Written questions by Shannon.

What assessment he has made of the potential correlation between areas with higher levels of deprivation and trends in the level of cancer diagnosis.

Making improvements across different cancer types is critical to reducing disparities in cancer survival. We recognize that there are challenges for several different populations, particularly for people living in the most deprived areas of the country.We are directly targeting activity at areas that we know will make a difference. This includes awareness campaigns such as the NHS Help Us, Help You campaign, to increase awareness of cancer symptoms and encourage people to get checked.We know that some cancers disproportionately impact those living in deprived areas, notably lung cancer. The Lung Cancer Screening Programme is a national screening programme, targeted at those aged between 55 and 74 years old with a history of smoking. It is designed to identify cancers at an earlier stage and has led to over 3,000 more lung cancers being diagnosed at such a stage. Furthermore, NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 approach informs action to reduce healthcare inequalities, including for early cancer diagnosis.The NHS England Cancer Programme commissions clinical cancer audits, which provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, increase the consistency of access to treatments, and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients. Rather than a single audit, NHS England commissions ten audits, by tumour type.We are investing an additional £889 million in general practice to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.Finally, the recently announced Cancer Plan, which will complement the 10-Year Health Plan and support delivery of the Government’s Health Mission, will set out further actions to improve early diagnosis.

Representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church Commissioners have had discussions with local churches in coastal areas on steps to encourage young people to join church related (a) youth clubs and (b) weekend events.

One of the key priorities set by the National Church Institutions, working with the dioceses, is to grow our mission to children and young people. Significant funding has been committed to support this vital work. In 2023/24, the Diocesan Investment Programme invested £158 million to deliver the Church's vision and strategy in local communities and parishes. This funding has been directed towards areas of deprivation and seaside towns where young people often have fewer opportunities for personal growth and development. The last funding round supported the Diocese of Carlisle to support missional, younger and more diverse faith communities, including in Barrow-in-Furness with an investment of £6.8 million, you can read more about the project here: https://www.carlislediocese.org.uk/news/2025/03/10/diocese-carlisle-awarded-68-million-fund-missional-growth/Many churches offer opportunities for young families via toddler groups, Messy Church and a range of other intergenerational activities to improve wellbeing and tackle loneliness and isolation. In addition the Church is actively encouraging, inspiring, and equipping local churches to support youth clubs, run bespoke youth events, before school breakfast groups, after school clubs, and various activities especially during weekends or holiday periods. A recent partnership with Youthscape has successfully launched around 200 new youth-related missional activities, with a large number in Portsmouth Diocese and the Channel Islands. Missional Youth Church Network is focusing on working with young people in areas of socio-economic deprivation including in Southampton.

Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities on the number of people on social housing registers.

Local authorities report on the number of households on social housing registers in England through the Local Authority Housing Statistics (LAHS) collection, which is publicly available in live table 600 here.The government is working in partnership with local authorities to tackle the housing crisis and I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 31737 on 27 February 2025.

What assessment she has made of the impact of the level of business rates on businesses over the last five years.

Business rates are devolved. In England, local authorities reported that the gross non-domestic rates income for 2023-24 was £33 billion.At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced that it intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for RHL properties in England, with Rateable Values below £500,000 , from 2026-27. Ahead of these changes being made, we have prevented RHL relief from ending in April 2025 by extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business and frozen the small business multiplier. These announcements reflect the Government’s first steps to support the high street. We want to go further to modernise the system, and so, we have published a Discussion Paper setting out priority areas for reform. This paper invites industry to help co-design a fairer business rates system over the course of this Parliament.

What discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations on the adequacy of the provision of NHS dental services across the UK.

Whilst the provision of National Health Service dental care is devolved, my Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and I have engaged and intend to continue to engage fully with Ministers from all four nations on matters crucial to the future of our health and social care system.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the prevalence of (a) mould and (b) damp in the housing stock of housing associations.

The English Housing Survey sets out levels of overcrowding and the prevalence of damp and mould in people’s homes. Nationwide, 10% of private renters were found to be living with damp and mould, followed by 7% of local authority renters, and 4% of those in housing associations. The government is committed to working with social housing providers to ensure that homes are safe, decent, warm, and free from damp and mould. The Deputy Prime Minister made a Written Ministerial Statement on 6 February (HCWS423) confirming that the government will be bringing Awaab’s Law into force for damp and mould in October 2025. Awaab’s Law is vital legislation that will empower social housing tenants to hold their landlords to account using the full force of the law if they fail to investigate and fix hazards within their homes within set timescales. It will also allow tenants to access the Housing Ombudsman if their landlord does not adhere to strict timelines for action. The government is also committed to consulting on a new Decent Homes Standard and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards this year.

What steps he has taken to improve national resilience to global events.

The first duty of the Government is to keep the country safe and we are working to strengthen our national resilience, including by working with international partners. In April the UK Resilience Academy will be launched and will train over 4000 people a year and later this year we will undertake a full national pandemic response exercise. The review of national resilience continues. Updates will be given in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Pakistan on the recent arrests of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan’s Punjab Province.

Promoting the rights of religious minorities is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement in Pakistan. I raised the deteriorating situation for Ahmadi Muslims when I met Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 November 2024 and discussed this issue in Parliament on 28 November 2024. Our High Commissioner in Pakistan raised the issue of Ahmadi rights in a meeting with Prime Minister Sharif on 3 March 2025. On 6 March 2025, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials visited the Ahmadiyya headquarters in Rabwah to discuss key issues impacting the community. The UK remains committed to promoting minority rights in Pakistan - a commitment I discussed with representatives from the UK-Pakistan diaspora on 18 February 2025. We are not prepared to discuss the detail of individual cases where to do so could put individuals at risk.

What recent assessment he has made of the nuclear capability of other countries.

The department works closely across Government to support nuclear counter proliferation activity, while also maintaining under constant review its assessment of hostile Nations Nuclear Capabilities

What steps he is taking to support the hospitality sector with energy costs.

The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently.The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy with less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030.In the short-term, the Government wants to provide businesses with better protection from being locked into unfair and expensive energy contracts, and more redress when they have a complaint. Last year, the Government launched a consultation on introducing regulation of Third-Party Intermediaries (TPIs), such as energy brokers. This is aimed at enhancing consumer protections, particularly for non-domestic consumers. The consultation has now closed, and a Government response will follow in due course once all feedback has been reviewed.For non-domestic consumers who agreed to contracts at very expensive rates at the peak of price spikes, I recommend that they contact their supplier to enquire about ‘blend and extend’ contracts. These contracts blend the original, higher, unit rate with a new lower rate, spreading the cost over the course of an extended contract lifetime.

What assessment she has made of the number of cyber security industry apprentices.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Apprenticeship starts for individual standards are published in the apprenticeships statistics publication.Starts on apprenticeships that are cyber-related are shown here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/97cccb00-3175-41c6-f1bf-08dd5cc661f7.Employers in the cyber security industry can also benefit from additional apprenticeship standards, including others in the digital sector.

Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to support local sports teams across the UK.

This Government recognises that grassroots sports teams are central to communities up and down the UK.We have committed to continued funding for grassroots facilities, having invested £123 million UK-wide via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme throughout 2024/25. In 2024/25, 637 facilities have been built or upgraded to date. These facilities support local sports teams across the UK. The Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024 committed the Government to continued support for elite and grassroots sport through future investment. Further details will be confirmed in due course.This funding is delivered through delivery partners in each nation: in England, the Football Foundation; the Scottish FA in Scotland; the FAW’s Cymru Football Foundation in Wales and the Irish Football Association in Northern Ireland

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department holds statistics on the number of educational (a) placements and (b) scholarships the UK has offered to Afghani women over the last twelve months.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not hold records on the number of non-government placements and scholarships given to Afghan women. In 2024, the FCDO awarded 13 Chevening scholarships to Afghan nationals to study in the UK. Out of the 13, four awards went to women.

What steps he is taking to support low-income households with energy bills in the next 12 months.

The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. However, we recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030. On 25 February, we published a consultation on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring around 2.7 million households into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million. The Government has also extended the Household Support Fund in England by a further year until 31 March 2026 with an extra £742 million in support, with additional funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 October 2024 to Question 5319 on Peripheral Arterial Disease, if he will make it his policy to ensure that hospitals revascularise patients with chronic limb-threatening ischaemia within five days of admission.

In 2022, NHS England commissioned a two-year Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme, which incentivised the adoption of the Vascular Peripheral Arterial Disease Quality Improvement Framework, to support timely interventions for revascularisation. This measures the proportion of patients who have a diagnosis of chronic limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI) who undergo revascularisation within five days of a non-elective admission to vascular providers.NHS England commissions the National Vascular Registry (NVR) to provide information on the quality and outcomes of care for adults who have major vascular procedures. The NVR provides annual and quarterly reports for emergency and elective vascular procedures, including for those people with peripheral arterial disease who undergo either a lower limb angioplasty/stent, lower limb bypass surgery, or a major lower limb amputation. From quarter one of 2022 to quarter four of 2024, NVR data demonstrated that vascular providers achieving the CQUIN standard had increased from 47% to 55%. During this period, the number of providers submitting data to the NVR had increased by approximately 14%, and every National Health Service region showed an improvement in CLTI revascularisation quality.Furthermore, NHS England has commissioned the NVR to facilitate an ‘outliers’ process, in which vascular providers are monitored on several key performance metrics, including CLTI revascularisation. NHS England continues to monitor all specialised vascular disease services via the NVR, working in collaboration with NHS England’s regional teams and the integrated care boards.

Whether he has made a comparative assessment of the cost of (a) girls' and (b) boys' school uniforms.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The department published its latest research on the cost of school uniforms in September 2024, which surveyed parents and carers of children aged 4 to 16 attending state-funded schools in England. It is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms-survey-2023.The research found that for secondary pupils, the average total costs of uniforms (including both daywear and PE kit) were broadly similar for boys and girls, with the average expenditure for girls being £4.80 greater. For primary pupils, the average total costs for both daywear and PE were £23.56 greater for girls. In general, daywear for girls is more expensive, whilst for boys, PE kit incurs a greater cost.Too many families still tell us that the cost of school uniforms remain a financial burden. That is why the department is legislating to limit the number of expensive branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require.

Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to support community theatres.

Community theatres are an important part of the UK’s cultural ecosystem, and play a vital role in cultivating the creators and audiences of the future. They are the places where many actors, directors and designers learn their craft, and people experience their first live performance. Community theatres make a key contribution to their local communities, culturally, socially, and economically.The government supports theatres predominantly through Arts Council England. Through their main funding programme, the 2023-2027 National Portfolio Investment Programme, ACE is providing over £100m in grants per year to around 195 theatres across the country.Across all their funding programmes, including lottery schemes, for the financial year 2024-25, ACE awarded around £300 million to theatres/theatre based organisations.Whilst all funded theatres play a key role in supporting local communities and engaging local audiences, ACE has funded work specifically with a community focus, and has awarded circa £10m to community based theatre projects through National Lottery Project Grants over 2024/2025.Community theatres also benefit from the support that the government provides the sector through Theatre Tax Relief (TTR). Since TTR was introduced in 2014, companies have made claims in relation to 24,700 productions and £645 million has been paid out.The government has also recently announced over £270 million investment for our arts venues, museums, libraries and our heritage sector.Community theatres are also supported through the work of the Theatres Trust, a DCMS arms-length body and the national advisory and advocacy organisation for theatres, which offers advice, skills support through its Sector Skills Bank, and has grant-giving programmes. The Theatres Trust awarded Community theatres £200,000 from 2021-2024.

Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with Northern Ireland Screen on funding for (a) television series and (b) films made in Northern Ireland.

I have had no such specific discussions, but the Government supports film and TV production across the UK, including in Northern Ireland, through screen sector tax reliefs and the UK Global Screen Fund. The British Film Institute (BFI) works in partnership with Northern Ireland Screen on the BFI’s Film Audience Network and the BFI’s Northern Ireland Skills Cluster.DCMS has funded the British Film Commission (BFC) with £6m over five years to support the growth of seven geographic production hubs across the UK. Through this, the BFC has provided ongoing support for Northern Ireland’s expanding studio infrastructure, including support to four key studios: Belfast Harbour, Titanic, Loop and Silverwood.The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have all commissioned critically acclaimed television programmes set and produced in Northern Ireland. This includes Blue Lights, Breathtaking and Trespasses. The Government wants broadcasters, and other commissioners, to be more ambitious in growing the sector outside of London and the South East and to commission content from every part of the country, so that British storytelling reflects the full diversity of people, communities and experiences across the UK.

What is the current number of school-age children not in school.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The department publishes data on compulsory school-aged children in elective home education, and children missing education (children not registered at school or otherwise receiving suitable education). In autumn 2024/25, local authorities reported 111,700 children in elective home education and 39,200 children missing education. The latest figures are available at https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education and https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-missing-education.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of giving the Gambling Commission power to regulate the gambling industry in Northern Ireland.

Gambling is a devolved matter for Northern Ireland and therefore regulation is a consideration for the Northern Ireland Executive. We stand ready to support the Northern Ireland Executive with its plans.