Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to improve the access to domestic abuse services for disabled women.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

This Government recognises the importance of ensuring support is accessible to all victims of domestic abuse, including disabled victims.

As part of 'Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls’, work is ongoing across government to improve the support for disabled victims of domestic abuse including:

• Investing in a new specialist helpline and advocacy service for Deaf and Disabled victims of domestic abuse.
• Reforming the commissioning landscape, including through a new cross-government commissioning statement and the forthcoming Duty to Collaborate. Combined, these will improve the consistency, accessibility and effectiveness of support services for victims and work to address gaps in provision for disabled victims.
• Strengthening information on supporting disabled victims in the Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance and Controlling and Coercive Behaviour Statutory Guidance to improve understanding of the needs and barriers for these victims and how professionals respond.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2025, published in July 2026, what assessment she has made of the 2.54 million scientific procedures involving living animals which were carried out in Great Britain in 2025.

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

The Government has a strategy to reduce the use of animals in science. The direction of travel is clear: to accelerate replacement, reduction and refinement while maintaining protections for human and animal health and the environment.

The 2.54 million scientific procedures carried out in 2025 represent a reduction of around 3.8% from 2.64 million in 2024 and the lowest annual total recorded under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The Government nevertheless recognises that the figure remains significant. The aggregate total must also be understood alongside the purpose, species and severity of procedures, and the distinction between experimental procedures and the breeding of genetically altered animals.

Under the statutory principles of replacement, reduction and refinement, a scientifically satisfactory non-animal method must be used wherever possible; the number of animals must be reduced to a minimum without compromising the objectives of the programme; and methods must be refined to eliminate or reduce pain, suffering, distress and lasting harm.

In November 2025, the Government published its Replacing Animals in Science strategy, backed by £75 million, to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods and work towards replacing animal use in all but exceptional circumstances. The 2025 figures reinforce the case for sustained delivery of that strategy. Where suitable alternatives do not yet exist, well-justified and appropriately designed animal research may continue under the rigorous requirements of ASPA to protect human and animal health and the environment.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2025, published in July 2026, what steps he is taking to replace the use of dogs in science with human-specific technologies.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 7 September 2026 in response to Question 27845, which refers to the answer provided on 30 June 2026 in response to Question 11617.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help increase the number of speech and language therapists recruited in (a) the North West (b) Congleton constituency.

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

Decisions on the employment of allied health professionals 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.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what mechanisms will be put in place for his Department to recoup the costs from other departments of legal aid representation for bereaved families under the Public Office (Accountability) Bill; and what plans does he have to report to Parliament on the operation of this process.

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

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill will provide non-means tested legal aid for bereaved families at inquests where a public authority is an interested person. The cost of the legal aid expansion will be met by public authorities, or their central Government department, where they are an interested person at an inquest.

We intend for this to help foster proportionate participation and spending behaviours amongst interested public authorities, including in the use of their own legal representation, at inquests. We have been working closely with Departments to develop this model.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many current or prospective legal aid providers submitted a tender for an inquest category of law contract specification by the initial deadline of Friday 4 September 2026; and how many of these providers already hold a contract in another category of legal aid.

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

Information about the number of legal aid providers which submitted a tender for an inquest category of law contract specification is due to be published on 6 November 2026. Once published the information will be accessible here on GOV.UK here: news - News and communications - GOV.UK

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure adult hospices are sustainably funded in (a) Northwest England (b) Cheshire and Merseyside ICB and (c) Congleton constituency.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 13 July in response to Question 16185, which sets out the steps the Government is taking to support hospices throughout England.

The Prime Minister and my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, have also made clear their commitment to improve the quality and availability of palliative care and end-of-life care through a new Modern Service Framework, as set out in the answer of 14 September to Question 27682.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the planned timetable is for the publication of the 10-Year Workplace Plan.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 19 October to Question 32217.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what national minimum standards or expectations will apply to the provision of women's health services through Women's Integrated Neighbourhood Services; and how the Department plans to help ensure consistency of provision across Integrated Care Boards.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 26 October in response to Question 32952.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government expects to publish guidance for Integrated Care Boards on the implementation of Women's Integrated Neighbourhood Services.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 26 October in response to Question 32952.

Speech and Language Therapy for Autistic Children