Written questions by Goldman.

Whether his Department’s review of Universal Credit will consider (a) the potential impact and effectiveness of the conditionality scheme and (b) the necessity of sanctions for lead carers of children.

The review of Universal Credit is exploring the policy design and structures of Universal Credit and is focused on three main areas:Tackling poverty and helping people manage their moneyMaking work pay and improving work incentivesMaximising Universal Credit's potential and its impact on customers We have already shown our ambition with the changes made to the Fair Repayment Rate, enabling 1.2m households to retain an average of £420 per year. Conditionality and sanctions are not in scope of the review. We do, however, continuously review both the policy and how they are applied, as well as how they affect claimants and their outcomes.

With reference to the Trussell Trust’s Guarantee our Essentials research, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of uplifting Universal Credit to £120 per week.

The purpose of the standard allowance is to provide towards basic living costs. Additional amounts are added to provide for individual needs such as housing, disability, and childcare costs. Around 4 million households will benefit overall from the Government’s decision to increase the Universal Credit standard allowance – estimated to be worth £725 annually by 2029/30 in cash terms based on Spring Statement 2025 economic assumptions - £250 annually above inflation for a single household aged 25 or over. We have uprated benefit rates for 2025/26 in line with inflation, with 5.7 million Universal Credit households forecast to gain by an average of £150 annually.

If she will ensure that claimants in receipt of an indefinite award for the mobility part of PIP can receive a Blue Badge for the same period.

Blue Badge holders generally must reapply for a Blue Badge every three years; this gives local authorities the opportunity to ensure that they continue to meet the criteria which make them eligible for a badge. It also helps ensure that the details local authorities hold about the badge holder remain correct and that the details displayed on the badge itself remain legible. Depending on the circumstances an authority may choose not to reassess. In cases where a person's disability or condition is unlikely to change, local authorities will generally process applications as quickly and efficiently as possible. Once a person’s data is captured on the system it should become easier and less time-consuming for them to reapply for a new badge ahead of their current one expiring.

What steps his Department is taking to help tackle staff shortages in cancer care.

We will continue to ensure that we train the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it, and the cancer plan will reflect this. We will publish a new National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients. The Government recognises that a cancer-specific approach is needed to meet the challenges in cancer care, and to improve outcomes for people living with cancer.NHS England is currently improving the recruitment of radiographers and radiologists to improve earlier diagnosis and treatment of cancer, through a range of different initiatives. This includes increasing priority medical specialities, including clinical oncologists. We are also supporting employers to train new radiographers through the apprenticeship pathway. Furthermore, we will ensure that imaging training academies can increase training capacity in addition to reforming training to support rapid development for both radiologists and radiographers.

How many and what proportion of assistant educational psychologists left the profession before becoming fully qualified educational psychologists in each of the last ten years.

Educational psychologists play a critical role in the support available to children and young people. The department is investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists from September 2024. This is in addition to the £10 million currently supporting the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.To support retention, trainees starting from 2024 who have had their training funded by the department will be required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period of three years after graduation.The department does not hold information on what proportion of assistant educational psychologists left the profession before becoming fully qualified educational psychologists.

What steps he is taking to ensure the NHS is sufficiently staffed over summer holiday periods.

Individual NHS Trusts and other providers are responsible for ensuring that there are sufficient staff to provide safe care.Trusts already have a duty to regularly review the number of staff and range of skills needed to safely meet the needs of people using their services.

What steps she is taking with local authorities to help assistant educational psychologists progress their careers.

Educational psychologists play a critical role in the support available to children and young people. The department is investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists from September 2024. This is in addition to the £10 million currently supporting the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.To support retention, trainees starting from 2024 who have had their training funded by the department will be required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period of three years after graduation.The department does not hold information on what proportion of assistant educational psychologists left the profession before becoming fully qualified educational psychologists.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the number of places funded by the Educational Psychology Funded Training scheme on the number of educational psychologist staff.

Educational psychologists play a critical role in the support available to children and young people. The department is investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists from September 2024. This is in addition to the £10 million currently supporting the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.To support retention, trainees starting from 2024 who have had their training funded by the department will be required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period of three years after graduation.The department does not hold information on what proportion of assistant educational psychologists left the profession before becoming fully qualified educational psychologists.

What her criteria are for making the extension of the newly recognised refugee move-on period permanent.

On 27 August, the Home Office announced that the 56-day “move on” grace period pilot will pause for all single adults in receipt of a positive asylum decision. Other who fall within the exception criteria (pregnant women, individuals aged 65 and over and individuals with a disability) will continue to be given the 56-day pilot move on period until the end of December.The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) & RSM have been contracted to undertake an evaluation of the changes to the move on period on behalf of the Home Office and we will publish the results of that evaluation in due course.

How her Department plans to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot extending the newly recognised refugee move-on period.

On 27 August, the Home Office announced that the 56-day “move on” grace period pilot will pause for all single adults in receipt of a positive asylum decision. Other who fall within the exception criteria (pregnant women, individuals aged 65 and over and individuals with a disability) will continue to be given the 56-day pilot move on period until the end of December.The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) & RSM have been contracted to undertake an evaluation of the changes to the move on period on behalf of the Home Office and we will publish the results of that evaluation in due course.

If she will ensure that changes to the move-on pilot for newly recognised refugees are announced in advance of the end date.

On 27 August, the Home Office announced that the 56-day “move on” grace period pilot will pause for all single adults in receipt of a positive asylum decision. Other who fall within the exception criteria (pregnant women, individuals aged 65 and over and individuals with a disability) will continue to be given the 56-day pilot move on period until the end of December.The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) & RSM have been contracted to undertake an evaluation of the changes to the move on period on behalf of the Home Office and we will publish the results of that evaluation in due course.

If he will implement localised reporting of CAMHS (a) funding and (b) performance.

Every local integrated care board (ICB) has a legal duty to produce an annual report on how it has discharged its functions in the previous financial year. This provides the opportunity for ICBs to demonstrate the full breadth of their work with people and communities and involves people and communities in decision-making, and includes working with children and young people.

When his Department plans to publish (a) the full impact assessment and (b) equality impact assessment of the changes to the length of time between cervical cancer screenings.

Both the impact assessment and the equality impact assessment on the changes to the frequency of cervical screening have been published and are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cervical-screening-risk-stratification-impact-assessments

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that LGBT veterans are adequately informed about their rights and how to apply for compensation under the Financial Recognition Scheme.

As of 1 September 2025, the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS) had made payments of £8.3 million to 221 applicants. We have been prioritising payment to applicants who are terminally ill, over 80 and those in significant financial distress to ensure they receive support as quickly as possible, with the first payments issued as planned within 15 weeks of the Scheme going live to these prioritised groups. Applications are now being processed in date order, and we are in the process of recruiting additional staff, to speed up the process. Defence’s LGBT Restorative Action Team is working closely with external and internal Defence communications teams to deliver campaigns to drive awareness of, and encourage, eligible LGBT Veterans to claim under the FRS. To further support this effort, Defence has allocated £90,000 worth of grants to charities, including Fighting With Pride, to support Veterans with their FRS applications. The LGBT Restorative Action Team also continues to engage with relevant Veterans networks, and customer facing teams, to ensure that eligible applicants of FRS receive the appropriate information, support, and guidance. The Government encourages those affected by the Ban to visit gov.uk for further information, guidance, and support on how to make an application: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/veterans-of-the-lgbt-ban-financial-recognition-scheme Payments made by the FRS are not compensation payments and do not seek to compensate for any pecuniary losses or attempt to place personnel in a financial position they could have been in, had the ban not existed.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of nightlife venue closures on local communities.

The Government recognises the vital role nightlife venues play in supporting local economies and community cohesion. We also recognise the pressures they are operating under.That's why we set up the Licensing Taskforce last April, which involved representatives from the nightlife sector to help shape reforms to the licensing system. I published the Government's response on 31st July, outlining a clear plan to support businesses, including the introduction of a new National Licensing Policy Framework to simplify outdated rules, making it quicker, easier, and more affordable to open and run hospitality venues, while helping small businesses grow and communities thrive.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of provisions for involuntary mental health interventions for children and young adults.

Our aim is to ensure that children and young people are only detained under the Mental Health Act for involuntary mental health interventions when it is absolutely necessary. The Mental Health Bill, currently being considered by the House of Commons, will strengthen the rights of children and young people detained under the act so they are involved in decisions about their care and so they can challenge these decisions. This includes statutory care and treatment plans, the right to choose a ‘Nominated Person’ to look after their interests, and expanded access to independent mental health advocates. As part of our mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future, we are focussing treatment away from hospital and inpatient care and improving community and crisis services, so that fewer children and young people need to be detained in hospital. We will also take action to ensure that young people in mental health inpatient settings are supported through a safe and effective transition to adult mental health services, to ensure they are treated with more dignity, given a greater say in their care, and that their health, education, and social needs are appropriately met.

What steps he is taking to reduce therapy waiting times for young people with mental health challenges.

The Government is investing an extra £688 million this year to transform mental health services by hiring more staff, delivering more early interventions, and getting waiting lists down so children can have the best possible start in life. We are delivering on our commitment to recruit an additional 8,500 staff across children and adult mental health services by the end of the Parliament, with 6,700 of these extra workers having been recruited since July 2024.We also want to intervene much earlier to support better outcomes for children and young people. That is why the 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will work with schools and colleges to better identify and meet children's mental health needs by expanding mental health support teams in schools to cover 100% of pupils by 2029/30, and by embedding mental health support in the new Young Futures hubs, to ensure there is no 'wrong front door' for people seeking help.Additionally, we are continuing to provide top-up funding of £7 million to 24 existing early support hubs to expand their services and to take part in an ongoing evaluation of these services in 2025/26. This funding will enable the supported hubs to deliver at least 10,000 additional mental health and wellbeing interventions, so that more children and young people are supported.

If he will take legislative steps to ensure vapes have a minimum number of refill options to be defined as reusable.

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs introduced a ban on single use vapes on 1 June, which ensures that all products must be designed and intended to be reused. To be refillable, a product should have a replaceable pod or a tank that a user can add liquid to.To compliment this and tackle youth vaping, the Department for Health and Social Care is also taking powers through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to enable regulation of many features of the design of a vape. This may include regulations on the size of a tank or refill container, the amount of liquid that can be included, as well as powers to standardise the size and shape of vapes, and to further restrict liquid availability.The Government will consider this issue further as part of its secondary legislation programme following Royal Assent of the bill.

Communities and Local Government, if she will provide additional funding to restart Essex County Fire and Rescue Service’s joint fleet workshop collaboration with Essex Police.

On 3 February, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue. These allocations, which include the National Insurance Contribution Grant, will see standalone fire and rescue authorities including Essex receiving an increase in core spending power of £69.1 million in 2025/26. This is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25. In 2025/26, Essex Fire Authority will have core spending power of £95.7 million; an increase of 4 per cent on 2024/25. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each fire and rescue authority.

Communities and Local Government, whether future local government finance settlements will increase grants to fire and rescue services in line with inflation.

This Spending Review provides £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.Decisions on how this funding is allocated are a matter for the upcoming multi-year Settlement and further detail will be published at the provisional Settlement later this year. The provisional Settlement will be subject to consultation, as in previous years.The Government has recently published The Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation document setting out detailed proposals to update and reform the local government funding system through the 2026–27 Local Government Finance Settlement. As part of this, the Government is proposing to update the Fire and Rescue Relative Needs Formula using the most up-to-date data in the fire and rescue relative needs formula.