Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to prevent any increase in the number of women performing dangerous late-term abortions at home.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Parliament decided in 2022 to amend the Abortion Act 1967 to make home use of medical abortion pills a permanent option in England and Wales where the pregnancy has not exceeded 10 weeks gestation. Before pills are prescribed for an early medical abortion at home, the woman requesting the abortion will have had a consultation with a clinician either in person, by telephone, or by electronic means. If the clinician has any concerns about the gestation of the pregnancy during a telephone or electronic consultation, the woman will be asked to attend a clinic.

In June 2025, the House of Commons voted to add a clause to the Crime and Policing Bill which would decriminalise abortion for a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy. The bill will now progress through Parliament in the usual way and is currently being debated in the House of Lords. Should abortion be decriminalised for a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy these offences would still apply to medical professionals and third parties who do not abide by the rules set out in the Abortion Act 1967.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they propose to take to support women with long-term health conditions.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The health of women with long-term conditions is a priority for the Government.

Our 10-Year Health Plan is centred around driving three shifts in the way health care is delivered, from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. More tests and scans are delivered in the community, better-joint up working between services, and greater use of technology will support women in the management of long-term conditions. This will build on the work led by the pioneering women’s health hubs.

The Government is encouraging integrated care boards (ICBs) to expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and is supporting them to use what we learned from the hub pilot programme to improve local delivery of services to women and girls. The Government is backing ICBs to do this through record funding.

We are renewing the Women’s Health Strategy, to tackle enduring challenges and build on vital progress in women’s health.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to support high streets.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Our Plan for Small Businesses, published in July, includes measures to support high street businesses, redevelop commercial space and trigger private investment.

Later this year, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will bring forward a new High Streets Strategy, to reinvigorate our communities. Government will work with businesses and representative bodies to inform the development of the strategy.

MHCLG has also announced £5 billion funding for up to 350 places over the next decade through its Pride in Place programme and Impact Fund.

The Home Office’s High Streets Illegality Taskforce is being established with DBT representation. This will ensure a cross-government approach to tackling crime on Britian’s high streets.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in improving access to work for people with disabilities.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department is committed to reducing the Access to Work waiting times. We have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work claims by 27% and applications from customers who are about to start a job or who are renewing are prioritised.

In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people in work. We are considering all aspects of the scheme as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.

We also have recently concluded the Access to Work Collaboration Committees, in which we engaged with a range of stakeholders, including disabled people’s organisation representatives and those with lived experience, to provide discussion, experience, and challenge to the design of the future Access to Work Scheme.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they plan to take to help young people struggling to find work out of welfare dependency.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government’s ambition is to transform young people’s prospects, by ensuring every one of them has the chance to earn or learn through a Youth Guarantee.

We have already taken the first steps towards delivering a Youth Guarantee, launching eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, announcing funding to almost double our Youth Hubs, and launching an Independent Report into Young People and Work, to identify potential areas for reform to better support young people with health conditions and disabilities.

At the Budget we announced the expansion of the Youth Guarantee, backed by an £820 million investment over the next three years, to reach almost 900,000 young people. This includes expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, offering a dedicated session and follow-up support to 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit and looking for work. This investment will also create around 300,000 additional opportunities to gain workplace experience and training. In addition, it will provide guaranteed jobs to around 55,000 young people aged 18-21 through the Jobs Guarantee.

The application window for Phase One of the Jobs Guarantee opened on 29 January 2026. Through the application process, the government will identify delivery organisations to run the Jobs Guarantee scheme in the six Phase One areas of Birmingham & Solihull, East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire & Essex, Central & East Scotland and Southwest & Southeast Wales.

In Phase One of the Jobs Guarantee, the Scheme will provide over 1,000 fully funded six-month paid jobs to eligible 18–21-year-olds, who have been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months. The DWP will fund 100% of eligible employment costs for 25 hours a week at the relevant minimum wage. The DWP will also fund wraparound support to help participants succeed on the scheme and transition into sustained employment.

Phase One will be followed by national roll-out of the Jobs Guarantee across Great Britain later in 2026.