Written questions by Sabine.

How long does it take to restore the state pension once a prisoner is released.

State Pension and Pension Credit payments are suspended immediately when the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is notified by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) that an individual has entered custody for a criminal offence. A citizen who has served a criminal offence must inform DWP of their release to enable DWP to reinstate their payments. Upon receiving notification from the citizen, reinstatement of State Pension and Pension Credit is usually completed instantaneously. The timing of their first payment will depend upon their regular payment cycle, which is usually 4-weekly but can be changed to weekly upon request. Of the c13 million citizens receiving State Pension, around 1,400 citizens per annum are subject to suspension of their payments due to imprisonment. In 2025, there were 1,415 State Pension and Pension Credit related cases suspended.

Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to continue to fund the UK Youth Parliament programme in 2026–27.

Youth empowerment is at the core of the National Youth Strategy. We have committed to putting young people in the driving seat of their own lives and empowering them to shape the solutions and decisions that impact them. Over the coming months, we are working with young people to create these opportunities for youth empowerment. The DCMS grant for the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) programme currently runs until 31st March 2026. Decisions relating to future funding will be communicated in due course.

What steps he is taking to extend fracture liaison services.

Fracture Liaison Services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local need.Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030.Officials continue to work closely with NHS England to explore a range of options to provide better quality and access to these important preventative services.

What steps he has taken to help ensure that those who are waiting to have their pensions paid under the McCloud judgement are paid in a timely manner.

The administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS), including the implementation of the 2015 Remedy (McCloud), is the responsibility of the Minister for the Cabinet Office. The Government is committed to implementing the remedy as quickly as possible. Capita took over responsibility of the Civil Service Pension Scheme from 1 December 2025, and Capita is currently preparing a delivery plan for undertaking all the outstanding Remedy work required. Since October 2023 all members starting to receive their pension for the first time have been given their 2015 election options prior to their pension being put into payment. From the Remedy group, there are c.70k members remaining (from the original 430k) requiring the issuing of a Remediable Service Statement and these are expected to be completed by March 2027. This will enable the member to either continue with their current benefits or opt for the alternative. It is important to note that all impacted members in receipt of a pension are already receiving benefits and that the remedy is an adjustment and the alternative scheme benefits will not automatically provide a member with a higher pension and lump sum. Where it does and the member makes an alternative scheme election, the difference between what has been paid and what is due, will be backdated to the original payment date and paid to the member inclusive of interest.

When those waiting for their pension repayments under the McCloud judgement will receive their payments.

The administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS), including the implementation of the 2015 Remedy (McCloud), is the responsibility of the Minister for the Cabinet Office. Of the c.430,000 members subject to the McCloud judgment, all those retiring after 1 October 2023 have, or will, make a choice between their preferred pension options and no amendments need to be made to their pension in payment, as the work has been completed for this group. Approximately 130,000 members who retired prior to October 2023, require an 'Immediate Choice' Remediable Service Statement, of which 44% (58,000) were issued before 31 March 2025 and members in this group (42,000) have confirmed their choice and their elections have been fully implemented. For the remaining 56% (c.70,000) of complex cases, the Cabinet Office has extended the delivery date to March 2027 both to prioritise accuracy for members and to protect wider services to all 1.7 million pension members. Capita, the new administrator from 1 December 2025 is drawing up plans and timelines for completion of this work. It should be noted that many members who retired prior to October 2023, are not better off as a result of McCloud judgment and many choose to remain on the pension already in payment.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of HMRC’s procedures for granting exemptions from Making Tax Digital for taxpayers who are digitally excluded, including older individuals who do not use computers or mobile phones.

Whilst most taxpayers are able to use Making Tax Digital (MTD), some will be digitally excluded for a range of reasons which could include age, disability, health conditions, religious beliefs, or lack of internet access. HMRC has clear processes and a dedicated team in place to ensure requests for exemption from MTD requirements are considered in a consistent and fair way. Exemption procedures for MTD for income tax broadly mirror those which have been successfully applied in MTD for VAT cases since 2019. Taxpayers can apply for an exemption by phone or in writing, and authorised agents or family members may apply on their behalf. HMRC continually monitors service performance and capacity to ensure adequate resourcing and timely decisions.

Food and Rural Affairs, what information he has reviewed from the International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative and other scientific or industry bodies about sustainable cultivation, reforestation, and traceability schemes.

Defra officials have engaged with a wide range of scientific and industry stakeholders — including some who may be affiliated with IPCI — through meetings, written submissions and open forums, and have reviewed information related to Pernambuco conservation, particularly on traceability. This evidence has informed the UK’s technical understanding and international engagement on this issue.

Media and Sport, whether she has conducted an impact assessment on UK musicians regarding the additional CITES permit requirements that an Appendix I listing would require, including travel, touring logistics, and compliance impacts.

DCMS has not conducted a formal impact assessment on UK musicians regarding the additional CITES permit requirements that an Appendix I listing would require.Consultation on CITES proposals are led by DEFRA, who engaged extensively with the music sector and DCMS Officials ahead of the recent COP20 to understand potential implications of uplisting Brazilwood (Pernambuco) to Appendix I. This evidence informed the UK’s position to oppose an uplisting as it would have imposed significant negative impacts through increased administrative burdens and restrictions on the movement of finished bows, without delivering a clear conservation benefit.

What steps he is taking to ensure that NHSE informs ICBs, practitioners and Regional Pharmacists about amendments to the liothyronine (T3) section in the guidance document entitled Items which should not routinely be prescribed in primary care.

Regional chief pharmacists have been informed of the changes made to the liothyronine section, including Armour Thyroid and liothyronine combination products, of the ‘items that should not be prescribed in primary care’ policy guidance via email. They have been asked to cascade this information through their integrated care board’s regional networks.

Media and Sport, what steps she is planning to take to ensure that lessons from the 24 early support hubs will feed into the Young Futures Hubs programme; and what plans she has to build the Young Futures Hubs programme on these existing hubs.

The Department for Health and Social Care is responsible for Early Support Hubs, and interventions into young people’s mental health. Young Futures Hubs, developed by DCMS, will leverage local understanding of services in each area to improve support for young people at community level, increasing opportunities, improving mental health and wellbeing, and reducing crime. 50 Young Futures Hubs across the country will be supported by the end of this Parliament. We are working closely with DHSC, NHS England, and health partners to ensure Young Futures Hubs builds on existing evidence to meet young people's emerging needs, including early mental health and wellbeing support.

Media and Sport, whether the outcomes from the Shared Outcomes Fund early support hubs will be utilised in the development of the Young Futures Hubs programme; and whether transitional funding will be put in place to keep these early support hubs open.

Each Young Futures Hub will meet three outcomes of increasing opportunities, improving mental health and wellbeing, and reducing crime. We are collaborating with DHSC, NHS England, and health partners to ensure Young Futures Hubs meet young people's emerging needs, providing early mental health and wellbeing support. Early Support Hubs built the evidence base for next year's Young Futures Hubs, with evaluation findings directly informing the programme. The Early Support Hubs were initially funded through the Shared Outcomes Fund in the 2024/25 financial year. The programme has since been extended for a further year to 2025/26.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that Young Futures Hubs deliver on their core purpose of early mental health support.

This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services in helping young people live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives, and is committed to building on great youth services by developing the National Youth Strategy, strengthening services and expanding opportunities for all young people. As part of this Strategy, Young Futures Hubs will leverage local understanding of services in each area to improve support for young people at community level, increasing opportunities, improving mental health and wellbeing, and reducing crime. 50 Young Futures Hubs across the country will be supported by the end of this Parliament.We are working closely with DHSC, NHS England and a number of health stakeholders, to ensure that Young Futures Hubs offer services together to support young people with emerging needs, including early mental health advice and wellbeing interventions. This includes using learnings from programmes such as Early Support Hubs.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of hosting the 2035 women's football world cup on the level of participation by women and girls in sport.

Hosting the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup has the potential to be a transformational opportunity for the women’s game, and for women’s sport in the UK more generally. Following the 2022 Women’s EUROs, we saw a 140% increase in participation among women and girls with over 519,000 new grassroots opportunities were created specifically for women and girls across England.Creating a strong legacy, including boosting participation levels, will be a core aim of delivering the tournament. Should the UK’s bid to host the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2035 be successful, planning will begin on developing the legacy programme, drawing inspiration from events such as the recent Women’s Rugby World Cup as we embark on a decade of women’s sporting moments in the UK.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of hosting the 2035 women's football world cup on the economy.

The UK Government is working closely with the Home Nation Football Associations and the Devolved Governments to develop the UK-wide bid for the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup. As the largest single sport women’s event in the world, this tournament has the potential to generate significant socio-economic benefits, impact communities across the UK, and build on our world-leading reputation as a host of major events.To illustrate, the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 was estimated to have generated AUS$1.32bn for the economy in Australia and New Zealand. We are working closely with UK Sport, the FAs and Devolved Governments to assess the potential benefits of hosting to inform our collective bid.Following confirmation that the UK would be the sole bid for 2035, our bid is due to be submitted by the end of November, with a final decision by FIFA expected in April 2026.

Media and Sport, whether the Government has sought legal advice in relation to the US President's planned legal action against the BBC.

This is a matter for the BBC, whose lawyers are now dealing with the issue. The BBC is independent of the UK government and so it is a matter for them and the US President.

Communities and Local Government, when he plans to bring England into line with Scotland by making the Agent of Change a statutory principle in planning.

The government is exploring how it can improve the implementation of the ‘agent of change’ principle in the planning system as part of the development of a new suite of national policies for decision-making that we will consult on before the end of this year.

What an accurate valuation method is for the business rates of grassroots music venues.

Please see the response to UIN 22711 here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-01-08/22711

What plans he has to make weight loss medications available to people living with obesity who are unable to afford them privately and who fall below the weight threshold required for NHS prescription as a result of using the medication.

Our 10-Year Health Plan highlights the risk that these medicines will be accessed by those who can pay over those with the highest clinical need. The plan makes a commitment to expand access on the National Health Service through innovative industry partnerships, delivering weight loss services and treatments to patients. Continuing to make these medicines more widely available on the NHS will help reduce inequalities in access.NHS access is being prioritised for those with the highest clinical need first. NHS England has worked with clinical experts, integrated care boards, patient and public representatives, healthcare professionals, charities, and royal colleges on its prioritisation approach, which is set out in its interim commissioning guidance and available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/interim-commissioning-guidance-implementation-of-the-nice-technology-appraisal-ta1026-and-the-nice-funding-variation-for-tirzepatide-mounjaro-for-the-management-of-obesity/We do not currently have plans to make these medicines available to those who have fallen below the weight threshold required for NHS prescription as a result of using the medication privately. For patients prescribed these medicines by the NHS, they will continue to receive these medicines for as long as clinically appropriate. For those not currently eligible for weight loss medications, there are a variety of weight management services provided by the NHS and local government. These range from multi-component behavioural programmes to specialist services for those living with severe obesity and associated co-morbidities.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of compensating (a) people and (b) families of people with Foetal Valproate Syndrome.

The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report by the Patient Safety Commissioner entitled The Hughes Report: Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024.

The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report.