Written questions by Rosindell.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that (a) British nationals and (b) citizens of British Overseas Territories holding British passports are provided adequate (i) food, (ii) housing, (iii) medical care, (iv) welfare and (v) other humanitarian support whilst resident in the UK in search of specialist medical care unavailable within their home territory.

The UK remains committed to meeting the reasonable assistance needs of Montserrat. Much of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funding allocated to the Government of Montserrat (£62 million in this financial year alone) is used to support the provision of primary healthcare on island. This includes the construction of Montserrat's new national hospital, as well as delivery of Montserrat's Health Transformation Strategy and when necessary medical evacuations off island.

What recent steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to help improve the rate of early diagnosis of dyslexia in children.

The department knows that effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). In an inclusive education system, settings should be confident in accurately assessing children and young people’s learning and development and meeting any educational needs with evidence-based responses.A range of measures have been introduced, which aim to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those with SEND or those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, publication of both the reading framework and the writing framework, and the publication of an updated list of high quality phonics programmes for schools validated by the department.We have also launched a new continuous professional development programme for primary school teachers: ‘Reading Ambition for All: teaching children who need the most support, including those with SEND’. Following this pilot year, we will be working with the British Dyslexia Association to refine the programme to further support children with dyslexia.

What recent steps she has taken to help ensure access to twenty-four-hour police front counters in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England.

Decisions regarding the management of local police resourcing and estates, including publicly accessible front counters at police stations, is a matter for Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (or equivalents). They are best placed to make these decisions based on their knowledge of local need, experience, and in line with their existing budget.A key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission is focused on restoring neighbourhood policing, and rebuilding trust and confidence in policing, The commitments set out in the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee are now making a considerable difference to the service communities receive from their neighbourhood policing teams.We have also provided £200 million in FY 2025/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of the Parliament. This increase in neighbourhood policing, alongside the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will strengthen the connections between the police and the communities they serve.

What steps he has taken to reduce prescription drug-related deaths in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

The Government has taken decisive action to reduce prescription drug-related deaths in England by tackling overprescribing and improving patient safety. In September 2021, the Department published the National Overprescribing Review, which set out measures to ensure that patients receive the most appropriate treatment. These measures include better use of technology, more effective prescription reviews, and alternatives to medicines where clinically appropriate.In March 2023, NHS England issued a framework entitled Optimising personalised care for adults prescribed medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms. This framework sets out five actions for integrated care boards, focusing on the early identification of risk, personalised care planning, and shared decision-making to support safe tapering of medication and alternative treatments. These steps aim to improve patient outcomes by reducing harm from dependency-forming medicines such as opioids and benzodiazepines.Integrated care boards are the National Health Service organisations responsible for arranging the provision of health services within their area in line with local population need and taking account of relevant guidance.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support the regeneration of town centres buildings in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England.

Through the Pride in Place Programme, Harold Hill East in Romford will receive up to £20 million over ten years to support local priorities. The government is further enabling regeneration in places including Romford by providing multi-year local government financial settlements which will empower local councils to drive their own regeneration priorities.This government extended the UKSPF by £900 million in England for 2025-26 and recentlyconsolidated the Local Regeneration Fund, to streamline funding for places in England. In September 2025, the government launched its overarching Pride in Place programme, providing 208 English places with up to £4.16 billion over 10 years.

When the first Type 32 frigate will be commissioned.

The Ministry of Defence is continuously evaluating its capabilities, including potential enhancements to the Royal Navy's fleet. As stated in the Strategic Defence Review, the Royal Navy is transitioning towards a Hybrid Navy, delivering a mixed fleet of crewed and uncrewed vessels. These will be delivered through faster, smarter procurement and enabled by modular, reconfigurable technology and scalable platforms to increase mass and effect. Future capability plans for the Royal Navy are being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan (DIP). It would be inappropriate to provide further detail at this time.

What recent steps she has taken to improve special educational needs support services for dyslexia in English schools.

As part of our Plan for Change, the department is determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore the trust of parents. We will do this by ensuring schools have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate.The department know that effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with SEND. In an inclusive education system, settings should be confident in accurately assessing children and young people’s learning and development and meeting any educational needs with evidence-based responses.A range of measures have been introduced, which aim to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those with SEND or at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, publication of the reading framework and writing frameworks and the publication of an updated list of high quality phonics programmes which have been validated by the department.The department also launched ‘Reading Ambition for All’, a new continuous professional development programme for primary school teachers. Following this pilot year, we are working with the British Dyslexia Association to refine the programme to further support children with dyslexia.

What recent steps he has taken to help improve dyslexia screening of adults.

Adults who wish to be assessed for dyslexia are advised to contact a local or national dyslexia association for advice. Further information on dyslexia assessments can be found on the NHS.UK website, at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/diagnosis/

What steps she has taken to help increase the regularity of police patrols in (a) England and (b) Romford.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee (NPG) is now being delivered across England and Wales to ensure consistent and high-quality neighbourhood policing.As a result of the NPG, communities are now benefitting from more visible patrols, and stronger engagement. Officers are working closely with residents and businesses to tackle issues such as anti-social behaviour, shop theft, vandalism.Neighbourhood policing teams are spending the majority of their time within their communities, delivering visible patrols and actively engaging with residents and businesses.As part of the NPG the Government has made £200 million available in FY 25/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament, including up to 3000 additional neighbourhood officers by March 2026.As a result of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant the Metropolitan Police Service are projected to grow by 470 neighbourhood officers in 2025-26.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current ship-to-ship lethality capabilities of the Royal Navy surface fleet.

The Royal Navy is undertaking a significant programme to modernise and increase the lethality of the Fleet. The introduction of Sea Venom and the Naval Strike Missile are key aspects of this programme which will be followed by further capability upgrades over the next few years.

How many people have died as a result of misuse of prescription medication in England in each year since 2020.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 30th October is attached.

How many domestic abortions using (a) mifepristone and (b) misoprostol have occurred in England in each year since 2020.

The Department cannot separate out which of mifepristone or misoprostol were administered at home, only whether one or both abortion medications were administered at home.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the medivac provision on Montserrat.

The UK remains committed to meeting the reasonable assistance needs of Montserrat. Much of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funding allocated to the Government of Montserrat (£62 million in this financial year alone) is used to support the provision of primary healthcare on island. This includes the construction of Montserrat's new national hospital, as well as delivery of Montserrat's Health Transformation Strategy and when necessary medical evacuations off island.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to improve primary healthcare provision on Montserrat.

The UK remains committed to meeting the reasonable assistance needs of Montserrat. Much of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funding allocated to the Government of Montserrat (£62 million in this financial year alone) is used to support the provision of primary healthcare on island. This includes the construction of Montserrat's new national hospital, as well as delivery of Montserrat's Health Transformation Strategy and when necessary medical evacuations off island.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will provide support to the provision of a new hospital facility on Montserrat.

The UK remains committed to meeting the reasonable assistance needs of Montserrat. Much of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funding allocated to the Government of Montserrat (£62 million in this financial year alone) is used to support the provision of primary healthcare on island. This includes the construction of Montserrat's new national hospital, as well as delivery of Montserrat's Health Transformation Strategy and when necessary medical evacuations off island.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the potential merits of exempting (a) category C and (b) category D gaming machines in pubs from any increase in the Machine Games Duty.

The Chancellor discusses a variety of issues with Ministers from other government departments throughout the year.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of healthcare provision on Montserrat.

The UK remains committed to meeting the reasonable assistance needs of Montserrat. Much of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funding allocated to the Government of Montserrat (£62 million in this financial year alone) is used to support the provision of primary healthcare on island. This includes the construction of Montserrat's new national hospital, as well as delivery of Montserrat's Health Transformation Strategy and when necessary medical evacuations off island.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of a 20p reduction in the business rates multipliers on trends in the level of pub closures over the next five years.

The Government will introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026/27. This permanent tax cut will ensure that pubs benefit from much-needed certainty and support. These new multipliers cannot be lower than 20p less than the small business multiplier. These legislative minimum rates should not be taken as the intended rates for the new multipliers. Rather, they provide flexibility to adapt to the outcomes of the 2026 revaluation. The Government is carefully considering the impact of the new business rates multipliers on different RHL businesses. The rates will be set at Budget 2025 so that the Government can take the revaluation into account, as well as the economic and fiscal context.

What assessment he has made of the potential role of UK's coal resources in his future energy policy.

The last coal-fired power plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, closed on 30 September 2024. The Government has also announced it will introduce new legislation as soon as possible to restrict the future licensing of new coal mines.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the contribution of gaming machines to the level of pubs’ supplementary income.

The Government recognises the contribution of pubs to the nighttime economy in the UK, as well as the commercial pressures they face.Although the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Gambling Commission do not hold official statistics on the contribution of gaming machines to the level of pubs’ supplementary income, we recognise that gaming machines are an important source of revenue to many pubs across the country.Trade associations representing the pub sector, including the British Beer and Pub Association, UK Hospitality and the British Institute of Innkeeping, recently emphasised the importance of gaming machines in pubs, estimating that 48% of pubs have at least one gaming machine, with the total income from these machines equating to £622m per year.