Written questions by McMurdock.

What proportion of patients waited more than four hours in Basildon Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department in the past year.

The Government acknowledges that urgent and emergency care performance has not consistently met expectations in recent years. We are committed to restoring waiting standards to those set out in the NHS Constitution by the end of this Parliament, as outlined in our Medium Term Planning Framework, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/medium-term-planning-framework-delivering-change-together-2026-27-to-2028-29.pdfBasildon Hospital is part of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. In the financial year 2024/25, 29.1% of patients at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust waited for more than four hours from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge.We are putting significant funding into expanding urgent and emergency service access for those most in need, including new Urgent Treatment Centres and Same Day Emergency Care facilities. Nationally, this will mean 800,000 fewer accident and emergency patients waiting over four hours this year.The 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 estimate she has made of the mean average value of a property purchased under the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the eligibility criteria for that scheme on first-time buyers in Essex.

The Mortgage Guarantee Scheme is designed to support and sustain the availability of low deposit mortgage products for first-time buyers and home movers with a deposit as small as 5%.All property types of any value are eligible, and the Scheme will now remain permanently available to lenders in all regions of the UK.

What estimate she has made of the average property value under the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme compared to the UK average house price.

The Mortgage Guarantee Scheme is designed to support and sustain the availability of low deposit mortgage products for first-time buyers and home movers with a deposit as small as 5%.All property types of any value are eligible, and the Scheme will now remain permanently available to lenders in all regions of the UK.

What data she has on the number of children who are irregular migrants and enrolled in schools; and what the estimated annual cost is for educating those children.

The requested information is not held by the department.

What plans he has to review the (a) length of statutory paternity leave and (b) level of pay provided during this period.

On 1 July we launched the Parental Leave and Pay Review, which is considering all existing and upcoming parental leave entitlements, including Paternity Leave and Pay. When considering calls to increase entitlements for parents, the Government will balance the needs of families, the impact on employers, and affordability for taxpayers. We recognise that more can be done to support working families now. That is why, through the Employment Rights Bill, we are making Paternity Leave a ‘day one’ right, which will bring an extra 32,000 fathers and partners into scope of the entitlement.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of legal protections available to British freight drivers who travel into the Schengen Area in respect of the 90/180 rule.

The Schengen 90- days in any 180-day period (“90/180”) immigration rule has been in place since 2021 and applies to all UK nationals (including British freight drivers) undertaking short stays for leisure and work in the Schengen area. The Schengen 90/180 limit is a fundamental part of the EU’s conditions of entry for third country nationals to its territory. Any amendments or exemptions to the Schengen rules are the responsibility of the EU and Member States. It is not UK Government policy. The Department continues to encourage road haulage and coach operators to take the necessary steps to ensure their UK national drivers who work internationally remain within the 90/180 limit. Freight drivers should also ensure that they are aware of the penalty and enforcement approach for exceeding the limit in any individual EU Member States they plan to travel to or through. This is important to avoid the risk of drivers and their vehicles being turned around at the UK-EU border or being fined or suspended from re-entry. Freight drivers generally do not benefit from specific legal exemptions for border crossing under the Schengen Borders Code, unlike certain other transport-related personnel such as ship or aircraft crew. The Government will continue to listen to concerns raised by sectors affected by these rules and will advocate for British citizens abroad.

What steps he is taking to ensure the long-term affordability of prescription medication for people with chronic illnesses.

Approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there are a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with chronic illnesses may be eligible.Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have another qualifying medical condition, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.Depending on their condition, patients with chronic conditions may be able to apply for a medical exemption certificate which entitles the holder to free National Health Service prescriptions.People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme, which provides help based on a comparison between a person’s income and their requirements. Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) are also available. PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with three-month and 12-month certificates available. 12-month PPCs can be paid for in ten monthly instalments, allowing the holder to get all the prescriptions they need for just over £2 per week.To further support patients with the costs of prescriptions, this year the prescription charge was frozen at 2024/25 rates.

What steps he is taking to improve NHS medication procurement processes.

The Medicines Procurement and Supply Chain (MPSC) is part of the NHS Medicines Value and Access Directorate and establishes the commercial arrangements to enable the purchasing of medicines prescribed in National Health Service hospitals in England. The MPSC manages a number of Medicines Framework agreements that define how to ensure continuity of supply for:generic medicines including newly available generic medicines used in hospitals;branded medicines, biosimilar medicines, and intravenous fluids; andblood products and dose banded chemotherapy and flu vaccines for hospitals.The MPSC constantly review the commercial pipeline to ensure procurement strategies are fit for purpose, promote resilience in the supply chain and achieve value for money for the NHS.Since the introduction of the new Procurement Act in February 2025, each procurement strategy has been reviewed to understand what process, including the new processes now available under the new act, would be most effective to use. The MPSC is currently working to implement value-based procurement into the broad portfolio categories to move the focus to achieving value, rather than just lowest price, whilst ensuring continuity of supply.

What steps he is taking to reduce short-term readmissions following mental health inpatient discharge.

In 2023, NHS England published guidance on the commissioning and delivery of acute inpatient mental health care for adults and older adults, which is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/acute-inpatient-mental-health-care-for-adults-and-older-adults/ This encourages integrated care boards and mental health providers to monitor the length of hospital stay, the number of people who are clinically ready for discharge and who have not been discharged, reasons for delayed discharges, and reasons for readmission within six months, in order to monitor the effectiveness of local discharge arrangements and to identify improvements. NHS England is also delivering a universal culture of care improvement programme, which all National Health Service and major independent providers are participating in. The programme is based on co-produced standards for high quality inpatient care, which include commitments to improve discharge and follow up support. Improving access to high quality community mental health care is critical to reducing the number of avoidable admissions to hospital and supporting people in community settings following a hospital spell. Since 2019, NHS England has invested significant additional funding to support services to transform and expand services in line with the vision set out in the Community Mental Health Framework. The new approach integrates community mental health services with primary care, whilst also improving partnerships with voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations, local authorities, and other local organisations to offer people holistic and personalised care for both their clinical and social needs, with both a ‘need-led’ and ‘no wrong door’ approach. NHS England continues to prioritise improving services for people with mental health problems, including through the development of new guidance on delivering personalised care and support, for instance the Personalised Care Framework: a Modern Care Programme Approach, the piloting and rollout of 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres across the country, and the development of a new modern service framework for severe mental illness expected in 2026.

What plans he has to improve post-discharge support for mental health patients.

The first statutory guidance on discharge from mental health hospitals, published in 2024 under the NHS Act 2006, emphasised the importance of communication and collaboration between responsible agencies to ensure the patient’s safe and timely discharge and continued care and support after hospital.This is underpinned by the Community Mental Health Framework, which sets out a vision for new models of integrated primary and community mental health services to address longstanding challenges in mental health services, including maximising continuity of care. Neighbourhood mental health centres build on this model, bringing together a range of community mental health services under one roof, including crisis services and short-stay beds, ensuring people’s holistic needs can be met. To ensure that people are provided with the right support to live successfully and safely in the community after discharge, section 117 of the Mental Health Act places a duty on the National Health Service and local social services authorities to provide after-care to eligible patients who have been detained in hospital for treatment, under certain sections of the act.We know there are sometimes disagreements between local authorities over who should be paying for a persons’ after-care and what services should be provided. The Mental Health Bill seeks to address these issues and bring clarity, mitigating delays to the provision of aftercare services.There is also the NHS Continuing Healthcare, which is a package of NHS-funded ongoing care for adults with the highest levels of complex, intense, or unpredictable needs, who have been assessed as having a primary health need, to meet needs that have arisen as a result of disability, accident, or illness.

What assessment he has made of trends in the levels of readmission rates among mental health inpatients aged 0-17.

The following table shows the number of readmissions and the percentage of all admissions that were readmissions for children and young people’s mental health inpatient services, for 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25, and from April to August of 2025/26: Year2022/232023/242024/252025/26Number of readmissions19719615783Percentage of admissions that were readmissions7.9%8.7%7.5%9.3%Source: Mental Health Services Dataset, NHS England. A readmission is any admission which takes place within 90 days of a previous discharge, for the same patient.

What steps he is taking to include a) Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and b) hypermobility spectrum disorders in plans to improve the delivery of treatment for people with chronic illnesses.

The National Health Service recognises that people with chronic conditions, including Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD), require personalised, coordinated care. EDS comprises 13 rare inherited connective-tissue disorders affecting multiple body systems. Hypermobile EDS (hEDS) is the most common sub-type and, along with HSD, is frequently associated with chronic, high-impact musculoskeletal pain. Patients may be managed across primary care, community services, and secondary care services, and diagnosis and management of the most complex cases is supported by the nationally commissioned diagnostic centres in London and Sheffield.The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Rheumatology report published in July 2021 highlighted that non-inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions, such as hypermobility-related chronic pain, benefit most from multidisciplinary, personalised pain-management strategies delivered in primary and community care, rather than routine referral to rheumatology. The GIRFT Chronic Pain workstream, introduced in 2025, is reviewing service delivery across all care settings to improve access, equity, and outcomes for patients with persistent pain.These initiatives align with wider NHS and Government plans to improve care for people with chronic illnesses by promoting integrated, proactive, and person-centred management, including multidisciplinary support in primary care networks, enhanced specialist input where needed, and better access to evidence-based interventions. For people with hEDS and HSD, this means earlier recognition, holistic management of chronic pain, and coordinated pathways that reduce unnecessary specialist referrals while ensuring complex cases are referred to appropriate tertiary services.

What assessment she has made of the health of the labour market, in light of the number of unemployed people and job vacancies.

Economic growth is a priority for this Government. Building a thriving and inclusive labour market and increasing the number of people in work is central to achieving the Government’s number one mission to grow the economy, and delivering our missions to spread opportunity and improve the health of the nation. In November 2024, we set out our plan in the Get Britain Working White Paper, with three main pillars:Reforming Jobcentre Plus into a Jobs and Careers Service which is more focused on skills and career progression, responsive to the needs and challenges of local labour markets and aligned with the needs of employers.Tackling economic inactivity due to ill health through joined up work, health and skills support and our Pathways to Work guarantee of tailored support for those with health conditionsDelivering a Youth Guarantee so that all young people have access to education, training or help to find a job or apprenticeship. Since the start of the year, over 329,000 more people have moved into employment. Rising employment and falling inactivity have also contributed to there now being a record number (34.3 million) of working-aged people who are economically active. The UK has the 3rd highest employment rate in the G7 and had the fastest growing economy in the G7 in the first half the year. Since July 2024, real wages have risen more than in the first ten years of the previous government.

What steps she is taking to address the lack of growth in the 16-64 employment rate in the past year.

Our Get Britain Working White Paper set out ambitious plans to transform employment support, tackle rising levels of health-related economic inactivity and move towards an 80% employment rate . Since publication we have made rapid progress delivering on our three key interconnected pillars which are driving change including;9 place-based economic inactivity trailblazers, with 3 areas receiving additional funding for our Health Accelerators seeking to prevent economic inactivity linked to ill-health.8 Youth Guarantee trailblazers, testing approaches before we roll out nationally and as part of our commitment to create a new Jobs and Careers Service we have launched our first Pathfinder in Wakefield to develop and test new services and different ways of supporting people.

If she will include measures related to breaktime quality within (a) school wellbeing and (b) inspection frameworks.

Breaktimes can be an important part of a pupil’s school experience, providing opportunities to rest, play and connect with peers. While the department has no plans to introduce dedicated guidance or measures on breaktime, we have committed to work with partners to draw up and publish a good practice framework to help schools increase pupil engagement. This will include support for schools to effectively measure the factors which contribute to children attending, achieving and thriving at school, to inform evidence-based support inside and outside of school.

Whether she plans to issue guidance encouraging schools to adopt evidence-based playtime improvement schemes.

Breaktimes can be an important part of a pupil’s school experience, providing opportunities to rest, play and connect with peers. While the department has no plans to introduce dedicated guidance or measures on breaktime, we have committed to work with partners to draw up and publish a good practice framework to help schools increase pupil engagement. This will include support for schools to effectively measure the factors which contribute to children attending, achieving and thriving at school, to inform evidence-based support inside and outside of school.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Clean Power 2030 target in reducing average household energy bills.

The Government and Prime Minister is fully committed to delivering clean power by 2030. Last December, we published the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, which provides the foundation for the UK to build an energy system that can bring down bills for households and businesses for good, and protect them against future price shocks. For example, NESO modelling showed that if gas use for power generation remained at the levels of 2023 and gas prices were raised to the peak levels in 2022 (300 p/therm on average), this would add around £12 billion to annual electricity system costs in Great Britain. In the clean power pathways, a similar price shock would only add around £5 billion.

What assessment she has made of the contribution of playtime to children’s a) social, b) emotional and c) cognitive development.

The early years foundation stage statutory framework is clear that play is essential for children’s wellbeing and development. Play builds confidence and enthusiasm for learning, and develops self-awareness, self-regulation and social skills. Early years practitioners should plan how to support children’s development through high quality play.Schools are expected to organise the school day and school week in the best interests of their pupil cohort, to both provide them with a full-time education suitable to their age, aptitude and ability, and to incorporate time for play and other activities.The department commissioned the Children of the 2020s study to improve our understanding of children’s progress throughout key phases of learning and education. We will assess the findings of the study for supporting children’s holistic development including through play and other approaches.

What steps she is taking to ensure that schools have adequate time for play during the school day.

Play is an essential part of children’s development and learning, as recognised in the early years foundation stage statutory framework. Schools, governing bodies and academy trusts are responsible for ensuring the school day includes opportunities for social interaction, physical activity and enrichment activities.Government guidance sets out an expectation that the school week in all state-funded mainstream schools should be at least 32.5 hours including breaks, providing opportunity for schools to incorporate time for play and other enrichment activities.

Pursuant to Answer of 12 November 2025 to Question 87656, what plans she has to issue updated guidance to higher education providers in the context of the Office for Students’ assessment that reliance on international student fee income presents a risk to financial sustainability.

Higher education (HE) providers are responsible for managing their finances. As such, they must continue to adapt to uncertainties and financial risks. However, this government is committed to putting the HE sector on a secure financial footing so that it can face the challenges of the next decade. Our decision to raise tuition fees annually in line with inflation, alongside refocusing the Office for Students (OfS) on monitoring the sector’s financial health, demonstrates this commitment. The government does not currently have any plans to issue guidance to higher education providers in light of the Office for Student’s (OfS) assessment of the HE sector’s reliance on international student fee income. The OfS is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the financial sustainability of the sector, including risks relating to international student recruitment.