Written questions by Snowden.

With reference to the White Paper entitled Get Britain Working, published on 26 November 2024, what discussions she has held with (a) disabled people, (b) advocacy groups and (c) healthcare professionals in the (i) design and (ii) rollout of measures set out in the paper.

This Government is committed to championing the rights of disabled people and the principles of working with them and disability organisations. This approach ensures we can design and deliver better support to help disabled people find and stay in work and capture the important insights from disability organisations and healthcare professionals.The primary focus of the Get Britain Working White Paper is to tackle economic inactivity and through the measures announced in the White Paper including economic inactivity trailblazers, local Get Britain Working plans in England, the Keep Britain Working Review and others, we aim to support more disabled people and people with health conditions to find and thrive in employment.Such ambitious plans require input and expertise from a wide range of stakeholders - from charities, community groups and employers through to devolved governments, local authorities, healthcare professionals and providers of employment support and careers advice.Ministers continue to speak with a wide range of disabled people and disabled people's organisations to get their views on policy design and delivery. Through Ministerial visits across the country, I regularly meet with disabled people and the organisations that support them. For example, I recently met with the Trade Union Congress Young Workers Committee, where discussions were held with representatives from the Disabled Workers Committee, and with Citizens Advice, who provide a range of advice and support for disabled people.The Minister for Social Security and Disability meets a range of forums quarterly including the Disabled People’s Organisation Forum of England made up of Deaf and Disabled people’s organisations including Disability Rights UK, Inclusion London and the Regional Stakeholder Network (RSN) made up of the chairs of 9 regional networks across England.The RSNs include disabled people, parents and carers of disabled people and disabled people’s representative organisations, such as the Disability Charities Consortium which includes Scope, Leonard Cheshire, National Autistic Society, Mind, Mencap, Sense, Royal National Society of Blind people (RNIB), Royal National Society for Deaf people (RNID) and the Business Disability Forum.The Minister Social Security and Disability also recently met a group of clinical stakeholders including the British Medical Association, the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, Royal College of Occupational Therapists, Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Psychiatrists amongst others.We are also working to establish the Disability Advisory Panel, to connect the department to more voices and perspectives, and improve how we collaborate with disabled people. We are undertaking the due process required to ensure the Panel is set up in the most accessible and inclusive way, engaging with external and internal stakeholders to help guide the approach. We are working towards launching the Disability Advisory Panel in Summer 2025. We will continue to engage with disabled people, advocacy groups, and healthcare professionals as we implement our future reforms to ensure that even more disabled people have access to the best employment opportunities

Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers are (a) enrolled in the Higher Level Stewardship scheme and (b) expected to receive an uplift in payments from January 2025 in (i) Lancashire and (ii) Fylde constituency.

I can confirm that there are 164 live Higher Level Stewardship-related agreements that fall within the Lancashire County that should receive an uplift. This figure is spread across 16 constituencies in Lancashire and includes constituencies (Morecambe and Lunesdale & Southport) that are spread across county lines. None fall within the Fylde constituency.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2025 to Question 50256 on Farms: Lancashire, what measures his Department plans to introduce in the next phase of the Landscape Recovery programme; and how these measures will support farmers in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

As a core element of the Environmental Land Management schemes, Landscape Recovery is uniquely placed to provide large-scale, long-term benefits for nature, delivering improvements to biodiversity, carbon emissions, water quality, air quality, flood resilience and food security.We have been gathering feedback and evaluating how the Landscape Recovery scheme is working, including from those projects in development near to and within the Fylde and Lancashire areas – namely the Brock & Calder Landscape Recovery Project and The West Pennines More Nature Partnership.Landscape Recovery projects that were awarded funding in rounds one and two are continuing, and projects in the first round are moving into the delivery phase.

With reference to the White Paper entitled Get Britain Working, published on 26 November 2024, what steps her Department is taking to provide support to small and medium-sized enterprises to improve access to occupational health services.

The Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Health and Social Care are committed to supporting people with their employment journey. Expert-led impartial advice, and interventions such as Occupational Health, can help employers provide appropriate and timely work-based support to manage their employees’ health conditions, and also support business productivity. The Joint Work Health Directorate Occupational Health reform programme has focused on increasing access and uptake of occupational health. This has included increasing private market coverage of employer led Occupational Health to help businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises, to support disabled employees and those with health conditions to get in and on in work and get back into appropriate work as quickly as possible. Through this programme we have also explored how we enable a sustainable workforce to support good quality provision across all sectors. The Department for Work and Pensions additionally offers support to small and medium-sized enterprises through a number of programmes, such as the Disability Confident Scheme, which provides employers with the knowledge, skills and confidence to employ those with a disability or health condition and a digital information service for (Support with Employee Health and Disability), which provides tailored guidance on supporting employees in common workplace scenarios involving health and disability. Employers, including those from Small and Medium enterprises can also refer to WorkWell pilots which went live from October 2024 in 15 areas across England. Available to people both in and out of work, it provides low intensity holistic support for health-related barriers to employment, and a single joined up gateway to existing local work and health service provision. Upon publication of our Get Britain Working White Paper, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead an independent Keep Britain Working Review as a part of the plan to Get Britain Working again. In recognition of the vital role of businesses of all sizes, Sir Charlie Mayfield is considering recommendations to support and enable employers to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces, support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence, and recruit and retain more disabled people and people with health conditions.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2025 to Question 46934 on Energy: Prices, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the transition to clean energy on levels of (a) grid reliability and (b) energy supply (i) at all times and (ii) during periods of peak demand.

Great Britain has a secure and diverse energy system. As published in the Statutory Security of Supply Report 2024, Great Britain is expected to have sufficient supplies of electricity and gas to meet demand in the short and long term, including during peak demand. The government’s mission is to secure our energy supply with home-grown, clean power and we have set out the steps to achieve this in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan – which explains how we will boost energy security, grid reliability and protect consumers.

What recent discussions she has had with banking sector representatives on the future of face-to-face banking services for (a) older people, (b) people with limited digital access and (c) other people.

Banking has changed significantly in recent years with many customers benefitting from the ease and convenience of remote banking. The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets across the UK, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. The Government also recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) assumed regulatory responsibility for access to cash in September 2024. Under its rules, the UK’s largest banks and building societies are required to assess the impact of a closure or material alteration of a relevant cash withdrawal or deposit facility and put in place a new service if necessary. The FCA is required by law to keep its access to cash rules under review and is monitoring the impact of these rules on an ongoing basis to ensure they deliver the right outcomes for businesses and consumers. The FCA also requires firms to provide a prompt, efficient, and fair service to all of their customers. This includes special considerations for vulnerable customers, such as the elderly and disabled. Additionally, under the Equality Act 2010, banks must make reasonable adjustments to ensure their services are accessible to all. 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. Furthermore, the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. Banking hubs offer everyday counter services provided by Post Office staff, allowing people and businesses to withdraw and deposit cash, deposit cheques, pay bills and make balance enquiries. They also contain dedicated rooms where customers can see community bankers from their own bank to carry out wider banking services. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 220 hubs have been announced so far, and over 160 are already open.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2025 to Question 50256 on Farms: Lancashire, what the start date of the new Higher Tier scheme will be; and how farmers can apply.

Defra will open the rolling application window for Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) later in the year. Currently, CSHT is by invitation only following contact by Natural England or the Forestry Commission. This ensures that bespoke pre-application advice is provided to support those invited. We have published information that sets out what you can do now to prepare to apply for CSHT on GOV.UK. (Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier: preview guidance - GOV.UK).

Whether any schools in Lancashire are (a) currently part of and (b) will be included in the next phase of the PINS programme.

The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national programme, backed by £9.5 million of investment in 2025/26. It is a cross-government collaboration between the department, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England, supported by the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF).An equal budget has been allocated to each Integrated Care Board (ICB) to enable them to deliver PINS to an additional 30 schools and provide ongoing support to the 40 schools supported in the first year of the programme. The specific amount available to each ICB is determined by the NHS fair share formula, which adjusts budgets to take account of local cost variations. Each ICB nationally will receive a minimum of £209,000.Across Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB footprint, 40 schools took part in PINS in 2024/25 and will continue to receive support to embed their learning over 2025/26. The ICB is in the process of recruiting an additional 30 new schools for 2025/26. The programme is being evaluated by a consortium led by CFE Research, and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.

How many schools will be affected by the expansion of the PINS programme in the Fylde constituency

The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national programme, backed by £9.5 million of investment in 2025/26. It is a cross-government collaboration between the department, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England, supported by the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF).An equal budget has been allocated to each Integrated Care Board (ICB) to enable them to deliver PINS to an additional 30 schools and provide ongoing support to the 40 schools supported in the first year of the programme. The specific amount available to each ICB is determined by the NHS fair share formula, which adjusts budgets to take account of local cost variations. Each ICB nationally will receive a minimum of £209,000.Across Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB footprint, 40 schools took part in PINS in 2024/25 and will continue to receive support to embed their learning over 2025/26. The ICB is in the process of recruiting an additional 30 new schools for 2025/26. The programme is being evaluated by a consortium led by CFE Research, and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2025 to Question 36179 on Bank Services: Visual Impairment, what support is available to communities in instances when LINK has not recommend a new service following a cash access assessment request.

Banking has changed significantly in recent years with many customers benefitting from the ease and convenience of remote banking. The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets across the UK, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. The Government also recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) assumed regulatory responsibility for access to cash in September 2024. Under its rules, the UK’s largest banks and building societies are required to assess the impact of a closure or material alteration of a relevant cash withdrawal or deposit facility and put in place a new service if necessary. The FCA is required by law to keep its access to cash rules under review and is monitoring the impact of these rules on an ongoing basis to ensure they deliver the right outcomes for businesses and consumers. The FCA also requires firms to provide a prompt, efficient, and fair service to all of their customers. This includes special considerations for vulnerable customers, such as the elderly and disabled. Additionally, under the Equality Act 2010, banks must make reasonable adjustments to ensure their services are accessible to all. 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. Furthermore, the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. Banking hubs offer everyday counter services provided by Post Office staff, allowing people and businesses to withdraw and deposit cash, deposit cheques, pay bills and make balance enquiries. They also contain dedicated rooms where customers can see community bankers from their own bank to carry out wider banking services. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 220 hubs have been announced so far, and over 160 are already open.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2025 to Question 36179 on Bank Services: Visual Impairment, whether she plans to increase the number of banking hubs beyond 350 if demand or need increases.

Banking has changed significantly in recent years with many customers benefitting from the ease and convenience of remote banking. The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets across the UK, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. The Government also recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) assumed regulatory responsibility for access to cash in September 2024. Under its rules, the UK’s largest banks and building societies are required to assess the impact of a closure or material alteration of a relevant cash withdrawal or deposit facility and put in place a new service if necessary. The FCA is required by law to keep its access to cash rules under review and is monitoring the impact of these rules on an ongoing basis to ensure they deliver the right outcomes for businesses and consumers. The FCA also requires firms to provide a prompt, efficient, and fair service to all of their customers. This includes special considerations for vulnerable customers, such as the elderly and disabled. Additionally, under the Equality Act 2010, banks must make reasonable adjustments to ensure their services are accessible to all. 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. Furthermore, the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. Banking hubs offer everyday counter services provided by Post Office staff, allowing people and businesses to withdraw and deposit cash, deposit cheques, pay bills and make balance enquiries. They also contain dedicated rooms where customers can see community bankers from their own bank to carry out wider banking services. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 220 hubs have been announced so far, and over 160 are already open.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 51543 on Cost of Living: Fylde, what steps she is taking through the Household Support Fund to support vulnerable households with (a) energy and (b) food costs in Fylde constituency; and what steps she plans to take to ensure the effective delivery of support to people.

We are providing £742 million to extend the Household Support Fund until 31 March 2026 in England. This enables Local Authorities to continue to provide vulnerable households with immediate crisis support towards the cost of essentials, such as energy, water and food, and to develop their schemes to help prevent poverty locally and build local resilience. Authorities have the discretion to design and deliver their own local schemes within the parameters of the guidance and grant determination that the Department for Work and Pensions have set out. This is because they have the experience and the relationships to determine how best to support those in their local areas. Authorities also have a wide range of data and sources of information at their disposal to identify and provide support to a broad cross section of vulnerable households. Authorities must make sure that this support is clearly advertised and is inclusive and accessible. The scheme guidance states that every Authority must operate part of their scheme on an application basis to allow the opportunity for individuals struggling with the cost of essentials to ask for further support.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 42350 on General Practitioners: Employers' Contributions, what steps he is taking to improve patient access to GPs in (a) Fylde, (b) Lancashire and (c) England.

The Government is determined to work with the National Health Service to fix the front door of our health service and to ensure that everyone can access general practice (GP) appointments nationally, including in Lancashire and Fylde. That’s why in October 2024, we invested £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of 1,700 newly qualified GPs across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients We delivered the biggest boost to GP funding in years, an £889 million uplift, with GPs now receiving a growing share of NHS resources. Additionally, the new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will upgrade more than a thousand GP surgeries across England, helping to improve productivity.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2025 to Question 38171 on Farmers: Lancashire, how much and what proportion of the Farming Recovery Fund has been allocated to support the mental health and wellbeing of farmers in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

The Farming Recovery Fund provided a recovery payment for farmers who have suffered uninsurable damage from notably high main river flooding following Storms Babet and Henk or fall within an area which we have determined to be in receipt of exceptionally high rainfall during October 2023 to March 2024. Lancashire did not fall into an eligible area.

Whether he is taking steps to provide financial support to British SMEs relocating manufacturing out of China to avoid newly introduced tariffs.

There are no current plans to support businesses with relocating their production out of China specifically. However, the Government-backed British Business Bank helps businesses to access the finance they need to invest and grow, including to relocate parts or all of their business. UK Export Finance can help SMEs win contracts by providing attractive financing terms to buyers, support working capital loans to take on and fulfil orders effectively, and make sure SMEs get paid by offering Government-backed insurance against buyer default.

Innovation and Technology, what digital (a) inclusion and (b) skills training initiatives his Department is supporting in (i) Lancashire and (ii) areas in Lancashire which have recently acquired gigabit-capable broadband.

The Government published its Digital Inclusion Action Plan in February 2025, which outlines the first five actions we are taking over the next year to boost digital inclusion in every corner of the UK, including Lancashire.These will be targeted at local initiatives for boosting digital skills and confidence, widening access to devices and connectivity, and getting support to people in their own communities so everyone can reap the benefits of technology. This includes supporting digital upskilling, and enhancing support for the Essential Digital Skills framework, which supports businesses and individuals to get the digital skills they need.

What steps he is taking to help UK exporters mitigate the potential impact proposed US tariffs on (a) consumer electronics and (b) agricultural goods.

On 8 May, we concluded a landmark economic deal with the US. We are continuing talks on a wider UK-US Economic Deal and we will continue our extensive engagement with businesses from across the UK throughout these remaining negotiations. We continue to support UK businesses, including those that sell consumer electronics and agricultural goods, to grow and export around the world and to the US. Businesses can access export support via great.gov.uk such as the Export Academy, International Markets Network, Growth Hubs and Help to Grow: Management scheme.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to (a) maintain and (b) future-proof broadband infrastructure in (a) Lancashire and (b) Fylde constituency.

The Electronic Communications Code gives Code Operators the right to maintain, repair and upgrade apparatus. While the legislative framework facilitates upgrades to existing apparatus, it is ultimately the responsibility of operators to maintain their broadband infrastructure.Openreach is currently delivering a Project Gigabit contract to bring gigabit-capable broadband to homes and businesses in Lancashire that are not expected to be reached via the commercial market, including in Fylde. Our Project Gigabit contracts are future-proofing connectivity by providing the cutting-edge broadband infrastructure needed to meet people’s needs not just today, but for decades to come.

How the £9.5 million in funding for the Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme will be allocated across the additional 1,200 schools.

The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national programme, backed by £9.5 million of investment in 2025/26. It is a cross-government collaboration between the department, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England, supported by the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF).An equal budget has been allocated to each Integrated Care Board (ICB) to enable them to deliver PINS to an additional 30 schools and provide ongoing support to the 40 schools supported in the first year of the programme. The specific amount available to each ICB is determined by the NHS fair share formula, which adjusts budgets to take account of local cost variations. Each ICB nationally will receive a minimum of £209,000.Across Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB footprint, 40 schools took part in PINS in 2024/25 and will continue to receive support to embed their learning over 2025/26. The ICB is in the process of recruiting an additional 30 new schools for 2025/26. The programme is being evaluated by a consortium led by CFE Research, and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the reporting of waste crime in rural communities.

Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement actions to Defra, which are published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england, this data excludes the majority of private-land incidents. We continue to work with stakeholders, such as the National Farmers Union and local authorities, through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to share good practice, including how to prevent fly-tipping on private land. Suspected illegal waste activity can be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers through their dedicated website https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously or by calling 0800 555 111. Alternatively, the Environment Agency’s 24-hour incident hotline is available on 0800 80 70 60 and fly-tipping can be reported here https://www.gov.uk/report-flytipping.