Written questions by Cane.

What steps she is taking to tackle backlogs in the courts.

Criminal Courts We remain committed to bearing down on the outstanding caseload and delivering swifter justice for victims, but the challenge we face to do so is significant.The Government has taken action to reduce the rate of caseload growth, through extending magistrates’ court sentencing powers to 12 months and funding 108,500 days at the Crown Court this financial year (FY24/25), the highest level since FY15/16.  To tackle the outstanding caseload in the longer term it is clear that we must go further and do things differently. The Lord Chancellor has commissioned an independent review of the criminal courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to consider the merits of longer-term reform, as well as reviewing the efficiency and timeliness of court processes, through charge to case completion. Family Courts Delays in the court process can have a significant impact on children and families - we are committed to improving timeliness and reducing the outstanding caseload.The Family Justice Board agreed system-wide targets for reducing delay in 2024/25. These are focused on closing the longest running cases and increasing the proportion of public law cases concluded within the statutory 26-week timeframe.  Areas delivering the Pathfinder model for private law are making significant progress in addressing delays, with some of the lowest case durations nationally. To address the particular challenges in London, we are investing up to £1 million this financial year to tackle the outstanding private law caseload through providing additional capacity.

What steps her Department is taking to support the mental health and well-being of school students.

This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to high and rising standards in schools and breaking down barriers to opportunity, helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education. That is why the department has committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. We will also be putting in place new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults. Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) continue to roll out in schools and colleges across the country. As of April 2024, MHSTs covered 44% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England. MHSTs are expected to cover at least 50% of pupils by the end of March 2025. The department has also provided a resource hub for mental health leads signposting practical resources and tools to embed effective whole-school approaches. To further help schools identify and embed the most effective targeted support options for their setting, we also launched a targeted mental wellbeing toolkit. This practical guide and tool covers a range of evidence-based interventions.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure access to high-quality local journalism.

Sustainability of high-quality local journalism is a priority for this Government.We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level. This means reporting on the issues that matter to communities, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story.We are working across Government and with other stakeholders as the Strategy develops and will announce further details in due course.

What steps she is taking with the police to help tackle burglaries.

We recognise the profound impact burglary can have on individuals and the wider community. For too long a culture has been allowed to develop whereby victims of burglary believe if they report what has happened, no one will come and nothing will be done. We will tackle this perception through our Safer Streets Mission and our commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing and restore confidence in policing.This is why we have been clear that, when someone calls the police, they should come; and when a person reports a crime it should be properly investigated no matter who they are, or where they live.We welcome the police's commitment across England and Wales to attending the scene of every home burglary, and the specific College of Policing good practice guidance on conducting residential burglary investigations; setting the standard for the entire investigation, not just initial attendance, including victim care. More information is available at: https://www.college.police.uk/guidance/residential-burglary.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve local government support for arts and culture.

Local authorities play a vital role in supporting the arts and cultural institutions, but they operate independently of central government. Ministers have no remit to intervene in the day to day affairs and decisions of local authorities, except where specific provision has been made in legislation.The government is already taking action via the provisional 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement to begin addressing the significant challenges facing local government. Over £4 billion in additional funding for local government services was announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, including £1.3 billion which will go through the Settlement.The government has also provided funding to local authorities to strengthen their arts, cultural, heritage, and visitor economy provision through programmes such as the Cultural Development Fund, the Museum and Estate Development Fund, and High Streets Heritage Action Zones.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure that new housing developments have adequate access to primary health services.

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner.Local development plans should address needs and opportunities in relation to infrastructure and identify what infrastructure is required and how it can be funded and brought forward. When preparing a Local Plan, Planning Practice Guidance recommends that local planning authorities use available evidence of infrastructure requirements to prepare an Infrastructure Funding Statement. Such Statements can be used to demonstrate the delivery of infrastructure throughout the plan-period.The government provides financial support for essential infrastructure in areas of greatest housing demand through Land and Infrastructure funding programmes, such as the Housing Infrastructure Fund.The changes to the National Planning Policy Framework announced on 12 December will support the increased provision and modernisation of various types of public infrastructure, including health infrastructure.The government is also committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the number of (a) suspensions and (b) exclusions of pupils with SEND.

Schools can use sanctions as a measure to improve behaviour and, in the most serious cases, exclusion may be necessary to protect other pupils and staff from disruption and restore a safe, calm learning environment. The government supports headteachers in taking these difficult decisions. This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision (AP) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs. We want to reduce numbers of preventable exclusions, including by using the expertise of AP schools. The statutory ‘Suspension and permanent exclusion’ guidance is clear that, in all cases, school leaders should consider early intervention strategies to address the underlying causes or contributing factors of a pupil’s disruptive behaviour before issuing an exclusion. This includes situations where a pupil has SEND. Schools should also consider using a multi-agency assessment for pupils who display persistent disruptive behaviour, which could include those with unidentified SEND. Schools should arrange such assessments when concerns arise, rather than waiting for a specific trigger.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for further education.

This government is committed to driving economic growth and supporting opportunity for all. To help achieve these missions we announced £300 million in the 2025/26 financial year for further education (FE) at the Budget. We also announced £300 million of new capital funding for 2025/26 to support FE colleges to maintain, improve and ensure suitability of their estate.FE funding, including its adequacy, will be considered as part of the multi-year spending review which will take place later this year.

What fiscal steps she is taking to support family farmers.

The Government is investing £5bn across this year and next to support the transition to a more sustainable and productive sector which will help ensure its long-term profitability. This includes a £60m payment to help farmers deal with the devastating impact flooding has had across the country.

What assessment she has made of the increase in the rate of employers' National Insurance contributions on trends in the level of economic growth.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer; the economic impacts of the policy; and the impacts on individuals, businesses, civil society organisations and an overview of the equality impacts. The Office for Budget Responsibility also published the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO), which sets out in detail their assessment of the impact of the policy on the economy and public finances.

Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of artificial intelligence on intellectual property rights.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is central to the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth. The AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out how we will lay the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability.The Intellectual Property Office identified copyright, digital replicas, and computer-generated works as potential high-impact areas. The Government is consulting to gather evidence of the impact of AI to inform future policy development.We are looking at the broader IP system to ensure it supports the AI sector, while continuing to protect the UK’s strengths in traditional innovation and creativity.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of bus services in rural areas.

Good local bus services have an essential role to play in keeping rural communities connected. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them, including in rural areas. The government has committed to increasing accountability by including a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help SMEs adopt digital technology.

The SME Digital Adoption Taskforce led by Phil Smith and reporting to DBT is looking specifically at SMEs adopting technology. They are working towards their interim report. The National Technology Adviser and Government Chief Scientific Adviser are running an official Government review reporting to the Chancellor, DBT SoS and DSIT SoS that identifies barriers that businesses within the Industrial Strategy’s 8 growth sectors face when adopting established and novel technologies. This is then related to productivity and growth of the economy. It is building on existing analysis, industry insights and other government reviews and workstreams. Recommendations will feed directly into Industrial Strategy work.

What steps she is taking to help increase the availability of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund is providing local authorities in England with over £380m to support the installation of tens of thousands of public chargepoints. As well as significant funding, the Government continues to make it easier, quicker and cheaper to install chargepoints. In December, the Government announced that it will make changes to planning legislation to facilitate off-street chargepoint installations and to allow the use of street works permits for quicker charger deployment. The Government also published guidance to help local authorities with cross-pavement charging solutions and the results of a review to address common issues around EV infrastructure and grid connections.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the bus fare cap on trends in the level of bus users.

The government is investing over £150 million to deliver the new £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January until 31 December 2025. Under the plans of the previous administration, the £2 cap on bus fares had been due to expire on 31 December 2024, and prior to the Budget, there was no further funding available to maintain a cap on bus fares beyond this point. The published interim evaluation of the £2 fare cap showed that patronage continued to recover following the COVID 19 pandemic and early evidence from the first two months of the scheme suggested the £2 fare cap may have played a role in this recovery. The final evaluation of the £2 fare cap, including a further assessment of its impact on patronage will be published in due course.

What steps his Department plans to take to improve access to mental health services.

Too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are too long. As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, we will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across children and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment.We will also provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school and roll out Young Futures Hubs in every community.

What recent steps he has taken to reduce waiting times for cancer treatment.

We know that patients are waiting too long for cancer treatment, and we will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer on time or earlier, treating it faster, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system.As we set out in our new plan for reforming elective care, we are committed to improving performance on cancer waiting times. Further details will be set out in a dedicated national cancer plan and the NHS’s annual operational planning guidance.

What steps his Department is taking to support community pharmacies.

Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better using the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists as part of the shift from hospital to community and from treatment to prevention. Now that the budget for Government has been set, we will shortly be resuming our consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding the funding arrangements for community pharmacy.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of rural broadband coverage.

According to Ofcom’s December 2024 Connected Nations report, just 0.1% of properties are unable to get decent broadband coverage (defined as at least 10 Mbps download speed and 1 Mbps upload speed), with 89% of rural UK residential properties having superfast broadband coverage (>=30 Mbps). Clearly this still leaves a significant number of rural properties with inadequate broadband coverage.Through Project Gigabit, more than £2 billion of contracts have been signed to connect over a million more premises with gigabit-capable broadband (>1000 Mbps). These premises predominantly fall in rural areas.For those premises still unable to get a decent broadband connection, the Broadband USO provides consumers the right to request a decent broadband connection.

What steps she is taking to increase access to rail links in rural communities.

Rail has an important role in connecting rural communities as part of the wider transport system. The department requires its train operators to plan services and rail timetables that are designed to meet expected passenger demand. These should be resilient and provide value for money for the taxpayer. These timetables are kept under review and, where appropriate, adjusted to reflect fluctuations in demand.