Written questions by Mishra.

Media and Sport, if her Department will make an assessment of the sustainability of local news outlets in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) North West of England.

Sustainability of local journalism across the country is an area of particular concern for this Government, including in Greater Manchester and the North West of England. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level, reporting on the issues that matter to communities, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story.We are working across Government and with other stakeholders as the Strategy develops, and we recently held a roundtable discussion with local news editors from across the country, including from Manchester Evening news, to discuss our planned approach and explore further collaboration on the Strategy. We will announce further details in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote sustainable flood management practices in (a) flood-prone and (b) other areas.

Natural flood management (NFM) is a key part of our approach to mitigating flood risk and provides wider benefits for the environment and society, such as carbon reduction, environmental enhancement, improving water quality and water resources. The floods investment programme delivers a range of schemes, including NFM. In addition, the Government’s ongoing investment in the environment will also support NFM measures. The Government inherited an outdated funding formula for allocating money to proposed flood defences. Established in 2011, the existing formula slows down the delivery of new flood schemes through a complex application process and also neglects more innovative approaches to flood management such as NFM and sustainable drainage. A consultation will be launched this spring which will include a review of the existing formula.

What steps she is taking to reduce the proportion of children in relative poverty in Stockport constituency.

Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government. The Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish a Child Poverty Strategy looking at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Government The Taskforce is listening to experts and campaigners and ensuring the voices of families and children with experience of poverty are brought into policy thinking and decision making as part of the development of the Child Poverty Strategy. This includes three key stands of work – a Parents and Carers Forum, engagement with the Changing Realities Project and research with children and young people. The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to triple investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million, introduce a Fair Repayment Rate for deductions from Universal Credit, improve the adequacy of the standard allowance with the first sustained above inflation rise in the basic rate of Universal Credit since it was introduced and increase the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour from April to boost the pay of three million workers.

What steps he is taking to support children living in poverty to access healthcare services in Stockport .

Our commitment to tackle child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity, and the ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever. The Department is working closely with the Child Poverty Ministerial Taskforce on an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackle its root causes, and give every child the best start in life. The Government is committed to alleviating the negative experience of living in poverty through supporting families and enhancing public services.Ahead of this strategy, work is already underway to support children living in poverty to access healthcare services. For example, the Department and NHS England are supporting Greater Manchester to improve access to the Healthy Start Scheme and poverty proofing services for children with long term conditions in the Northwest. Services for children offered in Stockport which are supported by the Department include Family Hubs, Start Well, and health visiting services.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) public awareness and (b) accessibility of the flood warning service.

The Environment Agency (EA) provides the Check for flooding service, giving information on flood alerts and warnings as well as a 5-day forecast. It also uses it’s flood warning system to directly alert 1.6 million properties in England who are registered to receive flood warnings. Where there is danger to life there is also the ability to issue an Emergency Alert. The flood warning service is continuously enhanced to improve public awareness and accessibility. In 2023 it was extended to 110,000 additional homes and businesses, particularly those that were previously hard to reach. This expansion uses innovative monitoring solutions, including solar-powered devices which provide flood warnings in challenging locations. A new flood warning system is being developed and is expected to launch in late 2025. This system aims to be more secure, resilient, and user-friendly. Flood Action Week is the EA’s annual public awareness week, typically taking place in October. It aims to raise awareness amongst the public of their flood risk, actions they should take to respond, and work the EA does to prepare and respond during a flood. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to ensure that communities are better informed and prepared for flood risks.

What steps his Department is taking with the NHS to help ensure that it meets the target that 92% of people waiting for elective mental health treatment wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to their first treatment.

The overall elective waiting list stands at 7.48 million patient pathways, with over six million people waiting. We are committed to putting patients first, making sure that patients are seen on time and ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care.As set out in the Government’s Plan for Change, we will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. This includes those patients waiting for mental health services where a referral is made to a medical consultant-led mental health service. The majority of National Health Service mental health care is outside the scope of the elective waiting list and the referral to treatment 18-week constitutional standard.We know that too many people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure that mental health is given the same attention and focus as physical health, so that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it. We will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, which will also help ease pressure on hospitals.The NHS Planning Guidance 2025/26 includes objectives to increase the number of children and young people accessing services to achieve the national ambition for 345,000 additional children and young people aged zero to 25 years old compared to 2019, and to reduce 12 hour accident and emergency waits. We will also ensure every young person has access to a mental health professional at school, and will set up Young Futures hubs in communities, offering open access mental health services for young people.

How many physician associates are working in GP surgeries across (a) Greater Manchester and (b) the North West.

As of 31 December 2024, there were 287 full-time equivalent physician associates working in the North West NHS England region, 121 of which were working in the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board area.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed increase to employer's National Insurance contributions on the ability of independent training providers to provide skills development and workforce training.

On 5 March 2025 the department gave details of 16 to 19 funding which meant that it will be spending over £400 million more on 16 to 19 education in the 2025/26 financial year. This represents over £100 million more than the £300 million announced at the Autumn Budget 2024 and aims to ensure enough funding is available given the very significant increase in student numbers and other pressures on the system. Further guidance on how 16 to 19 funding will work in the 2025/26 academic year can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-information-for-2025-to-2026.The government has agreed that public sector employers will receive support in recognition of the increase in their National Insurance contributions from April 2025. This does not include support for the private sector, including private sector firms contracted by public sector entities.Independent training providers will benefit from the 3.78% increase to all the national funding rates for students on 16 to 19 study programmes and T Levels in the 2025/26 academic year.

What plans he has to ensure the accountability of care homes providing care below acceptable standards.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. The CQC monitors, inspects, and regulates adult social care services, including care homes, to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. Inspection reports on individual providers are made publicly available.Where concerns on quality or safety are identified, the CQC uses a range of regulatory and enforcement powers, to take action to ensure the safety of people drawing on care and support.This includes using requirement notices to highlight areas that need improvement or placing adult social care providers into special measures to closely supervise the quality of care. In cases of significant concern, the CQC can take action that could lead to the removal of a provider’s registration or, in the most serious cases, take criminal action.

What steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of police officers in Greater Manchester.

The Government is committed to ensuring police forces are supported to effectively tackle crime.We are clear that visible policing is essential to restoring public confidence in the police.For 2025-26, £376.8 million will be available to forces to maintain officer numbers. Of this £270.1m is ringfenced which Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) will be able to access by demonstrating that they have maintained their officer numbers.Greater Manchester Police has also been allocated £11,556,938 in funding for 2025-26 to kickstart the increase of neighbourhood policing personnel as part of this Government's plan to deliver a total increase of 13,000 across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament. Our approach to delivery in 2025-26, which will be year 1 of a 4-year programme, is designed to deliver an initial increase to the neighbourhood policing workforce in a manner that is flexible, and can be adapted to the local context and varied crime demands.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that care homes meet high standards of (a) hygiene, (b) cleanliness and (c) quality of care.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. The CQC monitors, inspects, and regulates adult social care services, including care homes, to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. Inspection reports on individual providers are made publicly available.Where concerns on quality or safety are identified, the CQC uses a range of regulatory and enforcement powers, to take action to ensure the safety of people drawing on care and support.This includes using requirement notices to highlight areas that need improvement or placing adult social care providers into special measures to closely supervise the quality of care. In cases of significant concern, the CQC can take action that could lead to the removal of a provider’s registration or, in the most serious cases, take criminal action.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of replacing retiring Tranche 1 Typhoon aircrafts with foreign-built aircraft on (a) BAE Systems sites at (i) Warton and (ii) Samlesbury and (b) the UK aerospace sector.

The RAF's fleet of Typhoon Tranche 2 and 3 aircraft will remain at the cutting-edge of the UK and NATO Combat Air power until at least 2040. The decision in 2021 to retire our oldest Tranche 1 Typhoon aircraft was independent of the decision to procure Lockheed Martin F-35B, which are required to deliver combat aircraft capable of operating from our Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.Around 20,000 people are employed within the UK on the Typhoon programme, which is expected to rise to 24,000 by 2030. The vast majority of those jobs support the maintenance and upgrade of the existing multinational Typhoon fleet. This Government is strongly committed to supporting the export of Typhoon internationally and pressing for success in the campaigns currently in train. 37% of the major units required for new Typhoon aircraft ordered by Germany, Spain and Italy will be manufactured by BAE Systems in the UK.In addition, through Lockheed Martin and the Joint Program Office approximately 15% by value of the total global F-35 Lightning production is manufactured by UK companies. This manufacturing and equipment support includes over 100 UK-based suppliers and has created over 20,000 jobs in the UK. As part of this BAE Systems employ approximately 1,800 people on F-35 sub-system production at their UK plant in Samlesbury. The equipment support provided by the UK for the global fleet of F-35 will likely endure until the F-35 retires from service, which is 2069 for the UK fleet and longer for some other nations.

Whether her Department plans to increase funding for schools in Stockport constituency.

The overall core schools budget is increasing by £3.2 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, meaning the core schools budget will total over £64.8 billion compared to almost £61.6 billion in 2024/25. This includes the £2.3 billion announced at the Autumn Budget 2024 and over £930 million being provided to support schools and high needs settings with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions from April 2025. In Stockport local authority for the 2025/26 financial year, average funding per pupil through the mainstream schools dedicated schools grant (DSG) is increasing by 3% compared to 2024/25. Stockport is seeing a funding increase above the national average per pupil funding increase of 2.15%.Funding allocations for the 2026/27 financial year will be confirmed following the spending review process.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of vegetable oils not included in the due diligence regulations under Schedule 17 of the Environment Act 2021 on deforestation and whether he plans to extend due diligence obligations to cover these oils.

The Global Environmental Impacts of Consumption Indicator, funded by Defra, estimates that UK-linked deforestation driven by soy and palm oil was 7-9 times and 15-20 times greater respectively than deforestation linked to sunflower and rapeseed oil in 2022. We recognise the need to take action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation and we will set out our approach to addressing this in due course.

If she will make an assessment of the impact of existing social security policies on children in poverty in (a) Stockport and (b) Greater Manchester.

Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish a Child Poverty Strategy which will deliver lasting change.The Strategy will look at all available levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, including considering social security reforms, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across Government and work underway in Devolved Governments.The numbers of children living in low income families before housing costs by local areas are published annually in the Children in Low Income Families Publication, available here: Children in low income families: local area statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).In 2022/23, 9,973 children aged under 16 (17.6% of all children aged under 16) were in relative poverty before housing costs (BHC) in Stockport.In 2022/23, 179,814 children aged under 16 (30.4% of all children aged under 16) were in relative poverty before housing costs (BHC) in Greater Manchester.

If she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of national economic policies on addressing the root causes of child poverty.

Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish a Child Poverty Strategy which will deliver lasting change. The causes of child poverty are deep-rooted and complex, and the Taskforce is exploring all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments.

Whether it is Government policy to allow public servants time off to donate (a) blood and (b) plasma.

There is no central policy, across the Civil Service, which provides time-off to donate (a) blood and (b) plasma.Departments can provide employees with time off to donate blood and plasma.

What assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of the length of waiting lists for a lifesaving organ in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) England.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in early January, sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week referral to treatment target, in order to tackle the approximate 6.3 million patients on the waiting list. As of 31 December 2024, there were 6,858 people on the transplant waiting list in England, and 405 people in Greater Manchester, excluding temporarily suspended patients.In July 2021, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care established the Organ Utilisation Group (OUG) to provide recommendations to maximise the potential for organ transplantation in England, and save more lives of those on the waiting list.The OUG’s recommendations address barriers to transplantation and best practice. The Department established the Implementation Steering Group for Organ Utilisation in April 2023, bringing together key organisations involved in delivering the transplant service, to oversee and coordinate the recommendations’ implementation. Once fully implemented, the aim is to utilise more donor organs for transplant to save and improve the lives of those on the waiting list.

What steps his Department is taking to help encourage more people to become blood donors in (a) Stockport constituency and (b) the North West.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation in England. NHSBT runs marketing and partnership activity across England, including in Stockport, to encourage new donors to come forward. For example, on 11 November it launched a new cam...

Media and Sport, if her Department will take steps to increase participation of (a) girls and (b) women in cricket.

We are dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality sport.Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign has also inspired millions of women and girls to get active...