Written questions by Milne.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the powers of councils to improve transport accessibility for people with disabilities.

The Secretary of State regularly engages with cabinet colleagues on a range of matters. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed. The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that when assessing sites that may be allocated in local development plans, or determining specific applications for development, decision makers should ensure that safe and suitable access to the site can be achieved for all users. The Framework also outlines that applications for development should address the needs of people with disabilities and reduced mobility in relation to all modes of transport.

If she will hold a consultation on the development consent order for the expansion of Gatwick Airport before deciding whether to approve it.

The application for the Gatwick Airport Northern Runway Development Consent Order, submitted by Gatwick Airport Limited, is currently with the Secretary of State for a decision, with a statutory deadline of the 27 October 2025.The Examining Authority, in its 6-month Examination conducted last year, held several public hearings on the issues of noise and surface transport, providing Interested Parties with the opportunity to present their views. There is no mechanism within the Planning Act 2008 to conduct a public hearing at the decision stage.The Secretary of State has consulted on several matters during the decision stage and may request further information from Gatwick Airport or Interested Parties, if she is not satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to take a decision. Interested Parties can provide further representations to the Secretary of State, which will be taken into consideration. All information regarding this application can be found on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.

Whether further public hearings will be held on (a) noise and (b) surface transport relating to Gatwick expansion.

The application for the Gatwick Airport Northern Runway Development Consent Order, submitted by Gatwick Airport Limited, is currently with the Secretary of State for a decision, with a statutory deadline of the 27 October 2025.The Examining Authority, in its 6-month Examination conducted last year, held several public hearings on the issues of noise and surface transport, providing Interested Parties with the opportunity to present their views. There is no mechanism within the Planning Act 2008 to conduct a public hearing at the decision stage.The Secretary of State has consulted on several matters during the decision stage and may request further information from Gatwick Airport or Interested Parties, if she is not satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to take a decision. Interested Parties can provide further representations to the Secretary of State, which will be taken into consideration. All information regarding this application can be found on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.

If she will ask Gatwick Airport to publish an assessment of the potential impact of a second runway on levels of emissions other than carbon dioxide.

The application for the Gatwick Airport Northern Runway Development Consent Order, submitted by Gatwick Airport Limited, is currently with the Secretary of State for a decision, with a statutory deadline of the 27 October 2025.The Examining Authority, in its 6-month Examination conducted last year, held several public hearings on the issues of noise and surface transport, providing Interested Parties with the opportunity to present their views. There is no mechanism within the Planning Act 2008 to conduct a public hearing at the decision stage.The Secretary of State has consulted on several matters during the decision stage and may request further information from Gatwick Airport or Interested Parties, if she is not satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to take a decision. Interested Parties can provide further representations to the Secretary of State, which will be taken into consideration. All information regarding this application can be found on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.

How many integrated care boards have a designated senior leader responsible for (a) neurology and (b) rehabilitation services.

This information is not held centrally. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for designating senior leaders as appropriate, as well as for commissioning most services for people with long term conditions including for neurology and rehabilitation services. ICBs are allocated funding by NHS England to meet local need and priorities and improve outcomes.

When he plans to publish the Delivery Plan for ME/CFS.

The myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, final delivery plan will be published shortly. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.

What steps he is taking is taking to ensure that people diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer are routinely offered MRI scans for follow-up monitoring.

The National Health Service is committed to ensuring that all cancer patients in England, including those with lobular breast cancer, have access to personalised care, including a needs assessment, a care plan, and health and wellbeing information and support.Treatment for cancer is highly individualised and decisions about cancer treatment, including ongoing monitoring and follow up care, are typically made by clinicians and multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals. These decisions are based on medical assessments and what's best for the individual's overall health and well-being.

Whether the scope of the Government’s independent commission into adult social care include the means testing which underpins the Disabled Facilities Grant.

We have launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our first steps towards delivering a National Care Service.Baroness Casey and her team will look at what fundamental reforms will be needed, what social care should look like, who should it serve, and who should be responsible and accountable for its services.The Terms of Reference for the commission are sufficiently broad to enable Baroness Casey to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future, including aspects of the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) if she sees fit.To ensure the DFG is as effective as possible, we continue to keep different aspects of the grant, including the means test, under consideration.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the 2013 mandate to accurately collect and collate data on cancer recurrence is being fully implemented.

The Department is committed to ensuring that data on cancer is complete and of sufficiently high quality. The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) collects recurrence data for non-primary cancers via data submissions as part of the Cancer Outcomes and Services Dataset (COSD). The COSD has been the national standard for reporting cancer in the National Health Service in England since January 2013, and provides a helpdesk and data liaison service to support data completeness.

Whether the National Audit of Metastatic Breast Cancer will provide a specific breakdown by (a) breast cancer subtype and (b) hormone receptor status.

We are committed to improving the lives of those diagnosed with both primary and secondary breast cancer. The Department does not hold the information to make a comparative assessment of the average spend per patient with primary or secondary breast cancer.Reducing unwarranted variation in cancer treatment is a strategic priority for the National Health Service. NHS England commissioned new clinical audits on primary and metastatic breast cancer to increase the consistency of access to treatments. On 12 September 2024, the National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre published their State of the Nation Report on breast cancer. Officials at the Department and NHS England are in the process of considering the audit’s findings and what any next steps could be. To drive up the completeness of data for breast cancer, progesterone receptor status is already collected as part of the NHS Cancer Outcomes and Services Data set. No specific breakdown is available at this time.

How much the NHS spends on average per patient with secondary (metastatic) breast cancer; and if he will make a comparative assessment of the average spend per patient with primary breast cancer.

We are committed to improving the lives of those diagnosed with both primary and secondary breast cancer. The Department does not hold the information to make a comparative assessment of the average spend per patient with primary or secondary breast cancer.Reducing unwarranted variation in cancer treatment is a strategic priority for the National Health Service. NHS England commissioned new clinical audits on primary and metastatic breast cancer to increase the consistency of access to treatments. On 12 September 2024, the National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre published their State of the Nation Report on breast cancer. Officials at the Department and NHS England are in the process of considering the audit’s findings and what any next steps could be. To drive up the completeness of data for breast cancer, progesterone receptor status is already collected as part of the NHS Cancer Outcomes and Services Data set. No specific breakdown is available at this time.

What steps his Department is taking to provide routine access to circulating tumour DNA blood tests to support the (a) detection and (b) treatment of breast cancer.

The Department remains committed to improving faster and earlier detection of breast cancer and will work to ensure that patients have timely access to lifesaving, innovative treatments. We have now exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered over four million more appointments as the first step to ensuring earlier and faster access to treatment. There are no current plans to provide routine access to circulating tumour DNA blood tests.The Government’s wider investments into breast cancer research include a £1.3 million project to determine whether an abbreviated form of breast magnetic resonance imaging can detect breast cancers missed by screening through mammography, including lobular breast cancer. We are also proud to have invested £29 million into the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden National Institute for Health and Care Research Biological Research Centre in 2022, supporting their efforts to strengthen research into cancer, including breast cancer.

What estimate her Department has made of the annual saving to the public purse from not fully disregarding (a) War Pensions and (b) Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments in the assessment of Pension Credit in the previous financial year.

No formal assessment has been made on the annual saving to the public purse on not fully disregarding these payments.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions on businesses in Scotland.

Properly funding public services and restoring economic stability required difficult decisions, which is why we are asking employers to contribute more. Stabilising the public finances is the only way to create long-term stability businesses need to thrive. We are protecting the smallest businesses by more than doubling the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning more than half of small businesses will either gain or be unaffected.

Whether his Department (a) has made and (b) plans to make an assessment of the impact of exposure to chemicals on cancer incidence rates.

The UK REACH regulation aims to protect human health from the risks that can be posed by chemicals, including substances of very high concern such as carcinogens. This is led by the Health and Safety Executive, with the UK Health Security Agency contributing to the process. The Department is currently not planning to make an assessment of the impacts of chemicals on cancer incidence rates for this reason.

If she will maintain the careers guidance service for all unemployed people receiving support as part of the new national Jobs and Careers Service.

We are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new Jobs and Careers Service across Great Britain that will transform our ability to support people into good, meaningful work, and to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. This will be a universal service which all people – not just benefit recipients or those out of work – will be able to engage with. In England, these reforms will include bringing together Jobcentre Plus with the National Careers Service. The new service will have an increased focus on supporting progression and good work through aligning employment support more closely with skills and careers advice. In Scotland and Wales, we will work closely with the Devolved Governments to ensure the new service works effectively with the devolved careers and skills services. We are in the early stages of designing the new service, working closely with Department for Education and more details will be shared in due course.

What steps she will take to ensure young people are supported in choosing from the range of (a) technical and (b) vocational options available to them after the end of the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge contract in summer 2025.

Enabling access to apprenticeships and technical education remains a key part of this government’s education policy. There is a range of support available to schools, colleges, parents, careers and young people to support careers education and the promotion of apprenticeship and technical education options.Young people, parents and carers, as well as schools and colleges seeking support to raise awareness of apprenticeships and technical education can continue to access:The Skills for Careers Apprenticeships support page, which can be found here: https://www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/pages/training-choice/apprenticeships.The Careers and Enterprise Company’s (CEC) resource directory, which is available here: https://resources.careersandenterprise.co.uk/.Amazing Apprenticeships which offers a wide range of resources and support for schools and colleges.CEC’s network of Careers Hubs, covering 95% of schools and colleges, works with schools and colleges to support their careers education programmes.CEC also supports enhanced Provider Access Legislation compliance which specifies schools must provide at least six encounters with approved providers of apprenticeships and technical education.The Apprenticeship Ambassador Network of around 2,000 volunteers which visits institutions sharing compelling experiences about apprenticeships.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) greater data sharing between (i) work coaches and (ii) careers advisors and (b) improvements to (A) engaging and (B) involving local employers in employability programmes in the context of jobcentre reforms.

DWP has strengthened its employer engagement strategy through a multi-faceted approach, involving early business input into the JCS design and a rolling programme of engagement events. Local employer engagement is driven by dedicated teams, sector-specific Recruitment Innovation Workshops, tailored recruitment support via account managers, increased use of digital tools and ongoing promotion of inclusive hiring practices for disabled people and those with health conditions. DWP’s reforms have deepened employer involvement in employability programmes by embedding them into both design and delivery. The Strategic Relationship Team coordinates employer portfolios and ensures feedback shapes services. Work programmes are co-designed with employers to meet recruitment needs through training, work experience, and guaranteed interviews. Integration with the National Careers Service enhances local labour market alignment, while the Get Britain Working White Paper promotes local co-design of employment support with employers and authorities.

Communities and Local Government, how many local green spaces have been designated in Neighbourhood plans in England.

Following the Spending Review, my Department announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards.Technical support which has already been awarded will continue to be provided but must be completed before the end of March 2026.The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests. This can include designating Local Green Spaces where this is appropriate. Where a made neighbourhood plan contains a green space designation this will continue to have effect.As of the end of March 2025, the government was aware of over 1,800 neighbourhood plans being in place. We do not hold information on the specific policies, such as green space designations, included in neighbourhood plans.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take to help ensure that local green spaces that have been designated in Neighbourhood Plans are supported, in the context of the withdrawal of funding from Neighbourhood Planning Support services.

Following the Spending Review, my Department announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards.Technical support which has already been awarded will continue to be provided but must be completed before the end of March 2026.The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests. This can include designating Local Green Spaces where this is appropriate. Where a made neighbourhood plan contains a green space designation this will continue to have effect.As of the end of March 2025, the government was aware of over 1,800 neighbourhood plans being in place. We do not hold information on the specific policies, such as green space designations, included in neighbourhood plans.