Written questions by Dyke.

What recent assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of levels of economic cooperation with the EU on businesses.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of British Sign Language interpretation provision for deaf patients during emergency medical treatment, including for those who rely on cochlear implants

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, which includes responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate provision of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters to support deaf p...

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of Health and Social Care on the impact of employment eligibility thresholds on the ability of student nurses completing mandatory unpaid clinical placements to a

Practice learning is intended to support student development, not to meet workforce pressures. Students are not employed to provide care, do not hold contracts of employment, and are therefore unpaid. It is essential that students have the time and space ...

What assessment she has made of the impact of mandatory unpaid clinical placements on student nurses' ability to meet the employment hour thresholds required to access Government childcare support schemes.

Practice learning is intended to support student development, not to meet workforce pressures. Students are not employed to provide care, do not hold contracts of employment, and are therefore unpaid. It is essential that students have the time and space ...

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is planning to take to support households in areas where full fibre will not be available before the public switched telephone network switch-off takes place.

The Government is committed to ensuring that any risks from the industry-led migration of the analogue Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to digital Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for everyone across the UK. Ofcom have confirmed t...

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to make Animal and Plant Health Agency bovine tuberculosis testing data accessible with appropriate permissions and GDPR safeguards to private veter

The Animal and Plant Health Agency has an established process enabling cattle keepers to request TB testing data relating to their herds. Keepers need to complete and submit a request proforma to APHA. Keepers may then choose with whom they wish to share ...

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the potential merits of creating a distinct classification of responder, separate from reactor, for non-reactor cattle that test positive

The recently published recommended Bovine TB Control Strategy for England (https://tbhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-Recommended-Bovine-TB-Strategy.pdf) proposes facilitating wider access to privately funded ancillary bovine TB testing to suppor...

What consultation was undertaken with employers prior to the decision to increase the Approved Mileage Allowance Payment rate from 45p to 55p per mile: and what assessment was made of the financial impact on employe

The Government’s decision to uprate the Approved Mileage Allowance Payment and simplified expense rates for 2026/27, the first uprating of these rates since 2011, is in recognition of the pressures facing drivers as a result of the effects of the Iran war...

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing Charity ISAs to support long-term funding for the charity sector.

The Government already offers a range of tax advantaged savings accounts (ISAs) that are well placed to support individuals to donate the capital and/or the growth to a charity of their choice. In addition, Gift Aid enables charities to claim a basic rate...

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support heritage industries, such as thatching, to remain viable businesses.

DCMS has announced nearly £200m of new funding over four years to support heritage. This will build a pipeline of projects and demand for heritage trades. The department is in discussions with Skills England about training pathways, including heritage cra...

How he plans to help charities manage cashflow challenges caused by delays in receiving legacy donations.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service works very closely with representative bodies for the charitable sector, keeping them updated on current performance and sharing forecasting data on predicted receipt and grant issue volumes.HM Courts & Tribunals Serv...

For what reason existing monthly support payments provided through the EIBBS and similar schemes are being stopped or reduced for those who accept the one-off compensation payment from the Infected Blood Compens

All infected beneficiaries registered with an IBSS before 1 April 2025 will continue to receive Support Scheme payments for life, should they choose to do so. The choice to instead accept a one-off compensation payment is made by the individual. The Infec...

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of stopping or reducing existing monthly support payments through the England Infected Blood Support Scheme and similar schemes on infected individ

All infected beneficiaries registered with an IBSS before 1 April 2025 will continue to receive Support Scheme payments for life, should they choose to do so. The choice to instead accept a one-off compensation payment is made by the individual. The Infec...

What discussions he has had with local police forces on (a) the effectiveness of enforcement of legislation regulating pedlars; and (b) the processes used to verify pedlars’ certificates.

The department has not had any discussions with local police forces about pedlars, whose certificates are issued nationally. The process used to verify pedlars’ certificates are a matter for the police.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to expand circumstances in which private veterinary surgeons are permitted to use more sensitive bovine tuberculosis testing technologies in commercial set

Statutory tuberculin skin testing (SICCT) and interferon-gamma blood testing (IFNy) of cattle herds will remain the foundation of bovine tuberculosis (TB) control and will continue to be required. The recently published co-designed bovine TB Control Strat...

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the badger vaccination programme on the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in cattle herds.

Multiple published studies indicate that badger vaccination is safe and can reduce TB infection and transmission in badgers. Vaccination is now being deployed across a number of large areas, including through a newly contracted Badger Vaccination Field Fo...

Food and Rural Affairs, what modelling her Department has undertaken on the contribution of badger vaccination to achieving Officially Tuberculosis Free status in England by 2038.

Several modelling studies published by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) predict that badger vaccination will significantly reduce TB in badger populations, reducing onward risks to cattle. Further modelling work is ongoing to investigate this fur...

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to issue any further badger control licences under the current or any successor cull policy; and if she will make a statement on the timetable for the cess

There are currently no plans to issue further badger control licences. The government has committed to ending the badger cull by the end of this Parliament, and the 2025 culling season marked the final year of industry-led culling in England’s High Risk a...

Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will review the definitions of Officially Tuberculosis Free (OTF), Officially Tuberculosis Free Withdrawn (OTFW) and Officially Tuberculosis Free Suspended (OTFS) her

There are no plans to review the definitions of Officially TB Free (OTF), Officially Tuberculosis Free Withdrawn (OTFW) and Officially Tuberculosis Free Suspended (OTFS) status of bovine herds in England. The recently published recommended Bovine TB Contr...

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of whether the £92 million allocated for the Places of Worship Renewal Fund is sufficient to meet the total cost of repairs for listed places of worship.

Given the current fiscal climate, it is essential that Government support is targeted towards the areas where it can have the greatest impact, and where it is needed most. The new Places of Worship Renewal Fund (£92 million over four years) will provide g...