Written questions by Jogee.

What recent steps he has taken to support working families in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire through the parental leave system.

Through the Employment Rights Bill the Government will ensure that Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave are ‘day one’ rights, removing continuity of service requirements for employees.In the Plan to Make Work Pay the Government committed to a review of the parental leave system. This review was launched on 1 July and will explore how the system can better support working families and reflect the realities of modern work and childcare. All current and upcoming parental leave and pay entitlements will be in scope.

What steps the Department has taken to assess the potential impact of Economic Partnership Agreements on (a) a country’s (i) economic development and (ii) ability to export and (b) the ability of African partner countries to implement (A) the African Continental Free Trade Area and (B) other regional integration plans.

Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) support inclusive, sustained economic growth and promote regional integration by providing duty-free access for partner exports to the UK and generous cumulation provisions aligned with AfCFTA objectives. Without this access, current trade faces significant risks.The Department engages closely with partner governments and businesses to gather feedback on tariff arrangements. The Government publishes two key sources of UK trade data with developing countries: statistics on UK utilisation of tariff preferences under trade agreements, and country factsheets outlining broader trade relationships. These data sources, alongside feedback, have shaped EPA priorities, as articulated in the UK's Trade Strategy.

What recent progress he has made on implementing the Child Health Action Plan.

The Government has committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever, ensuring that every child has a healthy, happy start to life, and giving mental health the same focus as physical health. This commitment was recently reaffirmed in the 10 Year Health Plan, which outlined the first steps we are taking to progress this goal.The Government has taken action already, including through:investing £11 million in a supervised toothbrushing scheme for children in our most deprived communities aged between three and five, to combat tooth decay.providing a £126 million funding boost to the joint Department for Health and Social Care and Department for Education’s Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme, to help set up every child for the best start in life; andlaunching a landmark consultation on 2 September to protect children from the harm caused by high-caffeine energy drinks under new proposals to ban their sale to under-16s.

What recent discussions he has had with the leadership of the Royal Air Forces Association on its charitable work.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) enjoys a long-standing and collaborative relationship with the Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA) recognising the critical role the organisation plays in supporting the RAF community, including Serving Personnel, veterans, and their families. RAFA provides a wide range of welfare and community services, including mental health support, financial assistance, and social engagement opportunities. The RAF works closely with RAFA to ensure these services are accessible and effective, fostering a shared commitment to the well-being of the RAF family. The RAF actively engages with RAFA through a variety of activities and initiatives at all levels and takes advantage of every opportunity that arises to work with the charity. Furthermore, the RAF regularly engages in formal settings with RAF charities, including RAFA, such as the biannual Deputy Chief of the Air Staff’s Charity Forum, the Charitable Stakeholders meeting, workshops, research symposiums and events. There has been a recent focus on developing a RAF Charities Charter and working closely with the RAF Families Federation, parented by RAFA, to provide a critical confidential channel for personnel and families who are committed to improving the quality of life for the RAF family, at home and overseas. This close partnership ensures that the RAF and RAFA work in unison to address the needs of the RAF community, both past and present. The RAF remains hugely grateful for RAFA’s unwavering support and looks forward to continuing this vital collaboration in the years to come.

What steps he is taking to advance sexual and reproductive health in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

Local authorities across England are responsible for commissioning comprehensive, open access sexual and reproductive health services to meet local demand, and it is for them to decide on commissioning arrangements based on an assessment of local need.These services are commissioned through the ring-fenced Public Health Grant (PHG). In 2025/26, we have increased the PHG funding to £3.884 billion. This represents a significant turning point for local health services and marks the biggest real-terms increase after nearly a decade of reduced spending between 2016 and 2024.The Government remains committed to ensuring the public receive high quality sexual and reproductive health services across the country, including in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire. For example, as part of our commitment to end new HIV transmissions within England by 2030, we are developing a new HIV Action Plan which we aim to publish by the end of the year. We will also continue to work with NHS England on how to take forward the Women's Health Strategy, by aligning it to the Government's Missions and the 10-Year Health Plan.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2025 to Question 45551, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including (a) Portsmouth Urban Area, (b) Reading/Wokingham Urban Area, (c) Sheffield Urban Area, (d) The Potteries and (e) Tyneside in the 2024 National Compliance Assessment.

Portsmouth Urban Area, Reading/Wokingham Urban Area, Sheffield Urban Area, The Potteries and Tyneside are all included in the 2024 national air quality compliance assessment. The national assessment is based on a combination of monitoring and modelling which has been specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 for formally assessing compliance with air quality limits.

How many potholes in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England have been repaired since July 2024.

The Government’s road condition statistics consider a broader definition of road condition than numbers of potholes, and so official data on this aspect of road condition is not available for the time periods requested. However, as announced in March, local highway authorities must publish transparency reports about their maintenance activities to unlock their full share of the Government’s £500m uplift for local highways maintenance this year. While data is not required to be provided at a constituency level, Staffordshire have estimated that they have filled 37,308 potholes during the financial year of 2024-25. Reports are available on local highway authorities’ websites and officials are in the process of reviewing these.

What steps she is taking to tackle landfill tax fraud in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England.

In recent years, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has deployed additional resources to tackle landfill tax fraud and support the Joint Unit of Waste Crime (JUWC) and other agencies to identify and tackle wider waste crime. HMRC created a team to monitor high risk waste producers to deter misdescription at source and reduce non-compliance across the sector. It has increased compliance activity with landfill site operators to ensure they are complying with legislative requirements.The government set out in the Consultation on the reform of Landfill Tax that as part of its Landfill Tax Review it would consider options for structural changes to the tax and the potential impacts on Landfill Tax fraud. This is alongside wider environmental regulatory reforms designed to improve compliance and tackle waste crime.

What proportion of NHS funding was spent on dementia research in each year between 2019 and 2024.

The Department delivers research into dementia via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Funding allocated to the NIHR is separate from National Health Service funding and is not calculated as a proportion of NHS spend. However, research delivered within the NHS is often supported by the NIHR, including research facilities and workforce, known as NIHR infrastructure.The table below sets out a breakdown of NIHR spend for dementia research between financial years 2019/20 and 2023/24. Spend for dementia research is calculated retrospectively, with a time lag due to annual reporting cycles. Therefore, 2023/24 is the most recent year for which we have data.£m2019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24TotalNIHR2921.930.335.142.8159.1

Communities and Local Government, what recent progress her Department has made with developers to ensure unsafe buildings in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire are remediated quickly.

54 developers have signed the developer remediation contract with government. MHCLG publishes quarterly updates on progress that developers are making.As at 30 June 2025, those developers had identified 1,892 buildings with life-critical fire safety defects that they are obligated directly to remediate. Developers had started or completed work on 47% of those buildings.On 2 December 2024, MHCLG published a joint plan with developers to accelerate developer-led remediation and improve resident experience. 39 developers (accounting for over 95% of buildings to be remediated by developers) have signed up to the joint plan. In doing so, those developers committed to ambitious stretch targets to finish assessing all their buildings by July 2025, and to start or complete remedial works on 80% of relevant buildings by July 2026 and on all relevant buildings by July 2027.

What steps she is taking to support consumer businesses in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England.

The Government is committed to supporting the hospitality sector and local businesses across the UK. To deliver on our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026-27. We recognise that, ahead of the new multipliers being introduced, RHL businesses need support in 2025-26. So, we have prevented RHL relief from ending by extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business and frozen the small business multiplier. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor also announced a duty cut on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and cut 1p off the duty on an average strength pint. The hospitality sector is predominately made up of smaller businesses. The Government has protected the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, which means that 865,000 employers will pay no employer NICs at all next year. More than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package and eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs. In line with the Government’s Regulation Action Plan, we also want to ease the regulatory burden on hospitality businesses. The Government set up a Licensing Policy Taskforce earlier this year, to ensure licensing conditions for businesses within the sector – such as pubs, restaurants, and music venues – are proportional. The Taskforce’s recommendations were published in July, and the Government accepted the majority of its recommendations. We are now working with the sector to implement these measures, helping to drive economic growth, regenerate our high streets, and support vibrant and healthy communities. More specifically, Staffordshire has benefitted from £20m of funding for the Stafford Station Gateway and a £17m award to regenerate Leek town centre.

Is she will take steps to support the hospitality sector in Staffordshire.

The Government is committed to supporting the hospitality sector and local businesses across the UK. To deliver on our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026-27. We recognise that, ahead of the new multipliers being introduced, RHL businesses need support in 2025-26. So, we have prevented RHL relief from ending by extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business and frozen the small business multiplier. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor also announced a duty cut on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and cut 1p off the duty on an average strength pint. The hospitality sector is predominately made up of smaller businesses. The Government has protected the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, which means that 865,000 employers will pay no employer NICs at all next year. More than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package and eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs. In line with the Government’s Regulation Action Plan, we also want to ease the regulatory burden on hospitality businesses. The Government set up a Licensing Policy Taskforce earlier this year, to ensure licensing conditions for businesses within the sector – such as pubs, restaurants, and music venues – are proportional. The Taskforce’s recommendations were published in July, and the Government accepted the majority of its recommendations. We are now working with the sector to implement these measures, helping to drive economic growth, regenerate our high streets, and support vibrant and healthy communities. More specifically, Staffordshire has benefitted from £20m of funding for the Stafford Station Gateway and a £17m award to regenerate Leek town centre.

Media and Sport, what recent engagement she has had with the leadership of the National Army Museum.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has had no recent engagement with the National Army Museum, an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body and sponsored by the Ministry of Defence. Officials meet regularly with the three service museums to share wider museum sector updates, and this includes the Director of the National Army Museum as well as officials from the Ministry of Defence.

What recent engagement he has had with communities in Downpatrick, Co Down on community (a) safety and (b) cohesion.

I speak regularly with people across Northern Ireland and am encouraged by the work of grassroots communities to support a safer, more cohesive and reconciled future for all. I have carried out over 100 visits to 16 constituencies across Northern Ireland since my appointment, including to South Down. I would welcome suggestions for future visits from Parliamentary colleagues.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing restrictions on serious (a) sexual and (b) violent criminals.

It is crucial that we have a justice system that punishes offenders and supports victims. That’s why increasing restriction on serious sexual and violent offenders is part of our Plan for Change to cut crime and make streets safer.For most sentences, we will introduce a new model inspired by Texas where offenders will serve at least one-third of their sentence in custody subject to their behaviour. However, certain serious violent and sexual offenders will still serve at least half their sentence before release and could serve up until the end of their sentence in custody if they do not comply with rules and restrictions.After prison, offenders will face tougher post-custody supervision – with a presumption that they will be tagged. We are introducing a new power which will allow probation to impose these restriction zones on offenders on licence and serving community sentences, where appropriate. These will restrict certain offenders to specific areas – so their victims know they are safe wherever else they want to go.Also, in November last year, we launched new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) in selected areas. DAPOs bring together the strongest features from current protective orders into a single more comprehensive order that goes further to protect victims of domestic abuse.

What assessment he has made of the potential link between overheating homes and the risk of death.

DESNZ will publish the Warm Homes Plan in October to help people find ways to save money on energy bills and upgrade our buildings into comfortable, low-carbon buildings fit for the future.The Department has been carrying out research to respond to the relevant climate change adaptation risks from overheating to health and wellbeing and the energy system. This research is closing evidence gaps identifying the buildings most vulnerable to extreme heat and where these are located and groups of people most vulnerable to heat stress. We are continuing to undertake further research as well as appropriate adaptation solutions for these different building types. This work is informing the development of the Warm Homes Plan.

What recent steps he has taken to ensure that the work of the National Army Museum is accessible to communities in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

I will answer the hon. Member's Question on behalf of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport as the National Army Museum (NAM) which is located in Chelsea, London is sponsored by the Ministry of Defence. The NAM works tirelessly to ensure the stories of soldiers and their service in the British Army throughout the centuries, here and around the world, are accessible to all, including the communities in Newcastle-under Lyme and Staffordshire. To ensure the story of the British Army is accessible to as many as possible, the entry to and exhibits within the museum are free. It also has a large variety of free digital resources from dedicated pages for different Regiments on its website including those with Staffordshire connections, social media channels which communicate stories and research to global audiences and extensive online collections of information, objects, archives, and artwork in which work is being conducted for it to be further expanded. The NAM also provides support to a network of Regimental and Corps museums around the country, including the Staffordshire Regiment Museum in Lichfield.

What steps she will take to reintroduce citizenship education to schools in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England.

Citizenship education provides a framework to prepare pupils to be active, informed and responsible citizens. The national curriculum for citizenship is mandatory at key stages 3 and 4 and primary schools can choose to teach it. In secondary citizenship, pupils learn about democracy, politics, parliament and voting, as well as human rights, justice, media literacy, the law, and the need for mutual respect.The Oak National Academy (Oak) is providing optional, free, adaptable digital curriculum resources. Oak launched its curriculum sequences for secondary citizenship in November 2024, with the full package of curriculum resources expected by autumn 2025.The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which seeks to deliver a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that equips young people with the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to thrive in life and work. The Review will publish its final report in autumn 2025.

What steps she is taking to ensure adequate (a) training and (b) guidance for PIP assessors on (i) arthritis and (ii) other chronic, fluctuating health conditions.

The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment evaluates how an individual’s condition affects their ability to live independently, rather than focusing solely on the nature or severity of their condition. The assessment considers whether a person can carry out specific activities safely, reliably, repeatedly, and within a reasonable time frame. The process does not assess individuals based on their ‘best days’; instead, it considers the overall impact of a condition over time, specifically considering functional limitations that occur on more than 50% of days within a given period. All health professionals (HPs) are fully qualified in their health discipline and have passed strict recruitment and experience criteria. They are also required to be registered with the appropriate regulatory body. The department authorises HPs to conduct assessments only after suppliers demonstrate that the HP has successfully completed a department approved training and appraisal programme. This process confirms that HPs possess a sound understanding of the clinical aspects and likely functional effects of a broad range of health conditions. As of September 2024, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) took over responsibility for the Core Training and Guidance Material (CTGM) used within the Health Assessment Advisory Service (HAAS). This material is provided by DWP to HAAS assessment suppliers, who are required to incorporate all relevant CTGM content related to specific conditions and assessment policies into their final training products. DWP has provided suppliers with specific CTGM on rheumatoid arthritis, alongside a broader suite of training materials covering a range of long-term, fluctuating health conditions. These contain clinical and functional information relevant to the condition and is quality assured to ensure its accuracy from both a clinical and policy perspective.

Whether the engagement on the development of the NHS 10 Year Workforce Plan will include (a) a formal consultation and (b) stakeholder engagement with (i) health charities and (ii) other relevant stakeholders.

In the coming weeks, we will launch the formal engagement phase of the upcoming workforce plan, which will provide stakeholders with the opportunity to contribute directly to the plan’s development. The Government wants to hear from anyone with relevant evidence, including trade unions, royal colleges, employers, charities, and those with expertise by experience.