Written questions by Anderson.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to prevent youth homelessness.

We are taking action across government to provide targeted support to young people and their families at an earlier stage. The government is providing more than £3.6 billion funding for homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years, which councils can use to meet the needs of people in their area including young people. Through our National Plan to End Homelessness we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness by building more homes, tackling poverty and reforming renters’ rights. We have also committed to develop a national Youth Homelessness Prevention Toolkit and develop a dedicated chapter of the Homelessness Code of Guidance on young people, to support councils to work collaboratively with other public services to prevent youth homelessness.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help support young people who are at risk of becoming homeless.

We are taking action across government to provide targeted support to young people and their families at an earlier stage. The government is providing more than £3.6 billion funding for homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years, which councils can use to meet the needs of people in their area including young people. Through our National Plan to End Homelessness we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness by building more homes, tackling poverty and reforming renters’ rights. We have also committed to develop a national Youth Homelessness Prevention Toolkit and develop a dedicated chapter of the Homelessness Code of Guidance on young people, to support councils to work collaboratively with other public services to prevent youth homelessness.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support local authorities to address youth homelessness.

We are taking action across government to provide targeted support to young people and their families at an earlier stage. The government is providing more than £3.6 billion funding for homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years, which councils can use to meet the needs of people in their area including young people. Through our National Plan to End Homelessness we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness by building more homes, tackling poverty and reforming renters’ rights. We have also committed to develop a national Youth Homelessness Prevention Toolkit and develop a dedicated chapter of the Homelessness Code of Guidance on young people, to support councils to work collaboratively with other public services to prevent youth homelessness.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2026 to Question 118868 on Personal Independence Payment, when he expects additional health professionals to be recruited.

The department continues to work closely with its Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment suppliers to ensure that sufficient capacity is in place to meet operational demand. Recruitment of health professionals is a continuous activity undertaken by suppliers in line with contractual requirements and the need to maintain appropriate levels of trained staff.Staffing levels are managed continuously by suppliers to respond to regional demand and ensure service quality.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure any (a) delays delays to CQC inspections and (b) changes in the level demand in the social care system does not affect the frequency of inspections of care homes.

The Department is holding the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to account for its performance and has strengthened oversight following Dr Penny Dash’s review of the CQC’s operational effectiveness, including improvements in timeliness of assessments.The CQC has pledged to respond rapidly to urgent and extreme risks, prioritising services registered for over a year without assessment or inspection and those with outdated ratings. From January 2026, this refreshed approach will enable the CQC to prioritise settings, including care homes.In the 2024/25 financial year, the CQC completed 2,292 assessments of adult social care services. From 1 April 2025 to 22 March 2026, the CQC completed 3,546 assessments of adult social care services, an increase of 55%.The CQC is piloting a number of initiatives to increase the number of assessments they can deliver in adult care per year to ensure care settings are inspected regularly, and these will be rolled out in the first half of the 2026/27 financial year.

What information his Department holds on the number of warehouse workers who cannot speak fluent English.

The government does not collect data on the English language proficiency of private sector employees, which includes warehouse workers.Employers can choose how they recruit for their organisation, but they must follow a fair process.Health and safety law does not require workers to be able to speak English, but the Health and Safety Executive states that employers have a duty to provide comprehensible information. This does not have to be in English, but risks, safety measures and emergency procedures must be clearly communicated to all workers.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to prevent warehouse and fulfilment jobs listed as not requiring English from being offered.

The government does not collect data on the English language proficiency of private sector employees, which includes warehouse workers.Employers can choose how they recruit for their organisation, but they must follow a fair process.Health and safety law does not require workers to be able to speak English, but the Health and Safety Executive states that employers have a duty to provide comprehensible information. This does not have to be in English, but risks, safety measures and emergency procedures must be clearly communicated to all workers.

Whether his Department has issued guidance on English language requirements for employment within warehouses.

The government does not collect data on the English language proficiency of private sector employees, which includes warehouse workers.Employers can choose how they recruit for their organisation, but they must follow a fair process.Health and safety law does not require workers to be able to speak English, but the Health and Safety Executive states that employers have a duty to provide comprehensible information. This does not have to be in English, but risks, safety measures and emergency procedures must be clearly communicated to all workers.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of having non-fluent English speakers in warehouse jobs on health and safety.

The government does not collect data on the English language proficiency of private sector employees, which includes warehouse workers.Employers can choose how they recruit for their organisation, but they must follow a fair process.Health and safety law does not require workers to be able to speak English, but the Health and Safety Executive states that employers have a duty to provide comprehensible information. This does not have to be in English, but risks, safety measures and emergency procedures must be clearly communicated to all workers.

What steps he is taking to ensure that care homes are inspected regularly.

The Department is holding the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to account for its performance and has strengthened oversight following Dr Penny Dash’s review of the CQC’s operational effectiveness, including improvements in timeliness of assessments.The CQC has pledged to respond rapidly to urgent and extreme risks, prioritising services registered for over a year without assessment or inspection and those with outdated ratings. From January 2026, this refreshed approach will enable the CQC to prioritise settings, including care homes.In the 2024/25 financial year, the CQC completed 2,292 assessments of adult social care services. From 1 April 2025 to 22 March 2026, the CQC completed 3,546 assessments of adult social care services, an increase of 55%.The CQC is piloting a number of initiatives to increase the number of assessments they can deliver in adult care per year to ensure care settings are inspected regularly, and these will be rolled out in the first half of the 2026/27 financial year.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for the medical assessment stage of Personal Independence Payment claims in (a) Nottinghamshire and (b) the East Midlands.

The department is committed to ensuring that Personal Independence Payment claimants receive timely assessments and continues to work closely with its suppliers to improve customer experience across all geographical areas, including Nottinghamshire and the wider East Midlands. We have introduced a range of measures to increase assessment capacity and reduce waiting times. These include ongoing recruitment and training of additional health professionals and a series of process improvements to streamline the assessment journey. Waiting times can vary by region due to local demand and operational factors. Assessment suppliers actively monitor regional performance to ensure resources are deployed where they are most needed, and additional capacity will be directed where appropriate.

With reference to Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse report published in June 2025, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen taxi and private hire vehicle licensing regulations.

The Government response to Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse committed to legislate to tackle the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) driver licensing. As a first step, the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill seeks a power for the Secretary of State to set national standards for taxi and PHV licensing and to enable the suspension, with immediate effect, of any licence issued by any authority in whose area it is being used if such action is needed to protect public safety. If passed, this would enable government to set robust standards for licensing right across England and provide licensing authorities with greater powers to keep vulnerable children and, indeed, all members of the public safe, wherever they live or travel. The Department continues to consider further options for reform, including out-of-area working and enforcement. We need to ensure that taxis and PHVs are able to work in a way that facilitates the journeys passengers want and need to make, in a consistently safe way, whilst achieving the best overall outcomes for passenger safety. The Government is currently consulting on making all local transport authorities responsible for taxi and PHV licensing. Administering licensing across larger areas would further increase consistency in licensing and enable better resourced authorities to make better use of their current and proposed enforcement powers.

What steps his Department is taking to increase participation in the bowel cancer screening programme in Ashfield.

Bowel cancer screening is delivered through the national NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, which invites eligible people aged 50 to 74 years old every two years, with those aged over 74 years old able to request a test kit. Data for the programme is available at a Nottinghamshire level, and as of January 2026, the test kit return rate was 64.9%, compared with a national average of 54.3%. All individuals in Nottinghamshire with a positive test result were offered an appointment with a specialist screening practitioner within the 14‑day national standard.NHS England Midlands has implemented a range of measures to increase participation in the screening programme across Nottinghamshire, including for residents of Ashfield. These measures include:issuing digital invites, via Eastern Hub Notify, for anyone eligible who has previously been invited for bowel cancer screening. This went live on 2 March 2026. Additionally, this gives people the opportunity to update their postal address if this is incorrect. In terms of Notify, any messages that have not been read after 39 hours will be issued with a letter of invitation;liaising with detained estates and secure mental health sites to invite the eligible population for screening. The Eastern Bowel Hub issues a monthly request to detained estates to review the eligible cohort and ensure that all eligible individuals are invited;making reasonable adjustments for additional care needs, with intervention for learning disabilities fully rolled out in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Patients with a learning disability receive Easy Read information material. In addition, the Hub is working with learning disability liaison nurses in Nottinghamshire, who contact non‑responders and provide support to promote engagement and assist with completion of the test; andproviding investment, in 2025/26, to support projects targeting health disparities. As a result, a local authority-led project has been awarded, focusing on qualitative and quantitative analysis within primary care networks, where participation in bowel and breast screening programmes is currently low. The aim of this project is to gain a deeper understanding of the reasons individuals may not take up the screening offer, enabling NHS England to tailor interventions more effectively. The insights gained will inform the development of training materials for community champions, with the Royal Society of Public Health leading on the training course design. This course is intended to equip community champions with the knowledge and skills to engage with members of the public, including those from underserved communities and health inclusion groups. Looking ahead, the project plans to train 80 champions in 2026/27. These champions will play a vital role in supporting and encouraging participation in screening programmes in Nottinghamshire.

What steps his Department is taking to increase uptake for bowel cancer screenings.

Coverage of bowel cancer screening has been increasing in recent years. In 2019, 60.5% of people took the offer up, while now it is 71.8%.The bowel cancer screening programme has standards, including thresholds. The acceptable threshold is the lowest level of performance which screening services are expected to attain. The achievable threshold represents the level at which the screening service is likely to be running optimally.The threshold levels have recently been reviewed, with changes taking effect from 1 April 2025. The new coverage thresholds for people aged between 60 and 74 years old is an acceptable level of more than or equal to 62%, and an achievable level of more than or equal to 76%.To further increase coverage across England, NHS England is doing the following:delivering new approaches to communicating with people about screening through the NHS App;incorporating the reasonable adjustment flag into screening to ensure that people get information in the way they want, and that adjustments are made to support people at appointments;has recently updated the bowel cancer screening leaflets and is updating the bowel cancer screening letters to improve accessibility; andhas made the bowel cancer screening faecal immunochemical test kit more accessible for people who are blind or partially sighted.

What steps his Department is taking to improve support in the court system for victims of (a) rape and (b) sexual violence.

To ensure that victims, including those of rape and sexual violence, receive the right and timely support, the Ministry of Justice has announced record investment of £550 million in victim support services over the next three years of this Spending Review period.In addition, this Government is also taking decisive action to address long-standing issues that impact victims of rape and sexual violence. This includes:Funding a record number of sitting days and uncapping Crown Court sitting days in 26/27, so that more rape and other sexual offence cases can be heard.Introducing the Courts & Tribunals Bill to drive down the Crown Court caseload and reduce delays.Introducing a package of legislative measures to protect victims of sexual violence in particular from unnecessary and intrusive cross-examination about their personal lives at court.Announcing that we will introduce free Independent Legal Advisors this year, for victims and survivors of adult rape to help them to understand their legal rights.Testing the Operation Soteria model in courtrooms, to ensure rape cases focus on suspects, not victims.Rolling out trauma-informed training for all court staff, so that those who come into contact with victims at court understand how best to support their experience.

Whether he plans to review the medical exemption list for prescription charges.

The Government currently has no plans to review or amend the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate. No assessment has been made of the potential impact of prescription charges on people with inflammatory bowel disease.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of prescription charges on people with IBD.

The Government currently has no plans to review or amend the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate. No assessment has been made of the potential impact of prescription charges on people with inflammatory bowel disease.

What steps he is taking to increase access to medication for people with IBD.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that makes recommendations on whether all new medicines and significant licence extensions for existing medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service in England based on an assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness. In the last three years, NICE has recommended five new drugs for the treatment of moderate to severe Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, including upadacitinib, risankizumab, mirikizumab, etrasimod, and guselkumab. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.

What steps he is taking to create an attractive business environment for inwards investment in the electronics industry.

The Government is ensuring the UK remains a top destination for foreign investment through policy stability, improving planning and championing competitive sectors. We are creating investable opportunities that drive productivity, highquality jobs and sustainable growth. The 2025 Trade Strategy builds on improvements to the Office for Investment to ensure our trade and international agreements strengthen FDI.The Industrial Strategy supports electronic firms through commitments to supply chains for advanced manufacturing including power electronics, clean energy technologies and digital. Priorities include automotive, batteries, aerospace, space and advanced materials, while semiconductors are identified as a key technology with its own semiconductor programme.

What steps he is taking to support electronic device repair businesses.

The Department offers a range of support offers for SMEs across the UK, including those in the electronic device repair sector as featured in the new Business Growth Service website. These measures are set out in the Small Business Plan released in July 2025; this includes the most significant legislative reforms in 25 years to tackle late payments; unlocking billions of pounds in financial support; removing unnecessary red tape; revitalising High Streets and boosting Digital and AI Adoption among small businesses. In Ashfield, and across Nottinghamshire, businesses can access free, impartial business advice through the government-backed Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire Growth Hub.