Written questions by Jogee.

What steps he is taking to help prevent measles outbreaks in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.

The Department, the National Health Service, the UK Health Security Agency and local partners are working together at the national, regional and local level to improve uptake of measles vaccination, with an aim of preventing future measles outbreaks.Actions at the national level, which would therefore apply to Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire, include incentivising general practitioners (GPs) to administer childhood vaccinations with additional £2 supplemental fee for each routine childhood immunisation, and also bringing forward the second dose of measles, mumps, and rubella containing vaccine to 18 months from three years and four months, following evidence that this earlier touchpoint would improve uptake and provide earlier protection against measles. Additionally, a national communication campaigns was launched on 16 February, encouraging parents to get their children vaccinated against diseases including measles.More locally, the Midlands regional NHS England team is working with Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) to undertake a comprehensive and data‑driven approach to improving measles vaccination uptake. Uptake levels are monitored through a quarterly regional dashboard, and projects are underway to improve data quality so that interventions can be accurately targeted.To support primary care, the team has produced a regional GP measles vaccination toolkit setting out best‑practice approaches for following up children who miss appointments and for reaching underserved communities. To reach children who miss GP appointments, continued close working is underway with School Age Immunisation Service providers to ensure high‑quality provision in schools.In complement, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB is campaigning to promote vaccination to the public as the most effective way of preventing measles via community engagement, paid and organic social media activity, local media releases, and radio interviews.For example, the ICB is working with community leaders, voluntary and community sector organisations, and wider local partners to cascade key information and campaign materials directly into communities. The aim is to reach families and groups most at risk, supporting efforts to reduce inequalities in immunisation coverage across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, and reduce the risk of outbreaks.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to ensure that people with a) eyesight impairment and b) poor technology skills are able to access government services online.

Government services must work for everyone who needs to use them, including people who are visually impaired and those with poor digital skills.Public sector organisations have a legal duty to consider everyone’s needs when they’re designing and delivering services. The Service Standard sets out that to support people with visual impairment, online government services must ensure their service works with assistive technology, including screen readers, screen magnifiers and speech recognition software across common browsers.Inclusive, accessible services are better for everyone. For example, using simple words helps people who are in a hurry as well as people who lack the skills or confidence to use online services.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that a brownfield first approach does not lead to loss of green open spaces in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that substantial weight should be given to the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements to meet the need for homes and other uses. The revised Framework published on 12 December 2024 broadened the definition of brownfield land, set a strengthened expectation that applications on brownfield land will be approved, and made clear that plans should promote an uplift in density in urban areas. The definition in question can be found in the NPPF glossary on gov.uk here. The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation includes proposals relating to the provision of new or improved open space. For further details about the proposed changes to national planning policy and wider funding and support, I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 16 December 2025 (HCWS1187). The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

How many serving Magistrates there are in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.

Magistrates are appointed to a Local Justice Area (LJA). Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire both fall under the Staffordshire LJA, and we are unable to separate them as Magistrates are able to sit across all courts within this area. As of 01 April 2025, the number of serving magistrates in the Staffordshire Local Justice Area was 217.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department has taken to ensure access to good quality, safe and secure youth provision in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.

Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire received Million Hours Funding, to enable local youth services to deliver more positive activities in anti-social behaviour hotspots, giving young people a place to go and reducing young people's involvement in crime. In December 2025, we launched Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy’ a 10 year plan to ensure every young person across the country has somewhere to go, someone who cares for them and a community they feel part of. This is backed by over £500 million of new youth funding over the next 3 years from DCMS, which complements a range of funding committed by other departments. The majority of the funding underpinning the first steps of the Strategy will be available from next the financial year 2026/27. We will share more information as our plans develop, including details on the eligible areas for funding.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to promote community cohesion in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.

MHCLG’s Community Cohesion Unit supports and promotes cohesion across England by working closely with local authorities, voluntary and community sector and faith organisations, and other government departments.Following the disorder in summer 2024, several areas in Staffordshire have received sustained support. In Stoke-on-Trent, MHCLG has supported a multi-agency partnership approach to strengthen cohesion and resilience, aligned with the development of the city’s cohesion strategy. This brings together statutory and community partners to address integration, cohesion and tensions monitoring. Two areas, Bentilee and Ubberley, and Meir North, have each been awarded Pride in Place Programme funding, with £20 million invested over ten years to deliver long-term, preventative improvements to community cohesion.In Tamworth, MHCLG supported the Borough Council following unrest in summer 2024, addressing immediate challenges and strengthening longer-term cohesion capability through initiatives such as the ‘We Are Tamworth’ programme. Glascote Heath has also been allocated Pride in Place funding.Nationally, MHCLG is coordinating cross-government work on a longer-term approach to social cohesion. Protecting What Matters, published on 9 March 2026, sets out HMG’s vision to build stronger, more cohesive communities through sustained investment, improved integration, strengthened English language provision, and robust action against hate and extremism.

What steps he is taking to help reduce the number of unemployed young people in Staffordshire.

For many years our young people have not had the opportunity and support they deserve. Under the last government, between 2021 and 2024, the number of young people not in education, employment or training increased by 250,000. The Government has recently announced a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking the total investment to £2.5 billion over the next three years though the Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn. This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres. The Gateway will provide 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit a dedicated session and follow-up support to help them move into work, training or education. This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training, including up to 150,000 work experience placements and up to 145,000 employer designed training opportunities, such as Sector based Work Academy Programmes, which offer participants a guaranteed job interview at the end. In addition, the Government is taking action to support employers to recruit and train young people, helping to unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities. This includes a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-old, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job. The Government will also prioritise prevention, building on measures announced in the Skills White Paper. The Government will improve support in schools, monitor attendance, increase access to work experience and work with local authorities to pilot auto-enrolling young people in further education, if needed. Together these measures demonstrate the Government’s commitment to backing young people, supporting employers, and working with partners across Great Britain to create clear pathways into employment and education for young people. In Staffordshire, our DWP Schools Advisers have supported over 3,600 young people across in the 2024/25 academic year. This includes 220 students in Newcastle-under-Lyme at Orme Academy, St Peter's Academy, and Abbey Hill Special School. Young people have access to training in Digital Marketing, Cyber Security, Web Design, and Emergency First Aid for Mental Health through The Training Initiative.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on helping to provide young people with the skills and knowledge to undertake jobs in the farming and agriculture sector.

Young people are essential to the long-term resilience of UK agriculture, and Defra works closely with industry bodies, including the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs, to promote careers in the sector and to understand the challenges facing new entrants. Through its agricultural reform programme, Defra is investing £2.7 billion a year to support a productive, sustainable farming sector. This includes measures to improve business resilience, productivity and skills development, which help make agriculture a more accessible and attractive career option for young people, including those in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a national campaign showcasing the diversity and rewards of young people with careers in the agriculture industry.

Young people are essential to the long-term resilience of UK agriculture, and Defra works closely with industry bodies, including the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs, to promote careers in the sector and to understand the challenges facing new entrants. Through its agricultural reform programme, Defra is investing £2.7 billion a year to support a productive, sustainable farming sector. This includes measures to improve business resilience, productivity and skills development, which help make agriculture a more accessible and attractive career option for young people, including those in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to help increase workforce numbers in the farming and agriculture sectors in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England.

The Government recognises that access to a sufficient workforce is essential for the resilience and productivity of the farming and agriculture sectors. Defra works closely with other Government departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Education, to support workforce supply and ensure that employers in agriculture can access the people and skills they need. This includes engagement on employment programmes, skills routes and local delivery, which can benefit businesses in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire and across England. Through the agricultural reform programme, we are investing £2.7 billion a year to support productivity, innovation and business resilience, helping to make farming and agriculture more sustainable and attractive as long-term careers. The DWP delivers Sector-based Work Academy Programmes, which provide training, work experience and a guaranteed job interview tailored to employer needs. Between April 2021 and December 2025, DWP delivered 1,380 SWAP starts in the agriculture sector, helping employers to recruit and support people into agricultural roles.

What steps he is taking to support the creation of well-paid jobs in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to Written PQ 107250 on 28th January 2026.

What recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the number of women waiting for gynaecological treatment in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.

We are committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients are treated within 18 weeks of referral to consultant-led care, including in gynaecology, by March 2029.The Department only holds data at a trust and integrated care board level. Newcastle-under-Lyme is served by the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNB), and Staffordshire is served by the NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (SSOT ICB). Performance against this standard at the UHNB’s gynaecology service has improved by 7.6% since the Government came into office, to 55.5%, with a 16% reduction in the waiting list. At the SSOT ICB, performance for gynaecology services has improved by 6.9% to 55.2% over the same period, with a 15% reduction in waiting list size.Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the reforms we are making to improve gynaecology waiting times, across England. This includes innovative models of care that offer care closer to home and in the community, piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres for patients with post-menopausal bleeding, and increasing the relative funding available to incentivise providers to take on more gynaecology procedures.Wider elective reforms will help cut waiting times for gynaecology services in Staffordshire and across England. These include more consistent clinical triage, tackling missed appointments, delivering new and expanded surgical hubs, and scaling up remote monitoring and use of patient-initiated follow ups.We also provided new funding for general practices (GPs) to expand Advice and Guidance (A&G) services. A&G helps to keep patients out of hospital and delivers more care closer to home, saving time, protecting capacity, and improving care experience. A&G for gynaecology is available in all GPs within the SSOT ICB.We are also introducing an “online hospital” via NHS Online. From 2027, people on certain pathways, including severe menopause symptoms and menstrual problems that may be a sign of endometriosis or fibroids, will have the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home, providing additional appointments to cut waiting times.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support her Department has offered to the a) Republic of Mozambique, b) Republic of Zimbabwe and c) Republic of South Africa following the recent flooding incidents in those countries; and what direct engagement has taken place between His Majesty's Government and Ministers in each nation about the recovery effort.

The UK was one of the first countries to step up with lifesaving assistance for Mozambique. We delivered a £2 million increase in humanitarian funding, building on earlier action in 2025 to help communities prepare for increasingly frequent climate-related disasters. This support enabled the deployment of a specialist UK International Search and Rescue team, which saved dozens of lives, and helped provide emergency sanitation and health support to those most in need through local partners. The Minister of State for Development has just returned from Mozambique and saw first-hand the impact of the UK's flexible and rapid response to the crisis.We have not had any direct ministerial engagement with Zimbabwe or South Africa on this matter, but we continue to monitor the situation closely.

Food and Rural Affairs, what support she plans to provide to farmers in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire facing increases in the average costs of a bale of hay.

The UK's agricultural sectors, including those farming in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire, operate in an open market with the value of commodities established by those in the supply chain including farmers, processors, wholesalers, retailers and consumers. While the Government may take action in exceptional market circumstances, it does not routinely intervene in these markets. On 29 January 2026, Defra published the Agriculture Price Index (Agricultural price indices – United Kingdom: November 2025 - GOV.UK). This shows rises in output costs over time outstripping rises in input costs, for example the price of hay. Defra continues to closely monitor the agricultural market including output and input costs.

What recent steps he has taken to support brick production.

Brick deliveries remain well above the dip seen in 2022-2023, with around 80% of bricks used in the UK produced domestically. The Government’s housebuilding targets will support demand as industry delivers the new private, social and affordable homes our citizens need.Construction’s inclusion as a foundational industry in the Industrial Strategy will also help to drive brick production. Additionally, brick manufacturers could benefit from the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme if they meet electricity intensity and sector criteria, though eligibility is not yet confirmed.

What steps he is taking to help tackle pay disparities for disabled people living in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.

The consultation on ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting closed on 10 June. We will publish the Government response to the ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting consultation in due course. Last year, the Office for Equality and Opportunity published a call for evidence on equality law, which included consideration of how we make the right to equal pay effective for ethnic minority and disabled people. This closed on 30 June 2025 and we are now working to analyse the responses.

What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the voluntary sector in Northern Ireland.

I meet regularly with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, including matters relating to the voluntary sector in Northern Ireland. Most recently, my officials have been working in partnership with the Grants Management Function of Cabinet Office for the delivery of the Northern Ireland Office Connect Fund, supporting the work of voluntary organisations in sectors directly affecting Northern Ireland communities and encouraging civic East-West collaboration across the UK.

What discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the voluntary sector in Northern Ireland.

I meet frequently with Northern Ireland Executive Ministers on a range of issues. Most recently, my officials and I have been working in partnership with the Northern Ireland Executive to design and deliver the Local Growth Fund in Northern Ireland. Additionally, at the East-West Council in Belfast earlier this month, we discussed how the Connect Fund is supporting the work of voluntary organisations in sectors directly affecting Northern Ireland communities and encouraging civic East-West collaboration across the UK. I acknowledge the excellent work of voluntary organisations and the important services that they provide for communities in Northern Ireland. I am committed to working with the Northern Ireland Executive to support the voluntary sector in Northern Ireland now and in the future.

Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with Cabinet colleagues on UK representation at the 23rd meeting of the UN Tourism Committee on Tourism and Sustainability in April 2026.

While the UK is not a member of UN Tourism, we maintain close and constructive working relationships with UN Tourism officials to ensure that UN resolutions relating to tourism appropriately reflect UK interests. DCMS officials work closely with colleagues across Government to align the UK’s tourism and sustainability priorities with wider international discussions and emerging best practice. DCMS regularly engages in global tourism fora, including Ministerial participation in the UN Tourism Ministerial Summit and EU Sustainability Roundtable at the World Travel Market last year, as well as bilateral engagements with international counterparts, including discussions with the Spanish Minister for Tourism during a recent visit to Spain. The Government remains committed to supporting sustainable tourism growth through a combination of domestic policy, bilateral engagement and multilateral cooperation, including active participation in relevant international fora where the UK is represented.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of probation officers.

The Government recognises the vital role probation officers play in protecting the public and reducing reoffending. Recruitment and retention continue to be a priority and through these efforts we are starting to see the positive impact of a centralised recruitment process as a large number of qualified probation officers come through the pipeline.In 2024/25, we exceeded our commitment to onboard 1,000 trainee probation officers, successfully onboarding 1,057. We are now going further, having committed to onboard a total of 1,300 trainee probation officers in 2025/26. Probation officer numbers have increased over both the last quarter and the last year. The Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP) 20 recruitment campaign, which went live on the 19th of January, will further support our efforts to maintain strong recruitment momentum and sustain the pipeline of future probation officers.A retention toolkit has been developed, informed by research into the drivers of attrition. This toolkit supports local, regional, and national interventions and is used alongside structured exit interviews which were introduced to gather feedback and shape future actions. It is positive that we are seeing a continued reduction in Probation Service attrition.Both probation officer numbers in post and leaving rates can be found at HM Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly: September 2025 - GOV.UK