Written questions by Coghlan.

Whether she has considered the merits of expanding the functions of the Public Guardian to include responsibility for appropriate discharge of mental capacity assessments.

The Ministry of Justice has responsibility for the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005, which provides a framework for making decisions on behalf of adults who are unable to do so for themselves. The statutory Code of Practice issued under the Act provides guidance to practitioners on the conduct of capacity assessments in keeping with the principles of the MCA.The Public Guardian is the statutory office holder created by the Act whose core functions relate primarily to registering lasting powers of attorney and supervising court appointed deputies. We have no current plans to expand these functions.

What his Department's planned timetable is for its public consultation on the application of mental capacity law.

On 4 June 2025, I wrote to Fiona Laskaris and the Hon. Member for Dorking and Horley, Chris Coghlan MP to confirm my commitment to review the full range of policy and legislative levers in relation to the practical application of mental capacity law. This important work requires careful consideration. The most recent meeting with officials was on 17 June, and we will set out our plans in due course.

With reference to his letter to the hon. Member for Dorking and Horley, dated 4 June 2025, if he will set out the legislative vehicles his Department are considering to address the identified shortcomings in mental capacity law.

On 4 June 2025, I wrote to Fiona Laskaris and the Hon. Member for Dorking and Horley, Chris Coghlan MP to confirm my commitment to review the full range of policy and legislative levers in relation to the practical application of mental capacity law. This important work requires careful consideration. The most recent meeting with officials was on 17 June, and we will set out our plans in due course.

What oversight exists to (a) monitor and (b) audit legal expenditure by NHS Trusts in Employment Tribunal cases.

Neither the Department nor NHS England monitor or audit legal expenditure by National Health Service trusts in Employment tribunal cases. NHS trusts are responsible for overseeing their own Employment Tribunal cases, which would include monitoring and auditing the legal expenditure. Legal expenditure in Employment Tribunal cases may however be subject to financial audit scrutiny by the NHS trusts’ external auditors, subject to local audit materiality.

If he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of not including prostate cancer referral guidance for asymptomatic men in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines on prostate cancer relate to symptomatic patients. Guidance on prostate cancer referral for asymptomatic men can be found in the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prostate-cancer-risk-management-programme-overviewNICE guidelines do not provide guidance on screening of asymptomatic people which is the responsibility of the UK National Screening Committee.

Whether she plans to create national guidelines for preventing adult grooming.

The Government is taking a range of actions to prevent the grooming and exploitation of vulnerable adults.To tackle criminal exploitation, we are introducing a new cuckooing offence in the Crime and Policing Bill to target criminals who groom and exploit vulnerable people in order to take over their homes for criminal purposes. We are also introducing a new offence of coerced internal concealment to address the appalling practice whereby criminals exploit children and vulnerable adults to cause them to internally conceal items such as drugs for criminal purposes. Both offences will be supported by statutory guidance for police as well as non-statutory multi-agency guidance which will include information on preventative action to protect those at risk of these terrible forms of adult grooming and exploitation.In terms of adult grooming for sexual exploitation, we are working closely with police and others to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through law enforcement operational intensifications aimed at tackling modern slavery threats and targeting prolific perpetrators.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the Circular Economy Taskforce helps to encourage people to repair and reuse.

This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. We have convened the Circular Economy Taskforce, comprising experts from industry, academia, and civil society, to help develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. The strategy will be accompanied by a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the government and others will make on a sector-by-sector basis. Defra recognises that repair and reuse are fundamental tenets of any circular economy, and a successful transition aims to eliminate waste and promote sustainability through reuse and resource efficiency. The Circular Economy Taskforce will consider the evidence for appropriate action right across the economy throughout the development of the Strategy.

If she will make it her policy to publish her Department's assessment of the potential impact of the expansion of Gatwick Airport on the area within a 50 mile radius before a decision on whether to expand that airport is made.

As this is live planning application that is yet to be decided, unfortunately I cannot comment in detail at this time. The Secretary of State will assess all evidence provided to her by the applicant, the Examining Authority, and any parties who chose to make written representations regarding relevant Government policy, and once the decision is made, the decision letter will set out the full rationale.

What estimate she has made of the potential impact of airspace modernisation on the number of people experiencing noise above (a) the lowest observed adverse effect level and (b) the significant adverse observed effect level.

One of the key benefits of Airspace Modernisation is the potential to reduce the overall noise experienced by individuals and communities, through the introduction of new airspace structures and procedures which are more efficient and more environmentally friendly. The precise level of noise experienced by individuals and communities will always depend on the specific airspace change proposals for each airport. The Civil Aviation Authority’s airspace change process (CAP1616) sets out the detailed process airport sponsors must follow in relation to noise implications, including the requirement to consult with communities who could be directly affected by any change.

If she will create standardised national aviation noise metrics for use in planning processes.

The Government expects airports to explain their noise impacts through the use of appropriate metrics. Average noise exposure contours for day and night are the most established measure which show noise impacts around airports. The Government also encourages airport operators to use alternative measures which better reflect how aircraft noise is experienced in different localities.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Gatwick airport expansion on local house prices.

MHCLG Ministers cannot comment on live planning applications due to their quasi-judicial role in the planning system.All information provided to the Secretary of State for Transport by the applicant, the Examining Authority, and any parties who chose to make written representations in relation to the application in question is available on the Planning Inspectorate website.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) collating and (b) publishing NHS tribunal data.

This information is not held centrally by the Department or NHS England. There are currently no plans for an analysis of the potential merits of collating and publishing National Health Service tribunal data.

What his planned timetable is for completion of the TRANSFORM trial into prostate cancer screening.

The TRANSFORM study, funded in partnership with Prostate Cancer UK, will look at new ways of screening for prostate cancer, and will include a national randomised control trial that will provide the definitive data for policymakers to decide on whether screening for prostate cancer should be recommended. The study is broken down into three phases: Phase 1, between 2025 and 2027; Phase 2, between 2028 and 2033; and Phase 3, between 2034 and 2043.Phase 1 is focusing on making the trial run smoothly, testing a number of different possible screening approaches, and also determining the best way to engage men in the community to take part in the study. Critically, it is also determining the best form of randomisation to carry out. Recruitment for phase one is currently open.Phase 2 will take forward the most robust randomisation strategy and the most promising screening approach or approaches with tens of thousands of consenting participants, in order to prove that these new screening strategies are beneficial.Phase 3 will involve monitoring the trial participants over the following 10 years to determine the long-term impact of screening on rates of disease progression and survival.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) establishing an NHS information campaign to raise awareness of prostate cancer referral routes for GPs and (b) issuing specific guidance to GPs on informing patients about the (i) NICE and (ii) PCRMP referral routes.

The Government takes the management of the risk of prostate cancer seriously. Too many men are waiting too long for diagnosis and treatment, and this must change. We have asked the UK National Screening Committee to look at the evidence for screening for prostate cancer and we will await their findings before making an evidence-based decision.A public awareness campaign at this stage would not be appropriate. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance relates to symptomatic patients, while the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme is guidance for general practitioners (GPs) on how to counsel non-symptomatic men about the risks associated with using the current best test for prostate cancer, because of its lack of accuracy. Before we direct asymptomatic individuals to GPs, we need a better test, and that is why the Government has invested £16 million into the TRANSFORM trial, which is looking for more effective ways of accurately detecting prostate cancer.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of producing a national strategy to help improve (a) access to and (b) the quality of eating disorder services.

NHS England is currently refreshing guidance on children and young people's eating disorders. The refreshed guidance will highlight the importance of awareness and early recognition of eating disorders within schools, colleges, primary care, and broader children and young peoples’ mental health services.The Government is currently developing the 10-Year Health Plan, which will consider the views of a wide range of stakeholders, including those with lived experience of eating disorders. The consultation process has provided invaluable feedback, and we are in the process of exploring how we best take this forward.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of further regulation of funds by (a) developers and (b) building owners for leaseholders.

The government intends to act quickly to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes by implementing the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.This includes measures designed to drive up the transparency of service charges to make them more easily challengeable if leaseholders consider them to be unreasonable.Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement published on Thursday 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 April to Question 4096, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Financial Conduct Authority’s response to the Financial Regulators Complaints Commissioner's final report, published on 11 March 2025 stating that compensatory payment to the customers of Safe Hands Plans Limited will not be offered.

I refer the honorable member to my response to UIN 40961.

If he will meet the honourable Member for Dorking and Horley to discuss his proposed amendment to the Mental Health Bill.

I would be happy to meet with the Hon. Member to discuss his proposed amendment to the Mental Health Bill. My Private Office will be in touch with him shortly to make the arrangements.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of implementing face-to-face Personal Independence Payment assessments.

Since July 2024, there has been no change in policy regarding assessing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims remotely. We remain committed to enabling a multi-channel assessment approach, but as announced in Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, we will be carrying out more face-to-face assessments. As part of the Functional Assessment Service (FAS) process, the feasibility of a paper-based assessment will always be considered in the first instance, for all cases. Where a paper-based review is not possible the claimant will be invited to an assessment. Before an invitation to an assessment is sent, consideration will be given to claimants who need a specific assessment channel due to their health condition or circumstances. Other claimants who can undertake any assessment type will be allocated to the next available appointment; however, this can be changed if the claimant informs us that a reasonable adjustment is appropriate in their circumstances. The department audits FAS suppliers to ensure that the correct PIP assessment channel type has been selected for the claimant. This provides assurance that claimants are routed to the most appropriate assessment type.

What steps her Department has taken to reduce waiting times for Access to Work applications.

Demand for the Access to Work Scheme has been growing. In 2023-2024, 67,720 people were approved for Access to Work provision. This is around a 32% increase compared to the previous year. Alongside this, there is a significant delay in processing Access to Work applications. As of February 2025, there were 62,000 applications outstanding. We are committed to reducing waiting times for Access to Work. We have streamlined delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. We will also consider further changes within the existing policy framework to reduce waiting times. In March 2025, the department published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, which consults on the future of Access to Work. The backlog, coupled with significant increases in expenditure in recent years requires us to consider how resources should be best directed to ensure the service is sustainable.