Written questions by Morgan.

How long it took her Department to consider each application for a change to the national passenger rail timetable for December 2024; and what the average time was for her Department to determine the outcome of an application.

Operators need to agree their train service level plans and funding in advance of operation allowing enough time for consideration by the Department before they engage with Network Rail's timetable production process. Typically, this is done through an annual business plan cycle with submissions in December and approval in March. However, they can be done through the year and approval time depends on the scale of the change.

What progress his Department has made to deliver (a) new and (b) refurbished military accommodation for 40,000 service men and women.

Service Family Accommodation (SFA): The Ministry of Defence (MOD) manages c47,000 SFA properties in the UK. In financial year (FY) 2024-25, the Department has purchased 351 new homes at a cost of £157 million, in areas where there is a shortage of SFA. £441 million is currently forecast to be spent on maintaining and improving SFA including: £180 million to improve insulation in c600 homes; remediate c1,000 homes with long-term damp and mould issues, and refurbishing c200 long-term empty homes. C1,700 minor damp and mould packages are planned and c30 homes will receive upgraded heating. Single Living Accommodation (SLA): As part of a new programmatic approach for the construction of SLA which is intended to improve the delivery of new accommodation by finding efficiencies and improving value for money, the Department has appointed six companies to undertake this work. This will see 16,000 new bedspaces built as part of a wider-MOD plan to build or refurbish 40,000 SLA bedspaces over 10 years. The work will improve the lived experience for Service Personnel occupying the rooms. In FY 2024-25 £41 million is currently forecast to be spent on improving the condition of SLA including: refurbishment, heating, and room conversions to provide additional bedspaces. A further £7.5 million is forecast to be spent on internal improvements to condition and heating. An additional c£14.3 million is forecast to be spent on Safe & Legal SLA compliance works.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure all NHS Trusts meet the Government’s target to reduce the number of stillbirths nationally to 0.23%.

The current rate of stillbirths per 1,000 births is 3.9.The Government continues to work with the National Health Service as it delivers its three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services. As part of the plan, an updated version of the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle, which aims to support a reduction in stillbirths, has been rolled out. All trusts are implementing the third version of this bundle, which provides maternity units with detailed guidance and a package of interventions to reduce stillbirths, neonatal brain injury, neonatal death, and preterm birth.

How many and what proportion of patients received urgent cancer treatment within 62 days of a GP referral at Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin integrated care board since October 2023.

Cancer waiting times data, organised by integrated care board, and published by NHS England, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/

What steps he is taking to help improve recruitment in adult social care.

Whilst much of the responsibility for recruitment rests with adult social care employers, the Department recognises the scale of reforms needed to support sustainable workforce growth. These reforms include: the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme, allowing funding for certain training courses and qualifications; the continuing development of the Care Workforce Pathway, a universal career structure for the workforce setting out the knowledge, skills, values, and behaviors needed to work in adult social care; and the launch of a new Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate qualification.On 10 of October 2024, recognising the central role of our amazing care workforce, we took a critical step, introducing the legislation that will establish the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for care professionals. Fair Pay Agreements will empower worker and employer representatives to negotiate fair pay, terms, and conditions in a regulated and responsible manner. This will help to address the recruitment and retention crisis in the sector, in turn supporting the delivery of high-quality care.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the number of children with education and health care plans who will require support after the age of 25 on the adult social care system.

The Department commissions the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre (CPEC) at the London School of Economics to produce projections of the long-term demand and cost of adult social care services in England. These include projections of the number of working aged adults, namely those aged between 18 and 64 years old, in receipt of local authority-funded care services. The most recently published CPEC projections show that the number of working age adults in receipt of social care services is projected to increase by 29% between 2018 and 2038. As with any projection of the future, CPEC estimates are based on a specific set of data and assumptions and should therefore be treated with caution. The projections are available at the following link:https://www.lse.ac.uk/cpec/assets/documents/cpec-working-paper-7.pdfThe Department is committed to building consensus on the long-term reform needed to create a National Care Service that addresses challenges working age disabled adults currently face and that is shaped for those who will have support needs in the future, including children who currently have health and care plans. The Government will set out next steps for a process that engages with adult social care stakeholders in due course.

When his Department plans to respond to Questions 1829 and 1830 on Armed Forces: Housing tabled by the Hon. Member for North Shropshire on 25 July 2024 for answer on 30 July 2024.

This Government is committed to setting new minimum standards for military housing. We are assessing options to drive up standards and deliver the homes our Service families deserve. As a first step, we are establishing an Armed Forces Commissioner as an independent champion for our service personnel to raise issues which impact on service life, including housing. This Government continues to invest to improve the quality of UK Service Family Accommodation (SFA). In 2024-25, £180 million is allocated to improve insulation in c600 homes, implement c1,000 long-term damp and mould remediations and refurbish 200 long-term empty homes. 1,700 minor damp and mould improvement packages are planned, and 30 more homes will receive upgraded heating solutions. A Single Living Accommodation (SLA) Expert Group, including Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Top-Level Budget representatives is continuing to address Defence Minimum Standard measures to improve the quality of SLA. The Department is looking at the recommendations of the Kerslake Review which reported before the General Election.

How many community pharmacies have closed in North Shropshire since 2016.

There were 14 community pharmacies providing National Health Service pharmaceutical services in North Shropshire constituency on 30 June 2024, which is two fewer than in September 2016.

What estimate he has made of the annual amount of discretionary funding received by GP services in North Shropshire.

The following table shows funding broken down by funding stream for general practices located in North Shropshire for the 2022/2023 financial year:Funding StreamValue (£)Global Sum11,191,640Direct Enhanced Services557,897Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF)1,654,070Pneumococcal Vaccine, Childhood Immunisation Main Programme30,381Reimbursement of Drugs Dispenses4,627,145Dispensing Fee1,516,157Prescribing Fee188,5671PMS Expenditure0Information Management36,7671PCO Administered183,794General Practice Transformation Fund192,868Local Incentive Schemes1,139,579Premises Payments1,323,447Primary Care Network Related Payments1,288,714Winter access fund55,024Covid Related Payments128,487Other424,893Total24,088,762Source: NHS EnglandNotes:This data is based off published payments data. Note from the payments data on negative payment values reads as follows: Adjustments can be made whilst payments are processing to raise credits/debits against payments. These adjustments can result in what appear to be negative payments or positive deductions.Health geographies do not align with parliamentary constituencies. When calculating payments to the North Shropshire Parliamentary Constituency we have included practices with postcodes within the North Shropshire parliamentary constituency. There will be patients registered at practices in this constituency who reside outside the constituency and vice-versa.This includes primary care network (PCN) payments, where they are recorded against practices in North Shropshire in the Payments to General Practice data set. PCNs do not align with constituency boundaries and payments recorded in one constituency might benefit practices in the same PCN in other constituencies.

If she will make an estimate of the change to real terms spending on services for disabled children by Shropshire Council since 2016.

From the 2015/16 financial year to 2022/23, the most recent year for which information is available, the increase in net spending by Shropshire Council on provision and services for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including on those children’s home-to-school transport, has been 37% in real terms (67% in cash terms) and the increase in gross spending has been 32% in real terms (61% in cash terms). The basis for this calculation uses high needs and home-to-school transport spending data provided to the department by Shropshire Council, which is broadly comparable from year-to-year, as follows: Financial yearGross spend2022/23 termsNet spend2022/23 terms2015/16£21.2 million£25.9 million£19.6 million£23.9 million2016/17£18.9 million£22.5 million£17.9 million£21.3 million2017/18£24.0 million£28.2 million£23.2 million£27.3 million2018/19£25.0 million£28.7 million£24.6 million£28.3 million2019/20£25.0 million£28.1 million£24.8 million£27.8 million2020/21£27.5 million£29.3 million£26.1 million£27.8 million2021/22£28.9 million£31.0 million£28.0 million£30.0 million2022/23£34.2 million£34.2 million£32.8 million£32.8 million To note:Expenditure has been calculated in 2022/23 terms using the latest GDP deflator series (published 1 October 2024).The following actual expenditure items from Shropshire Council’s section 251 returns have been used:High needs budget expenditure:1.2.1 Top-up funding – maintained schools1.2.2 Top-up funding – academies, free schools and colleges1.2.3 Top-up and other funding – non-maintained and independent providers1.2.4 Additional high needs targeted funding for mainstream schools and academies1.2.5 Special educational needs (SEN) support service1.2.6 Hospital education services1.2.8 Support for inclusion1.2.9 Special schools and pupil referral units (PRUs) in financial difficulty1.2.10 Private finance initiative/ Building Schools for the Future costs at special schools, AP/ PRUs and Post 16 institutions only1.2.11 Direct payments (SEN and disability)1.2.12 Carbon reduction commitment allowances (PRUs)1.2.13 Therapies and other health related services1.4.11 SEN transportAdditional home-to-school transport expenditure:2.1.4 Home-to-school transport (pre-16): SEN transport expenditure2.1.6 Home-to-post-16 provision: SEN transport expenditure (aged 16-18)

How many urban areas in the West Midlands with populations of over 17,000 do not have a railway station.

It is estimated that there are approximately 12 ‘built up areas’ with a population of 20,000 or more that do not contain operational railway stations within the West Midlands region. Some large cities and towns consist of several built up areas, and whilst a specific built up area may not contain a station, there may be one or more stations within close proximity in a neighbouring built up area.

How many urban areas in England with populations of over 17,000 do not have a railway station.

It is estimated that there are approximately 80 ‘built up areas’ with a population of 20,000 or more that do not contain operational railway stations within England. Some large cities and towns consist of several built up areas, and whilst a specific built up area may not contain a station, there may be one or more stations within close proximity in a neighbouring built up area.