theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to ask the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to recognise chronic urinary tract infections as a distinct illness in its guidelines. \p Karin Smyth: Classifying a condition as a distinct illness is outside the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) remit. The NICE has no plans to develop guidance on chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) at this time, and the topic has not been considered by their prioritisation board. The NICE has produced a clinical guideline on antimicrobial prescribing for recurrent UTIs, which provides recommendations on treatments and self-care for the prevention of recurrent UTIs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of reforming integrated care boards. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has not taken any recent assessment to reform integrated care boards (ICBs). As part of the necessary changes to support the National Health Service to recover, NHS England has indicated that ICBs should reduce in size. The Government is supportive of NHS England taking the action needed to get the NHS back on its feet.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will convene a stakeholder roundtable to help tackle the shortage of Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy medication with (a) manufacturers, (b) patient advocacy groups and (c) other relevant stakeholders. \p Karin Smyth: There are no current plans to convene such a roundtable. The Department is in regular discussion with the suppliers of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) on the latest stock availability and the actions that are being taken to mitigate the supply issue that is affecting the whole of the United Kingdom. Through these discussions, we have managed to secure additional volumes for 2025 for the UK. The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market.

In the longer term, the Department has had interest from non-UK suppliers of PERT wishing to bring their products to the UK and, along with colleagues in the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, we are working with these potential suppliers; if authorised these products could further diversify and strengthen the market. The Department will continue to meet with all suppliers to understand what more can be done to add further resilience to the UK market.

In December 2024, the Department issued additional management advice to healthcare professionals. This directs clinicians to consider the unlicensed imports when licensed stock is unavailable and includes actions for integrated care boards to ensure local mitigation plans are put in place and implemented.

The Department meets regularly with the affected patient advocacy groups and charities to ensure they are kept informed on the latest supply picture and any communications issued.

The Department will continue collaboration with clinicians and representatives from the impacted patient advocacy groups and charities so that they are informed on the supply situation and the mitigation actions being taken.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list the non-departmental public bodies overseen by his Department he plans to abolish. \p Karin Smyth: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps action he is taking to help reduce waiting times for mental health treatment in (a) Shropshire and (b) England. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken with relevant authorities to reduce instances of skin cancer in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier, including skin cancer, and treating it faster so more patients survive. As a first step we have delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week during our first year in Government to ensure earlier diagnoses and faster treatment for those who need it most.

Since 2023/24, NHS England has also been rolling out teledermatology services, which allow a virtual review of dermoscopic images. In providers where this has been fully implemented, improvements in workforce capacity have been seen doubling the number of patients that can be reviewed per clinic in some cases, and improving faster diagnosis standard performance.

NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) national report has provided recommendations to encourage the wider use of technology to ensure skin cancer patients get faster and more equitable access to care. Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) is also planning a programme to support primary care colleagues, offering training for new staff to recognise harmless skin lesions, like moles and warts, with the aim of reducing unnecessary referrals to hospital and freeing up capacity for other patients on the waiting list.

NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns in England to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.

NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including skin cancer. This information can be found at sources such as NHS.UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Gregor Poynton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to standardise the provision of travel health services in the UK. \p Ashley Dalton: Travel health services in the United Kingdom are provided by a range of National Health Service and independent healthcare services. In England, all providers offering travel health services that are delivered by a doctor or a nurse must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and are subject to normal CQC assessment and inspection procedures. The CQC has specified a minimum standard of practice for practitioners who deliver travel health services and require that training is in line with professional standards published by either the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow or RCN Travel Health Nursing: career and competence development. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.rcn.org.uk/Professional-Development/publications/rcn-travel-health-nursing-uk-pub-010-573

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) contributes to the health of UK travellers through surveillance, testing, guidance and advice. Surveillance reports on travel-associated infections are published regularly on GOV.UK. UKHSA provides the scientific secretariat for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which advises the Government on vaccination and immunisation matters, including for travel vaccines. The UK Malaria Expert Advisory Group is responsible for guidelines on malaria prevention for health professionals. UKHSA does not have a remit to standardise the provision of travel health clinical services in the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take steps through the national cancer plan to help prepare for innovations in (a) diagnostics and (b) treatments. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Cancer Plan will look at how we can maximise our impact through the most up-to-date technology and innovations. The plan will ensure that we continue to maximise the access to and the impact of clinical trials in diagnostics and treatments, building on the success of projects such as the NHS cancer vaccine launch pad. The plan will also consider the ways that we can accelerate the uptake of innovative, life-saving treatments so all National Health Service patients can benefit. We will work closely with partners including the National Institute for Health and Care Research on this.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of mandating large food businesses to publish nutrient profile models on their products. \p Ashley Dalton: We have not made an assessment of the potential merits of mandating large food businesses to publish nutrient profile models on their products. As part of considerations around mandatory healthiness targets, the Food Data Transparency Partnership (FDTP) was created in 2023. This was a shared programme of work across the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, and the Food Standards Agency. The FDTP was paused at the General Election and is being reviewed alongside other obesity policies.

The UK Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) is used as the underpinning model for The Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 and The Advertising (Less Healthy Food Definitions and Exemptions) Regulations 2024. A product will be in scope if it falls within one of the product categories in the schedule to these regulations and scores four or above for food, or one or above for drink when applying the 2004 to 2005 NPM using the 2011 technical guidance. We do not require businesses to publish information related to the NPM.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Chris Webb:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report by the Competition and Markets Authority entitled Infant formula and follow-on formula market study, published on 14 February 2025, what steps his Department is taking to (a) restrict the use of non-verifiable messages and (b) ensure that only specified and prescribed information or categories of information are permitted on the labelling for (i) infant formula and (ii) follow-on formula. \p Ashley Dalton: Infant feeding is critical to a baby’s healthy growth and development. The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and that includes helping families to access support to feed their baby.

Whilst breastfeeding has significant health benefits, we recognise that for those families that cannot or choose not to breastfeed, it is vital that they have access to infant formula that is affordable and high quality. Infant formula regulations ensure that all infant formula is suitable for meeting the nutritional needs of babies, regardless of the price or brand.

The Government welcomes the Competition and Markets Authority’s market study report on infant formula and follow-on formula which included recommendations related to clear, accurate and impartial information on the nutritional sufficiency of all infant formula products on product labelling and on prohibiting intangible and/or non-verifiable messages on infant and follow on formula labels. We will carefully consider its findings and recommendations and respond in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Josh Babarinde:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed within Eastbourne constituency in the most recent year that data are available. \p Ashley Dalton: Data on cancer incidence, including for prostate cancer, are available at the level of England, former Government office regions, Cancer Alliances and integrated care boards, rather than by constituency. The data, which also provides an interactive tool for exploring incidence with data available up to 2022, is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-registration-statistics/england-2022
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 36426 on General Practitioners, how the additional 6,716,007 appointments were created. \p Stephen Kinnock: Increased appointment volumes are largely driven by growth in the general practice workforce. Between June 2023 and June 2024, there was an increase of 1,042 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors in general practice and 5,954 other FTE clinical staff, allowing for the delivery of additional appointments from July 2024 onwards.

We continue to work to grow the general practice workforce; as part of changes to the 2025/26 GP contract, we have increased flexibilities in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), including merging funding pots and expanding reimbursable roles, and we are recruiting an additional 1,000 general practitioners through a £82 million boost to the ARRS.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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David Burton-Sampson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) encourage the uptake and (a) increase the availability of lung cancer screenings. \p Ashley Dalton: To encourage uptake of lung screening, we are directly targeting activity at areas that we know will make a difference. This includes awareness campaigns such as the NHS Help Us, Help You campaign, to increase awareness of cancer symptoms, including lung cancer, and encourage people to get checked.

Latest data shows early diagnosis for lung cancer is eight percentage points higher than pre-pandemic. This improvement has largely been driven by roll out of Lung Cancer Screening Programme. The Lung Cancer Screening Programme is a national screening programme in the National Health Service designed to identify cancers at an earlier stage and has led to over 3,000 more lung cancers being diagnosed at an earlier stage. When fully rolled out, the Lung Cancer Screening Programme will detect around 9,000 cancers earlier each year and support the NHS Long Term plan to detect more cancers earlier.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Helen Grant:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the accessibility of face-to-face GP appointments (a) in general and (b) for people less digitally literate. \p Stephen Kinnock: General practitioners (GPs) must provide face to face appointments alongside remote consultations. Online services must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, in-person consultations.

The GP contract also makes clear that patients have a right to request a face-to-face appointment and practices must make every effort to meet their preference, unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.

We know that some patients can struggle to access digital services. To help address this, digital tools used in primary care settings must meet required minimum standards of functionality set by NHS England, ensuring a consistent quality of service for patients. All organisations providing services in the National Health Service, including primary care providers, must follow the Accessible Information Standard.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Sarah Olney:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will include primary progressive aphasia in the list of conditions requiring nationally commissioned services. \p Stephen Kinnock: There are no current plans to introduce nationally commissioned services for the treatment of Primary Progressive Aphasia.  We are committed to delivering high quality care and support for every person with dementia, and central to this is the provision of personalised care and support planning for post diagnostic support.

Provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). It is the expectation that ICBs commission services based on local population needs, taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. It is the responsibility of ICBs to work within their geographical area to offer services that meet the needs of their population.

Local authorities are required to provide or arrange services that meet the social care needs of the local population under the Care Act 2014.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of EU investment in local pharmaceutical production in the Caribbean on UK-Caribbean healthcare partnerships. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government has not made any assessment of the potential impact of this investment. The United Kingdom remains committed to working with Caribbean partners to strengthen healthcare systems, and to supporting healthcare development and collaboration in the Caribbean region through bilateral and multilateral engagement.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase funding for research into Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood; and what plans are in place to develop predictive methods or preventive measures for this condition. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds clinical, public health and social care research and works in partnership with the National Health Service, universities, local government, other research funders, patients and the public. The NIHR welcomes proposals for research into a range of conditions, including Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood, with more information available at the following link:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topic

The Government has committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. This includes ensuring that children receive the right care and support when they need it. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan, which will be published later this year, will set out broader actions for how we shift health and care systems in England towards preventing ill-health.
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Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to undertake further research into the adverse health effects of ultra-processed foods. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is investing in research on the health impacts of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). This includes a new research call launched in July 2024 on the health and health inequality impacts of interventions that effect consumption of UPFs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Sir Julian Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet with the Lobular Moon Shot Project to discuss funding for lobular breast cancer research. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24 reflecting its high priority.

We are proud to have invested £29 million into the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and the Royal Marsden NIHR Biological Research Centre in 2022, supporting their efforts to strengthen research into cancer, including lobular breast cancer. Wider investments into breast cancer research include a £1.3 million project to determine whether an abbreviated form of breast magnetic resonance imaging can detect breast cancers missed by screening through mammography, including lobular breast cancer.

On 4 February 2025 the Department announced that almost 700,000 women across the country will take part in a world-leading trial to test how cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) tools can be used to catch breast cancer cases earlier. The Early Detection using Information Technology in Health (EDITH) trial is backed by £11 million of Government support via the NIHR.

The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including lobular breast cancer. Improving outcomes for people with cancer is a priority for the Government.
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Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure compliance with active travel provisions agreed by developers during the planning process. \p Simon Lightwood: Active Travel England (ATE) is an executive agency of the Department and a statutory planning consultee for new housing developments comprising at least 150 homes or 5 hectares in site size. In discharging this function, ATE makes recommendations to improve infrastructure and measures that will support active travel journeys.

Where there are no locally set standards for cycle parking, ATE’s planning team recommends that the standards in Table 11-1 of LTN 1/20: Cycle Infrastructure Design are applied to new dwellings. This seeks the provision of one secure and ideally covered cycle storage space per bedroom.

Criterion 9 of ATE’s planning application assessment toolkit – which helps to gather evidence and assess the active travel merits of new developments – promotes the provision of high-quality facilities including showers, lockers, changing rooms and drying areas for cyclists in non-residential settings.

It is for the relevant local planning authority’s enforcement team to address instances where a developer does not comply with active travel provisions secured through a planning application.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the merits of introducing free bus passes for people aged 60 and over. \p Simon Lightwood: The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as lowering the age of eligibility, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.

Local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations such as lowering the age of eligibility. Additional local concessions are provided and funded by local authorities from local resources.

The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Devon County Council and Somerset Council have been allocated £11.6 and £6.8 million of this funding respectively. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available in the local area.
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Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to promote active travel. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department for Transport and Active Travel England (ATE) are working with local authorities to boost walking, wheeling and cycling across England. On 12 February, the Government announced almost £300 million of funding to boost walking, wheeling and cycling with £222.5 million awarded to local authorities across England.

ATE also funds a range of wider projects to enable more active travel, including Bikeability cycle training, Walk to School Outreach and Bike Bike Revival activities. ATE also provides funding to Sustrans to maintain and upgrade the National Cycle Network.

In addition to funding, ATE provides training for local authority staff to enable the delivery of high-quality walking and cycling schemes, as well as design workshops and design assurance reviews of schemes under development.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 36079 on Bus Services and Railways: Employers' Contributions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the planned increase in employer's National Insurance contributions on the (a) operating costs of bus operators and (b) viability of bus routes. \p Simon Lightwood: The increase to National Insurance employers’ contributions announced at the Budget is expected to increase bus operator costs, but the Department has made no estimate of the specific costs.

We are committed to working with the sector to deliver better bus services for passengers. In the Budget, the government confirmed investment of over £1 billion to support and improve bus services and keep fares affordable. West Midlands Combined Authority has been allocated nearly £50 million of this funding for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services.
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March to Question 36781 on Refuges: Public Transport, what progress she has made on plans she has to explore targeted options for affordable bus travel for (a) women and (b) children residing women's refuges; and whether there is a mechanism available for hon. Members and stakeholders to submit ideas for improvements. \p Simon Lightwood: The government is investing over £150 million to deliver a £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January until 31 December 2025 to help millions of people. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities. Local authorities can use this funding however they wish to improve services for passengers, including introducing new fares initiatives, introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.

Moving forward, the government is exploring more targeted options that deliver value for money to the taxpayer, to ensure affordable bus travel is always available for the groups who need it most – such as young people.

Departmental Ministers and officials also regularly meet and engage with parliamentarians and stakeholders on a range of issues, including exploring opportunities to improve bus services, and will continue to do so.

The Department for Transport has an ambitious programme of work to contribute towards the Safer Streets mission and tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG). This includes a measure in the upcoming Buses Service Bill on mandating training for staff in the bus industry, including drivers, on how to recognise and respond to incidents of criminal and anti-social behaviour, including acts of VAWG.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of shared transport responsibilities by (a) strategic authorities and (b) local authorities on planning for street works. \p Lilian Greenwood: Highway authorities have a duty to co-ordinate all works on their network. This will remain the case under any English devolution arrangement with highway authorities remaining responsible for managing street works in their area. The White Paper sets out that government will encourage Strategic Authorities to streamline highways arrangements across their area, which could result in improved coordination of street works between neighbouring highway authorities or with National Highways.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 33369 on Roads: Hampshire, whether the change to local highways allocations for 2025-26 (a) is in addition to or (b) replaces the funding for highways from (i) Network North and (ii) repurposed HS2 funding announced on 4 October 2023. \p Lilian Greenwood: The highway maintenance funding uplift of £500 million for 2025/26, which was announced by the Chancellor in October 2024, comes on top of the increase of £150 million in 2024/25 that was announced by the previous Government as part of the Network North plan. The 2024 Budget document makes clear that the £150 million Network North funding increase has, in effect, become part of the highway maintenance funding baseline. The Government will say more on future years’ funding after the Spending Review.
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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the capacity constraints on Heaton Norris junction in Greater Manchester. \p Simon Lightwood: Network Rail has advised Manchester Task Force of the capacity constraints between Piccadilly and Stockport including Slade Lane and Heaton Norris Junctions. I expect to receive further advice on next steps shortly.
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Jerome Mayhew:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the funding allocated to reform the train ticketing system has been spent. \p Simon Lightwood: The department is committed to reforming the train ticketing system and improving passenger experience. There has been substantial progress in extending Pay As You Go (PAYG) ticketing in the South East and progressing PAYG trials in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. We will establish Great British Railways, ensuring fares and ticketing are managed in the interests of passengers and taxpayers.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2025 to Question 36175, what steps she is taking to improve the Network Rail infrastructure reliability. \p Simon Lightwood: Network Rail manages the UK’s railway infrastructure, and the Office of Rail and Roal (ORR) oversees delivery. Government has committed to continue record levels of investment, providing £44.1bn across the five-year control period spanning 2019 to 2024.

This funding settlement is determined through a Periodic Review process led by the ORR. The last Periodic Review concluded in March 2024. The objectives for this control period include maintaining and improving rail infrastructure assets to help support a more reliable railway for passengers.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2025 to Question 36175, what conclusions were drawn from the minister's meeting with AWC and Network Rail. \p Simon Lightwood: The Rail Minister discussed Avanti West Coast (AWC) and Network Rail’s (NR) joint performance plans, including actions such as substantial driver recruitment and training on the new Evero fleet, timetable step ups and NRs first 60 miles plan.

AWC's cancellation score has improved by an average of 4.4 percentage points year-on-year between October and December 2024. However, the Minister was clear that this is still not good enough and further improvements are required.
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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department plans to take to improve (a) service quality and (b) fares for passengers once South Western Railway is under public control. \p Simon Lightwood: As operators transition to public ownership, improving rail service quality will remain a crucial priority for this government. The Department holds train operators to account for their performance by regularly measuring and monitoring core quality standards such as cleanliness, information and customer service, and setting challenging targets for delivery.

Whilst it is our ambition through public ownership to deliver a more affordable railway, any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.
wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_81
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_81

Jerome Mayhew:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of conclusion one of the Public Account Committee's report entitled HS2: Update following the Northern leg cancellation, HC 357, published 28 February 2025 on the governance of HS2. \p Simon Lightwood: In light of the Public Account Committee’s recent report on High Speed Two (HS2), this government’s priority is to deliver HS2 Phase 1 safely and to the lowest reasonable cost. We have set out urgent measures to get the programme back on track and have tasked Mark Wild, the new CEO of HS2 Ltd, with conducting a reset of the HS2 programme to provide a realistic budget and schedule and to deliver the remaining works.

As part of this reset, the government reinstated ministerial oversight of the project to ensure greater accountability and commissioned an independent review of the oversight of major transport infrastructure projects, which is investigating the effectiveness of forecasting and reporting of cost, schedule and benefits, as well as actions to deliver cost efficiencies.

The Department will update Parliament on the programme reset as it progresses.
wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_82
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_82

Jerome Mayhew:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the new Great British Railways ticketing system will automatically identify the cheapest combination of fares for each journey. \p Simon Lightwood: Once Great British Railways is established, it will retail online by consolidating individual train operators’ ticket websites. It will work alongside a thriving private sector retail market, which will continue to play a key role in driving innovation and investment and encouraging more people to choose rail.

The Railways Bill consultation, which launched on 18 February, will help us develop more detailed plans for GBR’s retail offer. We are consulting closely with industry, the private sector, and wider stakeholders.
wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_83
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_83

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much (a) Network North and (b) repurposed High Speed 2 funding was given to local highways authorities in 2024-25; and whether she plans to continue that funding in 2025-26. \p Simon Lightwood: In 2024/25 the previous Government allocated £150 million of additional highway maintenance funding to local highway authorities as part of its Network North plan, all of which was repurposed High Speed 2 funding. This Government has allocated £500 million of additional highway maintenance funding to local highway authorities for 2025/26. Funding beyond 2025/26 is a matter for the forthcoming Spending Review.
wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_84
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_84

Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership member states on (a) digital trade standards and (b) their implications for UK businesses. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The UK is engaging in exploratory discussions on digital trade as part of the CPTPP General Review. Digital trade was also raised at the CPTPP ministerial meeting in November 2024 and referenced in the subsequent joint statement.

As part of this process, CPTPP Parties are reviewing the Agreement’s operation with a view to updating and enhancing it. The UK’s contributions take account of the latest developments in digital trade, including those relating to digital trade standards. Throughout this process, our priority remains to promote and protect the interests of UK businesses, consumers and workers.
wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_85
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_85

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to increase trade between the UK and Canada. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The UK is taking various steps to strengthen our bilateral trade relationship with Canada, which was worth £27 billion in the 12 months to September 2024, up 7% on the previous 12 months.

This includes our work with Canada on their ratification of the UK’s membership of the multilateral Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Once ratified, this will provide additional benefits for UK firms seeking to do business in Canada, building on our existing bilateral trade agreement with Canada which already supports trade between our two countries.
wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_86
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_86

Cat Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to support (a) sports with higher levels of female participation, (b) tennis and (c) netball through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government is dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and committed to ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality facilities. On Friday 21 March, we confirmed that DCMS is investing £100 million in high-quality sports facilities over the next year in communities across the UK through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.

All projects - which primarily focus on pitches and ancillary facilities like changing rooms - funded through this programme are required to demonstrate how they increase access and participation levels among under-represented groups, which includes women and girls.

Of the funded projects, at least 40% will have a multi-sport offer so that more people can get access to a wider variety of sports and activities that appeal to them.
wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_87
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_87

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she plans to take to support creative industries. \p Chris Bryant: The creative industries are one of the government’s eight priority Industrial Strategy (IS) sectors. In 2023, the sector employed 2.4m people, and contributed £124bn in UK GVA – more than 5% of total UK GVA.

Partnership with devolved governments will make the development of the Industrial Strategy a UK-wide effort, and will support the considerable sectoral strengths of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. A creative industries Sector Plan will be published in late Spring in conjunction with the Industrial Strategy. It will set out the biggest opportunities for growth in the creative industries at home and in new markets abroad.

At the Creative Industries Growth Summit in January, we announced a £60 million package of support for the sector, providing a major boost to the wider economy. We also set out new commitments from the British Business Bank, the UK’s economic development bank, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in January to strengthen their support for the creative industries, in addition to making shorter apprenticeships available from August 2025, building towards a more flexible growth and skills levy. These are the first steps we have taken in delivering on our ambitions for the creative industries, with more to be set out with the publication of the Sector Plan.
wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_88
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_88

Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the BBC Board on impartiality in their coverage. \p Stephanie Peacock: Under its Royal Charter, the BBC has a duty to provide accurate and impartial news and information. This responsibility is particularly important when it comes to coverage of highly sensitive issues. Ofcom, as the BBC’s independent regulator, is responsible for holding the BBC to account on its duties on due impartiality.
wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_89
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_89

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will list the stated legal reasons her predecessor Department withdrew the private parking code of practice in 2022. \p Alex Norris: The government recognises the need for high standards in the private parking industry and is committed to delivering a Code of Practice, in accordance with The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019.

The previous government introduced the Private Parking Code of Practice in February 2022 but chose to temporarily withdraw the Code following legal challenges brought by the parking industry to review its decisions to cap the levels of parking charges and debt recovery fees.
wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_90
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_90

Amanda Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Portsmouth City Council applied to participate in the High Street Rental Auctions scheme. \p Alex Norris: High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs) can be used by any local authority in England to auction the lease of persistently vacant commercial properties. 11 local authorities are Early Adopters of High Street Rental Auctions. These will be amongst the first to deliver and champion these powers, working closely with the department and helping to shape future guidance. Portsmouth City Council did not apply to become an Early Adopter but is still able to use these powers. A fund of over £1 million is available to all English local authorities to support the delivery of HSRAs.
wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_91
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_91

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much her private office has spent through departmental Government Procurement Cards since 4 July 2024. \p Alex Norris: MHCLG publishes details of spending using an electronic purchasing card solution (ePCS) on a monthly basis, which can be found on gov.uk here.
wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_92
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_92

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025 to Question 26476 to Community Development: Radicalism, whether her Department’s policy of non-engagement applies to (a) representations received on planning applications and appeals, (b) Freedom of Information Act requests, (c) Subject Access requests and (d) consultation responses. \p Alex Norris: Statutory requests for information, under laws like the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR), or the UK General Data Protection Regulations (UKGDPR) allow anyone to request information held by the Department, as long as they meet the requirements set out in the relevant legislation. The responsibility for decisions around who departments engage with sits with those departments and the appropriate policy areas.