Written questions by Dillon.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of early interventions in speech and language support.

The potential merits of focusing on early intervention in providing speech and language support are clear. That is why we have invested in the Early Language Support for Every Child programme, and the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, both of which support children with their speech and language. We are funding Family Hubs to train practitioners to support families with the home learning environment to help parents support children’s speech and communication. We will fund local early language leads to provide training to early years settings. Reception staff will also be able to access early language and literacy support.

What plans her Department has to end the for-profit system of housing people seeking asylum.

The Home Office is undertaking reforms to the asylum accommodation estate, including pilot schemes to repurpose derelict buildings and to develop other community-led alternatives to the use of hotels. This work will help inform the future operating model, currently being developed as part of the Asylum Support Accommodation Programme, which is leading on plans for the replacement of the current Asylum Accommodation Support Contracts (AASC).

Whether the Newbury constituency will receive one of the 100 neighbourhood health centres due to be set up by 2030.

At the Autumn Budget, we announced our commitment to deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme. This will deliver NHCs through a mixture of refurbishments to expand and improve sites over the next three years and new-build sites opening in the medium term. The first 120 NHCs are due to be operational by 2030 and will be delivered through public private partnerships and public capital.Nationwide coverage will take time, but we will start in the areas of greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowest, including rural towns and communities with higher deprivation levels, targeting places where healthy life expectancy is lowest and delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most.Integrated care boards and local health systems will be responsible for determining the most appropriate locations for NHCs.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a new right to kinship care leave.

The government has launched a review of the parental leave system, which represents a much-needed opportunity to consider the department’s approach to the system of parental leave and pay. This will consider whether the support available meets the needs of working families, such as kinship carers.In 2023, the department published ‘Kinship Carers in the Workplace: Guidance for Employers’, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/kinship-carers-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers. This sets out best practice for supporting kinship carers at work, including how to adapt internal policies, signpost existing entitlements and create a culture of support to meet the needs of kinship carers. The department has since implemented our own Kinship Leave and Pay offer and we encourage all organisations to review their guidance and explore what changes they can make.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of removing all social and environmental levies from electricity bills.

The reductions in electricity prices announced at the Budget, particularly the reduction in the Renewables Obligation, are a significant step forward in our ambition to reduce electricity bills. As stated, we intend to set out more detail in our Warm Homes Plan as to how we can further target the savings announced in this Budget at electricity bills, including those from ending the ECO scheme. The Budget also delivers on the major principle that we should fund more of the investment we need in our energy system through public expenditure rather than levies, moving £7bn into public expenditure. We are delivering the biggest public investment in home energy efficiency ever, increasing the settlement we received at the Spending Review. We will subject new levies to enhanced scrutiny and ensure they represent value for money and do not impose unnecessary costs on households and businesses.

Whether her Department has considered providing sun-safety education in schools.

I refer the hon. Member for Newbury to the answer of 23 October 2025 to Question 81731.

Communities and Local Government, what metrics his Department will use to assess whether the Renters' Rights Act 2025 is achieving its stated objectives and its impact on the housing market more broadly.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 88657 on 21 November 2025.

Whether his Department plans to update guidance to GPs on beginning conversations with men at risk of prostate cancer.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will consider the final recommendation of the UK National Screening Committee on screening for prostate cancer when it is received. At that point, he will make a decision on implementation, including any resources that may be required for general practitioners and other healthcare professionals to support his decision.It is anticipated that the final recommendation will be provided in early 2026 after the conclusion of a 12 week consultation which opened on 28 November 2025. This seeks views on an evidence review and a draft recommendation to:offer a targeted national prostate cancer screening programme to men with confirmed BRCA1/2 gene variants every two years, from the age 45 years old to age 61 years old;not recommend population screening;not recommend targeted screening of black men;not recommend targeted screening of men with family history; andcollaborate with the Transform trial team to answer outstanding questions on screening effectiveness for black men and men with a family history, as soon as trial data becomes available, and await the results of the study to develop and trial a more accurate test than the prostate specific antigen test alone, to improve the balance of the benefits and harms of screening.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of removing juries from trials on an individual’s right to a free and fair trial.

The removal of the defendants’ right to elect is compatible with Article 6 of the ECHR. Whilst jury trial will remain an important feature of the criminal justice system following these reforms, it is important to recognise that there is no constitutional right to a jury trial. As you will be aware, the vast majority of criminal trials in this country are conducted fairly, without a jury. 90% of all criminal cases are dealt with by magistrates. Only around 3% of all criminal trials are heard by a jury currently.The Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record and rising open caseload of nearly 80,000 criminal cases waiting to be heard and too many victims waiting years for justice. One of the first priorities of this Government has been to tackle this crisis, which is why we asked Sir Brian Leveson to undertake his independent review. On 2 December, the Deputy Prime Minister responded to the first part of that review and set out why reform is necessary, alongside investment and modernisation.

What support he is providing to the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire Integrated Care Board to ensure that people are receiving timely treatment for brain cancer.

The Department recognises that there are currently limited treatment options available for people who have been diagnosed with brain tumours, and the significant impact that rarer forms of cancer can have on patients, carers, and their families. The Government is invested in driving new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours.We have already invested £70 million in replacing outdated radiotherapy machines across the National Health Service with new cutting-edge technology that will speed up treatment for thousands of patients, and this includes a new machine to be situated in the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.Additionally, the Government supports Scott Arthur’s Private Members Bill on rare cancers which will make it easier for clinical trials into rare cancers, such as brain cancers, to take place across England by ensuring the patient population can be easily contacted by researchers.  This will ensure that the NHS will remain at the forefront of medical innovation and is able to provide patients with the newest, most effective treatment options and ultimately boost survival rates.Early next year, the Government will publish a National Cancer Plan which will set out targeted actions to reduce lives lost to cancers and improve the experience of patients, including those with brain cancer.

Whether her Department has considered including sun-safety lessons in the national curriculum.

I refer the hon. Member for Newbury to the answer of 23 October 2025 to Question 81731.

What steps he is taking to lower energy prices for people in Newbury constituency.

Thanks to decisions in Government's Autumn Budget, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) will deliver an average £150 of costs off household energy bills from April 2026. As a result of this action, people in Newbury can expect to make a significant saving on their bills. In addition, in 2024-2025, 2,854 households (6.5%) in Newbury benefited from the Warm Home Discount - a £150 discount on their energy bill. This winter, we are expanding this discount so that around 6 million low-income households will receive this support, including an approximate additional 350,000 households in the South East region. Beyond these measures, this Government is taking back control of our energy to prevent the British people from being left exposed to price shocks caused by our dependence on fossil fuel markets. We are delivering the biggest investment in clean, low-cost energy in British history, so we can build a system that protects billpayers permanently.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that mental health providers in Newbury have the resources they need to support people diagnosed with a serious life-threatening illness.

The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West NHS Integrated Care Board is responsible for commissioning services to meet the mental health needs of people in Newbury.Nationally, the Government is investing an extra £688 million in 2025/26 to transform mental health services by hiring more staff and delivering more talking therapies. Almost 7,000 extra mental health workers have been recruited since July 2024, against our target of 8,500 by the end of this Parliament. We are expanding NHS Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029, with improved effectiveness and quality of services.We recognise that some people with a serious life-threatening illness may need emotional and psychological support. The team responsible for a patient’s health care should discuss and review their emotional and psychological status regularly and support them with access to information and services for their mental health if needed.

Communities and Local Government, what support he is providing to local authorities to ensure they receive additional dedicated funding for homelessness services.

The Government has increased funding for homelessness services this year to over £1 billion, including a £50 million top-up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant announced on 11 December 2025. You can find allocations here. We are also investing £3.5 billion in homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years, through more flexible multi-year funding arrangements that enable councils to invest more in prevention.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle health inequalities affecting women.

The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain, to ensure people can live well for longer. Our reimagined National Health Service will tackle inequalities in both access and outcomes, as well as give everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, the means to engage with the NHS on their own terms. This financial year the Department has invested approximately £53 million in direct research awards on research to support the health of women. This includes conditions that are unique to women, such as endometriosis, and health topics that are relevant to women, such as violence and abuse.Significant progress has been made towards delivering the ambitions in the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy, for example improving women and girls’ awareness and access to services and driving research to benefit women’s health, but we know there is more to do.That is why we are renewing the Women’s Health Strategy, to assess the progress that has been made so far, and to continue progressing delivery.The renewed strategy will update on the delivery of the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy and set out how the Government is taking further steps to improve women’s health as we deliver the 10-Year Health Plan. It will also address gaps from the 2022 strategy and drive further change on enduring challenges, such as creating a system that listens to women and tackling health inequalities.

Communities and Local Government, what immediate steps his Department is taking to help reduce levels of homelessness and rough sleeping.

The Government has increased funding for homelessness services this year to over £1 billion, including a £50 million top-up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant announced on 11 December 2025. You can find allocations here. We are also investing £3.5 billion in homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years, through more flexible multi-year funding arrangements that enable councils to invest more in prevention.

What steps he is taking to reduce gynaecology waiting lists.

Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and we are committed to cutting waiting times across all specialities, including gynaecology. We have committed to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard, that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, by March 2029.We are making good progress, with waiting lists cut by over 230,000 since the Government came into office, including nearly 14,000 fewer waits for gynaecology treatment.We also delivered 5.2 million additional appointments between July 2024 and June 2025, exceeding our pledge of two million. However, we know there is more to do, and have confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment to expand capacity across diagnostics, electives, and urgent care. This includes expanding the number of surgical hubs, which provide valuable and protected capacity across elective specialities, including gynaecology. As of November 2025, over half of the 123 operational elective surgical hubs in England provide gynaecology services.The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, also committed to:increasing the relative funding available to support gynaecology procedures with the largest waiting lists;ensuring that independent sector providers play a greater role in providing support for the most challenged specialities, such as gynaecology; andreforming and optimising clinical pathways across a number of specialities. In gynaecology, this includes supporting the delivery of innovative models offering patients care closer to home and piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres for patients with post-menopausal bleeding.

What steps she plans to take to support schools and colleges in Newbury in the transition to V Levels.

The department is currently consulting on post-16 pathways, including the introduction of V Levels. The consultation closes on 12 January 2026.All schools and colleges, including those in Newbury, will be supported through the transition to V Levels by access to a comprehensive package of guidance and resources. Dedicated online information will provide timely updates and practical materials to help providers prepare for delivery. Clear guidance will set out the structure and requirements of the new qualifications, supporting staff understanding and effective implementation. Exemplar pathway documents will assist providers in planning learner routes, while study programme guidance will explain how V Levels can be used to develop meaningful programmes of study.In addition, we expect awarding organisations to supply specifications, sample assessments and training materials to support accurate delivery and assessment. Together, these measures will provide schools and colleges with the clarity and confidence needed for the successful implementation of V Levels.

What steps she is taking to improve the quality and supply of industry placements for T Levels.

T Levels are providing fantastic opportunities for young people to progress into skilled jobs and careers, and 96% of students completed their industry placement last year.The department supports employers to host high quality placements through guidance, workshops and direct support. The department’s digital ’Connect’ service supports local providers and employers to connect with each other and our updated delivery approaches allow greater flexibility for providers to design a high quality placement experience.We provide targeted support for industry placements in specific areas, with seven industry placement coordinators currently in local NHS integrated care systems, and an employer support fund supporting small and medium-sized enterprises and priority sectors with the essential costs of hosting a placement.The national ’Skills for Life’ campaign raises awareness of skills development and promotes T Levels, ensuring businesses and learners understand their value, and our network of over 1,000 T Level Ambassadors builds T Level understanding and engagement in the business community.

When the Government will publish its guidance to local authorities on Neighbourhood Health Plans.

Neighbourhood health will move care out of hospitals and into communities, with more personalised, proactive, and integrated services starting from where and how people live their lives. This will involve building stronger links to wider local government services such as housing, family hubs, and programmes such as Pride in Place, as well as links with wider civil society including the voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector.The Planning Framework for the NHS in England, published on 8 September, reiterates the commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan, that place partners develop a local neighbourhood plan, which integrated care boards will bring together into a population health improvement plan. These local plans will be drawn up by local government, the National Health Service, and its partners at single or upper tier local authority level under the leadership of the Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWBs).We will be publishing further guidance to support local areas to develop neighbourhood health plans in due course. This will set out how the NHS, local authorities, and partners should work together under the leadership of HWBs to develop and implement plans.