Written questions by Morello.

What plans she has to help increase early identification of SEND needs; and reduce waiting times for (a) diagnosis and (b) support in West Dorset constituency.

The department knows that early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with a special educational need or disability (SEND). An inclusive education system requires moving away from the current reliance on labels and diagnoses before support materialises. It needs to be able to accurately assess children and young people’s learning and development, and to effectively support their educational needs with evidence-based responses. To support this, the department is strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve early identification in all types of settings, including through commissioning evidence reviews from University College London, which will highlight the most effective tools, strategies and approaches for teachers and other relevant staff.In addition, each Best Start Family Hub will have a children and family services professional specifically trained in working to support parents of children with additional needs. This will help identify children with SEND who may need extra help early on, making links with local early years settings and health services.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that Education, Health and Care Plans include (a) measurable and (b) enforceable targets.

Local authorities must ensure that education, health and care (EHC) plans comply with the Children and Families Act 2014 and the special educational needs and disability (SEND) code of practice.The code states that EHC plans must detail the outcomes sought for the child or young person. These should be specific and measurable, and the plan should be used to monitor a child or young person’s progress towards them and their longer term aspirations.Plans must be reviewed by the local authority at a minimum every 12 months.Reviews must consider whether the outcomes and supporting targets remain appropriate and may include setting new interim targets for the coming year or agreeing new outcomes.Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission carry out joint inspections of area SEND arrangements. These will consider the effectiveness of local SEND arrangements, including whether children and young people with SEND are well prepared for their next steps.Where a local authority does not meet its duties, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement.

What discussions he has had with OFGEM on the potential impact of its proposed RIIO GD3 settlement for the gas network on levels of health and safety.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 28th July to questions UIN 69173 and 69174.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions her Department has had with stakeholders on (a) the Eden Portland project and (b) its potential contribution to (i) biodiversity education, (ii) scientific learning and (iii) tourism.

The Department welcomes the ambition of the Eden Project Portland and its stated aims to contribute to tourism, biodiversity education, and scientific learning on the Jurassic Coast.In relation to departmental support, officials discussed the project with representatives of the Eden Portland Project on 22 April 2025. It was explained that while primary responsibility for considering central Government funding for a project of this nature rests with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, my department would be happy to engage with them to express our support for the project’s significant cultural, heritage, and tourism contributions.I remain focussed on creating the conditions for the visitor economy to thrive. My department is working closely with the sector to draft a Visitor Economy Growth Strategy, which we anticipate publishing later this year. We encourage projects like Eden Portland to engage with their Local Visitor Economy Partnership, in this case the Visit Dorset Business Support Hub, to ensure they are aligned with and can benefit from this important work.

Whether his Department plans to increase funding for (a) addiction services and (b) wider support for people who use addictive drugs.

The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug or alcohol problem can access the help and support they need, and we recognise the need for evidence-based, high-quality treatment. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services as part of their public health responsibilities. In addition to the Public Health Grant, in 2025/26 the Department is providing a total of £310 million in additional targeted grants to local authorities to improve drug and alcohol services and recovery support, which includes housing and employment. Beyond drug and alcohol treatment services, this year the Government is providing an additional £70 million for local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England, building on existing funding made available via the Public Health Grant. On 30 December 2024, the Department confirmed final funding allocations for 2025/26 for each local authority, and published guidance to support local authorities to plan their local interventions, with further information available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-stop-smoking-services-and-support-funding-for-2025-to-2026/local-stop-smoking-services-and-support-funding-allocations-and-methodology-for-2025-to-2026This additional funding will ensure that there is a comprehensive offer across local authorities in England, while providing additional weighted funding to local authorities with the highest smoking rates. Decisions on funding for future years will be made once the Spending Review process has concluded.In April 2025, a new statutory levy on gambling operators, expected to raise approximately £100 million per year, was introduced to fund the research, prevention, and treatment of gambling-related harms. The levy will be distributed across the three workstreams, with 50% allocated to NHS England, alongside the appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales, to commission the development of effective treatment and support services at national and sub-national levels, and 30% allocated to the Department, Public Health Wales, and an appropriate body in Scotland to deliver prevention activity.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help encourage girls to participate in grassroots rugby in (a) schools and (b) local clubs through its funding for the Impact 25 programme.

Since July 2024 the Government has invested £6.78m in Impact 25 the legacy programme for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup. Impact 25 supports women's and girls' clubs across England as part of the Rugby Football Union’s ambition to widen female participation. It has provided investment to 850 clubs to improve facilities and to train 3,385 new female coaches and match officials, making coaching sessions and matches more accessible contributing to a 35% increase in female age grade registrations in England rising from 17,700 places in 2022 to 23,900 in 2025. The programme has provided direct support to clubs in the West Dorset constituency, providing £10,000 of funding to Bridport RFC , Dorchester RFC and Sherborne RFC. Each club received funding for a ‘Girls Activity Day Pack’ to introduce girls aged 6-12 to rugby with activities, merchandise, and prizes (such as tickets to a Women's Rugby World Cup match). All clubs also received sanitary product packages which are made freely available in club restrooms. More broadly, we want as many girls as possible to get involved in sport and physical activity, including in schools. That is why on 19 June 2025, the Government announced a new School Sport Partnerships model and a new Enrichment Framework for schools to ensure all young people have equal access to high-quality sport and extracurricular activity. Girls will be given the same opportunity as boys to play sports at school.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that statutory deadlines for SEND assessments and Education, Health and Care Plans are consistently upheld by local authorities.

I refer the hon. Member for West Dorset to the answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 65182.

What steps her Department is taking to support people with visual impairments in (a) further education (b) higher education and (c) apprenticeships.

Support for people with visual impairments in further education, higher education (HE), and apprenticeships is guided by legal duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the special educational needs and disabilities code of practice, with tailored provisions depending on the setting and the needs of the individual.All education and training providers and other related service providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, including those with visual impairments, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled students.Reasonable adjustments can include adapting teaching methods (providing materials in accessible formats or using assistive technology), modifying assessments (offering extra time or alternative formats), ensuring physical accessibility (ramps or accessible accommodation), and offering personalised support services (including note-takers, interpreters, or mental health support).In apprenticeships, learning support funding of £150 per month is available to training providers to make reasonable adjustments which support apprentices with learning difficulties and disabilities.Disabled Students’ Allowance is available for eligible HE students for the provision of more specialist support, including specialist equipment, travel costs and non-medical helpers such as specialist note-takers or printing materials in large print or braille in addition to any reasonable adjustments made by their HE provider.

What support her Department is providing to local authorities facing financial strain in delivering SEND services in (a) the South West and (b) Dorset.

The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year. Total high needs funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is over £12 billion in 2025/26.Of that total, the Southwest is being allocated over £983 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £71 million on last year’s DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula. Of this amount, Dorset is being allocated over £60 million, an increase of £4 million on last year.The department intends to set out plans for reforming the SEND system in further detail in a Schools White Paper in the autumn and are considering the funding for future years following the spending review that concluded in June. We will also set out later this year how the government will support local authorities to deal with their historic deficits.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of youth workers on levels of costs for (a) the NHS and (b) other public bodies providing services to young people.

This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential. We have not made an assessment of the potential impact of youth workers on costs for the NHS or other relevant public bodies, instead, we utilise the wealth of external research indicating the positive impact youth work and youth services can have on young people’s health and other outcomes, including helping to reduce costs for a range of public services. The new National Youth Strategy will better coordinate youth services and policy at a local, regional and national level, moving away from siloed working and driving efficiencies - ensuring we are better coordinated and more than the sum of our parts.

Media and Sport, if she will take steps to develop a cross-departmental strategy on youth work.

DCMS is leading a National Youth Strategy in collaboration with a number of other key departments to set out a new long-term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this. This strategy will cover youth services, provision and policy at local, regional and national levels. We are co-producing this National Youth Strategy with young people and cross-sector experts and so the breadth of issues will be shaped by our engagement. The Strategy will better coordinate youth services and policy at a local, regional and national level, moving away from siloed working - ensuring we are better coordinated and more than the sum of our parts. We will publish the Strategy in the Autumn.

Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to promote the Women's Rugby World Cup.

We are ambitious and want to make this the biggest Women’s World Cup (RWC) ever. Over 400,000 tickets have already been sold for the tournament, more than double the number bought for the previous tournament in New Zealand in 2022, including a sold out final at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham highlighting the demand for women’s sport in the country. The Government is proud to have provided just under £18m of investment into the tournament since summer 2024 which will be used for all aspects of tournament delivery. In addition to this DCMS Ministers have supported the promotion of the tournament directly with the Secretary of State Lisa Nandy appearing on the BBC at the 100 Days to go event which also coincided with the reveal of the new Women's RWC trophy. I was then delighted to represent the Department at the 50 Days to go Event held in Parliament and the England teams opening match of the tournament in Sunderland against the USA.

Whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential impact of supervised drug consumption facilities on (a) crime and (b) health.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has not discussed the potential impact of supervised drug consumption facilities on crime and health with my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department.The Government will continue to promote preventative public health measures to support people to live longer and healthier lives, and we are committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug problem can access the help and support they need.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the organisers of the Women's Rugby World Cup on the organisation of that event.

The Government is committed to delivering international events with pride, building upon the UK’s global reputation for excellence in staging major sporting events.The Government holds regular discussions with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and World Rugby, as joint venture partners, to ensure the successful delivery of the Women's Rugby World Cup (Women’s RWC) 2025. The Secretary of State and I attended the Women’s Rugby World Cup 100 ‘Days to go’ launch event in May 2025, where we discussed tournament delivery with senior RFU figures and other stakeholders.I also met with senior RFU figures while supporting England at the opening fixture and semi final of the Women's Rugby World Cup and discussed the delivery of the tournament.We are confident that the great collaboration which has taken place across all delivery partners will result in a landmark moment not just for women’s rugby but for women’s sport.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of laws governing the hours worked by agricultural vehicle drivers.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has not assessed the adequacy of the laws governing the hours worked by agricultural vehicle drivers. The regulations that apply to the hours worked by drivers of agricultural vehicles depend on a range of factors. For example, drivers of some agricultural vehicles, if used for commercial non-agricultural haulage on public roads, may need to comply with the assimilated drivers’ hours rules (Regulation (EC) 561/2006, as it has effect in the UK) which set maximum limits on driving and minimum requirements for breaks and rest periods. These drivers follow the sector-specific Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005. There are a number of exemptions from the assimilated drivers’ hours rules, including for tractors not capable of exceeding 40 km/h and tractors used for agricultural or forestry activities within 100 km of their base. Drivers of tractors that are exempt from the assimilated rules are likely to be subject to GB domestic drivers’ hours rules, which set maximum driving limits and maximum duty limits, and would need to comply with the general Working Time Regulations 1998, unless the driver drives for less than 4 hours in a day or drives only off-road. The DfT has published guidance on the regulations that apply to agricultural vehicles on gov.uk:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tractors-regulations-on-use.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that tractor and trailer drivers comply with legal speed limits on public roads.

Local authorities are asked to have regard to the Department’s guidance Setting Local Speed Limits, designed to make sure that speed limits are appropriately and consistently set while allowing for flexibility to deal with local circumstances, but the final decision is for the traffic authority, working with the police who would carry out any enforcement.

If he will bring forward legislative proposals to update existing legislation on the use of high-weight agricultural vehicles on public roads to reflect modern vehicle (a) sizes, (b) traffic conditions and (c) safety standards.

The Secretary of State for Transport has not had discussions with road safety experts on updating legislation for the use of high-weight agricultural vehicles on public roads. Legislative updates to the speed and weight limits of agricultural tractors were made in 2015. This increased the maximum weight limit for tractor-trailer combinations to 31 tonnes. The government is not currently considering updates to the existing legislation on the use of high-weight agricultural vehicles but has engaged with the sector on this topic.

If he will make it his policy to introduce a separate mandatory driving test for tractor and trailer combinations over a certain weight threshold.

There are no current plans to introduce a separate test for agricultural tractor and trailer combinations over a certain weight threshold.

What discussions he has had with road safety experts on updating legislation relating to the use of high-weight agricultural vehicles on public roads.

The Secretary of State for Transport has not had discussions with road safety experts on updating legislation for the use of high-weight agricultural vehicles on public roads. Legislative updates to the speed and weight limits of agricultural tractors were made in 2015. This increased the maximum weight limit for tractor-trailer combinations to 31 tonnes. The government is not currently considering updates to the existing legislation on the use of high-weight agricultural vehicles but has engaged with the sector on this topic.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has held recent discussions with relevant experts on the Government’s review into the legal frameworks governing subsea telecommunications cables.

DSIT works closely with relevant experts including other government departments, international partners, academics and industry to develop policies to help ensure the security and resilience of subsea telecoms cables. This includes regular discussions on the role of legal frameworks governing subsea telecommunications, which are informing our review. The Government is, of course, incorporating legal advice into its review of the legal frameworks governing subsea telecoms cables. That advice is confidential and legally privileged.