Written questions by Pinkerton.

What steps his Department is taking to support people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Surrey Heath constituency.

NHS England, working with the Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and other partners, is taking action to reduce the impact of respiratory conditions on the National Health Service this winter, including in Surrey. This includes robust, consistent Infection Prevention and Control measures, and the campaign to encourage eligible people to get their winter vaccinations. Further details of the actions being taken to reduce demand on acute services during winter is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/urgent-and-emergency-care-plan-2025-26/ The Government is committed to increasing the capacity of respiratory services and is improving access to these services through new community diagnostic centres (CDCs).All standard and large CDCs are required to offer diagnostic respiratory tests such as spirometry and full lung function tests as part of their core testing offer.The 2025/26 capital guidance confirmed that £1.65 billion of capital funding is being allocated to support NHS performance across secondary and emergency care across 2025/26 more broadly. This includes funding to enable the completion of 2024/25 CDC schemes, as well as to expand existing and build new CDCs.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce inequalities in accessing respiratory care services in (a) Surrey Heath constituency and (b) Surrey.

NHS England, working with the Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and other partners, is taking action to reduce the impact of respiratory conditions on the National Health Service this winter, including in Surrey. This includes robust, consistent Infection Prevention and Control measures, and the campaign to encourage eligible people to get their winter vaccinations. Further details of the actions being taken to reduce demand on acute services during winter is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/urgent-and-emergency-care-plan-2025-26/ The Government is committed to increasing the capacity of respiratory services and is improving access to these services through new community diagnostic centres (CDCs).All standard and large CDCs are required to offer diagnostic respiratory tests such as spirometry and full lung function tests as part of their core testing offer.The 2025/26 capital guidance confirmed that £1.65 billion of capital funding is being allocated to support NHS performance across secondary and emergency care across 2025/26 more broadly. This includes funding to enable the completion of 2024/25 CDC schemes, as well as to expand existing and build new CDCs.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of respiratory diagnosis times in Surrey Heath constituency.

NHS England, working with the Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and other partners, is taking action to reduce the impact of respiratory conditions on the National Health Service this winter, including in Surrey. This includes robust, consistent Infection Prevention and Control measures, and the campaign to encourage eligible people to get their winter vaccinations. Further details of the actions being taken to reduce demand on acute services during winter is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/urgent-and-emergency-care-plan-2025-26/ The Government is committed to increasing the capacity of respiratory services and is improving access to these services through new community diagnostic centres (CDCs).All standard and large CDCs are required to offer diagnostic respiratory tests such as spirometry and full lung function tests as part of their core testing offer.The 2025/26 capital guidance confirmed that £1.65 billion of capital funding is being allocated to support NHS performance across secondary and emergency care across 2025/26 more broadly. This includes funding to enable the completion of 2024/25 CDC schemes, as well as to expand existing and build new CDCs.

What steps his Department plans to take to help reduce the impact of chronic respiratory conditions on the NHS during winter months in Surrey Heath constituency.

NHS England, working with the Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and other partners, is taking action to reduce the impact of respiratory conditions on the National Health Service this winter, including in Surrey. This includes robust, consistent Infection Prevention and Control measures, and the campaign to encourage eligible people to get their winter vaccinations. Further details of the actions being taken to reduce demand on acute services during winter is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/urgent-and-emergency-care-plan-2025-26/ The Government is committed to increasing the capacity of respiratory services and is improving access to these services through new community diagnostic centres (CDCs).All standard and large CDCs are required to offer diagnostic respiratory tests such as spirometry and full lung function tests as part of their core testing offer.The 2025/26 capital guidance confirmed that £1.65 billion of capital funding is being allocated to support NHS performance across secondary and emergency care across 2025/26 more broadly. This includes funding to enable the completion of 2024/25 CDC schemes, as well as to expand existing and build new CDCs.

What steps her Department is taking to improve public bus services for (a) secondary school pupils and (b) sixth form students in Surrey Heath constituency.

Home to School Transport policy is the responsibility of the Department for Education (DfE). The Government knows how important, reliable bus services are enabling people to access education. The Government is committed to delivering better bus services across the country, including to support better access to education.The Government introduced the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill will put passenger needs, reliable services and local accountability at the heart of the industry by putting the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, including in rural areas. The Bill includes a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services.As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government allocated over £1 billion to support and improve bus services in 2025/26 and keep fares affordable. This includes £712 million for local authorities that can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, including expanding services and improving reliability. The Government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services long-term in this Spending Review. On 11 June, the Government confirmed additional funding per year from 2026/27 to maintain and improve bus services, including taking forward franchising pilots and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of public bus services supporting (a) secondary school pupils and (b) sixth form students in Surrey Heath constituency.

Home to School Transport policy is the responsibility of the Department for Education (DfE). The Government knows how important, reliable bus services are enabling people to access education. The Government is committed to delivering better bus services across the country, including to support better access to education.The Government introduced the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill will put passenger needs, reliable services and local accountability at the heart of the industry by putting the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, including in rural areas. The Bill includes a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services.As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government allocated over £1 billion to support and improve bus services in 2025/26 and keep fares affordable. This includes £712 million for local authorities that can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, including expanding services and improving reliability. The Government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services long-term in this Spending Review. On 11 June, the Government confirmed additional funding per year from 2026/27 to maintain and improve bus services, including taking forward franchising pilots and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of specialist SEND school places that would be required to meet demand in Surrey Heath constituency.

For the first time in 2023, the School Capacity Survey (SCAP) asked local authorities to provide data on the capacity of special schools and the capacity of special educational needs units and resourced provision in mainstream schools.The department now have a second year’s worth of data which tells us approximately how many places local authorities think were available on 1 May 2024. This is only approximate at the moment as it is the second year of data collection, and the data are still being developed in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.The survey also asked local authorities to submit forecasts for the number of pupils with education, health and care plans resident in their local authority who are expected to need a place in specialist provision.Specialist capacity and forecast data for all local authorities can be accessed on GOV.UK here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity/2023-24.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of increased SEND responsibilities on (a) teacher and (b) headteacher retention in Surrey Heath constituency.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.For 2025/26, we announced a Targeted Retention Incentive (TRI) worth up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools. Three schools in Surrey Heath constituency are eligible for the TRI.In 2024, the department began delivery of the mandatory National Professional Qualification for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators. Participants will develop the essential skills needed to set the strategic direction and conditions to support pupils with SEND to thrive.To ensure that there are sufficient, high quality teachers and headteachers, the department has increased the core schools budget by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, totalling £65.3 billion. This is alongside the near 10% pay award for teachers over the last two years to ensure teaching is once again a respected and attractive profession.The department is already seeing positive signs that the investment is delivering. The workforce has grown by 2,346 teachers full-time equivalent between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, the schools where they are needed most. This year also has one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,300 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector.

What steps her Department is taking to support mainstream schools managing high-needs SEND pupils in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, including those in Surrey Heath, as well as ensuring special and alternative provision schools cater to those with the most complex needs.The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme tests a new model, providing health and education specialist support to upskill mainstream primary schools to better meet the needs of neurodivergent pupils at whole-school level. Schools in Surrey Heath have participated in this programme.Our new regional improvement for standards and excellence teams will work with mainstream schools to help them become more inclusive places as one of four priority areas for improvement.Ofsted will be holding leaders to account for inclusion. For the first time they have set out an explicit focus on inclusion in their new framework, which includes gathering evidence on how well schools understand disadvantaged pupils' needs.

What assessment his Department has been made of the potential merits of increasing funding for palliative care services in (a) Surrey Heath constituency and (b) Surrey.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB), including the Surrey Heartlands ICB, must commission. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.Whilst the majority of palliative care and end of life care services are provided by the National Health Service, we recognise the pressures hospices are facing, which is why we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. The nearest hospice, the Woking and Sam Beare Hospice, received £160,768 in 2024/25 and will receive £481,630 in 2025/26.We are also providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which, until recently, was known as the Children and Young People’s Hospice Grant. The nearest children and young people’s hospice, the Shooting Star Children’s Hospice, received £1,879,000 in 2025/26.I can also now confirm the continuation of this vital funding for the three years of the next Spending Review period, from 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive. This funding will see approximately £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children and young people’s hospices in England each year, via their local ICBs on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding levels for early intervention support for children in Surrey Heath constituency.

The government aims to set up every child, regardless of their background, to have the best start in life. As announced in our strategy ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, our Best Start Family Hubs will have a dedicated staff member supporting early identification of additional needs and providing support and guidance to families.Local authorities should distribute special educational needs inclusion funding for children with low and emerging needs. Disability access funding is designed to support disabled children's access. For children with complex needs, funding is available from local authorities’ high needs budgets.In the 2025 Spending Review, we announced that funding for schools is increasing by £4.2 billion by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. This will take per-pupil funding to its highest ever level and enable us to transform the SEND system for all children, from their early years and into school. We are continuing to develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of providing additional funding for early mental health interventions for (a) children and (b) young people in (i) Surrey Heath constituency and (ii) Surrey on long-term costs to the public purse.

The Department recognises that, for children and young people in distress or struggling with their mental health, fast access to early, high-quality support is critical. By intervening earlier, common mental health conditions can be prevented from developing into more serious conditions in later life and which require more costly interventions. That is why the 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will work with schools and colleges to better identify and meet children's mental health needs by continuing to fund the roll out of mental health support teams in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2030 and embedding support for young people’s mental health in the new Young Futures Hubs, to ensure there is no 'wrong front door' for people seeking help. At the end of March 2025, 44% of pupils and learners in the hon. Member’s constituency and 27% across the whole of Surrey were covered by a mental health support team. Additionally, we are continuing to provide top-up funding of £7 million to 24 existing early support hubs in 2025-26 to expand their services and take part in an ongoing evaluation of these services. This funding will enable the supported hubs to deliver at least 10,000 additional mental health and wellbeing interventions, so that more children and young people are supported.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of palliative care services in Surrey Heath constituency.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB), including the Surrey Heartlands ICB, must commission. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.Whilst the majority of palliative care and end of life care services are provided by the National Health Service, we recognise the pressures hospices are facing, which is why we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. The nearest hospice, the Woking and Sam Beare Hospice, received £160,768 in 2024/25 and will receive £481,630 in 2025/26.We are also providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which, until recently, was known as the Children and Young People’s Hospice Grant. The nearest children and young people’s hospice, the Shooting Star Children’s Hospice, received £1,879,000 in 2025/26.I can also now confirm the continuation of this vital funding for the three years of the next Spending Review period, from 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive. This funding will see approximately £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children and young people’s hospices in England each year, via their local ICBs on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.

What steps his Department is taking to improve palliative care services in Surrey Heath constituency.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB), including the Surrey Heartlands ICB, must commission. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.Whilst the majority of palliative care and end of life care services are provided by the National Health Service, we recognise the pressures hospices are facing, which is why we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. The nearest hospice, the Woking and Sam Beare Hospice, received £160,768 in 2024/25 and will receive £481,630 in 2025/26.We are also providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which, until recently, was known as the Children and Young People’s Hospice Grant. The nearest children and young people’s hospice, the Shooting Star Children’s Hospice, received £1,879,000 in 2025/26.I can also now confirm the continuation of this vital funding for the three years of the next Spending Review period, from 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive. This funding will see approximately £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children and young people’s hospices in England each year, via their local ICBs on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of classroom support ratios in mainstream schools in Surrey Heath constituency.

School support staff, including classroom support staff, play a vital role in children’s education.Headteachers are responsible for recruitment and deployment in their schools as they are best placed to understand the specific needs of their pupils and make staffing decisions accordingly.The Education Endowment Foundation’s guidance report ‘Deployment of Teaching Assistants’ makes a number of recommendations to help schools make decisions about how to deploy their teaching assistants to ensure they are used effectively.In October 2024 the department released the new Financial Benchmarking & Insights Tool to support schools. This service helps schools view and improve their spending, provision and deployment of staff by making comparisons to similar schools.

What steps her Department is taking to support schools experiencing staffing challenges in implementing SEND provision in Surrey Heath constituency.

Recruiting and retaining expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child. This is why the government’s Plan for Change is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and colleges over the course of this parliament.In May 2025, the department announced a 4% pay award to school teachers and leaders, which, combined with the previous year’s 5.5% award, will mean school teachers will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% over two years.The department’s interventions are having impact, with 2,346 more teachers across secondary and special schools in 2024/25. The latest census reported one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,300 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector, and more teachers are returning to state schools than at any point in the last ten years. The latest data showed 17,274 teachers returned to the classroom.There is significant work underway to ensure there is an appropriate training offer in place to support teachers and school leaders to create an inclusive school environment.Our core teacher training offer includes significantly more content on adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and this is supplemented by further SEND-specific training that is easy to access at any point in a teacher’s career through the Universal SEND Services contract. This programme aims to support the school and further education workforce, particularly in mainstream settings, to identify and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND earlier and more effectively.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of systems for the handling of human remains.

In July 2025 the Fuller Inquiry’s phase 2 final report was published, which looked at the wider national lessons for hospital and non-hospital settings where the deceased are cared for. It examined whether procedures and practices safeguard the security and dignity of the deceased across the range of settings and made 75 recommendations in total.This final report recommended the introduction of a statutory regulatory regime for those caring for the deceased. The Department will publish an interim update in winter 2025 and a final response by summer 2026. This will include updates on recommendations for the funeral sector and standards to protect the security and dignity of the deceased in all settings.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of expanding funding for preventative mental health support in schools in Surrey Heath constituency.

​​The government has committed to provide access to Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in every school. 23% of schools and colleges in Surrey Heath constituency were supported by an MHST in March 2025. Further data for 2024/25 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision.​This has been available since 16 May 2025 at national, regional and local authority level, and since 10 July 2025 at constituency level. Around six in ten pupils nationally are expected to have access to an MHST by March 2026. Under government plans, all pupils will have access to MHSTs by 2029/30.​It is important that schools continue to have the freedom to decide what other pastoral support to offer their pupils based on need, making the best use of their funding. School funding is increasing by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, taking total core school funding to £65.3 billion. ​

What recent discussions her Department has had with Surrey County Council on the closure of SEND units in mainstream schools in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department has not received any proposals from mainstream schools in this area to close special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) units.The department has published allocations for £740 million high needs capital in 2025/26 to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. Of this funding, Surrey Council has been allocated £16.1 million.This funding is intended to create facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit pupils’ needs. It can also be used to adapt mainstream schools to be more accessible and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

What steps her Department is taking to support schools to assist pupils experiencing mental health difficulties who do not meet the threshold for specialist services in Surrey Heath constituency.

​​The government has committed to provide access to Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in every school. 23% of schools and colleges in Surrey Heath constituency were supported by an MHST in March 2025. Further data for 2024/25 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision.​This has been available since 16 May 2025 at national, regional and local authority level, and since 10 July 2025 at constituency level. Around six in ten pupils nationally are expected to have access to an MHST by March 2026. Under government plans, all pupils will have access to MHSTs by 2029/30.​It is important that schools continue to have the freedom to decide what other pastoral support to offer their pupils based on need, making the best use of their funding. School funding is increasing by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, taking total core school funding to £65.3 billion. ​