I am not sure that notes from sitting Secretaries of State to their successors necessarily work out all that well, as the Prime Minister said from this Dispatch Box yesterday. Let me finish where I started with the right hon. Lady’s questions to me on this matter and advise that this is a decision for the Mayor of the West Midlands. I am sure that she will continue to campaign on this issue and make the case for her constituents.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 2020 on 27 May 2026.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 2020 on 27 May 2026.

My Department closely monitors industry data relating to property transactions as part of the policymaking process, but it does not collect data on the reasons for residential property transaction failures.

I otherwise refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 22 June 2026 (HCWS132).

The government has introduced targeted replacement measures alongside repeal of the Vagrancy Act 1824 to ensure there are no gaps in powers available to protect community safety. The Home Office has issued information on the commencement of those measures and will update statutory guidance on the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to provide greater clarity on how relevant powers can be used in different circumstances. On the question of funding, I refer the Rt hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 14018 on 7 July 2026.

The Department publishes Crown Court open caseload projections annually. The current release (from December 2025) is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-population-projections-2025-to-2030. We do not have equivalent projections at a regional level.

The Courts and Tribunals Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 25 February 2026. That week, we also announced that there will be no financial limit to the amount of work the Crown Court can take on for the next financial year – in 2026-27, we are enabling the Crown Court to work at full judicial and court system capacity.

We published an impact factsheet alongside the Bill, assessing how the Government’s financial commitments on sitting days could affect the Crown Court open caseload under different scenarios. This can be found at: Courts and Tribunals Bill - GOV.UK. Only by pulling every lever we have – investment, efficiency and structural reform – can we turn the tide on the open caseload.

For data on the latest backlog volume, see the ‘Crown Court Receipts, Disposals and Open cases tool’ in the Criminal Court Statistics quarterly release: Criminal court statistics quarterly: January to March 2026 - GOV.UK.

On 23 June the Government published a consultation on the implementation of the First-Time Buyer ISA (FTB ISA), further details of which can be found at www.gov.uk/government/consultations/first-time-buyer-isa-consultation. The consultation sets out why we are looking to replace the Lifetime ISA (LISA), citing evidence from HMRC’s own publicly available figures and research as well as from the Treasury Select Committee’s report on the LISA.

The consultation also confirmed that until the new product is offered it will be possible to open a LISA, and that existing LISA holders will continue to be able to use their accounts in line with the existing rules.

Individuals will be able to hold both the new FTB ISA and an existing LISA, but will only be able to save into one in the same tax year. To ensure that current holders of the LISA do not lose out, LISA holders will be able to use any funds in their existing LISA and those in the new FTB ISA for the same purchase.

The property price cap, bonus level and subscription limit of the new First Time Buyer ISA will be set at a future fiscal event. Regardless of where the property price cap is set, the FTB ISA, LISA and Help to Buy ISA cap will be aligned so that no account holders will lose out.

Data from the latest UK House Price Index shows that the average price paid by first-time buyers remains below the Lifetime ISA property price cap in all regions of the UK except London, where the average price paid is affected by some boroughs with very high property values. This does not exclude prospective purchasers, who are still able to use the LISA on homes within the price cap. The Treasury Select Committee has said that the property price cap of £450,000 on the LISA ensures that the support goes to people who need it most.

Any impact on general practice will be considered as part of implementation planning for the targeted prostate cancer screening programme. The programme is designed to focus activity on those at highest risk.

The Department is working with Cancer Research UK and UK Cancer Genetics Group to determine whether interim guidance could be developed with experts to help general practitioners make more informed clinical judgements when an asymptomatic man with a suspected family history asks for a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. In addition, work is under way to develop a new National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Clinical Knowledge Summary to support discussions with men who are not eligible for the programme, but who request a PSA test.

Decisions on funding for implementation, including any implications for primary care, will be considered as part of wider delivery planning.

The current UK semiconductor sector is spread across the UK, with Scotland, Wales and the East of England being particularly concentrated centres of employment. The government recently published a study which found that the UK semiconductor sector supports 27,245 jobs, and that in a high growth scenario, this could become as high as 40,000 by 2030. The AI Hardware Plan is providing the conditions for stronger growth in the sector, making the higher rate of employment more achievable.

The government regularly monitors the impact of interventions as well as the growth of key strategic sectors. The government’s published studies into the semiconductor sector cover regional employment and revenue, meaning that we will be able to accurately measure and track future changes.

Services should be in no doubt that, where they break UK law, they will face the consequences. We will make sure that Ofcom has the funding it needs to enforce new restrictions and to take strong enforcement action to protect children alongside existing work including on tackling violence against women and girls.

The Secretary of State has written to Ofcom’s new chair asking him to ensure that robust enforcement is a priority. We have set our expectation that early attention is given to what changes might be needed to Ofcom’s structures and management arrangements to deliver this.

This government is providing record investment to Defence, and the upcoming Defence Investment Plan will set out clearly how the UK will deliver the ambition of the Strategic Defence Review.

British International Investment (BII) will invest over £1 billion over the next five years through a new climate initiative called British Climate Partners (BCP), expected to unlock an additional £3.5 billion in private capital over the lifetime of the investments.

This initiative will mobilise investment to support the clean energy transition in high emitting emerging markets with an initial focus on Asia. The majority of funding for the initiative will come from BII's existing assets, although Official Development Assistance funding to BII will also support it.

On other matters the Rt Hon Member asked about, details of the Global Research and Technology Development (GRTD) portfolio and its anticipated impact can be found on the Dev Tracker website and in the GRTD Approach Paper published on GOV.UK; and Communities of Expertise activities are embedded within wider programme and research spending - rather than managed under a standalone budget line or business case - which enables UK and global experts to be brought together to respond to partner country priorities, as and when required.

British International Investment (BII) will invest over £1 billion over the next five years through a new climate initiative called British Climate Partners (BCP), expected to unlock an additional £3.5 billion in private capital over the lifetime of the investments.

This initiative will mobilise investment to support the clean energy transition in high emitting emerging markets with an initial focus on Asia. The majority of funding for the initiative will come from BII's existing assets, although Official Development Assistance funding to BII will also support it.

On other matters the Rt Hon Member asked about, details of the Global Research and Technology Development (GRTD) portfolio and its anticipated impact can be found on the Dev Tracker website and in the GRTD Approach Paper published on GOV.UK; and Communities of Expertise activities are embedded within wider programme and research spending - rather than managed under a standalone budget line or business case - which enables UK and global experts to be brought together to respond to partner country priorities, as and when required.

British International Investment (BII) will invest over £1 billion over the next five years through a new climate initiative called British Climate Partners (BCP), expected to unlock an additional £3.5 billion in private capital over the lifetime of the investments.

This initiative will mobilise investment to support the clean energy transition in high emitting emerging markets with an initial focus on Asia. The majority of funding for the initiative will come from BII's existing assets, although Official Development Assistance funding to BII will also support it.

On other matters the Rt Hon Member asked about, details of the Global Research and Technology Development (GRTD) portfolio and its anticipated impact can be found on the Dev Tracker website and in the GRTD Approach Paper published on GOV.UK; and Communities of Expertise activities are embedded within wider programme and research spending - rather than managed under a standalone budget line or business case - which enables UK and global experts to be brought together to respond to partner country priorities, as and when required.

The new mental health strategy for England will aim to transform mental health care, including through intervening earlier before distress escalates to diagnosis or crisis, and by supporting children and young people to remain active and engaged in education, family and community life.

The strategy will consider the important role of schools and other education settings, alongside the voluntary sector, local government, and other partners, in delivering a whole-system approach beyond the National Health Service that responds proportionately to children and young people’s mental health needs as they emerge. We also want to promote positive mental health and strengthen psychoeducation so that children, young people, and families are better supported through a whole-school and whole-college approach.

We are also taking action to ensure consistency in the availability and quality of Mental Health Support Teams. We are accelerating the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2029. The independent evaluation of Mental Health Support Teams has provided important evidence on what supports effective delivery, and those findings are being used to inform implementation as rollout continues. We are also investing £13 million to pilot enhanced training for staff, so that they can offer more support to young people with complex needs, such as trauma, neurodivergence, and disordered eating.

The Call for Evidence, which is open for eight weeks and will close on 10 July, invites views on practical, implementation evidence when it comes to preventing and responding to mental ill health and distress in settings beyond the NHS, including in school settings.

The budget for feasibility work on future rail connectivity between Birmingham and Manchester will draw on provision made for future network planning work. The Government has made it clear however that we will not be bringing back HS2 between Birmingham and Manchester. The feasibility work is expected to conclude in 2028.

Government is working to determine the scope of these funds and will provide further detail on this and the application process in due course. It is Government’s intent to open these funds to applications in summer 2026.

The Department is exploring a public-private partnership (PPP) to support delivery of the HS2 Euston station. It is important that this work is completed thoroughly to support a robust commercial proposition.

We expect the timetable to be consistent with procurement timeframes, typical for this type of PPP model. Our focus over the next two years is to ensure that we are well-placed to run a successful competitive procurement.

It is essential that plans are market-tested before launching the procurement, allowing us to identify and address any concerns. To this end, the Department has conducted a preliminary market engagement earlier this year to raise awareness, and to gather feedback from potential investors and delivery partners, which has shown healthy levels of interest in our proposals.

A PPP will be subject to value for money and sufficient risk transfer. If private finance cannot be secured on acceptable terms, the Department will consider alternative delivery and funding options in discussion with HMT. In any scenario, we will be able to benefit from the preliminary technical work and the discipline it brings, including if we choose to revert to a different commercial procurement model (e.g. public procurement).

The Health Bill will transfer statutory responsibility for commissioning Primary Ophthalmic Services to integrated care boards (ICBs). Commissioning responsibility for these services has already been delegated by NHS England to ICBs since 2023, and funding is allocated to ICBs each year for this purpose. National Health Service sight testing services will continue to operate within a national regulatory and contractual framework, with contract terms set in regulations and fees set nationally through Directions. The bill will not affect patient eligibility for NHS sights tests.