Written questions by Smart.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for hearings at the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support Chamber).

Data on Tribunals performance is published by the Ministry of Justice on a quarterly basis. Receipts, disposals and the outstanding caseload for individual Chambers in the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal, the Employment Tribunal and the Employment Appeal Tribunal can be found at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.The Ministry of Justice is working to reduce the outstanding caseload across the Social Entitlement Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal, which includes the Social Security and Child Support jurisdiction. This is key to reducing the waiting time for tribunal hearings.The Department continues to invest in improving tribunal capacity and productivity through the recruitment of additional Judges, the deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems, and the use of remote hearing technology. We expect these actions to have a positive effect, improving timeliness and overall performance in the Social Entitlement Chamber.The Ministry of Justice has not conducted assessments of the impact of tribunal waiting times on claimants but we recognise the potential negative impacts and uncertainty for individuals waiting for their appeal to be resolved.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Online Safety Act 2023 to protect internet users from (a) suicide and (b) self-harm content on artificial intelligence platforms.

Every death by suicide is a tragedy, and the government is deeply concerned about the role that online content can play in facilitating suicide and self-harm. This government is committed to keeping people safe online. For the first time, platforms now have a legal duty to ensure that they are protecting users from illegal content and, in particular, safeguarding children from harmful content. But we have gone further still. We have made self-harm and cyber-flashing, and now strangulation, priority offences. We will go further still by backing Ofcom to make sure that enforcement is robust too.Some chatbots, including live search and user-to-user engagement, are in scope of the Online Safety Act 2023, and we want to ensure that enforcement against them, where relevant, is robust. The Secretary of State has commissioned work to make sure that, if there are any gaps in the legislation, they will be looked at fully and robust action will be taken too.

What steps she is taking to help increase economic growth in Hazel Grove constituency.

There is excellence right across the country and this government is backing it: lifting living standards and putting more money in people’s pockets.  Greater Manchester Combined Authority will receive £2.5bn through the Transport for City Regions Fund and the Greater Manchester Investment Zone is expected to deliver £1.1 bn in private sector investment and 32,000 jobs.

Whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the amount of time taken by police forces to complete digital advice examinations; and what steps her Department is taking to help reduce those times.

We are aware that the amount of time taken by forces to examine digital devices varies considerably, but that urgent requests are always prioritised.Chief Constables, and ultimately Police and Crime Commissioners, are currently responsible for forensics procurement and delivery, with some regional coordination. We are exploring the creation of a specialist national capability for police forensics, within the proposed National Centre for Policing, and have recruited a Director of Forensic Services to stabilise and reform forensics in the meantime.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of sentences for people convicted of crimes involving breaches of trading standards.

The Ministry of Justice has made no assessment of sentencing for offending involving breaches of trading standards.Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the courts. Parliament has provided the courts with a broad range of sentencing powers to deal effectively and appropriately with offenders, including discharges, fines, community sentences, suspended sentences and custodial sentences.When deciding what sentence to impose, courts must consider the circumstances of the case, including the culpability of the offender, the harm they caused or intended to cause, and any aggravating and mitigating factors. The courts also have a statutory duty to follow any relevant sentencing guidelines, developed by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department made an assessment of the potential long-term impact of climate change on the canal network before reducing the level of funding for the Canal and River Trust.

A comprehensive review of the current grant provision to the Canal and River Trust was conducted between 2021 and 2023. The review examined a number of forward-looking scenarios using data provided by the Trust that included consideration of potential climate change impacts.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2025 to Question 72309 on NHS dental professionals, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including areas with no NHS dentists in the Golden Hello scheme.

The Golden Hello scheme aims to support dental practices in areas that are experiencing significant dental pressures, including areas with no National Health Service dentists.The scheme is designed to encourage relocation to areas with workforce challenges, to attract new workers to the NHS, and to retain those who might have otherwise moved into private practice.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with (a) European and (b) international counterparts to encourage the Serbian Government to (i) investigate ongoing political violence and (ii) take concrete steps to protect human rights.

The Foreign Secretary and I met Foreign Minister Djuric at the Berlin Process meeting of Western Balkans Foreign Ministers on 9 October, and I met Serbian MPs at the parliamentary meetings of the Berlin Process on 16 October where we discussed a range of issues.We have repeatedly emphasised to the Serbian leadership that all action to manage protests should be proportionate, legal, and respect fundamental rights to peaceful freedom of expression and assembly. Noting with concern recent violent clashes, including with the police, we have continued to be clear - including in our contact through our Embassy in Belgrade - that incidents should be fully investigated and perpetrators of crimes held to account.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help prevent further political violence in Serbia.

The Foreign Secretary and I met Foreign Minister Djuric at the Berlin Process meeting of Western Balkans Foreign Ministers on 9 October, and I met Serbian MPs at the parliamentary meetings of the Berlin Process on 16 October where we discussed a range of issues.We have repeatedly emphasised to the Serbian leadership that all action to manage protests should be proportionate, legal, and respect fundamental rights to peaceful freedom of expression and assembly. Noting with concern recent violent clashes, including with the police, we have continued to be clear - including in our contact through our Embassy in Belgrade - that incidents should be fully investigated and perpetrators of crimes held to account.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Winter Fuel Payment changes on residents of Hazel Grove constituency in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Data on Winter Fuel Payments made in winter 2024/25 is available on Stat Xplore. In Winter 2024/25, 1,855 Winter Fuel Payments were made in Hazel Grove constituency to households with someone receiving Pension Credit or certain other income-related benefits. This compares to 21,000 payments made in Hazel Grove constituency in winter 2023/24, when Winter Fuel Payments were made universally to those above State Pension age. The Government has increased the level at which Winter Fuel Payments are means-tested in England and Wales from winter 2025/26 so that the vast majority of pensioners, around 9 million individuals, will benefit from them. The Government has been clear that the Winter Fuel Payment should be means-tested on the basis of income. Winter Fuel Payments will thereby remain targeted by income, but with lower- and middle-income pensioners benefitting. For higher income pensioners, those with an annual income of more than £35,000, the payment will be recovered via the tax system. Estimates for winter 2025/26 are not available at the Parliamentary Constituency level. Statistics covering the winter 2025/26 period will be published in September 2026.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps with industry to reduce prices for alcohol-free beer to improve public health.

Defra regularly engages with supermarkets and producers on a range of food and drink supply matters. However, it is not for HM Government to set retail food and drink prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions taken by businesses. In the ‘Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England’, the Government has committed to tackling harmful alcohol consumption through promotion of no- and low-alcohol alternatives. This includes exploration of raising the alcohol-free descriptor to 0.5%, aligning with international standards to support growth of the sector. Alongside the plan, a large multi-year National Institute for Health and Care Research study is underway to examine the public health impacts of NoLo products, with findings of the study expected in the coming year.

What steps her Department is taking to help prevent applications being delayed due to administrative errors by HM Passport Office.

His Majesty’s Passport Office is exceeding its performance indicator of 98.5% of standard UK passport applications where no further information is required being processed within three weeks. Performance data can be found in the most recent Transparency Data release at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UKAlongside its delivery of these high standards of performance, HM Passport Office will always endeavour to resolve an error as quickly as possible, and continues to work to identify improvements that will help to meet the needs of its customers.

When the VALOUR scheme will become available to all veterans.

VALOUR is a new programme that will give all veterans across the UK easier access to the essential care and support that is available to them, overseen by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs in the Ministry of Defence. It will improve the coordination of services at a national, regional and local level to ensure that veterans receive the support they need.The programme will start supporting veterans in 2026.

Whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the resources available to (a) Greater Manchester Police and (b) other police forces to seize illegal off-road bikes.

Tackling anti-social behaviour and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. That is why the Government is investing in restoring communities and providing the police with the resources they need.The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.2 billion when compared to the 2024-25 settlement. Greater Manchester will receive up to £871.2 million in 2025/26, an increase of up to £55.6 million when compared to 2024/25. The Crime and Policing Bill will give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving vehicles of all types, including off-road bikes, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles. And the Government recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to more quickly dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially. The consultation closed on 8 July and the Government response will be published in due course.These combined measures will help tackle the scourge of vehicles ridden anti-socially and will send a clear message to would-be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to increase the supply of homes for social rent in Hazel Grove constituency.

I refer the hon. Members to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July (HCWS771).

What steps his Department is taking to prepare for possible future pandemics.

Ensuring the United Kingdom is prepared for a future pandemic is a top priority for the Government, and we are embedding lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in our approach to pandemic preparedness. We aim to have flexible, adaptable and scalable capabilities that can respond to any infectious disease or other threat, rather than rely on plans for specific threats.In the Autumn 2024 budget, the Chancellor announced £460 million of investment to strengthen the UK’s pandemic preparedness, including replenishing personal protective equipment (PPE), vaccine and medicines stockpiles.Our stockpiles for a potential future health emergency cover a range of clinical countermeasures, including antivirals, antibiotics, medical consumables, PPE and hygiene consumables.In autumn 2025, the Department and UK Health Security Agency are conducting Exercise PEGASUS, a national exercise on the UK’s preparedness for a pandemic. It aims to assess the UK’s preparedness, capabilities, and response arrangements in the context of a pandemic arising from a novel infectious disease and involves all regions and nations of the UK and thousands of participants.The outcomes of the exercise will inform how we approach our pandemic strategy going forward.

What discussions his Department has had with NHS England on reducing the number of (a) delays and (b) cancellations to NHS mental health appointments in Hazel Grove constituency.

No such specific discussions have taken place regarding delays and cancellations to National Health Service mental health appointments in the Hazel Grove constituency.On a national scale we are meeting the waiting time standards we have in place for NHS Talking Therapies and Early Intervention in Psychosis pathways. However, we recognise that many of the working-age adult population with mental health needs can face long waits to access mental health support.This is why we are working to reform our mental health system to make sure patients get the care they need, when they need.At the Spending Review 2025, we confirmed that we will deliver on our commitments to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers by the end of this Parliament and roll out mental health support teams to cover all schools in England by 2029/30.Six pilot sites are trialling 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centres, providing open access to mental health care for patients, reducing long waits. Our improvements to the NHS App will mean people are able to access rapid online support when they need.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to local government funding on the ability of local authorities to provide (a) warm spaces and (b) cool spaces in local areas.

The Spending Review provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three years for local services that communities rely on. This includes £3.4 billion of new grant funding which will be delivered through the Local Government Finance Settlement within financial years 2026-27 to 2028-29. The £3.4 billion, when taken together with a 3% core council tax referendum principle and a 2% adult social care precept, results in a 2.6% real terms average annual increase in Core Spending Power over the Spending Review period. The government is committed to reforming the way in which local government is funded to return the sector to a sustainable position and target funding to the places who need it most.  By fixing these foundations, the sector will be better placed to invest in and drive local growth. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities in providing (a) warm spaces and (b) cool spaces in local areas.

The Spending Review provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three years for local services that communities rely on. This includes £3.4 billion of new grant funding which will be delivered through the Local Government Finance Settlement within financial years 2026-27 to 2028-29. The £3.4 billion, when taken together with a 3% core council tax referendum principle and a 2% adult social care precept, results in a 2.6% real terms average annual increase in Core Spending Power over the Spending Review period. The government is committed to reforming the way in which local government is funded to return the sector to a sustainable position and target funding to the places who need it most.  By fixing these foundations, the sector will be better placed to invest in and drive local growth. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.

How many applications for Graduate visas made from within the UK used (a) the standard service, (b) the priority service, and (c) the super-priority service in the last 12 months.

Published data on Graduate visa applications can be found here, Visa, status and immigration data: April to June 2025 including data on standard, priority and super-priority applications. Filter 'Graduate' on the 'VSI_01a" tab