Written questions by Hall.

With reference to the 10-Year Plan for Health, if he will publish further detail on proposals to increase the provision of palliative and end of life care in community settings.

One of the three ‘shifts’ that the 10 Year Health Plan will deliver is around the Government’s determination to shift healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative care and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift and were highlighted in the plan as being an integral part of neighbourhood teams.I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all- age palliative and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.To support integrated care boards (ICBs) in the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The guidance makes specific reference to commissioners defining how their services will meet population needs 24/7 and includes a priority action for ensuring that staff, patients, and carers can access the care and advice they need, whatever time of day.National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on the service delivery of end of life care for adults also includes recommendations about 24/7 access to care. Although NICE guidance is not mandatory, there is an expectation that commissioners and service providers take the guidelines into account when making decisions about how to best meet the needs of their local communities.The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to help ensure that services remove variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of funding for local authorities to deliver timely and effective SEND provision.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.The department is providing total high needs funding of over £12 billion in 2025/26 for children and young people with complex SEND in England. Warrington Borough Council is being allocated over £36 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant.The department is considering the funding required for future years and how it is to be allocated, following the conclusion of the recent spending review. Our objective is that future funding for SEND supports our plans for reforming the SEND system, which will be set out in further detail in an upcoming White Paper.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) improve and (b) simplify the SEND tribunal process for parents.

There will always be a legal right to additional support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to ensure they are supported throughout their education and into adult life.The SEND tribunal will remain an important legal backstop for families. The department is working with parents and families, our expert partners and committed workforce to ensure any changes to the SEND system ensure easier and quicker access to support for children. Ensuring effective routes to resolving disputes is an important part of delivering a system which works for children and families and we will work collectively to secure this.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increased coordination with the European Union on the mutual recognition of the Blue badge parking scheme for UK citizens travelling in EU member states.

This Government is committed to championing greater accessibility for disabled people and has informal reciprocal agreements in place with many other European countries so that Blue Badges can be used there; information and guidance on this can be found on GOV.UK. Those travelling overseas should always check local rules before using their Blue Badge abroad.Through close engagement with our French friends and allies, this Government has now secured mutual recognition with them regarding our respective disabled parking permits. This means that UK Blue Badge holders can now travel with confidence when heading to France for their holidays or travel.The Department is currently working on a similar mutual recognition agreement with Spain, and we will update GOV.UK once this is finalised.

Which hospitals will be investigated as part of the inquiry into maternity care in England.

The investigation will carry out rapid reviews of up to ten trusts with specific issues. The University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust will be one of those trusts, as outlined on 23 June. The other trusts will be identified in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to prevent developers from leaving (a) play areas, (b) green spaces and (c) other shared communal spaces unfinished or to a substandard level.

Local planning authorities (LPAs) already have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance, which they can use in instances where development has not taken place in accordance with the relevant planning consent. These enforcement powers include the power to issue a completion notice which requires a developer to complete their development if it is left uncompleted. It is for LPAs themselves to decide how and when they use their powers depending on the circumstances of each case. On 25 May, the government published a Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out (which can be found on gov.uk here) inviting views on further action the government should take to speed up homes being built. On the same day, we launched a technical consultation on implementing measures to improve the transparency of build rates from new residential development, which includes proposals to implement provisions in Section 113 of the LURA on the power to decline to determine applications. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here. Subject to the outcome of the consultation, the government intends bring forward the regulations to implement these measures at the earliest practical opportunity with the new build out reporting framework coming into force from 2026.

Whether any schools in Warrington South constituency are receiving support through the new attendance and behaviour hubs; and how her Department is monitoring the impact of this programme on pupil (a) attendance and (b) behaviour outcomes.

The department recently announced our Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme and will be announcing the appointment of lead Hubs and further information about available support in the coming months. Schools in need of support will then be matched with lead hubs.Each new Attendance and Behaviour Hub will work closely with their respective regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) team to help identify and deliver the appropriate support for schools with attendance and behaviour challenges. In addition, lead Hubs will also deliver termly regional events, including open days and training sessions, collectively reaching up to 4,500 schools per year.The programme will be independently evaluated throughout its lifespan utilising process, impact and economic evaluation methodologies.

How much of the £740 million investment to support inclusive classrooms has been allocated to schools in Warrington South constituency; and what criteria were used to determine allocations for (a) adaptations, (b) specialist units and (c) additional special school places.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision sits with local authorities.The department provides local authorities with capital funding to support them to meet this duty and has published allocations for £740 million in high needs provision capital allocations for the 2025/26 financial year.Of this £740 million, Warrington Borough Council has been allocated £3 million.This funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit pupils’ needs and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.It is up to the council to determine how they prioritise this funding to address local need in the most appropriate way.

What progress the Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group has made on developing recommendations to improve inclusivity for neurodivergent children in mainstream schools.

The Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, chaired by Professor Karen Guldberg from Birmingham University, is providing an expert view and making recommendations on how to best meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people within mainstream education settings.The group brings together experts including clinicians, scientists and academics, education professionals, and charities representing specific types of neurodivergence.The department has been clear that in developing their advice, we expect the group to draw on a wide range of inputs, including other sector experts and stakeholders, to ensure appropriate coverage of other types of neurodivergence. The group have also been listening to the voices of neurodivergent children and young people, their parents, and others who care for them.The group is finalising its recommendations.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with private sector technology providers on the (a) development and (b) scaling of (i) the GOV.UK application and (ii) supporting infrastructure.

The GOV.UK app has been developed in-house by a multi-disciplinary Government Digital Service (GDS) led team. We are committed to iterative development and improvements, and to working in the open - a core part of the GDS culture. We're actively learning, improving, and expanding what the app can do.The government remains committed to collaborating with industry experts to ensure that digital services are secure, efficient, and able to meet the evolving needs of users across the UK.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to mandate the adoption of common technical architecture and standards across departments as part of digital transformation efforts.

The Government is committed to delivering systematic shifts in how whole organisations work together to deliver joined up public services. This includes changes such as using shared digital and data infrastructure to meet common needs. The Government committed to setting up a Technical Design Council led by expert technology, data and AI practitioners, to tackle the toughest and most strategic technical decisions with the needs of the whole sector in mind. The Government also committed to consolidating guidance and standards for digital and technology, retiring out-of-date and duplicative things, updating critical ones, streamlining the information teams need and making it easier for them to understand what to do.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities in adopting AI responsibly in service delivery.

The government supports the responsible integration of AI across local government operations and services to reduce costs, drive efficiencies and improve service outcomes.My Department is working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Incubator for AI (i.AI) to deliver the ‘Extract’ tool, which uses AI to transform planning information and maps from PDF’s into data. The tool includes a human verification element, and when launched will be accompanied by guidance to support local authorities.We also continue to fund the development of AI solutions in collaboration with local planning authorities via our PropTech Innovation Fund. Previous funding rounds saw a number of AI projects balancing innovation with responsible service delivery and implementation of safeguards. The latest round, which closed June 2025, placed ethical and responsible considerations as a priority criterion for assessment, with applications proposing to develop AI solutions required to set out steps towards responsible delivery and regulatory compliance.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support (a) public sector bodies and (b) local authorities to (i) replace and (ii) upgrade legacy IT systems.

The Government is committed to ensuring that all public sector digital systems are safe, secure and stable. This includes ensuring that legacy systems are effectively managed.To support this, the Government Digital Service worked closely with HMT throughout the recent spending review to ensure that decisions on funding took into account the need to replace and upgrade legacy IT systems.The Government Digital Service will now continue to work with organisations across the public sector, including local government, to identify the most effective ways to upgrade or replace legacy services and to share best practice.

Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment he has made of the potential barriers to cross-departmental data integration; and what steps he is taking to help mitigate them.

The State of Digital Government Review identified five root causes for the issues with the current state of digital government, all of which are barriers to cross-departmental data integration: Leadership, Structure, Measurement, Talent and Funding. In addition, an extensive data management discovery has recently concluded which identified strategic, cultural and technical barriers to data capability across government.The Blueprint for Modern Digital Government sets out the first steps in the government's plans to address these challenges, including work to strengthen and extend our digital and data infrastructure. This includes developing guidance, standards and tools for fast and secure data exchange, such as a mandate for the publication of a standard set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) by public sector organisations, and the development of a cross-government Data Management Hub to support the adoption of consistent best practice. We are also expanding data sharing legislation, where necessary, and creating the National Data Library to provide the trusted data foundations needed for the delivery of a modern digital economy.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of regional differences in digital infrastructure that may affect the rollout of the digital transformation strategy.

Differences in digital infrastructure are regularly assessed through Ofcom’s Connected Nations reporting. We are committed to ensuring nationwide (at least 99%) gigabit broadband coverage by 2032 and to standalone 5G coverage by 2030 across all populated areas of the UK.88% of premises already have access to gigabit-capable broadband. To extend coverage further, Project Gigabit contracts have been signed across the UK. These contracts take account of regional differences in provision of digital infrastructure.4G coverage from at least one mobile operator has now reached over 95% of the UK landmass as a result of the Shared Rural Network, with the biggest improvements in mobile coverage being delivered across rural Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Scotland had the lowest coverage at the start of the programme, so the biggest investment has been directed there to improve coverage.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to coordinate integration of digital platforms across departments.

The Government is committed to delivering more joined up public services, reducing duplication, and developing modern digital public infrastructure that will make public organisations more integrated.The Government has also committed to introducing a Digital Backbone: the integration, orchestration and instrumentation technology needed to share capabilities and build true end-to-end journeys.The Government has also committed to launch a Digital Commercial Centre of Excellence, which will negotiate whole-of-public-sector agreements and contracting once for a limited number of high value cases, including platform services such as cloud.

Innovation and Technology, whether the GOV.UK wallet will be launched as a standalone application; and what plans his Department has for the inclusion of digital driving licences within the wallet’s functionality.

The Government is developing the GOV.UK Wallet, which will initially be released as part of the existing GOV.UK One Login app. The first credential will be the Veteran Card, followed by plans for an early version of the digital driving licence later this year. This follows on from the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government, requiring services to issue a digitally verified credential alongside any paper/card-based credential or proof of entitlement eligibility by the end of 2027.

Innovation and Technology, what role the Digital Centre of Government will play in (a) mandating and (b) monitoring digital service standards across (i) departments and (ii) public bodies.

The Service Standard provides the principles of building a good service. It’s made up of 14 points covering three specific areas: meeting user needs, providing a good service and using the right technology. The Service Standard is mandated for all GOV.UK services. If a central government service is transactional, it will be assessed against the Service Standard before it can be accessed via GOV.UK. This applies even if the service is internal and will only be used by civil servants. In ‘A blueprint for modern digital government’, the Government committed to publishing a new Digital & AI Roadmap which will set out further detail on plans to improve service standards and performance.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has undertaken a cross-Government audit of legacy systems to inform the prioritisation of modernisation efforts.

The last survey of legacy systems was conducted in 2024. The scale of legacy varies by organisation and is not consistently measured, but it is estimated to comprise 28% of systems in central government departments in 2024, an increase from 26% in 2023.Government Digital Service (GDS) has worked closely with HM Treasury throughout the recent spending review to ensure that decisions on funding took into account the need to replace and upgrade legacy IT systems. GDS will continue to work with both HMT and Departments going forward

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure digital (a) inclusion and (b) consistency across in (i) urban and (ii) rural local authorities in transforming public service delivery.

The Government is committed to improving digital inclusion and ensuring consistency in the transformation of public service delivery across both urban and rural areas. Through the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan: First Steps, the Government is working with local authorities and delivery partners to improve access to digital services and address barriers to inclusion. This includes identifying and addressing gaps in existing guidance, such as the Service Manual and Service Standard, and developing a measurement framework to support service teams in assessing and improving inclusivity. These steps will support more consistent, user-focused service transformation regardless of location.