Written questions by McMurdock.

With reference to the planned closure of the University of Essex's Southend Campus, what assessment his Department has made of the availability of health and social care staff in south Essex in the next five years.

While the Government is committed to ensuring sustainable training pathways for health and care professions, higher education institutions are independent providers and are responsible for making their own decisions about course delivery and viability based on learner demand and provider capacity.The closure of the University of Essex Southend campus is a consolidation of oral health, adult, and mental health nursing courses to their main campus at Colchester. This is not expected to negatively impact overall training numbers or local recruitment to these professions.

With reference to the planned closure of the University of Essex's Southend Campus, what assessment his Department has made of the provision of dentistry training in south Essex in the next five years.

While the Government is committed to ensuring sustainable training pathways for health and care professions, higher education institutions are independent providers and are responsible for making their own decisions about course delivery and viability based on learner demand and provider capacity.The closure of the University of Essex Southend campus is a consolidation of oral health, adult, and mental health nursing courses to their main campus at Colchester. This is not expected to negatively impact overall training numbers or local recruitment to these professions.

What comparative assessment he has made of accident and emergency performance at (a) Basildon Hospital, (b) other hospitals within Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust and (c) other national trusts.

The Government acknowledges that urgent and emergency care performance has not consistently met expectations in recent years. The Government is committed to restoring urgent and emergency care waiting times to the standards set out in the NHS Constitution by the end of this Parliament, as laid out in our 10-Year Health Plan.NHS England publishes monthly data on the proportion of patients seen, admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours in accident and emergency departments. The following table shows the latest figures as of November 2025 for the four-hour performance rates for Basildon Hospital, other hospitals within the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, and the national rate:MonthAreaPercentage of total accident and emergency type 1 and 2 attendances admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hoursLatest provisional performance data for November 2025England61.2%Basildon54.2%Mid Essex Hospital52.9%Southend Hospital53.4%Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust53.6%Note: site level performance data is only published as type 1 and 2 performance.Further information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2025-26/

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of unrecovered income on a) NHS trust finances and b) service delivery.

No formal assessment has been made of the potential impact of unrecovered income from the charging of overseas visitors on either National Health Service trust finances or service delivery.However, we continue to work with NHS England to ensure that the system of NHS cost recovery works as effectively and fairly as possible.

What the cost was of Private Finance Initiative contracts within the NHS in Essex in the latest financial year.

Unitary Charge payments associated with Private Finance Initiative contracts are captured in the annual National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority data collection, available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pfi-and-pf2-projects-2024-summary-data

What steps he is taking to help reduce avoidable ambulance demand in the East of England.

The Government is taking a comprehensive approach to reducing avoidable ambulance demand across the country including in the East of England. Our Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) Plan for 2025/26 aims to improve UEC performance with a focus on reducing ambulance handover delays by introducing a maximum 45-minute standard, freeing up ambulances to get back on the road.The plan also commits to increasing the number of patients receiving urgent care in the community by expanding services such as urgent community response, neighbourhood multidisciplinary teams, and increasing the use of virtual wards. By boosting the capacity and accessibility of these services, people can receive the care they need closer to home, reducing the need to call an ambulance or attend accident and emergency.NHS 111 continues to play a crucial role in managing demand by providing clinical advice and triage over the phone or online, ensuring patients are directed to the most appropriate service for their needs. This includes supporting more ‘hear and treat’ and ‘see and treat’ responses, where patients receive advice or treatment without the need for an ambulance to convey them to hospital.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of accessibility requirements for Changing Places toilets in private sector developments.

Through our £30.5 million Changing Places Toilet programme, we have supported the installation of 483 new disabled toilet facilities across 220 local authority areas in England. This targeted investment helped address gaps where provision was limited or non-existent. Although this programme closed on 31 March 2025, changes to the statutory guidance which accompanies the Building Regulations (Approved Document M, Volume 2), made in January 2021, make provision for Changing Places facilities in new buildings other than dwellings (or those undergoing major redevelopment) that fall above a certain size threshold. This aims to significantly increase the availability of these vital facilities over time and makes accessibility a mainstream consideration in how we plan and build our public spaces.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled £78bn for councils in turning point settlement to cut deprivation, published on 17 December 2025, what impact the National Care Service will have on two-tier authority areas such as Basildon.

We are progressing towards a National Care Service based on higher quality of care, greater choice and control, and better join up between services, with approximately £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.We know that meaningful, lasting reform of adult social care across all tiers of local authority in England cannot be delivered overnight. To build consensus on plans for a National Care Service, Baroness Casey is chairing an Independent Commission into adult social care to shape the medium- and longer-term reforms needed, with phase 1 reporting later this year.We have already been putting the core foundations for a National Care Service in place, aligned with the Government’s three objectives for adult social care, by improving the quality of care by valuing and supporting our vital care workforce, and by legislating for a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million of funding. We are strengthening join-up between health and social care services by developing neighbourhood health services and reforming the Better Care Fund. We are also enabling people to have more choice and control over their care, for instance by promoting greater use of direct payments.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled £78bn for councils in turning point settlement to cut deprivation, published on 17 December 2025, what impact the National Care Service will have on single-tier authorities such as Thurrock Council.

We are progressing towards a National Care Service based on higher quality of care, greater choice and control, and better join up between services, with approximately £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.We know that meaningful, lasting reform of adult social care across all tiers of local authority in England cannot be delivered overnight. To build consensus on plans for a National Care Service, Baroness Casey is chairing an Independent Commission into adult social care to shape the medium- and longer-term reforms needed, with phase 1 reporting later this year.We have already been putting the core foundations for a National Care Service in place, aligned with the Government’s three objectives for adult social care, by improving the quality of care by valuing and supporting our vital care workforce, and by legislating for a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million of funding. We are strengthening join-up between health and social care services by developing neighbourhood health services and reforming the Better Care Fund. We are also enabling people to have more choice and control over their care, for instance by promoting greater use of direct payments.

What guidance his Department has issued to pharmacies on safe dosing of over‑the‑counter cold and flu remedies.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department with responsibility for ensuring medicines meet appropriate standards of quality, efficacy and safety. The MHRA has recently updated voluntary Best Practice Guidance on the general sale of medicines for pain, to further highlight the risks of overdose, to address public concerns and recognise current sales techniques. Links are also provided to patient support groups, including Papyrus for young people. The update was undertaken in collaboration with retailers, stakeholders and healthcare professionals including pharmacists and the updated guidance is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e69e9e085277e9961b201b/Best_practice_guidance_on_the_sale_of_medicines_2025.pdfMost retailers adhere to the guidelines on not promoting multiple purchases and have introduced in store measures such as till bars that restrict sales to a maximum of two packs across a range of products containing aspirin, paracetamol, or ibuprofen. The aim of these voluntary measures is to balance the need of people for access to pain relief medicines against the dangers for vulnerable individuals and to reduce the opportunity for customers to purchase on impulse excessive quantities of any single analgesic, like paracetamol, aspirin, or ibuprofen.The use of paracetamol and accidental overdose is a safety concern, especially in relation to the many trade names of non-prescription and prescription medicines containing paracetamol. Therefore, the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 contain a number of conditions for the presentation of these medicines to highlight the presence of paracetamol in a medicine, including the requirement for “paracetamol” or “contains paracetamol” to be on the outer packaging. In addition, the patient information leaflet should include the warning “Do not take anything else containing paracetamol while taking this medicine”.For those medicines containing paracetamol which are prescribed to a patient, the statutory warnings should be added to the prescribing label which is applied to the box by the pharmacist. These are highlighted in the British National Formulary, with further information available at the following link:https://bnf.nice.org.uk/about/labels/The Summary of Product Characteristics for healthcare professionals including pharmacist, provides a summary of the clinical particulars in the use of a medicine, including the recommended maximum daily dose. In addition, particulars in reference to overdose are provided. This includes the potential dose over which liver damage may occur and potential risk factors which may elevate the risk of overdose, including medical history, concomitant medicines, or alcohol intake. A summary of the symptoms of overdose and management are also provided.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's medicine safety communications reach vulnerable groups during the winter period.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department and regulates medicines for human use, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom, with responsibility for ensuring medicines meet appropriate standards of safety, quality, and efficacy.In 2024, the MHRA issued a new Strategy for Improving Safety Communications which set out its aim to reach more patients directly with accessible and helpful safety communications, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mhra-strategy-for-improving-safety-communications The MHRA is committed to ensuring that all safety messages reach everyone who needs to receive them, especially those who are most vulnerable, including during the winter months. Where patients, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders need to be made aware of a safety issue, the MHRA will consider publishing and cascading a safety communication through multiple channels. These can include a National Patient Safety Alert, Recall, Drug Safety Update, or a Device Safety Information, as well as utilising the media and sustained and targeted campaigns on social media platforms aimed at reaching those at risk. These communications are issued to relevant target audiences including vulnerable patients and patient group representatives and are published on the MHRA’s website and delivered to healthcare professionals through various routes such as direct email or subscription communications.

What steps she is taking to support young people to pursue careers in the logistics sector.

DWP is working to make logistics a sector of choice for young people by promoting awareness and creating clear entry routes. We support Generation Logistics, an industry-led campaign to promote careers in the sector to young people and other underrepresented groups. Campaigns like Generation Logistics aim to change perceptions and highlight opportunities in the industry, while partnerships with trade bodies such as Logistics UK and UKWA help strengthen employer engagement. DWP also supports schools through its adviser network and collaborates with organisations like the Careers & Enterprise Company to build a talent pipeline. These efforts focus on attracting young people, women and underrepresented groups to address skills shortages and improve diversity in a traditionally male-dominated sector. DWP is also a member of the Freight Workforce Group, chaired by the Department for Transport, which provides a forum to share evidence, align activity and support initiatives that strengthen the long-term supply of skilled workers into the sector. Guidance will soon be published by the Department for Transport to support employers with coordinating work experience and recruiting from hard-to-reach groups. DWP is currently piloting Road to Logistics training in the East Midlands to raise aspirations particularly in young people and those in less advantaged communities. More generally, this Government is investing in young people’s futures. At the Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820 million for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy. Further details of the announcement can be found in the Written Statement from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 8 December 2025 HCWS1137.

What proportion of Category 2 calls in the East of England were responded to within national target times in the last 12 months.

The current national target for Category 2 (C2) incidents is an average response time of 30 minutes. The National Health Service constitutional standard is 18 minutes. The Medium Term Planning Framework outlines plans to move towards achieving the constitutional standard over the coming years.For the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST), data on the exact proportion of calls meeting this target is not centrally collected or routinely published for the last 12 months.For each of the past 12 months, the average response time for C2 incidents at EEAST exceeded the national target. The following table provides monthly figures for the number of C2 incidents and the corresponding mean response times:MonthNumber of C2 incidents at EEASTC2 mean response time at EEASTDecember 202445,4730:57:20January 202542,7920:41:23February 202538,5140:36:55March 202542,7440:32:25April 202539,8610:36:18May 202540,5470:32:11June 202540,4840:32:51July 202543,1530:32:35August 202542,2040:30:55September 202541,4300:35:59October 202544,4570:40:41November 202544,1680:37:27Source: Ambulance Quality Indicators, available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

What recent assessment he has made of the prevalence of accidental paracetamol overdose arising from the use of multiple doses of different cold and flu products.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department with responsibility for ensuring medicines meet appropriate standards of quality, efficacy, and safety. The MHRA recently reviewed the safety of paracetamol and sought advice from the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) on 27 September 2024 on the potential risk mitigation measures to address the risk of self-harm. CHM recommended that actions need to be educational and legislative to address excessive sales and reduce potential for harm, although supportive of genuine patients.The MHRA has recently updated voluntary Best Practice Guidance on the general sale of medicines for pain, to further highlight the risks of overdose. The update was undertaken in collaboration with retailers, stakeholders and healthcare professionals, and the updated guidance is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e69e9e085277e9961b201b/Best_practice_guidance_on_the_sale_of_medicines_2025.pdfMost retailers adhere to the guidelines on not promoting multiple purchases and have introduced in store measures such as till bars that restrict sales to a maximum of two packs across a range of products containing aspirin, paracetamol, or ibuprofen.The use of paracetamol and accidental overdose is a safety concern, especially in relation to the many trade names of non-prescription and prescription medicines containing paracetamol. Therefore, the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 contain a number of conditions for the presentation of these medicines to highlight the presence of paracetamol.Schedule 25, Part 4 of the Human Medicines Regulations sets out statutory labelling requirements for paracetamol medicines to highlight the presence of paracetamol in that product. Paragraph 14 states that, except where the name of the product includes the word “paracetamol” and appears on the outer and immediate packaging, the words “contains paracetamol” should be displayed. Paragraph 15 states that the labelling must highlight paracetamol on the front face of the carton or label and should also contain the warning: “Do not take more medicine than the label tells you to. If you do not get better, talk to your doctor”.Statutory warnings are also in place to warn of liver damage with overdose including the words “Do not take anything else containing paracetamol while taking this medicine” and “Talk to a doctor at once if you take too much of this medicine, even if you feel well” in the patient information leaflet. If the product does not contain a leaflet, then the words “Talk to a doctor at once if you take too much of this medicine, even if you feel well. This is because too much paracetamol can cause delayed, serious liver damage” should be displayed on the label.For those medicines containing paracetamol which are prescribed to a patient, the statutory warnings should be added to the prescribing label which is applied to the box by the pharmacist. These are highlighted in the British National Formulary, with further information available at the following link:https://bnf.nice.org.uk/about/labels/

How patients can raise concerns about GP practices not providing appropriate access to telephone appointments for a) elderly and b) vulnerable patients.

The GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a general practice.If a patient believes their practice is not meeting this requirement, patients can write to the practice manager. If they are not comfortable raising a complaint directly, they can instead raise their concerns with the local National Health Service integrated care board (ICB), with NHS England, or with his/her local Healthwatch, the independent consumer champion for health and social care.As commissioners of primary care services, ICBs can investigate the situation further and take appropriate actions. Their contract details can be found on the NHS website, at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/find-your-local-integrated-care-board/Further information about the NHS complaints procedure and Healthwatch can be found, respectively, at the following two links:www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-the-nhs/how-to-complain-to-the-nhswww.healthwatch.co.uk

What steps he is taking to ensure that GP practices comply with GP Contract requirements on telephone appointment accessibility for a) elderly and b) vulnerable patients.

We understand that not all patients can or want to use online services. The GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a general practice.Integrated care boards (ICBs), as commissioners of primary care services, are responsible for ensuring general practices are meeting the requirements of their contracts. If necessary, ICBs can issue formal warnings, apply financial sanctions, and terminate contracts if practices are not meeting the needs of their patients.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of delayed police response times on (a) crime reporting and (b) public confidence in rural communities.

Rural communities can be assured that visible, neighbourhood policing is returning to our communities. Our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver more neighbourhood police by the end of the Parliament, whilst also ensuring each community, including rural communities, has a named, contactable officer to turn to.The Home Office will continue to work with policing colleagues on options to deliver the 13,000 neighbourhood policing personnel, including setting out further plans and funding for subsequent years shortly.The Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime, which is why we worked closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to deliver the next iteration of their Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy and sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.This financial year the Home Office has provided the first Government funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (£365,000) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (£450,000). The National Rural Crime Unit assists all police forces, including Essex, with specialist operational support in their responses to rural crime.All reported crimes should be taken seriously, investigated and, where appropriate, taken through the courts and met with tough sentences. Operational decisions will continue to be a matter for individual police chiefs and their force, and it is right that each incident is looked at on a case-by-case basis, on the evidence available and in proportion to the crime.

What assessment she has made of whether slow police response times to rural crime contribute to repeat offending.

Rural communities can be assured that visible, neighbourhood policing is returning to our communities. Our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver more neighbourhood police by the end of the Parliament, whilst also ensuring each community, including rural communities, has a named, contactable officer to turn to.The Home Office will continue to work with policing colleagues on options to deliver the 13,000 neighbourhood policing personnel, including setting out further plans and funding for subsequent years shortly.The Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime, which is why we worked closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to deliver the next iteration of their Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy and sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.This financial year the Home Office has provided the first Government funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (£365,000) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (£450,000). The National Rural Crime Unit assists all police forces, including Essex, with specialist operational support in their responses to rural crime.All reported crimes should be taken seriously, investigated and, where appropriate, taken through the courts and met with tough sentences. Operational decisions will continue to be a matter for individual police chiefs and their force, and it is right that each incident is looked at on a case-by-case basis, on the evidence available and in proportion to the crime.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer to Question 99612 on Local Government: Essex, if he will publish the minutes of any meetings held discussing the interim voting arrangements of the combined authority for Greater Essex.

I spoke to leaders in Greater Essex following the announcement of funding and next steps for the devolution agreements that are being developed through the Devolution Priority Programme. The Department has continued to engage closely with them since the announcement, jointly discussing the benefits devolution will bring to these areas. As the Government confirmed to Parliament on 4 December, we remain committed to the long-term funding offer to all DPP areas, providing £1 million mayoral capacity funding for all areas for financial year 25/26, and a minimum of £3 million over the following three financial years, subject to the establishment of the Mayoral Strategic Authorities. Government will also provide each area with a proportion of their investment funds to ensure they can start delivering on key local priorities and deliver the benefits of devolution on the ground, ahead of the mayors taking office.

What assessment he has made of the potential disparity in treatment between members of private sector defined benefit pension schemes and members of the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme following the introduction of indexation for pre-1997 service.

The Government has brought forward legislation to introduce increases on compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme that relate to pensions built up before 6 April 1997. These will be CPI-linked (capped at 2.5%) and apply prospectively (i.e. to payments going forward). This will only apply for members whose former schemes provided for these increases and will therefore create greater equality between private sector defined benefit pension schemes who provide pre-97 indexation and members of the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme who had this feature in their original pension.