Written questions by Brown-Fuller.

What steps she is taking to ensure that card payment processing fees do not disproportionately burden small and independent traders.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that the cost of accepting payments, including cards, is fair to all parties, and that our payment systems work for all. There are a number of fees that can be placed on merchants, including interchange fees which are governed by the Interchange Fee Regulations 2015 (IFR). The IFR caps the fees that are paid by a merchant (or trader) to the card user’s bank. The caps are currently set at 0.2% for every transaction using a debit card, and 0.3% for credit card transactions. The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), the UK’s economic regulator for payments, has recently concluded two market reviews into card fees to assess if increases in prices are fair and reflect a market that is operating well. The PSR is now considering its next steps, including remedies designed to increase the transparency of scheme and processing fees.https://www.psr.org.uk/our-work/market-reviews/ The Government is also committed to ensuring that payment options remain affordable and accessible for small businesses, including through measures that promote competition and reduce unnecessary costs. The National Payments Vision, published in November 2024, sets out the Government’s ambitions for a trusted, world-leading payments ecosystem delivered on next generation technology, where consumers and businesses have a choice of payment methods to meet their needs. This included the ambition for seamless account-to-account payments to be developed as a ubiquitous payment method – enabling consumers to pay digitally for goods and services in shops and online, without using a card. This would provide greater choice to consumers and merchants in how they make and receive payments, which in turn is likely to spur innovation and downward competitive pressure on the cost of payments.

What steps her Department is being taken to accelerate the Priority Service for employers and employees using the Certificate of Sponsorship Scheme.

Priority Service decisions are typically made within five working days once payment is received, significantly faster than our current service level agreement for standard applications.This expedites requests for additional undefined certificate of sponsorship (CoS) allocations and annual CoS allocation changes and we have already this year increased the availability of the priority service by 20% with a view to increasing further throughout the financial year.

What assessment he has made of whether current guidance provides sufficient detail to ensure consistent interpretation of Special Rules for End of Life eligibility criteria across clinical settings.

The Government undertook a comprehensive review of the Special Rules for End of Life in 2020. Following that review, legislation was amended in 2022 and 2023, with cross party support, to extend eligibility so that people who might have 12 months or less to live can access fast tracked support. This replaced the previous 6-month definition and is aligned with the approach used in current NHS practice for defining end of life. Guidance was updated alongside these legislative changes to support consistent interpretation across clinical settings and to ensure clinicians are supported by a definition that reflects established NHS practice. Aligning the definition with the NHS helps provide greater clarity and confidence for clinicians when providing evidence, while recognising the inherent difficulty of providing precise prognostic estimates Clinical evidence to support a claim under the Special Rules for End of Life is usually provided through the SR1 form (which can be found by searching for ‘Send an SR1 medical evidence form’ on GOV.UK). The SR1 is a short medical evidence form which can be completed by an approved clinician and provides clinical confirmation that a person is likely to have 12 months or less to live, which allows the Department to apply the Special Rules for End of Life The Department keeps the operation of the Special Rules under review and is committed to continuous improvement. We work closely with clinicians and stakeholder organisations to gather feedback on guidance and processes. Current work is focused on reviewing and improving the SR1 digital portal to make it easier and quicker for clinicians to submit evidence, supporting timely and consistent decision making for people nearing the end of life.

If she will support the emerging wine and wine tourism industry in Chichester by reducing taxes on produce sold to visitors on site.

The Government has no current plans to make changes to the alcohol duty system that was introduced in 2023 following extensive public consultation. The Government will progress its existing commitment to evaluate the impacts of the 2023 reforms and, as with all taxes, alcohol duty will be kept under review as part of the Budget process.

What assessment he has made of the impact of mandatory Advice and Guidance requirements on ensuring that appropriate referrals for endometriosis are not delayed or blocked.

The GP Contract does not mandate the use of Advice and Guidance (A&G) in all circumstances. Instead, as per the Medium-Term Planning Framework published in October 2025, providers are expected to prioritise A&G prior to or in place of a planned care referral for at least ten specialties, selected locally for greatest overall benefit and to shape delivery of elective pathways. General practice should be involved in discussions to decide on which ten specialties are the most appropriate. This does not take away a GP’s right to refer, which remains a matter of clinical judgement. This reflects longstanding planned‑care referral practice and does not alter existing legal or professional accountability frameworks for GPs.A&G is designed to support quicker, clearer clinical decision making, by enabling GPs and specialists to discuss and agree the most appropriate next steps for a patient, including those with or suspected to have endometriosis. Where the outcome of advice is for care management in the community, we expect patients to be seen more quickly, closer to home, benefiting from earlier specialist input. In these cases, the GP may still subsequently refer their patient at any point if they have concerns.The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy commits to speeding up diagnosis and access to treatment for women with endometriosis. The strategy announces a new programme to improve education for girls about their menstrual health, investing an additional £1 million to support targeted work in schools and community settings to support girls’ knowledge about menstrual health and when to seek healthcare. This is an important factor to delays in diagnosis and treatment for endometriosis.

If he will undertake a review of the legal management of divorce proceedings; and if he will make it his policy to reform interim financial arrangements to ensure neither party is financially disadvantaged or placed in financial difficulty prior to the final settlement.

The Government has no plans to undertake a further review of divorce law in respect of the way in which marriages are dissolved. This is because significant reforms were introduced by the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act (“DDSA”) 2020, which came into force on 6 April 2022. These reforms established a system of no-fault divorce, enabled joint applications and strengthened protections for respondents, including by making provision to delay the final order where financial disadvantage may arise before the settlement becomes final.The law governing financial remedies on divorce enables parties to apply to the court for the division of assets. This legislation also allows applications for interim maintenance orders (known as “maintenance pending suit”) once a divorce application has been made. These orders can meet immediate needs, in so far as the court thinks reasonable, before a financial settlement is reached.The Law Commission conducted a review of the law relating to financial remedies on divorce in December 2024. The Government will be considering issues raised by the Law Commission, including issues relating to vulnerable individuals, in its upcoming consultation on Cohabitation and Financial Remedies.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of representation of the horticultural industry on the Farming and Food Partnership Board.

The first meeting of the Board took place on 25 March 2026 with an initial membership of 7 industry leads and experts. Together, this initial group provided coverage and expertise across farming and food production, distribution, processing and manufacturing, and the domestic and international markets. This group considered the need for additional members ahead of the next Board meeting. The first meeting agreed the Board’s work should be supported by additional task and finish sub-groups, as well as sector led groups developing Sector Growth Plans. Following the first meeting, the Board has invited the Horticulture Expert Growers Group to work with the Fruit & Veg Coalition and the Environmental Horticulture Group and immediately begin work on the first Sector Growth Plan for the horticultural sector. This will ensure that the expertise and insights of the horticultural industry are fully considered by the Board.

What steps she is taking to increase the number of places available for educational psychology courses at universities in England, and whether she has considered salaried training routes for experienced professionals.

The department recently announced £26 million investment to train at least 200 new educational psychologists per year, starting in 2026 and 2027. This is set to be followed by further investment from 2028 to train more educational psychologists than we currently do, subject to future spending reviews. This builds on £31 million invested to train around 200 educational psychologists annually since 2023.To qualify, trainees are required to undertake a three year doctorate training course. The department funds the tuition fees and year one bursary payment. In years two and three, trainees are based on placements across England, with placement providers funding a bursary or salary for these years.Following graduation, department-funded trainees are required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period (three years for trainees who began in September 2024).This investment in the training scheme will help to grow local authority workforces, so that more educational psychologists are available to provide a variety of support, including identifying and supporting needs earlier and bolstering capacity to deliver assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the voices of the Iranian people are heard in decisions about Iran's future once military action subsides.

I refer the Hon Member to the statements made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 13 January and 17 March, and my Urgent Question responses on 19 January and 3 February, in which we addressed the repression perpetrated by the Iranian regime, and the importance of the Iranian people having their voices heard.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of joint plan-making where his Department has mandated different start dates for the preparation of new local plans.

The transitional provisions of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026, set out the dates by which local planning authorities are required to start plan-making. It is the responsibility of individual local planning authorities to ensure they meet these requirements.Local government reorganisation should not delay plan making. Local planning authorities who will form part of a new unitary authority should work together either on a joint plan or to align plan-making as far as practicable.

Communities and Local Government, whether planning permission should only be granted in a tilted balance scenario where there is evidence that delivery of the proposal would fall within the 5 year housing land supply period.

It is for the relevant decision maker to determine the weight to give to relevant policies in light of the specific facts and circumstances of any given planning application, including in the application of the tilted balance.Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals for a revised presumption in favour of sustainable development, underpinning the way the new policies direct different forms of development to the most appropriate locations – in effect applying a permanent presumption in favour of suitably located development.We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what consultation his Department has had with local planning authorities on section 78c of the National Planning Policy Framework.

My Department consulted on changes to policy in respect of 5-year housing land supply as part of the consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework that took place between 30 July and 24 September 2024. Paragraph 78c was introduced in the December 2024 National Planning Policy Framework update.A government response, which can be found on gov.uk here, was published alongside the updated Framework. It made clear that there are many authorities whose local housing need figures will be substantially larger than their adopted or emerging local plan housing requirement figures, indicating a significant unmet demand for new homes in these areas. To help close the gap, we are introducing a new requirement that authorities with plans adopted under the old standard method must provide an extra year’s worth of homes in their 5-year housing pipeline.As such, those authorities whose adopted plan annual housing requirement figure is 80% or less of their annual local housing need figure will be required to add a 20% buffer to their 5-year housing land supply from 1 July 2026. This window will give these authorities time to make provision for the new policy. As with other housing supply buffers, this will not be cumulative, so those authorities who are already required to add a 20% buffer due to scoring below 85% in the most recent housing delivery test will not be required to add an additional buffer should they meet these criteria.

Communities and Local Government, which local planning authorities have been provided with a 31 December 2026 start date for the preparation of new local plans.

The transitional provisions of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026, set out the dates by which local planning authorities are required to start plan-making. It is the responsibility of individual local planning authorities to ensure they meet these requirements.Local government reorganisation should not delay plan making. Local planning authorities who will form part of a new unitary authority should work together either on a joint plan or to align plan-making as far as practicable.

Communities and Local Government, if he will consider postponing the start dates for local plan-making for areas undergoing Local Government Reorganisation.

The transitional provisions of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026, set out the dates by which local planning authorities are required to start plan-making. It is the responsibility of individual local planning authorities to ensure they meet these requirements.Local government reorganisation should not delay plan making. Local planning authorities who will form part of a new unitary authority should work together either on a joint plan or to align plan-making as far as practicable.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposing different start dates for the preparation of new local plans on local planning authorities, in the context of local government reorganisation in West Sussex.

The transitional provisions of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026, set out the dates by which local planning authorities are required to start plan-making. It is the responsibility of individual local planning authorities to ensure they meet these requirements.Local government reorganisation should not delay plan making. Local planning authorities who will form part of a new unitary authority should work together either on a joint plan or to align plan-making as far as practicable.

What processes are in place to ensure that companies registered with Companies House are not linked to organisations subject to UK sanctions or counter-terrorism measures.

Companies House supports the enforcement of UK sanctions and counter‑terrorism measures and works closely with partners across Government to prevent misuse of the register. UK sanctions law prohibits designated persons from forming, acting as a director of, or being involved in managing a UK company under the Counter‑Terrorism (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. These financial sanctions also extend to entities owned or controlled by designated persons. Companies House uses identity verification, enhanced data sharing with government bodies, the UK Sanctions List, and reporting channels operated by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation to help prevent sanctioned individuals from exploiting the register.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has held discussions with Ofcom on national security considerations relating to the broadcasting licence held by LuaLua TV.

Ofcom, by law, carries out its duties independently of the Government. Ofcom has an ongoing duty, under the Broadcasting Acts 1990 and 1996, to be satisfied that any person holding a broadcasting licence is, and remains, fit and proper to hold those licences. Ofcom can revoke a licence if it ceases to be satisfied that this is the case. In making a fit and proper assessment, Ofcom can consider all relevant circumstances, including the broadcaster’s own conduct, and the behaviour of people who exercise material influence or control over the broadcaster. This could include criminal behaviour or links to proscribed organisations.

Whether his Department plans to introduce a modern service framework for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease.

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs). The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.

What discussions his Department has had with the Department of State for Education on the recognition of the Pathological Demand Avoidance profile within assessments for Autism Spectrum Disorder.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular discussions on a wide range of matters, including with other departments.Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is most often understood as a characteristic of, or observed in, some autistic people, but professional consensus on its status is still required. PDA is not a recognised and ‘stand-alone’ diagnosis within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or the International Classification of Disease.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including assessment services for autistic people, in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.The NICE guideline Autism spectrum disorder in under 19s: recognition, referral and diagnosis, recommends that as part of autism assessments healthcare workers should consider PDA and carry out appropriate referrals.

Communities and Local Government, if he will consider creating a mandatory buyback scheme for owners of shared ownership homes.

Landlords have the option to buy back homes where shared owners are unable to sell due to building safety issues, and they can use their own resource or Recycled Capital Grant Funding to do so. Shared ownership providers are independent bodies, and decisions about the management, sale or repurchase of individual homes sit with them. While buyback provisions already apply in some limited circumstances, such as in Designated Protected Areas or where providers offer discretionary support in exceptional cases, the government has no current plans to introduce a mandatory buyback scheme for all shared ownership homes.