Written questions by Campbell.

What plans she has to prevent the use of illegally modified e-bikes.

Only e-bikes that comply in full with the requirements of the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983 can be legally used on public roads. This is the case regardless of whether the e-bike has been modified.Where an e-bike does not comply with these Regulations, it counts as an e-moped or motorbike and must therefore be registered, taxed and insured. The rider must wear a safety helmet and hold the appropriate driving licence. Enforcement is a matter for the police.

What steps her Department is taking to support universities in stabilising their financial positions.

To support universities in stabilising their financial positions, the Office for Students (OfS) will continue dedicating significant resources to ensuring the sector's financial sustainability. The department has appointed Professor Edward Peck as the substantive Chair of the OfS, where he will play a key role in strengthening this commitment while also expanding opportunities in higher education (HE).Additionally, we have made the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year, aligning with inflation.The department will outline its plans for HE reform in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, set to be published this summer.

What steps his Department is taking to support disabled households with additional energy costs from (a) medical equipment and (b) home adaptions.

The Government knows that more needs to be done to support vulnerable households which are struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power, particularly those where energy costs are high out of medical necessity. The Department’s Warm Home Discount (WHD) provides a £150 rebate off winter energy bills for eligible low-income households. 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 Warm Home Discount regulations expire in 2026, and we will want to consider all options for future bill support beyond this point. In the interim, I appreciate that one of the biggest practical barriers to providing help to households that need it, is the availability of the right data to target financial support and advice. The Department is working closely with other government departments to unlock the data that will enable us to target support more effectively to those who need help with their energy bills.

What progress he has made on pay uplifts for NHS staff for the 2025-2026 financial year; and what steps he is taking to engage with UNISON to resolve disputes to NHS pay structure.

On 22 May 2025, the Government announced that it was formally accepting the 2025/26 headline pay recommendations for National Health Service staff in England from the NHS Pay Review Body, the Review Body on Doctors and Dentists Remuneration, and the Senior Salaries Review Body. These awards will be backdated to 1 April 2025, and staff can expect to receive their awards from August.All Agenda for Change (AfC) pay points in England will be uplifted by 3.6% for 2025/26. We have also accepted the recommendation to provide the NHS Staff Council with a funded mandate to deliver changes to the AfC pay structure. We will work with the NHS Staff Council so that we can implement the changes by 1 April 2026.

What steps his Department is taking to support people with long Covid.

NHS England has invested £314 million since the start of the pandemic to provide care and support for people with long COVID. This includes establishing specialist clinics throughout England to assess adults, children, and young people who are experiencing long-term effects of COVID-19 infection. A further £86.7 million of funding was included in integrated care board core allocations for 2024/25, and specific regional funding was also allocated for assurance and system support.These services offer physical, cognitive, and psychological assessment, and, where appropriate, refer patients onto existing services for treatment and rehabilitation. Further information can be found via the National Health Service website, at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/post-covid-syndrome-long-covid/Between 2019/20 and 2023/24, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council, we have invested over £57 million on research into long COVID, with almost £40 million of this through two specific research calls on long COVID. The funded projects aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of clinical care.

What steps his Department is taking to help support (a) fathers and (b) partners take (i) paternity leave and (ii) unpaid parental leave in Broxtowe constituency.

Through the Employment Rights Bill, the government will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave 'day one' rights. This will bring an extra 32,000 fathers and partners into scope of Paternity Leave and an extra 1.5 million parents into scope of Unpaid Parental Leave. We will also remove the requirement that Paternity Leave and Pay must be taken before Shared Parental Leave and Pay.The parental leave system needs improvement and we have committed to conduct a review to ensure that it best supports working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to tackle homelessness in (a) Broxtowe Constituency and (b) the East Midlands.

The Government has increased funding for homelessness services across England by £233 million to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26. This includes funding allocations for Broxtowe and the East Midlands. Allocations have been published on gov.uk here.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing free Covid-19 vaccine boosters to people with long Covid.

The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).The JCVI stated in its advice for the autumn 2024 COVID-19 vaccination programme that there remains considerable uncertainty regarding the impact of additional vaccine doses, beyond the primary vaccination, on the risk, progression, and outcome of post-COVID syndromes. The JCVI advised that better data is needed on the impact of additional vaccine doses on the occurrence and severity of post-COVID syndromes in the current era of omicron sub-variants of the COVID-19 virus, and high population immunity. This advice is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-autumn-2024-vaccination-programme-jcvi-advice-8-april-2024/jcvi-statement-on-the-covid-19-vaccination-programme-for-autumn-2024-8-april-2024On 13 November 2024, the JCVI published advice on the COVID-19 vaccination programmes in spring 2025, autumn 2025, and spring 2026. This advice is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-in-2025-and-spring-2026-jcvi-advice/jcvi-statement-on-covid-19-vaccination-in-2025-and-spring-2026The Government has accepted the JCVI’s advice on eligibility for the spring 2025 COVID-19 vaccination programme, to include those aged 75 years old and above, those aged six months old or above with immunosuppression, and those living in care homes for older adults. The Government response is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/advice-accepted-on-spring-2025-covid-19-vaccination-programmeThe Government is considering the advice for autumn 2025 and spring 2026 carefully, and will respond in due course.

What steps he is taking to ensure there are sufficient specialist training programmes for resident doctors to continue with their training to become (a) consultants and (b) GPs in the NHS.

We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure that patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it.We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where the need is greatest.To reform the NHS and make it fit for the future, we have launched a 10-Year Health Plan as part of the Government’s five long-term missions. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.

What steps he is taking to (a) help ensure equitable access to care for people diagnosed with interstitial lung diseases and (b) support local health services to improve (i) immediate and (ii) long-term care.

The commissioning responsibility for interstitial lung disease (ILD) services has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs), to facilitate joined up care and the configuration of services that will meet local needs.Early and accurate diagnosis is a priority for NHS England, and the work to improve this area of clinical care is underway, which should have an impact on reducing delayed diagnosis of ILD. The Specialised Respiratory Clinical Reference Group is looking to update the national service specification during 2025/26, and this refresh will include an Equality Health Impact Assessment to support local implementation. The specification will cover diagnosis, management, and ongoing care for patients with ILD.NHS England also funds the cost of anti-fibrotic treatments for ILD. Access to these treatments has recently been expanded to patients with non-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis following the publication of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s technology appraisal, Nintedanib for treating progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases, in November 2021.Furthermore, pulmonary rehabilitation plays an important role in the management of patients with ILD and should be made available to all patients who would benefit from this intervention, not just those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). To better understand the uptake of this intervention, NHS England is aiming to modify the current National Asthma and COPD Audit Programmes so that conditions other than COPD are included, and service availability can be tracked.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on discontinuing the use of gestation cages for pigs.

We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The UK banned gestation crates (also known as sow stalls) in 1999. The use of farrowing crates for pigs is an issue we are currently considering very carefully.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of standards of food and drink imports.

The UK maintains high standards on food that is offered to consumers. For example, all food sold in the UK must comply with food compositional standards and labelling legislation whether it is produced domestically or imported into the UK. These rules protect consumers from lower quality products and enable them to make informed choices. Defra periodically reviews and updates food compositional standards regulations to ensure they remain fit for purpose and reflect innovation in food production and changing consumer preferences.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing flooding under the statutory duties of English firefighters.

Fire and Rescue Authorities have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) to prepare for emergencies, including major flooding. Fire Rescue Authorities also have discretionary powers to respond to incidents under their general powers in the Fire and Rescue Services Act (2004) and in response to the risks set out in their Community Risk Management Plans prepared under the National Framework.The Home Office is undertaking further work alongside Defra, National Fire Chiefs Council and other relevant stakeholders to understand in more detail if there are gaps in the Fire and Rescue Services flooding response and resilience system.

If he will have discussions with NICE on the potential merits of prescribing Androfeme for the menopause.

The Department has no plans to discuss Androfeme with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and has made no assessment of the potential merits of prescribing Androfeme. Androfeme does not have a marketing authorisation for use in the United Kingdom.Newly licensed medicines are appraised by the NICE, which is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on new medicines that represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. If Androfeme is granted a marketing authorisation in the future for this indication, the NICE will consider producing guidance under the appropriate programme, such as its technology appraisal programme.

What proportion of people tried under joint enterprise are successfully convicted.

Joint enterprise is not a specific criminal offence. It is a common law doctrine which can apply in situations where two or more individuals have a common purpose to commit a criminal offence. No data is therefore available on either the average sentence or the number of individuals convicted of a criminal offence which may have been prosecuted, and resulted in a conviction, as part of a joint enterprise.The Ministry of Justice only collects information on how many defendants are prosecuted and convicted for specific criminal offences, and the data on the average sentence for those offences, in any given year.

What the average sentencing is for people convicted of joint enterprise.

Joint enterprise is not a specific criminal offence. It is a common law doctrine which can apply in situations where two or more individuals have a common purpose to commit a criminal offence. No data is therefore available on either the average sentence or the number of individuals convicted of a criminal offence which may have been prosecuted, and resulted in a conviction, as part of a joint enterprise.The Ministry of Justice only collects information on how many defendants are prosecuted and convicted for specific criminal offences, and the data on the average sentence for those offences, in any given year.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of prescribing Androfeme for the menopause.

The Department has no plans to discuss Androfeme with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and has made no assessment of the potential merits of prescribing Androfeme. Androfeme does not have a marketing authorisation for use in the United Kingdom.Newly licensed medicines are appraised by the NICE, which is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on new medicines that represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. If Androfeme is granted a marketing authorisation in the future for this indication, the NICE will consider producing guidance under the appropriate programme, such as its technology appraisal programme.

Whether the right to choose an ADHD practitioner is still active in Nottinghamshire.

Patients, including those in Nottinghamshire, have the right to choose their provider when referred to consultant-led treatment, or to a mental health professional, for their first appointment as an outpatient. Further information on the choices available for patients can be found on the NHS Choice framework, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-choice-framework

Whether he plans to undertake a review of NHS service users' right to choose a provider for ADHD.

The Government is committed to patients having the right to choose their provider when referred to consultant-led treatment, or to a mental health professional, for their first appointment as an outpatient. This is a legal right for patients set out in legislation.

How long service users in (a) Broxtowe, (b) Nottingham and (c) the East Midlands are waiting for (i) Autism assessments and (ii) overall SEND assessments.

Information on autism assessments is not held centrally in the format requested, but may be held by individual providers or integrated care boards (ICBs). Some relevant information is available on autism assessment waiting times for the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB and the Midlands commissioning region.In the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB, the Autism Waiting Time Statistics published by NHS England show that there were a total of 6,120 patients of all-ages with an open suspected autism referral in December 2024, the latest available data. The median waiting time of all patients in this ICB with an open suspected autism referral, where their first care contact was in the quarter, was 244 days in December 2024.In the Midlands commissioning region, the Autism Waiting Time Statistics show that there were a total of 58,445 patients of all-ages with an open suspected autism referral in December 2024. The median waiting time of all patients in the Midlands commissioning region with an open suspected autism referral, where their first care contact was in the quarter, was 352 days in December 2024.Caution should be used when interpreting these statistics since they are experimental rather than official statistics.Schools decide whether a pupil has additional needs that warrant them being on the school's Special Educational Needs and Disabilities register. Some relevant information on waiting times for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities is available from the GOV.UK website, from Education, health and care plans: England 2024, with the latest data available being from 2023. In Nottingham,TARGET DATE 05/03/202567.1% of EHCPs, including exceptions, were issued within 20 weeks and in the East Midlands 40.4% of EHCPs, including exceptions, were issued within 20 weeks.