Written questions by Paffey.

What assessment he has made of (a) the potential merits of adding fluoride to drinking water and (b) the potential impact of this on oral health for children.

Water fluoridation is an evidence based, effective public health intervention for improving the oral health of children and adults. The 2022 Health Monitoring Report showed that five-year-olds were less likely to experience dental caries, and less likely to experience caries of high severity, in areas with a fluoridation scheme. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-fluoridation-health-monitoring-report-for-england-2022The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our plans to expand water fluoridation in the north east of England by 2030, and that we will assess further rollout in areas where oral health outcomes are worst.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of using (a) no-deposit and (b) deposit alternative schemes in the private rented sector on tenants; and what plans she has to ensure tenants are protected from costs associated with those schemes.

The government is aware of the issues raised in 2023 by the Competition and Markets Authority in relation to deposit products.While my Department has not conducted a detailed assessment of ‘zero-deposit’ or ‘deposit alternative’ products, we continue to monitor their impact on private rented sector tenants.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is responsible for the Tenancy Deposit Protection system, managing the six contracts which deliver the government-arranged schemes that protect tenants' deposits.As part of the upcoming re-procurement of these contracts we are reviewing the current tenancy deposit system and will explore what improvements can be made to ensure the best possible protection for tenants.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the role of the mitigation hierarchy of (a) avoidance, (b) mitigation and (c) compensation in ensuring ecological protections (i) during the planning process and (ii) following the approval of new developments.

The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that when determining planning applications, local planning authorities should apply the principle that if significant harm to biodiversity resulting from a development cannot be avoided, adequately mitigated, or, as a last resort, compensated for, then planning permission should be refused.Any mitigation or compensation would be set out in the planning conditions and obligations associated with the planning permission, enabling local planning authorities to monitor the development's implementation and, if necessary, take enforcement action.

What steps his Department plans to take with the Department for Education to monitor the potential impact of the (a) expansion of free school meal eligibility and (b) changes to School Food Standards on children's health.

Free school meals offer a critical nutritional safety net to those children who require it most. Expanding the eligibility criteria to all families in receipt of universal credit will provide 500,000 more children with access to a nutritious lunchtime meal each school day from September 2026. The Government is now considering how best to monitor the impact of the expansion of free school meal eligibility and the update the School Food Standards on child health.

What proportion of eligible families were in receipt of Healthy Start in Southampton Itchen constituency on 9 June 2025.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at the following link:https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/The NHSBSA does not hold data on the number of families receiving Healthy Start and does not currently hold data on the number of people eligible for Healthy Start. The NHSBSA does not hold data on local constituencies. The table below shows the number of people on the digital scheme in the relevant local authorities as of 23 May 2025:Local authorityNumber of people on the digital schemeBlackpool1,434City of Bristol2,778County of Herefordshire736Southampton1,677Worthing348Brighton and Hove1,041East Suffolk1,129

If she will change the ownership arrangements for equipment funded through the Access to Work scheme to allow disabled employees to retain their assistive technology when they change or leave employment.

In March 2025, the Department published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, which is consulting on the future of Access to Work. We are also considering the role of employers in creating accessible and inclusive workplaces as well as how we can shape the market for aids, appliances and assistive technology, to reduce their cost and spread their adoption. We will review all aspects of the Scheme following the conclusion of the consultation on the 30th June and encourage people to have their views and voices heard on how they think the programme and the welfare system could be improved.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that wheelchair users have reliable access to priority spaces on buses.

The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) require buses and coaches designed to carry over twenty-two passengers and used on local and scheduled services to incorporate features to support disabled people to travel safely and in reasonable comfort. This includes provision of a wheelchair space and lift or ramp suitable for a passenger using a standard “reference wheelchair”. We know that wheelchair users are sometimes unable to board a bus because the statutory wheelchair space is already occupied, and we welcome efforts by operators to relieve pressure on it, including through dedicated announcements and signage, the provision of taxi guarantee schemes, and by incorporating a second wheelchair space into vehicle designs. We want disabled people to be able to travel easily, confidently and with dignity, and the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill includes a comprehensive package of measures aiming to improve local bus network accessibility and safety.

Whether his Department plans to (a) review and (b) remove the upper age limit for entry into flying and other officer roles in the armed forces.

The Department is assessing current policies and identifying those which obstruct individuals from joining the Armed Forces. It is essential that new entrants to the Armed Forces meet set requirements so that they are capable of successfully tackling the various challenges of Service life and the roles in which they will be expected to deploy. As part of this assessment, regulations concerning eligibility requirements, plus those supporting Armed Forces recruitment processes, will be revised and promulgated once finalised. I hope the Hon. Gentleman will understand that where policies are found to be reasonable they will be kept, and where changes are recommended, they will be enacted.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of current fee levels under the Licensing Act 2003; and whether she plans to review that Act to ensure that licensing fees reflect the actual costs incurred by local authorities in processing and enforcing those licences.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that alcohol licensing fees, set under Section 55 of the Licensing Act 2003, are fair, proportionate and reflective of the costs incurred by local authorities in administering the licensing system.A previous consultation by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government explored whether local authorities should have more control over setting statutory fees. The Government is reviewing the consultation’s findings and will assess the wider fee landscape alongside this to inform any potential future changes.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate availability of Premarin in the NHS; and what steps he is taking to support patients who are unable to access it.

Premarin tablets remain available. However, the supplier of Premarin has debranded this product, which means the product's brand name, Premarin, has been removed and it is now available and known under its generic name, which is conjugated oestrogens tablets.

When he plans to update NHS commissioning policy to include funding for Selective Internal Radiation Therapy for patients with neuroendocrine tumours with liver metastases.

The Department recognises the need to offer patients the most suitable treatment, including the use of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT).NHS England is currently in the early stages of policy development for SIRT as an additional treatment option for patients with neuroendocrine tumours with liver metastases. NHS England, through its specialised commissioning function, is responsible for setting national service standards, and for the development of clinical commissioning policies for prescribed specialised services. Should NHS England’s Clinical Panel consider that the evidence is robust enough to warrant making the treatment routinely available across the National Health Service in England, it will require further consideration through relative prioritisation and investment.

What steps she is taking to increase post-18 opportunities for young people.

Our new Youth Guarantee will provide tailored support to young people aged 18 to 21 to help them access high-quality education, training and employment opportunities. £45 million has been allocated to test the Youth Guarantee in eight locations.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Multiply Programme on adult numeracy skills; and whether she plans to introduce further funding or alternative provisions to support (a) adults with learning difficulties and (b) other adults improve their maths skills following the programme’s conclusion.

The extensive Multiply programme evaluation is ongoing and will conclude in winter 2025.The final evaluation report will provide valuable lessons to take into future policy development and delivery of the adult skills fund (ASF) and Tailored Learning.The government remains committed to ensuring opportunity for all as one of its key missions. This includes building a skills system for opportunity and growth, and delivering a stronger skills offer.The department continues to support participation in mathematics provision through the essential skills entitlements which fully fund adults who do not have essential numeracy skills up to and including level 2. This allows learners to undertake a range of courses fully funded through the ASF, including GCSEs, Functional Skills and other relevant qualifications from entry level to level 2.Tailored Learning also offers the flexibility within the ASF for non-qualification based provision that is similar to Multiply, including outreach and engagement. Tailored Learning is available to all grant funded providers. The ASF supports adults to improve their numeracy skills, including adults with learning difficulties.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to require full planning permission to convert commercial premises for residential use.

The government recognises that there has been criticism of some of the homes delivered under permitted development rights for change of use. We continue to keep permitted development rights under review.

Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to (a) support a repair and reuse economy and (b) prioritise waste reduction measures; and whether his Department plans to help reduce advertising of disposable products.

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

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that care proceedings are concluded within 26 weeks.

Reducing unnecessary delays in family courts is a priority for this government. The Family Justice Board (FJB) meets quarterly to set direction and oversee performance in the family justice system. This includes progress in meeting the 26-week Public Law Outline.The department is investing £10 million over 2024/25 to implement and test new solutions to address the causes of the longest delays in care proceedings. This work consists of the following three pilots.The department is working closely with local authorities in five designated family judge ‘trailblazer’ areas to complete deep dive analysis as well as to develop and test targeted solutions to address the biggest local drivers of delays.The department is piloting an initiative to bring the child’s Cafcass Guardian and Local Authority Social Worker together before the first case management hearing, to reduce delays caused at the earliest stage of proceedings.Finally, the department is piloting the use of a new service for suspected inflicted injury in children within the NHS, to address delays caused by the lack of independent medical experts engaging in family court work.These pilots are due to conclude at the end of March 2025, after which the department will receive an independent evaluation, which will help inform future decisions around reducing family court delays.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that there is adequate training for physics teachers.

​​The within-school factor that makes the biggest difference to a young person’s educational outcome is high quality teaching. We want to ensure all teachers have access to and stay up-to-date with best practice in continuing professional development at every stage of their career, giving them the expertise and support needed to deliver high quality teaching.Through the revised initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF), new teachers now benefit from at least three years of evidence-based training, across initial teacher training (ITT) and into their induction. The department has also launched a new and updated suite of national professional qualifications for teachers and school leaders at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice to those leading multiple schools across trusts.For the 2025 teacher trainee recruitment cycle, the department awarded the Institute of Physics (IOP) a grant agreement worth around £200,000 as part of the two-year ITT Scholarship Programme. This enables the IOP to offer 175 scholarships to talented individuals with a passion for physics and the potential to become inspirational teachers. Between 2022 and 2024, the IOP has recruited 256 scholars who received a bursary uplift, currently £2,000, on top of the standard £29,000 ITT bursary for physics.The department also supports physics recruitment through ‘Engineers teach physics’, an established national ITT course. The department continues to work closely with sector experts, representative bodies and academic institutions, such as the IOP, Engineering UK, the University of Birmingham and the Gatsby Foundation, to ensure that this course reflects best practice and includes the most up-to-date industry knowledge.The subject knowledge for physics teaching programme supports non-specialist teachers of physics to enhance their subject knowledge and confidence through a series of blended learning courses covering the key stage 3 and key stage 4 physics curriculum.This government has inherited a system with critical shortages of teachers, especially in physics, with numbers not keeping pace with demographic changes. We are committed to resetting the relationship with the sector and restoring teaching’s status as a valued and respected profession, one that new graduates want to join and existing staff wish to remain in and thrive.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to tackle increases in building insurance premiums for leaseholders in high-risk buildings.

Buildings insurance premiums remain unacceptably high for many leaseholders in buildings with fire safety issues, who have been paying too much for too long.My officials have already started working with the insurance industry, as announced in the Remediation Acceleration Plan, to consider whether, for the duration of remediation programmes, government might support industry to reduce fire related liabilities, in order to reduce the high insurance bills some leaseholders are facing.We have also launched a public consultation on the introduction of a fair and transparent fee for leaseholders to pay to those who manage insurance for their buildings.

Communities and Local Government, what her Department's planned timetable for abolishing ground rents and implementing broader leasehold reforms is.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).On 31 January 2025, provisions in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 to remove the two-year qualifying period in relation to enfranchisement and lease extensions came into force.On 10 February, we laid regulations in Parliament to implement the reforms contained in the Act concerning the Right to Manage and these will come into force on Monday 3 March.

What assessment she has made of the impact of parental employment on child poverty.

The Child Poverty Action Group estimates 38% of children in My Hon Friend’s constituency are now growing up in povertyIncreasing the employment rate for lone parents, and increasing the number of second earners in couples, is absolutely crucial to tackling this problem.Our Get Britain Working plan, backed by £240m of additional investment, is reforming employment support and overhauling JobCentres to help more people get work and get on at work.And increasing parental employment is a key focus of our Child Poverty Taskforce too.