Written questions by Pinkerton.

What steps her Department is taking to promote apprenticeships in schools in Surrey Heath constituency.

There is a range of digital and in-person support available to school and colleges to help them to inform their students about apprenticeships. The Careers and Enterprise Company’s national network of Careers Hubs, helps to co-ordinate employers and local programmes to engage directly with schools and colleges to support their careers education, including to raise awareness of apprenticeship routes into their sectors.Around 2,000 volunteers, comprising of employers and apprentices, have formed the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (AAN). The ambassadors go into schools and colleges to share their compelling stories and experiences of what apprenticeships can do for young people. The AAN currently has coverage of 70% schools and colleges in England and aims to align an ambassador to every state-funded secondary school and further education college by March 2026.Additionally, the provider access legislation requires all maintained schools and academies to publish a policy statement setting out opportunities for providers of technical education and apprenticeships to access year 8 to 13 pupils and to make sure the statement is followed.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the energy efficiency ratings of residential properties in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Warm Homes Plan will help people find ways to save money on energy bills and transform our ageing building stock into comfortable, low-carbon homes that are fit for the future, including those in the Surrey Heath constituency. The Government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency, with £1 billion of this allocated to 2025/2026. The Government has published a consultation on improving energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector in England and Wales. The Government is also exploring the role of incentives and private finance for households to support homeowners with the upfront costs of energy efficiency improvements and low carbon heating.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure hospital road infrastructure is sufficient to meet growing population demand in Surrey Heath constituency.

Surrey County Council are the local transport authority for Surrey Heath and also have responsibility for the local highway network. It is up to the respective local authority to invest in its local transport network based on local needs and priorities.

What steps his Department taking to support menopausal women with mental health issues in Surrey Heath constituency.

We know that too many people, including menopausal women with mental health issues, are not receiving the mental health care they need, and that waits for mental health services are too long across England, including in Surrey Heath.As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we are committed to prioritising women’s health, and we will also recruit 8,500 mental health workers across children and adult services to help ease pressure on busy mental health services.We are working with NHS England to consider options to deliver this commitment alongside the refresh of the Long Term Workforce Plan.In addition, NHS England is working on menopause workforce support packages for employees and developing a range of tools and interventions that will help to upskill more general practitioners in menopause care, including awareness of mental health symptoms during menopause, and improve access to treatments.

What steps he is taking to improve public awareness of autism in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government is committed to creating a more inclusive society where autistic people are supported to thrive. As part of implementing its All Age Autism Strategy 2021 to 2026, Surrey County Council is working to: support autistic children, young people and adults to understand what their autism means for them, their strengths and skills so that they can live fulfilling lives; ensure autistic people are understood, welcomed and can access community services, for example, transport, leisure facilities, shops, youth clubs and community events; tackle stigma attached to autism in the community; and ensure information about where to find advice, signposting and support across education, health, care and the community is easily accessible to all.

What steps he is taking to support people with autism with their mental health in Surrey Heath constituency.

We know that too many people, including autistic people, are not receiving the mental health care they need, and that waits for mental health services are too long across England, including in Surrey Heath. We are determined to change that.As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we will recruit 8,500 mental health workers to help ease pressure on busy mental health services. We will also provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school in England, introduce open access Young Futures hubs in communities, and modernise the Mental Health Act.

If Ministers in her Department will meet with the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to discuss railway infrastructure improvements aimed at enabling more direct services to London.

Future rail infrastructure investment is being considered as part of the Spending Review, which will conclude in June 2025. The Rail Minister would therefore be happy to meet the MP for Surrey Heath once this process has concluded.

What steps she is taking to improve the (a) availability and (b) quality of autism training for teachers in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The department is focusing on improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools and is working with families and education and care experts to deliver this in the best interests of all children and to restore parents’ trust.High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with SEND including autism, and the department is committed to ensuring that all pupils receive excellent support from their teachers. The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils. All initial teacher training (ITT) providers must ensure that their courses enable trainee teachers to meet the Teachers’ Standards to be recommended for the award of qualified teacher status.The ITT Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework (ECF), for trainee and early career teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025, will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of ITT and those delivering provider-led early career training to create their curricula. From September 2025 all ECTs will be entitled to a two year induction that is underpinned by the ITTECF, known as the Early Career Teacher Entitlement.The department’s review of content for the ITTECF paid particular attention to the needs of trainees and ECTs when supporting pupils with SEND. There is now significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, some of which has been adapted from the new national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators to be relevant for trainees and ECTs. The department has edited existing statements to improve inclusivity for SEND throughout the framework including, for example, developing an understanding of different pupil needs and learning how to provide opportunities for success for all pupils. The department tested this approach with SEND educational experts with consensus that the approach of ‘quality-first teaching’ would be the best way to improve outcomes for all children. From September 2025, the department has also enhanced the requirement on providers of ECT training to develop SEND training materials.The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential and has recently committed to a full review of the Early Career Teacher Entitlement in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for ECTs. This review will focus on the support we provide new teachers in teaching pupils with SEND.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of autism training for teachers in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The department is focusing on improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools and is working with families and education and care experts to deliver this in the best interests of all children and to restore parents’ trust.High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with SEND including autism, and the department is committed to ensuring that all pupils receive excellent support from their teachers. The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils. All initial teacher training (ITT) providers must ensure that their courses enable trainee teachers to meet the Teachers’ Standards to be recommended for the award of qualified teacher status.The ITT Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework (ECF), for trainee and early career teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025, will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of ITT and those delivering provider-led early career training to create their curricula. From September 2025 all ECTs will be entitled to a two year induction that is underpinned by the ITTECF, known as the Early Career Teacher Entitlement.The department’s review of content for the ITTECF paid particular attention to the needs of trainees and ECTs when supporting pupils with SEND. There is now significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, some of which has been adapted from the new national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators to be relevant for trainees and ECTs. The department has edited existing statements to improve inclusivity for SEND throughout the framework including, for example, developing an understanding of different pupil needs and learning how to provide opportunities for success for all pupils. The department tested this approach with SEND educational experts with consensus that the approach of ‘quality-first teaching’ would be the best way to improve outcomes for all children. From September 2025, the department has also enhanced the requirement on providers of ECT training to develop SEND training materials.The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential and has recently committed to a full review of the Early Career Teacher Entitlement in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for ECTs. This review will focus on the support we provide new teachers in teaching pupils with SEND.

What steps she is taking to support autistic people into employment in Surrey Heath constituency.

Neurodivergent people bring many positive benefits to workplaces but face particular barriers to employment, which is reflected in a poor overall employment rate.In Surrey Heath, the Jobcentres work closely with employers and providers to support customers with autism into employment. Our Disability Employment Advisers work closely with Surrey Choices who regularly attend both job fairs and events to support neurodivergent and autistic job seekers. The Employer and Partnership Team also identify Disability Confident employers to highlight/implement reasonable adjustments and signposting to Access to Work where appropriate to do so.At national level, on 29 January this year, the Government launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. Many of the panel are diagnosed or identify as neurodivergent and/or have familial experience alongside their professional experience and expertise. Recommendations are expected to include employer actions that can support the inclusion of neurodivergent people, including in recruitment and day to day workplace practices.Under the Government’s new Get Britain Working Strategy, the forthcoming voluntary, locally led Supported Employment programme ‘Connect to Work’ will support disabled people, those with health conditions and other complex barriers including neurodivergent people, to get into and on in work.Our support to employers also includes the online Support with Employee Health and Disability service, to support employers managing health and disability in the workplace. This includes questions of disclosure and equipping employers to feel confident having conversations about health and disability.

What steps he is taking to support individuals suffering with dementia in Surrey Heath constituency.

Provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We would expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.NHS Frimley ICB has been working with Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (FHFT) and Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SABP) to ensure that FHFT geriatricians can refer patients directly into Surrey Heath memory clinics within SABP rather than necessarily having to go through general practitioners to request referrals. This process should bring about more rapid assessments and diagnoses for those patients suspected of having dementia. The Standard Operating Procedures of the Surrey Health Older Adults Mental Health Service, which includes the Memory Clinics, have also been reviewed and found to meet the requirements of facilitating appropriate referral routes and service inclusion criteria.Improvement work is also in progress to enhance dementia training and access to specialist support for staff on the SABP older adult mental health ward dealing with dementia at The Meadows Unit.In addition, NHS Frimley has a contract in place with Younger People with Dementia, a charity established to provide support services throughout the working week to people diagnosed with dementia under 65 years old. Though the Surrey Heath Better Care Fund, NHS Frimley ICB has also continued to provide dementia advisors, via the Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Advisor Service, for all those who have been diagnosed with dementia.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of dementia care in Surrey Heath constituency.

Provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We would expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.NHS Frimley ICB has been working with Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (FHFT) and Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SABP) to ensure that FHFT geriatricians can refer patients directly into Surrey Heath memory clinics within SABP rather than necessarily having to go through general practitioners to request referrals. This process should bring about more rapid assessments and diagnoses for those patients suspected of having dementia. The Standard Operating Procedures of the Surrey Health Older Adults Mental Health Service, which includes the Memory Clinics, have also been reviewed and found to meet the requirements of facilitating appropriate referral routes and service inclusion criteria.Improvement work is also in progress to enhance dementia training and access to specialist support for staff on the SABP older adult mental health ward dealing with dementia at The Meadows Unit.In addition, NHS Frimley has a contract in place with Younger People with Dementia, a charity established to provide support services throughout the working week to people diagnosed with dementia under 65 years old. Though the Surrey Heath Better Care Fund, NHS Frimley ICB has also continued to provide dementia advisors, via the Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Advisor Service, for all those who have been diagnosed with dementia.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of non-qualifying leaseholder status on the ability of impacted leaseholders to sell their properties in buildings that have undergone remediation under the Building Safety Act 2022.

If the non-qualifying lease status automatically disappeared at the point of sale, it would mean that the original holders of non-qualifying leases could effectively pass the additional costs of remediation onto freeholders, which would not align with the intentions of the legislation. That is to ensure defective buildings are fixed and not left in a perpetually dangerous state by carefully balancing the rights of leaseholders with those of those freeholders not connected with the developer who were equally innocent in the creation of the emerging defects. As I said in a recent Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee meeting on this topic, that we are looking very closely at what can be done to sunset the “in perpetuity” status of leases which do not qualify for the leaseholder protections. Ten major banks and building societies (mortgage lenders) have signed a public statement on cladding confirming lenders will consider mortgage applications if the building has funding for remediation works from government or the developer, regardless of the qualifying status of the leaseholder. Buildings which have undergone remediation should be subject to standard lending criteria.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of establishing a UK-wide Future Generations Commissioner to promote (a) long-term policy planning and (b) intergenerational fairness across Government departments.

All children should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are, where they’re from, or how much their parents earn. The Opportunity Mission will give the next generation the best start in life, help them achieve and thrive in excellent schools, and build skills for opportunity and growth. The mission has taken a number of steps to help ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed. These include expanding government-funded childcare, allocating £1.4bn to rebuild our schools, launching the curriculum review, announcing the creation of Foundation Apprenticeships and launching the first round of funding for 300 school-based nurseries. The government has also set-up a Ministerial Taskforce on Child Poverty, bringing in academia, local government and other sectors to develop a joint strategy on child poverty. There has been no specific assessment by the Cabinet Office of establishing a UK-wide Future Generations Commissioner.

What steps she is taking to support dyslexic children with mental health difficulties in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.​Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.​Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools. The initial teacher training and early career framework, which sets out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, and from September 2025 will underpin the minimum entitlement to training for new teachers.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has not had any conversations with Surrey Heath Borough Council regarding dyslexia support, as we believe 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.The department will also provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. Further information on the support, as at 31 March 2024, for pupils provided by NHS funded MHSTs in Surrey schools is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. We will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures hubs with access to mental health support workers.

What steps he is taking to support people impacted by Long Covid in Surrey Heath constituency.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services for people with long COVID. ICBs are allocated funding by NHS England to meet local need and priorities, and to improve outcomes.Due to the very low numbers of patients with long COVID now being referred for treatment, NHS Frimley has taken the decision to no longer operate dedicated long COVID services. As of 18 March 2025, patients presenting with symptoms that may be linked to long COVID will be referred, depending on their symptoms, to other available services, including chronic fatigue services, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and mental health services such as talking therapies.Every effort will be made to ensure that patients who are currently accessing the long COVID services complete their therapy and are transferred to other services specific to their need, if appropriate.NHS Frimley recognises that this decision may cause concern for people who have been receiving care from its long COVID services. However, patients will continue to receive support and advice, and NHS Frimley is working with the providers of long COVID services to ensure that current patients complete their care treatment.Anyone who has a long-term symptom following COVID-19 and needs assistance should speak to their general practitioner.

What steps he is taking to support people impacted by myalgic encephalomyelitis in Surrey Heath constituency.

NHS Frimley does not currently have contracted support for myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Patients who require support are offered services within neighbouring systems.At a national level, the responses to the Department’s Improving the experiences of people with ME/CFS: interim delivery plan consultation, along with continued close engagement with stakeholders, will inform the development of the final ME/CFS delivery plan, which we aim to publish by the end of June 2025. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease, including those in the Surrey Heath constituency.We also intend to provide additional support to ME/CFS researchers to develop high quality funding applications and access existing National Institute for Health and Care Research and Medical Research Council research funding. All research funding 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. Our forthcoming ME/CFS delivery plan will outline the additional support we will offer to the research community to increase the volume and quality of applications and, therefore, increase the allocation of funding to this area.

What discussions she has had with Surrey Heath Borough Council on the adequacy of dyslexia provision for children in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.​Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.​Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools. The initial teacher training and early career framework, which sets out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, and from September 2025 will underpin the minimum entitlement to training for new teachers.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has not had any conversations with Surrey Heath Borough Council regarding dyslexia support, as we believe 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.The department will also provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. Further information on the support, as at 31 March 2024, for pupils provided by NHS funded MHSTs in Surrey schools is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. We will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures hubs with access to mental health support workers.

What steps she is taking to support dyslexic children in education in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.​Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.​Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools. The initial teacher training and early career framework, which sets out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, and from September 2025 will underpin the minimum entitlement to training for new teachers.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has not had any conversations with Surrey Heath Borough Council regarding dyslexia support, as we believe 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.The department will also provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. Further information on the support, as at 31 March 2024, for pupils provided by NHS funded MHSTs in Surrey schools is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. We will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures hubs with access to mental health support workers.

What recent discussions she has had with Surrey Heath Borough Council on the adequacy of dyslexia training for teachers in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.​Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.​Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools. The initial teacher training and early career framework, which sets out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, and from September 2025 will underpin the minimum entitlement to training for new teachers.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has not had any conversations with Surrey Heath Borough Council regarding dyslexia support, as we believe 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.The department will also provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. Further information on the support, as at 31 March 2024, for pupils provided by NHS funded MHSTs in Surrey schools is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. We will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures hubs with access to mental health support workers.