Written questions by Carling.

What steps she is taking to ensure the provision of full (a) training and (b) guidance on (i) arthritis and (ii) other long-term fluctuating health conditions for PIP assessors.

The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment evaluates how an individual’s condition affects their ability to live independently, rather than focusing solely on the nature or severity of their condition. The assessment considers whether a person can carry out specific activities safely, reliably, repeatedly, and within a reasonable time frame. The process does not assess individuals based on their ‘best days’; instead, it takes into account the overall impact of a condition over time, specifically considering functional limitations that occur on more than 50% of days within a given period. All health professionals (HPs) are fully qualified in their health discipline and have passed strict recruitment and experience criteria. They are also required to be registered with the appropriate regulatory body. The department authorises HPs to conduct assessments only after suppliers demonstrate that the HP has successfully completed a department approved training and appraisal programme. This process confirms that HPs possess a sound understanding of the clinical aspects and likely functional effects of a broad range of health conditions. As of September 2024, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) took over responsibility for the Core Training and Guidance Material (CTGM) used within the Health Assessment Advisory Service (HAAS). This material is provided by DWP to HAAS assessment suppliers, who are required to incorporate all relevant CTGM content related to specific conditions and assessment policies into their final training products. DWP has provided suppliers with specific CTGM on rheumatoid arthritis, alongside a broader suite of training materials covering a range of long-term, fluctuating health conditions. These contain clinical and functional information relevant to the condition and is quality assured to ensure its accuracy from both a clinical and policy perspective.

What steps her Department is taking to support disabled people who will never be able to work in North West Cambridgeshire constituency.

The social security system will always be there for those who can’t work.As part of the recent announcements, we are making changes to the rates in Universal Credit, we will ensure that the incomes of those with the most severe, lifelong conditions who will never be able to work have their incomes protected.We will also guarantee that for both new and existing claims, those in this group will not need to be reassessed in future.

What assessment his Department has made of the ability of the ophthalmology sector to deliver timely care in (a) Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB and (b) in England in the context of the proposed changes to the 2025/26 NHS Standard Contract and Payment Scheme.

Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the proposed 2025/26 NHS Standard Contract and Payment Scheme for ophthalmology services in England, or specifically for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board, we are committed to ensuring that timely treatment is available across all specialties and all areas. As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure a return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment, by March 2029. We have already made progress, delivering on our commitment to provide two million extra appointments as a first step to achieving this.We have also published our Elective Reform Plan, which sets out an expectation that performance against the 18 week standard will increase from 58% in December 2024 to 65% by March 2026, with every trust expected to deliver a minimum 5% improvement by March 2026.Planning guidance for 2025/26 also sets clear targets, including reducing the elective waiting list, but gives local systems greater control and flexibility over how local funding is deployed to best meet the needs of the people they serve.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of challenges of accessing mental health provision in rural communities.

Waiting lists for those wanting to access mental health provisions are too high across England, in areas with fewer mental health services and including those in rural communities. People with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they deserve or need, which is why we will fix the system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health and that people can be confident of accessing high quality mental health support when they need it. Nationally, we plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across children and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment. We will also introduce access to a specialist mental health professional in every school. In addition, people of all ages who are in crisis or who are concerned about a family or loved one can now call 111, select the mental health option, and speak to a trained mental health professional. National Health Service staff can guide callers with next steps such as organising face-to-face community support or facilitating access to alternative services, like crisis cafés or safe havens, which provide a place for people to stay as an alternative to accident and emergency or a hospital admission. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to commission care to meet the needs of their local population.

What role rural digital connectivity will have in the industrial strategy.

As set out in the Industrial Strategy Green Paper, access to fast, secure, and reliable digital connectivity is essential to enabling economic growth and to reap the transformational productivity benefits of digitalisation and the adoption of AI. Improvements in infrastructure, including digital infrastructure, will be foundational to success across our growth-driving sectors and to addressing place-specific constraints to growth across the country.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of recent changes to Meta guidelines on hateful conduct which allow Facebook users to refer to LGBT+ people as mentally ill.

The government is aware of the changes Meta has made to its guidelines. This change does not affect the strong protections the Online Safety Act will bring in for UK users online. The Act will oblige all social media companies to remove illegal content and content harmful to children and will give adult users more control over the type of content they see, including that which is hateful or abusive.

If his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of lowering the minimum age of mammograms for breast cancer checks.

We currently do not screen those younger than 50 years old for breast cancer due to the lower risk of women under this age developing breast cancer, and the fact that women below 50 years old tend to have denser breast tissue, which reduces the ability of getting an accurate mammogram. It may also increase the risk of overtreatment and distress for women who do not have breast cancer, but who would be subject to invasive and painful medical treatments and diagnostic tests.United Kingdom guidelines recommend that women with a moderate or high risk of breast cancer, because of their family history, should start having screening mammograms every year in their forties. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on the management of people with a family history of breast cancer was introduced in 2004, and has changed over time. The current version of this guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg164There is a large trial, Age Extension, which is exploring whether an additional screen before 50 years old would meet the UK National Screening Committee’s criteria. Results are expected in 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what progress her Department has made on improving access to pet friendly properties in the (a) social and (b) private rented sectors.

The government wants to ensure more tenants can experience the benefits of pet ownership – including the benefits to mental and physical health. Many social landlords set out their pet policies in their tenancy agreements and will allow tenants to keep pets where it is appropriate to do so. Consideration is given to whether the pets can be well looked after and any adverse effects on the lives of neighbours and those living nearby. We encourage all social landlords to adopt similar policies. The circumstances in which pets may be kept is, however, for social landlords to determine locally, taking account of the views of their tenants.The Renters’ Rights Bill will give private tenants the right to request a pet and ensure that landlords cannot unreasonably withhold consent. Landlords will be required to respond to any requests by a tenant to keep a pet within 28 days, instead of the 42 that had been proposed by the previous Government. Tenants will also be able to challenge unfair decisions by either going to the courts or the new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to prevent imports of animals with harmful mutilations.

The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by Dr Danny Chambers MP. The Bill will give the Government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to Great Britain’s pet market. We will use these powers to prohibit the bringing into Great Britain of dogs and cats with non-exempted mutilations such as cropping ears, docking tails and declawing. We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through both Houses as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to prevent the breeding of (a) cats and (b) dogs with exaggerated characteristics.

Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, licensed dog breeders and pet sellers, who breed and sell puppies and kittens, must meet and maintain strict license conditions designed to protect their animals from pain, suffering, injury and illness. Licensed dog breeders are prohibited from breeding dogs if it can be reasonably expected that on the basis of their genotype, phenotype or health, this would lead to welfare problems for the mother or the puppies. Defra provides a national communications campaign (Petfished) to help consumers to make well-informed choices. The campaign’s step-by-step guide on buying a dog includes a reminder to ensure that the dog’s physical features have minimal adverse impacts on their physical well-being and welfare.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle irresponsible pet ownership.

Defra is working hand in hand with the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to encourage responsible dog ownership, make sure dog control issues are addressed before they escalate and that the full force of the law is applied.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024 to Question 10824 on Instagram: Politics and Government, if he will ask Ofcom to investigate Instagram's limiting of political content.

The Online Safety Act has safeguards for freedom of expression and will give platforms that cross a certain threshold (known as ‘Category 1’ services under the framework) specific duties to safeguard news journalism and content of democratic importance. Ofcom will be able to review providers’ compliance with these duties when they come into effect. As an independent regulator, any investigations and enforcement decisions are a matter for Ofcom.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure egg-based products imported into the UK are from hens kept to welfare standards equivalent to those required in the UK.

The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare. The Government recognises farmers’ concerns about imports produced using methods not permitted in the UK. We have been clear that we will use our Trade Strategy to promote the highest food production standards.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of importing food produced to lower animal welfare standards than those required domestically on the UK farming sector.

The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare. The Government recognises farmers’ concerns about imports produced using methods not permitted in the UK. We have been clear that we will use our Trade Strategy to promote the highest food production standards.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of recent steps taken by Instagram to limit political content on levels of democratic engagement; and what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's polices.

The Government recognises the influence major online platforms can have on public discourse. This is why the Online Safety Act gives platforms over a designated threshold (known as ‘Category 1 services’) new duties to protect journalism and other content of democratic importance on their services. These duties are designed to safeguard pluralism in online debate and ensure that platforms in scope treat democratic content consistently and transparently.