Written questions by Mishra.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of precision medicine on the (a) life expectancy and (b) quality of life of people living with motor neurone disease.

The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for a future where genomic information and insights are fundamental to healthcare, enabling precision medicine, predictive prevention, and personalised treatment, including for people with motor neurone disease.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has selected tofersen for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis caused by SOD1 gene mutations as a topic for guidance development through its Highly Specialised Technology (HST) programme. The HST programme appraises medicines for the treatment of very rare, and often very severe diseases, and evaluates whether they can be considered a clinically and cost-effective use of National Health Service resources. If a positive recommendation is made, then NHS commissioners will be under a legal duty to fund the treatment for all eligible patients in England.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Build to Let developments on housing affordability in areas with high rental demand.

My Department has made no such assessment. The government is committed to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures and to supporting the Build to Rent sector.

What steps his Department is taking to help (a) increase awareness of and (b) shorten diagnosis times for Postural Tachycardia Syndrome.

To improve awareness of postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) amongst healthcare professionals, and specifically general practitioners (GPs), the Royal College of General Practitioners provides training on PoTS as part of its Syncope toolkit, which is available at the following link: https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/view.php?id=500 The Syncope toolkit includes an e-learning module, a podcast, and a webinar, and provides GPs with information about the diagnosis and management of PoTS. The webinar gives GPs the opportunity to hear the lived experience perspective of a patient representative from PoTS UK. The National Institute for Care Excellence has also published a clinical knowledge summary on the clinical management of blackouts and syncope, that provides advice for clinicians in the United Kingdom on best practice in the assessment and diagnosis of PoTS. This was last updated in November 2023, and is available at the following link: https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/blackouts-syncope/diagnosis/assessment/ We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring waiting times down. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard, that 92% of patients to wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment, by March 2029. We surpassed our pledge to deliver an extra two million elective appointments, having now delivered 5.2 million additional appointments in our first year of Government. Waiting lists are coming down, as they have fallen by over 206,000 since July 2024.

What steps she is taking to expand protections for British seafarers employed by companies registered outside of the UK.

The Government is acting through the Employment Rights Bill to improve protections for seafarers by providing powers to protect the working conditions of those working aboard international services frequently calling at UK ports. The Bill will also close a loophole that prevented prosecution of employers who failed to provide notification of proposed collective redundancies aboard ships registered outside of the UK. These protections will benefit seafarers working aboard services in scope, including when they are employed by companies registered outside of the UK. My Department will also continue to work internationally to improve protections for seafarers, including through implementing the amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention agreed in April by representatives of shipowners, seafarers and governments at the International Labour Organization in Geneva. The new provisions include measures that will help to protect seafarers against violence and harassment, strengthen their rights to repatriation and improve access to shore leave. It is expected that these amendments will come into force internationally on 23 December 2027.

What steps her Department is taking to help reduce the (a) misuse (b) abuse and (c) theft of blue badges in Greater Manchester.

Local authorities have powers under the Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) Regulations 2000, for local authorities to withdraw a badge if the holder consistently misuses it or allows it to be misused by others. Similarly, authorities have the power to withdraw the badge if the holder ceases to be eligible, for example because their impairment has improved or because they obtained the badge by false representation. The Department provides non-statutory guidance to local authorities on operating the scheme, including advice on enforcing the scheme, and regularly engages with local authority stakeholder groups to help share best practice. It also works closely with organisations such as the British Parking Association (BPA) and Disabled Motoring UK (DM:UK), who advocate for stronger enforcement powers and better data sharing between councils. These efforts have led to increased penalties and prosecutions for misuse, and the confiscation of fraudulent or stolen badges.

What steps her Department is taking to invest in upgrades to (a) the M60 and (b) other national highways.

The Department is currently developing the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), which will span the five-year period from April 2026 to March 2031. The Strategy is scheduled for publication in March 2026 and will outline the funding settlement allocated to National Highways for operating, maintaining, renewing, and enhancing the Strategic Road Network (SRN) during RIS3.A draft version of the Strategy was published in August, setting out the overall funding envelope and the key objectives that National Highways is expected to achieve. RIS3 will build on the progress made since the first Strategy (RIS1) was introduced in 2015, continuing efforts to:Deliver a long-term programme of capital renewals for ageing roads and structuresImplement committed enhancement schemesAdvance long-term performance targetsAn Interim Settlement is currently in place for National Highways for the 2025–26 financial year.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department will provide travel support to elderly British residents seeking to visit (a) family and (b) friends in northern Cyprus.

As stated in our Travel Advice, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) can only provide limited consular support for British Nationals visiting areas in the north of Cyprus that are not under control of the Republic of Cyprus.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce reliance on Chinese-made components in UK energy infrastructure.

The Department is committed to working closely across Government and industry stakeholders to take forward the actions needed to develop supply chains that are resilient, sustainable, innovative and secure. The Government takes the security and resilience of UK energy infrastructure extremely seriously with the UK being one of the most reliable and safest energy systems, and one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world. We take a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing relations with China and will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Octopus Energy partnership with Ming Yang on national security.

We cannot comment on individual investment cases, but investment into the energy sector is subject to the highest levels of national security scrutiny, and we will continue to work closely with industry to build secure supply chains and ensure the UK remains one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world.

What assessment has been made of the potential impact of the proposed removal of exemptions proposed in the Consultation on Reform of Landfill Tax in England and Northern Ireland, published on 28 April 2025, on (a) housebuilding and (b) development.

The Government recently consulted on proposals for reform of Landfill Tax to ensure the regime remains effective in encouraging waste to be diverted away from landfill and to support our environmental goals. As part of the consultation, the Government has received a wide range of views from stakeholders, including representatives from the construction sector. The consultation closed on 28 July, and the government is considering responses and will set out next steps, including a summary of responses, in due course. This government is committed to delivering 1.5 million homes over 5 years as set out in the Plan for Change, and any final proposals will be designed to maintain the environmental effectiveness of the tax while supporting these plans.

What progress he has made on implementing the VALOUR pilot scheme in (a) Stockport and (b) Greater Manchester.

The VALOUR pilot was launched on 26 June in partnership with Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire Combined Authorities. Work with our pilot partners to develop the VALOUR system is in progress, and I am grateful to them for their invaluable contributions so far. VALOUR is a new programme that will give veterans across the UK easier access to the essential care and support that is available to them, overseen by the Office for Veterans' Affairs in the Ministry of Defence. It will improve the coordination of services at a national, regional and local level to ensure that veterans receive the support they need.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a centralised policy on the treatment of veterans’ compensation when assessing eligibility for welfare benefits.

I refer the honourable member to the answer given on 8 July 63814

Whether her Department plans to introduce legislation to provide UK seafarers with equivalent (a) redundancy, (b) dismissal protections and (c) other employment rights to onshore workers.

The Government is committed to strengthening workers’ rights at sea, and the Employment Rights Bill includes measures to improve protections for seafarers facing collective redundancy, and powers to protect the working conditions of seafarers aboard frequent international services. My Department will continue to engage with the maritime trade unions and the sector more broadly about the application of employment rights to seafarers, as well as working with like-minded states and social partners to drive up international standards.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the volume of water lost to leakage in the United Utilities network in each of the last five years.

Total leakage data is reported to the Environment Agency annually by water companies through the statutory Water Resources Management Plan annual review process. A summary of 2023/24 water company performance across the country, which includes leakage data, is available here.

If her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of ticket office opening hours at (a) Brinnington Station and (b) Heaton Chapel Station.

Heaton Chapel ticket office is currently open 0605-1820 weekdays, 0700-1830 Saturdays and 0910-1630 Sundays, while Brinnington is open 0620-2105 weekdays and 0710-1440 Saturdays. These hours are compliant with section 17 of the Ticketing & Settlement Agreement, which sets out the various arrangements between operators relating to the sale of tickets.

If her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of modern language A-level entry at (a) state schools and (b) colleges in (i) Stockport Borough and (ii) Greater Manchester.

The government is committed to ensuring that all pupils, regardless of location, have access to a high quality language education. This includes increasing the number of students studying languages at GCSE and ensuring that those who wish to continue to A level are able to do so.The department is continuing to fund the National Consortium for Languages Education (NCLE) to deliver a new model of support for schools. The programme offers free continuous professional development via Language Educators Online (LEO), supported by 14 Strategic Learning Networks and locally responsive National Priority Projects. It is research-informed, helping teachers collaborate and tackle key challenges in language education. Language teachers can join the NCLE Language Network in their area and sign up to LEO to keep up to date with current and evolving teaching practice in language education.To further support languages education, the government is offering a £20,000 tax-free bursary for trainee language teachers starting courses in 2026, or alternatively, a £22,000 tax-free scholarship for those training to teach French, German, or Spanish.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that build to let developments contribute to local affordable housing quotas.

The government is committed to strengthening the system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure. As part of this commitment, we are reviewing the planning practice guidance PPG on viability. That guidance currently recognises that the economics of Build to Rent (BtR) schemes differ from build for sale as they depend on a long-term income stream. As such, for build to rent it is expected that the normal form of affordable housing provision will be affordable private rent. Where plan makers wish to set affordable private rent proportions or discount levels at a level differing from national planning policy and guidance, this can be reviewed through a viability assessment at the plan-making stage. This approach ensures that local planning authorities continue to maximise contributions towards affordable housing and community infrastructure, while supporting the delivery of viable developments.

Whether her Department is taking steps to reduce regional disparities in modern language A-level (a) provision and (b) entries.

The government is committed to ensuring that all pupils, regardless of location, have access to a high quality language education. This includes increasing the number of students studying languages at GCSE and ensuring that those who wish to continue to A level are able to do so.The department is continuing to fund the National Consortium for Languages Education (NCLE) to deliver a new model of support for schools. The programme offers free continuous professional development via Language Educators Online (LEO), supported by 14 Strategic Learning Networks and locally responsive National Priority Projects. It is research-informed, helping teachers collaborate and tackle key challenges in language education. Language teachers can join the NCLE Language Network in their area and sign up to LEO to keep up to date with current and evolving teaching practice in language education.To further support languages education, the government is offering a £20,000 tax-free bursary for trainee language teachers starting courses in 2026, or alternatively, a £22,000 tax-free scholarship for those training to teach French, German, or Spanish.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 42868 on Railways: Stockport, whether her Department has made an assessment with North Rail Partnership of the potential merits of implementing proposals to improve passenger services at Reddish South railway station.

We expect train operators to develop timetables that best match the capacity and frequency of their services to passenger demand in a way which is operationally sustainable and delivers value for taxpayers. Current demand at Reddish South has not signalled a need to review the service patterns there. Rail North Partnership (RNP) will assess and assist with any proposal around services based on local or regional priorities put forward. For example, by Stockport Council or Transport for Great Manchester. Any proposal must balance the economic and social benefits of any enhancement with the performance of existing services and the financial impact on taxpayer subsidy. I have asked RNP to contact the Hon Member to discuss any proposals he wishes to present.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a consultation on phasing out the use of farrowing crates for pigs.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 2 April 2025 to the hon. Member for Birmingham Northfield, PQ UIN 41698.