Written questions by Easton.

With reference to the Patient Safety Commissioner's report entitled The Hughes Report: Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of sodium valproate on families affected by fetal valproate syndrome in Northern Ireland; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure a UK-wide redress scheme for those affected by that syndrome.

The impact of sodium valproate on families affected by fetal valproate syndrome in Northern Ireland is a transferred matter and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive, therefore an assessment has not been made by the Department of Health and Social Care.The Government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and the resulting Hughes Report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. We will be providing an update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report at the earliest opportunity. Although the Hughes Report and its recommendations only cover patients harmed in England, the Government recognises that any response will likely have implications for the whole of the United Kingdom, and is engaging with the devolved administrations on the Hughes Report.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure local authorities have equal access to funding for special educational needs and disabilities services.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.The department is providing an increase of almost £1 billion for English local authorities’ high needs budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND in England to £11.9 billion.The department is now in the process of calculating indicative high needs funding allocations for local authorities next year through the national funding formula (NFF), which we expect to publish by the end of November.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that people with ADHD receive the level of support set out in the guidelines by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence entitled Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management, published on 14 March 2018.

The Department is currently considering next steps to improve access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments and support in England. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including ADHD assessments and support, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England is establishing to look at ADHD service provision in England and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce will bring together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the National Health Service, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD and to help provide a joined-up approach in response to concerns around rising demand.Alongside the work of the taskforce, NHS England will continue to develop a national ADHD data improvement plan, carry out more detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from local health systems in England, which are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services, to ensure best practice is captured and shared across the system.

Food and Rural Affairs, what data his Department holds on the number of lorries turned away at Northern Ireland ports for carrying cargo incorrectly listed on their manifests.

In line with the commitments we have made, as we move to our new UK internal market system we will ensure that the only checks when goods move within the UK internal market system are those conducted by UK authorities as part of a risk-based or intelligence-led approach to tackle criminality, abuse of the scheme, smuggling and disease risks. But in order not to undermine that approach, as is the case across the UK we do not disclose the specific number or nature of interventions made by UK authorities.

Communities and Local Government, how much funding her Department plans to provide through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to projects in Northern Ireland in the 2024-25 financial year; and if she will take steps to ensure that further allocations are used to help tackle economic inactivity.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund provides £67.5 million for projects in Northern Ireland this financial year.The Autumn Budget announced that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, for which the previous government made no plans beyond March 2025, will be extended for 2025-26 at a reduced level of £900 million.With this transitional arrangement, Northern Ireland will continue to benefit from investment next year in local growth, providing certainty of funding in advance of wider local growth funding reforms. This will provide the flexibility to deliver the most important local projects for Northern Ireland, including projects helping those at risk of being left behind.My department will update the fund prospectus and confirm the Northern Ireland funding allocation for 2025-26 as soon as possible.

With reference to the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to agricultural property relief and business property relief on family-owned farms in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the rest of the UK; and what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to help ensure the (i) sustainability and (ii) generational continuity of agricultural businesses in (A) regions where farming is a part of the local economy and heritage and (B) other areas.

The Government has published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms, and further explanatory information at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief.In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.Agricultural land and associated buildings are exempt from business rates.At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government provided £5 billion across this year and next to support the ongoing transition towards a more productive and environmentally sustainable agricultural sector in England. This will strengthen the domestic sector, and improve food security.The devolved governments’ settlements for 2025-26 are the largest in real terms of any settlements since devolution.

What steps his Department is taking to address the specific needs of children diagnosed with brain tumours; and whether he plans to take steps to establish a national brain tumour strategy to improve (a) early diagnosis, (b) treatment options and (c) post-treatment support.

The Department recognises that children and young adults with brain cancer are often waiting too long for diagnosis. As part of our 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform our broken National Health Service, we will fight cancer on all fronts, from prevention to diagnosis, treatment, and research.Brain cancer in children remains one of the hardest to treat cancers and a challenging area of research, but the Government is taking several steps to improve outcomes. In September 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients. This also included a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support before during and after treatment, quality of life, and patient rehabilitation.To support faster and earlier diagnosis, we will address the challenges in diagnostic waiting times, providing the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests that are needed to reduce cancer waits. NHS England is delivering a range of interventions to support general practices in diagnosing brain cancer earlier, for example, in April 2020, NHS England introduced the early cancer diagnosis service specification for Primary Care Networks. This is designed to support improvements in rates of early cancer diagnosis by requiring Primary Care Networks to review the quality of their practices’ referrals for suspected cancer and take steps to improve this.We are also improving treatment and support for brain tumour patients. NHS England has worked with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission to designate centres of excellence in the management of brain tumours, with nine centres having achieved designation. The mission has a workstream on training to expand the brain tumour treatment workforce, in collaboration with NHS bodies, royal colleges, and charities.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of recent trends in the amount of time it takes to diagnose brain tumours in (a) children and (b) young adults on long-term health outcomes; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a brain tumour strategy to help improve (i) the coordination of approaches to funding research, (ii) treatment pathways and (iii) support services for people affected by brain tumours.

The Department recognises that children and young adults with brain cancer are often waiting too long for diagnosis. As part of our 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform our broken National Health Service, we will fight cancer on all fronts, from prevention to diagnosis, treatment, and research.Brain cancer in children remains one of the hardest to treat cancers and a challenging area of research, but the Government is taking several steps to improve outcomes. In September 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients. This also included a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support before during and after treatment, quality of life, and patient rehabilitation.To support faster and earlier diagnosis, we will address the challenges in diagnostic waiting times, providing the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests that are needed to reduce cancer waits. NHS England is delivering a range of interventions to support general practices in diagnosing brain cancer earlier, for example, in April 2020, NHS England introduced the early cancer diagnosis service specification for Primary Care Networks. This is designed to support improvements in rates of early cancer diagnosis by requiring Primary Care Networks to review the quality of their practices’ referrals for suspected cancer and take steps to improve this.We are also improving treatment and support for brain tumour patients. NHS England has worked with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission to designate centres of excellence in the management of brain tumours, with nine centres having achieved designation. The mission has a workstream on training to expand the brain tumour treatment workforce, in collaboration with NHS bodies, royal colleges, and charities.

Whether she is taking steps to reform the disability benefits system for people living with multiple sclerosis.

This government is committed to breaking down the barriers to opportunity for disabled people and people with health conditions, including people with multiple sclerosis, improving our employment and health support offer and tackling rising levels of economic inactivity. We will be considering our own approach to social security in due course and welcome the opportunity to work in partnership with disabled people and the people that represent them to address some of the most challenging issues under this new government. More disabled people and people with health conditions will be supported to enter and stay in work, by devolving more power to local areas so they can shape a joined-up work, health, and skills offer that suits the needs of the people they serve. These plans to reform the system are central to our missions of kickstarting economic growth and breaking down barriers to opportunity.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) improve neurology waiting times and (b) help ensure timely access to treatment for people with multiple sclerosis.

We are committed to supporting people with long term conditions, including neurological conditions, and ensuring they receive the support that they need, including referral to specialist services as appropriate. The Government is committed to putting patients first. This means making sure that patients, including patients with multiple sclerosis, are seen on time, and ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care. Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission. We will deliver an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments, including for neurology, per week, as a first step in our commitment to ensuring patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks. We will be supporting National Health Service trusts to deliver these through innovation, sharing best practice to increase productivity and efficiency, and ensuring the best value is delivered. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning most services for people with long term conditions, including neurological conditions. ICBs are allocated funding by NHS England to meet local need and priorities, and improve outcomes. NHS England continues to set national standards, service specifications, and clinical access policies which ICBs are expected to apply. NHS England’s Neuroscience Transformation Programme is supporting ICBs to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including treatment for those with multiple sclerosis. This includes providing care closer to home.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve outcomes for people with brain tumours; and if he will develop a brain tumour strategy to help improve (a) diagnosis, (b) treatments and (c) support from clinical nurse specialists for (i) patients and (ii) families.

The Department, NHS England, and the National Institute for Health Care and Research (NIHR) are taking several steps to help improve outcomes for brain tumour patients.NHS England has worked with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission to designate centres of excellence in the management of brain tumours, with nine centres having achieved this designation. The mission has a workstream on training to expand the brain tumour treatment workforce, with collaboration between National Health Service bodies, royal colleges, and charities.NHS England is committed to ensuring that all cancer patients are offered Holistic Needs Assessment and Personalised Care and Support Planning, ensuring care is focused on what matters most to each person. As well as this, all patients, including those with secondary cancers, will have access to the right expertise and support, including a Clinical Nurse Specialist or other support worker.Further to this, in September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.As part of our 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform our broken NHS, we will fight cancer on all fronts, from prevention, to diagnosis, treatment, and research.We will get the NHS diagnosing cancer, including brain tumours, on time, diagnosing it earlier, and treating it faster, so more patients survive this horrible set of diseases, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system. To do this, we will address the challenges in diagnostic waiting times, providing the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests that are needed to reduce cancer waits.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle violence against women in Northern Ireland; and what plans he has to ensure the swift and effective implementation of the Strategy for Ending Violence Against Women and Girls.

The UK Government welcomes the launch of the Strategic Framework to End Violence against Women and Girls by The Northern Ireland Executive. This Government is seeking to tackle violence against women and girls across the United Kingdom and will support the NI Executive to implement and deliver this strategic framework fully.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Competition and Markets Authority on the potential impact of the number of large housebuilders in the construction sector on (a) the role of SMEs and (b) their ability to expand in that sector.

Small and medium sized housebuilders are essential to meeting the government’s housing ambitions and supporting local economies. Our recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework included proposals to support the SME housebuilding sector to grow by strengthening small site policy. The consultation closed on the 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses with a view to publishing a government response before the end of the year.The Government published its response to the CMA Housebuilding Study on 22 October. Officials spoke to the CMA on a range of issues during their market study.

Communities and Local Government, if she will introduce a long- term rent settlement to allow housing associations to borrow to acquire social housing under section 106 of the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013.

As set out in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Written Ministerial Statement on Monday 28th October (HCWS169), the government will consult on a new 5-year social housing rent settlement to provide the sector with the certainty it needs to invest in new social housing. The intention would be for this to increase with Consumer Price Index inflation figures and an additional 1%. The consultation will also seek views on other potential options to give greater certainty, such as providing a 10-year settlement.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the proportion of official development assistance that is provided to global religious minorities.

The UK will champion Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all abroad. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. The official source of data on UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) is Statistics on International Development (SID). In line with the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) ODA reporting rules, ODA data is categorised using sector (or purpose) codes, which classify ODA activities by the sectors they benefit. These sector codes are not sufficiently granular to enable tracking of ODA provided to religious minorities. The FCDO works to ensure that Official Development Assistance (ODA) is allocated to those who are most vulnerable and most in need of this assistance irrespective of race, religion, or ethnicity. This includes minority religious or belief communities, who are assessed by our partners when determining those most in need of protection and assistance.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to emphasise the importance of delivery of affordable housing in her proposals for planning reform.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 8302 on 18 October 2024.

Communities and Local Government, if she will instruct councils to identify sites suitable for fewer than 100 dwellings, in the context of Government steps to increase house building.

Small and medium sized housebuilders are essential to meeting the government’s housing ambitions and supporting local economies. Our recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework included proposals to support the SME housebuilding sector to grow by strengthening small site policy. The consultation closed on the 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses with a view to publishing a government response before the end of the year.The Government published its response to the CMA Housebuilding Study on 22 October. Officials spoke to the CMA on a range of issues during their market study.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of a statutory requirement to include people on the housing waiting list in planning consultations for new homes.

The Government are exploring new ways to increase and enhance community engagement in the planning process, including by improving access to planning data through its digitisation drawing on provisions in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. This will help remove barriers to participation in the planning process, including among those on housing waiting lists.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Windsor Framework (Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals) Regulations 2024 on freedom of movement for people travelling with pets between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Pet Travel Scheme will significantly reduce the burdens associated with the original Northern Ireland Protocol, and provides a stable and long-term footing for pet travel for those travelling with their pets within the United Kingdom.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish the amount of overseas aid allocated to each recipient country for the most recent financial year available.

Annex A of the FCDO's Annual Report and Accounts 2023-2024 sets out the FCDO's Official Development Assistance (ODA) programming outturn for financial year 2023-24, including by country.Ministers are currently reviewing the FCDO's ODA budget and will publish planned ODA allocations for 2024-25 in due course.