Written questions by Dillon.

What guidance his Department provides to Personal Independence Payment assessors on assessing people with cystic fibrosis, including the range of symptoms associated with the condition.

The department is committed to ensuring that individuals with cystic fibrosis receive high-quality and accurate Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments. All health professionals (HPs) carrying out PIP assessments receive comprehensive training in disability analysis, with a clear focus on understanding the functional effects of a claimant’s condition rather than the diagnosis itself. To support this approach, the department provides assessment suppliers with core training and guidance materials on the varying symptoms of cystic fibrosis. These materials include clinical background information and detail the potential functional impacts of the condition, enabling HPs to deliver informed, consistent and accurate assessments. In addition, all training and guidance materials are currently subject to a comprehensive review and update programme. A dedicated team is overseeing this work to ensure alignment with national best practice helping to ensure that guidance remains accurate, relevant and up to date.

What assessment she has made of the impact of reductions in the number of (a) teaching assistants, (b) support staff and (c) teachers on (i) pupils with special educational needs and disabilities and (ii) other pupils requiring additional learning support.

As part of our Plan for Change, we are committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and colleges, over the course of this Parliament.We are already making good progress. The teaching workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time equivalent (FTE) between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, the schools where they are needed most.The number of FTE school support staff has increased by 7,100 (1.4%) since 2023/24, which is mainly due to an increase of 5,900 teaching assistants.Our recent ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ white paper sets out the government’s vision for reforms to the schools and special educational needs and disabilities systems in England to ensure that every child can achieve and thrive.

What assessment he has made of the impact of the Personal Independence Payment assessment process on the mental health of people with cystic fibrosis.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will undertake a review of the Sustainable Farming Incentive application system; and whether she will make it her policy to enable smaller farmers to apply for the next funding round before their current agreement ends.

As announced at the recent NFU Conference, a range of improvements will be introduced to make SFI26 a simpler, more streamlined offer and easier to navigate. One change is the introduction of two application windows, to ensure as many farmers as possible can benefit from a SFI agreement. Small farms with existing agreements will be able to apply in either Window 1 or Window 2. Farms over 50 hectares with existing agreements will be able to apply in Window 2.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact on small farms of the Sustainable Farming Incentive application window opening after the previous scheme has closed.

To date small farms have been less likely to be in SFI. SFI26 will have two application windows, to ensure as many farmers as possible can benefit from a SFI agreement. Window 1 will open from June 2026 for small farms with between 3 and 50 hectares and also farms without an existing Environmental Land Management agreement. The Government is specifically targeting these two groups (before opening to applications from all farmers) because it wants to bring more of them into SFI. This will make a major contribution to Defra’s EIP target to double the number of farms providing for farm wildlife by December 2030 (compared with 2025). Window 2 will open from September 2026 for all farms.

What plans she has to place greater emphasis on the development of work-related skills in schools and colleges.

The department’s reforms will prepare children for the modern world, ensuring every pupil develops essential knowledge and skills for life, work and innovation. We will strengthen the curriculum by embedding critical media literacy and sustainability and improving financial education. A refreshed computing curriculum will build early digital confidence, including core learning on artificial intelligence, and integrate digital skills across subjects.Colleges already deliver a wide range of technical or vocational provision aimed at equipping students with the skills they need for work or higher study, such as T Levels, based on employer-designed standards with a 45-day industry placement.Reforms set out in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper to develop the skilled workforce our economy needs include new V Levels, expansion of T Levels; and clearer Level 2 routes through Occupational and Further Study Pathways.We are also strengthening careers advice and guidance in schools, driven by updated Gatsby Benchmarks and our commitment to deliver at least two weeks’ worth of work experience for all pupils.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how the UK is working through the G7 and G20 to promote outcomes that benefit women and girls globally.

The UK is committed to putting women and girls at the heart of everything we do. This includes ensuring the multilateral system remains a powerful tool for gender equality. The UK has used the G7 and G20 to secure strong commitments for progress on women and girls and will continue to do so, including through working with this year's G7 and G20 Presidencies and during our own G20 Presidency year in 2027.

What support her Department is providing to help first-time buyers access mortgage finance and enter the housing market.

The most sustainable long-term method to improve housing affordability and help people into homeownership is to increase the supply of housing. The government is committed to building 1.5 million homes this parliament. The Government is bringing forward ambitious reforms to streamline and improve the planning system to deliver on its Plan for Change. We have announced major changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility to deliver 170,000 additional homes and add £6.8bn to the economy by 2029/30. The Government recognises the difficulties some prospective first-time buyers face in buying a home and is committed to helping them get on the housing ladder. To address these issues, we introduced a new permanent Mortgage Guarantee Scheme in July 2025. It is designed to support and sustain the availability of low deposit mortgage products for credit-worthy borrowers. The government will also consult on introducing a new, first-time buyer only ISA product that will provide a government bonus when a person uses it to buy a house, removing the need for a withdrawal charge and giving savers flexibility in case their circumstances change. It will remain possible to open a Lifetime ISA until the new product becomes available and for account holders to continue to save into their Lifetime ISA in line with the existing rules indefinitely. This sits alongside our work with the financial regulators to give mortgage lenders more flexibility, including on how they assess affordability, which means borrowers can now borrow 10% more than they could at the start of last year. Thanks to our work with the Bank of England, lenders also have more flexibility to offer larger loans. They estimate this could help as many as 36,000 more customers become first time buyers in the first year. Those looking to buy their first home should speak with a mortgage broker to learn more about what’s available to them.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential economic impact on the horseracing industry of the full implementation of financial risk assessments for gambling.

The Government recognises the significant contribution that racing makes to British sporting culture and its importance to the British economy. Horseracing is the only sport in receipt of a direct government-mandated levy which helps to drive improvements in the sport.The Government remains committed to supporting the implementation of key measures in the 2023 white paper, including the introduction of Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs).Following the conclusion of its pilot on FRAs, the Gambling Commission has continued to engage with gambling operators and other stakeholders. As the independent regulator, the Gambling Commission will decide how to implement FRAs based on the best available evidence.The Gambling Commission has recently published an updated blog on its pilot findings and plans to publish the pilot data, including updated impact assessment results following implementation decision, as is standard practice.

What steps he is taking to support people with myalgic encephalomyelitis.

As part of the final delivery plan for myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), that was published in July 2025, the Government committed to supporting people with ME/CFS. The plan focuses on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.We are developing a template service specification for mild and moderate ME/CFS, in conjunction with NHS England. The template will set out examples of best practice for the commissioning of services for ME/CFS to ensure consistent and high-quality care across integrated care boards. The Department, together with ForwardME, is developing a Language Matters Guide to accompany this to ensure that terminology is consistent and well understood.To help support healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and management of ME/CFS, the Department has worked with NHS England to develop an e-learning programme for healthcare professionals. All sessions of the e-learning programme, with sessions one, two, and three having universal access, whilst the final session on managing severe ME/CFS being only available to healthcare professionals, are now available at the following link:https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/mecfselearning?nodeId=7288.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits of introducing training programmes to improve awareness and understanding of neurodiversity in the workplace.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 April to PQ 127771.

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce electricity prices.

At the Autumn Budget, we committed to taking money off energy bills to tackle the cost of living. The measures taken reduce the cost of electricity and therefore benefit all households with a domestic electricity meter. The two actions we took are (a) Removal of ECO home insulation scheme; and (b) Moving 75% of the domestic costs of the Renewables Obligation to the Exchequer from April 2026/27-28/29. These actions are designed to provide immediate savings for households, support the transition to clean energy, and ensure that future investments in the energy system are funded in a way that is fair and sustainable. In addition, we will bring forward plans later this year to offer legacy low carbon generators, which provide about a third of our power today, the option of fixed price arrangements, with an intention to run an allocation process in 2027. This will be a voluntary decision for those generators. This will help protect families and businesses from higher bills when gas prices spike, with contracts offered only where they deliver clear value for money for consumers.

What funding his Department is providing for research into the genetic differences between people with myalgic encephalomyelitis and those without the condition.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council have dedicated £3.2 million to the DecodeME study. This study aims to understand the genetic differences between those who have myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and those who do not, and in doing so increase our understanding of ME/CFS to support the development of diagnostic tests and targeted treatments. Preliminary findings from DecodeME indicate genetic differences in eight areas linked to the immune and nervous systems in people with ME/CFS. This discovery of specific genetic signals may help us understand the biological pathways involved in ME/CFS in the future.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory training programmes for employers and staff to improve awareness and understanding of neurodiversity in the workplace.

In 2025 DWP launched an Expert Academic Panel on Neurodiversity. Bringing together multidisciplinary experts, the Panel examined why neurodivergent people often experience poor outcomes at work and lower employment rates. We have received the Panel’s report and are carefully considering its recommendations, including those around what further actions employers can take. Research by the Arbitration, Conciliation and Advisory Service (ACAS) highlights that managers are key to supporting neurodivergent employees but often lack the necessary training and confidence to do so effectively. Consequently, earlier this year DWP funded ACAS to deliver free of charge masterclasses to small and medium size employers on recruiting and supporting neurodivergent talent in the workplace. Over 1800 representatives of small and medium sized employers attended these masterclasses. DWP's offer to employers also includes a digital information service, www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk/ which provides tailored guidance to employers to support employees to remain in work. This includes guidance on disclosures and having conversations about health and disability, plus guidance on legal obligations, including making reasonable adjustments.

What steps he is taking to ensure that community pharmacies are adequately funded to maintain opening hours and patient access.

In 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework was increased to £3.1 billion. This represented the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service at the time, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This included funding for the Pharmacy Access Scheme, which provides additional funding to more isolated pharmacies to support patient access.The Department is currently consulting with Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27. As part of this we will consider financial pressures on the sector.

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues regarding expanding work-based training capacity for sustainable built environment careers.

We are working closely with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) on a range of sustainable built environment careers to ensure that the move to a clean economy benefits us all. We are contributing labour market insight and employer engagement expertise to DESNZ’s work on the Clean Jobs Employer Handbook, which is being developed to help employers recruit into green and net zero roles. We have also established support for our customers to apply for clean energy jobs. Our Strategic Relationship Team (SRT) has utilised employer and partner expertise to create digital resources for work coaches and employer advisors, so they are aware of the clean energy job opportunities available to our customers. In late 2025, SRT partnered with Energy and Utility Skills to develop a ‘sector-entry’ pilot. This commenced in early 2026 and supports entrants into the sector.

What steps his Department is taking to support community pharmacies.

As we shift care from hospital and into the community, pharmacies have a vital role to play as an essential front door to the NHS for the public. After years of neglect this Government agreed a record uplift of 3.1 billion pounds for pharmacies in 25/26, a 19% increase over two years. We are also currently consulting with Community Pharmacy England on funding arrangements to support pharmacies in 2026/27.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support and protect supported housing provision.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given the Question UIN 123120 on 26 March 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help prevent children from sleeping rough.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 121467 on 24 March 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that people experiencing homelessness are able to access social housing.

The government will deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation, including through the new 10-year £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme. As set out in our National Plan to End Homelessness, we will work with partners to update statutory guidance on social housing allocations to ensure that allocations reflect local need and effectively support vulnerable households. Where joint working is not operating effectively, we will consider levers to require social housing landlords to rehouse statutory homeless households referred by the council, including legislating if necessary.