Written questions by Vickers.

What recent estimate he has made of the number of unfilled NHS roles in the North East.

NHS England publishes a compendium of NHS Vacancy Statistics each quarter. The information currently provides four measures of the level of vacancies in the National Health Service, one of which presents management information collected by NHS England from NHS trusts on full time equivalent vacancies reported, which is the most commonly used measure. NHS England collects and publishes vacancies in the North East and Yorkshire as a single region, which is available in this publication.Published vacancy data, including information on the definition of the collected data and the available timeseries, along with the measure’s strengths and weaknesses, is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-vacancies-survey

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of increases to the cost-of-living on the ability of people with coeliac disease to maintain a medically required gluten-free diet.

The Department carried out an analysis of this issue as part of its Equalities Impact Assessment, which was published as part of the consultation on the availability of gluten-free (GF) foods on prescription in primary care, launched in March 2017. A copy of the Equality Impact Assessment following this consultation is available on the consultation page, at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/availability-of-gluten-free-foods-on-nhs-prescriptionWe looked at the equality impact assessment and the consultation responses, and as a result made the decision to retain GF bread and mixes on National Health Service prescription services. This will help coeliacs to obtain their basic food needs and will mitigate the risk that those on lower incomes are not able to purchase their own GF foods from retail outlets, where evidence shows that the price is often higher and availability more limited.In England, NHS prescription charge exemptions are in place to help those with the greatest need. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.We have frozen NHS prescription charges in England for the first time in three years, keeping the cost of a prescription below £10. This decision will help with the cost of living for millions of patients who regularly pay for prescriptions.Consumer food prices depend on a range of factors, including import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs, and exchange rates. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regularly engages with supermarkets and producers on a range of food supply matters. However, it is not for the Government to set retail food prices or to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions taken by businesses.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Integrated Care Board decisions to reduce or withdraw gluten-free prescribing on patient health outcomes for people with coeliac disease.

The Department carried out an analysis of this issue as part of its Equalities Impact Assessment, which was published as part of the consultation on the availability of gluten-free (GF) foods on prescription in primary care, launched in March 2017. A copy of the Equality Impact Assessment following this consultation is available on the consultation page, at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/availability-of-gluten-free-foods-on-nhs-prescriptionWe looked at the equality impact assessment and the consultation responses, and as a result made the decision to retain GF bread and mixes on National Health Service prescription services. This will help coeliacs to obtain their basic food needs and will mitigate the risk that those on lower incomes are not able to purchase their own GF foods from retail outlets, where evidence shows that the price is often higher and availability more limited.In England, NHS prescription charge exemptions are in place to help those with the greatest need. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.We have frozen NHS prescription charges in England for the first time in three years, keeping the cost of a prescription below £10. This decision will help with the cost of living for millions of patients who regularly pay for prescriptions.Consumer food prices depend on a range of factors, including import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs, and exchange rates. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regularly engages with supermarkets and producers on a range of food supply matters. However, it is not for the Government to set retail food prices or to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions taken by businesses.

What steps eh has taken to ensure that Integrated Care Boards comply with national guidance on prescribing gluten-free products to patients with coeliac disease.

Decisions about the commissioning and funding of local health services are the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users, and patient groups, to develop local services and care pathways that meet patients’ needs. The Government expects ICBs to take account of relevant guidelines and best practice in designing their local services, to ensure consistency of approaches between ICBs. NHS England’s guidance should be taken into account when ICBs formulate local policies, and prescribers are expected to reflect local policies in their prescribing practices.NHS England’s guidance on Prescribing Gluten-Free Foods in Primary Care states that commissioners restrict the prescribing of gluten free (GF) foods to bread and mixes only. Under the current legislation, ICBs may choose to further restrict product choice, or end the prescribing of GF foods altogether, if they feel this is appropriate for their population, whilst taking account of their legal duties to advance equality and having regard to reducing health inequalities.The national prescribing position in England remains that GF bread and mixes can be provided to coeliac patients on a National Health Service prescription, and a wide range of these items continue to be listed in part XV of the Drug Tariff. This means that prescribers can issue NHS prescriptions, based on a shared decision between prescriber and patient, while also being mindful of local and national guidance.

What steps she is taking to help reduce the time taken for probate processing.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service have invested in more staff, alongside system and process improvements to reduce and then maintain lower processing times during the last year.The Ministry of Justice publishes data on probate timeliness here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-court-statistics-quarterly.

What steps she is taking to ensure that rail stations in the North East meet accessibility standards.

This government is committed to improving the accessibility of Britain’s railway and recognise the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.In the North East, five Access for All projects have been undertaken, four of which are now complete, with one currently under construction. Nominations for future rounds of funding will benefit from strong industry support and a proportion of third party match funding.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of digital hearings on access to justice.

Remote hearings can, in appropriate cases, improve access to justice by reducing travel requirements, enabling more flexible scheduling and supporting vulnerable users through remote participation. The mode of hearing is a judicial decision ensuring the interests of justice are met. User experience and feedback continue to inform improvements to the remote hearing service.

What support her Department provides to help single parents in Teesside access (a) training and (b) employment.

The Government is committed to reducing child poverty. Evidence suggests that if parents work, including second earners and lone parents, this substantially reduces the risk of child poverty; and that growing up in poverty is a strong predictor of children’s education and future earnings. Parents claiming Universal Credit have support from Work Coaches, who provide individual, tailored help to all customers across the country. This includes supporting the development of skills needed to look for and obtain sustained employment and advice to parents on childcare support. There is also funding available through the Flexible Support Fund to remove immediate barriers to employment, including support for upfront childcare costs, travel costs, work wear, tools and equipment. The number of hours a parent who has childcare responsibilities is expected to work or search for work can be reduced to allow the parent to combine work and care. We are also considering how we can improve our support to help parents into work as part of our Child Poverty Strategy.

What steps she is taking to improve emergency call handling times by forces.

The process handling of emergency and non-emergency calls to the Police is determined by operationally independent local forces, however The Home Office and Policing have undertaken work in support of national consistency and to reduce wait times for the public.Average wait time data for 999 emergency calls to policing is publicly available at: 999 performance data | Police.uk. While average wait time data for 101 non-emergency calls is publicly available at: 101 performance data | Police.uk. Both datasets demonstrate overall improvement in reducing wait times for the public, achieved through force collaboration at national level to agree on key performance metrics and share best practices.The Home Office is also funding work to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into force control rooms to triage non-policing demand to the correct service, support forces in better understanding type and volume of calls and support call handlers in administrative tasks during and after calls and in completing rapid risk assessments.The Home Office and Policing are committed to delivering greater channel choice for the public when reporting crimes or concerns, this includes funding the availability of online crime reporting and pilots of a national Victim’s Portal where the public can communicate with officers via direct messaging rather than telephone should they prefer.

What steps he is taking to increase training placements for (a) nurses and (b) allied health professionals in the North East.

Clinical practice placements are mandatory for healthcare education and training, in order to support and embed the skills, values, and behaviours for the future National Health Service workforce. Financial support is currently available to placement providers in the form of a placement tariff for nurses and allied health professionals.As part of our 10-Yeah Health Plan, we have committed to reforming the clinical placement tariff system to ensure it drives clinical placement activity in the right professions and settings.The Professional Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery, being developed by the Chief Nursing Officer for England, will build on this to ensure that every nursing student spends sufficient time across a range of clinical settings, and will include a requirement for all students to have a high-quality experience in neighbourhood and community settings and social care.

If she will publish a list of police forces without a named officer assigned to each ward.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee set out commitments for police forces to implement by July 2025. These foundation commitments have now been achieved. The public can now expect forces to be delivering on the guarantee across England and Wales to ensure consistent and high-quality neighbourhood policing.As part of the Guarantee, all forces across England and Wales now have a named, contactable officer for each of their neighbourhood areas, and details of neighbourhood officers can be found on police force websites.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Police Uplift Programme in high-crime areas.

The Police Uplift Programme supported forces in England and Wales to deliver the recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers by March 2023.The deployment of police officers is a matter for operationally independent Chief Constable and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Mayors with PCC functions.An evaluation of the impact of the Police Uplift Programme, which focuses on the impact of the programme on policing as a service, policing as an employer, and longer-term policing and crime outcomes is expected to be published later this year.

What steps her Department is taking to support hydrogen-powered transport solutions in the Tees Valley.

The Department for Transport (DfT) considers that hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives could play an important role in decarbonising the transport sector, particularly in heavier transport such as aviation and maritime. We are supporting research, development and deployment of hydrogen-powered transport including through the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate, the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrators (ZEHID), the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE), the Advanced Fuels Fund (AFF) and the Civil Aviation Authority’s Hydrogen in Aviation Regulatory Challenge. The Tees Valley Hydrogen Hub Demonstration also provided dedicated funding to support the development of hydrogen refuelling stations and a range of hydrogen powered vehicles. The Government will continue to assess support for hydrogen-powered transport as evidence continues to emerge and will publish a new UK Hydrogen Strategy later this year, outlining government's vision for hydrogen. The Strategy will be grounded in evidence and set out clear priorities for collaboration with industry.

What recent estimate she has made of the number of knife crime incidents in the Tees Valley.

The Home Office collects information on the number of offences involving a knife or sharp instrument recorded by the police in England and Wales at the Police Force Area level only.The latest published information for Cleveland Police, published by the Office for National Statistics, can be found in Table P5 here: Crime in England and Wales: Police Force Area data tables - Office for National Statistics

What her planned timetable is for introducing a medal for police officers medically discharged as a result of service-related injuries.

Any official award is a gift from the Government, on behalf of His Majesty The King to recognise individuals within policing and emergency services personnel. The creation of a new award requires cross Government consensus and approval from the Committee on The Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals, before advice is put to HM The King to make his final decision.The Home Office will continue to consider proposals for new awards for members of the emergency services. It is only right that we recognise the sacrifices made by the emergency services, and it is important to make sure this is considering fully and carefully to ensure any changes are proportionate and effective.

If she will meet with (a) the Hon. Member for Stockton West and (b) a delegation of medically discharged police officers to discuss the case for a medal recognising their (i) service and (ii) sacrifice.

Any official award is a gift from the Government, on behalf of His Majesty The King to recognise individuals within policing and emergency services personnel. The creation of a new award requires cross Government consensus and approval from the Committee on The Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals, before advice is put to HM The King to make his final decision.The Home Office will continue to consider proposals for new awards for members of the emergency services. It is only right that we recognise the sacrifices made by the emergency services, and it is important to make sure this is considering fully and carefully to ensure any changes are proportionate and effective.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of workforce shortages on ambulance response times in rural areas of the North East.

North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) is fully staffed at present across their patient-facing roles in emergency care. When vacancies arise, recruitment is targeted in those areas. The NEAS works closely with universities to support the 3-year education programme for paramedics so when jobs are available, they are encouraged to apply. NEAS will also, if required, use overtime, additional hours, bank shifts or local third-party providers should they have any short-term or unplanned shifts not covered to ensure response times and therefore patient care is not affected.The latest figures show that Category 2 response times in the North East were 20 minutes 51 seconds on average, the fastest in the country.

What steps she is taking to upgrade road infrastructure serving (a) freeport and (b) industrial development sites.

We are investing £4.8 billion during 2025/26 to operate, maintain, renew and enhance the Strategic Road Network, supporting journeys right across the country, enabling connectivity and economic growth. We have committed to delivering several major road schemes which will service Industrial Strategy Zones including the A63 Castle Street supporting Humber Freeport, A52 Nottingham Junctions supporting East Midlands Freeport and Investment Zone, and Lower Thames Crossing supporting the Thames Freeport. We will set out our future plans for investment in the SRN through the publication of RIS3, no later than March 2026.

What support she is providing to legal aid providers in (a) rural and (b) semi-rural areas.

Citizens in England and Wales meeting the eligibility criteria should be able to access legal aid services regardless of where they live.The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is responsible for commissioning legal aid services, and it monitors the numbers of providers in each procurement area and across all categories of law. It takes operational action where it can, to respond to market pressures that may arise and works closely with the Ministry of Justice on policy solutions concerning the supply of legal aid.The Ministry of Justice has undertaken a comprehensive review of civil legal aid and recently published its response: Civil legal aid: Towards a sustainable future, consultation response - GOV.UK. We have confirmed that we are increasing fees for all housing & debt, and immigration & asylum legal aid work. This is a significant investment of £20 million a year– the first increase since 1996. In addition, the Department is looking at other potential changes that could support providers, for example, (civil) contractual requirements regarding provider offices and limits to the provision of remote legal aid that providers say are burdensome. Any changes would aim to give providers more autonomy in meeting client need, while maintaining effective in-person provision for clients who need this.As part of the £24 million increase for criminal solicitors implemented in 2024, the Ministry of Justice is paying for travel time for solicitors who work or commute to work in a small number of scheme areas with fewer than two legal aid providers.

What recent steps he has taken to strengthen recruitment to the armed forces from underrepresented communities.

The Defence Diversity and Inclusion strategy sets out a goal to be an organisation that, at all levels, appropriately represents UK society by increasing representation of underrepresented groups such as Ethnic Minorities, Women and LGBT. To that end, Levels of Ambition were created in 2018 and are regularly reviewed to monitor progress. Programmes are in place to achieve increased representation including building a more inclusive culture, improving terms and conditions of Service (including flexible working), improving engagement and outreach with underrepresented communities, improving and streamlining recruiting (including targeted inclusive advertising) and candidate nurturing programmes (including focus on underrepresented groups).