Written questions by Stone.

What recent estimate her Department has made of the proportion of disability benefit claimants who are on a waiting list for NHS treatment.

There were 7.4 million NHS Referral to Treatment (RTT) pathways where the patient was waiting to start treatment at the end of April 2025 (this includes all ages).The number of people (aged 16 to 64) not in work who left their job in the previous year for health reasons was 210,000 in 2023/24.One in every 10 working-age people in Britain is now claiming at least one type of health or disability benefit and as outlined in the Pathways to Work Green paper, when this government took office last July:o 2.8 million people were economically inactive due to long-term sicknesso the number claiming health related benefits with no requirement to work has increased by 800,000 since 2019/2020.The Work Aspirations of Health and Disability Claimants survey found that a third (32%) of those claiming health and disability benefits believe they can work now or in future. 5% say that they would be ready now if the right job or support were available. This equates to around 200,000 individuals. DWP and DHSC work closely, for example through the Joint Work and Health Directorate, to deliver better work outcomes and work experiences for disabled people and people with health conditions. This includes working across the whole of the customer journey to help disabled people and people with long term health conditions who want to work to be in the best position possible to do so. The Joint Work and Health Directorate is collaborating with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to improve the evidence on the relationship between health and labour market outcomes. The ONS plans to link NHS waiting times data (that they recently acquired access to) to Census, DWP Benefits and HMRC PAYE records to analyse the relationship between waiting time duration (for various health conditions and procedures) and labour market outcomes (such as employment status, gross pay and benefit receipt) in England. This may shed light on the role of extended waiting times witnessed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic on benefit receipt, including sickness related benefit receipt. Due to many dependencies and unknowns, ONS is not able to confirm when the analysis will be available.

If he will make it his policy that patients receive written information before hysteroscopy and biopsy procedures.

We are committed to improving women’s experiences of gynaecological procedures, such as hysteroscopies.Women should be provided with information prior to their procedure so that they can make an informed decisions about the procedure and pain relief options, including the option of local or general anaesthetic.

What steps his Department is taking to support UK businesses seeking to (a) enter and (b) expand in the Moroccan market in (i) green energy, (ii) agritech and (iii) other high growth sectors.

The Department for Business and Trade is committed to helping UK businesses export to Morocco. Supported by the UK-Morocco Association Agreement bilateral trade has been rising and reached £4.2 billion in 2024.During the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Rabat on 1st June, he co-chaired the 5th session of the UK-Morocco Strategic Dialogue with the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs. They signed a series of Memoranda of Understanding to deepen collaboration in priority sectors, including healthcare, water, transport, defence and procurement. These will enable commercial engagement, supporting UK firms expanding in Morocco’s high-growth sectors, such as digital health, infrastructure, and ports.

If she will include retail delivery drivers within the standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker.

This Government is committed to tackling retail crime. 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.Assaults against delivery drivers are already an offence (common assault) under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and are covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those delivering goods to customers and other public-facing roles.

What steps she is taking to ensure the safety of retail delivery drivers when they are carrying out government-mandated enforcement checks with customers.

This Government is committed to tackling retail crime. 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.Assaults against delivery drivers are already an offence (common assault) under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and are covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those delivering goods to customers and other public-facing roles.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of issuing fines to drivers who do not hold (a) a valid driving license and (b) vehicle insurance on revenues to the Exchequer.

Revenue generated from fines for motoring offences is retained by Departments or directed into the Consolidated Fund. The consolidated fund is administered by HM Treasury and is used to support general expenditure on public services such as policing, healthcare, local government grants and transport. Government departments that receive income for onward surrender to the Consolidated Fund are responsible for the detailed record keeping related to it. They are not required to provide HM Treasury with this detail.

If he will take steps with NHS England to publish guidance on (a) safe and (b) effective pain relief for outpatient hysteroscopy procedures.

The Government recognises that some procedures, such as a hysteroscopy, can result in pain, and the level of pain experienced will vary between individual women. It is important that healthcare professionals provide women with information prior to their procedure so that women can make an informed decisions about the procedure and pain relief options, including the option of local or general anaesthetic.Clinical guidelines support healthcare professionals to provide evidence-based care. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists published an updated guideline on outpatient hysteroscopy in September 2024. The updated guideline has particular reference to minimising pain and discomfort during hysteroscopy procedures. While the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ guidelines are not mandatory, they are designed to support high-quality care, and the Department and the National Health Service encourage local implementation tailored to patient needs. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.rcog.org.uk/guidance/browse-all-guidance/green-top-guidelines/outpatient-hysteroscopy-green-top-guideline-no-59/The NHS website also provides information for patients. The page on hysteroscopy provides information on preparing for and recovering from a hysteroscopy, including pain relief options.

Whether his Department is taking steps to help develop female-specific body armour.

Defence is an active participant in NATO work to explore options to further optimise body armour for our Service personnel, including for females. The current Tactical Ballistic Plate (TBP) project will deliver hard armour plates in a range of different sizes, thus ensuring greater comfort and integration for all users across Defence. Multiple Human Factors Integration (HFI) trials have been completed with female representation.

For what reason she has made changes to the levels of payments made out of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund; if she will publish a risk assessment for this funding change; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the funding change on future numbers and proportions of looked-after children being diverted into (a) adoptive families and (b) other types of care.

The changes made to the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) were made so that funding can be accessed by the maximum number of children and families. The level of funding per child in 2025/26 will still allow adoptive and kinship families to access a significant package of therapeutic support.The department always considers the impact of decisions on vulnerable children and reviews the risks of any policy changes.The ASGSF is an important package of support, which is why we have continued to fund it. However, it is not the only support available to adoptive and kinship families. The department is funding Adoption England with £8.8 million this year to improve adopter recruitment and support, including innovative approaches to matching and the establishment of Centres of Excellence. We are also continuing to improve the support available to kinship families, including a £40 million package to trial a new kinship allowance to support family members and friends who take in children.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of appointing trade envoys to Nordic countries.

We carry out analyses of suitable countries, regions, and markets to identify where the appointment of a Trade Envoy can be of greatest benefit to our trade and investment objectives.We remain committed to strengthening our long, positive and wide-ranging trading relationship with each of the Nordic Countries, but there are no plans at present to add any Nordic Countries to the Trade Envoy Programme.Markets such as these already have significant diplomatic, trade and investment networks, as well as receiving regular high-level visits by Ministers.

What steps he is taking to help ensure improved (a) interoperability and (b) coordination between drone systems procured by his Department.

Uncrewed systems are changing the character of warfare. The pace of military and civilian uncrewed technology evolution means our traditional approaches to acquisition, regulation and operation need to adapt. Learning lessons from the conflict in Ukraine to optimise capabilities, programmes like the RAF StormShroud is evidence of this. The Department seeks to ensure that all its capabilities have the necessary interoperability with systems and allies. Further development and investment will be directed by the Strategic Defence Review recommendations.

Whether her Department plans to update Personal Independence Payment application forms to ask whether applicants are veterans; and if she will meet the hon. Member for Swindon North to discuss the potential merits of (a) data collection and (b) tailored support for veterans.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claim forms do not ask for an individual’s occupation, past or present as it is legally immaterial to the decision to award benefit or not. PIP is based on the daily living and mobility needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability. We do not currently have plans to update the PIP forms. The honourable member is welcome to write to me to set out the potential merits of the changes he envisages, including the case for a meeting to discuss them.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will introduce a mandatory regulated size requirement for gerbil and hamster cages.

The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the LAIA Regulations) set strict animal welfare standards that commercial sellers of pets, such as gerbils and hamsters, must adhere to. The accompanying statutory guidance sets out specific minimum enclosure size standards for animals such as gerbils and hamsters in pet shops. Under these regulations, sellers must also ensure that any equipment being sold with an animal, including enclosures, are suitable for its’ needs. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 also requires owners to meet the welfare needs of their pets, including the need for a suitable environment. Anyone failing to ensure that their animal’s welfare needs are met may face an unlimited fine or be sent to prison for up to six months, or both.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will undertake an impact assessment on the XL Bully ban.

Defra is continuing to engage closely with the Police, local authorities, and rescue and rehoming organisations to monitor the impacts of the XL Bully dog ban. These measures are vital to protect the public and we expect all XL Bully owners to comply with the conditions.

What steps she is taking to support young people into (a) employment, (b) education and (c) training in Swindon North constituency.

As part of the Great Britain Working plan, we are launching a Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship, or help to find work. The Youth Guarantee will build upon and enhance existing entitlements and provisions with the aim of tackling the rising number of young people who are not participating in education, employment or training. This spring, we will be launching trailblazers in eight Mayoral Strategic Authorities and will use the learning from the Trailblazers to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls-out across the rest of England. DWP currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside our partners. For example, in Swindon DWP’s Employment Advisors are working with employers to deliver the Ready to Launch Your Career open day event on 8th April in Swindon town centre, where the focus will be to help young people into estate-agent roles with many employers from this sector involved.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to protect brown hares in England and Wales from being shot for sport during their breeding season.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only, with the potential for relevant policy to extend and apply to Wales. While the Government has no immediate plan to introduce a close season for hares in England, the policy remains under consideration as part of the Government’s plans to introduce the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation.

Innovation and Technology, if he will consider Panettoni Park in Swindon North constituency for Government funding for jobs in science and technology.

The Government is supporting local leaders to unlock their regions’ innovation potential. This includes Innovation Accelerator pilots, with innovation clusters sharing £100 million; the Launchpad programme, with 11 sites each receiving up to £7.5 million for innovation projects; and the Strength in Places Fund, which is investing £316 million in 12 projects to develop research and development capacity.I understand Panettoni Park may host data centre space. The Government is reviewing and improving grid connections and exploring other ways to enable data centre capacity, with over £40 billion in private investment in new UK data centres announced since July 2024.

What plans he has to review the Department’s approach to tackling alcohol harm; and whether he will consider introducing an alcohol strategy in this Parliament.

Under our Health Mission, the Government is committed to prioritising preventative public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. The Department will continue to work across Government to better understand how we can best reduce alcohol-related harms.

What representations she has received on the potential merits of Minimum Unit Pricing in England; and whether she plans to introduce the policy in England this Parliament.

Under our Health Mission, this government is committed to prioritising public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives.We are continuing to work closely across government to better understand what can be done to address the drivers of alcohol-related harms.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the reason that only 7% of Housing, Health and Safety Ratings System (HHSRS) inspections led to an Improvement Notice being served.

The government is committed to making sure homes are safe, decent and warm.Local housing authorities have powers to take a proactive approach to enforcement against unacceptable conditions in rented housing.Improvement notices are just one of the types of enforcement action that can be taken by local authorities in respect of hazards. Local authorities can use informal as well as formal methods to secure compliance following inspections. Through the Renters’ Rights Bill we are strengthening local authorities’ enforcement powers, including a new power to issue fines of up to £7,000 where a landlord has not taken reasonably practicable steps to remove category 1 hazards from the property.A review of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) was published in September 2022. The government is considering the outcomes of this review, in line with wider recommendations from the Grenfell Inquiry Report to make sure that the guidance is as effective and accessible as possible.