Written questions by Green.

What assessment she has made of the consistency of the implementation of anti-bullying guidance in schools.

Tackling and preventing bullying in schools is essential to ensure that schools can provide calm and inclusive learning environments. All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying. They have the freedom to develop their own anti-bullying strategies appropriate to their environment and are held to account by Ofsted.Ofsted’s renewed education inspection framework, which has been in use from November 2025, evaluates a school’s approach to bullying during school inspections. This is considered through the lens of the attendance and behaviour evaluation area but is also considered as part of the personal development and wellbeing and safeguarding evaluation areas.To support schools, the department has procured for the development of a bespoke evidence-based toolkit for teachers which will guide them through approaches to tackling misbehaviour and bullying and actions to focus on prevention.

Whether the Department plans to make anti-bullying training mandatory for school staff.

Tackling and preventing bullying in schools is essential to ensure that schools can provide calm and inclusive learning environments. All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying. They have the freedom to develop their own anti-bullying strategies appropriate to their environment and are held to account by Ofsted.Ofsted’s renewed education inspection framework, which has been in use from November 2025, evaluates a school’s approach to bullying during school inspections. This is considered through the lens of the attendance and behaviour evaluation area but is also considered as part of the personal development and wellbeing and safeguarding evaluation areas.To support schools, the department has procured for the development of a bespoke evidence-based toolkit for teachers which will guide them through approaches to tackling misbehaviour and bullying and actions to focus on prevention.

Whether she plans to update guidance on handling complaints in children's social care.

Departmental officials will be meeting with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to better understand issues with the complaints process, but at present we are not planning to update the complaints guidance. We will, however, publish updated statutory guidance on advocacy services for children, who are making complaints, this year.

What assessment has been made of the potential impact of court backlogs on health outcomes for prisoners held on remand.

The Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record and rising open caseload of nearly 80,000 criminal cases waiting to be heard in the Crown Court and too many victims waiting years for justice. That is why the Government commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to conduct an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts. On 2 December, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a major programme of court reform to tackle these unacceptable delays and restore confidence in the criminal justice system. As part of our ongoing efforts to improve timeliness and efficiency in our criminal courts, we also asked Sir Brian to review court operations and make recommendations designed to boost court efficiency in Part 2 of his review. We are awaiting that report in the New Year and will look to act on its recommendations.We are committed to working with our health partners to ensure that people in prison including those on remand have access to an equivalent standard, range and quality of health care in prisons to that available in the wider community to support their health outcomes. This is reflected in the National Partnership Agreement on Health and Social Care in England. This includes access to a range of treatments and interventions within prison as set out in the national service specification for mental health care in prisons.For prisoners with severe mental health needs, the Mental Health Act (2025) received Royal Assent in December and contains several flagship reforms to improve access to mental health care and treatment, including, but not limited to, provisions to:Introduce a new statutory 28-day time limit for transfers from prison and other places of detention to hospital to reduce unnecessary delays experienced by prisoners who require mental health treatment.Stop courts temporarily detaining people with severe mental illness in prison as a ‘place of safety’ whilst awaiting a hospital bed for treatment or assessment under the Mental Health Act; andEnd the use of remand for own protection under the Bail Act where the court’s sole concern is the defendant’s mental health.We will implement these reforms as soon as it is safe to do so.The Sentencing Bill, currently being considered before parliament, introduces a package of amendments to the Bail Act (1976), which, alongside the presumption to suspend short sentences of 12 months or less, will help to address the unsustainable growth in the prison remand population.

Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made towards publishing a formal Government response to the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report.

The government is committed to enhancing provision and choice for older people in the housing market and we will continue to consider this issue as we develop our long-term housing strategy. As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 26 November 2024 (HCWS249), the government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations from the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report including in relation to specialist accommodation for older people. The government is consulting on changes to the NPPF, including proposed changes to support the delivery of specialist forms of accommodation such as housing for older people. The consultation is open for responses until 10 March 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to require retirement housing operators to provide leaseholders with more detailed annual reporting on how management fees, including any surplus or excess sums, are spent or retained.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 95245 on 5 December 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether the proposals in the Strengthening Leaseholder Protections Over Charges and Services consultation are intended to apply to event fees in retirement villages.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 95245 on 5 December 2025.

What clinical monitoring arrangements are in place for prisoners who have been on hunger strike for more than 14 days.

Healthcare services in the prison estate are commissioned by NHS England. All prison healthcare providers are commissioned and contracted to use National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and have pathways of care in place for people refusing food and/or fluid. If a person requires hospital care this will also be available and facilitated.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS services make reasonable adjustments to accommodate additional need when treating children with (a) SEND and (b) level 3 autism.

The Government is dedicated to ensuring that National Health Services are accessible for everyone, including for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and those who are autistic. In accordance with the Equality Act 2010, public sector organisations must implement reasonable adjustments to enhance accessibility for disabled individuals. All organisations that provide NHS care or adult social care must follow the Accessible Information Standard.A key initiative being rolled out is the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag, supported by e-learning for health and care staff. The flag helps healthcare and social care providers identify and implement necessary reasonable adjustments for people, including any adjustment needs relevant to their SEND or autism, and supports provision of appropriate care.NHS England has published a range of guidance to support tailored care provision. Guidance on Meeting the Needs of Autistic Adults in Mental Health Settings highlights the need for tailored support for autistic individuals facing mental health difficulties, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/meeting-the-needs-of-autistic-adults-in-mental-health-services/Guidance on health and care passports sets out how passports should record a person’s health and care information, such as communication preferences, supporting consistent, and tailored care. Further information on this guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/health-and-care-passports-implementation-guidance/Furthermore, under the Health and Care Act 2022, all Care Quality Commission registered providers are required to ensure their staff receive specific training on learning disability and autism, appropriate to their role. The Government is rolling out its preferred package, the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism, to the health and adult social care workforce.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that clinical staff working in neighbourhood health teams have adequate expertise in Parkinson’s Disease.

The Neighbourhood Health Service will bring together teams of professionals closer to people’s homes to work together to provide comprehensive care in the community. We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations, and this could include staff with expertise in Parkinson’s care.While we will be clear on the outcomes we expect, we will also give significant licence to localities to tailor their approach to local need. Integrated care boards will, therefore, develop workforce models to reflect local population needs, with flexibility for neighbourhoods to design teams that fit their demographics and health priorities.

What the average waiting time was for the diagnosis of a neurological condition in the last 12 months.

The Department does not hold data specifically on the time taken to reach a confirmed diagnosis of a neurological condition. There is no national dataset that measures the exact time from referral to confirmed diagnosis, as pathways vary by condition and may involve multiple tests and consultations.We recognise the importance of timely diagnosis and remain committed to delivering the National Health Service constitutional standard for 92% of patients to wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029. We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring lists and 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.Additionally, by expanding community-based services for routine monitoring and follow up, employing artificial intelligence for productivity, and investing in digital tools and data, as outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan, we can ensure that consultants’ time is reserved for complex cases, including specialist diagnostic assessments, for patients with neurological conditions.

If he will make it his policy to publish regular reports on workforce numbers in neurological services.

The Department has no plans to publish regular reports specifically on workforce numbers in neurological services.However, NHS England already publishes monthly data on the National Health Service Hospital and Community Health Service workforce in England. This includes data on doctors working in specialities that support neurological services who are employed by NHS provider trusts and integrated care boards.A time series containing recent data, including selected preliminary statistics for August 2025, can be found within the July 2025 publication of statistics, within the file NHS Workforce Statistics, July 2025 Doctors by Grade and Speciality. Within this file, the full-time equivalent numbers of doctors working in specialities that come under neurological services are available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statisticsThere are many other professions who are key to the delivery of neurological services, such as nurses, speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists. However, the data published on these professions is not detailed enough to show the service delivery area which these professions work in.

What estimate he has made of the number of clinical specialists in Parkinson's disease that will need to be recruited in each of the next five years.

No specific assessment has been made.

If his Department will publish detailed independent workforce modelling ahead of publication of the 10 Year Workforce Plan.

The Government is committed to updating workforce modelling which will be set out in and alongside the 10 Year Workforce Plan when it is published in spring 2026. As we develop the modelling for the 10 Year Workforce Plan, it will be supported by external independent scrutiny.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that child maintenance calculations adequately reflect disparities in parents' earning, regardless of custody arrangements.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates on the principle that both parents have financial responsibility for their child, including their food and clothing, as well as contributing towards the associated costs of running the home that the child lives in. The maintenance calculation is intended to represent what a parent would pay for their child if they lived with them. We assume that in the event of a disparity in parental income, parents will each still spend the same proportion of their income on their child(ren) - but one parent will bear a greater amount of the overall spending on the children where their income is higher. The income of the receiving parent is therefore not included as they are already providing as the child’s primary care giver and therefore spending the amount they would if the parents lived together.If a parent feels that a decision taken by the Child Maintenance Service is incorrect, they can ask it to look at the decision again. This is known as a mandatory reconsideration.The CMS is aware that paying parents can face difficulties when attempting to spend meaningful time with their child following separation. Issues relating to access and contact are managed by family courts, however, reductions can be made for the extra cost of care where it is shared by the paying parent. The paying parent must have overnight care of any qualifying children for at least 52 nights a year, equivalent of 1 night per week. The amount payable is reduced by a maximum of fifty percent within bands based on the number of nights overnight care is provided over a 12-month period. The bands are used to give greater stability to maintenance payments and as a result there is greater reliability of payments, which contributes towards the welfare of the children in the case. If evidence shows that both parties are providing equal day-to-day care of a qualifying child, in addition to sharing overnight care, there is no requirement for either parent to pay child maintenance. The Government is conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This includes updating the underlying research and considering how to ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends. Options for proposed reforms are currently being considered. Any changes made to the child maintenance calculation will be subject to extensive public consultation, and if made, will require amendments to legislation so would be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.

How the 10 year Workforce Plan will help tackle regional variations in access to specialist care for people with (a) long-term and (b) complex conditions.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. Its development will include consideration of regional variations in access to specialist care.We are committed to working with partners to ensure the plan meets its aims and will engage independent experts to make sure the plan is ambitious, forward looking, and evidence based.

What estimate she has made of the total sums paid by learner drivers to DVLA for resitting their Theory Test because they have been unable to access a practical driving test before their previous certificate expired.

The validity period of the theory test certificate is two years. The cost of taking a theory test is £23.00. It is not possible to estimate the total sums paid by learner drivers for resitting their theory test because they have been unable to access a practical driving test before their previous certificate expired. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is doing everything it can to ensure that learners can access practical tests within that time, to prevent candidates from having to retake the theory test. The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is in place to ensure a candidate’s road safety knowledge and ability to identify developing hazards is current. This validity period is set in legislation and the Government has no current plans to lay further legislation to extend it. Ensuring new drivers have current relevant knowledge and skills is a vital part of the preparation of new drivers, who are disproportionality represented in casualty statistics. Learners will therefore need to pass another theory test if their certificate expires.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the validity of the Driving Theory Test certificate, in the context of long waiting times for practical driving tests.

The validity period of the theory test certificate is two years. The cost of taking a theory test is £23.00. It is not possible to estimate the total sums paid by learner drivers for resitting their theory test because they have been unable to access a practical driving test before their previous certificate expired. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is doing everything it can to ensure that learners can access practical tests within that time, to prevent candidates from having to retake the theory test. The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is in place to ensure a candidate’s road safety knowledge and ability to identify developing hazards is current. This validity period is set in legislation and the Government has no current plans to lay further legislation to extend it. Ensuring new drivers have current relevant knowledge and skills is a vital part of the preparation of new drivers, who are disproportionality represented in casualty statistics. Learners will therefore need to pass another theory test if their certificate expires.

What standards and speed of response she expects from HMRC in providing details of settlements reached with companies to hon. Members.

HMRC have a statutory duty of confidentiality to protect information held about taxpayers, so that such information is not passed to unauthorised parties. HMRC’s ability to disclose information held about taxpayers is restricted by the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 (CRCA). Section 18 of CRCA makes clear that HMRC must not disclose information to anyone, unless they have lawful authority to do so. As such HMRC are unable to provide details of any customers’ tax settlements with MPs.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the mechanisms available to Parliament to hold HMRC to account for the effectiveness of its safeguarding of public money.

HMRC is subject to the same parliamentary scrutiny mechanisms for its stewardship of public resources as other government departments, as set out in HM Treasury's Managing Public Money guidance, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/managing-public-money. This means the department’s annual report and accounts must be produced in line with the requirements set out by HM Treasury, audited by the Comptroller & Auditor General and laid in Parliament. In addition, HMRC's Accounting Officer is directly accountable to Parliament and regularly appears before the Committee of Public Accounts. HMRC is also subject to departmental scrutiny by the Treasury Committee.