Written questions by Timothy.

What steps she is taking to improve funding for speech and language (a) support and (b) specialists for children in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools.

The department, in collaboration with NHS England, has extended the Early Language and Support for Every Child (ELSEC) programme, to strengthen early identification and intervention for children with speech, language and communication needs in early years settings and primary schools.Under the Best Start in Life strategy, the department continues to invest in evidence-based initiatives such as the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, which has demonstrated significant impact on oral language and early literacy, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.Recognising the critical role of speech and language therapists, the department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to enforce existing legislation against hare coursing.

The enforcement of existing legislation on hare coursing is an operational matter for the police. This is in line with their duties to keep the peace, protect communities and prevent the commission of offences, working within the provisions of the legal framework set by Parliament.

How many pupils receiving provision in special needs secondary schools live in locations from which it takes longer than 75 minutes to travel to school broken down by (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency.

The requested information is not held by the department.

How many pupils receiving provision in special needs primary schools live in locations from which it takes longer than 45 minutes to travel to school broken down by (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency.

The requested information is not held by the department.

What estimate her Department has made of the (a) total cost and (b) average cost per asylum seeker of adopting Crowborough Training Camp to house asylum seekers; and how much funding her Department plans to provide to Wealden District Council for each asylum seeker.

Lessons have been learned from inherited acquisitions of large sites under the previous government, which we are implementing to inform our future accommodation procurement. We are confident that the level of due diligence carried out on sites has improved, and that value for money assessments take place at the appropriate stage. We are working closely with key stakeholders including local health partners to minimise the impact on the local community. Costs will be included in the Departments Annual Report and Accounts in the normal way.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the mechanical recycling industry.

The Collection and Packaging Reforms – Simpler Recycling, Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) – will help stimulate investment in recycling services across the UK. In addition, Defra is working across Government to pinpoint any further interventions necessary to stabilise the sector and set it up for success. The Minister for Nature convened a roundtable with industry earlier this year and senior officials chaired a roundtable with representatives from the recycling industry in September. Government continues to consider how best to engage the sector.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will meet representatives from the UK mechanical recycling industry to discuss government support for the industry.

The Collection and Packaging Reforms – Simpler Recycling, Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) – will help stimulate investment in recycling services across the UK. In addition, Defra is working across Government to pinpoint any further interventions necessary to stabilise the sector and set it up for success. The Minister for Nature convened a roundtable with industry earlier this year and senior officials chaired a roundtable with representatives from the recycling industry in September. Government continues to consider how best to engage the sector.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of safeguards for restricted private hire vehicle licences issued by local authorities.

The Government is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which 263 licensing authorities in England administer the taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing regime. Licensing authorities must determine that all taxi and PHV drivers and PHV operators are ‘fit and proper’ to hold a licence but have flexibility on the requirements that must be met to demonstrate this. They must also ensure that vehicles are safe to carry members of the public.The Department for Transport issues guidance to assist licensing authorities to enable the provision of safe and accessible services through proportionate regulation. The Department’s statutory guidance to licensing authorities on exercising their taxi and PHV licensing functions to protect children and vulnerable adults sets out a robust set of safeguarding measures. Licensing authorities must have regard to the guidance and my Department expects them to implement the recommendations unless there is a compelling local reason not to do so. The statutory guidance applies across taxi and PHV licensing, including licences issued on a “restricted” basis.As recommended in the statutory guidance, all taxi and PHV licensing authorities in England (including East Cambridgeshire District Council) have advised the Department that for drivers they require the highest level of vetting available, an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and a check of both the children’s and adults’ Barred Lists.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the compliance of East Cambridgeshire District Council with her Department's guidance on the provision of restricted private hire vehicle licences.

The Government is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which 263 licensing authorities in England administer the taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing regime. Licensing authorities must determine that all taxi and PHV drivers and PHV operators are ‘fit and proper’ to hold a licence but have flexibility on the requirements that must be met to demonstrate this. They must also ensure that vehicles are safe to carry members of the public.The Department for Transport issues guidance to assist licensing authorities to enable the provision of safe and accessible services through proportionate regulation. The Department’s statutory guidance to licensing authorities on exercising their taxi and PHV licensing functions to protect children and vulnerable adults sets out a robust set of safeguarding measures. Licensing authorities must have regard to the guidance and my Department expects them to implement the recommendations unless there is a compelling local reason not to do so. The statutory guidance applies across taxi and PHV licensing, including licences issued on a “restricted” basis.As recommended in the statutory guidance, all taxi and PHV licensing authorities in England (including East Cambridgeshire District Council) have advised the Department that for drivers they require the highest level of vetting available, an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and a check of both the children’s and adults’ Barred Lists.

What steps he plans to take to help improve (a) training and (b) awareness of (i) Lymphoedema and (ii) Lipoedema for (A) GPs and (B) other medical professionals.

Doctors are responsible for maintaining their clinical knowledge, including on lymphoedema and lipoedema, throughout their careers, and are responsible for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development.All doctors registered in the United Kingdom are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council’s (GMC’s) Good Medical Practice. In 2012, the GMC introduced revalidation, which supports doctors in regularly reflecting on how they can develop or improve their practice, giving patients confidence that doctors are up to date with their practice, and promoting improved quality of care by driving improvements in clinical governance.The training curricula for postgraduate trainee doctors are set by the relevant medical royal college and have to meet the standards set by the GMC. Whilst curricula do not necessarily highlight specific conditions for doctors to be aware of, they instead emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.Resources for health professionals are available from a number of professional and patient organisations to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients presenting with lymphoedema and lipoedema.

What her planned timetable is for launching a national inquiry into grooming gangs.

The Government is driving forward work to establish the National Inquiry into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse under the Inquiries Act 2005. It will be overseen by an Independent Commission with statutory powers to compel evidence and testimony so that institutions can be held to account for current and historic failures. The inquiry will be independent of government and designed to command the confidence of victims and survivors and the wider public.The first step in establishing the inquiry is the appointment of the Chair to the inquiry. A rigorous selection process is currently underway, which we are undertaking properly and thoroughly, with appropriate due diligence and meaningful engagement with victims and survivors. This is a non-negotiable part of this process and remains ongoing. Once the Chair is appointed, the Government will provide a full update to Parliament.In line with the Inquiries Act, the appointed Chair will play a central role in shaping the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference. These will be published in draft once the Chair is appointed and subject to consultation with stakeholders, including victims and survivors.

When she plans to respond to the letter of 7 September 2025 from the hon. Member for West Suffolk.

The letter of 7 September 2025 was transferred to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for response.

Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the letter of 14 August 2025 from the hon. Member for West Suffolk.

A response was sent to the hon. Member on 16 October 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has received the final report from the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition.

The Working Group have now submitted their independent advice to Ministers who will take the time to review and consider the advice carefully before confirming next steps in due course.

Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the final report from the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition.

The Working Group have now submitted their independent advice to Ministers who will take the time to review and consider the advice carefully before confirming next steps in due course.

Communities and Local Government, if he will publish a list of the (a) people and (b) organisations who were invited to contribute towards the final report from the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition.

The Working Group have now submitted their independent advice to Ministers who will take the time to review and consider the advice carefully before confirming next steps in due course.

Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the final report from the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition in full and without redactions.

The Working Group have now submitted their independent advice to Ministers who will take the time to review and consider the advice carefully before confirming next steps in due course.

Whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on whether to undertake a (a) consultation and (b) safeguarding assessment in the context of the application of vehicle plate-exemption powers.

The best practice guidance issued by the Department to taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities in England advises that private hire vehicles should only exempt the display of a licence plate by a private hire vehicle in exceptional circumstances. This might include vehicles used for ‘executive hire’ services which are services licensed as private hire vehicles and licensing authorities should assure themselves that there is sufficient justification to exempt these vehicles from a requirement to display a plate or disc and that there is an effective means to prevent the vehicle being used for ‘normal’ private hire work.In relation to the requirement to consult, the guidance sets out that licensing authorities should consult on proposed changes in licensing rules that may have significant impacts on passengers and/or the trade. Such consultation should include not only all taxi and private hire vehicle licensees but also groups likely to be the trades’ customers.

If she will publish the Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain for 2024; and what funding her Department has allocated for research into alternative testing methods.

The Annual Statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain: 2024 will be published on October 23, 2025.The Government is committed to the development of non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption.UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has a diverse portfolio of investments that supports research which can lead to alternatives, such as organ-on-a-chip, cell-based assays, functional genomics and computer modelling. UKRI also invests £10 million annually in the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). The Government also co-funds seven Centres of Excellence for Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI), two focusing on AI which will support alternative method development.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of fire safety standards for 5G masts.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has not issued guidance on fire safety standards for 5G masts and does not have responsibility for setting such standards. Mobile network operators are responsible for the operation, maintenance and safety of their infrastructure. The Department engages regularly with mobile network operators in relation to resilience of network infrastructure.Rules relating to fire risk and 5G infrastructure is covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.