Written questions by Pinkerton.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to address variation between local authorities in the application of discretionary business rates relief for not-for-profit organisations.

Section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 provides billing authorities with discretionary powers to award business rates reliefs to properties within their area. This is a local decision for individual billing authorities.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of housing investment announced in the Spending Review 2025 on (a) the protection of Green Belt land and (b) new housing starts in Surrey Heath constituency.

The government has not made any such assessment.The allocation of housing investment announced at the Spending Review will depend on the bids received from registered providers.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of transport infrastructure investment announced in the Spending Review 2025 on Surrey.

We are yet to announce the regional allocations for the majority of the transport funding announced in the Spending Review. This will be announced in due course. We have informed Surrey County Council of their allocation of the Local Transport Grant which is £38.19 million for the period from April 2026 to April 2030 for local transport improvements.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities to tackle fly-tipping in Surrey Heath constituency.

Fly-tipping is a serious crime which blights local communities and the environment, and we appreciate the difficulty and cost that it poses to landowners. Local councils are usually best placed to tackle fly-tipping in their areas, and they have a range of enforcement powers to help them do so. These include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing and crushing of vehicles and prosecution. We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers and are taking steps to develop new enforcement guidance. We are also conducting a review of council powers to seize and crush vehicles of fly-tippers, to identify how we could help them make better use of this tool. Defra continues to chair the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders, such as local authorities and the Environment Agency, to share good practice on preventing fly-tipping, including on private land. Various practical tools are available from their webpage which is available here.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of replacing landlines with digital voice services in areas with (a) poor mobile signal and (b) unreliable broadband in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government is committed to ensuring that any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers across the UK. VoIP requires a minimum connection speed of just 0.5Mbps, and for current landline-only customers it will be possible to order a VoIP landline without purchasing a general internet connection. In November 2024, all major communication providers agreed to additional safeguards to protect vulnerable customers, including those who are landline-dependent due to poor mobile coverage.We are committed to ensuring at least 99% of premises receive gigabit broadband coverage, which we expect to happen by 2032. More than 99% of UK premises, and more than 95% of the UK’s landmass, have 4G coverage from at least one mobile operator. Our ambition is for all populated areas, including the Surrey Heath constituency, to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030. We are committed to having the right policy and regulatory framework to support this.

What steps her Department is taking to modernise public transport technology for buses in Surrey Heath constituency.

The government is committed to delivering better bus services for passengers, and has confirmed investment of £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £712 million allocated to local authorities which can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, including modernising the technology used to support bus services. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12.1 million of this funding. The Department for Transport is also working with representatives from the bus industry, Midlands Connect and Transport for the West Midlands to develop a national technology solution to facilitate multi-operator ticketing on buses and trams, focusing on contactless bank card payments and enabling fares capping outside of London, which could help to modernise public transport technology in Surrey Heath. The government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in buses at the Spending Review by confirming around £900 million of revenue funding each year to maintain and improve vital bus services, including taking forward franchising pilots and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027. The Spending Review also confirmed £2.3 billion through the Local Transport Grant over the Spending Review period for local transport improvements in places outside areas receiving Transport for City Regions settlements, which could include supporting improvements to bus technology and infrastructure. Surrey County Council have been allocated £38.2 million of this funding.

What steps his Department is taking to improve funding for sarcoma cancer research at hospitals in Surrey Heath constituency.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority. The NIHR has invested in 11 projects with a total award value of £5.2 million to directly funded sarcoma research over the last five years, from 2020/21 to 2024/25.Examples of these investments include the MILI trial, a Phase II study investigating metformin's potential to reduce cancer risk in individuals with Li Fraumeni Syndrome, and the SarcoSIGHT trial, which is a randomised controlled trial of fluorescence guided sarcoma surgery versus standard care, involving 500 participants. The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including sarcoma cancer. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.The Frimley Park Integrated Care System, located within the constituency, is part of the NIHR Research Delivery Network, and they play a key role in supporting the delivery of research, including into sarcoma cancer. The NIHR’s flagship recruitment service, Be Part of Research, is a free, quick, and simple way for people to register and take part in research by allowing users to search for relevant studies. This makes it easier for people, including those in the Surrey Heath constituency, to find and take part in health and care research. Be Part of Research is central to the Government’s plans to turbocharge medical research and a key priority in the 10-Year Health Plan, set to be published over the coming weeks.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure new housing developments are supported by (a) physical and (b) social infrastructure in Surrey Heath constituency.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 26106 on 5 February 2025.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support deaf athletes in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government is dedicated to making sport across the country accessible and inclusive for everyone, including d/Deaf people.Our Arm's Length Body, Sport England, has committed £1.2 million between 2022 and 2027 to support deaf sport at the grassroots level, build wider participation, and develop strong governance within UK Deaf Sport.Sport England are also exploring a series of small-scale talent pilots for d/Deaf athletes. These pilots will see Sport England, National Governing Bodies, and UK Deaf Sport working together to explore issues around accessibility and suggest potential solutions. Sport England has also awarded UK Deaf Sport £150,000 to fund a specialist Talent Inclusion post to further the work of the pilots.

What steps his Department is taking to support (a) HIV prevention and (b) HIV care services in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government is committed to ending new transmissions of HIV in England by 2030 and is developing the new HIV Action Plan which we aim to publish this year. The plan will address ways to improve and support HIV prevention and HIV care services across the whole of England, including in the Surrey Heath constituency.Local authorities, such as Surrey County Council, are responsible for commissioning comprehensive open access to most sexual health services, including HIV prevention. It is for individual local authorities to commission HIV prevention services that best suit their population. In 2025/26, the Department has increased funding through the Public Health Grant to £3.858 billion, providing local authorities with an average 3% real terms increase, the biggest real-terms increase after nearly a decade of reduced spending.NHS England is responsible for providing HIV treatment and care, which continues to have very high coverage and effectiveness across England. Commissioning responsibility for adult specialist services for people living with HIV has been delegated by NHS England to the integrated care boards.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of (a) broadband and (b) mobile phone connectivity in Surrey Heath constituency.

We are committed to ensuring at least 99% of premises can access a gigabit capable connection by 2032, and we are working to achieve this in the Surrey Heath constituency through a Project Gigabit contract with Openreach. The independent website Thinkbroadband.com reports over 86% of premises in Surrey Heath constituency have access to gigabit-capable broadband.Ofcom reports that 4G geographic coverage is available across 97% of Surrey Heath from all four mobile operators, with 5G available outside 96% of premises from at least one operator.I am aware that Ofcom’s reporting of mobile coverage does not always reflect consumers’ experience of mobile networks. Ofcom’s improved online coverage checker will go live shortly and will provide data at a higher coverage threshold to better reflect lived experience.Our ambition is for all populated areas to have higher quality standalone 5G by 2030, and we continue to work with industry to deliver this.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure broadband providers treat residents equitably when determining property eligibility during fibre rollout programmes in Surrey Heath constituency.

Openreach is delivering a Project Gigabit contract across Surrey, targeted at bringing gigabit-capable broadband to homes and businesses in hard-to-reach areas, including approximately 1,900 premises in the Surrey Heath constituency.As with all Project Gigabit contracts, Building Digital UK (BDUK) collected and analysed information from commercial suppliers about their completed and planned broadband infrastructure in order to identify which premises in Surrey required public subsidy to receive a gigabit-capable connection.Our Project Gigabit contracts, including the contract for Surrey, target premises which would not normally be commercially viable for suppliers to connect.

What steps her Department is taking to support local authorities to provide safe walking routes for children to schools in Surrey Heath constituency.

It is for local authorities to decide on where to prioritise investment in their local transport networks. Surrey County Council is in the process of developing Local Cycling and Walking Investment Plans (LCWIPs) across the county, including one for Surrey Heath Borough. LCWIPs help local authorities to make a strong case for future investment in active travel infrastructure. Active Travel England recently announced funding allocations to local authorities through the Consolidated Active Travel Fund. Surrey County Council’s has been awarded almost £4.4 million in revenue and capital funding to support the delivery of high-quality walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure as well as capability building measures and behaviour changes activities.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate GP provision for new housing developments in Surrey Heath constituency.

We recognise the challenges that areas of significant housing and population growth can place on primary care infrastructure.The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government to address this issue in national planning guidance and to ensure all new developments have an adequate level of healthcare infrastructure. This is alongside work to ensure developer contributions from new housing developments can be better negotiated and used towards delivering local health services and infrastructure.The Frimley and Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Boards are responsible for commissioning, planning, securing, and monitoring general practice services within the Surrey Heath Constituency, through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including general practices, in each local area. It should also take account of population growth and demographic changes.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) condition and (b) ecological quality of woodlands in Surrey Heath constituency.

This Government recognises the importance of woodland management to improve the condition and ecological quality of woodlands. We are helping owners manage their woodlands by providing Countryside Stewardship woodland management planning grants, infrastructure grants, and woodland improvement as well as supplements for deer and grey squirrel impact management. Through the Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Funds, grant funding has been made available to stimulate the development and testing of new ideas that can help improve the ecological condition of woodlands. Grants are demand led, and we do not measure uptake at constituency level.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) raise awareness of hydrocephalus and (b) improve support for people living with the condition in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Department has engaged extensively with a national charity dedicated to raising awareness of hydrocephalus. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care met with charity representatives regarding hydrocephalus in November 2024, and officials remain mindful of issues which affect people with hydrocephalus.We are currently refreshing the Healthy Child Programme guidance, applicable to all areas of England, including Surrey Heath, to strengthen service delivery for all children, including those living with hydrocephalus who may or may not have already been diagnosed.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce shop theft in Surrey Heath constituency.

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level, up 20% on year up to December 2024. We will not stand for this.We are providing £5 million over the next three years to continue 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.I chair the Retail Crime Forum which brings together the retail sector, security providers and law enforcement agencies to ensure we understand the needs of all retailers and to promote collaboration, share best practice and to work collectively to tackle the serious issue of retail crime. This includes the development of a new strategy to tackle shop theft published by policing, retail sector representatives and industry as part of collective efforts to combat shop theft.The strategy builds on previous progress made by police and retailers but provides a more comprehensive and intelligence-led approach to tackle all perpetrators of shop theft – not just organised criminal gangs.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure the safety of town centres during summer 2025 in Surrey Heath constituency.

This is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, £200 million has been allocated to forces for 2025/26 to support the Government’s commitment to deliver additional personnel into neighbourhood policing. Surrey Constabulary has been allocated £2,588,427 and will deliver an increase of 25 police officers by 31 March 2026.The Home Office is also providing £66.3 million funding in 2025-26 to forces in England and Wales to deliver high visibility patrols in the areas worst affected by knife crime, serious violence and anti-social behaviour. Surrey Police will receive £1,000,000 of this funding.In addition to this, the Safer Streets Summer Initiative is a government-led initiative to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB), street crime and retail crime in town centres this summer, and to increase local confidence through increased collaboration at a local level. It will be led by Police and Crime and Commissioners, in partnership with Chief Constables and other key local partners such as councils, schools, health services, business, transport and community organisations.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of high annual ground rents on the ability of leaseholders to sell their properties in Surrey Heath constituency.

My Department is aware that some leaseholders may be experiencing problems with mortgaging or selling a property because of their ground rent terms. The government remains firmly committed to its manifesto commitment to tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, and we will deliver this in legislation.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of allocating additional funding to support research into chronic urinary tract infections in Surrey.

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and social care, including urinary tract infections (UTIs). These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Funding opportunities are openly published on the NIHR website, which is at the following link:https://www.nihr.ac.uk/Universities and other stakeholders can propose research topics to the NIHR via the following link:https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topicThe development of new products to diagnose infections more accurately is essential to ensure we can continue to treat infections and protect public health. NHS England is supporting research into newer, more accurate point-of-care tests for UTIs, such as via the Toucan study. More information on the study is available at the following link:https://www.phctrials.ox.ac.uk/recruiting-trials/toucan-platform-for-uti-diagnostic-evaluation