Written questions by Cooper.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring mortgage providers to reflect the EPC rating of properties in their mortgage rate offers to consumers.

The pricing of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders. Currently the market provides a range of products such as green mortgages that can offer reduced rates or cashback for borrowers where certain conditions are met. Any borrower seeking one of these products should speak to a mortgage broker, who will be able to assist them in finding the best possible product for their circumstances. As part of the Warm Homes Plan, Government is exploring options for working with lenders to further scale up and diversify the private green finance options available to homeowners to support low carbon heating and energy efficiency retrofit.

What discussions she has had with agricultural machinery manufacturers on the potential impact of enhanced security measures on agricultural vehicles on the level of rural crime.

Rural crime can have devastating consequences for countryside communities. That is why this Government is committed to tackling crime in rural areas.We are committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 and support its intentions to fend off the theft and re-sale of high-value equipment, particularly for use in an agricultural setting. I recently met with Ruth Bailey, CEO of Agricultural Engineers Association on the 5th November 2024.The Act requires secondary legislation before it can come into effect. We are currently considering the views of those who may be affected by the legislation and its regulations, including manufacturers, to understand the potential implications and determine the scope of the legislation, including what equipment it will include.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to incentivise councils to increase the range of plastic packaging that can be recycled at the kerbside through the Extended Producer Responsibility.

Simpler Recycling is a reform to the recycling system which means that people across England will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school, putting an end to the confusion over what can and cannot be recycled in different parts of the country. By 31 March 2026, local authorities will be required to collect all six recyclable waste streams - metal, plastic, glass, paper/card, food, and garden (where requested) - from all households in England. We will require recyclable plastic film to be collected from households and non-household municipal premises by 31 March 2027. Extended Producer Responsibility payments will be provided to local authorities for the costs of collecting and managing household packaging waste through efficient and effective services. This includes the collection of additional packaging materials for recycling such as plastic films and flexibles.

What recent steps she has taken to help ensure people in (a) Mid Cheshire constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) England have access to banking services.

The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities in Cheshire and across the country and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this parliament. Over 80 banking hubs are already open. The specific location of these hubs is determined independently by LINK, the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network. LINK considers certain criteria, such as whether another bank branch remains nearby, the local population, the number of cash-accepting businesses and the financial vulnerability of the community. Alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.

What estimate she has made of the average age at which a child was referred for an Education, Health and Care Plan in (a) Mid Cheshire constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Information on education, health and care (EHC) plans is published in the statistical release ‘Education, health and care plans’. This includes information on the total numbers of requests for an EHC plan received by each local authority. The publication can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans.The number of requests for an assessment for an EHC plan is shown in the attached table. The table gives the number of plans in each age group, plus the average age when a request was made. Information is supplied for England, and the local authorities Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester for the calendar years 2022 and 2023. Data on the number of requests by age is not available for years prior to 2022.Information on the number of requests for an assessment for an EHC plan is not available at constituency level.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of closures of (a) bank branches and (b) free-to-use ATMs in (i) Mid Cheshire constituency, (ii) Cheshire, (iii) and England in each of the last five years.

The Government does not hold bank branch closure data for each of the last 5 years. However, according to consumer website Which?, Mid Cheshire constituency lost 35.7% of its branch network between January 2015 and September 2024, and has nine branches remaining. The operator of the UK’s largest ATM network, LINK, publishes data on the number of ATMs across each parliamentary constituency, both free and pay to use. In the constituency of Mid Cheshire, LINK data identifies 50 free-to-use ATMs out of 57 in total across the constituency.The Government understands the impact of bank branch closures on communities and the importance of face-to-face banking. It is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority, including those who are reliant on cash.This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this parliament. These hubs will provide small businesses and individuals who need face-to-face support with critical cash and in-person banking services. Over 80 banking hubs are already open and Cash Access UK, who oversee banking hub rollout, expect 100 hubs to be open by Christmas.Furthermore, FCA guidance expects firms to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and put in place alternatives where reasonable. As well as banking hubs, alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office.With regards to access to cash, the Financial Conduct Authority has recently assumed regulatory responsibility for protecting access to cash. On 18 September, it introduced new rules which protect free access to cash for personal customers. These rules require the UK’s largest banks and building societies to assess the impact of a closure of a relevant cash withdrawal or deposit facility and put in place a new service if necessary.

Which regulations govern multi-level marketing schemes; and if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the regulatory framework of such schemes.

Although multi-level schemes are not illegal, it is a criminal offence to persuade someone to make a payment to a scheme by promising benefits from getting other people to join the same scheme (Fair Trading Act 1973 section 120(3)). Also, the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) prohibit unfair and misleading marketing tactics towards consumers. This includes “establishing, operating or promoting a pyramid promotional scheme where a consumer gives consideration for the opportunity to receive compensation that is derived primarily from the introduction of other consumers into a scheme rather than from the sale or consumption of products.” To strengthen the enforcement of these and other consumer rights, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 increases the powers available for enforcement bodies.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure participants in multi-level marketing schemes are protected from misleading claims about the financial benefits of said schemes.

Although multi-level schemes are not illegal, it is a criminal offence to persuade someone to make a payment to a scheme by promising benefits from getting other people to join the same scheme (Fair Trading Act 1973 section 120(3)). Also, the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) prohibit unfair and misleading marketing tactics towards consumers. This includes “establishing, operating or promoting a pyramid promotional scheme where a consumer gives consideration for the opportunity to receive compensation that is derived primarily from the introduction of other consumers into a scheme rather than from the sale or consumption of products.” To strengthen the enforcement of these and other consumer rights, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 increases the powers available for enforcement bodies.

When her Department plans to set out details of the independent Loan Charge Review.

The Government will commission a new independent review of the Loan Charge to help bring the matter to a close for those affected whilst ensuring fairness for all taxpayers. Further details about the review will be set out in due course.

What capital funding her Department has allocated to schools in (a) Mid Cheshire constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) England in each of the last 10 years.

The department provides annual capital funding to support the education sector, which includes funding to maintain and improve the condition of the school estate and to create school places. The department’s capital budget also supports providers other than schools, and there is no separate capital budget for schools specifically. It is not possible to break all funding down by constituency or local authority.The total Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (CDEL) outturn in each financial year since 2014/15 is available in the table below. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-annual-reports.Table 1: Total CDEL outturn in each financial year since 2014-15 Financial yearCDEL, £billions2014/154.82015/165.12016/175.72017/184.92018/195.42019/204.92020/214.82021/224.82022/235.92023/246.6 The department supports schools by providing capital funding to responsible bodies, including local authorities, academy trusts and voluntary aided bodies to invest in improving the condition of their estates. In addition, we deliver rebuilding programmes to replace school buildings in the worst condition.In the last ten years, under the Priority School Building Programme and the School Rebuilding Programme, the department has handed over, or committed to, ten rebuilding projects in Cheshire West and Chester and one in Cheshire East, the local authorities covering Mid-Cheshire constituency, as part of over 1000 projects across England. Individual schools in the programmes are published on GOV.UK.It is up to the local authorities to allocate their annual school condition funding across their maintained schools, based on local knowledge of need, prioritising keeping schools safe and operational. The total allocated to Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East and their maintained schools from 2015, including School Condition Allocations and Devolved Formula Capital, as well as one-off capital funding allocations, including the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund, is available in the table below:Table 2: Total capital funding allocated to Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East and their maintained schools from 2015 (including School Condition Allocations and Devolved Formula Capital, as well as one-off capital funding allocations, including the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund). Financial yearCheshire East £millionsCheshire West and Chester £millions2015/163.794.242016/173.364.212017/182.974.052018/19*3.745.572019/202.233.762020/21*2.185.212021/222.395.382022/23*3.57.372023/242.25.662024/252.755.32*includes additional one-off allocations.Large academy trusts and voluntary aided school bodies with schools in the area will also have been allocated a school condition allocation, but allocations typically span constituency and local authority boundaries. Smaller and stand alone academy trusts and sixth form colleges have been able to bid for funding to the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF). Capital allocations and successful CIF projects are published on GOV.UK.The annual condition funding for school buildings allocated by year across England, as well as one-off capital funding allocations, including the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund, is available in the table below:Table 3: The annual condition funding for school buildings allocated by year across England (as well as one-off capital funding allocations, including the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund).Financial yearTotal £billions2015/161.42016/171.42017/181.42018/19*1.92019/201.42020/21*22021/221.82022/23*2.22023/241.82024/251.8*includes additional one-off allocations.Furthermore, the department provides the Basic Need capital grant to support local authorities meet their statutory duty to provide sufficient mainstream school places for children in their area. Basic Need allocations for all years from 2011/12 to 2025/26 for: i) England; ii) Cheshire West and Chester Council; and iii) Cheshire East Council are published at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-need-allocations.The department has also invested over £3 billion into school places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities or who require alternative provision since 2018 when this funding began. Of that funding, Cheshire East has received £33,482,797 and Cheshire West and Chester has received £13,633,503. As funding is allocated to local authorities, there is no constituency level data for high needs capital. Special Provision Capital Fund allocations for 2018 to 2021 are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-provision-capital-funding-for-pupils-with-ehc-plans. High Needs Provision Capital Allocation allocations for 2021 2025 are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-needs-provision-capital-allocations.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the reintroduction of beavers to the wild on meeting targets on halting the decline in species abundance by 2030 as set under the Environment Act 2021.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. No direct assessment of beavers’ impact on the species abundance target has been conducted but we continue to improve our evidence base underpinning the targets more broadly. However, evidence demonstrates that beavers can boost biodiversity and create and restore wetland habitats. A 2020 evidence review of the interaction between beavers and the natural and human environments found that beaver reintroductions can bring many benefits by helping to restore lost natural ecosystem function. Therefore, beaver reintroductions could contribute to broad ambitions to restore biodiversity, through the restoration of more naturally functioning habitat mosaics, benefitting many species. Beaver populations in England are currently small, so any positive impact on biodiversity and species abundance will be spatially limited.

What estimate she has made of the number of victims of domestic violence who have withdrawn their cases due to court delays in each of the last five years.

It is not possible to separately identify cases of domestic violence, which will be recorded under the specific offences for which they are prosecuted, for example, intentional strangulation or suffocation.Victims and survivors of domestic abuse also may choose to withdraw their cases for a number of reasons (for example, personal reasons).This Government inherited record and rising court backlogs which have seen too many victims waiting far too long for justice. We are committed to bearing down on the caseload backlog to speed up the delivery of justice for all victims.Timely and effective justice is key to increasing the confidence of victims and survivors in the justice system. Strengthening the justice system response to domestic abuse and increasing victim confidence are crucial to achieving this Government’s ambitious commitment to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) this decade.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for NHS treatment in (a) Mid Cheshire constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) England.

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government, as we get the National Health Service back on its feet. This means making sure that patients are seen on time and ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has now announced new investment to support this. Funding has been provided to support the delivery of our commitment to an extra 40,000 NHS operations, scans, and appointments per week. A £1.5 billion capital investment has also been announced towards new surgical hubs and scanners, alongside £70 million for new radiotherapy machines. We will be supporting NHS trusts to deliver more activity through innovation, sharing best practice to increase productivity and efficiency, and ensuring the best value is delivered.We are transforming diagnostics to cut long waits through the Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs). In Cheshire there are four CDCs currently delivering much needed diagnostic activity, specifically: the Congleton War Memorial CDC; the Shopping City CDC; the Warrington and Halton CDC; and the CDC at Victoria Infirmary Northwich, located within the Mid-cheshire constituency, which has been delivering activity since October 2021.Dedicated and protected surgical hubs are transforming the way the NHS providers elective care by focusing on high volume low complexity surgeries. Across England, there are currently 110 operational surgical hubs as of September 2024. In Cheshire, a new surgical hub is due to open in April 2025, the Cheshire and Merseyside Surgical Centre, and will provide services to patients across Cheshire and Merseyside.

What steps she is taking to increase the number of prosecutions for domestic violence; and what steps she plans to take with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that victims of domestic violence receive appropriate support to (a) navigate and (b) have confidence in the criminal justice system.

Strengthening the criminal justice system response to domestic abuse and increasing victim confidence are crucial to achieving this Government’s ambitious commitment to halve violence against women and girls this decade.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) takes prosecuting domestic abuse very seriously and maintains a steady charge rate of over 75% and a conviction rate of approximately 76%.Next month, in partnership with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), the CPS will publish a national joint justice plan to transform how cases of domestic abuse are prosecuted and handled. The plan recognises that better communication between the CPS and NPCC improves case outcomes for victims. Additionally, through its Victim Transformation Programme the CPS is improving the service it provides to victims of crime.The Ministry of Justice provides funding to Police and Crime Commissioners who commission community-based support services for domestic abuse victims and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors. The Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 (Act) aims to improve support for victims of domestic abuse by placing a duty on local commissioners in England to collaborate when commissioning services for victims of domestic abuse. The duty will require commissioners to assess the needs of victims of domestic abuse in their area and produce a joint local commissioning strategy. The Act will also improve awareness of and compliance with the Victims’ Code, which supports victims of crime to understand what they can expect from the criminal justice system and sets out the minimum level of service that victims should receive.The Home Office will also ensure that there are specialist rape and sexual offences teams in every police force and police officers receive stronger training on racism and violence against women and girls.

What steps she is taking with the Attorney General to speed up the justice system for victims of domestic violence.

This Government inherited a record and rising court backlogs which have seen too many victims waiting far too long for justice.We are committed to bearing down on the court backlog to speed up the delivery of justice.Timely and effective justice is key to increasing the confidence of victims and survivors in the justice system. Strengthening the justice system response to domestic abuse and increasing victim confidence are crucial to achieving this Government’s ambitious commitment to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) this decade.The decision on when and where a case is listed is the responsibility of the independent judiciary, although judges do look to prioritise cases involving vulnerable complainants and witnesses, such as victims and survivors of domestic abuse, wherever possible.In addition, CPS, NPCC and College of Policing’s Joint Justice Plan aims to transform how the police and the CPS investigate and prosecute domestic abuse cases, including a commitment to improve the timelessness and effectiveness of investigating and charging in domestic abuse cases. I look forward to the publication of this plan in November.

What the average time was for a domestic violence case to be heard in court in (a) Mid Cheshire constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) England in each of the last five years.

It is not possible to separately identify cases of domestic violence, which will be recorded under the specific offences for which they are prosecuted, for example, co intentional strangulation or suffocation.This Government inherited a record and rising court backlog which have seen too many victims waiting far too long for justice. We are committed to bearing down on the caseload to speed up the delivery of justice for all victims.Timely and effective justice is key to increasing the confidence of victims and survivors in the justice system. Strengthening the justice system response to domestic abuse and increasing victim confidence are crucial to achieving this Government’s ambitious commitment to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) this decade.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the number of face-to-face GP appointments in Mid Cheshire constituency.

We know that patients are finding it harder than ever to see a general practitioner (GP). Patients can’t get through the front door of the National Health Service, so they aren’t getting the timely care they need.Mid-Cheshire sits within the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board, where 62.8% of appointments were face-to-face in June 2024. Compared to August 2023, where 66.2% of appointments were face-to-face, appointments delivered face-to-face are down by 3.4%.We have pledged to guarantee a face-to-face appointment for all those who want one. We will make sure the future of GPs is sustainable by training thousands more GPs, ensuring increased capacity across the NHS to deliver this commitment and secure a future pipeline of GPs.

What recent fiscal steps her Department has taken to help tackle regional economic inequalities.

At Autumn Budget 24 this Government invested for the long-term in regional economic growth, supporting city regions to achieve their potential and spread growth across the country. It set out the first major steps in our approach to regional growth, through devolution, investment and reform. Mayors now have greater control of their budgets through the first integrated settlements, which will apply for the West Midlands and Greater Manchester from 2025-26, and for other eligible Mayoral Combined Authorities from 2026-27.The Government has also committed to giving local leaders the powers and resources they need to secure growth in their communities, and will set out more detail in the upcoming English Devolution White Paper.To ensure all parts of the UK feel the benefits of growth, we invested in major railway projects like the TransPennine Route Upgrade, East West Rail, and High Speed 2; confirmed funding for Investment Zones and Freeports across the UK; set out plans to give places long-term certainty through the Government's 10-year vision for infrastructure and confirmed long-term support for growth-driving sectors ahead of the full modern Industrial Strategy’s publication in the Spring; and invested in public services through apprenticeships and the Get Britain Working package, including Health and Growth Accelerators which will tailor employment, health, and skills support to the needs of local people.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of homeless people who have died while living on the street in each of the last five years in (a) Mid Cheshire constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) England; and what steps her Department is taking to end rough sleeping in those areas.

Every death of someone sleeping rough on our streets is one too many. The estimated number of deaths of homeless people in England and Wales is published by the Office for National Statistics. You can find the data for between 2013 and 2021 here. ONS are doing further work revising their methodology for the data set to make it more robust so it is likely that their next publication will be in 2025.We are developing a new cross-government strategy to get us on back on track to ending homelessness and rough sleeping. The £547 million Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) is continuing its support to up to 300 local authorities across England by funding local, tailored rough sleeping services. Cheshire East received £222,000 and Cheshire West and Chester received £661,000 of RSI funding for 2024-25.As announced at Budget, we are also providing an additional £233 million in 2025-26 to prevent homelessness, taking total spending to £1 billion in 2025-26.

What recent assessment he has made of trends in the regional spread of business debt in each of the last five years.

Business debt in the UK is spread across each of the regions, with the biggest proportions found in London, the South East and South West. Please find a detailed breakdown of the changes in the regional spread of business debt in each of the last five years, using figures from UK Finance:Table: The share of the value of SME loan facilities (with each year-on-year difference)RegionQ2 2019Q2 2020Q2 2021Q2 2022Q2 2023Q2 2024London19.7%21.0% (+1.3%)21.6% (+0.6%)20.9% (-0.7%)21.6% (+0.6%)21.4% (-0.2%)South East13.0%13.5% (+0.6%)13.3% (-0.2%)13.2% (-0.1%)13.8% (+0.6%)12.9% (+1.0%)South West12.1%10.9% (-1.2%)10.7% (-0.2%)10.7% (+0.1%)10.9% (+0.2%)11.9% (+1.0%)East Midlands5.6%5.7% (+0.1%)5.7% (-0.1%)6.1% (+0.4%)5.8% (-0.3%)6.1% (+0.3%)West Midlands9.1%9.0% (+0.0%)8.9% (-0.1%)8.6% (-0.3%)8.8% (+0.2%)8.5% (-0.2%)East of England6.7%6.6% (-0.1%)6.7% (+0.0%)6.5% (-0.1%)6.7% (+0.2%)6.8% (+0.1%)Yorkshire & The Humber7.1%7.1% (+0.1%)7.3% (+0.2%)7.1% (-0.2%)7.4% (+0.3%)7.2% (-0.2%)North East3.2%3.1% (-0.1%)3.1% (+0.0%)3.1% (+0.0%)3.0% (-0.1%)2.9% (-0.1%)North West10.1%10.5% (+0.4%)10.4% (-0.1%)11.2% (+0.8%)9.7% (-1.5%)9.5% (-0.2%)Wales4.7%4.3% (-0.5%)4.2% (-0.1%)4.5% (+0.3%)4.3% (-0.2%)4.3% (+0.0%)Scotland8.7%8.2% (-0.6%)8.2% (+0.1%)8.1% (-0.2%)8.0% (-0.1%)8.5% (+0.5%)Source: UK Finance (Aggregated SME Database, average of small and medium businesses value of loan facilities). Quarterly figures may not be directly comparable between years due to a re-segmentation of businesses and improvements in reporting from 2023 Q2 onwards. This includes some regional re-classification.