Preston. Blackburn and Nelson are part of the same cluster of centres. From recruitment campaigns, DVSA has recruited two new entrant driving examiners (DE) and offered a further four DEs a position for this cluster. Following successful completion of training the new entrant DEs will be in post late autumn. A further DE has also been offered a post in Skipton. After successful completion of training, they will also be in post by late autumn.

All drone operators in the UK must adhere to the Drone and Model Aircraft Code, overseen by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). This includes protections for privacy. For a drone operator to undertake operations under 400ft they must successfully apply for an Operational Authorisation from the CAA.

Government is currently reforming Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS or drones) Regulations, which should come into force from 1 January 2026 and will enhance the safety, security and manufacturing standards for drones. These reforms will include the requirement for Remote Identification (a system that allows drones to be tracked and identified in real time) for all drones over 250g, which will enable law enforcement to identify non-compliant operators.

The Department is not currently able to provide constituency data on Pension Credit applications and awards.

Statistics on Pension Credit application volumes, for Great Britain only, were published on 29^th May 2025. This includes numbers of applications that were received, awarded and not awarded, and outstanding, from week commencing 3^rd April 2023 up to week commencing 19^th May 2025: Pension Credit applications and awards: May 2025. The next quarterly release of Pension Credit applications and awards statistics for Great Britian has been announced for late-August 2025: Pension Credit Applications and Awards Statistics: August 2025 - Official statistics announcement - GOV.UK.

In Great Britain, medical devices are regulated under the Medical Device Regulations 2002 (MDR 2002), which is available at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/618/contents/made

Manufacturers of the lowest risk medical devices can self-declare the conformity of their devices against these regulations, and manufacturers of medium and high-risk medical devices must seek third party conformity assessment from an approved body to obtain a UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking.

Fees are set by the approved body themselves and vary depending on the specific service provided.

To protect supply, the government continues to accept CE-marked medical devices on the Great Britain market until 30 June 2028 or 2030, depending on the type of device and the legislation it complies with. If a device has a valid CE marking, the manufacturer is therefore not required to also obtain a UKCA marking. We will consult further on our long-term approach to the recognition of CE-marked medical devices later this year.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is currently developing a reformed regulatory framework for medical devices, designed to protect patient safety, while improving access to innovative medical devices. This will introduce an international reliance framework, allowing the MHRA to use the expertise and decision-making of other regulatory partners to introduce a new, streamlined, route to market for certain devices with prior approval from comparable regulatory countries (Australia, Canada and the US). This will reduce unwarranted regulatory burden on manufacturers of medical devices with overseas approval.

There are no plans to review the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate.

There are extensive arrangements in place in England to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone. Approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there is a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with chronic illnesses may be eligible. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.

People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. People who need to pay and need many prescription items could save money with a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC). PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with 3-month and 12-month certificates available. The 12-month PPC can be paid for in direct debit instalments.

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (the Trust) has agreed a Diagnostic Improvement Programme with key focuses including:

• Increasing capacity within its Community Diagnostic Centre (Preston Healthport CDC), where a number of diagnostic services are available in a community setting offering care closer to home over a period of extended working hours.
• Upgrading of the CT scanner in the emergency department (ED) at Royal Preston Hospital in July 2025 which will improve testing productivity by i) reducing unplanned downtime (for example through reduced maintenance requirements) and ii) minimising the staff training needed to operate different types of machine.
• Working to develop new opportunities to recruit and retain diagnostic staff.

The Trust also makes use of mutual aid. In the NHS, mutual aid is the voluntary cooperation and resource-sharing between different healthcare organisations or sectors to meet shared needs, especially during emergencies or when systems are under extreme pressure. The Trust continues to scope other options to increase capacity and support from other local organisations via mutual aid.

Performance at the Trust has significantly improved against the Diagnostics Waiting Times and Activity data collection (DM01) six-week target from 49.3 percent of patients on the waiting list waiting in excess of 6 weeks from referral in June 2024, to 39.6 percent in June 2025.

Nationally, the government is supporting the NHS to recover diagnostic services and bring down waiting times through investment in new capacity and technology. At the Spending Review in June 2025, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £6 billion in capital funding across 5 years for new diagnostic, elective and urgent and emergency capacity in the NHS. This includes £600 million in 2025/26.

On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help integrated care boards (ICBs) and the National Health Service to deliver improved outcomes for children, young people and adults referred to an autism assessment service. The guidance also sets out what support should be available before an assessment and what support should follow a recent diagnosis of autism, based on the available evidence. Since publication, NHS England has been supporting systems and services to identify where there are challenges for implementation and how they might overcome these.

The NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB has secured £1.8 million in funding to improve the Neurodivergent Pathway across Lancashire and South Cumbria, which the ICB has decided will primarily focus on children and young people (CYP) in the first instance, given the complexities and inconsistency of current CYP pathways. This investment will support frontline services, digital systems, a redesign of clinical pathways, and an increase in direct support available for families and young people. The ICB is working closely with Lancashire County Council and local schools to ensure the offer is joined up. The ICB has also commissioned an all-age online pre- and post-diagnostic support resource.

There have been no discussions between the department and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on NHS-funded nursing care (FNC).

The department is responsible for FNC policy and for setting the FNC rate each year. NHSE and integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the implementation of FNC, including paying the FNC rate direct to care homes with nursing.

The FNC rate for 2025/26 increased by 7.7% from the 2024/25 rate. From the 1 April 2025, this increases the standard weekly rate per eligible individual from £235.88 to £254.06 and from £324.50 to £349.50 for the higher rate payment. FNC contributes to the provision of nursing care by a registered nurse and does not cover the costs of wider non-nursing care or accommodation. The rate increase accounts for the increase in the cost of providing nursing care.

Providers registered with CQC are expected to comply with the fundamental standards under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. CQC monitor and assess services and publish their findings, and can take regulatory and enforcement action if services are not providing people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum appeals lodged and determined, by nationality and sex, is published in tables Asy_D06 and Asy_D07, respectively, of the asylum detailed datasets. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relates to 2023 Q1 (January to March). Appeals data for April 2023 onwards is not available due to ongoing work on a new case working system. Updated data will be included in a future edition of the Immigration system statistics release.

Rural crime can have devastating consequences for countryside communities and the agricultural sector. That is why this Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas.

Under our Safer Streets Mission reforms, rural communities will be safeguarded, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent theft of farm equipment and fly-tipping.

The Government is committed to strong neighbourhood policing for everyone in England and Wales, wherever they live. On 10 April, the Prime Minister outlined further details about our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, including that by July, every community, including rural communities, will have named and contactable officers dedicated to addressing local issues.

This financial year we will be providing the first Home Office funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU), as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). The funding boost of over £800,000 in total will help the units tackle those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.

This will allow these specialist units to continue their work in tackling rural and wildlife crime which can pose unique challenges for policing given the scale and isolation of rural areas.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-2025 provides a framework through which policing, and its partners can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues which predominantly affect rural communities NPCC-Wildlife-Rural-Crime-Strategy-2022-2025.pdf (nwcu.police.uk). We are working closely with the NPCC and Defra to deliver the next iteration of their strategy, to ensure the Government’s Safer Streets Mission benefits every community no matter where they live, including rural communities.

The Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme opened to applications on 4 February 2025, which enables Ukrainians in the UK under the Ukraine visa schemes to apply for a further 18 months’ temporary permission to remain in the UK.

We recognise the Ukrainian government’s desire for the future return of its citizens to Ukraine to assist in the rebuilding of the country. It is important our approach respects these wishes.

This is why the temporary sanctuary Ukraine visa Schemes do not lead to settlement in the UK.  We continue to keep the Ukraine Schemes under consistent review in line with developments in the ongoing war.

There are other routes available for those who wish to settle in the UK permanently, if they meet the requirements.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 44742 on 22 April 2025.

MHCLG Ministers and officials engage regularly with local planning authorities to ensure the government’s priorities are understood.

The Government has no plans to bring forward legislation to grant automatic parental responsibility to a father in unfortunate circumstances where the mother dies during childbirth.

In England and Wales, a father only acquires parental responsibility automatically if he is married to, or in a civil partnership with the mother at any point between the conception or the birth of the child, or he subsequently marries or enters a civil partnership with the mother. In other cases, parental responsibility may be obtained through formal agreement with the mother, being named on the birth certificate, or a court order. The Government recognises that in cases where the mother dies during childbirth, the father, if not married to the mother at the time of the birth, may be unable to acquire parental responsibility through the usual mechanisms. In such cases, the family courts retain discretion to grant parental responsibility based on the child’s welfare and the circumstances of the case.

The Government is aware of the calls to broaden the parental responsibility measure in the Victims and Courts Bill to include instances where an individual has been convicted of rape and a child has been conceived as a result of that offence. We are carefully considering these suggestions as the Bill progresses through Parliament.

The Government has no plans to bring forward legislation to grant automatic parental responsibility to a father in unfortunate circumstances where the mother dies during childbirth.

In England and Wales, a father only acquires parental responsibility automatically if he is married to, or in a civil partnership with the mother at any point between the conception or the birth of the child, or he subsequently marries or enters a civil partnership with the mother. In other cases, parental responsibility may be obtained through formal agreement with the mother, being named on the birth certificate, or a court order. The Government recognises that in cases where the mother dies during childbirth, the father, if not married to the mother at the time of the birth, may be unable to acquire parental responsibility through the usual mechanisms. In such cases, the family courts retain discretion to grant parental responsibility based on the child’s welfare and the circumstances of the case.

The Government is aware of the calls to broaden the parental responsibility measure in the Victims and Courts Bill to include instances where an individual has been convicted of rape and a child has been conceived as a result of that offence. We are carefully considering these suggestions as the Bill progresses through Parliament.

Supporting victims and survivors of sexual violence and abuse is a priority for this Government.

The MOJ-commissioned 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line grant, delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales, provides free and confidential emotional and listening support to all victims and survivors of rape and sexual abuse aged 16 and over, regardless of gender. Where appropriate, the service will signpost victims to longer-term support services, including therapeutic support.

Whilst it is not possible for callers to request the gender of their call handler, the service receives a high level of positive feedback from survivors of all genders, and call handlers receive extensive training to equip them to support all victims and survivors of sexual violence, regardless of any protected characteristics. The Department works closely with the provider to ensure the service remains responsive, inclusive and trauma-informed so that it can continue to provide high quality support.