Written questions by Brown-Fuller.

What steps he is taking to improve access to cardiac screening for young people.

The Government recognises how worrying heart health can be for the families of young people. That is why the National Health Service already offers cardiac tests for young people who present with symptoms that could indicate a cardiac issue.However, testing young people without symptoms would be classed as a screening programme. It is vital that screening policy is based on robust scientific evidence, as screening can also cause harm.In considering whether any screening programme should be introduced, the Government is guided by the independent scientific advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process. Where the committee is confident that offering screening provides more good than harm, they recommend a screening programme.The UK NSC last reviewed screening for the conditions associated with sudden cardiac death in people under the age of 39 years old in 2019. The conclusion of that review was that population screening should not be offered, as research showed that current tests are not accurate enough to use on young people with no symptoms.Current evidence suggests that introducing population-level screening for sudden cardiac death would cause harm by misdiagnosing some people, which could lead to some people being prescribed medication that they don’t need or undergoing medical procedures that they don’t need, such as having an implantable defibrillator fitted. It could lead to people living in fear of sudden cardiac death when they’re not at risk, and potentially making life-changing decisions, such as giving up exercise, which could have a negative long-term impact on their health.The UK NSC is due to open a public consultation to seek comments from members of the public and stakeholders on screening for the conditions associated with sudden cardiac death later this spring, and we would encourage those with an interest to contribute.

Communities and Local Government, if he will take legislative steps to tackle the mismanagement of parish councils.

Local authorities are independent employers, responsible for the day to day running of their organisation and workforces. This includes parish and town councils. Government has no remit to intervene in the day-to-day affairs of local councils, except where specific provision has been made in legislation. Parish councils are accountable for their actions to their electorate and must act within their statutory powers. Local people can hold councils to account, through the parish councils' own complaints processes. Central government has no current plans to take any further legislative steps on this matter.

Communities and Local Government, if he will take legislative steps to make parish councils more accountable to their constituents.

Local authorities are independent employers, responsible for the day to day running of their organisation and workforces. This includes parish and town councils. Government has no remit to intervene in the day-to-day affairs of local councils, except where specific provision has been made in legislation. Parish councils are accountable for their actions to their electorate and must act within their statutory powers. Local people can hold councils to account, through the parish councils' own complaints processes. Central government has no current plans to take any further legislative steps on this matter.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the DVLA webchat.

In 2025-2026, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s contact centre answered 8,929,400 customer contacts, of which 964,576 were answered via webchat. The webchat service provides customers with an online option to support them when they are using one of the DVLA’s digital services or if they have a general enquiry. The DVLA’s webchat also incorporates a chatbot function which automatically answered 498,780 customers in 2025-26 without any human intervention. The chatbot function is available constantly, allowing the DVLA to answer some customer enquiries outside of its standard opening hours.In 2025-26, the average time taken to handle an enquiry via the webchat channel was around 90 seconds quicker than the telephone option.

If he will take steps to address the potential impact of brand‑specific prescribing on the availability of medication at pharmacies.

Decisions about what medicines to prescribe, including whether to prescribe by brand name or generically, are clinical decisions made following discussion with a patient.Where a prescriber specifies a particular brand or supplier because it is clinically necessary, for example due to side effects or allergies, pharmacies are required to dispense that specific product.Medicine supply chains are complex, global, and highly regulated and there are a number of reasons why supply can be disrupted, many of which are not specific to the United Kingdom and outside of Government control, including manufacturing difficulties, access to raw materials, sudden demand spikes, or distribution issues and regulatory issues. There are approximately 14,000 licensed medicines and the overwhelming majority are in good supply.While we can’t always prevent supply issues from occurring, we have a range of well-established processes and tools to manage them when they arise and mitigate risks to patients. These include close and regular engagement with suppliers, use of alternative strengths or forms of a medicine to allow patients to remain on the same product, expediting regulatory procedures, sourcing unlicensed imports from abroad, adding products to the restricted exports and hoarding list, use of Serious Shortage Protocols, and issuing National Health Service communications to provide management advice and information on the issue to healthcare professionals including pharmacists, so they can advise and support their patients.The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the support available to schools for hockey provision.

Schools play a vital role in giving many pupils their first experience of playing sport, including hockey, in a structured and inclusive environment. This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity so that every child can access high quality physical education and school sport.That is why, in June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced a new approach to PE and school sport, focused on building strong partnerships between schools, local clubs and National Governing Bodies of sport, such as England Hockey, to support greater participation and physical activity.National Governing Bodies provide valuable resources, workforce development and teacher support to help schools deliver high‑quality sporting opportunities, both within the PE curriculum and through enrichment activity. The department is preparing to procure a national partner to lead the new PE and School Sport Partnerships, which will provide an opportunity to regularly assess the adequacy of support available to schools across PE and school sport, including hockey provision.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the feasibility and ecological impact of reintroducing the Eurasian lynx to woodland areas in England.

Defra has not undertaken any formal assessment of the feasibility and ecological impact of reintroducing the Eurasian lynx to woodland areas in England.

Whether his Department has explored the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in electrocardiogram (ECG) diagnostics.

Most modern electrocardiogram (ECG) machines already include algorithm-based decision support to assist with interpretation and to generate an automated report. As with all diagnostic tests, any automated output must be interpreted by a suitably qualified clinician in the context of the individual patient’s clinical presentation. The Government is engaging with partners developing enhanced ECG technologies, to support wider adoption as evidence and readiness allow.

With reference to SEND reforms, what provisions will be made for home-educated children with SEND and children with Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA).

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

In the context of SEND reforms, how her Department plans to implement identification of special education needs in children younger than five years old; and how early intervention will be enacted.

We are consulting on proposals to reform the special educational needs and disabilities system, including strengthening early identification and support in early years settings. We also propose introducing a fast track for a Specialist Provision Package for children under 5 whose needs are complex and identified at an early stage and to work with the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England on these proposals, including improving information sharing between health professionals and local authorities.We have already made the commitment that Every Best Start Family Hub will have a Best Start Inclusion Practitioner, who is a dedicated professional who works across hubs and outreach sites to support early identification and support children with emerging needs, particularly those aged 0 to 5.Together, these reforms will mean children’s needs will be identified earlier, gaps will be closed sooner, and more children will make strong progress in line with our Best Start in Life ambition.

With reference to SEND reforms, what assessment she has made of the potential administrative burden on teachers under the new system.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Whether support is available to rural households and businesses reliant on LPG in addition to the Crisis and Resilience Fund.

The Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) is available in England to support low-income households reliant on LPG who are facing a crisis and need immediate financial support. It is for local authorities to determine individual need and the most appropriate form of support, using a person centred, needs based approach in line with the Fund’s guidance. The CRF does not offer business support.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of empty properties there are in the UK.

Statistics on empty properties in England are published annually and can be found on gov.uk. Data on vacant homes is not broken down by constituency. Housing policy is a devolved matter, so information for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is held by the respective devolved administrations.

What assessment he has made of the impact of the Steel Strategy on the wider UK steel supply chain, including downstream manufacturers and fabricators.

This Government recognises the distinct value of downstream users, including in the manufacturing supply chain, alongside the importance of maintaining a resilient domestic steel sector.We continue to engage extensively with industry and other stakeholders as we move into the delivery phase of the steel strategy, following its publication on the 19 March. This includes work to implement the new trade measure on 1 July. The publication of any further information will be considered as this progresses.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of empty properties in Chichester constituency.

Statistics on empty properties in England are published annually and can be found on gov.uk. Data on vacant homes is not broken down by constituency. Housing policy is a devolved matter, so information for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is held by the respective devolved administrations.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of properties that have had planning permission for over six months yet no building work has yet commenced.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 122315 on 1 April 2026.

What estimate she has made on the cost of removing VAT on the renovation of unoccupied properties.

The Government recognises the importance of reusing existing housing stock to deliver new homes. To support this, residential renovations are subject to a reduced rate of VAT of five per cent if they meet certain conditions. These include the renovation of properties that have been empty for two or more years. HMRC publishes estimates of the costs of tax reliefs where possible in its annual tax reliefs publication. The latest tax relief statistics publication and further information about how HMRC estimate the cost of tax reliefs can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-reliefs/tax-relief-statistics-january-2026.

Whether her Department plans to expand supported internships to further education students on individual support plans.

The department is consulting on proposals to reform the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, and you can access the consultation here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-strategy-division/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-firs/. We are considering the impact of the proposed reforms on specific programmes including supported internships.We are already piloting supported internships for young people with SEND who do not have education, health and care plans. We have seen positive outcomes from the pilot and have recently announced that we are investing £9 million to continue this for a further year. The pilot is being evaluated and this learning will inform future policy development.Supported Internships remain a proven pathway to employment for young people furthest from the labour market, with thousands of high-quality opportunities now available across the country with a range of employers, following significant investment.

What assessment he has made of the level of support available to children with situational mutism in Chichester constituency.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

When self-referral to community audiologists will be enabled on the NHS app.

The Government is committed to enabling patients to access digital health and care services to manage their health. As part of its work to support self-referral services for National Health Service patients in the musculoskeletal community, the Government is assessing how to develop these services for other communities, including those of audiologists. Work is expected to take place this financial year and will consider whether the NHS App is the best mechanism for self-referral.