Written questions by Moon.

What assessment she has made of the impact of (a) ticket office closures and (b) staffing reductions at rural railways stations on passengers.

We expect all train operating companies to use reasonable endeavours to meet their obligations for regulated staffed ticket office opening hours under Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA). If train operating companies wish to make changes to regulated opening hours of ticket offices, they should follow the process in the TSA. The ‘Secretary of State for Transport's Ticketing and Settlement Agreement ticket office guidance’ sets out the approach which the Secretary of State will normally take in deciding how to exercise her role under the TSA in relation to ticket office opening hours.

Whether his Department plans to extend the Energy Intensive Industries support scheme.

The British Industry Supercharger was launched in 2024 and provides support to Energy Intensive Industries to bring electricity costs for those strategically important UK industries closer in line with other major economies so that they remain competitive on the world stage. The measures save eligible businesses on average around £24 – £31 per MWh on their electricity costs. The British Industry Supercharger will be reviewed regularly.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help improve data in the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment system.

The Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment regulations make producers responsible for the electrical products they place on the market when they become waste. Data is collected on the tonnage of electrical products every producer sells within the UK and the tonnage of waste that they recycle appropriately to ensure they are meeting the requirements of the regulations. Defra is also updating the WEEE Regs to create a separate reporting category for vapes, so vape manufacturers pick up their fair share of recycling costs. We have convened a Circular Economy Taskforce to help us develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. The Strategy will be supported by a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the government will make on a sector-by-sector basis, supporting government’s Missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower. We are considering the evidence for sector-specific interventions right across the economy, including in electronic waste, as we develop our Strategy.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including (a) ground source heat pumps and (b) shared ground loops in the Future Homes Standard.

The Building Regulations prescribe performance outcomes, rather than specific technologies, materials or fuels to be used. This allows builders and homeowners the flexibility to innovate and select the most practical and cost-effective solutions appropriate in any development.However, the upcoming Future Homes Standard will set our new homes and buildings on a path that moves away from relying on volatile fossil fuels and towards more clean, secure energy. The future is likely to see a mix of low carbon technologies used for heating, including heat pumps and heat networks. Ground source heat pumps and share ground loops are effective technical solutions which are very much aligned with the ambition of the Future Homes Standard.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) expedite payments and (b) improve the payment structure of the Rural Payments Agency.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) understands the importance of cashflow for farmers and rural businesses and has in recent years made more payments for the schemes they administer, earlier in the payment window. The agency has also taken steps to improve the flow of payments. This includes making Delinked payments from August in 2024, compared to historically Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments from December, earlier partial payments on Countryside Stewardship, and moving to a quarterly payments structure for the Sustainable Farming Incentive. Schemes will continue to be administered with payment frequency in mind.

With reference to his Department's policy paper entitled UK Critical Mineral Strategy, last updated on 13 March 2024, what recent estimate he has made of the value of critical mineral exports.

In 2024, the UK exported an estimated £10 billion worth of critical minerals. This figure was calculated using HMRC trade statistics, and the definition of “critical minerals” comes from internationally comparable HS trade codes published by the US Geological Survey. This figure does not include the many downstream products that are produced using critical minerals.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that (a) polluted and (b) unsafe (i) beaches and (ii) bathing areas have signage to alert the public.

At designated bathing water sites in their area, local authorities have a statutory duty to display information on a static sign about water quality and pollution sources, and to display advisory notices during pollution incidents. The information on the signage required by the Bathing Water Regulations 2013, consists of: the current classification symbol, with the “advice against bathing” symbol if the bathing water quality classification is Poor; a general description of the bathing water, based on the Environment Agency profile; and the address of a website where more detailed information can be found. If the bathing water is subject to short-term pollution, the notice includes this information, and the number of pollution risk forecasts made during the preceding bathing season. Other signage regarding safety and pollution is a matter for the relevant local authority.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to regulate short-term lets.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 43634 on 8 April 2025.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of securing the imports of critical minerals in (a) semi-manufactured materials and (b) raw materials.

A secure supply of critical minerals is vital for the UK's economic growth and security, industrial strategy, and clean energy transition. Building on the UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre’s updated criticality assessment, government will work hand in hand with industry to publish a new Critical Minerals Strategy this year. This new, targeted Critical Minerals Strategy will help secure our supply chains for the long term and drive forward the green industries of the future. As part of the ongoing engagement, the government will engage with stakeholders to gather expertise and insights to shape our approach to securing critical minerals.

If he will take steps to make an assessment of international comparisons of support provided to (a) minerals, (b) metals and (c) processing companies through the (i) planning and (ii) permitting process.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) actively monitors support provided to companies operating across the critical minerals supply chain in comparable countries, including planning and permitting processes. In the forthcoming Critical Minerals Strategy, DBT will outline further details of the Government’s approach to supporting the UK’s domestic mining, processing and recycling industries, and developing the UK’s competitive advantage.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of shared ground loops qualifying as an Innovative Measure under point 6 of eligibility requirements in the Energy Company Obligation 4 Scheme.

There is provision within the rules of ECO4 for shared ground loops to be delivered. Following the government consultation on mid-scheme changes to ECO4 and GBIS, legislation will be updated to specify that shared ground loop systems can be considered for Innovation Measures under ECO4. Amendments to legislation are expected to take effect later this year.

What steps his Department is taking to improve services for women with eating disorders.

Too many women with eating disorders are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health, so that people can be confident in accessing high quality support when they need it.The Department continues to work closely with NHS England to ensure that people with an eating disorder get the care and treatment they need.NHS England is continuing to expand community-based eating disorder service capacity, including crisis care and intensive home treatment, to improve outcomes and recovery, reduce rates of relapse, prevent eating disorders continuing into adulthood, and reduce lengths of stay in urgent and emergency care.Funding for eating-disorder services has increased each year, from £46.7 million in 2017/18 to a planned spend of £101 million in 2024/25.

Whether she plans to consult with stakeholders on the potential (a) duration and (b) level of support available in relation to her Department's proposals for unemployment insurance.

We are consulting on plans for a new “Unemployment Insurance” as part of the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper. As part of this, we are running a number of accessible virtual and face-to-face events on the Green Paper to hear from stakeholders, including disabled people and their representative organisations, directly. More information on these events and registration are available on the official consultation page on GOV.UK.

What plans she has for the provision of further information on the additional premium provided to claimants for the planned Universal Credit health element for the most severe, life-long health conditions.

We will ensure that those with the most severe, life-long health conditions, who will never be able to work, will see their incomes protected. We will also ensure this group face no future reassessment. We will set out further information on this in due course.

What estimate he has made of the number of adults with eating disorders that are waiting for treatment from community mental health services; and what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times.

NHS England recently published data on adult community mental health waiting times, which includes adult community eating disorder services. Services are working throughout 2024/25 to improve the data quality for these metrics, to be more accurate from 2025/26.At the end of January 2025, 206,603 referrals to community mental health services for adults and older adults with serious mental illness were waiting for a second contact. The median waiting time was 93 days, and the 90th percentile was 263 days.As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, the Government will recruit 8,500 mental health workers to help ease pressure on busy mental health services.We are working with NHS England to consider options to deliver this commitment alongside the refresh of the Long Term Workforce Plan. This will focus on the three shifts to deliver our 10 Year Plan: moving care from hospitals to care in communities; making better use of technology in health and care; and focusing on preventing sickness, not just treating it.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of improving (a) the funding of and (b) support for NHS dentistry services in rural areas.

The National Health Service in England invests £3 billion in dentistry every year. NHS planning guidance is now published for 2025/26 and confirms that dental budgets are ringfenced. Planning guidance also confirms that improving access to urgent dental appointments is a key national priority. We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in rural areas. The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.Integrated care boards (ICBs) have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the ICBs across England. For the Camborne and Redruth constituency, this is the NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ICB.

Whether he plans to use the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund to accelerate the roll out of Ground Source Heat Pumps and Shared Ground loops.

The Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund provides grant funding for social housing landlords to improve the energy performance of their properties. Ground Source Heat Pumps and Shared Ground Loops are both eligible measures under the scheme. They are supported by both the ‘On-Gas-Grid Low Carbon Heating Incentive Offer’ and the ‘Off-Gas-Grid Low Carbon Heating Cost Cap Uplift’, which provide funding to support installations of low carbon heating technologies. All measures installed under the scheme must be lodged onto the TrustMark Retrofit Portal, adhere to requirements within Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2035, and be installed by an appropriately certified PAS or Microgeneration Certification Scheme installer which is TrustMark registered.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of Car-Hill formula for funding to GPs in Camborne, Redruth and Hayle.

There has been no assessment made of the adequacy of the Carr-Hill formula for funding to general practices (GPs) in Camborne, Redruth, and Hayle.Plans to review this funding formula may be revisited in future. However, any changes would need careful planning to ensure they do not threaten stability or cause financial uncertainty for practices.We are committed to ensuring that primary medical services receive appropriate support and resources. We are investing an additional £889 million in GPs to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.

If he will make a comparative assessment between trends in levels of people hospitalised due to eating disorders in (a) England and (b) other European nations in 2024.

There are no plans to make a comparative assessment between trends in levels of people hospitalised due to eating disorders in England and other European nations in 2024.NHS England has commissioned the Royal College of Psychiatrists to deliver a national all-age eating disorders audit. This aims to drive improvement in the identification and appropriate management of eating disorders and the quality and consistency of services for all ages in England. This will help ensure that services across the country are safe, effective, patient centred, timely, efficient, and equitable.

Whether the NHS 10-year health plan for England will include dentistry services.

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts the National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. All three shifts are relevant to improving dental health in all parts of the country, and we expect dentistry services to benefit from the plan Delivering better joint working between services, and more preventative action like supervised toothbrushing programmes will all help people improve their dental health and access the dental services they need closer to home.