Julia Lopez

This Government believes that grassroots sports facilities are crucial in supporting people to be more active up and down the country and the power of creating a lasting legacy from events such as the upcoming World Cups.

The funding arrangements for the Future of Cricket Fund will be considered as part of the Spending Review. We continue to engage with the England and Wales Cricket Board on this matter.

This Government believes that grassroots sports facilities are crucial in supporting people to be more active up and down the country and the power of creating a lasting legacy from events such as the upcoming World Cups.

The funding arrangements for the Future of Cricket Fund will be considered as part of the Spending Review. We continue to engage with the England and Wales Cricket Board on this matter.

Discussions between and within the two departments have been ongoing since the General Election, based on the Government’s belief in both human-centred creativity and the potential of technology to open up new creative frontiers. The whole government is committed to ensuring AI development supports, rather than undermines the power of human creativity, innovation and the provision of trustworthy information.

The Secretary of State also intends to meet with counterparts across government to discuss a range of issues to ensure the continued growth of our world-leading creative industries. This will include artificial intelligence models and their impact on the creative industries, which will require close collaboration between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Intellectual Property Office.

The Government is committed to the licence fee for the remainder of the current Charter period. The Government will keep an open mind about the future of the licence fee, and will engage with the BBC and other relevant stakeholders before deciding on next steps.

The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland is responsible for the redevelopment of Casement Park. We want the whole of the UK to benefit from hosting EURO 2028, which is why the Government is looking closely at the Casement Park redevelopment.

This Government has taken swift action, working at pace with all the partners involved to assess the options available.

We will update the House regarding redevelopment of the stadium for EURO 2028 as soon as we are in a position to.

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity.

The department estimates the number of private group-based providers in England via its annual survey of providers. In 2024, the number of private group-based providers was estimated at 21,200 as of July 2024. Full information can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey/2024.

The department does not hold the information requested for the other date in question.

Under the education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment process, local authorities must seek information and advice from a range of partners, including the child or young person and their parents, their school or college (if any), health and social care partners, an educational psychologist and other relevant professionals.

If it is determined necessary for special educational provision to be made for the child or young person, the local authority must prepare an EHC plan which will say clearly what the child or young person’s needs are and what help they will be entitled to.

We know that families face issues with EHC plans and that it can sometimes take a long time for support to be delivered.

This government believes that in a well-functioning system, that is why we are committed to addressing the systemic issues that make special educational needs and disabilities support so hard to access for many families.

We are thinking about how to protect support for the children that will always need specialist placements, and make accessing that support less bureaucratic and adversarial, and how we can intervene earlier so support can be provided regardless of whether a legal plan is in place.

I refer the hon. Member for Hornchurch and Upminster to the answer of 2 June 2025 to Question 53641.

The feasibility work for Upminster station is underway and we expect all 50 of the feasibility studies announced last year to be complete in the spring. We expect to be able to confirm which stations will move forward over the summer. The Access for All programme continues to be heavily oversubscribed.

We remain committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognise the valuable social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

Following the previous government's announcement on 24th May 2024, we are carefully considering the best approach to the Access for All programme. Given the short time since the general election, I regret I am not yet able to comment on next steps regarding specific stations, including Upminster station. However, please be assured that we are committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognise the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

The PIP Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) backlog has reduced by around 6,900 since July 2024. Intakes in March were higher than anticipated so there is still a backlog of 6,400. We are increasing resources available for PIP MRs by recruiting decision makers.

The most recent PIP official statistics release, which was published in March 2025, has data up to January 2025. The median PIP MR clearance time in January was 71 calendar days.

Personal Independence Payment statistics to January 2025 - GOV.UK

This winter, during a six-week period, the Department communicated with pensioners regarding the change in eligibility for the Winter Fuel Payment and also included an update on its Scottish equivalent. Around 13 million letters were issued to individuals who may have previously had entitlement to a Winter Fuel Payment, and who may have been expecting to receive a letter about the Payment this winter.

The letter informed recipients of the qualifying benefits for receipt of a Winter Fuel Payment and encouraged pensioners to check if they may be eligible for Pension Credit and how to make a claim. Additionally, the letter emphasised other benefits that becoming eligible for Pension Credit may offer, such as assistance with housing costs, energy bills, and a free TV licence for those over 75.

The cost of the exercise was £7.5 million; similar to the cost of sending out letters in previous years, where the Department has written to pensioners about the Winter Fuel Payment.

As we work to bring NHS England and the Department together, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds and will put plans in place to ensure continuity of care. For 2025/26, national funding has been made available to support delivery of Type 1 Disordered Eating (T1DE) services up to 31 March 2026 in the five current pilot site areas based in Coventry and Warwickshire, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, Humber and North Yorkshire, Cheshire and Mersey, and Norfolk and Waveney.

The funding allocated to the relevant integrated care boards (ICBs) has been ring fenced which means that the funding should be protected for T1DE in 2025/26 rather than reallocated to cover other costs.

Funding for the T1DE pilot programme has been provided to sites on a pump prime basis, to allow the services to establish, feed into the national evaluation and generate the evidence that would be required to attract longer term sustainable local funding, following this initial period of national investment.

NHS England is undertaking a national evaluation of the five pilot services and to support local teams to make the case to the relevant ICB for longer term continuation of services, will provide an evaluation report in summer 2025. This will include data on patient outcomes, insight into staff and patient experience and analysis of National Health Service costs and savings to run the services, alongside supportive resources such as a model business case and commissioning support tool.

A central mission of the Government is to build a health and care system fit for the future. To achieve this, it is crucial that we tackle preventable ill health, such as type 2 diabetes.

The highly effective NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme continues to be delivered. Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead the formation of a new joint centre. As we work to bring the two organisations together, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds and put plans in place to ensure continuity of care.

As we work to bring NHS England and the Department together, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds, and will put plans in place to ensure continuity of care.

The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job. We will empower staff to focus on delivering better care for patients, driving productivity up, and getting waiting times down.

A central mission of the Government is to build a health and care system that is fit for the future. Tackling preventable ill health such as type 2 diabetes is crucial. Shifting the focus from treatment to prevention is one of three shifts for the Government’s mission for a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and is a cornerstone of supporting people to live healthier lives.

Any updates to a declaration of interest will be published in the Register of Interests in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, and on the GOV.UK website, in alignment with Government policy.

At this stage, while we are scoping the transformation programme, it is too early to share details of any redundancy programmes and what any terms will be regarding the clawback of redundancy payments.

The leadership of the Department and NHS England will communicate information about these reforms to staff at the earliest opportunity, and are committed to a culture of transparency.

None.

It is the role of Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners (including Mayors with PCC responsibilities) to make decisions about their resources and estates, based on their local knowledge and expertise.

This Government is committed to supporting the Metropolitan Police by providing them with £3.8 billion of funding in the 2025-26 police settlement. This is a £262.1 million increase when compared with the 2024-25 settlement, equating to a 7.4% cash increase.

The Metropolitan Police will receive up to £3.8 billion in 2025-26, an increase of up to £262.1 million compared to the 2024-25 funding settlement. This represents a 7.4% cash increase and 4.9% real terms increase in funding.

No new hotels have been commissioned to accommodate asylum seekers in the London Borough of Havering since 10 October 2024.

When a hotel has been identified for use as contingency accommodation, Home Office officials will write to the local authority Chief Executive and the constituency MP to inform them of plans to accommodate asylum seekers there.

No new hotels have been commissioned to accommodate asylum seekers in the London Borough of Havering since 10 October 2024.

When a hotel has been identified for use as contingency accommodation, Home Office officials will write to the local authority Chief Executive and the constituency MP to inform them of plans to accommodate asylum seekers there.

Robust auditing processes are in place to ensure that all Fire Risk Appraisals of External Walls (FRAEWs) for buildings in the Government’s remediation funding programmes meet appropriate standards before the associated funding application can progress. Where required, feedback is given to allow assessors to make appropriate changes to the FRAEW to address any deficiencies identified. Reassessments of appraisals are not therefore necessary.

EWS1s are not a legal or regulatory requirement. Their use is a commercial decision by lenders and subject to their individual lending criteria. If residents have concerns about the fire safety of their building they should raise this with the building owner or person responsible for fire safety.

The Institution of Fire Engineers is an independent organisation following bespoke reporting and investigation processes. Following the publication of the Grenfell Tower Fire Inquiry Report, the Department is reviewing the findings and recommendations in relation to the fire engineering sector.