Written questions by Raja.

What steps his Department is taking to improve support for people with (a) multiple sclerosis and (b) secondary progressive multiple sclerosis; and whether he plans to consult (a) the MS Society and (b) people with those conditions on future policy decisions.

Initiatives to support better care for patients with neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, include the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, and the Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP). NHS England’s NTP is a multi-year programme to develop a new model of integrated care for neurology services.NHS England is also updating its specialised neurology service specification, which includes multiple sclerosis. Service specifications define the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care.Involving relevant patient advocacy organisations, including people with lived experience, like the Multiple Sclerosis Society, is central to developing our policies for the National Health Service.The consultation for our 10-Year Health Plan received over 190,000 responses, including responses from staff and patients. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention. We also plan to publish our refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver a transformed health service over the next decade and treat patients, including those with multiple sclerosis, on time again The Department has convened a new United Kingdom-wide neuro forum, which brings together the devolved administrations, health services, and Neurological Alliances of all four UK nations. The forum will share learning across the UK, and will discuss important neurology service transformation and workforce challenges, as well as best practice examples and potential solutions.

What steps her Department is taking to improve access to (a) adult education and (b) lifelong learning opportunities; and whether she plans to increase funding to support (i) adult learners and (ii) local education providers.

This government recognises the value of lifelong learning and the department is investing in education and skills training for adults through the adult skills fund (ASF).Currently, approximately 62% of the ASF is devolved to nine Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the ASF to learning providers. The department is responsible for the remaining ASF in non-devolved areas.In non-devolved areas, learners in receipt of a low wage are eligible for full funding, which directly supports social mobility. The ASF also funds Learner Support, which provides assistance to learners with specific financial hardships.The department has also committed to introducing the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), a transformation to the existing higher education student finance system. The LLE will launch in the 2026/27 academic year for learners studying courses starting on or after 1 January 2027.Under the LLE, new learners will be able to access a full entitlement equal to 4 years of full-time tuition. Learners will be able to use this new entitlement to fund individual modules as well as full courses at levels 4 to 6.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that children with additional needs and without an Education, Health and Care Plan receive adequate SEN support in schools; and whether she plans to increase (a) funding and (b) access to specialist support to improve inclusive mainstream education.

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.Under the Children and Families Act 2014, mainstream schools must use their best endeavours to make sure a child or young person who has special educational needs (SEN), receives the support they need. The SEND code of practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child with SEN does not require a diagnostic label or test. Instead, we expect teachers to monitor the progress of all pupils and put support in place where needed.We are committed to improving expertise and inclusivity in mainstream schools.This includes building a robust and credible evidence base on what works to drive inclusive education. To support this, an Expert Advisory Group for inclusion has been established, led by Tom Rees, that consists of experts across the SEND sector.Following the 2024 Autumn Budget, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND, including those in mainstream schools, to over £12 billion. Of that total, Leicester City Council is being allocated over £88 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £6.6 million on the 2024/25 DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula.

Whether she has made an estimate of the number of pubs that will close in (a) Leicester East and (b) the United Kingdom as a result of employer National Insurance contribution rises.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts. The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from these changes by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change. It means employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage without paying employer NICs. Businesses will still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to increase youth participation in (a) civil society and (b) sport.

DCMS is committed to the inclusion of young people in civil society, particularly through youth social action and youth voice. DCMS funds the direct youth participation programme #iwill, which supports young people to engage in social action in their communities. DCMS also encourages participation through other funded programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh and the Uniformed Youth Fund. We are developing a National Youth Strategy and this is an opportunity to look afresh at youth participation in volunteering and civil society.The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity for every child to access high-quality sport and physical activity, especially those who are less likely to be active. The majority of our funding for grassroots sport is through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England - which invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year to improve opportunities for local communities to access sport, including children and young people. The Government has also confirmed funding for the School Games Organisers network up to the end of the Financial Year 25/26, which provides over 2 million opportunities for school children to engage in local and inclusive sporting competitions across 40 different sports and activities.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of using carbon neutral backup power sources on infrastructure in (a) Leicester East constituency and (b) England.

Annex O of the Energy and Emission Projections [1] presents Net Zero consistent scenarios for the power sector, including estimates of the low carbon power sources required to ensure security of supply out to 2050.[1] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6464ac150b72d30013344604/annex-o-net-zero-power-sector-scenarios.pdf

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of additional lorry drivers required after the reduction in volumetric concrete mixers weight limits.

The call for evidence conducted from October to December 2023 was an opportunity for respondents to present evidence, but it did not reveal significant new evidence supporting a change in policy.The outcome of my department’s review into VCMs was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review.

Whether he has made an estimate of the potential impact of replacing the fleet of RAF Typhoon aircraft with F-35 jets on the number of jobs in the defence industry in (a) Leicester East constituency and (b) England.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Stockport (Navendu Mishra) on 20 March 2025 to Qustion 38677.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing expanded perinatal mental health services for parents.

Support is already available for parents, including those of twins and multiples, who experience mental health difficulties during the perinatal period. Perinatal mental health services are available in all 42 integrated care system areas of England, and offer specialist psychiatric and psychological assessments and care for women with moderate/severe or complex mental health problems during the perinatal period. These services have also expanded to provide care to women up to two years after birth, improve access to evidence-based psychological therapies, and provide a mental health assessment and signposting support for partners as needed.In January 2025, the Department announced £126 million for the continuation of the Family Hubs and Start for Life programmes in 2025/26 in 75 local authorities with high levels of deprivation. This includes £36.5 million for bespoke perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support.In addition, NHS Talking Therapies services are also available for parents who need support with any mental health problems during the perinatal period. Anyone can refer themselves online via the National Health Service website or by contacting their general practitioner.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps he has taken to help ensure the protection of (a) Hindu communities and (b) other religious minorities in Bangladesh.

The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). In November 2024, I visited Bangladesh and discussed the importance of the protection of religious minorities, including Hindu communities, with Chief Adviser Yunus who has been vocal about support for minorities.The UK is providing up to £27 million under the Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme for protecting civic and political space, fostering collaboration, reducing corruption, and mitigating tensions that lead to violence. We also support the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and their report on the human rights violations that occurred last year. We will continue to engage with Bangladesh on the importance of FoRB.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of including retail home delivery drivers within the definition of assaults on retail workers.

I refer the Hon. Member to my response given to UIN 38705 on 24 March 2025.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate funding for improvements to maternity wards in (a) Leicester East and (b) England.

NHS England’s Three-Year Delivery plan is investing an additional £35 million between 2024 and 2027 to improve maternity safety across England.University Hospital Leicester (UHL) remains determined to transform care for its growing population and radically upgrade its estate. As part of the New Hospitals Programme, UHL plans to build a new maternity hospital at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, alongside reorganising maternity and neonatal services. This includes improved facilities at Leicester General Hospital, with a midwife-led birthing unit. The trust is finalising new timelines and assessing the risks and mitigation of managing the current estate and service configuration.NHS England will publish the findings of the National Health Service maternity and neonatal estates survey, which examined compliance against the current estates’ standards, and it will be published at the earliest opportunity.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the teaching of religious education on (a) community relations and (b) preparing pupils for work in a global economy.

It is a mandatory requirement for maintained schools and academies to teach religious education (RE) to all pupils throughout all key stages up to age 18. RE is inspected by Ofsted as part of their assessment of a school’s curriculum, as set out in the school inspection handbook. In schools with a designated religious character, schools will receive an inspection of RE provision from their religious body.The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review Group has now published a well-evidenced, clear interim report, which sets out its findings and confirms the key areas for further work. The review will be looking in greater detail at all curriculum subjects, including RE, within the next phase, proceeding on the basis of ‘evolution not revolution’. Any subject-specific findings and recommendations will be included in the final report, which will be published in the autumn.RE is an important subject that should provide pupils with an opportunity to learn about a wide range of religious and non-religious beliefs. RE should help pupils to better understand the values and traditions of different religious communities.When teaching RE, schools should consider how their curriculum can develop social skills and empathy, as well as equip children and young people with the skills for living and working in a diverse society. For older pupils, RE should also focus on developing skills that are useful in a wide range of careers and adult life, in particular the skills of critical enquiry, creative problem-solving and communication.

What steps she plans to take to help ensure that schools meet their statutory requirement to teach religious education to pupils at all stages of their schooling.

It is a mandatory requirement for maintained schools and academies to teach religious education (RE) to all pupils throughout all key stages up to age 18. RE is inspected by Ofsted as part of their assessment of a school’s curriculum, as set out in the school inspection handbook. In schools with a designated religious character, schools will receive an inspection of RE provision from their religious body.The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review Group has now published a well-evidenced, clear interim report, which sets out its findings and confirms the key areas for further work. The review will be looking in greater detail at all curriculum subjects, including RE, within the next phase, proceeding on the basis of ‘evolution not revolution’. Any subject-specific findings and recommendations will be included in the final report, which will be published in the autumn.RE is an important subject that should provide pupils with an opportunity to learn about a wide range of religious and non-religious beliefs. RE should help pupils to better understand the values and traditions of different religious communities.When teaching RE, schools should consider how their curriculum can develop social skills and empathy, as well as equip children and young people with the skills for living and working in a diverse society. For older pupils, RE should also focus on developing skills that are useful in a wide range of careers and adult life, in particular the skills of critical enquiry, creative problem-solving and communication.

Whether she has considered expanding the definition of assault of a retail worker to include retail home delivery drivers.

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers to do this. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores, sending a strong message to offenders and would-be offenders that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated. The Bill is making its way through Parliament and had its Second Reading on 10 March.As introduced, the definition of a ‘retail worker’ does not include delivery drivers. Keeping a tight definition provides legal clarity and ensures there is less ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job. Workers whose roles are not included are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, such as actual bodily harm (ABH) and grievous bodily harm (GBH).That said, the whole purpose of the parliamentary process is to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and we will, of course, consider carefully any amendments and supporting evidence.

How many hotel rooms her Department has currently contracted for the purpose of accommodating asylum seekers.

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer she received on the 3 March 2025 to UIN 32327.

What steps his Department is taking to support women diagnosed with endometriosis in (a) Leicester and (b) the United Kingdom.

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health and improving the care received by those suffering from gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis.Women in Leicester experiencing symptoms of endometriosis should go to their general practitioner (GP) for an initial consultation. GPs across Leicester can refer women with suspected endometriosis to a local women’s health hub where available. There are three women’s health hubs in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, which are North-West Leicestershire Women’s Health Hub, Rutland Women’s Health Hub and The Willows Women’s Health Hub. GPs can also refer women to the endometriosis pathway, provided by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. There are also a range of local support groups available to patients in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.Health is a devolved matter. In England, we have taken urgent action to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan. In gynaecology, the plan supports innovative models offering patients care closer to home, and piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres. Women’s health hubs also have a key role in shifting care out of hospitals and reducing gynaecology waiting lists. Clinical guidelines support healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat conditions. In November 2024 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published updated recommendations on the diagnosis, management and treatment of endometriosis. This is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng73

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 32327 on Asylum: Accommodation, if she will publish (a) the total capacity of (i) rooms and (ii) bed spaces used in each hotel to accommodate asylum seekers on 1 July 2024 and (b) the total capacity of each hotel currently in use for that purpose.

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer she received on the 3 March 2025 to UIN 32327.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding consumer choice in the water market for homeowners by offering alternative providers.

Given their inherent nature, many parts of the water and wastewater value chain are subject to natural monopolies where there is limited scope for competition in the market – meaning there is a risk companies will not deliver the services their customers want or charge higher prices to increase their profits. As monopoly service providers, it is important that water companies are held to account on poor performance and drive improvements that benefit customers and the environment. Ofwat, as the independent regulator, has the statutory duty to hold water companies to account for the delivery of affordable, secure, and resilient water services; protecting the interests of consumers whilst ensuring the companies properly carry out and finance their statutory functions. Furthermore, the Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, was launched in October 2024 by the UK and Welsh Governments to recommend reforms to reset the water sector regulatory system. On 27 February, the Commission launched a wide-ranging Call for Evidence which is open for views from all interested parties until 23 April. The Call for Evidence covers many areas, including consumer protection, the environment and public health. The Commission will make its final recommendations to both UK and Welsh Governments this summer.

What steps his Department is taking to protect consumers from fraudulent business practices.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is implementing the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act which strengthens consumer law enforcement by giving the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) new administrative powers, and the CMA and courts the ability to impose significant monetary penalties of up to 10% of turnover.The DMCC Act also bans the buying, selling, and publishing of fake reviews, and restates existing prohibitions on misleading consumers in the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (2008).DBT also funds Citizens Advice to provide the consumer service which supports consumers to resolve disputes and assert their rights.