Written questions by Midgley.

What plans his Department has to publish a national strategy for palliative and end of life care.

The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England.The MSF will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life and will enable integrated care boards to address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care. This will be aligned with the ambitions set out in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan.Further information about the MSF is set out in the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1087, which I gave on 24 November 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms exist to provide emergency support to councils in instances where their Fair Funding allocation does not cover their costs.

Through the Fair Funding Review 2.0 reforms and the first multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement in a decade, we are introducing a fairer and evidence-based funding system. These updates will account for local circumstances, including for different ability to raise income locally from council tax. They will also account for the variation in cost of delivering services, including between rural and urban areas. In doing so, we will target a greater proportion of grant funding towards the most deprived places which need it most, ensuring the best value for money for government and taxpayers. As a result, we expect that councils with social care responsibilities will see their Core Spending Power (CSP) increase in real terms over the multi-year Settlement, with most councils seeing their Core Spending Power increase in cash terms. By 2028-29, we expect that the 10% most deprived authorities will see a significant increase in their Core Spending Power per head compared to the least deprived. While our reforms move funding to the places where it is most needed, the government recognises the challenging financial context for local authorities as they continue to deal with the legacy of the previous system. The government has therefore confirmed that it will continue to have a framework in place to support those in the most difficult positions. Any council that has concerns about its ability to set or maintain a balanced budget should approach the department in the first instance.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure the NHS is appropriately prepared for winter flu-related admissions in 2025 and early 2026.

We have started earlier and done more than ever to prepare for winter this year. We continue to monitor the impact of winter pressures on the National Health Service over the winter months, providing additional support to services across the country as needed.The Department is continuing to take key steps to ensure the health service is prepared throughout the colder months. This includes taking actions to try and reduce demand pressure on accident and emergency departments, increasing vaccination rates, and offering health checks to the most vulnerable, as well as stress-testing integrated care board and trust winter plans to ensure they are able to meet demand and ensure patient flow.Flu is a recurring pressure that the NHS faces every winter. There is particular risk of severe illness for older people, the very young, pregnant people, and those with certain underlying health conditions. The flu vaccine remains the best form of defense against influenza, particularly for the most vulnerable, and continues to be highly effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalisation.  This year we have:expanded the use of the National Booking Service for flu vaccination;carried out a major campaign aimed at eligible people, encouraging them to take up their vaccinations; anddeveloped the “flu walk-in finder” so that, from October 2025, patients can easily look up when they can walk into a community pharmacy to get a vaccination.

Communities and Local Government, how the Government ensures that increases in core spending power per head accurately reflect trends in levels of costs for councils in deprived areas.

Through the Fair Funding Review 2.0 reforms and the first multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement in a decade, we are introducing a fairer and evidence-based funding system. These updates will account for local circumstances, including for different ability to raise income locally from council tax. They will also account for the variation in cost of delivering services, including between rural and urban areas. In doing so, we will target a greater proportion of grant funding towards the most deprived places which need it most, ensuring the best value for money for government and taxpayers. As a result, we expect that councils with social care responsibilities will see their Core Spending Power (CSP) increase in real terms over the multi-year Settlement, with most councils seeing their Core Spending Power increase in cash terms. By 2028-29, we expect that the 10% most deprived authorities will see a significant increase in their Core Spending Power per head compared to the least deprived. While our reforms move funding to the places where it is most needed, the government recognises the challenging financial context for local authorities as they continue to deal with the legacy of the previous system. The government has therefore confirmed that it will continue to have a framework in place to support those in the most difficult positions. Any council that has concerns about its ability to set or maintain a balanced budget should approach the department in the first instance.

Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms his Department plans to use to monitor the effectiveness of the multi-year Settlement in reducing disparities in funding between more and less deprived local authorities.

The government is making good on long overdue promises to fundamentally update the way we fund local authorities. We are realigning funding with need by introducing a fairer and evidence-based funding assessment, which will target a greater proportion of central government grant funding towards the most deprived places which need it the most. By 2028-29, we expect that the 10% most deprived authorities in England will see a significant increase in Core Spending Power per head compared to the least deprived. The new assessment will be based on the most up-to-date data available. Going forwards, we will update the data at the beginning of each multi-year Settlement to balance dynamism with providing certainty and stability over the Settlement period.

Communities and Local Government, if he will publish an analysis of how the updated deprivation indicators have altered funding allocations to individual councils under the new Local Government Finance Settlement for (a) Hampshire; (b) Hertfordshire; (c) Kent; (d) Surrey; (e) Essex; (f) Oxfordshire; (g) Buckinghamshire; (h) West Sussex; and (i) East Sussex.

The government published the local government finance policy statement Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 - GOV.UK and government response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on Thursday 20 November, which set out the government’s plans to introduce a fairer and evidence-led system, that will realign funding with need and deprivation. The government has used the most robust and up to date evidence available. On this basis, we are now using data from the recently published 2025 Indices of Multiple Deprivation in our assessment of need. We will publish provisional local authority allocations at the upcoming provisional multi-year Settlement in December. Proposals and allocations will be subject to consultation and the usual Parliamentary process. The government will also include technical annexes for each ‘relative need formula’ – including those which use updated deprivation data – at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (IoD25) on Thursday 30th October 2025. All resources can be accessed online here - English indices of deprivation 2025 - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, what (a) variables and (b) indicators are included in the Fair Funding 2.0 formula; how is each factor weighted; and if he will publish the full methodology underpinning Fair Funding 2.0.

I refer you to the government response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 The Fair Funding Review 2.0 - GOV.UK published on 20 November. The government will use relative need formulas (RNFs) to assess how much ‘need’ each local authority has in comparison to others for specific services. These formulas are a key part of how local authorities' funding allocations are calculated and, for the first time since 2013-14, they are being updated. This is something the sector has long called for and will enable the government to assess local authorities' relative demand for services more effectively. The formulas are designed to reflect the extent to which local characteristics are likely to influence demand for services. Each RNF is constructed using consistent principles, drawing on data such as demographic indicators and applying statistical techniques to weight variables according to their influence on service demand. The government will include technical annexes for each formula at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement, which is due for publication this month.

Whether the forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls strategy and its delivery plan will include (a) funding and (b) measures to address technology-facilitated domestic abuse.

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) in all of its forms, including abuse facilitated by technology, is a top priority for this government, with an unprecedented mission to halve it within a decade. The rapid development of technology has provided additional spaces for VAWG and equipped perpetrators with new ways to harass, intimidate, stalk and coerce women and girls. We will set out plans to address technology-facilitated VAWG in our forthcoming Strategy.Following the Chancellor’s announcement on 11th June, we are working through the details of funding for tackling VAWG over the Spending Review period of 2026-2029. We will provide further details on funding when departmental budget allocations have been finalised.

How many police officers have undergone specialist technology-facilitated domestic abuse training in each of the last five years.

The College of Policing is the responsible body for setting standards, developing curriculum and monitoring training delivery within policing, including the technology-facilitated domestic abuse training within Operation Modify. In our manifesto, we committed to strengthening training on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) for policing to ensure that all officers have the right skills to investigate all VAWG offences, including technology-facilitated abuse. In response to this, the Home Office has invested £13.1 million this year to launch the new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection (NCVPP). This funding includes an uplift of nearly £2 million to deliver a robust package of training improvements across public protection crime types, including technology-facilitated abuse.

What information her Department holds on the number of technology-facilitated abuse incidents reported to the police in each of the last five years.

The Home Office does not hold data on technology-facilitated abuse incidents recorded by police forces in England and Wales. The rapid development of technology has provided additional spaces for technology facilitated abuse and violence against women and girls (VAWG) to be perpetrated and has equipped perpetrators with new ways to harass, intimidate, stalk and coerce women and girls. We will set out plans to address technology-facilitated VAWG, in our forthcoming Strategy.

What funding his Department has committed to providing specialist support services for survivors of technology-facilitated abuse and online violence against women and girls.

My Department is committed to the Government’s pledge to halve Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in a decade.The Ministry of Justice will be investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years – the biggest investment in victim support services to date.I have committed two years of grant funding to the 42 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales. They commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types, including victims of technology-facilitated abuse and online violence against women and girls. The funding from the Ministry of Justice includes ‘core’ funding, which is for PCCs to allocate at their discretion, based on their assessment of local need, as well as funding that is ring-fenced for sexual violence and domestic abuse services.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with HM Treasury on the potential merits of ringfencing funding received from fines levied on tech platforms by Ofcom under the Online Safety Act to fund specialist violence against women and girls support services, specifically for ‘by and for’ led services.

Under the Online Safety Act, any fines collected by Ofcom must be paid into the Consolidated Fund and any subsequent allocation of funds would then be a matter for HM Treasury. It is worth noting that fine income is inherently unpredictable and therefore may not be an appropriate or sustainable way to directly fund initiatives.

Whether her Department holds data on the distribution of young people of A-level-studying age across different neighbourhoods in Knowsley.

The information requested is not held centrally by the department.The Office for National Statistics produce annual population estimates for England at lower level geographies, broken down by age, and will likely hold the relevant information.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ensuring that the Fair Funding Review will ensure that the most deprived areas of the country will see the biggest increases in funding.

The government published the local government finance policy statement Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 - GOV.UK and government response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on Thursday 20 November which set out the government’s plans to introduce a fairer and evidence-led system, that will realign funding with need and deprivation. The government has used the most robust and up to date evidence available. On this basis, we are now using data from the recently published 2025 Indices of Multiple Deprivation in our assessment of need. We expect that by 2028-29, the top 10% most deprived authorities will see a significant increase in their Core Spending Power per head, compared to the least deprived. We will publish provisional local authority allocations at the upcoming provisional multi-year Settlement in December. Proposals and allocations will be subject to consultation and the usual Parliamentary process.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) potential merits of continuing the Recovery Grant within the Local Government Finance Settlement and (b) the criteria used to determine its future inclusion.

The government introduced the £600 million Recovery Grant in 2025-26 to support those local authorities facing higher need and demand for services, and which are least able to fund their own services through income raised locally. Following a large number of representations on the importance of this funding, the government confirmed in the local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 on 20 November that we would maintain all existing Recovery Grant allocations from 2025-26 across the multi-year Settlement. The government agrees – after years of funding cuts to local government, in which the most deprived places suffered the most – that the recovery is not over. We will also provide a Recovery Grant Guarantee to upper tier authorities which were in receipt of the Recovery Grant. This will be capped at £35 million per authority over the multi-year period. These upper tier authorities will see an above real-terms increase, except for where the cap is applied. We will publish provisional local authority allocations at the upcoming provisional multi-year Settlement in December. Proposals and allocations will be subject to consultation and the usual Parliamentary process.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Recovery Grant on local authorities in areas with high levels of deprivation.

The government introduced the £600 million Recovery Grant in 2025-26 to support those local authorities facing higher need and demand for services, and which are least able to fund their own services through income raised locally. Following a large number of representations on the importance of this funding, the government confirmed in the local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 on 20 November that we would maintain all existing Recovery Grant allocations from 2025-26 across the multi-year Settlement. The government agrees – after years of funding cuts to local government, in which the most deprived places suffered the most – that the recovery is not over. We will also provide a Recovery Grant Guarantee to upper tier authorities which were in receipt of the Recovery Grant. This will be capped at £35 million per authority over the multi-year period. These upper tier authorities will see an above real-terms increase, except for where the cap is applied. We will publish provisional local authority allocations at the upcoming provisional multi-year Settlement in December. Proposals and allocations will be subject to consultation and the usual Parliamentary process.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Recovery Grant on local authorities' ability to maintain essential services and introduce new support measures for residents.

The government introduced the £600 million Recovery Grant in 2025-26 to support those local authorities facing higher need and demand for services, and which are least able to fund their own services through income raised locally. Following a large number of representations on the importance of this funding, the government confirmed in the local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 on 20 November that we would maintain all existing Recovery Grant allocations from 2025-26 across the multi-year Settlement. The government agrees – after years of funding cuts to local government, in which the most deprived places suffered the most – that the recovery is not over. We will also provide a Recovery Grant Guarantee to upper tier authorities which were in receipt of the Recovery Grant. This will be capped at £35 million per authority over the multi-year period. These upper tier authorities will see an above real-terms increase, except for where the cap is applied. We will publish provisional local authority allocations at the upcoming provisional multi-year Settlement in December. Proposals and allocations will be subject to consultation and the usual Parliamentary process.

Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to implement Council Tax equalisation as part of proposed funding reforms; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of those reforms on councils with lower ability to raise local revenue.

On Thursday 20 November, we published the government response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0, which sets out the government’s plan to introduce a fairer and evidence-led funding system. As part of this, the government is clear that it has an important role as an equaliser for local government income, directing funding towards the places that are less able to meet their needs through locally raised income. The government will therefore apply a resource adjustment which accounts for the differing Council Tax raising ability between local authorities which will be implemented as part of the 2026-27 Local Government Finance Settlement and will be phased in over three years. The resource adjustment achieves the objective of full equalisation. This provides funding in a way that supports local authorities to offer a consistent level of service to their residents regardless of their tax base.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the inclusion of housing costs in the Indices of Multiple Deprivation does not disadvantage more deprived areas with lower housing costs, particularly those with higher Council Tax rates.

On Thursday 20 November, we published the government response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0, which sets out the government’s plan to introduce a fairer and evidence-led funding system. The government has used the most robust and up to date evidence available. On this basis, we are now using data from the recently published 2025 Indices of Multiple Deprivation in our assessment of need. The Indices are an Accredited Official Statistic produced by MHCLG. The government has an important role as an equaliser for local government income, directing funding towards the places that are less able to meet their needs through locally raised income. The government will apply a resource adjustment which accounts for the differing Council Tax raising ability between local authorities. We are proposing that the resource adjustment achieves the objective of full equalisation. This provides funding in a way that supports local authorities to offer a consistent level of service to their residents.

Communities and Local Government, what the evidential basis is for the inclusion of the Remoteness Adjustment within the Area Cost Adjustment of proposed funding formulas.

On Thursday 20 November, we published the government response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0, which sets out the government’s plan to introduce a fairer and evidence-led funding system. In doing so, we will target a greater proportion of grant funding towards the most deprived places which need it most, ensuring the best value for money for government and taxpayers. We will apply a remoteness adjustment to the Adult Social Care Formula, but not to formulas more broadly. The government recognised in the last consultation the case in principle for the impact of a remoteness adjustment on costs. On balance, taking into consideration the available evidence and the views of stakeholders, the government has made a judgement that remoteness should be accounted for when assessing the cost of delivering adult social care services.