Written questions by Wrigley.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure consistency in accessibility standards for disabled motorists across (a) privately and (b) publicly operated car parks.

Both local authorities and private parking operators who provide parking are required under legislation, such as the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Equality Act 2010, to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people and to provide them equal opportunities to access services. Further to this, the single industry code reminds operators of the obligations placed on them by the Equality Act 2010. This is irrespective of contractual changes.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has issued recent guidance on equal access provisions when public car parks are (a) privatised and (b) have a change of contract with a private parking company.

Both local authorities and private parking operators who provide parking are required under legislation, such as the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Equality Act 2010, to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people and to provide them equal opportunities to access services. Further to this, the single industry code reminds operators of the obligations placed on them by the Equality Act 2010. This is irrespective of contractual changes.

Communities and Local Government, what monitoring her Department undertakes of local authority decisions to transfer control of car parks to private entities; and whether those decisions are subject to central (a) oversight and (b) audit.

Local authorities are empowered by law to decide on appropriate parking arrangements, within the legal framework provided by the Traffic Management Act 2004 which requires Local Authorities to ensure local parking policies are proportionate, support town centre prosperity, and ensure traffic moves freely and quickly on their roads and the roads of nearby authorities The Secretary of State does not monitor or audit these decisions which are best made locally.

Communities and Local Government, whether statutory protections exist to prevent indirect discrimination in parking provision.

Both local authorities and private parking operators who provide parking are required under legislation, such as the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Equality Act 2010, to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people and to provide them equal opportunities to access services. Further to this, the single industry code reminds operators of the obligations placed on them by the Equality Act 2010. This is irrespective of contractual changes.

Communities and Local Government, if her Department will include guidance issued to local authorities on public consultation when transferring council-owned car parks to private (a) ownership and (b) management within any new code of conduct.

The forthcoming Private Parking Code of Practice does not apply to local authorities because civil parking enforcement operates under a different legislative framework. Local authorities have autonomy to decide on appropriate parking arrangements, within the framework provided by the Traffic Management Act 2004 which requires Local Authorities to ensure local parking policies are proportionate, support town centre prosperity, and ensure traffic moves freely and quickly on their roads and the roads of nearby authorities. The current Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities in England on Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions recommends that enforcement authorities consult locally on their parking policies, including seeking the views of people and businesses with a range of different parking needs. The Secretary of State does not audit Local Authority compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty. However, members of the public can challenge a Local Authority as to their compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty if they believe a public authority has not complied with its obligations.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to regulate dog and cat rescue services.

Rescue and rehoming establishments in England must provide for the five basic welfare needs of the animals set out in the Animal Welfare Act 2006.This Government will introduce the most ambitious plan to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Department has initiated a series of meetings with key animal welfare stakeholders as part of the development of an overarching approach to animal welfare. We will be outlining more detail of plans in due course.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of standing charges on retirees in Devon.

We know that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges. We are committed to lowering the cost of standing charges and have worked constructively with the regulator, Ofgem, on this issue. Ofgem has carried out detailed distributional analysis as part of its wider work on standing charges. In February, Ofgem launched a consultation ‘Introducing a zero standing charge energy price cap variant’ - https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consultation/introducing-zero-standing-charge-energy-price-cap-variant. Under these proposals, consumers would have the option of tariffs with a zero standing charge within the price cap. The consultation closed on 20 March and we stand ready to continue work with Ofgem on this matter.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to improve broadband connectivity in rural areas of Newton Abbot constituency.

According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, over 98% of homes and businesses in the Newton Abbot constituency can access superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps) and over 83% have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection (>1000 Mbps).To improve coverage further, Openreach is delivering a Project Gigabit contract across parts of Devon and Somerset. Approximately 1,500 premises in the Newton Abbot constituency are currently in scope of this contract, the majority of which are in rural areas. The contract is targeted at bringing gigabit-capable broadband to homes and businesses that are unlikely to be otherwise reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout.

What steps he is taking to help tackle the presence of (a) pesticides and (b) other harmful chemicals in period products.

Most period products are regulated by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, which requires all products to be safe and for consumers to be provided with information on the potential risks of a product.Subject to Royal Assent of the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill, the Government has committed to consult on this matter to ensure that any changes to the safety provisions of these products are robust and consistent. As part of this, we are considering further research and testing in this area to complement the consultation.

If she will take steps to ensure care workers are excluded from reductions on work visas.

The Immigration White paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues including ending overseas recruitment for social care visas, further details of which will be set out in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of compliance of local authorities with the Public Sector Equality Duty when entering into agreements to transfer public car parks to private operators.

The forthcoming Private Parking Code of Practice does not apply to local authorities because civil parking enforcement operates under a different legislative framework. Local authorities have autonomy to decide on appropriate parking arrangements, within the framework provided by the Traffic Management Act 2004 which requires Local Authorities to ensure local parking policies are proportionate, support town centre prosperity, and ensure traffic moves freely and quickly on their roads and the roads of nearby authorities. The current Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities in England on Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions recommends that enforcement authorities consult locally on their parking policies, including seeking the views of people and businesses with a range of different parking needs. The Secretary of State does not audit Local Authority compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty. However, members of the public can challenge a Local Authority as to their compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty if they believe a public authority has not complied with its obligations.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 52406 on Pharmacy, what proportion of people do not have access to a pharmacy within two miles in Newton Abbot constituency.

The estimated travel distance to a pharmacy referenced in the previous response was based on a published analysis, commissioned by the Department, and available at the following link:https://postcode-pharmacy-dhsc-nhsgisscw.hub.arcgis.com/The analysis presents estimates at the national, regional, integrated care board, and parliamentary constituency levels. The estimate that 7.4% of the residents of the Newton Abbot constituency live more than two miles from a pharmacy is similar to the national estimate of 7.2%. This estimate is based on the pharmacies included on the NHS Pharmaceutical list in June 2024, and no pharmacies have closed in the Newton Abbot constituency since then.

What data her Department holds on the proportion of supply teachers employed through private agencies in (a) England and (b) the devolved Administrations.

The school workforce census does not identify supply teachers in England. However, teachers who are not directly employed by the school or local authority and who are in school on census day (early November each year) with a contract or service agreement lasting fewer than 28 days are recorded as ‘occasional’ teachers. In November 2024, schools reported 17,600 occasional teachers (headcount) on census day. This is up from the previous year when 15,800 were reported. The department only collects this information from state-schools in England. Education in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish Governments.A survey conducted by the department in 2023 (“Use of supply teachers in schools”) found that 85% of supply teachers surveyed said they had obtained work through supply teacher agencies.Just under half of all supply teachers surveyed (47%) wanted to stop working as a supply teacher within 12 months. 47% of those who wanted to stop working as a supply teacher wanted to leave in order to take up a permanent teaching position.

What steps she plans to take to ensure that employers provide disabled people with the support they need to stay in work.

In our Get Britain Working White Paper, published November 2024, we committed support for employers to recruit, retain and develop staff. The Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead an independent review to consider how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver his final report in the autumn. In January this year, we launched an expert academic panel to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel will consider the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate, making their recommendations to employers and government in the summer. DWP already promotes the Disability Confident Scheme which encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. It provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace and to take positive action to address the issues disabled employees face. We recognise there are opportunities to make the scheme more robust, and we will work with employers, disabled people, and disabled people’s organisations to realise the full potential of the scheme. In addition, DWP has a digital information service for employers, (Support with employee health and disability – GOV.UK), which provides tailored guidance to businesses to support employees to remain in work. This includes guidance on health disclosures and having conversations about health, plus guidance on legal obligations, including statutory sick pay and making reasonable adjustments. Access to Work aims to support the recruitment and retention of disabled people into employment. It is a personalised discretionary grant that provides support with workplace adjustments beyond an employer’s obligation as outlined in the Equality Act 2010, to support the recruitment and retention of disabled people into employment. In 23/24 the Access to Work Scheme supported 67,720 people with workplace adjustments to move into or stay in work. This includes a wide range of support including travel to work, support workers, and specialist aides and equipment, as well as the Mental Health support service which provides up to nine months of non-clinical support for people who need additional help with their well-being. As part of our Plan for Change, and as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published in March, we are consulting on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the programme to help more disabled people into work and support employers, ensuring value for money for taxpayers. We will review all aspects of the Scheme following the conclusion of the consultation and carefully assess the impact of any proposed changes. We encourage people to have their views and voices heard on how they think the programme and the wider welfare system could be improved.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in the cost of living on disabled people with complex needs.

We know disabled people face extra costs every day and this has been exacerbated by the increased cost of living. The Disability Unit has worked to understand and assess the full impact of the cost of living on disabled people, across a range of sectors, including energy. In order to understand more about the areas of extra costs faced by disabled people, DWP is undertaking a new survey of Personal Independence Payment customers.

What recent discussions he has had with the UK trade envoy to Israel.

The Secretary of State regularly meets with all his Trade Envoys.

What discussions she has had with the Minister for Women and Equalities on the potential impact of the Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, published on 29 May 2025, on disabled people's finances.

This Government is committed to championing the rights of disabled people and people with long-term health conditions and our mission-driven approach relies on regular cross-government collaboration. We are working across government to take forward the proposals in the Green Paper and will continue to do so as the package is developed in detail. I will continue to engage closely with my Ministerial colleagues and other stakeholders throughout the consultation period and beyond. We have published information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper here [Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK]. This includes an equality analysis, which examines a range of protected characteristics. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

Whether her Department (a) collects and (b) plans to collect data on the number of supply teachers leaving the profession annually.

The school workforce census does not identify supply teachers in England. However, teachers who are not directly employed by the school or local authority and who are in school on census day (early November each year) with a contract or service agreement lasting fewer than 28 days are recorded as ‘occasional’ teachers. In November 2024, schools reported 17,600 occasional teachers (headcount) on census day. This is up from the previous year when 15,800 were reported. The department only collects this information from state-schools in England. Education in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish Governments.A survey conducted by the department in 2023 (“Use of supply teachers in schools”) found that 85% of supply teachers surveyed said they had obtained work through supply teacher agencies.Just under half of all supply teachers surveyed (47%) wanted to stop working as a supply teacher within 12 months. 47% of those who wanted to stop working as a supply teacher wanted to leave in order to take up a permanent teaching position.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) employment conditions and (b) average pay of supply teachers.

Research conducted by the department in 2023 included findings on the estimated average daily cost of a supply teacher to a school and estimated average daily take-home pay of supply teachers, by phase. The leader survey and supply teacher survey found that the reported average daily cost to the school of a supply teacher was £218 in primary, £291 in secondary and £270 in special schools. The survey also found that the reported average daily take-home salary for supply teachers surveyed was £136 in primary, £150 in secondary and £144 in special schools.The department, in conjunction with the Crown Commercial Service, has established the agency supply deal, which supports schools to obtain value for money when hiring agency supply teachers and other temporary school staff. More information can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deal-for-schools-hiring-supply-teachers-and-agency-workers. The deal has established a list of preferred suppliers that schools can access, all of which will be transparent with schools about the rates they charge. The suppliers will also agree to not charge finder’s fees for workers who have been in post for 12 weeks, when four weeks’ notice is given, which makes it easier and more cost effective for schools to retain supply teachers and employ them on a permanent basis.Schools and local authorities are currently responsible for the recruitment of their supply teachers, and 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.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of private agency profit margins in the supply teacher market on (a) schools and (b) supply teachers.

Research conducted by the department in 2023 included findings on the estimated average daily cost of a supply teacher to a school and estimated average daily take-home pay of supply teachers, by phase. The leader survey and supply teacher survey found that the reported average daily cost to the school of a supply teacher was £218 in primary, £291 in secondary and £270 in special schools. The survey also found that the reported average daily take-home salary for supply teachers surveyed was £136 in primary, £150 in secondary and £144 in special schools.The department, in conjunction with the Crown Commercial Service, has established the agency supply deal, which supports schools to obtain value for money when hiring agency supply teachers and other temporary school staff. More information can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deal-for-schools-hiring-supply-teachers-and-agency-workers. The deal has established a list of preferred suppliers that schools can access, all of which will be transparent with schools about the rates they charge. The suppliers will also agree to not charge finder’s fees for workers who have been in post for 12 weeks, when four weeks’ notice is given, which makes it easier and more cost effective for schools to retain supply teachers and employ them on a permanent basis.Schools and local authorities are currently responsible for the recruitment of their supply teachers, and 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.