The Government recognises how worrying heart health can be for the families of young people. The National Health Service already offers cardiac tests for young people who present with symptoms that could indicate a cardiac issue. Testing young people who have no symptoms in order to look for potential cardiac problems would, however, be classed as a screening programme.

In considering whether any screening programme should be introduced, the Government is guided by the independent scientific advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process. Where the committee is confident that offering screening provides more good than harm, they recommend a screening programme.

The UK NSC last reviewed screening for the conditions associated with sudden cardiac death in people under the age of 39 years old in 2019. The conclusion of that review was that population screening should not be offered, as research showed that current tests are not accurate enough to use on young people with no symptoms.

The UK NSC is due to open a public consultation to seek comments from members of the public and stakeholders on screening for the conditions associated with sudden cardiac death this spring, and we would encourage those with an interest to contribute.

Ambient and indoor air pollution have long- and short-term health impacts on children and young people, for example respiratory effects including reduced lung function and exacerbation of asthma. The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants has published advice on the susceptibility to air pollution, including for children.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found that one third of schools in England in 2017 were in areas with fine particulate matter levels exceeding previous World Health Organization guidelines, particularly in income-deprived areas, exacerbating health inequalities.

A recent UKHSA review also found that 315,000 days of school absences in 2019 were attributed to illnesses related to fine particulate matter exposure.

The UKHSA is a key partner in a newly funded project focused on improving indoor air quality and its health implications, including among children in educational settings.

I am always having conversations with my friends in the Treasury. I agree with the hon. Member that flexibility and some short courses in the skills and training system are very important. Not everything has to be done according to the exact same formula and recipe, and shorter training courses have a big part to play.

The following table shows the mean and median average waiting times between referral and first contact for children and young people aged under 18 years old, in the nearest equivalent local authority areas, for April to September 2024:

Source: Mental Health Services Dataset, NHS England.

This is based on referrals that have a contact and does not include those that are still waiting.

In England in 2023/24, the number and proportion of adult patients seen in the 24 months up to the end of June 2024 was 18.4 million, or 40.3% of the adult population. The number and proportion of child patients seen in the 12 months up to the end of June 2024 was 6.7 million, or 56% of the population of children.

Figures are published by the NHS Business Services Authority and are available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324

The department is examining what provision will best meet the needs of employers and students in this important sector, which plays an important role in Cumbria.

There are 143 level 2 and level 3 qualifications in the hospitality and catering sector for 16-19 year olds that are approved for funding in 2024/2025. Catering qualifications are not due to be defunded as part of the post 16 qualifications reform.

There is a wide range of support and guidance available for employers and providers to ensure that T Level students have a high quality experience on their industry placement. This includes workshops, webinars, continuing professional development support and online guidance. Providers also receive £550 per industry placement student as part of their wider 16-19 funding allocation to support the costs of sourcing and setting up industry placements and can use their 16-19 bursary funding to support disadvantaged students to access placements.

The latest data shows that 78% of 2021 T Level starters who completed an industry placement were ‘very’ or ‘quite satisfied’ with it.

The hon. Gentleman has been entirely consistent for some time in talking about the importance of outdoor education, about which I am happy to agree. I am not sure it is always necessarily a case for law, but it is certainly important for young people to get outdoors, to be in touch with nature and to see the countryside, as well as running around enjoying PE and sporting activities.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including services to support autistic young people, in line with relevant clinical guidelines.

NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB has several commissioned services in place currently to support autistic young people and their families and has invested over £3.7 million in 2023/24 in such services. This includes an online advice and guidance service, Autism Unlocked, which has been developed for autistic people and their families, including children and young people and their parents and carers. For children on the assessment pathway for autism, the ICB has also commissioned Pathway Navigators who contact families on the assessment pathway to provide ongoing support, signposting, and resources to families.

In addition, a key worker service has been available in Lancashire and South Cumbria since 2021 to support autistic children and young people or those with a learning disability at risk of mental health hospital admission, or those in in-patient settings.

Nationally, we are taking steps to improve autism services. NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services on 5 April 2023. These documents are intended to help the National Health Service improve autism assessment services and improve the experience for adults and children who are going through an autism assessment. They also set out what support should be available before an assessment and what support should follow a recent diagnosis of autism. To meet the recommendations in this guidance, NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB is currently undertaking a review of existing provision to inform the development of an integrated neurodevelopmental pathway, including autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

In 2023/24, £4.2 million is available nationally to improve services for autistic children and young people, including autism assessment services, pre and post diagnostic support, and the continuation of the ‘Autism in Schools’ programme. Autism in Schools is a national project, which is being implemented locally by NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB, which aims to ensure schools offer environments in which autistic students can thrive, supporting good mental health and promoting a sense of belonging.

This information is not held in the format requested.

There are no plans to make such an assessment at national level. We would expect National Health Service providers and commissioners to provide services in line with guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. The standard of therapeutic provision for children under 18 years old in South Cumbria is a matter for the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board.

The information requested is not collected centrally.

I think we can agree on one thing: the hon. Gentleman’s area is a very special one. In the meantime, we have recruited at the DWP 37 progression leads who will work locally with employers and jobcentres to sort that progression and retention challenge, but I think some of his questions are for a different Department.

The department is introducing T Levels in a phased approach, with a strong emphasis on quality, both of the qualification itself and its delivery. We can only assess the impact on an industry of the introduction of T Level once we’re able to assess the positive impact the T Level makes.

The department communicated the decision to defer the T Level in Catering in March 2023, and providers have subsequently supported students interested in this T Level to find alternate learning programmes to suit their needs, with existing qualifications still funded and available until after the Catering T Level is rolled out.

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education regularly reviews its occupational standards across all sectors. It is currently in the process of engaging with a wide range of stakeholders in catering and hospitality, to ensure that the occupational standards in this sector which underpin apprenticeships and T Level technical qualifications are up to date, and fully meet the needs of employers.

There is no T Level specifically in travel and tourism, but T Levels in business and administration are well placed to develop the skills that are relevant to many occupations in this area. Students will then be able to tailor their programme by undertaking their industry placement with a relevant employer in the sector.

A range of other provision is available to those young people who want to gain skills in the Hospitality and Travel and Tourism Sectors.

There are 137 Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications in the Hospitality and catering sector for 16-19 year olds that are approved for funding in 2023/2024, and 73 Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications in the Travel and tourism sector for 16-19 year olds approved for funding in 2023/2024. Existing travel and tourism qualifications are still in receipt of funding until 2026.

The department is encouraging awarding organisations to develop travel and tourism-focused technical qualifications at Level 3, working with employers, colleges, and schools to design new qualifications that support young people to enter employment or further technical study where that is what they want to do.

Apprenticeships provide people of all ages with the opportunity to earn and learn the skills needed to start, or progress in, an exciting career in the hospitality and tourism sector. Employers in this sector can access a range of high-quality apprenticeship standards to meet their skills needs, including the Level 3 Travel Consultant, Level 4 Hospitality Manager and Level 4 Senior Culinary Chef. We want to see more young people from all backgrounds undertaking degree apprenticeships, that provide people with high-quality training and are important in supporting productivity, social mobility and widening participation in higher education and employment. Over the next two years the department is making up to £40 million available to higher education providers through the Strategic Priorities Grant, to grow their degree apprenticeship provision and form new employer partnerships.

Young people can also benefit from the Free Courses for Jobs offer of a free Level 3 qualification in Hospitality and Catering delivered by a range of providers in England. This offer was extended to include Hospitality and Catering due to a significant skills shortage in the sector following the lifting of lockdown, and robust labour market analysis showing the opportunities in this field.

All young people and learners have access to impartial, lifelong careers advice and guidance which empowers them to progress into work or the next stage of their career. This will include advice on a range of options for training in areas such as Hospitality and Travel and Tourism.

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. I would like to praise his hospitality sector. He represents a very beautiful part of the country. Of course, we want hospitality and tourism to thrive across the United Kingdom. I would be delighted, together with my colleagues, to meet him and his hospitality sector. Youth mobility is not just an EU matter; it is now a global matter. There is a great deal of work taking place on youth mobility schemes, including work that we are doing with countries outside the EU.

While funding provided for eating disorder services is not ringfenced, NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to work with mental health leads from local systems, Health Education England and other partners across the health system to support local services and help ensure the funding flows to these services as intended.

The Children and Young People’s Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Transformation Programme for Lancashire and South Cumbria has as its goal to define an integrated emotional and mental health offer for 0-25 year olds. The initial phase of the programme has resulted in a redesigned model of emotional and mental health services based on the THRIVE model for 0-19 year olds, which has been co-produced with service users and carers. Phased implementation of this model is planned to begin from February 2021.

From April 2021, the intention is to commence work to define the offer for 0-25 year olds that reaches across mental health services for children, young people and young adults, providing an integrated approach across health, social care, education and the voluntary sector.

It is intended that the specialist eating disorder service in South Cumbria, which will include one to one and family-based therapies, will commence in April 2020. This is dependant on a number of factors, including consultation with existing staff and recruitment of new staff.