Written questions by Stafford.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on developing a cross-departmental strategy to improve outcomes for children with ADHD in education settings.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. We are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs.The department is working closely with other government departments and with external experts on reforms. In November 2024, we established the Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, which includes clinicians, scientists and academics, as well as education experts and third sector organisations. This group is chaired by Professor Karen Guldberg from Birmingham University and aims to provide an expert view and make recommendations on the best ways to support and meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people in mainstream education settings, including consideration of the types of support that should be readily available without the need for a diagnosis.The Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group includes the chair of the independent ADHD Taskforce, convened by NHS England, which provides vital co-ordination across government. My right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, have met on several occasions, including to discuss support for children with SEND.

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of the rate of (a) fixed-term and (b) permanent exclusions for pupils with ADHD in mainstream secondary schools; and whether her Department monitors compliance with statutory duties to consider a pupil’s disability before exclusion decisions are made.

Information of pupils’ primary type of special educational need broken down by suspension and permanent exclusion can be viewed via a detailed table at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/e604c2a7-ce18-4fb3-d9d8-08dd800922cb. This table includes social, emotional and mental health which encompasses a range of conditions affecting emotional regulation, behaviour, and mental health, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Schools have a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 not to discriminate against pupils with a special educational need or disability. This government is clear that schools can use sanctions as a measure to improve behaviour, and in the most serious cases, exclusion may be necessary to ensure that schools are calm and safe learning environments.The department trusts headteachers to use their professional judgement based on the individual circumstances of each case when considering excluding a pupil. All such decisions must be lawful, reasonable, and fair. The ‘Suspension and permanent exclusion’ statutory guidance is clear that, in all cases, school leaders should consider early intervention strategies to address the underlying causes or contributing factors of a pupil’s disruptive behaviour before issuing an exclusion.This can include where a pupil has any neurodiversity or unmet additional needs.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the extent to which standardised behaviour policies in schools reflect evidence on (a) executive dysfunction and (b) other traits associated with ADHD.

All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines effective strategies that will encourage good behaviour and the sanctions that will be imposed for misbehaviour.Any policy must be lawful, proportionate and reasonable, and comply with the school’s duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the Education and Inspections Act 2006. This includes taking account of pupils’ special educational needs and disabilities.The ’Behaviour in schools’ guidance provides support for schools on developing and implementing a behaviour policy which outlines effective strategies that will encourage good behaviour. This guidance is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-in-schools--2.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the consultation process undertaken by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board in advance of its decision to cancel primary eyecare contracts from April 2025.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning both primary and secondary eye care services in their areas to meet local needs.

What plans her Department has to introduce mandatory training on (a) ADHD and (b) other neurodevelopmental conditions within initial teacher training and ongoing professional development frameworks; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of training gaps on pupil outcomes.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with ADHD and other neurodiverse conditions.From September 2025, the new initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF) will set out a minimum entitlement to training for all new teachers. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and SEND which was tested with SEND educational experts to ensure new teachers are equipped to support pupils with a range of additional learning needs.The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential and has committed to review the ITTECF in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support. This review will include a focus on teaching pupils with SEND.The department also offers the Universal Services programme which helps the school workforce identify and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND, including those with neurodiversity. This includes a range of continuing profession development such as bespoke professional development groups and autism training. Alongside this, the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national programme, backed by £13 million of investment. PINS deploys specialists from health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children in mainstream primary schools.In November 2024, the department established a neurodivergence task and finish group, which includes a range of experts from clinicians, scientists and academics, as well as education experts and third sector organisations. This group is chaired by Professor Karen Guldberg from the University of Birmingham and aims to work closely with the department to help improve inclusivity and expertise in mainstream settings in a way that works for neurodivergent children and young people.

What recent steps her Department has taken to assess the consistency of SEND policy implementation in secondary schools; and what mechanisms exist to hold schools accountable where legal duties towards neurodivergent pupils are not being met.

The department’s expectations for high quality, inclusive education are enforced through inspection by Ofsted. Ofsted’s proposed new framework for inspection of education settings will be informed by their public consultation, which closed on 28 April and includes a stronger focus on children with additional needs including neurodiverse children. We will continue to work with Ofsted to consider how their framework can best ensure continuous improvement in outcomes for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision. The framework is scheduled for implementation from autumn 2025.There are several routes of redress available to parents, or children and young people with SEND, who disagree with a decision made by a school. First, they can complain informally or formally to the school. If they remain unhappy, they can complain to their local authority or multi-academy trust. They can also request to use their local authority’s dispute resolution service or lodge an appeal with the First Tier SEND Tribunal, if they feel that their child has been discriminated against on grounds of their disability.We continue to ensure that local and regional delivery includes the voice of children and young people, parents/carers and the SEND sector. We are funding 153 local authority Parent Carer Forums, helping families to navigate the SEND system through the Contact national helpline support and advice service, and funding the training and support of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information and Advice Support Service (SENDIASS) staff.

Whether his Department has issued guidance to Integrated Care Boards on the (a) retention of and (b) commissioning of new (i) community urgent eyecare services, (ii) glaucoma monitoring and (iii) other community-based eyecare services.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning both primary and secondary eye care services in their areas to meet local needs.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 29 June 2022 to Question 27497 on Diplomatic Service: Pilot Schemes, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of establishing a UK-Ukraine Relief Augmentation Taskforce; and whether his Department plans to utilise a reserve cadre of former (a) diplomats and (b) military officers to support crisis response operations in (i) Ukraine and (ii) other conflict-affected regions.

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office maintains a roster of deployable expertise to support crisis response operations overseas, including humanitarian and conflict specialists.

Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to support communities to access media literacy education.

Government is adopting a holistic approach to digital inclusion integrating related policy on digital skills and media literacy. The Digital Inclusion Action Plan outlines steps towards delivering digital inclusion for everyone in the UK, including supporting community initiatives for boosting digital skills and media literacy.Under updated media literacy duties, Ofcom is developing a ‘place-based’ model to embed media literacy into community digital strategies, working with the Good Things Foundation to support Digital Inclusion Hubs to offer media literacy.Prevent’s network of Civil Society Organisations also deliver projects across England & Wales related to media literacy and critical thinking skills.

What steps his Department is taking to support NHS Trusts to use existing estate and equipment for insourced clinical activity during off-peak hours.

The Government supports efforts to utilise National Health Service capacity out of hours and over weekends, where it is a cost-effective and sustainable means of delivering additional activity. The most cost-effective route to do this is best determined at a local level, where integrated care boards and trusts can evaluate the options available to them.We recognise insourcing as an opportunity to maximise productivity and efficiency and published guidance in 2024 to promote the effective utilisation of their services, available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/guidance-for-trusts-on-the-use-of-insourcing/The guidance is clear that, to promote value for money being achieved, arrangements should be at or below the unit prices set out in the NHS payment scheme. The guidance also asks all trusts to ensure that appropriate due diligence is undertaken before utilising insourcing solutions, including ensuring pay rates are at or below NHS England’s agency price caps.This guidance sits alongside the Insourcing of Clinical Services Framework Agreement, published by NHS Shared Business Services, which supports local NHS organisations with the timely procurement of services, and which is available at the following link:https://www.sbs.nhs.uk/services/framework-agreements/insourcing-of-clinical-services/We have set clear elective priorities for the system in the Elective Reform Plan and 2025/26 Planning Guidance, including that every trust will need to deliver a minimum 5% improvement by March 2026. We expect trusts to be using all levers to deliver this.

Whether she plans to provide additional (a) resources, (b) teacher training and (c) curriculum support to improve media literacy education in schools.

Media literacy is covered in the citizenship, relationships, sex and health education and computing curriculums.The department funds the National Centre for Computing Education, which provides teachers with continuing professional development and resources to support the teaching of computing. This includes units on messaging in digital media, the credibility of sources, and identifying ‘fake’ news and edited images, supporting the teaching of artificial intelligence (AI) and media literacy.In 2024, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) provided £0.5 million to scale up two programmes, to provide media literacy support to teachers, children aged 11 to 16, parents/carers and other professionals working with families.The Educate against Hate website also hosts a series of online media literacy resources which seek to help young people evaluate the validity of information. This can be accessed at: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/.The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s interim report notes the rise of AI and trends in digital information and that it is necessary that the curriculum keep pace with these changes, including a renewed focus on digital and media literacy and critical thinking skills. The interim report is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-interim-report. The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in autumn with the government’s response.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of procedures deliverable per £1 million of Departmental spend via (a) NHS internal delivery, (b) outsourcing and (c) insourcing.

The National Health Service’s national cost collection gives a national average unit cost of £751 across all planned procedures within outpatients, day cases, and elective inpatient settings in 2023/24. This is the equivalent to 1,331 procedures per £1 million. Further information on the NHS’s national cost collection is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/costing-in-the-nhs/national-cost-collection/Prices for individual procedures are set out in the NHS Payment Scheme. How the procedures are delivered is a local decision, to reflect local population need and to allow for the greatest opportunity to deliver value for money in local budgets. The Department does not hold a national estimate by procedure of care delivered through insourcing or outsourcing. However, NHS guidance for both insourcing and outsourcing makes clear the expectation that services are contracted at or below the unit prices set out in the NHS Payment Scheme.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential cost-effectiveness of NHS insourcing as a means to reduce elective waiting lists.

The Government supports efforts to utilise National Health Service capacity out of hours and over weekends, where it is a cost-effective and sustainable means of delivering additional activity. The most cost-effective route to do this is best determined at a local level, where integrated care boards and trusts can evaluate the options available to them.We recognise insourcing as an opportunity to maximise productivity and efficiency and published guidance in 2024 to promote the effective utilisation of their services, available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/guidance-for-trusts-on-the-use-of-insourcing/The guidance is clear that, to promote value for money being achieved, arrangements should be at or below the unit prices set out in the NHS payment scheme. The guidance also asks all trusts to ensure that appropriate due diligence is undertaken before utilising insourcing solutions, including ensuring pay rates are at or below NHS England’s agency price caps.This guidance sits alongside the Insourcing of Clinical Services Framework Agreement, published by NHS Shared Business Services, which supports local NHS organisations with the timely procurement of services, and which is available at the following link:https://www.sbs.nhs.uk/services/framework-agreements/insourcing-of-clinical-services/We have set clear elective priorities for the system in the Elective Reform Plan and 2025/26 Planning Guidance, including that every trust will need to deliver a minimum 5% improvement by March 2026. We expect trusts to be using all levers to deliver this.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the mandatory commission on the sale of park homes for vendors.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 44299 on 16 April 2025.

Whether she is taking steps to ensure that information and communications technology literacy forms part of the national curriculum following the Curriculum and Assessment Review.

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s interim report notes the rise of artificial intelligence and trends in digital information and that it is necessary that the curriculum keep pace with these changes, including a renewed focus on digital and media literacy and critical thinking skills. The interim report is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-interim-report. The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in autumn with the government’s response.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the withdrawal of commissioned primary eyecare services from April 2025 by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board on NHS hospital eye services.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning both primary and secondary eye care services in their areas to meet local needs.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the report entitled Mobile homes: The impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission, published in June 2022.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 44299 on 16 April 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Hongkongers who (a) arrived in the UK on British National (Overseas) visas and (b) have subsequently become UK citizens receive consular protection in (i) Hong Kong and (ii) mainland China.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provides consular assistance to British nationals abroad. This includes BN(O)s who, under the Memoranda to the Joint Declaration, are eligible for consular assistance in third countries, but not in Hong Kong, Macao or mainland China. If individuals have formally renounced Chinese citizenship, it's advised that they carry clear evidence they have done so. We advise seeking legal advice where appropriate for individual cases. Individuals should also familiarise themselves with the FCDO's Travel Advice.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring airlines operating in UK airports to be members of the Civil Aviation Authority approved alternative dispute resolution scheme.

Air passenger rights remain a priority, and the Department will continue to consider opportunities to ensure passengers are provided with the highest level of protection possible.

Whether she has had discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority on unpaid compensation payments for (a) British Airways and (b) Norse Atlantic passengers.

The Department expects all airlines to ensure passengers receive the best possible service, including timely payment of compensation where it is due. The Department regularly engages with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on a range of matters. As the independent regulator for aviation, the CAA is responsible for ensuring airlines comply with their legal obligations towards passengers, including those relating to compensation.