Written questions by Gelderd.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the 10% commission charge on the sale of park homes on (a) elderly and (b) vulnerable residents.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 69040 on 24 July 2025.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that data collected by third party providers who verify age under the Online Safety Act 2023 is stored securely.

The Online Safety Act requires providers to protect users’ right to privacy when implementing age assurance. UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act requires data to be processed fairly, lawfully, and transparently. Where Ofcom is concerned that a provider has not complied it may refer the matter to the ICO.Under the Act, regulated services that are likely to be accessed by children must implement highly effective age assurance to prevent exposure to harmful content. There are cost-effective compliant methods available.Highly effective age assurance must be robust, and services must take appropriate steps to mitigate against circumvention.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to (a) reform and (b) remove the 10% commission charge on the sale of park homes.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 69040 on 24 July 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the annual income to site owners generated by the 10% commission on park home sales.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 69040 on 24 July 2025.

Whether he plans to introduce (a) additional funding and (b) policy changes to expand (i) therapeutic and (ii) foster care options for young people over 16.

The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever and giving mental health the same importance as physical health.The Department of Health and Social Care set out in the 10-Year Health Plan how we will work to better identify and meet children's and young people’s mental health needs. We will continue to roll out Mental Health Support Teams to schools and colleges in England, to reach full national coverage by 2029/30.The Department for Education has announced £25 million in transformation funding to recruit hundreds more new foster families and strengthen support to retain existing carers to improve the life chances of thousands of children. This will ensure that children in foster care experience greater stability. This is additional to the £15 million announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, which aims to recruit more foster carers. This will include foster care recruitment for older children and those with more complex needs.The 2025 Spending Review also included capital funding to provide more foster care placements, by renovating and extending foster care homes.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of awarding Qualified Teacher Status to PhD holders without requiring completion of a Postgraduate Certificate in Education.

Qualified teacher status (QTS) is the professional qualification for teachers in primary and secondary schools. Having a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) is not required to become a qualified teacher but many Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses also offer an academic award such as a PGCE.QTS is usually achieved following successful completion of an ITT Course. All ITT courses leading to QTS must incorporate the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework in full. This framework is underpinned by the best independently verified evidence about what makes great teaching.To achieve QTS, individuals must demonstrate all Teachers’ Standards. Subject expertise is a critical part of great teaching, but teachers also need to understand how children learn; how to plan a curriculum and structure lessons; how to adapt their teaching to the needs of the children in their classes, including those with special educational needs; and how to manage behaviour effectively.Evidence shows that high-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor that improves outcomes for children, which is why we think it is right that only teachers who have met the Teachers’ Standards are awarded QTS.

Foot and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of compliance with conservation obligations on scheduled monuments located within agricultural land; and what steps he is taking to ensure that land management practices are compatible with heritage protection legislation.

Scheduled Monuments are protected via the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. Since 2013, positive management of Scheduled Monuments located within agricultural land, promoted through Defra’s agri-environment schemes, has helped to remove approximately 700 from Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register. Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier has measures to support such practices, further information is available at Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) - GOV.UK.

If she will (a) publish in full the final version of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s updated Code of Practice before it is laid for approval and (b) allow parliamentary debate on the Code’s provisions prior to ministerial sign-off.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has revised its Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations following the six week consultation and submitted it to the Minister for Women and Equalities. The Parliamentary process for laying the Code in Parliament is set out in the Equality Act 2006. The Government will consider the draft updated Code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, the minister will lay it before Parliament. Parliament will then have a 40 day period to consider the Code at which point it will be published.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of facilities in public disabled toilets to meet the needs of stoma care users.

The Government oversees policy and legislation with respect to the safe management of waste and litter as well as the protection of drains and sewers. This however does not extend to compelling or explicitly encouraging local authorities with regard to types of waste receptacles or their placement. These decisions are for local authorities to make.

Communities and Local Government, if he will take legislative steps to require (a) fold-down shelves and (b) appropriate sanitary disposal bins for stoma bags in all newly (i) installed and (ii) refurbished disabled toilet cubicles.

All building works need to meet the functional requirements of the Building Regulations 2010, including Part M on accessibility. Approved Document M, which provides guidance to support compliance with the requirements of Part M in common building situations, states that consideration should be given to installing a shelf and a sanitary disposal unit in wheelchair accessible toilets. The Building Regulations apply to new building work or where existing buildings are undergoing a material redesign or refurbishment, and they do not apply retrospectively. Additionally, the Building Regulations do not extend to the management of sanitary bins for buildings in use, which is the responsibility of building owners.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent the spread of (a) bee pests and (b) diseases linked to the importation of non-native honey bee strains.

Apis mellifera also known as the Western honey bee is native to Europe. All consignments of honey bees (Apis mellifera) imported into the UK must be accompanied by health certificates confirming that the area the bees originated from is free of certain pests and diseases. The health certificate must be issued no more than 24 hours prior to dispatch and the certifying officer must also confirm that a pre-export inspection took place.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that public heritage bodies reflect and respect (a) cultural and (b) national differences when (i) promoting and (ii) interpreting historic sites in Cornwall.

This government recognises the importance of respecting and recognising cultural and national differences and ensuring that the heritage that reflects this is celebrated. Historic England, as the government's advisor, partners closely with Cornwall Council. They are part of Bord Ertach Kernow, helping shape and deliver Cornwall's Historic Environment Strategy, and part-funded the Distinctiveness Study highlighting Cornish culture's role in local heritage. They are also actively involved in groups promoting Cornish language use and cultural engagement. Since 1994, the National Lottery Heritage Fund has invested over £134 million in 848 Cornish projects, including the £2.4 million Tamar Landscape Partnership. These projects celebrate Cornwall's unique culture and history, and the Heritage Fund specifically supports the use and translation of Cornish language in project materials. English Heritage Trust actively incorporates the Cornish language at its sites in Cornwall, following Council guidance for signage, interpretation, and educational resources, thereby supporting the language's preservation and awareness.

Whether her Department plans to include Cornish language on trunk road signage at major entry points into Cornwall.

The Department has no current plans to authorise the use of Cornish language signs on trunk roads at entry points into Cornwall or on traffic signs within Cornwall. Even if local authorities believe they have an exceptional need to translate English traffic signs into other languages, there is no provision for this in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD).

What assessment he has made of the (a) travel distances and (b) levels of public transport in (i) site planning and (ii) service design for neighbourhood health centres in rural areas; and what his timeline is for the rollout of those centres.

The Government aims to establish a Neighbourhood Health Centre in every community by 2035. Neighbourhood Health Centres will provide easier, more convenient access to a full range of healthcare services.Nationwide coverage will take time, but we will start in the areas of greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowest, including rural towns and communities with higher deprivation levels, using public capital to update and refurbish existing, under-used buildings.We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, services will look different in rural communities, coastal towns, and deprived inner cities, to reflect local needs.On 21 July 2025, I wrote to Members of Parliament highlighting that the Department and NHS England have written to integrated care boards and local authorities to invite applications to participate in the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme, to establish a Neighbourhood Health Centre delivery pipeline.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) native and (b) varroa-tolerant bee breeding programmes in England.

Developing varroa-tolerant bees through selective breeding is likely to be very difficult as it requires geographic isolation or artificial insemination to preserve the resistance traits being selected for, as well as large numbers of colonies to ensure that the resulting strains maintain good genetic diversity. There is advice for beekeepers about how to manage Varroa and queen rearing on BeeBase, the website managed by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve bilingual provision in (a) Cornish and (b) English in agricultural (i) guidance and (ii) communications for farmers in Cornwall.

Cornish is not currently a legally recognised formal language under UK law. Any translations or bilingual materials would be a matter of voluntary policy or local practice. Language service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers while maintaining high standards of service delivery.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Sheep Carcase (Classification and Price Reporting) (England) Regulations 2025 on (a) small-scale and (b) hill farmers in South East Cornwall constituency.

The Department has made no specific assessment of the impact of the Sheep Carcase (Classification and Price Reporting) (England) Regulations 2025 on small scale and hill farmers in South East Cornwall. The mandating of sheep carcase classification and price reporting will create a more transparent, productive and efficient sheep market across the UK. It will encourage producers to improve productivity and to rear sheep to better meet market specifications and consumer demand, bringing the sector in line with the beef and pig sectors. Carcases will be assessed against a consistent grading and pricing system rewarding producers for the quality of lambs being sent for slaughter. The regulations will be applicable to abattoirs with a throughput of at least 2,000 sheep per week. Abattoirs processing 1,000 to 1999 sheep per week are able to opt into the mandatory scheme. The weekly throughput of 2,000 sheep per week will exempt smaller abattoirs from the scheme so that we do not place additional regulatory and administrative burdens on them.

What steps he is taking to help increase the use of the Cornish language on (a) transport routes and (b) signage within Cornwall.

The Department has no current plans to authorise the use of Cornish language signs on trunk roads at entry points into Cornwall or on traffic signs within Cornwall. Even if local authorities believe they have an exceptional need to translate English traffic signs into other languages, there is no provision for this in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD).

Whether her Department plans to take steps to support the use of the Cornish language on official documents.

The UK Government recognises Cornish as a minority language under Part II of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.There are no statutory requirements for the Home Office to provide official documents in Cornish. Responsibility for promoting and supporting the Cornish language sits with Cornwall Council, with UK-wide policy oversight led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the inclusion of women and girls in the development of global climate resilience (a) policies and (b) programmes.

To ensure gender equality and inclusion characteristics are a key part of UK International Climate Finance (ICF) funded programmes including on resilience, in May 2025 we published Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Guidance for ICF delivery partners. The guidance provides a common framework to integrate gender equality, disability and social inclusion into ICF programme design and delivery and outlines minimum standards and ambitions on GEDSI. The guidance supports our ambition to ensure all new ICF programmes are designed to be 'GEDSI empowering', delivering positive and equitable outcomes for all people.