Written questions by Sabine.

How many women's health hubs have been established in NHS Somerset ICB; and what services they provide.

Awaiting answer.

What alternative methods are available for individuals to demonstrate their right to work if they do not hold a Government digital identity.

The Government has set out its ambition to move towards digital right to work checks. The detail of how alternative methods will operate in that future regime has not yet been finalised. Digital ID itself is under development following consultation on the...

Innovation and Technology, whether the Government has assessed the compliance of its contracts with Oracle Corporation with UK GDPR in light of the US CLOUD Act; and whether the Information Commissioner’s Office

Public sector digital services are expected to be secure, resilient and effective. This is supported by a framework of safeguards, including data protection legislation, UK security standards, the Cloud First policy, commercial rules and the Data and AI E...

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the financial impact on freelance workers in the UK television and creative industries of outstanding Covid-era Government-backed loans issued to limited company c

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport recognises the vital contribution that freelancers provide to the cultural ecosystem of this country. We are taking a number of steps to support this part of the creative workforce, as set out in our Creative In...

Innovation and Technology, what safeguards are in place to protect UK data held by US cloud providers from access requests made on US national security grounds outside the scope of the UK–US Data Access Agreement

Under UK data protection laws, organisations must ensure personal data is appropriately protected when transferred internationally.The UK has an adequacy decision for the US, which included an assessment of US national security safeguards. Where adequacy ...

Innovation and Technology, whether the Government has conducted a legal assessment of the interaction between the US CLOUD Act and the use of Oracle’s UK Sovereign Cloud for public sector data.

Where cloud service providers may be subject to overseas legal obligations, including the United States CLOUD Act, departments are responsible as data controllers to assess and mitigate the associated risks.The UK has an adequacy decision for certain tran...

Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timetable is for publication of the Green Paper on access to nature.

This Government committed in the 2025 Environmental Improvement Plan to bringing forward an Access to Nature Green Paper. This will provide an opportunity to explore options for improving and expanding access, test potential approaches, and gather robust ...

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a statutory duty on water companies to protect recreational users of waters in the forthcoming Clean Water Bill.

The Government will bring forward legislation through the Clean Water Bill, announced in the King’s Speech on 13 May, to deliver major reforms to the water system. Public health will be at the heart of these reforms, alongside measures to strengthen regul...

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with stakeholders representing recreational users of water on the proposed Clean Water Bill.

The Government will bring forward legislation through the Clean Water Bill, announced in the King’s Speech on 13 May, to deliver major reforms to the water system. Public health will be at the heart of these reforms, alongside measures to strengthen regul...

Communities and Local Government, if his Department will take legislative steps to enable proxy voting and remote attendance for councillors.

We remain committed to legislating on these important matters when Parliamentary time allows.

Whether he has considered the potential impact of changes to EU customs duties for small parcels on the responsibility to promote knowledge exchange under the Florence Agreement.

The Government has been following the development of the EU’s Union Customs Code reforms closely, including the removal of the €150 customs duty relief for small parcels from 1 July 2026. These are EU domestic measures, and we are engaging with the Europe...

Whether she has considered extending Section 33 VAT recovery for charities and Community Interest Companies delivering statutory social care services on behalf of local authorities.

Supplies of care services are exempt from VAT if they are supplied by eligible bodies, such as public bodies or charities. No VAT is charged to the consumer of the service, nor can the supplier recover VAT incurred in the course of providing the service.C...

For what reason local authorities are able to recover VAT under Section 33 of the VAT Act 1994 when equivalent social care services are delivered in-house but not when those services are commissioned from charitable

Supplies of care services are exempt from VAT if they are supplied by eligible bodies, such as public bodies or charities. No VAT is charged to the consumer of the service, nor can the supplier recover VAT incurred in the course of providing the service.C...

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of irrecoverable VAT on charities, Community Interest Companies and other not-for-profit providers delivering statutory social care services under contract to loc

Supplies of care services are exempt from VAT if they are supplied by eligible bodies, such as public bodies or charities. No VAT is charged to the consumer of the service, nor can the supplier recover VAT incurred in the course of providing the service.C...

What estimate she has made of public funding allocated to adult social care not spent on frontline social care services annually through irrecoverable VAT when services are delivered by charities and not-for-profit

Supplies of care services are exempt from VAT if they are supplied by eligible bodies, such as public bodies or charities. No VAT is charged to the consumer of the service, nor can the supplier recover VAT incurred in the course of providing the service.C...

For what reason performers are required to be instrumentalists to qualify for Orchestra Tax Relief.

Orchestra Tax Relief (OTR) provides tax relief on production costs and provided around £50 million of support in 2023-24. There is currently no other country in the world which offers similar relief to orchestras, and the aim is to recognise the artistic ...

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending Orchestra Tax Relief to include amateur and professional choirs that produce live, acoustic concerts on a non-commercial basis.

Orchestra Tax Relief (OTR) provides tax relief on production costs and provided around £50 million of support in 2023-24. There is currently no other country in the world which offers similar relief to orchestras, and the aim is to recognise the artistic ...

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the (a) contribution of choirs to public health, wellbeing and social pr

DCMS officials have had discussions with DHSC on the value of arts and culture to public health and wellbeing. DCMS also routinely meets with its arms-length body, Arts Council England (ACE), on their work to support people’s health, happiness and wellbei...

Whether her Department has considered revising student finance regulations so that only the income of a student’s biological or legally responsible parents is taken into account when determining maintenance loan entitlement.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of uncertainty around future sport funding on schools’ ability to plan provision for the 2026–27 academic year.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.