Written questions by Gelderd.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that disabled people who are unable to walk outdoors, but who undertake other forms of physical activity, are able to participate in the NHS fitness rewards scheme.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will hold discussions with Natural England on the implementation of the Fursdon Review Recommendation 27 on Dartmoor commons.

Awaiting answer.

What steps HMRC is taking to ensure the timely processing of settlements arising from the implementation of the Independent Review of the Loan Charge.

The new Loan Charge Settlement Opportunity (LCSO) is currently being legislated for and represents a fair and proportionate attempt to provide a route to resolution for those who have not yet been able to settle with HMRC. In turn, this requires taxpayers...

Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects to publish the Seabird Bycatch Action Plan for England and whether it will contain quantitative, time-bound targets for reducing bycatch.

Defra are continuing to develop the Seabird Bycatch Action Plan for England in collaboration with stakeholders including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the fishing industry and academic researchers, collectively identifying actions to addr...

Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects to publish further detail on the scope and purposes of the review of the marine protected area network.

We have committed in the Environment Improvement Plan to review England's Marine Protected Area network by the end of 2028. The scope of the review is to assess whether sites are in the right places with the right protections; how the network can be futur...

What assessment his Department has made of geographical variation in public access to defibrillator provision in rural communities.

The Circuit national defibrillator network is independently operated by The British Heart Foundation (BHF). Information on the BHF website states that there are currently 121,449 registered defibrillators, of which 58% are accessible to the public on a 24...

What estimate his Department has made of the proportion of publicly accessible defibrillators that are registered on The Circuit national defibrillator network.

The Circuit national defibrillator network is independently operated by The British Heart Foundation (BHF). Information on the BHF website states that there are currently 121,449 registered defibrillators, of which 58% are accessible to the public on a 24...

What steps his Department is taking to support public awareness of how to access and use community defibrillators in emergency situations.

The Circuit national defibrillator network is independently operated by The British Heart Foundation (BHF). Information on the BHF website states that there are currently 121,449 registered defibrillators, of which 58% are accessible to the public on a 24...

Communities and Local Government, what role publicly accessible defibrillators play in his Department's work on community resilience and emergency preparedness.

My Department plays an important role in strengthening community resilience and emergency preparedness, supporting local authorities and Local Resilience Forums to plan for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. It is the Government’s position that lo...

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is working with local authorities to improve access to nature in deprived communities.

This Government is committed to improving access to nature, particularly in deprived communities, and works closely with a range of local delivery partners, including local authorities. A key part of this ambition is our commitment to ensure that everyon...

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of waiting times at the Laurels Gender Identity Clinic on patients.

Awaiting answer.

What support is available to people facing financial hardship as a result of delays in the processing of medical driving licence renewals by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has seen sustained growth in the volume and complexity of medical licence applications which has led to increased waiting times for some customers. In the interests of road safety, the DVLA must be satisfied ...

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of chemical pollutants in water bodies on human health and the environment.

The Environment Agency (EA) undertakes extensive environmental monitoring. This monitoring supports the assessment of both current water quality status and longer-term trends, including the identification of substances causing failures of environmental st...

What assessment her Department has made of the potential for artificial intelligence tools to improve access to educational support for children with SEND in rural and coastal areas.

The department recognises the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including adaptive and AI-enabled assistive technologies, to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities to achieve and thrive.We are sup...

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that rural communities have sufficient digital connectivity and infrastructure to benefit from developments in artificial intelligence

Availability of high-quality digital connectivity underpins the UK’s digital capabilities, including the ability for rural communities to benefit from developments in artificial intelligence. This is why we are futureproofing the UK’s networks, with a tar...

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to improve online safety protections for children using artificial intelligence-enabled platforms and services.

Protecting children online, including on AI-enabled platforms and services, is a priority for this government. The Online Safety Act requires some AI chatbots to protect all their users from illegal content and to protect children from harmful content.We ...

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of delays in processing Civil Service pension cases by Capita on pension recipients.

The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government. The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and this Government has taken firm action to ...

What guidance his Department has published on accessing financial assistance where delays have caused hardship for people awaiting Civil Service pension payments.

The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government. The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and this Government has taken firm action to ...

Whether his Department plans to review the eligibility criteria for emergency loans or interim payments for people affected by delays in Civil Service Pension Scheme processing.

The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government. The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and this Government has taken firm action to ...

What comparative analysis his Department has made of the use of virtual-only Annual General Meeting practices in (a) the United States, (b) the European Union and (c) other major financial centres.

The government has committed to clarifying the law in relation to fully virtual Annual General Meetings (AGMs). 85% of OECD Factbook countries already allow virtual AGMs, including the United States, most European Union countries, and other major financia...