Written questions by Shannon.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of allotments in the UK.

My Department does not hold data on the number of allotments in the UK.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of defence budgets in the last 10 years.

The recent increase in defence spending is the largest sustained increase since the end of the Cold War. The Government is firmly committed to increasing defence spending to reach 2.6% of GDP by 2027 and has set an ambition to reach 3%in the next Parliament, as fiscal and economic conditions allow. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has also made a historic commitment to spend 5% of GDP on national security. This is a generational increase in defence and security spending, honouring our commitment to be a leader in NATO. The Department publishes historic MOD spending in cash and real terms in its annual Departmental Resources publication.

What steps he is taking to help raise awareness of the symptoms of mini stroke.

Information on mini strokes, also known as transient ischaemic attacks, is available on the NHS.UK website, at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/transient-ischaemic-attack-tia/#:~:text=A%20transient%20ischaemic%20attack%20(TIA,of%20oxygen%20to%20the%20brain The main symptoms of a mini stroke are the same as those of stroke, and the National Health Service encourages people to use the FAST acronym for assessing if a mini stroke is occurring. On 4 November, NHS England is launched a new Act FAST campaign to increase knowledge of the main signs of a stroke and to encourage people to dial 999 immediately in response to any sign, with the phrase ‘Face or Arm or Speech, at the first sign, it’s Time to call 999’. The campaign ran in England across television, television on demand, radio, social media, national press, and ethnic minority television and radio stations. The campaign also included specific communications for multicultural and disabled audiences.

What steps she is taking to reduce unemployment in 18-21 year olds.

As part of our plan to Get Britain Working, we are launching a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education are working closely with the eight Mayoral Strategic Authorities in England, which began mobilising the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in April 2025. The eight areas delivering Trailblazers are: the West of England, Tees Valley, East Midlands, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Liverpool City Region, West Midlands and two areas within the Greater London Authority. The trailblazers will run for 12 months, and we will use the learning to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls-out across the rest of England. This is part of a broader package of reforms, including introduction of a new jobs and careers service to help get more people into work, the development of work, health and skills plans for the economically inactive, and the launch of Skills England to open up new opportunities for young people. We will work in partnership with organisations and businesses at the national and local level to offer exciting and engaging opportunities to young people. This could include work experience, training courses or employability programmes. In addition, DWP continues to provide young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners.

Communities and Local Government, what progress her Department has made on reaching housing targets.

The government publishes quarterly data on planning applications and housing starts and completions.The latest data on planning application statistics can be found on gov.uk here.Data on housing starts and completions can be found on gov.uk here.The main measure of housing supply is net additional dwellings, the latest data on which can be found on gov.uk here.

What steps she is taking to educate children on the harms of antisemitism within the National Curriculum.

I refer the hon. Member for Strangford to the answer of 20 June 2025 to Question 59341.

How many men between the ages of 50 and 60 have been diagnosed with prostate cancer in the last six months.

The following table shows the number of diagnoses of prostate cancer, from September 2024 to February 2025, the latest available data:DateNumber of diagnosesSeptember 2024516October 2024579November 2024518December 2024628January 2025696February 2025629Source: the Rapid Cancer Registration Data set for prostate cancer in males aged 50 to 59 years old, with further information available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/cancer-data-hub/rapid-cancer-registration-data-dashboardsTherefore, the total estimated number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 50 to 59 years old, over the most recent six months available, is 3,566.

How many children have been vaccinated against whooping cough in the last 12 months.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) monitors trends in the level of childhood vaccination rates by upper tier local authority, region, and country. From April 2023 to March 2024, 91.2% of children in England who turned 12 months had been fully vaccinated with all three doses against pertussis, also known as whooping cough. Data on coverage of all routine childhood immunisations is published quarterly by UKHSA, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cover-of-vaccination-evaluated-rapidly-cover-programme-2024-to-2025-quarterly-dataData on coverage of all routine childhood immunisations is also published annually by NHS England, and is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-immunisation-statistics/england-2023-24

What progress his Department has made on using drone technology.

Each of the Front-Line Commands employ a range of different drone capabilities and are currently developing an array of future capabilities aligned to the Defence Drone Strategy. In 2024 the Defence Uncrewed Systems Design Authority (DUxDA) was established to focus on Research and Development, Test and Evaluation, Policy and Regulation, Security and Integration and Knowledge Exploitation across the developing portfolio of Defence Uncrewed Systems.

How many people in the UK currently suffer with Lyme disease.

In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland there are approximately 1,000 to 1,500 laboratory confirmed cases every year, and in Scotland there are approximately 500 laboratory diagnosed cases.Previous studies have shown that there are approximately 2,000 additional cases of Lyme disease per year that are not laboratory confirmed in England and Wales. Lyme disease is more common in Scotland, and Southeast and Southwest England, compared to other parts of the United Kingdom such as Northern Ireland, and cases peak in the spring and summer months.Lyme disease is not a notifiable disease in the UK so the exact number in the community is unclear, as many patients are diagnosed with Lyme disease clinically, without sending samples for testing. Further details on Lyme disease are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/lyme-disease-guidance-data-and-analysis

What steps she is taking to encourage more opportunities in schools for music and orchestra lessons.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.As part of our Opportunity Mission, the department wants to widen access to the arts, including music, so young people can develop their creativity.On 18 March 2025, the department announced its intention to launch a National Centre for Arts and Music Education to promote opportunities for children and young people to pursue their artistic interests in school, including through the government’s network of Music Hubs.The government has also committed £79 million per year for Music Hubs to the 2025/26 academic year. The 43 Music Hubs partnerships offer musical instrument tuition, instrument loaning, and whole-class ensemble teaching in schools. It is for schools and Hubs to decide in relation to lessons that support orchestral music.

What steps she is taking to help support young men's mental health in (a) schools and (b) other educational settings.

Education is a devolved matter and this response outlines the information for England only.This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people, including young men. This is critical to high and rising standards in schools and breaking down barriers to opportunity, helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.As part of this, the government has launched a call for evidence on men’s health, including mental health and support for young men, as part of its commitment to developing a men’s health strategy. The consultation is open until 17 July: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-call-for-evidence-on-mens-health.The government will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. By April 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% in April 2025.We continue to work closely with students, parents, mental health experts and the higher education (HE) sector to drive meaningful change in mental health practice, and support student mental health in HE settings, through the HE Mental Health Implementation Taskforce.

Whether the review of Universal Credit will consider the process of how social security rates are (a) set and (b) uprated.

The Secretary of State already has an annual Statutory duty to conduct a review of benefits and State pension rates, including Universal Credit, to determine whether they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices and/or earnings. This is a well-established process that applies more widely than just Universal Credit and is therefore outside the scope of the review. This Government uprated benefit rates for 2025/26 in line with inflation, with 5.7 million Universal Credit households forecast to gain by an average of £150 annually. We will also improve the adequacy of the Universal Credit standard allowance with the first sustained above inflation rise in the basic rate of Universal Credit since it was introduced, subject to parliamentary approval as part of our welfare reform.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the length of prison sentences for people convicted of offences in connection with paedophile rings.

Home Office Ministers have regular discussions with their counterparts across Government, including the Ministry of Justice, on measures to tackle the heinous crime of child sexual abuse and exploitation and ensure perpetrators face the full force of the law.Through the Crime and Policing Bill, the Government is legislating to make grooming a statutory aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences. This will include (but is not limited to) offences committed by individuals involved in grooming gangs.Where a sentencing court concludes that a child sex offence was involved or was facilitated by grooming behaviour, it will be obliged to treat this as an aggravating factor, for which a more substantial penalty is accessible.

If he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to increase funding for cancer research in UK universities.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR spent £133 million on cancer research in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.The overall budget for research investment is agreed with the Treasury at the outset of each Spending Review period. Our investments in cancer are pivotal to informing efforts to improve cancer prevention, treatment and care.As well as funding cancer research itself, the Department also invests in centres of excellence, services and facilities to enable and delivery of cancer research in England. This includes NIHR funding for the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres, a United Kingdom-wide network for delivery of early phase cancer trials, and NIHR’s Biomedical Research Centres, collaborations between world-leading universities and National Health Service organisations, bringing together academics and clinicians to do translational research, including on all cancer types. NIHR also works closely with industry to bring innovative research to the UK. This creates a strong portfolio of work reflecting the need to research early detection and diagnostics to reduce the impact of cancer on the population.NIHR is the UK’s largest funder of health and care research training, working with universities and the wider health and care system to deliver a comprehensive research career pathway for researchers from the full range of professions. NIHR welcomes applications for training awards from the clinical and non-clinical academic workforce conducting research into any aspect of human health, including cancer. In addition to training applications, NIHR also continue to welcome high quality, high impact funding applications for research into health and care.

What progress his Department has made on developing the upcoming industrial strategy.

The Government published “The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy” on 23 June 2025. The document has been laid before Parliament and published online at www.gov.uk/industrialstrategy

What recent steps he has taken to help protect the steel industry.

Through measures announced in our Industrial Strategy, we are taking action to improve the competitiveness and growth potential for our steel sector. This includes steps to make industrial electricity costs for UK businesses cheaper and accelerating grid connection timelines for new projects. We are leveraging the Government’s purchasing power to bolster domestic competition by streamlining and strengthening criteria for suppliers to contribute to these objectives in their bids and continuing to incentivise investment in CCUS and hydrogen. This Industrial Strategy, together with the Steel Strategy to be published later in the year, will ensure that this Government has a coordinated response to sector challenges and to drive new investments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with (a) pro-democracy organisations, (b) civil society and (c) ethnic nationalities in Myanmar to promote (i) federal democracy and (ii) human rights in that country.

We continue to discuss the political situation in Myanmar with a range of opposition stakeholders, including the National Unity Government (NUG) and a number of Ethnic Resistance Organisations (ERO). I recently met senior NUG stakeholders, to reiterate UK support for inclusive dialogue in Myanmar.In April, we co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar calling for the Myanmar military to fully respect and protect the human rights of all persons in Myanmar, including Rohingya and other persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities.UK Aid continues to support the role of civil society to promote peace and stability in Myanmar.

If she will hold discussions with AdviceUK on the potential impact of her reforms to disability benefits on demand for independent advice services.

This government values the input of stakeholders, disabled people and representative organisations. Ahead of the formal consultation for the Green Paper, we engaged with a number of organisations, and we continue to explore ways of involving stakeholders in our reforms. This includes through the PIP review, collaboration committees and the Disability Advisory Panel. I also continue to meet with a range of charities, organisations and individuals. The Green Paper consultation further offers the opportunity for organisations, as well as claimants themselves, to provide input and help shape the reform proposals. We hope to hear from a wide range of voices and encourage organisations to respond to the consultation to share their views and expertise, before it closes on the 30 June. We will continue to consider the potential impacts of reforms as part of our wider consideration of responses to the consultation, including any impacts on services.

Whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential merits of integrating (a) health and (b) social care services with access to welfare advice.

We understand the importance of ensuring local services are joined up and providing personalised wrap around support. In the recent Pathways to Work green paper the Government announced that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work, backed up increased funding each year up to £1billion a year by the end of the scorecard. As part of the mission led government, regular cross government collaboration takes place at both Ministerial and official level. The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions and has a range of support available so individuals can stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. In England and Wales, these measures include joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care and WorkWell, as well as support across the UK from Work Coaches, Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants. Good work is good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key.