Written questions by Pinkerton.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) support and (b) information provided to people following a diagnosis of Parkinson’s in Surrey Heath constituency.

It is the responsibility of integrated care bards (ICBs) and local authorities to meet the care and support needs of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Patients living in the Surrey Heath constituency would be covered by either the NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board (ICB) or the Surrey Heartlands ICB. ICBs are responsible for commissioning services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations and, in doing so, we expect them to have regard to best practice guidance, such as that published by the National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE).NICE guideline 71, titled Parkinson’s disease in adults, makes several recommendations in relation to the provision of support and information to patients, which emphasise the importance of clear, tailored, and consistent communication throughout the course of the disease. Regular support from a Parkinson’s disease nurse specialist is also highlighted as a key intervention to provide ongoing support, medication advice, and a direct line for patients and their families.The NICE guideline also recommends timely referral to specialists, such as neurologists or geriatricians, for accurate diagnosis and regular expert review. The guideline mentioned is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng71/Social care for people with Parkinson's disease is commissioned by local authority social services departments, or by ICBs if the care is deemed to be primarily health-related NHS Continuing Healthcare. The availability and extent of the services provided depends on assessment of the individual’s health condition and personal circumstances and needs.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of support available for children living in poverty in Surrey Heath constituency.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child. It is unacceptable that 9.5% of children in Surrey Heath constituency are in relative poverty (before housing costs). The Child Poverty Taskforce is progressing work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in autumn that will deliver fully funded measures to tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments. As a significant downpayment ahead of Strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament. We are also establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1 billion a year (including Barnett impact), investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap. We also announced the biggest boost to social and affordable housing investment in a generation and £13.2 billion including Barnett impact across the Parliament for the Warm Homes Plan. We’ve also committed to rolling out Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority by April 2026 and creating up to 1,000 hubs across the country by the end of 2028. Backed by £500m funding, this vital support will relieve pressure on parents and give half a million more children the very best start in life. And last month, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays. These commitments come on top of the existing action we have taken which includes expanding free breakfast clubs, capping the number of branded school uniform items children are expected to wear, increasing the national minimum wage for those on the lowest incomes and supporting 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce child poverty in Surrey Heath constituency.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child. It is unacceptable that 9.5% of children in Surrey Heath constituency are in relative poverty (before housing costs). The Child Poverty Taskforce is progressing work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in autumn that will deliver fully funded measures to tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments. As a significant downpayment ahead of Strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament. We are also establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1 billion a year (including Barnett impact), investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap. We also announced the biggest boost to social and affordable housing investment in a generation and £13.2 billion including Barnett impact across the Parliament for the Warm Homes Plan. We’ve also committed to rolling out Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority by April 2026 and creating up to 1,000 hubs across the country by the end of 2028. Backed by £500m funding, this vital support will relieve pressure on parents and give half a million more children the very best start in life. And last month, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays. These commitments come on top of the existing action we have taken which includes expanding free breakfast clubs, capping the number of branded school uniform items children are expected to wear, increasing the national minimum wage for those on the lowest incomes and supporting 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions.

What steps his Department is taking to improve diagnosis times for people suffering with Myeloma in Surrey Heath constituency.

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer as early and quickly as possible and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England, ensuring more patients benefit from quicker access to the right investigations. This benefits cancer patients across the country, including in Surrey Heath.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those with myeloma.

What steps her Department has taken to ensure people diagnosed with Parkinson’s have regular access to a consultant following diagnosis in Surrey Heath constituency.

It is the responsibility of integrated care bards (ICBs) and local authorities to meet the care and support needs of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Patients living in the Surrey Heath constituency would be covered by either the NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board (ICB) or the Surrey Heartlands ICB. ICBs are responsible for commissioning services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations and, in doing so, we expect them to have regard to best practice guidance, such as that published by the National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE).NICE guideline 71, titled Parkinson’s disease in adults, makes several recommendations in relation to the provision of support and information to patients, which emphasise the importance of clear, tailored, and consistent communication throughout the course of the disease. Regular support from a Parkinson’s disease nurse specialist is also highlighted as a key intervention to provide ongoing support, medication advice, and a direct line for patients and their families.The NICE guideline also recommends timely referral to specialists, such as neurologists or geriatricians, for accurate diagnosis and regular expert review. The guideline mentioned is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng71/Social care for people with Parkinson's disease is commissioned by local authority social services departments, or by ICBs if the care is deemed to be primarily health-related NHS Continuing Healthcare. The availability and extent of the services provided depends on assessment of the individual’s health condition and personal circumstances and needs.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of support available to people with Parkinson’s in Surrey Heath constituency.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) provides a contribution towards the extra costs that may arise from a long-term disability or health condition. Entitlement to PIP focuses on the functional impacts of a person’s health condition or disability on their daily life. It is assessed on the basis of needs arising and not on the condition itself, so is available to individuals when they meet the PIP qualifying criteria. PIP is non-contributory, non-means-tested and can be worth up to £9,747.40 a year, tax free. Receiving a qualifying rate of PIP can act as a ‘passport’ to extra money or higher amounts of other means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, and Housing Benefit. It can also provide access to council tax reductions and a Disabled Person's Railcard.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of care provided to people suffering from multiple myeloma in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Department of Health and Social Care is committed to improving cancer care in all regions of England, including for people suffering from multiple myeloma in Surrey Heath constituency. The National Health Service has exceeded their pledge to deliver an extra two million appointments, having now delivered over three million more appointments as the first step to ensuring earlier and faster access to diagnosis and treatment.The National Cancer Plan, due for publication later this year, will include further details on how the NHS will improve care for cancer patients, including those with multiple myeloma in the Surrey Heath constituency. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care, including the design of services and the experience and outcomes for people with cancer.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increasing housing benefit for young people in Surrey Heath constituency.

Most young people in receipt of support with housing will receive this support through the Housing Element of Universal Credit. However, there are some groups of customers receiving their rent support through Housing Benefit. This includes pensioners, individuals living in supported housing or temporary accommodation and customers who have not yet migrated to Universal Credit. Maintaining rent support through Housing Benefit for customers (including young people) in this type of housing has meant that they are not subject to the same restrictions that apply in general needs housing. This approach recognises the higher costs that can be associated with these types of housing. Any amendment to the Housing Benefit rules would apply to all of these groups and could result in Housing Benefit outstripping the provision provided by Universal Credit or undermining the work incentives.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reductions in access to recycling centres on rates of fly-tipping in Surrey Heath constituency.

There has been no assessment of the potential impact of reductions in access to recycling centres on rates of fly-tipping in Surrey Heath constituency. Local authorities hold the responsibility for the operation and management of Household Waste Recycling Centres in their area. It is their duty to provide spaces for residents within their area to dispose of or recycle their waste responsibly.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Health and Safety Executive’s proposed three-year transition to restrict certain rifle ammunition on (a) shooting sports and (b) associated supply chains in (i) Surrey Heath constituency and (ii) the South East region.

In 2021, Defra asked the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency (EA) to prepare a restriction dossier for lead ammunition. The HSE and the EA considered the evidence of risk posed by lead in ammunition on human health and the environment, as well as the socioeconomic impact of introducing further restrictions. This included considering the impacts on target shooting sports and supply chains in Great Britain.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with shooting associations in (a) Surrey and (b) the South East on the potential implications of the Health and Safety Executive’s proposed three-year transition to restrict certain rifle ammunition.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the regulatory agency for UK REACH. As required by the UK REACH Regulations, the HSE rather than my Department was responsible for engaging with stakeholders via two public consultations in relation to their proposed UK REACH restriction relating to lead in ammunition.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) improve the resilience of the electricity network and (b) reduce the frequency of power cuts in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government works closely with the energy industry, regulators and other stakeholders to continually improve and maintain the resilience of energy infrastructure. This includes works to reduce the vulnerability of networks and assets and ensure an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents - taking into account future system changes and possible risks. Electricity Network Operators are directly incentivised by Ofgem to minimise customer interruptions and to invest in and maintain infrastructure resilience to guarantee minimum standards of service.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) effective management and (b) oversight of fibre broadband rollout in Surrey Heath constituency.

Openreach is delivering a Project Gigabit contract across Surrey. This contract currently includes approximately 1,900 premises in the Surrey Heath constituency. All Project Gigabit contracts include criteria and obligations regarding time and budget against which suppliers’ performance is monitored. These include measures to manage effective build plans, milestones, risks and issues. Building Digital UK (BDUK) holds regular meetings with suppliers to discuss their progress. Each supplier’s performance is measured using monthly contractual reporting, reviewing the build progress and payment claims on each contract. Failure to deliver to a contract milestone on any build phase of a contract can result in the trigger of a rectification plan process and cessation of payments until the milestone is achieved. Beyond Project Gigabit, in areas where deployment is commercially viable we have created a competition-friendly environment to support the quick roll-out of gigabit technologies.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of affording neurodiverse pupils frequent break periods for movement in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department believes schools are best placed to take these decisions locally, in consultation with parents, young people and the local authority, after a thorough assessment of the child or young person’s needs and drawing on wider professional advice, as appropriate.To support schools, the department is strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve inclusive practice in mainstream settings and have commissioned evidence reviews from Newcastle University and University College London. The ‘What Works in SEND’ research programme is researching tools that schools can use to identify the needs of neurodivergent children.

Whether she has conducted an impact assessment of the reduction of stamp duty thresholds on homeowners in Surrey Heath constituency.

No assessment has been made of the impact at individual constituency level.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of delays in (a) processing firearms licence applications and (b) renewals on shooting sports in (i) Surrey Heath constituency and (ii) the South East region.

The issuing of firearms certificates and the efficiency of police forces is a matter for individual Chief Officers of Police and Police and Crime Commissioners.The performance of forces with respect to firearms licensing is being monitored by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead on firearms licensing, Deputy Chief Constable David Gardner, and a new performance framework has been developed for firearms licensing teams. This is now being published online on a quarterly basis by the NPCC and provides greater transparency regarding force performance. This includes a performance benchmark for forces to complete applications for the grant or renewal of a firearm or shotgun certificate within four months for cases unless there are more complex factors to consider.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of staffing levels in firearms licensing units in Surrey.

The issuing of firearms certificates and the efficiency of police forces is a matter for individual Chief Officers of Police and Police and Crime Commissioners.The performance of forces with respect to firearms licensing is being monitored by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead on firearms licensing, Deputy Chief Constable David Gardner, and a new performance framework has been developed for firearms licensing teams. This is now being published online on a quarterly basis by the NPCC and provides greater transparency regarding force performance. This includes a performance benchmark for forces to complete applications for the grant or renewal of a firearm or shotgun certificate within four months for cases unless there are more complex factors to consider.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the timeliness of firearms licensing services in (a) Surrey Heath constituency and (b) the South East region.

The issuing of firearms certificates and the efficiency of police forces is a matter for individual Chief Officers of Police and Police and Crime Commissioners.The performance of forces with respect to firearms licensing is being monitored by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead on firearms licensing, Deputy Chief Constable David Gardner, and a new performance framework has been developed for firearms licensing teams. This is now being published online on a quarterly basis by the NPCC and provides greater transparency regarding force performance. This includes a performance benchmark for forces to complete applications for the grant or renewal of a firearm or shotgun certificate within four months for cases unless there are more complex factors to consider.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support for people with Central Neurocytoma in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as central neurocytoma. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community. These include helping patients get a final diagnosis faster; increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals; better coordination of care; and improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs. We remain committed to delivering under the Framework and, in February, published the annual England Rare Diseases Action Plan.Central neurocytoma is an example of a rare benign brain tumour. These types of brain tumours are managed through surgical intervention in most instances. Services for both adults and paediatric patients are commissioned and delivered through two national clinically developed service specifications. These are the NHS England Neurosurgery (Adults) specification, published in 2019, and the NHS England Paediatric Neurosurgery Services specification, published in 2013.For patients living in the Surrey Heath constituency aged over one year old, the pathway of care for treatment is through the St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust service. Patients aged under one year old will be seen and treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

What recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of burnout among unpaid carers in Surrey Heath constituency.

Local authorities have duties to support unpaid carers and are required to deliver sustainable, high-quality care and support services. The Government’s Better Care Fund provides support to unpaid carers, including short breaks and respite services.The Department regularly engages with local authorities, including Surrey County Council, on matters relating to unpaid carers and wider social care issues. According to data from NHS Digital, in 2023/24, Surrey County Council supported 760, or 19%, of unpaid carers through respite or other forms of carer support delivered to the cared-for person. We do not hold data to assess trends in the level of burnout among unpaid carers in the Surrey Heath constituency.Independent research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research suggests that high intensity unpaid care is associated with an increased likelihood of poorer outcomes, including loneliness and social isolation, when compared to people who do not provide unpaid care. The severity of these outcomes differs based on factors such as age, gender, and ethnicity.The Office for National Statistics has estimated, using the 2021 Census and adjusting for age, that the proportion of residents of the Surrey Heath Borough District providing unpaid care is slightly lower than in the Southeast region or England as a whole. This is especially true for the proportion of residents providing higher levels of unpaid care.