Written questions by Mishra.

What assessment his Department has made on the adequacy of waiting times for audiology appointments in (a) Stockport constituency and (b) Greater Manchester.

We do not hold specific data on audiology waiting lists in the Stockport constituency, Greater Manchester, or nationally.In May 2025, the waiting list for Ear, Nose and Throat, which includes audiology appointments, stood at 4,492 in the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, and stood at 37,477 in the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board (ICB). In the same month, Ear, Nose and Throat performance against the 18-week referral to treatment standard was 54.6% at the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, and 50.5% in the NHS Greater Manchester ICB.

Whether he plans to review Government contracts with Fujitsu.

The impact of the Horizon scandal on postmasters and their families has been horrendous. The Government is determined to hold those responsible to account and will continue to seek to make rapid progress on compensation and redress. Fujitsu’s role in Horizon is one of the issues currently being reviewed by Sir Wyn Williams’s statutory inquiry. The Government are carefully considering volume 1 of the report. Once the inquiry has established the full facts, we will review its final report and consider any further action, where appropriate. In January 2024, Fujitsu committed to withdraw from bidding for contracts with new government customers until the Post Office Horizon inquiry concludes. It will bid for work with existing government customers only where it already has a contract with them or where there is an agreed need for Fujitsu’s skills and capabilities. Individual contracting authorities are responsible for the award and management of contracts. With regard to scrutiny during procurement processes, the Procurement Act 2023 enables and, where appropriate, requires the exclusion of suppliers where they pose particular risks to public procurement. The Cabinet Office has issued substantial guidance for departments, available on gov.uk. The exclusions regime provides a framework within which contracting authorities must consider a supplier’s recent past behaviour and circumstances (or their presence on the debarment list) to determine whether it should be allowed to compete for or be awarded a public contract. The National Procurement Policy Statement asks contracting authorities to ensure they have the appropriate procurement and contract management skills and capability necessary to deliver public contracts and encourages the use of collaborative procurement frameworks, where appropriate, to deliver value for money. To provide transparency, the government regularly publishes Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for its most important contracts, and the performance of the vendor against those KPIs.

How many people are on the waiting list for tinnitus treatment in Stockport constituency.

The Department does not hold information on this particular condition. However, the latest published data on the waiting list for Ear, Nose and Throat, which includes those waiting for tinnitus treatment, stood at 4,492 in the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust as of May 2025. This represents a 2.8% reduction compared to the start of July 2024.

Whether her Department will make an assessment of the availability of secondary school places in Stockport constituency.

The department collects annual data from local authorities about primary and secondary state-funded school places, local authorities’ pupil forecasts and local authorities’ planned changes to school places. The data is published at local authority level in the annual School Capacity statistics publication, accessible at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity/2023-24.The latest data relates to school capacity as at 1 May 2024. The latest school capacity data for secondary schools in Stockport local authority and latest modelled estimates of the future number of secondary school places needed to meet predicted demand for Stockport local authority can be found in this publication.The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities.

What recent discussions his Department has had with Fujitsu Ltd on its involvement in the Horizon IT system failures; and whether his Department plans to pursue accountability for the company’s involvement in the wrongful prosecution of sub-postmasters.

We welcome Fujitsu’s acknowledgement of their moral obligation to contribute to the cost of the scandal. On 7 March 2025, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and Fujitsu’s global CEO agreed to begin talks on Fujitsu’s contribution to the costs of the scandal, prior to the conclusion of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry report. The extent of culpability for the scandal of Fujitsu and others – and hence any further accountability measures – will not be clear until all parts of Sir Wyn Williams’ Inquiry report are published.

What steps his Department is taking to encourage more people from ethnic minority backgrounds to become blood donors in Greater Manchester.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation in England.Recruiting donors from black heritage backgrounds is a strategic priority for NHSBT, driven by the clinical need to provide better matched blood for patients with conditions like sickle cell, which disproportionately affects people of black heritage. As a result, NHSBT is delivering marketing and communication activities that target key diverse areas. Greater Manchester is one of NHSBT's key target regions for their Giving Types campaign, with proactive public relations and regional media stories being deployed to drive the appeal for more blood donors using real-life case studies from the local area. Further information on the Giving Types campaign is available at the following link:https://www.blood.co.uk/news-and-campaigns/campaigns/giving-type/The NHSBT Community Grants Programme funds community and faith/belief organisations to drive awareness, understanding, and behaviour change amongst black, Asian, mixed heritage, and minority ethnic communities to build support for blood donation. NHSBT has two Community Grant Programme groups operating in Manchester, specifically Become United and the Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN). They host events, webinars, and produce videos on behalf of NHSBT to promote blood donation within their communities. Further information on the NHSBT Community Grants Programme is available at the following link:https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/how-you-can-help/get-involved/community-grants-programme/NHSBT attends and hosts specific events which will attract a high number of people from ethnic minority backgrounds to encourage blood donation, for example the recent attendance at CAHN’s Windrush Day 2025 in Alexandra Park, Greater Manchester.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 58271 on Driving Tests: Stockport, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the average waiting time at the Bredbury driving test centre.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is aware that car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this is having on learner drivers. All staff at the agency are working tirelessly to reduce waiting times at all test centres, including at Bredbury. There are currently 13 driving examiners at Bredbury test centre. This has risen from 9 examiners in 2022. Bredbury test centre is part of a cluster of test centres, including West Didsbury and Sale, that serve customers in Stockport.DVSA continues to deploy examiners within the cluster to test centres based on demand. Within the cluster of test centres from recruitment campaigns, one potential new driving examiner (DE) started their training course on 23 June for West Didsbury. A further potential new DE for Sale will start their course on 25 August. DVSA has made three further offers, with applicants scheduled for courses in the late summer/early autumn. DVSA is continuing with its recruitment campaigns, including for this cluster of test centres. DVSA will continue to assess recruitment needs of all test centres in Great Britain when it launches any future recruitment campaigns.DVSA continues to offer overtime incentives to its driving examiners, including those in this cluster.

If her Department will have discussions with Greater Manchester Police on the potential impact of not supplying naloxone to frontline officers on levels of drug-related deaths.

Naloxone is an important lifesaving medicine to respond to suspected opioid overdoses, when used alongside other first aid measures, and is mitigating the threat posed by synthetic opioids.Work has been ongoing for several years led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Home Office to support police carriage of this medicine, leveraging officers’ frequent interactions with individuals at risk of overdose to reduce drug-related deaths. In September 2024 and May 2025, I wrote to Chief Constables in England and Wales to reiterate my support for all police forces to roll-out the voluntary provision of naloxone to operational officers.The Home Office and NPCC recently published data showing that, as of December 2024, approximately 7,300 police officers in England and Wales regularly carry naloxone. The medicine had been administered over 550 times by police since June 2019, and only two out of 43 police forces had no plans to carry. One of those forces is Greater Manchester Police.Whilst the provision of naloxone for police officers remains voluntary and is an operational decision for Chief Constables, the Government is strongly supportive of forces making this highly effective antidote available.The NPCC and the Home Office are in ongoing dialogue with all police forces on this topic.

What steps her Department is taking to help protect places of worship in Greater Manchester.

This Government is absolutely committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion at their chosen place of worship, and to making our streets and communities safer, including providing funding through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant and the Protective Security for Mosques scheme.

If she will make it her policy to extend Project Reach to Stockport railway station.

The tranche 1 fibre commitment for Project Reach of 1000km includes the rail route Manchester–Crewe–Stafford which runs via Stockport. Stockport station is not currently included in the initial list of 12 NR managed stations identified for improvements to mobile coverage. However, there could be scope to include this as part of the flexible interventions once the priority stations and tunnels have been delivered.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the leisure facilities available for disabled people in Stockport constituency.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities across the country. Sport England, the Government’s Arm’s Length Body for grassroots sport, is committed to increasing participation in sport and physical activity for disabled people and improving their access to sport facilities. The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level with funding levels set by MHCLG as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.On 20 June 2025, the Culture Secretary announced that following the Spending Review, at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will now work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support disabled people from lower socioeconomic groups to be more physically active.

The Government is dedicated to making sport in this country accessible and inclusive for everyone. Sport England, the Government’s Arm’s Length Body for grassroots sport, is committed to increasing participation in sport and physical activity for all underserved communities, including disabled people, and those from lower socioeconomic groups. Sport England's Movement Fund invests over £20 million of Lottery and Exchequer funding every year to help people play sport and take part in physical activity. The Movement Fund prioritises projects that give opportunities to least active groups, including disabled people and those with long-term health conditions. Sport England also has partnerships with organisations such as Disability Rights UK, Activity Alliance, Aspire, and Sense, to help more disabled people get active. The Government also recognises that the barriers which disabled people face around improving their physical and mental health are often compounded by socioeconomic factors. To address this, the Government is investing £100 million in 2024-25 through the Multi Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme to build and upgrade high-quality grassroots sports pitches and facilities in the communities across the UK that need it most. The Multi Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme’s aims include regular, weekly use by under-represented groups, including disabled people, and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, so that everyone has the opportunity to participate. On 20 June 2025, the Culture Secretary announced that following the Spending Review, at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to ensure disabled people from lower socioeconomic groups are at the heart of plans to help more people get physically active.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for publication of the animal welfare strategy; and if he will make it his Department's policy to ban male chick culling as part of the strategy.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year. We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 sets out strict requirements to protect the welfare of animals at the time of killing, including male chicks from the egg production sector. Permitted killing methods for chicks, such as gas stunning and maceration, are based on scientific research and assessment to ensure birds are spared any avoidable pain, distress, or suffering. In recent years there has been rapid global progress in the development of technologies that allow chicks to be sexed in-ovo (within the egg), and we welcome the UK egg industry’s interest in the development of day zero sexing technology.

What discussions her Department has had with (a) Network Rail and (b) Avanti West Coast on the quality of public toilets at Stockport station.

The Department meets with Avanti West Coast (AWC) regularly to discuss issues impacting passengers, such as this and to ensure they are addressed as soon as possible.  The Rail Minister will also make sure that AWC arranges a meeting with you directly to discuss improvements that can be made for passengers. AWC is responsible for day-to-day management of Stockport Station, including facilities management and cleaning. To help monitor performance and drive high standards of customer experience, the Department requires train operators to employ the Service Quality Regime, which consists of regular inspections of the condition and availability of assets such as toilets, as well as the cleanliness of stations and trains. Responsibility for repairs to the structure of the property lies with the station’s landlord, Network Rail.  AWC works with Network Rail seeking improvements on behalf of passengers where this is required.Responsibility for repairs to the structure of the property lies with the station’s landlord, Network Rail.  AWC works with Network Rail, seeking improvements on behalf of passengers where this is required.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of NHS Greater Manchester’s proposed reduction in the number of NHS-funded IVF cycles from two to one on residents of Stockport.

We expect integrated care boards to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. The NICE’s Fertility problems: assessment and treatment guideline recommends that the standard for the best outcome is offering three cycles of in vitro fertilisation for women aged between 22 and 39 years old, and one cycle for women aged 40 to 42 years old. NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service funded treatment are still appropriate.In the light of broader pressures on the NHS and on-going changes within NHS England, we have been looking again at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.

What assessment her Department has made of the speed of the rollout of the Access for All scheme across (a) Stockport constituency and (b) Greater Manchester.

This government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.In May 2024, the previous government selected 50 stations for initial feasibility work for potential upgrades as part of our Access for All programme. This included Bredbury, Flowery Field and Newton for Hyde stations in Greater Manchester. Those progressing to design phase will be announced shortly.

What assessment her Department has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) frequency of Northern Rail services in (i) Stockport constituency and (ii) across Greater Manchester on Sundays.

Northern has acknowledged to passengers and the Government that its current performance is not acceptable. The organisation has developed and is beginning to implement a performance improvement programme to create the modern, flexible organisation which can deliver reliable service and a customer-focussed seven-day railway. Resolving Sunday working arrangements with RMT conductors is central to this. We are encouraging Northern and RMT to continue their discussions, so that passengers in the North can return to a reliable Sunday service. We are watching closely to make sure this work continues at pace.

Whether he has had recent discussions with (a) the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and (b) voluntary sector organisations on the implementation of the forthcoming Civil Society Covenant in relation to the next HIV Action Plan for England.

While not specifically in relation to the Civil Society Covenant, Department of Health and Social Care officials have engaged with officials from across the Government, including at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, to align resources and efforts across the Government in relation to the next HIV Action Plan for England.Collaboration is at the core of the next action plan, which we aim to publish this year, and we are therefore engaging a wide range of system partners in its development, including people with lived experience, the voluntary and community sector (VCS), professional bodies, and local partners, amongst others.We recently hosted engagement sessions with approximately 60 VCS and external partners to discuss what the next action plan should look like, though the Civil Society Covenant has not been discussed specifically. Professor Kevin Fenton, the Government’s Chief Advisor on HIV, has also hosted a series of engagement workshops, with approximately 250 system partners, including the VCS, industry, primary care, and integrated care board colleagues, to inform our plan.

Whether her Department plans to provide funding for step-free access at Heaton Chapel Station.

This government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.In May 2024, the previous government selected 50 stations for initial feasibility work for potential upgrades as part of our Access for All programme. This did not include Heaton Chapel railway station. Given the acute funding pressures on capital investments, any sources of funding that can be identified locally, for example from s106 monies, would also be a way of bringing accessibility at this station further forward.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has a strategy to help increase participation in cricket by women and girls.

The Government is committed to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, are able to participate in sport and physical activity.The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding.This includes long term investment to the England and Wales Cricket Board, the National Governing Body for cricket, which receives up to £11.6 million for five years to invest in community cricket initiatives. This includes programmes such as Chance to Shine, that will benefit everyone, including disabled people, women and girls and older people. ECB Cricket youth programmes such as All Stars and Dynamos also provide fun and engaging ways for young women and girls to engage in inclusive cricket.We look forward to hosting the Women's T20 World Cup in 2026. By supporting the ECB to host major events such as the World Cup, the Government is committed to making sure that women and girls have clear routes to see elite female athletes compete at the highest level which is key to inspiring and engaging fans and players now and into the future.