Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what lessons his Department has learned of the effectiveness of the legal duty to provide free period products under the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the importance of women and girls being able to access the care they need for their reproductive health, including period products. That is why there are several Government schemes across England which ensure that those who are most vulnerable can access the products they need. The Department for Education’s period products scheme launched in 2020 and provides free period products to girls and women in their place of study so that nobody misses out on education because of their period. Similarly, all women and girls being cared for by the National Health Service are entitled to be given, on request, appropriate period products free of charge. All women in prison have access to menstrual products, which are typically stored in locations that allow women to collect items themselves as needed.

We are also taking steps to ensure that products are as affordable as possible. The tax on period products has been zero-rated since 2021 and, in 2023, this was extended to include reusable period underwear.

The Department of Health and Social Care will be exploring the effectiveness of the legal duty to provide free period products under the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the accessibility of the consultation entitled Growing up in the online world: a national consultation, published on 2 March 2026, for people (a) without technical expertise and (b) with limited time.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The government is committed to ensuring that as many parents and young people as possible can take part in Growing up in the online world: a national consultation.

The government has produced tailored and more accessible versions of the consultation for parents/carers and children, designed to be easier to complete and navigate, with over 45,000 responses so far.

Through ongoing engagement on the National Conversation, ministers and officials will continue to host bespoke engagement reaching hundreds of civil society organisations, industry representatives, schools and community groups right across the United Kingdom, focusing on voices which are seldom heard and hard to reach.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the survey for children and young people as part of the consultation entitled Growing up in the online world: a national consultation, published on 2 March 2026.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The government is committed to ensuring that as many parents and young people as possible can take part in Growing up in the online world: a national consultation.

The government has produced tailored and more accessible versions of the consultation for parents/carers and children, designed to be easier to complete and navigate, with over 45,000 responses so far.

Through ongoing engagement on the National Conversation, ministers and officials will continue to host bespoke engagement reaching hundreds of civil society organisations, industry representatives, schools and community groups right across the United Kingdom, focusing on voices which are seldom heard and hard to reach.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the stakeholder engagement underpinning the consultation entitled Growing up in the online world: a national consultation, published on 2 March 2026; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) clinicians, (b) police officers and (c) social workers are included.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Alongside the consultation, the Government launched a National Conversation to support broad and accessible engagement across the UK, including through schools, community settings and civil society organisations, ensuring a wide range of perspectives inform policymaking.

The Department is engaging clinicians, police officers and social workers through existing networks, representative bodies and cross‑government channels, including organisations such as the British Association of Social Workers, and encouraging contributions to the consultation.

These views will be considered alongside insights from an expert panel of academics, to help the department understand the information from the consultation in the context of the evolving evidence base.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how responses to the consultation entitled Growing up in the online world: a national consultation, published on 2 March 2026, will inform policymaking on this topic; and how those responses will be considered alongside the findings of the expert panel convened as part of the same process.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Alongside the consultation, the Government launched a National Conversation to support broad and accessible engagement across the UK, including through schools, community settings and civil society organisations, ensuring a wide range of perspectives inform policymaking.

The Department is engaging clinicians, police officers and social workers through existing networks, representative bodies and cross‑government channels, including organisations such as the British Association of Social Workers, and encouraging contributions to the consultation.

These views will be considered alongside insights from an expert panel of academics, to help the department understand the information from the consultation in the context of the evolving evidence base.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support garden centre businesses in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

From April 2026, we are introducing permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality and leisure properties, worth nearly £900 million a year and benefiting over 750,000 premises. In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the government has introduced £4.3 billion transitional support package, to protect ratepayers from large overnight increases.

The government and Ofgem are taking decisive action to inform and protect non-domestic energy consumers as well as improving access to redress when issues occur. Later this year, we will bring forward a new High Streets Strategy, to help reinvigorate our communities. These measures will provide meaningful, long-term support to garden centres, including those in Harpenden and Berkhamsted.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of garden centres on local employment and skills training; and what steps he is taking to support that sector.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department has not made a specific assessment of the potential impact of garden centres on local employment and skills training. However, garden centres operate across retail and horticulture and can benefit from the government’s wider support for workforce development.

This government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. That is why in March we announced almost £1bn in funding taking total investment to £2.5bn to further expand the Youth Guarantee over the next 3 years. This will fund an expansion of the Jobs Guarantee scheme to include 22–24-year-olds, hiring incentives for employers recruiting young people on Universal Credit at risk of long-term unemployment, and incentives for SMEs recruiting apprentices. This will unlock nearly 200,000 opportunities for young people to start work or an apprenticeship. To support smaller businesses, we are introducing a new £2,000 incentive when non-levy payers take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of supermarkets selling low-cost cut flowers and plants on the viability of independent garden centre businesses.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government acknowledges the important contribution of independent garden centres, which frequently differentiate themselves through expert advice, product quality, and a wider range of horticultural services.

The government recognises that competition between different retail formats can present both opportunities and challenges for businesses. Pricing and product range decisions are commercial matters for individual retailers, operating within a competitive market. We support a competitive retail environment that benefits consumers while ensuring markets operate fairly, and the Competition and Markets Authority is responsible for addressing any concerns about anti‑competitive behaviour.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) the number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency compared with national averages; and what steps he is taking to ensure respiratory health is prioritised nationally.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the number of FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ for Harpenden and Berkhamsted and England, for activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and provisionally for 2025/26:

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.

Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s Fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Hertfordshire can be found at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E10000015/iid/90933/age/314/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

The Government has committed to delivering three big shifts that our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.

Through our community diagnostic centres, we are building capacity for respiratory testing and enabling people to get diagnosed closer to home. 101 community diagnostic centres across the country now offer out of hours services, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning patients can access vital diagnostic tests around busy working lives. This is alongside action being taken to expand capacity and improve the quality of pulmonary rehabilitation services to support patients living with respiratory condition.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to develop a national plan for a sudden unexplained death in childhood plan.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise the devastating impact of Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) on affected families and communities. There are currently no plans to develop a national plan for SUDC. However, during a recent Westminster Hall Debate on this issue, I highlighted the Government’s commitment to strengthening pathology services, ensuring high-quality bereavement support, and growing the evidence base.

A national programme to strengthen National Health Service perinatal and paediatric pathology services was launched in 2022 to help reduce waitlists for death certification and access to screening, alongside additional funding to expand training posts.

We are encouraging research applications on any aspect of SUDC through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, alongside supporting the National Child Mortality Database which is improving our understanding of deaths in children over the age of one years old. Continued support and information for bereaved families is provided through the When a Child Dies leaflet, which is available at the following link:

https://www.ncmd.info/publications/when-a-child-dies-a-guide-for-parents-and-carers/

The When a Child Dies leaflet was updated in 2025 to include refreshed bereavement guidance and links to organisations such as SUDC UK and the Lullaby Trust. Families are also assigned a key worker to guide them through the child death review process and to help them access appropriate support and services. Further bereavement support can be found on the NHS help page, Get help with grief after bereavement or loss, and the GOV.UK page, What to do after someone dies: Bereavement help and support, which are available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/grief-bereavement-loss/

https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/bereavement-help-and-support

NHS Bereavement support is commissioned locally to help ensure services are shaped around the needs of their community. Anyone affected by SUDC is encouraged to contact their general practice, who can offer advice and refer them to local bereavement support services. We are also exploring options to ensure parents and professionals can access appropriate information and signposting, including via the NHS website.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps her Department have taken to end the routine culling of male chicks.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 January 2026 to the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole, PQ UIN 105878.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled Every child achieving and thriving, published on 23 February 2026, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the level of senior pay in multi‑academy trusts; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that funding is not diverted from the classroom to excessive management salaries.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is clear that executive pay must be justifiable, transparent, evidence-based and reflect individual responsibility. Trustees should adhere to these principles in setting pay, supported by our guidance and advice. We are taking steps to respond to instances where we see high salaries compared to peers. This includes tightening the Academy Trust Handbook (ATH) by requiring executive pay increases to be proportionate and justified, to prevent excessive increases for individuals carrying out broadly similar roles.

The department reviews trusts’ annual accounts to identify trusts with outlying levels of executive pay and engages with them to ensure compliance with the requirements of the ATH.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Statutory Instrument required to enable civil enforcement against unnecessary pavement obstruction has been drafted; and when he plans to lay that instrument before Parliament.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Statutory Instrument is being drafted and will be laid before Parliament by the end of the year.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of State Pension age changes on 1950s-born women living in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government carefully considered the findings of the Ombudsman’s report on the communication of changes to women’s State Pension age, and a detailed response including an Equality Analysis has been deposited in the House library.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the Fraud Strategy 2026 to 2029, published by the Home Office on 9 March 2026, to tackle online scams advertising on social media.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

While the Online Safety Act continues to be implemented, fraud is a ‘priority offence’ under the Act, with platforms already required to mitigate against criminals using their services and to remove scam content where appearing. Ofcom has existing robust powers to act where services do not fulfil regulatory obligations.

In the Summer, Ofcom intends to publish its register of Category 1 and 2A services and consult on additional duties for these platforms to tackle paid-for fraudulent advertising.

The Home Office’s Fraud Strategy was published on 9 March and so Government has not yet conducted a review of its impact.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent steps her Department has taken to tackle online scam advertising on social media.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

While the Online Safety Act continues to be implemented, fraud is a ‘priority offence’ under the Act, with platforms already required to mitigate against criminals using their services and to remove scam content where appearing. Ofcom has existing robust powers to act where services do not fulfil regulatory obligations.

In the Summer, Ofcom intends to publish its register of Category 1 and 2A services and consult on additional duties for these platforms to tackle paid-for fraudulent advertising.

The Home Office’s Fraud Strategy was published on 9 March and so Government has not yet conducted a review of its impact.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the trends in the length of time it takes parents who suspect their child has SEND to get an assessment in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), rests with local authorities. To support this, we are investing at least £3.7 billion in high needs capital funding between 2025/2026 and 2029/2030. In 2025/26 and 2026/27, Hertfordshire has been allocated just over £11.1 million and circa £17.3 million respectively through high needs provision capital allocations.

This funding can be used to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools to deliver more tailored support. It can also be used to improves accessibility in mainstream settings and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

Hertfordshire County Council will receive over £220 million through the high needs funding block of its 2026/27 dedicated schools grant, following a 10% per-head increase in its high needs revenue funding last year.

Across Hertfordshire, the rate of education, health and care plans issued within 20 weeks was 94% in January 2026, 97% in February, and 93% in March.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support disabled people into work in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency, we have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants. Our Supported Employment programme, Connect to Work is being delivered by Hertfordshire County Council (HCC), and is supporting disabled people, people with health conditions and people with complex barriers to employment.

DEAs in the Jobcentres supporting the constituency hold in-depth Work Ability conversations that focus on strengths, suitable work options, workplace adjustments and confidence building. There is a Weekly Wednesday Job Club for Berkhamsted customers. As part of the Pathways to Work initiative, DEAs work in collaboration with HCC to deliver joined-up services for residents by supporting disabled people into employment through our Connect to Work programme and referrals to Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies.

DWP is also working with the NHS and HCC as part of the Get Hertfordshire Working strategic plan. Representatives from DWP and the NHS co-chair the Work and Health subgroup of the plan. This group is working with local employers and key partners from the statutory, education and voluntary sectors to support residents with health conditions to both stay in and return to work through a range of activities such as employment and skills training and through providing support in managing their health conditions. The group is also developing employment pathways such as work experience, internships and apprenticeships with partner agencies.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle hate crimes in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is committed to tackle all forms of hate crime wherever in the country it occurs, including in Harpenden and Berkhamsted.

We have a robust legislative framework in place to respond to hate crimes and work closely with the police to ensure the strongest action is taken against the perpetrators of these appalling offences.

We have taken steps to strengthen this framework, through the Crime and Policing Bill, to extend the aggravated offences in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to cover hostility based on disability, sexual orientation, transgender identity and sex. This will provide parity with existing racially and religiously aggravated offences and strengthen protection for victims across the country.

We are also providing record levels of funding for protective security for faith communities, with up to £73.4 million in funding available in 2026/27.

In addition, we have commissioned an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation, led by Lord Ken Macdonald of River Glaven KC, to assess whether existing legislation is effective and proportionate, and whether it adequately protects communities from intimidation and hate.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to improve levels of confidence in the police amongst minority communities.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government actively supports the aims of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and College of Policing’s ‘National policing culture and inclusion strategy’ which aims to tackle discrimination within policing, as well as the Police Race Action Plan, which aims to address confidence in policing among black communities.

The Angiolini Inquiry is also examining a range of issues relating to processes and cultures in policing so that the public can have confidence that the police are there to protect them, and we will carefully consider any recommendations it makes.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to make it easier for parents to get support for children with SEND in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), rests with local authorities. To support this, we are investing at least £3.7 billion in high needs capital funding between 2025/2026 and 2029/2030. In 2025/26 and 2026/27, Hertfordshire has been allocated just over £11.1 million and circa £17.3 million respectively through high needs provision capital allocations.

This funding can be used to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools to deliver more tailored support. It can also be used to improves accessibility in mainstream settings and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

Hertfordshire County Council will receive over £220 million through the high needs funding block of its 2026/27 dedicated schools grant, following a 10% per-head increase in its high needs revenue funding last year.

Across Hertfordshire, the rate of education, health and care plans issued within 20 weeks was 94% in January 2026, 97% in February, and 93% in March.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of then number of school places for children with SEND in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), rests with local authorities. To support this, we are investing at least £3.7 billion in high needs capital funding between 2025/2026 and 2029/2030. In 2025/26 and 2026/27, Hertfordshire has been allocated just over £11.1 million and circa £17.3 million respectively through high needs provision capital allocations.

This funding can be used to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools to deliver more tailored support. It can also be used to improves accessibility in mainstream settings and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

Hertfordshire County Council will receive over £220 million through the high needs funding block of its 2026/27 dedicated schools grant, following a 10% per-head increase in its high needs revenue funding last year.

Across Hertfordshire, the rate of education, health and care plans issued within 20 weeks was 94% in January 2026, 97% in February, and 93% in March.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of children’s happiness at school.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department is committed to improving pupils’ experience of school, which can affect attendance, engagement, attainment and wider wellbeing.

As set out in the Every Child Achieving and Thriving white paper, the government will work with partners to produce a Pupil Engagement Framework to be published later this year. This framework will help schools to measure and improve the key factors that determine pupils’ engagement in education, including their sense of belonging and safety, inclusion and relationships with teachers and fellow pupils. By the end of the Parliament, we expect every school to monitor children’s sense of belonging and engagement, up from around 60% of schools today, and take action in line with the Framework so more children, including those who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs and disabilities, will feel a strong sense of belonging in school.

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