Written questions by Smart.

What steps were taken to help mitigate potential conflicts of interest arising from Lord Mandelson's commercial interests before he took up the post of Ambassador to the United States.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness the Blue Badge application process for people with non-visible or hidden disabilities, including deafness.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to Appendix H of her Department's document entitled Blue Badge scheme local authority guidance (England), updated on 3 June 2025, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the model proforma for seeking further information from health and social care professionals in supporting applications from people with non-visible and hidden disabilities, including deafness; and when the proforma was last reviewed.

Awaiting answer.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that emergency applications for grants of probate are processed promptly; and whether he has made an assessment of the impact of staffing levels at the Probate Service on the processing time for emergency applications.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of healthcare provision in the prison estate for prisoners with neuromuscular and other progressive degenerative conditions, including the timeliness of access to (a) specialist consultants, (b) physiotherapy, (c) mobility aids and (d) reasonable adjustments to cell and wing accommodation.

Awaiting answer.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) complexity and (b) length of the Disability Living Allowance claim form on claimants; and whether he plans to amend the form.

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that road safety interventions can be targeted at locations with high numbers of damage-only collisions and near-misses before a (a) killed and (b) seriously injured outcome occurs.

Local authorities have a statutory duty under section 39 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act to take steps both to reduce and prevent collisions. It is not for the Department to take steps to define local interventions but for local authorities to determine what measures are appropriate in individual cases as they have the local knowledge and it is right that they focus on the areas of highest risk, which may be where tragic collisions have occurred - but there is nothing to stop them implementing road safety measures elsewhere.

For what reason NHS England has designated vacuum bell therapy for pectus excavatum as the responsibility of Integrated Care Boards rather than including it within the specialised commissioning arrangements that cover surgical correction of pectus excavatum; and whether his Department plans to review that designation.

The factors that determine whether a service is a prescribed specialised service are: the number of individuals who require the service; the cost of providing the service or facility; and the number of people able to provide the service or facility.Vacuum bell therapy for pectus excavatum is not designated as a prescribed specialised service. Non surgical management of pectus excavatum is considered a pathway based intervention better managed through local medical pathways. Responsibility for commissioning therefore sits with integrated care boards (ICBs) rather than NHS England or the Department. There are no current plans to change this approach.NHS England will continue to encourage ICBs to prioritise commissioning non surgical medical treatments for patients with pectus excavatum as part of an integrated pathway. In addition, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Department is funding the RESTORE trial, which will inform future commissioning decisions in relation to surgery. More information on the RESTORE trial is available at the following link:https://www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR158749

What steps his Department is taking to help support shops, small businesses and public buildings to host publicly accessible defibrillators.

The Government’s position is that local communities are best placed to make decisions about procuring, locating, and maintaining automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Over 110,000 defibrillators are registered in the United Kingdom on The Circuit, the independent AED database. Over 30,000 of these were added between September 2023 and July 20225, many as a result of local community led action.

What discussions his Department has had with NHS England and relevant Integrated Care Boards on the funding of specialist orthotist posts required to deliver vacuum bell therapy at NHS pectus and chest wall surgical centres; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact on patient care of surgical services being available but non-surgical alternatives being unavailable.

The factors that determine whether a service is a prescribed specialised service are: the number of individuals who require the service; the cost of providing the service or facility; and the number of people able to provide the service or facility.Vacuum bell therapy for pectus excavatum is not designated as a prescribed specialised service. Non surgical management of pectus excavatum is considered a pathway based intervention better managed through local medical pathways. Responsibility for commissioning therefore sits with integrated care boards (ICBs) rather than NHS England or the Department. There are no current plans to change this approach.NHS England will continue to encourage ICBs to prioritise commissioning non surgical medical treatments for patients with pectus excavatum as part of an integrated pathway. In addition, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Department is funding the RESTORE trial, which will inform future commissioning decisions in relation to surgery. More information on the RESTORE trial is available at the following link:https://www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR158749

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Disability Living Allowance claim form; and whether he plans to take steps to make the form easier to complete.

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

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the level of the threat posed by Russia to UK elections.

The UK electoral system is highly resilient, and to date, we have not seen evidence of successful Russian interference in UK democratic processes. But we know that the Kremlin seeks to sow discord in the West and undermine our institutions. Working closely with our NATO and G7 allies, we will continue to unmask Russia’s deceptive agencies, sanction their leaders, and impede their operations.We continue to monitor the situation and have robust measures in place to counter any attempts at political interference.

What the current average time taken is to pay Access to Work suppliers for services delivered; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce delays in paying suppliers.

Access to Work payment processing is currently at 10 working days for generic payments and 15 days for special aids and equipment. We are upskilling additional staff to deliver payments and reduce processing times.

What assessment his Department has made of the accessibility of the Disability Living Allowance claim form; and whether he plans to take steps to improve it.

An accessible online version of a DLA1 (new claim form) is available to download from gov.uk.All other DLA Child forms and letters are available as a reasonable adjustment for customers who require alternative methods to interact with the department. These include, but are not limited to, email accessible version, braille, large print, audio. All forms and letters are regularly reviewed to ensure they provide the customer with the information required and support a smooth customer interaction.

What steps he is taking to improve training for Child Maintenance Service call handlers on (a) vulnerable people and (b) victims of domestic abuse.

The Department for Work and Pensions and the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) take the support of vulnerable customers, including victims and survivors of domestic abuse, extremely seriously.All CMS Caseworkers receive comprehensive technical training, including specific modules on identifying and supporting vulnerable customers and victims and survivors of domestic abuse. This Domestic Abuse training is kept up to date through mandatory two year refresher training to ensure colleagues maintain the requisite skills and knowledge.For the most complex domestic abuse cases, CMS uses a specialist team, which provides tailored support and reduces the need for victims and survivors to repeatedly recount their experiences.All Caseworkers can access the Every Call Matters Hub, which provides access to supporting products and call standards to support confidence and quality when speaking with customers.CMS aim to handle calls in a sensitive manner and ensure all customers get the help and support they need to use the service safely. This may include signposting to support organisations or reporting to the police where this may be necessary.Further work is ongoing to strengthen quality assurance processes, including call listening, to ensure that vulnerable customers and victims and survivors of domestic abuse consistently receive the appropriate level of service. Insight from quality assurance outcomes is used to support ongoing training and learning.

Whether she is taking steps to reduce the processing time of up to 18 weeks to obtain a Certificate of Sponsorship.

UKVI are constantly seeking to improve efficiency and reduce processing times however, we need to clarify that the 18 weeks is a service level agreement (SLA) not the processing time and the majority of applications are processed well within this SLA.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of regulatory requirements for barbering businesses in ensuring that practitioners hold relevant qualifications and liability insurance.

Businesses in the hair and beauty sector including barber shops, hairdressers and beauty salons are required to comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated regulations, which place duties on businesses to assess the risk of infection for employees and others affected by their work, including members of the public. While the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are the policy lead for the hair and beauty sector, responsibility for enforcing health and safety legislation at individual businesses rests with the local authority in which the premises are located. Where there is evidence that risks are not being properly managed, local authorities may intervene and take appropriate enforcement action to ensure employees and customers are protected. Local authorities are also responsible for managing hygiene standards in businesses, but this is not within HSE’s remit.

What the planned timeline is for publishing a national implementation plan for the rollout of Fracture Liaison Services; and what milestones have been set for achieving nationwide coverage by 2030.

Fracture Liaison Services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local need.Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030.Officials continue to work closely with NHS England to explore a range of options to provide better quality and access to these important preventative services.

When he plans to answer Question 112319, tabled on 10 February 2026.

A response has been issued here.

If she will take steps to align compensation available to people affected by roadworks with other forms of transport.

We are focused on tackling the cause of delays. We have raised fines for overruns to up to £10,000 a day. We have recently approved 7 lane rental schemes to charge those who dig up the busiest roads at the busiest times.