Written questions by Perteghella.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of support services available to women affected by vaginal mesh implants in (a) Warwickshire and (b) the West Midlands.

There are nine specialist mesh centres across England, ensuring that women in every region with complications of mesh inserted for urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse get the right support. Each mesh centre is led by a multi-disciplinary team to ensure patients get access to the specialist care and treatment that they need, including pain management and psychological support. The mesh centre that serves the West Midlands is located in Nottingham.NHS England is working with these nine specialist mesh centres to review mesh centre outcomes and patient experience, to ensure they are supporting patients as planned. NHS England has been working with Sling the Mesh and the Rectopexy Mesh Victims and Support Group on this work.

What support her Department is providing to rural primary schools to provide breakfast club provision under the early adopter scheme.

I refer the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon to the answer of 03 June 2025 to Question 53170.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce call waiting times for claimants.

DWP reviews forecasted telephony demand and plans resourcing accordingly to keep wait times down. Wait time performance is frequently reviewed and where DWP’s telephony is delivered by an outsourced provider we use the Key Performance Indicator of percentage of calls answered. All DWP customer telephone lines are Freephone numbers. The Department is investing in a new capability that aims to better route customers to the right offer at the right time. This will help to reduce waiting times by supporting customers to utilise digital alternatives where appropriate, which enables telephony agents to speak to our customers that really need to speak to someone. If a customer indicates they may be at risk of physical or mental harm e.g. suicide, terminal illness, homelessness, and clinical mental health, they will be routed to a telephony agent in as short a journey as possible.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the number of physics teachers on post-16 physics uptake in schools in disadvantaged areas.

High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child or young person’s outcome in school and college. This government has inherited a system with critical shortages of teachers, especially in physics. In 2023/24, we recruited 31% of our postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) target for physics trainees. This is why the government’s Plan for Change has committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers in secondary and special schools, and in our colleges, over the course of this Parliament.Our Plan for Change is starting to deliver, with the 2024 school workforce census showing that secondary and special school teacher numbers increased by 2,346 compared to the 2023 census. This is in addition to 2,000 more prospective teachers undertaking initial teacher training this year compared to last as this government is getting on and delivering the teachers our children need.To deliver on the pledge, the department has so far invested around £700 million across schools and further education (FE), including £233 million for initial teacher training financial incentives, which provides a £29,000 tax-free bursary and £31,000 scholarship to physics trainees, increased targeted retention incentives worth up to £6,000 per year for early career physics teachers and developed resources to improve teachers’ workload and wellbeing.In addition, the department announced a 4% pay award for teachers in maintained schools from September 2025. This builds on the 5.5% pay award for 2024/25, resulting in a nearly 10% pay award since this government came to power, and ensure teaching is once again a valued and attractive profession.The department also provides significant support to trainees and teachers without the relevant qualifications to become physics teachers. This includes funded Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses and the Subject Knowledge for Physics Teaching (SKPT) programme to support non-specialist teachers of physics to enhance their subject knowledge.We know high-quality physics teaching is important to support post-16 physics study. In addition to the targeted retention payment received by sixth-form physics teachers in schools, nearly 100 more physics teachers across FE colleges and 16-19-only schools have received a payment of up to £6,000 this year to keep more physics teachers in post-16 education.

What steps he is taking to help improve post diagnostic support for people diagnosed with young onset dementia.

Everyone with dementia should have meaningful care following their diagnosis. This includes information on local services and access to relevant advice and support on what happens next.The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). NHS England would expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines. It is the responsibility of ICBs to work within their geographical area to offer services that meet the needs of their population.Local authorities are required to provide or arrange services that meet the social care needs of the local population under the Care Act 2014. The Government is committed to improving dementia care and empowering local leaders with the autonomy they need to provide the best services to their local community, including those with young onset dementia.This is why we have published the D100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia, including those with young onset dementia. The D100: Pathway Assessment Tool is available at the following link:https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/nccmh/service-design-and-development/dementia-100-pathway-assessment-tool

What steps she is taking to help support the retraining of existing science teachers to teach physics in schools without specialist provision.

High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child or young person’s outcome in school and college. This government has inherited a system with critical shortages of teachers, especially in physics. In 2023/24, we recruited 31% of our postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) target for physics trainees. This is why the government’s Plan for Change has committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers in secondary and special schools, and in our colleges, over the course of this Parliament.Our Plan for Change is starting to deliver, with the 2024 school workforce census showing that secondary and special school teacher numbers increased by 2,346 compared to the 2023 census. This is in addition to 2,000 more prospective teachers undertaking initial teacher training this year compared to last as this government is getting on and delivering the teachers our children need.To deliver on the pledge, the department has so far invested around £700 million across schools and further education (FE), including £233 million for initial teacher training financial incentives, which provides a £29,000 tax-free bursary and £31,000 scholarship to physics trainees, increased targeted retention incentives worth up to £6,000 per year for early career physics teachers and developed resources to improve teachers’ workload and wellbeing.In addition, the department announced a 4% pay award for teachers in maintained schools from September 2025. This builds on the 5.5% pay award for 2024/25, resulting in a nearly 10% pay award since this government came to power, and ensure teaching is once again a valued and attractive profession.The department also provides significant support to trainees and teachers without the relevant qualifications to become physics teachers. This includes funded Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses and the Subject Knowledge for Physics Teaching (SKPT) programme to support non-specialist teachers of physics to enhance their subject knowledge.We know high-quality physics teaching is important to support post-16 physics study. In addition to the targeted retention payment received by sixth-form physics teachers in schools, nearly 100 more physics teachers across FE colleges and 16-19-only schools have received a payment of up to £6,000 this year to keep more physics teachers in post-16 education.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of steps taken to (a) recruit and (b) retain specialist physics teachers in state schools.

High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child or young person’s outcome in school and college. This government has inherited a system with critical shortages of teachers, especially in physics. In 2023/24, we recruited 31% of our postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) target for physics trainees. This is why the government’s Plan for Change has committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers in secondary and special schools, and in our colleges, over the course of this Parliament.Our Plan for Change is starting to deliver, with the 2024 school workforce census showing that secondary and special school teacher numbers increased by 2,346 compared to the 2023 census. This is in addition to 2,000 more prospective teachers undertaking initial teacher training this year compared to last as this government is getting on and delivering the teachers our children need.To deliver on the pledge, the department has so far invested around £700 million across schools and further education (FE), including £233 million for initial teacher training financial incentives, which provides a £29,000 tax-free bursary and £31,000 scholarship to physics trainees, increased targeted retention incentives worth up to £6,000 per year for early career physics teachers and developed resources to improve teachers’ workload and wellbeing.In addition, the department announced a 4% pay award for teachers in maintained schools from September 2025. This builds on the 5.5% pay award for 2024/25, resulting in a nearly 10% pay award since this government came to power, and ensure teaching is once again a valued and attractive profession.The department also provides significant support to trainees and teachers without the relevant qualifications to become physics teachers. This includes funded Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses and the Subject Knowledge for Physics Teaching (SKPT) programme to support non-specialist teachers of physics to enhance their subject knowledge.We know high-quality physics teaching is important to support post-16 physics study. In addition to the targeted retention payment received by sixth-form physics teachers in schools, nearly 100 more physics teachers across FE colleges and 16-19-only schools have received a payment of up to £6,000 this year to keep more physics teachers in post-16 education.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that dementia specialists are involved in NHS continuing healthcare assessments for people living with dementia.

The National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care sets out the process for determining eligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC). This statutory guidance is clear that the multidisciplinary team involved in CHC assessments should include someone with specialist knowledge of the individual’s condition, such as dementia, or have information available to them from the relevant specialists.It is important that those contributing to the assessment process have the relevant skills and knowledge. To support staff working in health and social care to apply the principles of the national framework, NHS England has developed and published a comprehensive set of online learning resources.CHC eligibility is not determined by diagnosis or condition. It is assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the totality of an individual’s needs, including the ways in which these needs interact with one another.

What training is provided to NHS continuing healthcare assessors to support their understanding of the health needs associated with dementia.

The National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care sets out the process for determining eligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC). This statutory guidance is clear that the multidisciplinary team involved in CHC assessments should include someone with specialist knowledge of the individual’s condition, such as dementia, or have information available to them from the relevant specialists.It is important that those contributing to the assessment process have the relevant skills and knowledge. To support staff working in health and social care to apply the principles of the national framework, NHS England has developed and published a comprehensive set of online learning resources.CHC eligibility is not determined by diagnosis or condition. It is assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the totality of an individual’s needs, including the ways in which these needs interact with one another.

How much funding his Department has allocated to support Sizewell C nuclear plant in advance of the final investment decision for that plant.

The Sizewell C Development Expenditure Subsidy Scheme (DEVEX Scheme) has been made for £5.5bn for the Sizewell C company. Under this scheme to date, £3.9bn has been awarded to the company, in two tranches, one of £1.2bn and one of £2.7bn. Prior to these awards, the Department had awarded £2.5bn to the project since the Government Investment Decision in November 2022 under the SZC Investment Funding Scheme. Hence, in total, the Department has to date allocated £6.4bn to the project under both subsidy scheme.

What proportion of (a) history, (b) geography, (c) religious education and (d) English secondary school teachers who began initial teacher training in the 2019–20 academic year and remained in the teaching profession in each of the academic years (i) 2020–21, (ii) 2021–22, (iii) 2022–23 and (iv) 2023–24 had undertaken a subject knowledge enhancement course as a condition of entry to their initial teacher training.

The department publishes statistics on the proportion of initial teacher training (ITT) trainees with course outcomes each academic year who go on to be employed in the state-funded sector in England within 16 months of the end of the academic year. However, information on the retention in the workforce of individuals completing subject knowledge enhancement courses and ITT in the specified subjects is not readily available.The department has provided a breakdown of the proportion of ITT trainees with course outcomes in academic year 2019/20 who went on to be employed in the state-funded sector in England within 16 months of the end of the academic year. Proportion teaching in a state-funded school within 16 months of the end of the academic year (%)English75Geography71History68Religious Education77 Further information on ITT performance profiles can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-performance-profiles/2022-23.

How many EU citizens had been granted pre-settled status on 30 April 2025.

The Home Office publishes data on the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) in ‘Immigration System Statistics’.The published statistics can be found in the EU Settlement Scheme data tables. Data on grants of pre-settled status can be found in tables EUSS_03 and EUSS_RA_01 in the summary tables.

What proportion of (a) history, (b) geography, (c) religious education and (d) English secondary school teachers who began initial teacher training in the 2019–20 academic year remained in the teaching profession in each of the academic years (i) 2020–21, (ii) 2021–22, (iii) 2022–23 and (iv) 2023–24.

The department publishes statistics on the proportion of initial teacher training (ITT) trainees with course outcomes each academic year who go on to be employed in the state-funded sector in England within 16 months of the end of the academic year. However, information on the retention in the workforce of individuals completing subject knowledge enhancement courses and ITT in the specified subjects is not readily available.The department has provided a breakdown of the proportion of ITT trainees with course outcomes in academic year 2019/20 who went on to be employed in the state-funded sector in England within 16 months of the end of the academic year. Proportion teaching in a state-funded school within 16 months of the end of the academic year (%)English75Geography71History68Religious Education77 Further information on ITT performance profiles can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-performance-profiles/2022-23.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on requiring imports of (a) eggs, (b) pork and (c) fur to meet UK animal welfare standards to be permitted for (i) import and (ii) sale in the UK.

Ministers and officials meet regularly to address these important topics. The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare. We will promote robust standards nationally and internationally and will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage. All agri-food products must comply with our import requirements in order to be placed on the UK market. This includes ensuring imported meat products have been slaughtered to animal welfare standards equivalent to our domestic standards. The Government recognises the concerns about imports produced using methods not permitted in the UK. We have been clear that we will use our Trade Strategy to support economic growth and promote the highest standards of food production.

Whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) pay and (b) conditions for supply teachers relative to permanent teaching staff.

Supply teachers perform a valuable role and the department is grateful for their important contribution to schools across the country.A supply teacher’s pay and working conditions will depend on who employs them. Supply teachers employed directly by a state maintained school or local authority must be paid in accordance with the statutory arrangements for teachers laid down in the ‘school teachers’ pay and conditions document’. If a supply teacher is employed by a private agency or non-maintained school, the employer can set the rate of pay and conditions of employment.Schools and local authorities are currently responsible for the recruitment and deployment of their supply teachers. School leaders should ensure supply teachers are equipped with the necessary access and information to carry out their role effectively.There is an established robust safeguarding framework in place in the form of ‘keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE), which is the statutory safeguarding guidance that all schools and colleges must have regard to when safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Part 1 of this guidance should be read by all staff who work directly with children and sets out the different types of abuse and harm, and supports all staff to know what signs to look out for, including how to respond to any concerns about a child.The statutory ‘special educational needs and disability code of practice’ states that all teachers and support staff who work with the pupils with special educational needs should be made aware of their needs, the outcomes sought, the support provided and any teaching strategies or approaches that are required. This should also be recorded on the school’s information system.All schools are required to have a behaviour policy that outlines effective strategies to promote good behaviour and specifies the sanctions for misbehaviour. This policy must be communicated to all pupils, school staff (including supply staff) and parents to ensure everyone is aware of the high standards of behaviour expected. The behaviour policy should also reflect the school's culture and be supported by all staff and senior leaders, including the head teacher.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including supply teachers in any forthcoming workforce strategy for (a) teacher recruitment and (b) teacher retention.

High quality teaching is the in school factor that has the biggest positive impact on children’s outcomes. Ensuring a high quality teaching workforce is therefore critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost life chances for every child. This is why the department will recruit 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools and colleges, get more teachers into shortage subjects, support areas that face recruitment challenges and tackle retention issues.Supply teachers make an important contribution to the smooth running of schools by filling posts on a temporary basis and covering teacher absences.School autonomy is vital to the health of our education system. Headteachers are ultimately responsible for employment in their schools, as they are best placed to understand the specific needs of their pupils and make staffing decisions accordingly.The department is determined to improve the attractiveness of the teaching profession so that existing teachers want to remain in it, former teachers want to return to it, and new graduates and career changers wish to join.We continue to incentivise teacher recruitment through increasing teacher trainee bursaries to £233 million in 2025/26, with a focus on shortage subjects, and doubling retention payments from this year. A successful recruitment strategy starts with a strong retention strategy, and we are doing more to improve wellbeing and reduce workload, including actively promoting flexible working such as allowing planning, preparation and assessment time to be taken from home.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that supply teachers are provided with up-to-date information on (a) pupils with (i) special educational needs and (ii) disabilities, and (b) behaviour management procedures.

Supply teachers perform a valuable role and the department is grateful for their important contribution to schools across the country.A supply teacher’s pay and working conditions will depend on who employs them. Supply teachers employed directly by a state maintained school or local authority must be paid in accordance with the statutory arrangements for teachers laid down in the ‘school teachers’ pay and conditions document’. If a supply teacher is employed by a private agency or non-maintained school, the employer can set the rate of pay and conditions of employment.Schools and local authorities are currently responsible for the recruitment and deployment of their supply teachers. School leaders should ensure supply teachers are equipped with the necessary access and information to carry out their role effectively.There is an established robust safeguarding framework in place in the form of ‘keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE), which is the statutory safeguarding guidance that all schools and colleges must have regard to when safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Part 1 of this guidance should be read by all staff who work directly with children and sets out the different types of abuse and harm, and supports all staff to know what signs to look out for, including how to respond to any concerns about a child.The statutory ‘special educational needs and disability code of practice’ states that all teachers and support staff who work with the pupils with special educational needs should be made aware of their needs, the outcomes sought, the support provided and any teaching strategies or approaches that are required. This should also be recorded on the school’s information system.All schools are required to have a behaviour policy that outlines effective strategies to promote good behaviour and specifies the sanctions for misbehaviour. This policy must be communicated to all pupils, school staff (including supply staff) and parents to ensure everyone is aware of the high standards of behaviour expected. The behaviour policy should also reflect the school's culture and be supported by all staff and senior leaders, including the head teacher.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that supply teachers are provided with (a) appropriate access to staff facilities, (b) induction information on school policies, and (c) safeguarding procedures.

Supply teachers perform a valuable role and the department is grateful for their important contribution to schools across the country.A supply teacher’s pay and working conditions will depend on who employs them. Supply teachers employed directly by a state maintained school or local authority must be paid in accordance with the statutory arrangements for teachers laid down in the ‘school teachers’ pay and conditions document’. If a supply teacher is employed by a private agency or non-maintained school, the employer can set the rate of pay and conditions of employment.Schools and local authorities are currently responsible for the recruitment and deployment of their supply teachers. School leaders should ensure supply teachers are equipped with the necessary access and information to carry out their role effectively.There is an established robust safeguarding framework in place in the form of ‘keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE), which is the statutory safeguarding guidance that all schools and colleges must have regard to when safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Part 1 of this guidance should be read by all staff who work directly with children and sets out the different types of abuse and harm, and supports all staff to know what signs to look out for, including how to respond to any concerns about a child.The statutory ‘special educational needs and disability code of practice’ states that all teachers and support staff who work with the pupils with special educational needs should be made aware of their needs, the outcomes sought, the support provided and any teaching strategies or approaches that are required. This should also be recorded on the school’s information system.All schools are required to have a behaviour policy that outlines effective strategies to promote good behaviour and specifies the sanctions for misbehaviour. This policy must be communicated to all pupils, school staff (including supply staff) and parents to ensure everyone is aware of the high standards of behaviour expected. The behaviour policy should also reflect the school's culture and be supported by all staff and senior leaders, including the head teacher.

What steps he is taking to ensure that social care reform supports (a) deafblind people and (b) other disabled people with complex needs.

The Government recognises the challenges facing the adult social care system, and that people are suffering without the care they need or fighting a complicated system just to receive poor quality care.The independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, will work with people who draw on care and their families, as well as sector partners, to make clear recommendations for how to rebuild the adult social care system to meet the current and future needs of the population, including for deafblind people and other disabled people with complex needs.At the same time, we are committed to making immediate improvements. We will give disabled people more independence in their own homes through continued investment in the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), which funds practical changes that suit individual people’s needs. We have provided an uplift of £172 million across this and the last financial year, bringing the total funding for the DFG to £711 million in 2024/25 and 2025/26.The Government understands the vital importance of coproduction, working directly with people who draw on care and support, including deafblind people and others with complex needs, to design policies that work for them to make their lives better.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of replacing experiments on animals with non-animal methods.

The Labour Manifesto commits to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. While it is not yet possible to replace all animal use due to the complexity of biological systems and regulatory requirements, we support the development and application of approaches that replace, reduce and refine animal use in research (the 3Rs). Work to support this transition must be science-led and in lock step with partners.The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year.