Written questions by Pinkerton.

What steps her Department is taking to support shop owners subject to persistent theft in Surrey Heath constituency.

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level. Tackling it is a priority for this Government.We are providing £5 million over the next three years to fund a specialist analysis team within Opal, the National Policing Intelligence Unit for serious organised acquisitive crime, to crack down on the organised gangs targeting retailers.We are also investing £2 million over the next three years in the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime.Via the Crime and Policing Bill we will repeal the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, which means it can only be tried a magistrate's court. This will send a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously. Also included in the Bill is a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.We are also supporting a new Tackling Retail Crime Together strategy to tackle shop theft published by policing, retail sector representatives and industry as part of collective efforts to combat shop theft.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) accuracy of Universal Credit assessments and (b) prevent overpayment errors for working single parents in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to ensuring the accuracy of Universal Credit (UC) assessments and minimising overpayment errors for all claimants. Improving Accuracy of AssessmentsWe have strengthened internal quality assurance processes and agent performance monitoring to ensure UC assessments are completed accurately, including: Targeted training Enhanced guidance Use of automated checks to reduce manual error. We also continue to refine our data-sharing arrangements with other government departments to ensure timely and accurate information is used in assessments. Preventing Overpayment ErrorsThe Department has introduced several measures to reduce overpayments, including: Enhanced Support Journey (ESJ) - Tailored support for claimants with complex needs, including working single parents, delivered through proactive outreach such as phone calls and home visits. Simplified Communications - Improvements to UC statements and letters to help claimants better understand their responsibilities and entitlements. Digital and Non-Digital Access Routes - Ensuring claimants can access support via telephone and face-to-face appointments where digital access is limited. Fraud and Error Reduction Initiatives - Focused interventions to reduce fraud-related overpayments, particularly in cases where claimants fail to engage with verification processes. These efforts have contributed to a reduction in the UC overpayment rate from 12.4% in 2023/24 to 9.7% 2024/25. The Department remains committed to further reducing error rates and improving outcomes for all UC claimants.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of gambling-related harm on vulnerable people in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government recognises that harmful gambling can wreck the lives of individuals, families and communities. Working with the Gambling Commission, we are committed to strengthening protections for those at risk through a range of new safer gambling requirements. We will continue to consider the best available evidence and work with all stakeholders to ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk.Those experiencing gambling-related harm in England can access specialist treatment through NHS Gambling Clinics available in every region of the country, including the Southern Gambling Service. There is also a range of support available through the National Gambling Support Network.The Government has introduced a statutory levy on gambling operators to improve and expand the research, prevention and treatment of gambling harms. The levy will raise around £100 million in funding every year to deliver priority projects and services across research, prevention and treatment, including local authority-led initiatives, which together aim to reduce gambling-related harms across Great Britain. The statutory gambling levy is now in force, and funding will start flowing later this year.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of reviewing the adequacy of statutory (a) maternity and (b) paternity pay.

The Government has committed to review the parental leave and pay system. All current and upcoming parental leave and pay entitlements are in scope of the Parental Leave and Pay Review.

What discussions her Department has had with Surrey County Council on improving early intervention services for families in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department will fund Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to ensure that children and families who need support the most can access it. Local authorities not currently funded through government Family Hubs programmes, which includes Surrey, will receive a development grant in 2025/26 to plan and begin setting up services to ensure national rollout from April 2026 when full funding is awarded. The role of local authorities will include identifying family hub sites. Services will vary depending on local needs. Surrey received £351,991 in October 2025.In addition, last year the national rollout of Family Help, multi-agency child protection and family group decision making reforms through the Families First Partnership programme was confirmed. In 2025/26 the reforms are backed nationally by £541 million. Surrey received around £2.5 million in additional funding. The programme team have received and reviewed Surrey’s draft delivery plan and will be discussing shortly.Surrey has already established a strong Early Help Partnership Board to analyse the needs of their communities and the Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership executive has endorsed plans to form a partnership project team to lead community engagement, develop shared data insights, and coordinate reform implementation. This team will feed into the Board.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of uprating Local Housing Allowance for residents in Surrey Heath constituency.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are reviewed annually in the Autumn and as part of that decision, the impact of local rental market is considered. In April 2024, LHA was increased to the 30th percentile of local market rents, including in the Surrey Heath constituency, costing an additional £1.2bn in 2024/25 and approximately £7bn over 5 years. For those who face shortfalls in meeting their housing costs, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce financial hardship experienced by new parents.

The government provides a range of state-funded support for new parents depending on individual circumstances. Statutory maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave and pay is available to working parents through their employers, and pregnant working women who do not qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay may be eligible for Maternity Allowance. Parents also have access to Child Benefit. Families who are not working or who are on low incomes can claim Universal Credit and may also be eligible for Sure Start Maternity Grant (a lump sum payment of £500) and Healthy Start vouchers for food and milk. More information about benefits and financial support available to new parents can be found on www.gov.uk via the Childcare and Parenting link on the home page. More broadly, the government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and we are considering all available levers. We will publish a Child Poverty Strategy in the autumn that will deliver fully funded measures to tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty. The Government has also committed to review the parental leave and pay system.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of Local Housing Allowance for residents in Surrey Heath constituency.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are reviewed annually in the Autumn and as part of that decision, the impact of local rental market is considered. In April 2024, LHA was increased to the 30th percentile of local market rents, including in the Surrey Heath constituency, costing an additional £1.2bn in 2024/25 and approximately £7bn over 5 years. For those who face shortfalls in meeting their housing costs, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities.

What steps her Department is taking to support schools to (a) deliver inclusive education and (b) promote understanding of diverse backgrounds 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 her Department has made of the potential merits of investing in early support services in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department will fund Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to ensure that children and families who need support the most can access it. Local authorities not currently funded through government Family Hubs programmes, which includes Surrey, will receive a development grant in 2025/26 to plan and begin setting up services to ensure national rollout from April 2026 when full funding is awarded. The role of local authorities will include identifying family hub sites. Services will vary depending on local needs. Surrey received £351,991 in October 2025.In addition, last year the national rollout of Family Help, multi-agency child protection and family group decision making reforms through the Families First Partnership programme was confirmed. In 2025/26 the reforms are backed nationally by £541 million. Surrey received around £2.5 million in additional funding. The programme team have received and reviewed Surrey’s draft delivery plan and will be discussing shortly.Surrey has already established a strong Early Help Partnership Board to analyse the needs of their communities and the Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership executive has endorsed plans to form a partnership project team to lead community engagement, develop shared data insights, and coordinate reform implementation. This team will feed into the Board.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the use of educational technology on student preparedness for paper-based examinations in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department is committed to ensuring students are well prepared for all forms of assessment, including paper-based examinations. While constituency-specific data for Surrey Heath is not held, the department continues to assess the impact of educational technology (EdTech) nationally. Evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation and the Technology in Schools Survey shows that digital tools can accelerate learning and improve attainment when used effectively. However, EdTech is intended to complement, not replace, traditional teaching, especially where paper-based exams remain standard.The department works closely with Ofqual to ensure technology use does not compromise the fairness or validity of assessments.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of taking steps to help reduce phone use by school children in Surrey Heath constituency.

Mobile phones have no place in our schools.Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.Research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that the overwhelming majority of schools, 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools, already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access to face-to-face appointments for people with Parkinson’s in Surrey Heath constituency.

No estimate has been made of the number of people with Parkinson's disease who have access to a Parkinson’s nurse in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire. The Department does not hold data on how many hospitals have staff who are members of the Parkinson’s UK Excellence Network.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (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 ICB or the NHS 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 Health and Care Excellence.This Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.The new NHS App will end the 8am rush by providing more flexibility in the way that people contact their general practitioner (GP), enabling better GP appointment booking as long as GPs make appointments available in the App. It will also help people to get care quicker without seeing their GP, for example improved self-care by going to a pharmacy or by self-referring into a specialist pathway or by providing remote consultations with specialists.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that students with additional needs have access to mandatory online homework platforms in Surrey Heath constituency.

Schools determine homework volume and format in collaboration with staff, pupils, parents, and governors. Digital tools can support learning and enhance parental engagement by providing visibility into tasks and progress. However, access to devices remains uneven. In 2024, 34% of parents reported their child lacked continuous access to a device for online schoolwork. Schools should offer alternative homework options for pupils with limited device access.The department is committed to ensuring all students, including those with additional needs, can safely and effectively use digital tools. While data for Surrey Heath isn’t available, the department has published digital accessibility standards to help schools implement inclusive technology strategies. The 'Plan Technology for Your School' service supports strategic digital planning. The department continues working with schools and providers to ensure no child is left behind.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with Surrey County Council on the potential implications of local government reorganisation on the voluntary sector in Surrey.

The government’s consultation on the two unitary proposals in Surrey closed on 5 August 2025. A named consultee contacted to respond was the Surrey VCSE Alliance, and the government encouraged councils in Surrey to promote the consultation and welcomed views from the voluntary and community sector. The statutory guidance given to councils invited to develop proposals for local government reorganisation in February 2025 set out an expectation that while developing their proposals, councils should engage with relevant bodies in their area, including voluntary and third sector organisations, and that engagement undertaken should inform the development of robust proposals. Officials from MHCLG have been engaging with councils in Surrey and will continue to do so as we move through transition into implementation phase.

What steps his Department is taking to improve cancer screening methodologies in Surrey Heath constituency.

Cancer screening methodology is the same across England and adheres to national specifications and standards.A range of improvements are being made nationally, including the introduction of the new ‘ping and book’ service via the NHS App; the provision of screening appointments at more convenient times and locations; and developments to screening IT systems as part of the Digital Transformation of Screening programme of work. These improvements will also benefit people in Surrey Heath constituency.

What steps his Department is taking to provide funding for the defence sector in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) supports employment in the defence supply chain, including in Surrey Heath, by prioritising UK businesses through the Defence Industrial Strategy, boosting innovation, exports, and job creation. Initiatives such as Defence Growth Deals and a robust skills package create job opportunities across the UK. MOD expenditure with UK Industry in the South-East is the highest within the United Kingdom at £7.85 billion.

Communities and Local Government, what support his Department is providing to small voluntary sector organisations during local government reorganisation in Surrey Heath constituency.

The government’s consultation on the two unitary proposals in Surrey closed on 5 August 2025. A named consultee contacted to respond was the Surrey VCSE Alliance, and the government encouraged councils in Surrey to promote the consultation and welcomed views from the voluntary and community sector. The statutory guidance given to councils invited to develop proposals for local government reorganisation in February 2025 set out an expectation that while developing their proposals, councils should engage with relevant bodies in their area, including voluntary and third sector organisations, and that engagement undertaken should inform the development of robust proposals. Officials from MHCLG have been engaging with councils in Surrey and will continue to do so as we move through transition into implementation phase.

Whether his Department is taking steps to help people for employment in the defence supply chain sector in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) supports employment in the defence supply chain, including in Surrey Heath, by prioritising UK businesses through the Defence Industrial Strategy, boosting innovation, exports, and job creation. Initiatives such as Defence Growth Deals and a robust skills package create job opportunities across the UK. MOD expenditure with UK Industry in the South-East is the highest within the United Kingdom at £7.85 billion.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure inclusive school environments for children with different learning styles in Surrey Heath constituency.

This government’s ambition is that every child or young person in our country deserves the best possible educational experience, one that is academically stretching, where every child or young person feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work. We will build a better system which is grounded in evidence and identifies and supports need at the earliest opportunity.Our new regional improvements for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will work with mainstream schools to help them become more inclusive places, as one of four priority areas for improvement.The recently published RISE Inclusive Mainstream webpage provides schools with programmes and resources to help mainstream schools improve inclusivity and support for those with special educational needs and disabilities and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rise-support-for-inclusive-mainstream-education/rise-support-for-inclusive-mainstream-education.