Written questions by Onn.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of safety levels at Castle Hill Hospital.

The Department recently sought information from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) regarding their regulatory oversight of Castle Hill Hospital. The CQC last inspected Castle Hill Hospital in November 2022, where it was rated as Requires Improvement overall. The full inspection report and detail are available at the following link:https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/RWA16Castle Hill Hospital is part of the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The trust is subject to enhanced surveillance and attends a monthly Quality Improvement Board chaired by NHS England, which the CQC also attends. The trust’s action plan is monitored by the Board.The trust was told by the CQC to take several actions to ensure that clinical care and treatment across the trust was delivered safely and in accordance with national guidance. The CQC continues to monitor the trust to ensure required improvements are made.In light of the police investigation and the completion of three external reviews into the trust, the CQC is considering new information to determine any further regulatory action. Any inspection activity will be reported on and published on the CQC’s website.

Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of (a) UK-flagged and (b) EU member state-flagged fishing vessels were subject to port inspections in the last 12 months.

As of 1 June, there are 4,656 licensed UK fishing vessels. Any of these vessels could be subject to inspection by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) or by an Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority if they come into a port within our administration. MMO is the administrator for all English ports. During the last 12 months the MMO undertook 1,836 in-port inspections. It is not possible to readily identify how many individual vessels were inspected. The majority of these would have been English- registered vessels. 1,545 EU vessels are licensed to fish in UK waters, although the majority do not land their catch to an English port. In the last 12 months, there were 44 landings by EU vessels at English ports of which five were subject to inspection. The inspections were of three individual vessels.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 47692 on Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund, if she will to publish the data on therapy service costs by region.

The data requested is in the table below.Number of applications* approved in the 2024/25 financial year with therapy service costs totalled by region*: RegionTotal application value less than £3,000 Total application value between £3,000 and £5,000East Midlands1,217934East of England1,265731Inner London421404North East621603North West1,0731,092Outer London651563South East1,8471,300South West1,8341,438West Midlands876875Yorkshire and the Humber7981,075*The data presented is the number of approved applications with therapy service costs. Please note that an individual application could have multiple recipients with multiple placement types and access the Fair Access Limit from multiple years.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Humber's Viking carbon capture project on levels of investment in the area.

A strong UK CCUS sector will support well paid, highly-skilled jobs across the UK, with DESNZ analysis showing CCUS has the potential to generate £4-5 billion GVA per year and support up to 50,000 jobs in the 2030s across the CCUS industry as the sector matures. We recognise the potential of the Track-2 clusters, including Viking, to build on this momentum, and officials have continued to engage with Viking CCS to understand their plans and continue to review the potential impact of the project on local investments.

What guidance he has issued to local authorities on reporting requirements for net zero targets.

The Government recognises the important role of local places in driving action to support net zero targets. Whilst we do not require Local Government to report on their net zero work, we run a Local Net Zero Delivery Group to discuss key net zero policy and delivery issues - this helps to inform our understanding of net zero action and share best practice at the local level.

Whether any funding his Department has provided for Greater Lincolnshire devolution is ringfenced for net zero initiatives.

The Government recognises the important role of local places, including Greater Lincolnshire, in driving action to help realise our national net zero targets. The English Devolution Whitepaper sets out the Departments approach to English Devolution.

How many applications to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund were awarded for therapy support costing (a) less than £3,000 per year per child and (b) between £3,000 and £5,000 per year per child to (i) adopted children, (ii) children waiting to be adopted, (iii) children subject to a special guardianship and (iv) children subject to other arrangement orders in the financial year 2024–25.

The available information is detailed in the tables below.Number of applications* approved in the 2024/25 financial year with therapy service costs totalled by placement type:Placement typeLess than £3,000Between £3,000 and £5,000i. Adoption (Domestic and Inter Country)8,3697,091iii. Special Guardianship Order2,1791,895iv. Child Arrangements Order/ Residency Order3427 *The data presented is the number of approved applications with therapy service costs. Please note that an individual application could have multiple recipients with multiple placement types and access the Fair Access Limit from multiple years.** No data for ‘(ii) children waiting to be adopted’ as adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) doesn’t include this as a placement type.There were 3069 approved applications and 3319 funded recipients for Specialist Assessments in the 2024/25 financial year.

How many applications to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund were awarded for specialist assessments of children in the financial year 2024–25.

The available information is detailed in the tables below.Number of applications* approved in the 2024/25 financial year with therapy service costs totalled by placement type:Placement typeLess than £3,000Between £3,000 and £5,000i. Adoption (Domestic and Inter Country)8,3697,091iii. Special Guardianship Order2,1791,895iv. Child Arrangements Order/ Residency Order3427 *The data presented is the number of approved applications with therapy service costs. Please note that an individual application could have multiple recipients with multiple placement types and access the Fair Access Limit from multiple years.** No data for ‘(ii) children waiting to be adopted’ as adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) doesn’t include this as a placement type.There were 3069 approved applications and 3319 funded recipients for Specialist Assessments in the 2024/25 financial year.

How many applications to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund were awarded where (a) local authorities and (b) regional adoption agencies were required to match-fund the application due to an exceptional case involving urgent need for higher-cost support exceeding the fair access limit in the financial year 2024–25 by (i) whether the child has been adopted, (ii) whether the child is subject to a (A) special guardianship and (B) child arrangements order and (iii) region.

The available information is detailed in the tables below.Number of applications* approved in the 2024/25 financial year with therapy service costs totalled by placement type:Placement typeLess than £3,000Between £3,000 and £5,000i. Adoption (Domestic and Inter Country)8,3697,091iii. Special Guardianship Order2,1791,895iv. Child Arrangements Order/ Residency Order3427 *The data presented is the number of approved applications with therapy service costs. Please note that an individual application could have multiple recipients with multiple placement types and access the Fair Access Limit from multiple years.** No data for ‘(ii) children waiting to be adopted’ as adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) doesn’t include this as a placement type.There were 3069 approved applications and 3319 funded recipients for Specialist Assessments in the 2024/25 financial year.

What recent steps her Department has taken to help ensure that individuals carrying out jury duty do not experience financial hardship.

Jury service is a vital civic duty, and the Government is committed to ensuring jurors feel supported throughout their service. Jurors can claim subsistence and travel expenses, as well as a loss of earnings allowance from the court. The jury summoning process provides for applications for deferral or excusal from service based upon financial hardship.

What information his Department holds on whether the (a) Chair and (b) Chief Executive of Humber and North Yorkshire integrated care board remain in post.

The Chair of the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) resigned from the post on 12 March 2025. The ICB is currently identifying a Non-Executive Member to act as Chair for a short period. The Chief Executive is currently taking a leave of absence, and acting CEO arrangements are currently in place.

What guidance his Department has issued on when the absence of senior leadership may necessitate intervention by a commissioner in an integrated care board.

Integrated care board (ICB) chairs are appointed by NHS England subject to the approval of my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in line with NHS England’s guidance, where the ICB chair position has become vacant before a successor can be approved by the Secretary of State, the ICB board may be chaired by an acting chair, which is normally, but not always, the deputy chair. The ICB governance guidance, updated in July 2024, made it a requirement for all ICBs to have a deputy chair. Information on further related requirements is available in the guidance at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/guidance-on-integrated-care-board-constitutions-and-governance/ICB chief executives are appointed by the ICB chair subject to the approval of NHS England. All ICBs are required to have an Accountable Officer; an Acting CEO can cover temporary periods of absence.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential need for Commissioner intervention in Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, in the context of the absence of senior leadership.

There are currently temporary senior leadership arrangements in place at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust. Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and NHS England’s North East and Yorkshire Regional Team continue to provide ongoing support to the trust, ensuring that the temporary acting arrangements are successfully in place and offering any additional support that is required.NHS England will continue to provide ongoing support to the trust and its senior leadership team to ensure that our patients and public continue to receive the highest quality of care possible across the Humber region.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to involve young people in Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes constituency in the development of the National Youth Strategy.

The Secretary of State was pleased to announce the new National Youth Strategy, stating the Department’s commitment to delivering a strategy by and for young people through the most ambitious listening exercise in a generation. We have launched our nation-wide survey, with over 10,000 responses to date, and are holding events across all regions with young people and the youth sector. Our Youth and Expert Advisory Groups are now established and guiding us in our development. We will publish the strategy in the summer, with an interim report in the coming months.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of GPs undertaking medical examinations on GP workloads.

We are determined to 'bulldoze bureaucracy' and cut red tape, ensuring general practitioners (GPs) spend less time filling in forms and more time caring for patients. We recognise it is vital for roles to be satisfying, rewarding and sustainable so that our experienced GPs continue to contribute throughout their career.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the medical examiner process on (a) bereaved relatives and (b) the time it takes for families to arrange funerals.

The Government is monitoring the impact of the death certification reforms which came into legal effect on 9 September 2024. Early data since the introduction of the reforms indicates the median time taken to register a death appeared to have risen by one day, from seven days to eight days prior to Christmas. This figure is for all deaths, as it includes those certified by a doctor and those investigated by a coroner. The average time taken to register increased further over the Christmas weeks, but this was expected given increases are observed during this period every year; the average has subsequently decreased.The median time taken to register a death varies depending on the type of certification. Deaths certified by a doctor, that comprise approximately 80% of deaths registered each week, have typically had a median time to registration of seven days, though there can be variation at a local level. It’s important to note that the medical examiner system was active on a non-statutory basis before the introduction of the statutory system on 9 September 2024, and this makes direct ‘before’ and ‘after’ comparisons challenging to draw conclusions from.The introduction of medical examiners is in part about making sure deaths are properly described and improving practice, but the impact on the bereaved is also central. The reforms aim to put the bereaved at centre of the process and the medical examiner office must offer a conversation with representatives of the deceased, so they can ask any questions they have about the death or to raise concerns. Ensuring the system is appropriately resourced and works for all those who interact with it is crucial, and something we will continue to monitor with NHS England.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of assessments undertaken by medical examiners to establish causes of death.

The Government is monitoring the impact of the death certification reforms which came into legal effect on 9 September 2024. Medical examiner offices are staffed at a trust level with oversight and guidance from the National Medical Examiner based in NHS England. The National Medical Examiner publishes standards of performance that medical examiners are expected to meet in exercising their functions. To become a medical examiner, a qualifying medical practitioner should undertake relevant training including e-learning and face to face training and continuing professional development. While the Government has not made its own assessment of the adequacy of assessments undertaken by medical examiners to establish causes of death, the National Medical Examiner must publish an annual report which would include the way in which medical examiners had exercised their functions, including in relation to standards of performance.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department has taken to help tackle empty shops on high streets.

Vacancy is a blight that we see too often in our towns.We are supporting areas with new powers to help fill empty premises including High Street Rental Auctions and a new ‘right to buy’ to help prevent the loss of valued assets by bringing them into community ownership.

What steps his Department is taking to help recently graduated medical students to find employment in the NHS.

Following completion of a medical degree, United Kingdom medical graduates must complete the Foundation Programme, a two-year work-based programme, to practise as a doctor in the National Health Service. We are committed to ensuring that the number of Foundation Programme places meets the demands of the NHS in the future.The Government is committed to growing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join the NHS. However, internationally educated staff remain an important part of the workforce.In summer 2025, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade.

What steps his Department is taking to retain doctors trained in the UK in the NHS.

We are committed to ensuring that doctors trained in the United Kingdom remain within the National Health Service through a structured, data-driven approach to workforce retention, and to improving the working conditions of all resident doctors, including trainee surgeons.NHS England’s Enhancing Resident Doctors Working Lives programme continues to implement several measures aimed at supporting resident doctors, encouraging them to stay in training and the NHS, and reducing overall attrition. In addition, the NHS National Retention Programme is actively improving working conditions for trainee surgeons by enhancing workplace culture, promoting flexible training, and reducing burnout and attrition.On 18 February 2025, the Chief Medical Officer and the National Medical Director of NHS England jointly launched a review of postgraduate medical training. The review will cover placement options, the flexibility of training, difficulties with rotas, control and autonomy in training, and the balance between developing specialist knowledge and gaining a broad range of skills.