Written questions by Mierlo.

If she will bring forward policy proposals to make access to PE and sport at school a right for all disabled children.

The department is committed to giving every pupil the chance to participate in PE and sport while at school. This government has committed funding of up to £300,000 this financial year to the Youth Sport Trust to deliver Inclusion 2028, a programme to upskill the school workforce to deliver high quality, inclusive PE, school sport and physical activity to pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The programme also funds the Inclusive Education Hub, an online platform of resources to help schools make their PE and sport more inclusive.Schools also receive capital funding directly through core funding. The government is investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance and renewal to improve the condition of the school and college estate, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025/26.Following my right hon. friend, the Prime Minister’s announcement on 19 June 2025, we are establishing a new PE and school sport partnerships network to ensure all children and young people, including those with SEND, have access to high quality PE and school sport.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the time taken by NICE to assess Givinostat.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) aims wherever possible to publish recommendations on new medicines close to the point of licensing. NICE’s appraisal of givinostat has been more complex and has required additional work to ensure that it is able to make a recommendation on its use for the NHS. The timeline was extended following discussions with the company in order to facilitate a suitably comprehensive and robust submission and to incorporate a four-week targeted call for evidence from stakeholders. This call was to address specific areas where additional evidence was required to support the NICE appraisal committee to make a fully informed decision. NICE’s Appraisal Committee met to consider its recommendations on 23 October 2025. Stakeholders in the appraisal will be kept informed of the outcome and the next steps for the appraisal of givinostat as it progresses.

What steps she is taking to improve decision making times at the Valuation Office Agency.

The VOA is meeting the majority of its performance targets. In the areas where it isn’t, it has robust service recovery plans in place. These include moving staff to where there is the greatest customer demand and upskilling its workforce in a wider range of casework, to ensure greater flexibility. It continues to prioritise any cases where a customer is facing financial hardship. The VOA reports monthly on performance to the HMRC Executive Committee and Board. The decision to move the VOA’s functions into HMRC next year will strengthen direct accountability to ministers. Integration is being carefully managed by a joint HMRC and VOA team, with detailed transition plans in place and appropriate oversight from my department.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that climate adaptation is considered alongside decarbonisation in policy planning; and whether his Department plans to develop and publish a National Climate Resilience Plan that incorporates nature-based solutions, updates infrastructure standards, provides support for local authorities and promotes public awareness through a coordinated strategy to manage climate-related risks.

Defra is the lead department for domestic adaptation to climate change, responsible for coordinating requirements set out in the UK Climate Change Act 2008. This includes preparing a UK Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years, followed by a National Adaptation Programme (NAP), setting out actions by relevant government departments to address the risks identified in the latest risk assessment. The next NAP will include local climate adaptation and support public awareness of climate risks. While Defra coordinates this work, this is a whole of government effort. In DESNZ, we are working to ensure that homes are fit for the future and the Department has been carrying out research to respond to the relevant climate change adaptation risks identified by the third Climate Change Risk Assessment. This research is closing evidence gaps identifying the buildings most vulnerable to extreme heat and where these are located, as well as appropriate adaptation solutions. This is informing the development of the Warm Homes Plan which will be published soon. Maintaining a secure and resilient energy supply is also a top priority. We work continually with industry to improve and maintain the resilience and security of energy infrastructure, considering a range of evolving risks and hazards as well as future system changes – including changing climate. This includes publishing an Energy Resilience Strategy in 2026, setting out Government’s long-term priorities to maintain energy resilience now and in the future.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2025 to Question 91728 on Broadband: Henley and Thame, what steps her Department is taking to secure additional funding to complete that project.

Commercial delivery in a competitive market has and will remain essential to the delivery of the overall gigabit broadband ambition, as most gigabit-capable connections will be delivered commercially.At the most recent Spending Review we announced £1.8 billion in funding for Project Gigabit to cover the period 2026/27 to 2029/30.This investment will support the delivery of all existing Project Gigabit contracts, voucher projects and areas currently in procurement. This includes the South Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and East Berkshire contracts referenced in the response to Question 91728.We are refreshing our delivery plans ahead of the 2027 Spending Review and will continue to apply Project Gigabit subsidy in areas that are not expected to be reached commercially.

What assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of the uptake and (b) effectiveness of the Victim Right to Review pilot.

In June 2025 the CPS began a pilot in the West Midlands which offers victims of rape and serious sexual assault the opportunity to have a separate prosecutor review the case before any final decision is taken to stop the case in court. If that prosecutor concludes that the Full Code Test in the Code for Crown Prosecutors is met, the case will continue.The number of decisions eligible for review under the pilot have so far been low. These volumes have meant an evaluation of the pilot has not been possible to date. Evaluation is essential, and the pilot will continue to allow enough evidence to be gathered to assess its effectiveness.Consideration is also being given to expanding the pilot to support a thorough evaluation.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2025 to Question 91728 on Broadband: Henley and Thame, how much funding is required to meet the 99% goal.

Commercial delivery in a competitive market has and will remain essential to the delivery of the overall gigabit broadband ambition, as most gigabit-capable connections will be delivered commercially.At the most recent Spending Review we announced £1.8 billion in funding for Project Gigabit to cover the period 2026/27 to 2029/30.This investment will support the delivery of all existing Project Gigabit contracts, voucher projects and areas currently in procurement. This includes the South Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and East Berkshire contracts referenced in the response to Question 91728.We are refreshing our delivery plans ahead of the 2027 Spending Review and will continue to apply Project Gigabit subsidy in areas that are not expected to be reached commercially.

If he will set and publish plans for ensuring that the most disadvantaged people can transition to clean energy with the Clean Power plan.

Last December, the Government published the Clean Power 2030 Action plan. The Plan provides the foundation for the UK to build an energy system that can bring down bills for households and businesses for good, including those who are most disadvantaged. We are also delivering improvements to home energy efficiency through a number of targeted schemes including the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Warm Homes: Local Grant, which support low income and fuel poor households, alongside the continuation of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme which is providing grants to thousands of households to help upgrade their heating systems. As more homes are made energy efficient this will reduce carbon emissions, reduce overall energy demand and reduce energy bills for consumers. We will share more details on our plans to upgrade up to 5 million homes across the country as part of our upcoming Warm Homes Plan to cut energy bills for good. At almost £15bn, the Warm Homes Plan is the single biggest public investment programme in energy efficiency in UK history. We will publish more details soon.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the tender process for the New Medium Helicopters to replace the Puma fleet.

The second stage of the New Medium Helicopter competition commenced on 27 February 2024 with the release of the Invitation to Negotiate to Airbus Helicopters UK, Leonardo Helicopters UK and Lockheed Martin UK.Only Leonardo Helicopters UK elected to submit a tender which has been evaluated but since the procurement process is still active, it is too early to assess the effectiveness of the competition.Officials continue to consider the New Medium Helicopter business case as part of the Government’s approval process, with a decision to be made as part of the upcoming Defence Investment Plan.

What steps he is taking to improve energy security and ensure that households reduce energy demands.

The Government is reducing dependency on volatile fossil fuel markets, with investment in homegrown energy. The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan estimates £40 billion per year for clean energy projects, with significant upgrading of a dysfunctional grid system, ending delays by expanding the renewable auction process, and speeding up planning decisions to prioritise critical infrastructure. To reduce energy demands the government announced an additional £1.5 billion for the Warm Homes Plan, bringing total investment to almost £15 billion. This major step forward in the government’s plans will upgrade millions of homes over this Parliament and cut bills for good.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the feasibility test introduced under the Bathing Water (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2025 on the designation of sites.

This Government’s reforms introduce a feasibility assessment that will consider these factors ahead of formal designation. This will focus resources on sites where water quality can feasibly be improved to ‘sufficient’ standard and allow the public to make informed decisions before using sites. This feasibility assessment is being designed by an external research organisation in partnership with Defra and the Welsh Government. Two workshops took place in November 2025 to capture stakeholder views. This reform will come into force on 15 May 2026, and we will update public guidance before then, ahead of future applications being submitted.

What assessment he has made of the impact of leaving the EU single market on graduate employment opportunities.

The government is committed to ensuring graduates have the skills and support needed to succeed in the modern economy, which is why the Industrial Strategy will provide an additional £1.2bn of investment in the skills system by 2028-29.The Department for Work and Pensions has an established network of partnerships to enhance graduate employment opportunities. DWP are reforming Jobcentre Plus to create a new, more personalised employment support service across Great Britain to recognise that individuals - including graduates - have different needs.However, the Department for Business and Trade has made no specific assessment of the impact of leaving the EU single market on graduate employment opportunities.

Innovation and Technology, whether the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme will be reintroduced in Henley and Thame constituency.

Our priority currently is to provide gigabit-capable coverage to as many premises as possible in Henley and Thame constituency through our Project Gigabit contracts, rather than through other schemes.Project Gigabit contracts give better certainty of delivery than voucher projects, and also involve lower administrative overhead for suppliers and communities as well as the government. Future delivery is therefore much more likely to be through contracts rather than voucher delivery in most areas.We will continue to monitor progress and review the need for further support as delivery continues. If gaps in coverage are identified, further interventions, including reopening the voucher scheme, may be considered.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2025 to Question 90952 on Bathing Water (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2025, if she can outline the (a) local and (b) national stakeholders who she will engage with during the initial scoping work and set out a timeline for the initial scoping work .

Defra recognise that there have been changes in how and where people use bathing waters since the Bathing Water Regulations were introduced in 2013. That is why we are taking forward a programme of reforms to introduce the first overhaul of the rules governing the designation and monitoring of Bathing Waters since they were introduced. Reforms to the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 are part of a wider government effort to secure better outcomes for customers, investors and the environment, and restore trust and accountability through root and branch reform. Further detail on the Government’s plans for water reform will be set out through a White Paper and a new water reform bill, marking the most fundamental reset to our water system in a generation.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of SEND tribunal waiting times on the ability of families to hold local authorities to account for non-provision of SEND support.

The volume of appeals to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Tribunal means that some families face a year-long wait for a hearing, lengthening the time it takes for children and young people to get the support they need. We are working with the Ministry of Justice and His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service to ensure appeals are heard faster, including through the recruitment of 70 new judges, more cases being resolved ‘on paper’, hearings being held in school holidays, and the prioritisation of appeals for those who are moving between education phases.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of deforestation regulations under the Environment Act 2021 on smallholder farmers; and what steps the Government is taking to ensure that those farmers are not disproportionately excluded from UK supply chains, including through the (a) provision of support, (b) training and (c) more equitable terms by UK companies and the Government.

The Government recognises the need to prevent UK consumption of forest-risk commodities from driving deforestation while minimising impacts on low-income smallholder farmers in the Global South. We acknowledge their vital role in producing essential commodities and safeguarding forests. Through programmes such as the Official Development Assistance-funded Investment in Forests and Sustainable Land Use and the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade Dialogue, we support sustainable practices, new business models, and international collaboration to reduce exclusion risks. We remain committed to working with partners globally to build climate-resilient, nature-positive communities and will set out our approach to addressing forest-risk commodities in due course.

What assessment her Department has made of the sufficiency of current driving instruction in equipping new drivers with the knowledge and practical skills required for safe motorway driving, including appropriate lane usage; and whether consideration has been given to requiring supervised motorway driving as part of initial learner training and assessment.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to promote voluntary motorway lessons with approved instructors after theory test success, ensuring that all drivers can gain appropriate experience in a structured, supportive environment. However, DVSA has no current plans to mandate that all learner drivers must undertake motorway driving prior to their driving test, for several key reasons.Not all learners have convenient access to motorways, with many candidates living in rural or remote areas where the nearest motorway may be some distance away. Requiring all candidates to drive on a motorway would risk creating an unfair barrier to test readiness and accessibility.While motorway driving is valuable, the practical driving test already includes a strong focus on high-speed driving environments. Dual carriageways, which can present even greater risk due to variable traffic flows, mixed vehicle types, and more frequent junctions, are included in test routes, wherever possible. They provide critical opportunities to assess a candidate’s ability to manage higher speeds and complex traffic situations.

(a) what assessment has the Department made of the impact that delays in UK Visas and Immigration processing times are having on the ability of hospitality businesses to recruit seasonal and skilled workers, and (b) what steps she is taking to help reduce these delays to support employers during peak trading periods.

UKVI are not currently experiencing any delays against our published service standards for either Seasonal or Skilled Workers.These can be found at:Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UKVisa processing times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of Farming in Protected Landscapes funded projects on children; and whether she will bring forward policy proposals to fund these projects beyond 2026.

Since its launch in 2021, the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme has provided funding for nearly 11,000 farmers and land managers to work in partnership with National Parks and National Landscape bodies to deliver projects that benefit the countryside for climate, nature, people and place. The FiPL programme has engaged over 2,000 schools and delivered more than 8,000 school educational visits helping children to get involved and learn about nature. The FiPL programme is due to end March 2026, and decisions on the future of the programme will be made as part of departmental business planning.

When she plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Henley and Thame dated 10 October 2025 on the handling of the transitional protection remedy by teachers’ pensions.

I can confirm that a response to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Henley and Thame dated 10 October 2025 was sent on 8 December 2025.