Written questions by Morgan.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the Equitable Members' Action Group’s analysis of Government spending on the compensation package for people affected by financial losses related to Equitable Life policies, published in January 2026.

The Equitable Life Payment Scheme has been fully wound down and closed since 2016. The only remaining part of the Payment Scheme in operation is the annual payments made to eligible With-Profit-Annuitants and the Scheme is on track to distribute the remainder of the £1.5 billion as planned. There are no plans to reopen any decisions relating to the Payment Scheme or review the £1.5 billion funding allocation previously made to it. Further guidance on the status of the Payment Scheme after closure is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equitable-life-payment-scheme#closure-of-the-scheme.

How much of the money allocated to the Equitable Life compensation fund is expected to be retained by her Department, in the context of contingency funds.

The Equitable Life Payment Scheme has been fully wound down and closed since 2016. The only remaining part of the Payment Scheme in operation is the annual payments made to eligible With-Profit-Annuitants and the Scheme is on track to distribute the remainder of the £1.5 billion as planned. There are no plans to reopen any decisions relating to the Payment Scheme or review the £1.5 billion funding allocation previously made to it. Further guidance on the status of the Payment Scheme after closure is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equitable-life-payment-scheme#closure-of-the-scheme.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of improvements made since the passing of the Communications Act 2003 at delivering improved mobile phone signal to consumers.

The Communications Act 2003 has provided for a regulatory framework which has driven competition and investment and has delivered good outcomes for consumers and businesses.According to Ofcom’s 2025 Connected Nations report, 4G is available across 96% of the UK landmass and higher quality standalone 5G is available outside of 83% of UK premises.Through our Mobile Market Review Call for Evidence, we expect to gain detailed insights and evidence which will enable us to assess whether the regulatory framework needs to be updated. The Call for Evidence is open until 21 April.

Whether his Department has previously undertaken emergency exercises for an outbreak of a meningococcal-type disease.

The Department undertakes a range of emergency preparedness and response exercises that test our capability to manage high‑consequence infectious disease outbreaks. These exercises routinely assess incident response structures, case management, contact tracing, vaccination strategies, and multi‑agency coordination. While exercises are not always designed around a specific pathogen, they ensure that systems and capabilities are in place to respond effectively to any severe infectious disease outbreak, including meningococcal‑type conditions.

If she will take steps to ensure that contingency funding linked to the Equitable Life Payment Scheme will be used to compensate Equitable Life policyholders.

The Equitable Life Payment Scheme has been fully wound down and closed since 2016. The only remaining part of the Payment Scheme in operation is the annual payments made to eligible With-Profit-Annuitants and the Scheme is on track to distribute the remainder of the £1.5 billion as planned. There are no plans to reopen any decisions relating to the Payment Scheme or review the £1.5 billion funding allocation previously made to it. Further guidance on the status of the Payment Scheme after closure is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equitable-life-payment-scheme#closure-of-the-scheme.

What steps he is taking to support residents in North Shropshire with the cost of purchasing liquefied petroleum gas to heat their homes.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Chancellor has announced £53m for low-income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices, and households who use LPG are eligible to apply. In England, funding will be distributed by local authorities via the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF), which comes into effect from 1 April. More information can be found here: Over £50 million to help families struggling with soaring heating oil costs - GOV.UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that imported food products do not use British branding.

All food sold on the UK market, including that which is imported, must comply with UK food labelling rules. The fundamental principle of the UK’s food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food. Under existing rules, food that is not classed as UK origin cannot be sold or labelled as being British. Processed foods and composite foods manufactured in the UK are British products, but if these contain a primary ingredient that is not British then a British claim can only be made on the label if the label also highlights that the primary ingredient is not British. Food simply re-packaged in the UK, without any further processing, does not confer UK origin on it.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to accept the recommendation of the Farming Profitability Review to introduce a requirement that the use of British branding on country-of-original labelling for food projects is underpinned by robust assurance schemes.

The Government knows that many consumers value the opportunity to buy British and support their local food economy The Farming Profitability Review points to areas where additional assurance schemes and refreshed voluntary principles could add value. The Government remains committed to upholding high standards of food information, whether on food labels or within hospitality settings. The fundamental rule that food labelling should not mislead already provides assurance that non-British food products cannot be labelled (or implied e.g. by the use of a Union flag) as being British. Defra officials have been assessing the recommendations and as a part of this continue to look at how the origin for food products may be better highlighted to ensure consumers can make informed choices wherever they purchase food.

When her Department will confirm the funding allocations of the Road Investment Strategy 3.

The third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) is due to be published later in March. It will confirm the funding and objectives for National Highways’ investment in the strategic road network over the five-year period from 2026/27 to 2030/31.

What assessment her Department has made of the National Highways' investigations into proposals to improve road safety at the Llynclys crossroads on the A483.

National Highways has assessed the safety performance of the 6-mile section of the A483 between Oswestry and the Welsh Border, which includes the Llynclys Crossroads. Improvements to the route are being considered for delivery as part of the Safety National Programme within RIS3, which is due to be published later in March.

How his Department will ensure that low-volume, high-cost services such as spinal cord injury are not deprioritised by individual ICBs facing competing local financial pressures.

Plans to delegate suitable specialised services were first set out in the Roadmap for Integrating Specialised Services within Integrated Care Systems and have been developed in close collaboration with NHS England’s regional teams, integrated care boards (ICBs), specialised services provider clinicians, and patient groups. The Roadmap for Integrating Specialised Services within Integrated Care Systems is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PAR1440-specialised-commissioning-roadmap-addendum-may-2022.pdfThey represent the outcome of a thorough assessment of ICB readiness, and a comprehensive analysis of services to determine their suitability and readiness for more integrated commissioning.The latest NHS England commissioning update, published on 2 March 2026, sets out the role that seven offices for pan-ICB commissioning (OPICs) will play in supporting ICBs across each National Health Service region to efficiently and effectively commission these services, including commissioning at scale, where appropriate, to improve patient outcomes. The NHS England commissioning update is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/direct-commissioning-update/OPICs will ensure that all ICBs across a region have equal access to the critical mass of expert commissioning knowledge and the capability necessary for the effective and efficient commissioning of these important and complex areas of service provision like spinal cord injury. They will become centres of commissioning excellence, playing a vital role in facilitating multi-ICB collaboration and decision making, ensuring strong patient and public involvement in the design and delivery of services, and building strong relationships with wider health and care system partners.

Whether his Department has undertaken a risk assessment for changes to the GP contract regarding Advice and Guidance due to be implemented from 1 April 2026.

The Department has not undertaken a formal risk assessment for the changes made to the GP Contract regarding Advice and Guidance (A&G) due to be implemented from 1 April 2026. However, in developing this policy, the Department and NHS England have carefully considered the potential risks, benefits, and wider impact as part of the standard policy-development process.As part of the 2026/27 GP Contract, we are embedding the current A&G enhanced service funding within core practice funding. Practices will be required to use A&G prior to or in place of a planned care referral where clinically appropriate and to follow locally agreed referral pathways.Between April 2025 and December 2025, A&G has avoided 1.3 million patients being unnecessarily added to hospital waiting lists by providing them with expert advice in their community.

What discussions his Department has had with the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, Care Quality Commission, Healthwatch and Royal College of GPs on changes to the GP contract regarding Advice and Guidance.

In early 2026, we concluded the 2026/27 GP Contract consultation. This year, we expanded the consultation to engage with wider stakeholders, which were the General Practitioners Committee England, the Royal College of General Practitioners, National Voices, the Institute of General Practice Management, Healthwatch England, the NHS Confederation, and the National Association of Primary Care. The feedback we received from stakeholders across the system has been constructive and comprehensive, enabling us to refine proposals and address concerns while developing the final contract package. Embedding Advice and Guidance in the contract is about ensuring general practitioners and specialists can work together earlier and more consistently, so patients are directed to the most appropriate next step without unnecessary delay, whether that is a referral, diagnostics, or supported care in the community. Last year, we invested £80 million in Advice and Guidance. We are now embedding this money in core contract funding. As a result, since April 2025, we have avoided 1.3 million patients ending up on a waiting list. The Department has not discussed the changes to the GP Contract regarding Advice and Guidance with the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, and the Care Quality Commission.

Whether future NHS planning guidance will require ICBs to provide specialist rehabilitation and care for patients with spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury services in England are commissioned against the national service specification, which is published by NHS England, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/service-spec-spinal-cord-injury-services-all-ages.pdfThe specification sets out the mandated standards all commissioned providers are required to meet for patients. The specification provides detailed information on the pathway of care for spinal cord injury patients, including coordination with interdependent services.All providers are required to submit outcome data to the specialised services quality dashboard, with data available at the following link:https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.england.nhs.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F06%2Fspecialised-services-quality-dashboards-metrics-metadata-2025-2026-v24.0.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINKThis data enables the monitoring of quality of care, including clinical outcomes, equitability of access and structure, and process measures. The data is linked to the national spinal cord injury registry, which provides audit data.The specific content of future National Health Service planning guidance will be determined and published in due course, but progress has been made on improving spinal cord injury services following the 2016 review through, for example, the development of the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for spinal services, which is driving service improvements and better care for patients with spinal cord injuries. GIRFT has worked with NHS trusts to showcase examples of best practice which other services can then learn from.More recently, in October 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published new guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, which includes rehabilitation for spinal cord injury.

Whether his Department has made an estimate of the proportion of requests for specialist care which will be refused due to the requirement for GPs to use the Advice and Guidance system from 1 April 2026.

The purpose of Advice and Guidance (A&G) is not to refuse care but to ensure patients are seen in the right place, first time.Where the outcome of A&G is that care management in primary or community settings is in the patient’s best interests, it is expected that patients will receive timelier care, benefiting from earlier specialist input. In these cases, the general practitioner may still subsequently refer their patient again at any point if they have concerns.Management data shows between April 2025 and November 2025, there were 2,210,443 processed A&G requests where a specialist has returned the advice, and 1,095,172, or 45.7% of total requests, have been diverted, where the outcome of A&G is that a referral is not required.

When he plans to respond to Question 109849 of 29 January 2026.

A response has been issued here.

When he plans to respond to Questions 113872, 113873, 113874 and 113875 of 13 February 2026.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 April 2026 to Question 113872.

When he plans to respond to Questions 113248, 113249 and 113250, tabled on 12 February 2026.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 March 2026 to Question 113248.

What steps his Department has taken to address regional disparities in accessing spinal cord injury services.

People with spinal cord injuries in North Shropshire receive specialist care through the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI) at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, one of 11 nationally designated spinal injury centres providing lifelong multidisciplinary support in the United Kingdom. MCSI provides multidisciplinary rehabilitation and lifelong follow up care for spinal cord injury patients.Nationally, spinal cord injury services form part of prescribed specialised services, with NHS England maintaining national service standards, specifications, and clinical policies. From 2025, elements of specialised commissioning were delegated to integrated care boards to support more integrated pathways, while overall accountability remains with NHS England.In March 2025, NHS England published the Spinal Services Clinical Network Specification, which establishes expectations for spinal clinical networks to standardise pathways and reduce variation, with the aim of improving access to care for patients.The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for spinal services is also driving service improvements and better care for patients with spinal cord injuries. GIRFT has worked with National Health Service trusts to showcase examples of best practice which other services can then learn from, thereby aiming to reduce regional variation in the quality of care patients with spinal cord injuries receive.

What assessment he has made of the potential clinical impact of (a) current waiting times and (b) levels of coordination in spinal cord injury care.

People with spinal cord injuries in North Shropshire receive specialist care through the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI) at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, one of 11 nationally designated spinal injury centres providing lifelong multidisciplinary support in the United Kingdom. MCSI provides multidisciplinary rehabilitation and lifelong follow up care for spinal cord injury patients.Nationally, spinal cord injury services form part of prescribed specialised services, with NHS England maintaining national service standards, specifications, and clinical policies. From 2025, elements of specialised commissioning were delegated to integrated care boards to support more integrated pathways, while overall accountability remains with NHS England.In March 2025, NHS England published the Spinal Services Clinical Network Specification, which establishes expectations for spinal clinical networks to standardise pathways and reduce variation, with the aim of improving access to care for patients.The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for spinal services is also driving service improvements and better care for patients with spinal cord injuries. GIRFT has worked with National Health Service trusts to showcase examples of best practice which other services can then learn from, thereby aiming to reduce regional variation in the quality of care patients with spinal cord injuries receive.