Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing fuel duty on (a) consumer price inflation and (b) household living costs.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned increase in line with inflation for 2025/26. The temporary 5p cut is scheduled to expire in March 2026. The Government carefully considers the impact of fuel duty on households and businesses, with decisions on rates made at fiscal events.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to issue guidance to police forces on responding to (a) thefts from vans and (b) tool theft, in the context of the implementation of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023.

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

The Government is currently bringing forward legislative proposals to extend the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 to include tradespeople’s power tools. As set out in the recently published Government Response to the Call for Evidence on the scope of the legislation, concerns were raised by stakeholders that property marking tools would be impractical and costly. The economic impact assessment findings indicate that the total cost to business would be disproportionate to the benefits of implementing this proposal.

We recognise the devastating impact theft of tools can have for tradespeople. We are working with the police-led National Business Crime Centre and industry via the Combined Industries Theft Solutions forum to explore ways to tackle and prevent the theft of tools.

We encourage tradespeople to use existing guidance such as the NBCC and Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (Secured By Design) crime prevention guidance to help prevent theft.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory suicide preventing training for emergency service workers.

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

The Home Office only has responsibility for territorial police forces.

The College of Policing set the professional standards for police in England and Wales. The College’s core guidance includes the initial training for officers under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework which incorporates autism, learning disabilities, mental health and vulnerabilities. Through this, officers are taught to assess vulnerability and amend their approaches as required.

The College further promotes the need for frameworks to assess vulnerability, to aid in consistent identification, support decision making, and to trigger appropriate safeguarding action. Such principles and practices are set out in a number of college products, including the Detention and Custody Authorised Professional Practice.

Policing is operationally independent, and it is a matter for the chief constables of each force to decide which additional training their officers should undertake.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to extend the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 to include tradespeople’s power tools.

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

The Government is currently bringing forward legislative proposals to extend the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 to include tradespeople’s power tools. As set out in the recently published Government Response to the Call for Evidence on the scope of the legislation, concerns were raised by stakeholders that property marking tools would be impractical and costly. The economic impact assessment findings indicate that the total cost to business would be disproportionate to the benefits of implementing this proposal.

We recognise the devastating impact theft of tools can have for tradespeople. We are working with the police-led National Business Crime Centre and industry via the Combined Industries Theft Solutions forum to explore ways to tackle and prevent the theft of tools.

We encourage tradespeople to use existing guidance such as the NBCC and Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (Secured By Design) crime prevention guidance to help prevent theft.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to take steps to help support the development of covered (a) tennis, (b) padel and (b) multi-sport facilities in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

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

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment in the Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years from 2022 to 2027 to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives in England that will benefit as many people as possible.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to support the development of (a) affordable and (b) accessible padel courts in (i) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (ii) England.

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

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment in the Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years from 2022 to 2027 to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives in England that will benefit as many people as possible.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to provide funding for (a) indoor and (b) covered tennis facilities in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

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

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment in the Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years from 2022 to 2027 to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives in England that will benefit as many people as possible.

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 people who need it have access to palliative care services in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

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

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.  The statutory guidance states that ICBs, including the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB, the Surrey Heartlands ICB, and the Frimley ICB, must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations.

NHS England has also developed a palliative care and end of life care dashboard. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative care and end of life care needs of their local population, including the ability to filter the available information, such as by deprivation or ethnicity, enabling ICBs to put plans in place to address and track the improvement of health inequalities, and ensure that funding is distributed fairly, based on prevalence.

The Department and NHS England are currently working at pace to develop plans on how best to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

Additionally, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Department has invested £3 million in a Policy Research Unit in Palliative and End of Life Care. This unit is building the evidence base on palliative care and end of life care, with a specific focus on inequalities.

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 hospice contracts reflect the (a) cost of the services they provide and (b) needs of the local population in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

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

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs, including the NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB, which covers the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency, in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. NHS England has also developed a palliative care and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place.

Whilst the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations also play.

The amount of funding charitable hospices receive varies by ICB area, and will, in part, be dependent on the breadth of palliative care, including specialist palliative care, and end of life care provision within each ICB catchment area. It is important to note that hospices, like the NHS, provide both specialist and generalist palliative care and end of life care. Not all patients will require specialist palliative care. 

The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10- Year Health Plan.

Additionally, we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

We are also providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. I am pleased to confirm the continuation of circa £26 million, adjusted for inflation, for the next three financial years, 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive, to be distributed again via ICBs. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.

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 ensure adequate financial support for the full range of specialist palliative care services provided by hospices.

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

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs, including the NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB, which covers the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency, in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. NHS England has also developed a palliative care and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place.

Whilst the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations also play.

The amount of funding charitable hospices receive varies by ICB area, and will, in part, be dependent on the breadth of palliative care, including specialist palliative care, and end of life care provision within each ICB catchment area. It is important to note that hospices, like the NHS, provide both specialist and generalist palliative care and end of life care. Not all patients will require specialist palliative care. 

The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10- Year Health Plan.

Additionally, we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

We are also providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. I am pleased to confirm the continuation of circa £26 million, adjusted for inflation, for the next three financial years, 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive, to be distributed again via ICBs. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet with Esther Ghey to discuss her campaign for a statutory ban on mobile phones in schools.

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

Mobile phones have no place in school.

Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.

The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, met with Esther Ghey at the start of November to discuss her Phone Free Education campaign.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to review her Department's guidance entitled Mobile phones in schools, published in February 2024.

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

The department’s guidance on mobile phones in schools, published in February 2024, is clear that schools should prohibit the use of devices with smart technology throughout the school day, including during lessons, transitions and breaks.

We expect all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.

Research from the Children’s Commissioner published in April 2025, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that the overwhelming majority of schools (99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools) already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.

We will continue to build a robust evidence base on the effectiveness of school mobile phone policies and keep the guidance under review.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of increases in employers' National Insurance contributions on the natural stone industry.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) announced at Autumn Budget 2024. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.

The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from these changes by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change.

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 (a) consult (i) frontline enforcement bodies and (ii) animal welfare organisations on measures to strengthen enforcement of the Hunting Act 2004 and (b) bring forward legislative proposals to increase the maximum penalties for illegal hunting by the end of this Parliament.

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

We have no plans to consult on enforcement of the Hunting Act 2004. The enforcement of the Hunting Act is an operational matter for the police. This is in line with their duties to keep the peace, protect communities and prevent the commission of offences, working within the provisions of the legal framework set by Parliament.

However, this Government is committed to enacting a ban on trail hunting in line with our manifesto commitment. Work to determine the best approach for doing so is ongoing and we will consult on how to deliver a ban in the new year. Stakeholder engagement will form an important element of the consultation process, and we will ensure everyone can give their views and present their evidence.

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 help ensure that public procurement for heritage projects support the use of locally sourced stone appropriate to local architectural traditions.

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

Whilst DCMS does not have public procurement policies relating to the use of locally used stone, there are a number of ways in which the Government supports the use of stone appropriate to local architectural traditions.

If anyone wants to alter or extend a listed building in a way that affects its character or appearance as a building of special architectural or historic interest they must first apply for Listed Building Consent from the local planning authority. This process will typically consider whether appropriate materials are being used as the Government’s planning policy means Local Planning Authorities give particular attention to the desirability of preserving the building, its setting and those features which make it special.

In addition, our arm's-length body, Historic England, takes steps to support applicants seeking approval for changes to heritage buildings. Historic England has published advice on how to obtain matching stone for repairing historic buildings and monuments. They have also made available the Building Stones Database for England which brings together information on local building stones, their uses and sources as an online interactive GIS (Geographical Information System) resource.

Working with the British Geological Survey (BGS), local geologists and historic buildings experts, Historic England has identified important building stones, where they came from and potential alternative sources for repairs and new construction.

Historic England's Repair Grants guidance advises that they expect any works that they fund to be carried out using traditional methods and materials appropriate to the history and condition of the building, monument, park or garden, stipulating that when replacement is necessary, it should normally be done on a like-for-like basis.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce national waiting-time standards for ADHD and autism assessments for under-18s; and what progress NHS England has made in improving the (a) collection and (b) publication of data on waiting times for (i) ADHD and (ii) autism assessments.

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

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends a maximum waiting time of 13 weeks between a referral for an autism assessment and a first appointment. There is no wait standard for referral for an autism assessment to receiving a diagnosis of autism, and NICE guidelines for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis and management do not recommend a maximum waiting time standard from referral for an assessment of ADHD to the assessment being provided.

NICE guidelines are developed by experts based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and through extensive engagement with stakeholders. They are not mandatory, but National Health Service commissioners are expected to take them fully into account in designing services to meet the needs of their local populations.

The Medium-Term Planning Framework, published 24 October, was explicit that integrated care boards (ICBs) and providers are expected to optimise existing resources to reduce long waits for autism and ADHD assessments and improve the quality of assessments by implementing existing and new guidance, as published.

NHS England publishes quarterly statistical data on waiting times within autism diagnostic pathways, which remain under constant review. This data is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/autism-statistics

For the first time, NHS England published management information on ADHD assessment waiting times at a national level on 29 May 2025 as part of its ADHD data improvement plan, and it has also released technical guidance to ICBs to improve the recording of ADHD data, with a view to improving the quality of ADHD waits and diagnosis data as well as publishing more localised data in future.

The most recent data, published in August 2025 and is available on the NHS England website, at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mi-adhd/august-2025

Data in this publication is sourced from a number of existing NHS England datasets, and the publication is known to contain a number of data quality issues, further details of which can be found at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mi-adhd/supporting-information

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to include natural stone in future (a) low-carbon and (b) sustainable construction incentive schemes.

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

The department is currently developing policies that will help grow the market for low carbon industrial products, including green procurement and improved carbon accounting. The initial focus of these policies is steel, cement, and concrete products used in construction.

The department recently ran a technical consultation that included questions on whether other industrial sectors should be included in the scope of these policies in future. Although natural stone was not explicitly mentioned in the consultation, it would align with one of the options; to take a strategic approach to expand these policies to other sectors related to construction. The department is currently reviewing the responses to this consultation and will publish a summary and its own response in due course.

The government also recognises the role that whole life carbon assessments can play in helping developers to evaluate carbon emissions across all stages of a building or structure’s life. This approach can support decision makers to adopt materials which have a lower overall environmental impact. Whole life carbon assessments are embedded into green procurement approaches being taken by government departments, such as instituting carbon management plans.

The department would welcome engagement with any interested stakeholders from the natural stone sector.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of geographical indication protections for regionally significant natural stones.

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

I am responding as minister with responsibility for intellectual property. Geographical indications for craft and industrial products, e.g. natural stones, can be protected in the UK via specialised collective and certification trade marks. Collective and certification trade marks can be applied for via the Intellectual Property Office and are accompanied by regulations that set out the conditions of use of the trade mark. This can include that the goods or services covered by the mark have a specific geographical origin. As trade marks are private rights, it is for potential applicants to decide whether to seek such trade mark protection.

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 introduce national response standards for (a) service levels and (b) response times for all fire and rescue services.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government has accepted, in principle, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendation to establish a national college of fire and rescue. The Inquiry report suggested a range of potential functions for a college to fulfil, including the development and assurance of national standards relating to various aspects of the work of fire and rescue services.

Any future college function relating to national standards would build on the work already undertaken by the Fire Standards Board (FSB), which currently develops and maintains a suite of professional standards for fire and rescue services in England. The 19 standards currently published by the FSB cover a range of topics relating to operational management, leadership and ethics.

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 potential impact of overseas (a) subsidies and (b) export support on the competitiveness of UK natural stone producers; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing similar support.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is committed to supporting businesses, including natural stone producers, to grow and export. UK businesses can access DBT’s wealth of export support via business.gov.uk.

This support is available to all UK businesses including those that wish to export natural stone.

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 potential impact of providing (a) targeted grant funding and (b) export support for small and medium-sized enterprises in the natural stone industry similar to that provided by EU countries.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is committed to supporting businesses, including natural stone producers, to grow and export. UK businesses can access DBT’s wealth of export support via business.gov.uk.

This support is available to all UK businesses including those that wish to export natural stone.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on detection rates for thefts (a) from and (b) of light commercial vehicles, broken down by police force area; and whether she is taking steps to support forces with low detection rates for such thefts.

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

The Home Office requires the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales to report trends in crime using aggregated categories such as theft of a vehicle or theft from a vehicle and we do not hold detailed data on the type of vehicles involved.

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are working with the automotive industry and police, including working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on the issue, to ensure the strongest response possible to this damaging crime. Through the policing National Vehicle Crime Working Group, a network of vehicle crime specialists has been established, involving every police force in England and Wales, to ensure forces can share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and better tackle regional issues.

In the Crime and Policing Bill we have brought forward legislation to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them. This will support the changes manufacturers continue to make to prevent thefts. The Bill has now completed its passage through the House of Commons and is now at Committee stage in the House of Lords.

We provided £275,000 last financial year to help support enforcement work at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad, including additional staff and specialist equipment. An additional £210k is being provided by the Home Office (totalling £485k) this financial year to build on and further bolster these efforts to tackle vehicle crime

Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners are responsible for understanding local crime patterns and for setting priorities which reflect the concerns of local communities, but we expect them to take all forms of crime seriously.

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 Integrated Care Boards prioritise ADHD and autism assessments for children and young people approaching (a) key educational stages, (b) GCSEs and (c) post-16 transition points.

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

We recognise that transitions between life stages can be particularly challenging for those who find change difficult, including many autistic people and people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The Medium-Term Planning Framework, published 24 October, was explicit that integrated care boards (ICBs) and providers are expected to optimise existing resources to reduce long waits for autism and ADHD assessments and improve the quality of assessments by implementing existing and new guidance, as published.

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 people referred to an autism assessment service. The guidance also sets out what support should be available before an assessment and following a recent diagnosis of autism. They make clear that autism assessment provision is needed throughout the lifespan and that ICBs should ensure that people of all ages can access an autism assessment locally.

NHS England established an ADHD taskforce which brought together those with lived experience with experts from the NHS, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing timely and equitable access to services and support. We are pleased that the final report was published on 6 November, and we are carefully considering its recommendations.

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 help tackle regional inequalities in access to gluten free prescriptions for patients with coeliac disease.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Decisions about the commissioning and funding of local health services are the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users, and patient groups, to develop local services and care pathways that meet patients’ needs.

NHS England guidance on Prescribing Gluten-Free foods in Primary Care states that commissioners should restrict the prescribing of gluten-free (GF) foods to bread and mixes only. Under the current legislation, ICBs may choose to further restrict product choice, or end prescribing of GF foods altogether, if they feel that this is appropriate for their population, whilst taking account of their legal duties to advance equality and having regard to reducing health inequalities.

The national prescribing position in England remains that GF bread and mixes can be provided to coeliac patients on an NHS prescription, and a wide range of these items continue to be listed in Part XV of the Drug Tariff. This means that prescribers can issue NHS prescriptions, based on a shared decision between prescriber and patient, while also being mindful of local and national guidance.

Health is largely a devolved matter and local health arrangements for GF prescribing in Scotland and Wales are a matter for the devolved administrations.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help support the development of (a) specialist training and (b) apprenticeship pathways in the (i) natural stone and (ii) heritage construction sectors, including (A) traditional craft and (B) masonry roles.

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

As announced in the Spending Review, the Government is investing over £1.2 billion annually in skills by 2028-29 to support technical routes and work-based training.

Employers and learners in the sector can benefit from a range of apprenticeship standards, such as Level 2 Stonemason, Leve 2 Thatcher and Level 5 Heritage Construction Specialist.

On 20 October 2025, we published the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, setting out a strategy to build a world-class skills system aligned with student and employer needs.

Central to these reforms is Skills England, which provides expert insight into current and future skills needs. It has published two key reports — Skills for Growth & Opportunity and Assessment of Priority Skills to 2030 — and will continue to assess national, regional, and sectoral demands. This evidence base will inform policy and funding decisions, helping employers close skills gaps all sectors, including the heritage sector.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to increase the number of approved apprenticeship providers for (a) stone masonry, (b) quarrying (c) and heritage restoration skills.

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

As of 15 October 2025, there are 1450 active providers on the Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register (APAR).

New training providers can enter the apprenticeship training market under one of the three entry routes in place. These are either where there is a legitimate gap in provision that is generated by unmet employer demand, where a levy paying employer wants to become an employer-provider to train its own workforce, or where the provider is in an area we want to grow or where we identify a capacity issue.

The government continues to monitor the suitability of entry routes onto APAR as the government develops the Growth and Skills offer.

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 improve support for adults with cerebral palsy.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to ensuring that people living with cerebral palsy have access to appropriate support and services throughout their lives, enabling them to fulfil their potential and lead healthy, productive lives.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a guideline for adults with cerebral palsy, code NG119. The guideline recommends regular reviews of clinical and functional needs, clear care pathways, and access to multi-disciplinary teams and specialist neurology services. The guideline is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng119

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out a vision for a health and care system that delivers more personalised, integrated, and proactive care for people with long-term and complex conditions, including cerebral palsy. By 2027, 95% of people with complex needs should have an agreed personal care plan. These will promote shared decision-making and access to personal health budgets, giving individuals more choice and control over therapies, equipment, and support tailored to their needs. Additionally, integrated neighbourhood health teams will bring together professionals across disciplines to deliver joined-up care for people with cerebral palsy.

Sheringham bus shelter

Cumulative disruption proposals and the right to protest

Buying community energy locally

Neurodivergent service personnel in the armed forces

Gambling executives' profits

Fly-tipping and illegal waste dumping by criminal gangs

Conduct of Samir Zitouni and Stephen Crean on the 18.25 Doncaster to Kings Cross train on 1 November 2025

Emergency care

Tomorrow’s Engineers Week 2025

Mental health of women in farming

Implications for rural communities of the Autumn Budget 2024

Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief