Written questions by Perteghella.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential role of (a) co-operatives and (b) co-operation in his Department's approach to international development.

The Government recognises the important contribution cooperatives have made in serving local communities around the world. Cooperatives are a tried-and-tested model in international development, that can enable citizens and producers to access services or markets and strengthen their voice in local processes. Cooperatives can enable sustainable and inclusive development centred on self-help, democratic ownership, and concern for the community. The UK has supported cooperatives and producer organisations in developing countries, including, for example in agriculture through funding to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP), which supports producer organisations, and the Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness Programme (CASA), which partners with cooperatives and small agribusinesses in low-income countries to improve smallholder farmers' access to markets.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of false complaints to social services by parents paying child maintenance on the well-being of receiving parents and their children.

The Child Maintenance Service is committed to ensuring that it delivers a safe service that is sensitive to the needs of all the parents that use its service.  We recognise that some parents may face difficult circumstances, particularly at a time of separation. All caseworkers receive extensive training and follow a well-managed process with clear steps to support vulnerable clients, including those facing domestic abuse. However, the department has no jurisdiction relating to Social Services investigations. The CMS has access to a list of resources which helps caseworkers provide signposting to supporting organisations, which is regularly reviewed and strengthened on the basis of customer insight.

Innovation and Technology if he will ensure that (a) digital access is classified as a basic utility and (b) suppliers connect broadband in a timely manner.

The Government recognises that access to the internet is essential for participation in society. There is no single definition of a utility; gas, water, electricity and telecoms are regulated differently. Unlike other sectors, the UK telecoms market is competitive at wholesale and retail levels.The broadband Universal Service Obligation provides consumers with the right to request a decent broadband service. The government continues to work closely with Ofcom on the affordability of telecoms services, including on social tariffs.The Department continues to consider ways to remove barriers and speed up deployment; for example, exploring more flexible permitting for street works.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to prevent children from being exposed to (a) violent and (b) sexual content online.

Under the Online Safety Act, all in-scope services need to tackle illegal content and criminal behaviour, including illegal violent and sexual offences. These duties are in force now.From Summer, in-scope user-to-user services likely to be accessed by children have a duty to prevent all children from encountering the most harmful content, which includes pornography. Additionally, services will need to provide age-appropriate access for other types of harmful content, including content which encourages, promotes or provides instructions for an act of serious violence against a person.

What steps she is taking to ensure the adequacy of Personal Independence Payment assessments in ensuring support for people in need.

It is important that all people claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are able to access our services and that they do not face obstacles in applying and communicating with the Department and its providers. In the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working published on 18 March we outline plans to improve the experience for people who use the health and disability benefits system, including recording more assessments to improve people’s trust in the assessment process through greater transparency and using recordings as a learning opportunity to consider potential improvements to the quality of the assessment process and to be available to people who are appealing the initial award given. We also announced plans to launch a process to review the PIP assessment. We will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress. The Health Transformation Programme is also transforming the entire PIP service, including introducing the option to apply and track applications online. The transformed service will improve how we gather health information, and tailor the process to the customer’s needs and circumstances, offering a better customer experience and improving trust in our services and decisions.

What lessons her Department has learned from international best practice on implementing early dyslexia screening.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions. As part of this, the department is considering evidence on international best practice in its policymaking on special educational needs (SEN).The department is providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support, and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and early career teachers (ECTs) respectively, covers the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.

Whether she plans to provide additional support for young people with lifelong conditions following reforms to the Universal Credit health top-up.

The Pathways to Work Green Paper is an important staging post on a journey of reform. It sets out our vision, strategy and proposals for change. Before any decisions are made, we are consulting on the design options for a work, health and skills support package. We are specifically seeking input on the proposal to raise the age of eligibility for the health element of the Universal Credit (UC) award to 22. The government will actively engage with a diverse range of stakeholders, including young people with health conditions and disabilities. This consultation is now open and will close on 30th June.As we set out at point 256 in the Pathways to Work Green Paper: “Delaying access to the UC health element would remove any potential disincentive to work during this time. Proceeding with this change would be on the basis that resources could be better spent on improving the quality and range of opportunities available to young people through the [Youth] guarantee, so they can sign up to work or training rather than long-term benefits.” Such a change could support the establishment of a distinct and active transition phase for young people, based on learning or earning for all.

What steps she is taking to ensure that disabled people receive support following reforms to PIP.

There will be no immediate changes. Our intention is that the new eligibility requirement in Personal Independence Payment in which people must score a minimum of four points in one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component, will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. The department already has processes in place to support and safeguard people who use our services, and we will continue to provide this support as changes are taken forward. We are mindful of the impact of this change and, as such, in the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working published on 18 March we are consulting on how best to support those who lose entitlement due to the reforms, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of late dyslexia diagnosis on children's (a) confidence, (b) literacy skills and (c) long-term educational outcomes.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions. As part of this, the department is considering evidence on international best practice in its policymaking on special educational needs (SEN).The department is providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support, and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and early career teachers (ECTs) respectively, covers the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has plans to introduce (a) exemptions and (b) reduced fees for emergency travel documents for individuals in financial hardship.

We have consistently advised British people travelling overseas to make sure they have appropriate travel insurance, which will often cover the cost of services like an Emergency Travel Document (ETD). In exceptional circumstances, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office may be able to provide an emergency loan to help British nationals return to the UK, once all other avenues of financial support have been exhausted. Loans can cover the cost of an ETD where one is needed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish a breakdown of the costs that contribute to the £570 fee for an emergency travel document.

The fee for an Emergency Travel Document is £100. The costs break down as follows: 69% on staffing for our Emergency Travel Document Centres, 27% on the online application system and other digital services, and 4% on consumable items.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the £570 fee for an emergency travel document.

The current cost for an Emergency Travel Document is £100 as published on gov.uk and in all consular public waiting rooms.

What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Access for All programme.

Since April 2024, 21 Access for All projects have been entered into public service, with a further 7 projects due to complete by the end of March. This will be the most stations completed in a single year since the programme began in 2006.

If he will ensure that the National Cancer Plan includes a strategy for (a) research and (b) improved treatment for brain tumours in children.

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to improve the experience and outcomes for people with cancer, including brain tumour patients.On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experience for children and young people with cancer. The Taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement across detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. It will also ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the plan.Research is a key focus of the plan, and we will work closely with partners including the National Institute for Health and Care Research on this. 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.Furthermore, the Department, NHS England, and the National Institute for Health Care and Research are taking several steps to help improve outcomes for brain tumour patients to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to introduce (a) exemptions and (b) reduced fees for emergency travel documents for people in financial hardship.

We do not plan to introduce exemptions or reduce the fees for Emergency Travel Documents. In exceptional circumstances, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office may be able to provide an emergency loan to help British nationals return to the UK, once all other avenues of support have been exhausted. We have long advised British nationals travelling overseas to make sure they have appropriate travel insurance, which will often cover the cost of services like an Emergency Travel Document.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the administrative cost to her Department is of preparing an emergency travel document.

The full recovery cost to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office for an Emergency Travel Document is £135.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what costs contribute to the fee for an emergency travel document.

The following costs contribute to the fee for an Emergency Travel Document: staff costs, consumables, couriering and digital services.

If she will take steps to help tackle speeding in (a) Stratford-on-Avon constituency and (b) other rural areas.

The traffic authority for this area is Warwickshire County Council, which has the responsibility of making decisions about the roads under its care, based on its knowledge of the area and taking into account local needs and considerations. This includes traffic management and road environment measures as well as setting local speed limits. Law enforcement, including enforcement of road traffic offences, is an operational matter for local Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables/Commissioners. It is for the police to enforce road traffic legislation and investigate road traffic incidents using their professional judgement. Any general policy within a force is a matter for the force’s Chief Officer, who will decide how to deploy available resources, taking into account any specific local problems and demands.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to NHS dental services in Stratford-on-Avon.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For Stratford-on-Avon constituency, this is Coventry and Warwickshire ICB.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of funding NHS dental activity nationally.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.The NHS in England invests £3 billion into dentistry every year. NHS England is responsible for issuing guidance to ICBs on dental budgets, including ringfences. NHS England Planning Guidance for 2025/26 has now been published and sets out the funding available to ICBs. Planning guidance also confirms that improving access to urgent dental appointments is a key national priority.