Written questions by Maguire.

What steps her Department is taking to support Ofsted in processing the backlog of applications for the a) registration and b) inspections of residential family centres.

Twenty Residential Family Centres have been registered by Ofsted since 1 April 2025, with three registrations rejected following a registration visit. Ofsted undertake a range of checks as part of the registration process, including ensuring Residential Family Centres have the correct planning permission and staff teams in place. While efficiencies in handling applications are necessary, they must not come at the expense of the scrutiny needed to ensure safe, high-quality provision. Residential Family Centres are inspected once in every three-year period.Between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, Ofsted forecast to complete 54 full inspections, and have completed 56. In addition, two Residential Family Centres had their inspections brought forward into the previous inspection year due to identified concerns.

If her Department will review best practice guidance for play-based learning for five to seven year-olds.

I refer the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell to the answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 117074.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of removing Sport England as a statutory planning consultee on the future provision of playing fields, pitches and community sports facilities.

I refer the hon. Members to the answers given to Questions UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026, and UIN 112696 on 2 March 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what timetable his Department has set for laying secondary legislation relating to deferment and capitalisation rates under the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 103549 on 14 January 2026 and to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 27 January 2026 (HCWS1278).

Communities and Local Government, what transitional arrangements apply to leaseholders pursuing enfranchisement claims while awaiting implementation of the new valuation framework.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 103549 on 14 January 2026 and to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 27 January 2026 (HCWS1278).

What steps his Department is taking to help support community pharmacies from the potential impact of changes to the living wage, national insurance and business rates.

The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.In 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework has been increased to £3.073 billion. This represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. Additional funding is also available, for example for pharmacies delivering Pharmacy First consultations and flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.The Department will shortly consult with Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27. As part of this we will consider financial pressures on the sector.

What his Department’s timeline is for deciding on the second wave of Modern Service Frameworks; and whether respiratory conditions will be considered.

Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. Early priorities will include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia.The Government will consider other long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks, including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain criteria on the social care workforce in Epsom and Ewell constituency.

The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, announced changes to the mandatory requirements and qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain. It was subject to a public consultation, which ran until 12 February 2026.As part of this consultation, we are seeking views on the potential impact of the proposed changes on different groups, including those working in sectors such as social care. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following the consultation.The final proposals will also be subject to full economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.

What steps her Department is taking to help increase pothole repairs.

The Government has provided a record investment of £7.3 billion for local highways maintenance over the next four years. This new four-year funding settlement is in addition to the Government’s investment of £1.6 billion this financial year, a £500 million increase compared to last year. By confirming funding allocations for the next four-year period, authorities have certainty to plan ahead and move away from expensive, short-term pothole repairs and to instead invest in preventative road surface treatments so that roads can be fixed properly and kept in good condition for longer so that fewer potholes form in the first place. In addition, in January 2026 the Department released a new traffic light rating system for local highway authorities. Under this system, all local highway authorities in England received a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so using best practice. These ratings are designed to promote good asset management and encourage a preventative approach to highways maintenance. The ratings enable the Department to identify where councils need to improve and to support them. As part of this, the Department is providing development support to help councils adopt best practice and to improve their rating and the condition of their roads.

What assessment her Department has made of the impact of changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain criteria on the number of staff in the social care sector.

The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, announced changes to the mandatory requirements and qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain. It was subject to a public consultation, which ran until 12 February 2026.As part of this consultation, we are seeking views on the potential impact of the proposed changes on different groups, including those working in sectors such as social care. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following the consultation.The final proposals will also be subject to full economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.

With reference to the National Cancer Plan, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that there will be enough pathologists to support the Plan’s delivery.

The National Cancer Plan sets out how we will strengthen the cancer workforce, including for diagnostics, such as pathology. The plan sets out sustainable workforce growth, focused not on simply expanding numbers but on ensuring staff are properly trained, supported, and able to work at the top of their skills.The plan sets out how we will support pathologists to work more efficiently through a £604 million investment in digital diagnostics, including digital pathology, and £96 million in the automation of histopathology, as well as further investment in digital technology and artificial intelligence. Expansion of advanced clinical practice for scientists will also improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the pathology workforce as a whole.The 10 Year Workforce Plan will be published in spring, setting out further action to create a workforce able to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

What comparative assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of (a) respiratory disease and (b) the number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in (i) Epsom and Ewell constituency and (ii) nationally; and what steps he is taking to ensure respiratory health is prioritised nationally, including through the introduction of a Modern Service Framework for respiratory care.

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.Provisional data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the number of emergency FAEs with a primary diagnosis of respiratory conditions for Epsom and Ewell and for England, for activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and 2025/26:Westminster Parliamentary Constituency of Residence2024/25 (August 2024 to March 2025)2025/26 (April 2025 to November 2025)Epsom and Ewell670530England608,449423,588Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s Fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Surrey can be found at the following link:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E10000030/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1The Government has committed to delivering three big shifts that our NHS needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.Through our community diagnostic centres, we are building capacity for respiratory testing and enabling people to get diagnosed closer to home. 101 community diagnostic centres across the country now offer out of hours services, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning patients can access vital diagnostic tests around busy working lives. This is alongside action being taken to expand capacity and improve the quality of pulmonary rehabilitation services to support patients living with respiratory conditions.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of including social care roles within any public service concession.

The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, announced changes to the mandatory requirements and qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain. It was subject to a public consultation, which ran until 12 February 2026.As part of this consultation, we are seeking views on the potential impact of the proposed changes on different groups, including those working in sectors such as social care. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following the consultation.The final proposals will also be subject to full economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve digital infrastructure and IT connectivity for community care in primary care settings.

In 2026/27, and as per the Medium Term Planning Framework – delivering change together 2026/27 to 2028/29, all integrated care boards and community health services providers must identify and act on productivity opportunities, including ensuring teams have the digital tools and equipment they need to connect remotely to health systems and patients, and expanding point-of-care testing in the community.Through the Community Health Services Data Plan (2024/25-2026/27), work is underway to improve the quality, relevance, and timeliness of community health service data and, in turn, improve the patient experience in community health services.In addition, our 10-Year Health Plan will help put services at the heart of the community and expand digital tools to manage health, including through the Single Patient Record. It will give patients real control over a single, secure, and authoritative account of their data and enable more coordinated, personalised, and predictive care. It will improve clinical outcomes, make decision-making more informed, and speed up the delivery of care.

What information her Department holds on the average time taken by Surrey County Council to repair a reported pothole in each month since July 2024.

The Department for Transport does not hold information on the average time taken by Surrey County Council to repair reported potholes. Operational decisions on the management and repair of local roads rest with the local highway authority, which has a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. It is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances. To receive their full share of the Governments £500m funding uplift for local highways maintenance this financial year, all local highway authorities had to publish transparency reports setting out how they comply with best practice. This included a requirement to set out how many potholes they have filled in the last five years and their plans for adopting preventative maintenance, which keeps roads in good condition for longer and stops potholes from forming in the first place.

With reference to the publication of the National Cancer Plan, if he will present the Plan's annual summary of progress to the House.

A reformed National Cancer Board, jointly chaired by the Department and an independent representative, will track progress and provide regular updates to ministers.Across the life of the plan, ministers will publish an annual summary of progress, along with a more in-depth report after three years to assess where the plan may need updating and refreshing.The annual summary will be available publicly and I will update the House when it is published.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she and Cabinet colleagues have had with their Chinese counterpart on the expansion of China's nuclear weapons.

We engage in regular dialogue with China on security matters at both official and ministerial levels. These exchanges include discussions on nuclear weapons, conducted bilaterally as well as through the P5 process, which brings together the five nuclear weapon states recognised by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to discuss their obligations under it. We also hold an annual Counter‑Proliferation and Arms Control Dialogue with China, which covers nuclear issues. During his recent visit to Beijing, the Prime Minister raised broader issues of global stability with President Xi.

When her proposed timetable is for publishing her Department's white paper related to Schools and SEND.

On 23 February, we published two major documents: the ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ Schools White Paper and the SEND Consultation Document. Together, these set out our plans to build an education system that will ensure that children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) get the right support at every stage of their education.We are consulting on the reforms in the publication, and you can access the consultation here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-strategy-division/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-firs/.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing a public awareness campaign to promote the new Highway Code rules.

Improving road safety is one of my Department’s highest priorities. Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users. That is why on 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes. Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations. However, as set out in the strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course. As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety. As announced in the strategy to support a Lifelong Learning approach in the UK, the government will publish for the first time national guidance on the development and delivery of road safety education, training and publicity. Alongside this, the government will publish a manual to support the implementation of a Lifelong Learning approach for road safety.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education and the Home Secretary on the Child Protection Authority consultation.

Ministers meet regularly through the Keeping Children Safe Ministerial Board and the Inter-Ministerial Group on Child Sexual Abuse, where the Child Protection Authority (CPA) is regularly discussed. Both of these groups will continue to monitor progress on the delivery of the CPA.