Written questions by Hayes.

What steps she is taking to support and encourage local authorities to make buses more accessible, including ensuring pavement quality, fewer obstacles, better lighting at bus stops, and improved Passenger Information Displays (PIDs).

The Government is committed to improving passenger services, including associated infrastructure, so they are more inclusive and enable everyone to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. Our Bus Services Act 2025 includes a range of measures to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of local transport. This includes a measure which will enable the Secretary of State for Transport to publish statutory guidance on inclusive bus stations and stops, and to require specified public sector bodies to pay regard to it when they provide new or upgrade existing facilities. The guidance will help authorities to provide infrastructure that people can and want to use, helping to ensure that they are not prevented from using bus services because of inadequate safety or accessibility. Its scope and content, including the specific bus stop features covered, will be developed collaboratively with key stakeholder groups, including disabled people. The Government has confirmed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant totalling nearly £700 million per year. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services can be used in whichever way they wish to deliver better services for passengers, including delivering improvements to the accessibility of bus stops and stations.

How will his Department ensure Integrated Care Boards are held accountable for homelessness health outcomes, including hospital discharge into safe accommodation and access to primary care.

People experiencing homelessness are considered as an inclusion health group. Inclusion health groups are a key cohort within the locally identified priority ‘PLUS’ populations in NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 framework, in accordance with which, integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for reducing inequalities in health outcomes and improving equitable access to healthcare treatments and services. Further information on NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 framework is avaiable at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/equality/equality-hub/national-healthcare-inequalities-improvement-programme/core20plus5/ NHS England also published A national framework for NHS – action on inclusion health, which supports ICBs to plan, develop, and improve health services to meet the needs of people in inclusion health groups. This framework is avaiable at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/a-national-framework-for-nhs-action-on-inclusion-health/ Additionally, NICE guideline 214 on Integrated health and social care for people experiencing homelessness supports ICBs to improve homelessness health outcomes, and we continue to explore ways to encourage ICBs to adopt and embed this advice in their commissioning processes. Further information on this advice is available at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng214 In December 2025, the Government published the National Plan to End Homelessness and Rough Sleeping which commits to ensuring no one eligible for homelessness assistance is discharged to the street after a hospital stay, and which is avaiable at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessness/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessnessThe Government will work with the National Health Service and local authorities to improve the implementation of the 2024 guidance Discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, and the effective use of existing funding streams to support intermediate care services tailored to the needs of people experiencing homelessness. The guidance Discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness is avaiable at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/discharging-people-at-risk-of-or-experiencing-homelessness/discharging-people-at-risk-of-or-experiencing-homelessness

What steps she is taking to help improve the design of buses to include (a) clear and accessible destination boards; (b) consistent (i) placement, (ii) shape and (iii) colour contrast of card and travel pass readers; and (c) a consistent, clear, highlighted gap in the assault shield to make payments.

The Government wants blind and partially sighted people to be able to travel easily, confidently, and with dignity and we understand the importance of accessible bus services in supporting people to live their lives the way they want to. As part of our broader mission to break down barriers to opportunity, we recognise that more needs to be done to ensure transport is accessible to all.Our Bus Services Act 2025 includes a comprehensive package of measures to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of local transport. Through the Act, we are helping authorities to provide safer and more accessible bus stations and stops and mandating more streamlined disability training for bus drivers and frontline staff. In addition, we are requiring local authorities to regularly review the accessibility of their bus networks through the development and publishing of a Bus Network Accessibility Plan.We are also continuing the implementation of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations (AIR), which will require audible and visible destination and next stop information on board most local bus services in Great Britain by October 2026.Working with disabled people, operators, and regulators, we are designing an Accessible Travel Charter. This will set clear expectations for transport providers to implement accessibility best practice and commitments for accessible, barrier-free transport, that every passenger-focused operator should meet.We cannot achieve this alone however, and I welcome the industry’s leadership in improving accessibility beyond minimum standards. For instance, in 2024 bitesize training modules were published by the Thomas Pocklington Trust and its visually impaired Sight Loss Council volunteers, developed collaboratively with Brighton and Hove Buses and Bus Users UK, to strengthen drivers’ understanding of the needs of blind and partially sighted bus passengers.

What steps are being taken to ensure prison leavers have housing and health plans in place before release.

We are committed to ensuring that robust pre-release plans are created for those leaving custody, so that accommodation and health needs are identified early and the right support is put in place. Dedicated Pre-Release Teams in prisons work closely with individuals to identify immediate needs, coordinate referrals to relevant services, and support continuity between custody and the community.To support continuity of care and swift access to treatment on release, we have recruited over 67 Health and Justice Partnership Coordinators who strengthen drug and alcohol recovery pathways by building partnerships between prison, probation and treatment providers and we are enabling virtual pre-release appointments with community treatment providers via secure laptops. The Probation Notification Actioning Project, now in place across all prisons, standardises how probation staff are informed of ongoing drug and alcohol treatment needs. NHS England’s RECONNECT service also supports prison leavers with identified health needs, to engage with the right health services in the community. Services work with people up to 12 weeks before release, and 6 months post-release.In the National Plan to End Homelessness, the Government has committed to reduce the proportion of people released from prison homeless by 50% by the end of this parliament. 50 prison-based Strategic Housing Specialists across England and Wales work with probation teams and Local Authorities to enable a multi-agency approach to securing housing before release. We are also investing in integrating digital community accommodation services to make it easier to identify and match individuals to the right housing-related support at the right time.

Whether she has investigated the potential for a national rollout of a tactile paving design to allow bus stops to be easily identified.

The Department recognises the importance of visually impaired people being able to identify bus stops confidently and consistently. The new powers in the Buses Bill allow the Secretary of State to provide guidance on a broad range of features in the bus station and stop environment which support passengers to make safe and accessible journeys.The Department has no current plans for a national rollout of a tactile paving design for bus stops. The Department has already published guidance for local authorities on tactile paving design in Guidance on the Use of Tactile Paving Surfaces, which is available to view here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-mobility-using-tactile-paving-surfaces

Will his Department bring forward a dedicated homelessness health strategy.

The Government’s commitments to improving health outcomes and access to healthcare services for people experiencing homelessness are set out in the cross-Government strategy, A National Plan to End Homelessness, published in December 2025, available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessness/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessnessWe are committed to its ambition that no one should leave a public institution into homelessness. In health, this means ensuring that no one eligible for homelessness assistance is discharged to the street after a hospital stay by embedding best practice across National Health Service and local systems and working jointly with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on a delivery plan. We are also committing to wider measures in the strategy to tackle health inequalities, including improving access to mental health and substance misuse services, and updating statutory guidance to strengthen safeguarding responsibilities for people experiencing homelessness.For this reason, we currently do not have plans to introduce a dedicated homelessness health strategy.

What action is being taken to simplify Universal Credit housing cost processes for vulnerable claimants and reduce waiting times.

Processes for declaring and verifying Universal Credit housing cost are designed to be simple and ensure timely and accurate payments. For Private Rented Sector (PRS) claimants, we ask for evidence of housing cost liability via secure upload, with alternatives for those claimants who can’t, or choose not to, verify in this way. For the vast majority of Social Rented Sector (SRS) cases (around 95%), we verify housing costs through the landlord portal, which provides a direct response within a few days. For the small proportion of SRS cases not covered by the portal, verification is completed via email, which can take a little longer. We are not aware of any significant problems with these processes at present. Payment timeliness has remained stable since the introduction of the landlord portal in 2017–19. We continuously evaluate the service and, where concerns are identified, we look to change or improve the way we deliver the service. This approach is intended to keep processes as simple and efficient as possible for all claimants, including those who are vulnerable.

Whether his Department plans to expand the use of direct payments to landlords for vulnerable tenants to prevent evictions and sustain tenancies.

Alternative Payment Arrangements are available to support those who cannot manage the Universal Credit (UC) single monthly payment, and where there is a risk of financial harm to the customer or their family. This includes direct payments to landlord for customers who have significant budgeting difficulties or rent arrears. Direct payment requests are considered on a case-by-case basis and can be considered at the start or at any point during the UC claim to support the tenancy for the home the customer currently lives in. The need may be identified in the Service Centre, Jobcentre or requested by the claimant, their appointee, caseworker or landlord advising of a vulnerability, rent arrears or risk of eviction.

How her Department is improving training to ensure bus drivers understand how best to support blind and partially sighted passengers.

The Government wants blind and partially sighted people to be able to travel easily, confidently, and with dignity and we understand the importance of accessible bus services in supporting people to live their lives the way they want to. As part of our broader mission to break down barriers to opportunity, we recognise that more needs to be done to ensure transport is accessible to all.Our Bus Services Act 2025 includes a comprehensive package of measures to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of local transport. Through the Act, we are helping authorities to provide safer and more accessible bus stations and stops and mandating more streamlined disability training for bus drivers and frontline staff. In addition, we are requiring local authorities to regularly review the accessibility of their bus networks through the development and publishing of a Bus Network Accessibility Plan.We are also continuing the implementation of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations (AIR), which will require audible and visible destination and next stop information on board most local bus services in Great Britain by October 2026.Working with disabled people, operators, and regulators, we are designing an Accessible Travel Charter. This will set clear expectations for transport providers to implement accessibility best practice and commitments for accessible, barrier-free transport, that every passenger-focused operator should meet.We cannot achieve this alone however, and I welcome the industry’s leadership in improving accessibility beyond minimum standards. For instance, in 2024 bitesize training modules were published by the Thomas Pocklington Trust and its visually impaired Sight Loss Council volunteers, developed collaboratively with Brighton and Hove Buses and Bus Users UK, to strengthen drivers’ understanding of the needs of blind and partially sighted bus passengers.

Whether her Department recognises the challenges of visually-impaired people in using bus stop bypasses; and whether she is developing safe, accessible designs for these bus stops.

The Department wrote to local authorities in November 2025 and instructed them to pause implementation of certain designs of floating bus stops, including schemes which are at the design stage. Guidance will be published shortly.

What steps is the Department taking to remove barriers preventing community homelessness health services, such as mobile clinics, from accessing NHS SystemOne records.

It is important that community health teams can access the information they need to provide quality care, including for people who are experiencing homelessness. NHS England and the Phoenix Partnership (TPP), the company that provides SystemOne, already offer several routes for some clinicians to view records outside of GP settings.These include national services such as GP Connect and the National Care Records Service (NCRS), which allow clinicians to see key information from GP records. NCRS can also be used on mobile devices such as iPads. Integrated care systems are rolling out Shared Care Records, which give clinicians wider access to both GP and secondary care records, where appropriate.More broadly, the Government’s commitments to improve health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness are set out in the cross-government strategy, A National Plan to End Homelessness. Through this strategy, we are working with NHS England, local authorities, and third sector partners to strengthen integrated care pathways. This includes improving collaboration between primary care, outreach teams, and community services. More information about the strategy is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessness/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessnessThe Single Patient Record will enable improvements as it will provide a comprehensive view of health and care information across care settings. It will give both patients and professionals secure access to a single, accurate and up-to-date record – wherever and whenever it's needed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Hungarian counterparts on the potential prosecution of Pecs Pride organiser Géza Buzás-Hábel.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 24 July 2025 to question 68978. I can assure him that we raise issues concerning LGBT+ rights and human rights regularly at ministerial and official level with our Hungarian counterparts, and I have done so directly. Our Embassy in Budapest also works to support human rights, including LGBT+ rights in Hungary through engagement with civil society organisations locally.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Hungarian counterparts on LGBTQ+ human rights.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 24 July 2025 to question 68978. I can assure him that we raise issues concerning LGBT+ rights and human rights regularly at ministerial and official level with our Hungarian counterparts, and I have done so directly. Our Embassy in Budapest also works to support human rights, including LGBT+ rights in Hungary through engagement with civil society organisations locally.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the OBR's report entitled Economic and fiscal outlook, published in November 2025.

The OBR’s November 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook is a detailed document, and plays a key role in our robust and transparent fiscal framework.The report shows that growth is up this year, that living standards are up over the Parliament, and that we are getting borrowing and debt down.

Whether the Government’s new school-based nurseries will be operated by the public or private sector.

High quality early years is central to our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity, give every child the best possible start in life and is essential to our Plan for Change. School-based nurseries are one part of our diverse and vibrant early years landscape, and this government is boosting availability and access to early years places through the School-based nursery programme.The programme’s new and expanded nurseries are being delivered both by schools and private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers. 27 of the 300 schools awarded funding in phase 1 of the School-based nurseries programme partnered with a PVI provider.Phase 2 of the programme will continue to encourage these partnerships. Schools have until 11 December to apply for up to £150,000 of capital funding.The department will continue working closely with the early years sector to scale the programme effectively, ensuring new provision meets the needs of children, parents and schools, and works within the local market.

What recent discussions she has had with children’s nursery operators on (a) the viability of that sector and (b) the adequacy of the level of funding for childcare provided by the Government.

In 2025/26 alone, the government expects to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements, increasing to over £9 billion in 2026/27, and we have increased the early years pupil premium by over 45%. We have also provided further funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant.At the 2025 Spending Review, the government announced it will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents, boosting children’s life chances and work choices for their parents. We will also spend over £400 million over the next four years to deliver school-based nurseries across England.The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

Whether she intends to increase the level of free childcare funding for each child.

It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high quality early years provision going forward.In financial year 2025/26 alone, the government expects to spend over £8 billion on the early years entitlements, and we have increased the early years pupil premium by over 45%.Next year, in financial year 2026/27, funding for the early years entitlements is expected to increase to over £9 billion. This funding reflects a full year of eligible working parents being able to access 30 hours of childcare from 9 months until their children start school, and an expected increase in funding rates. Local authority hourly funding rates for 2026/27 will be confirmed in the usual way before the end of this year.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of free childcare places in Bournemouth.

In 2025/26 alone, the government expects to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements, increasing to over £9 billion in 2026/27, and we have increased the early years pupil premium by over 45%. We have also provided further funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant.At the 2025 Spending Review, the government announced it will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents, boosting children’s life chances and work choices for their parents. We will also spend over £400 million over the next four years to deliver school-based nurseries across England.The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

What steps she is taking to encourage people to obtain early years qualifications.

Our Best Start in Life strategy sets out how we are improving the quality of early education by investing in training and qualifications, increasing understanding of high-quality practice and providing more access to proven, evidence-based early years programmes. This includes introducing a faster assessment only route for experienced staff to achieve Level 3 recognition, similar to those in other education professions.The department is also transforming apprenticeships into a new growth and skills offer, with shorter, more flexible training options. Recent reforms to the English and maths requirements will allow many thousands more apprentices to qualify each year.We are also investing in opportunities to become an early years teacher, aiming to more than double the number of funded places on early years initial teacher training by 2028, providing financial support for employers delivering the new degree apprenticeship route, and offering financial incentives for early years teachers working in disadvantaged areas.Finally, we continue to help more people discover rewarding early years careers through our ‘Do something BIG’ national recruitment campaign.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of (a) part-time and (b) flexible childcare places.

In 2025/26 alone, the government expects to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements, increasing to over £9 billion in 2026/27, and we have increased the early years pupil premium by over 45%. We have also provided further funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant.At the 2025 Spending Review, the government announced it will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents, boosting children’s life chances and work choices for their parents. We will also spend over £400 million over the next four years to deliver school-based nurseries across England.The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.