Written questions by Onwurah.

What steps she plans to take to help tackle pavement parking in Newcastle upon Tyne.

The Department held a consultation on pavement parking in 2020 and has been considering all the views expressed in response to the consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible. In the meantime, Newcastle City Council can make use of existing powers to restrict and enforce pavement parking.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle health inequalities in the North East.

This government is working to stamp out this country’s stark health inequalities. The North East has had the lowest healthy life expectancy for over ten years, which is unacceptable.The Government has put tackling these inequalities at the heart of the 10 Year Plan. We will create a fairer Britain where everyone can access quality care, regardless of background, income or postcode.We are taking unprecedented action by diverting billions of pounds to working class communities that need it most – prioritising investment in towns with the greatest health needs.

What steps he is taking to improve care for people with arthritis.

Services for those with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, including arthritis, are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). The Department expects MSK services to be fully incorporated into integrated care system planning and decision-making.As announced in the Get Britain Working white paper, we are delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England Getting It Right First-Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. Launched in December 2024, with 17 ICBs selected in the first cohort, including the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB, GIRFT teams have deployed their proven Further Faster model to work with ICB leaders to reduce MSK community waiting times, including for those with arthritis, and improve data, metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services. The GIRFT programme is continuing to develop the approach to better enable integrated care systems to commission the delivery of high-quality MSK services in the community, which will benefit patients now and into the future.Our recently published 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these will help deliver improvements to arthritis care in all parts of the country.More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all support people to manage their long-term conditions, including arthritis, closer to home.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the 10 Year Health Plan supports people with (a) arthritis and (b) other long-term conditions.

The three shifts outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan will support people with long-term conditions, including those with arthritis, to better manage their condition and access services closer to home. For example, it will empower them to access their medical history and allow them to book and manage their appointments and medication.In addition, by 2028/29, neighbourhood health teams will be organised around the needs of their patients. The plan will create joined-up working across hospitals and into community settings with multi-disciplinary teams who can provide wrap-around support services.By 2030, one million patients with long-term conditions will be offered Personal Health Budgets, which will enable them to use National Health Service resources and determine the care that best suits their needs.Patients will be able to self-refer to services where clinically appropriate through the My Specialist section on the NHS App. This will accelerate their access to treatment and support. The NHS App will provide access to advice, guidance, self-care support, and appointment management. Patients will be able to manage their care in one place, giving them direct access to and preference over the services they need.As part of the NHS App, My Medicines will enable patients to manage their prescriptions, and My Health will enable patients to monitor their symptoms and bring all their data into one place.

If she will request that the Office for Budget Responsibility model an AI-accelerated productivity scenario alongside potential fiscal risks for (a) climate change, (b) demographic and (c) other trends.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the Government's official independent forecaster responsible for assessing the UK economic and fiscal outlook. All judgements underpinning these forecasts, including estimates of the impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI), are for the OBR and the OBR has discretion over the contents of its publications.

Whether her Department has issued guidance to the Office for Budget Responsibility on the potential inclusion of (a) technological disruption and (b) artificial intelligence in its long-term economic modelling.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the Government's official independent forecaster responsible for assessing the UK economic and fiscal outlook. All judgements underpinning these forecasts, including estimates of the impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI), are for the OBR and the OBR has discretion over the contents of its publications.

Media and Sport, what funding is available to support the refurbishment of (a) the Swing Bridge in Newcastle and (b) other British industrial heritage.

Newcastle’s Swing Bridge is a Scheduled Monument and Grade II* listed structure. Support for the refurbishment of the bridge and other industrial heritage may be available through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Arms-Length Bodies.Historic England, DCMS Arms-Length Body and government’s statutory adviser on the historic environment, also offers grants for the repair and conservation of historic buildings, monuments, and landscapes that are of national importance. Historic England is currently involved in ongoing discussions on restoring movement to the bridge and is supporting relevant stakeholders in its repair.The National Lottery Heritage Fund awards grants ranging from £10,000 up to £10 million for projects that conserve and enhance heritage, making it accessible to everyone. Last year it invested £330 million in the nation's heritage.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in employer National Insurance contributions on levels of youth employment in the North East.

A detailed assessment of the policy has been published by HMRC in their Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN). The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) also publishes Economic and Fiscal Outlooks (EFOs), which set out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances. With all policies considered, the OBR's March 2025 EFO forecasts the employment level to increase from 33.6 million in 2024 to 34.8 million in 2029. This Government is committed to providing young people with the best start to their working lives. We have committed to deliver a Youth Guarantee so that all 18 to 21-year-olds in England have access to education, training or help to find a job or an apprenticeship. The Government is also expanding Sector-based Work Academy Programmes to provide 100,000 places in 2025/26, providing a work placement, training and a guaranteed interview that can kickstart a new career and support young people into work.

Whether her Department has requested that the Office for Budget Responsibility assess the potential fiscal impacts of artificial intelligence.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the Government's official independent forecaster responsible for assessing the UK economic and fiscal outlook. All judgements underpinning these forecasts, including estimates of the impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI), are for the OBR and the OBR has discretion over the contents of its publications.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Safer Streets Summer Blitz on crime levels in Elswick.

The Safer Streets Summer Initiative will see a drive to reduce town centre criminality, shop theft, street crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) across England and Wales.Running from 30 June to the end of September, it is focused on preventing crime and ASB in town centres through visible policing and swift, meaningful consequences for offenders. Crucially, this is a partnership-led approach. Police and Crime Commissioners and Deputy Mayors have submitted delivery plans outlining how they will work with councils, schools, health services, businesses, transport providers, and community organisations to tackle ASB, retail crime, and street crime.We are monitoring activity monthly through national and local data to evidence outcomes of the Initiative. We will also be capturing local qualitative insights to understand progress and share learning across police forces and partners.Across Northumbria police force area there are seventeen locations taking part in the Safer Streets Summer Initiative, including Elswick.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the levels of resilience in the UK tax system of a shift from labour-intensive to capital-intensive economic models.

It is vital the tax system supports our growth mission. The Government is focused on unleashing the potential of people across all nations and regions of the UK, with an ambition of an 80 per cent employment rate. The Government continues to keep all elements of the tax system under review.

What steps her Department is taking to improve the (a) availability and (b) portability of (i) digital infrastructure and (ii) IT services at Jobcentre Plus locations, in the context of support for (A) staff and (B) public users in accessing jobs and careers services through (1) self-service technologies, (2) artificial intelligence, (3) employer suites, (4) self-service screens and (5) other portable access points.

We are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. Our vision is for a Jobs and Careers service where people can access support through the channels that best meet their needs – digital where possible, human when needed. We are testing a range of flexible and accessible delivery mechanisms. These include early assessment of user needs, determining the appropriate course of action; Self-service check-in stations; Strategically placed digital screens, displaying local job opportunities; A dedicated customer TechBar, providing digital support; Multifunctional Hubs, supported by conferencing functionality. We are also testing bringing our core services directly to communities to meet underserved groups using mobile vehicles and pop-ups. In addition to these wider digital changes are underway that will include the update and rollout of revised customer computer systems. Furthermore, dedicated funding has been earmarked to support wider proof of concept testing including In-person transcription and summarisation; Real time translation capabilities; Video-based access to providers/suppliers. The insight gained throughout these tests will help to shape our future service model.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the importance of industrial heritage to the culture of historically industrial (a) cities and (b) towns.

DCMS has not made a formal assessment of the importance of industrial heritage to the culture of historically industrial cities and towns. However, this government is dedicated to supporting Britain's industrial heritage. Historic England, the government's statutory adviser on the historic environment is funded by DCMS and is actively engaged in the protection, conservation, reuse and public presentation of England’s industrial heritage.As an example, many of Historic England's High Street Heritage Action Zones, funded by DCMS in 2019 -2024 has revitalised 67 historic high streets across England, and focused on industrial heritage, including the 200 year celebration of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Historic England’s Mills of the North project looks to promote textile mill reuse to provide much needed new homes, accommodate businesses and mixed uses playing a positive role in wider regeneration.Historic England recently acquired Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, a key Industrial Revolution site, and is undergoing a £28.4 million conservation project to bring it back into public use.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support Britain's industrial heritage.

DCMS has not made a formal assessment of the importance of industrial heritage to the culture of historically industrial cities and towns. However, this government is dedicated to supporting Britain's industrial heritage. Historic England, the government's statutory adviser on the historic environment is funded by DCMS and is actively engaged in the protection, conservation, reuse and public presentation of England’s industrial heritage.As an example, many of Historic England's High Street Heritage Action Zones, funded by DCMS in 2019 -2024 has revitalised 67 historic high streets across England, and focused on industrial heritage, including the 200 year celebration of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Historic England’s Mills of the North project looks to promote textile mill reuse to provide much needed new homes, accommodate businesses and mixed uses playing a positive role in wider regeneration.Historic England recently acquired Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, a key Industrial Revolution site, and is undergoing a £28.4 million conservation project to bring it back into public use.

How her Department plans to quantify the (a) costs and (b) savings associated with the adoption of artificial intelligence in (i) health, (ii) defence, (iii) education and (iv) other public services; and whether she considered including such an assessment in the recent Fiscal Risks and Sustainability report.

The government has committed to invest in upgrading essential digital infrastructure, modernise public services and drive a major overhaul in government productivity and efficiency by harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Spending Review 2025 sets out plans for a step change in investment in digital and AI across public services, including an uplift of £1.2 billion for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to drive forward cross-cutting digital and AI priorities.HM Treasury has not made a central assessment of AI adoption costs and savings in each public service area. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) provides independent analysis of the UK's public finances and publishes the Fiscal Risk and Sustainability Report and, as such, determine the scope and details within the report. The OBR has full discretion over the judgements underpinning their forecasts.

Media and Sport, how many full-time equivalent staff in her Department are working on (a) promoting and (b) preserving Britain's industrial heritage; and if she will make it her policy to publish a strategy on the restoration of industrial heritage.

Historic England, the government's statutory adviser on the historic environment, is responsible for managing and protecting heritage, including industrial heritage, across the country. As well as funding Historic England, the government announced new, additional funding for heritage in 2025/26 - £15m for the Heritage At Risk fund and £4.85m for the Heritage Revival Fund.Within the Department for Culture Media and Sport, there is a small team that oversees Historic England, a team delivering heritage policy, and the designation of listed buildings and monuments. There are no current plans to publish a strategy on the restoration of industrial heritage but for all these workstands, industrial heritage is an important part of what they do and we will look at what more we can do to preserve and restore significant sites and structures.

Whether her Department's long-term fiscal modelling includes assumptions on the potential impact of artificial intelligence on levels of productivity.

The OBR is the government's official forecaster and is responsible for assessing the UK’s economic and fiscal outlook. Its annual publication of its Fiscal Risks and Sustainability (FRS) report includes biennial long-term projections and analysis of major potential fiscal risks. The OBR includes a long-run productivity assumption in its forecasts. In its July 2025 long-run report, it noted that if productivity grows faster than expected it could significantly improve the outlook for the public finances. One driver for stronger-than expected productivity growth is the rapid development and spread of artificial intelligence. However, the magnitude and timing of the potential boost to productivity remains highly uncertain.

Whether her Department has produced internal modelling on the potential fiscal impacts of artificial intelligence.

The OBR is the government's official forecaster and is responsible for assessing the UK’s economic and fiscal outlook. Its annual publication of its Fiscal Risks and Sustainability (FRS) report includes biennial long-term projections and analysis of major potential fiscal risks. The OBR includes a long-run productivity assumption in its forecasts. In its July 2025 long-run report, it noted that if productivity grows faster than expected it could significantly improve the outlook for the public finances. One driver for stronger-than expected productivity growth is the rapid development and spread of artificial intelligence. However, the magnitude and timing of the potential boost to productivity remains highly uncertain.

What assessment he has made of the potential (a) financial and (b) clinical impact of the Zimmer Biomet NexGen Legacy Posterior Stabilized (LPS) knee replacement system on the NHS.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a field safety notice (FSN) in December 2022 about some devices in the NexGen family of knee implants. The FSN was issued following notification by the National Joint Registry (NJR) Implant Scrutiny Committee in 2021.The NexGen Stemmed Option Tibial Component was removed from the market because of that notice, although only use in combination with LPS Flex or LPS Flex GSF femoral components demonstrated higher revision rates, and only patients receiving the combination of devices were recommended to be reviewed.As is standard with joint replacement FSNs, the NJR supplied hospitals with a list of all the patients who had this combination implant and were still alive and had not already had a revision procedure. This represented 9,125 cases from 102 hospitals. This all happened within 48 hours of the FSN being issued. For context, 11,965 of these were implanted if patients who had died or been revised were included.In terms of the clinical impact, the NJR had first been asked to investigate use of high flex NexGen knees by a surgeon in 2014. Although the data did not meet the outlier threshold at that time, NJR did inform the MHRA because there appeared to be a particular mechanism of failure with these devices, namely tibial loosening. The MHRA followed its standard process of discussing the concerns with the manufacturer and the matter was closed since the data did not demonstrate a case to answer. NJR reported this again in 2021, by which time the data was more robust and the signal was stronger.At the time for an implant to be rated 10A, which is a measure of implant success, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), a failure rate of 10% at 10 years was used. This has recently been changed to a failure rate of 5% at 10 years.The failure rate of this implant combination at 10 years is 7%, which is still under the 10% threshold advocated by NICE. It is important that these patients remain under clinical and radiological review.NJR has made no assessment of the financial impact of the NexGen family of knee implants.

What assessment he has made of the potential economic impact of the UK-US trade deal on businesses in the North East.

The Prime Minister, Business Secretary and other Ministers across government have been engaging widely on the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD) with business organisations and companies from across the economy, including in the North East.This deal protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK and almost 26,000 people in the North East in particular. The EPD provides much needed certainty and confidence, which is crucial for supporting a robust UK supply chain in these industries