Written questions by Fox.

Whether his Department has had discussions with Ofgem on reducing electricity standing charges.

Although standing charges are a commercial matter for suppliers, and are regulated by Ofgem, we know that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on them. The Government has worked constructively with the regulator on the issue of standing charges, and we are committed to lowering the cost of them. Ofgem’s recently published discussion paper sets out the options for how standing charges could be reduced, including by moving some supplier operational costs off standing charges onto the unit rate, increasing the variety of tariffs available for consumer in the market, and in the longer term, reviewing how system costs are allocated. Ofgem's publication can be found here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/call-for-input/standing-charges-domestic-retail-options.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's campaign to promote Pension Credit on the number of successful applications.

The latest available data published on the 27 September [Weekly Pension Credit claims received from 1 April 2024 to 22 September 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)] shows that the Department received around 74,400 Pension Credit claims in the 8 weeks since the Winter Fuel Payment announcement on 29 July. This is compared to around 29,500 Pension Credit claims in the 8 weeks preceding the announcement. This represents a 152% increase in Pension Credit claims. Data on the number of successful applications is not currently available.

What estimate she has made of the cost of her Department's campaign to encourage people to apply for Pension Credit.

The Department’s paid marketing activity to promote Pension Credit, which includes radio, national and regional press, paid social media and GP and Post Office screens has been live since 16 September and is ongoing. It is not possible to provide an accurate assessment of the cost of this paid activity until it is concluded.

What estimate she has made of the number of people who will be affected by the change is eligibility criteria for the winter fuel payment in the Bridgwater constituency.

It is estimated that around 19,200 pensioners in Bridgwater Constituency (2024 boundaries) will be impacted by the decision to amend the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment. This is based on February 2024 Pension Credit statistics which are available via DWP Stat-Xplore and the Winter Fuel Payment statistics for winter 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) which are available via GOV.UK. This estimation is calculated by subtracting the number of people claiming Pension Credit in Bridgwater Constituency from the number of Winter Fuel Payment recipients in Bridgwater Constituency. It is possible to use the Pension Credit statistics, to give a minimum estimate of the number who may be eligible for Winter Fuel Payments. Therefore, the above estimation is essentially the number of Winter Fuel Payment recipients who are not claiming Pension Credit pre-policy change, as an estimate of those who will no longer receive the Winter Fuel Payment. Please note that the above estimation would not take into account any potential increase in Pension Credit take-up that we might see as a result of the Government’s Pension Credit Awareness Campaign. We do not have data on those additional Pension Credit claims by Parliamentary constituencies or Local Authorities. The published Pension Credit figures refer to households, so the number of individuals in respect of whom Pension Credit is paid will be higher (i.e. taking account of households where a claimant has a partner and / or dependents.) In addition, while Pension Credit claimants constitute the majority of those that will be eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment, pensioners who claim other qualifying means-tested benefits will also be eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment. It is not, however, possible to include those on other qualifying means-tested benefits in these figures.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Our Get Britain Working plan will support more disabled people and people with health conditions to enter work and stay in it. We will devolve power to local areas to join up work, health and skills support for local people.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the National Action Plan for the sustainable use of pesticides.

We intend to publish a National Action Plan in due course that reflects the Government’s priorities and ambitions to minimise the risks and impact of pesticides on human health and the environment, and to facilitate sustainable use.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much official development assistance was provided to programmes aiming to ensure access to clean water in the last financial year; and how much he plans to provide to such programmes this financial year.

The UK oversees a portfolio of bilateral and multilateral development programmes that seek to improve access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). In 2022, the UK provided £124 million of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for programmes which help improve WASH access; this includes £45 million of bilateral ODA and £79 million of multilateral ODA. Official figures for 2023 will be published in Autumn 2024. These programmes include an £18.5 million WASH Systems for Health programme, which supports governments in developing countries to strengthen the systems that provide WASH services. This financial year we will continue to fund these programmes and work closely with our partners to ensure equitable access to WASH services.

Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of solar farms on levels of availability of agricultural land.

Solar power is crucial to achieving net zero, providing an abundant source of cleaner, cheaper energy on the mission towards 2030. The total area used for solar farms is very small, and – even in the most ambitious scenarios – solar farms will occupy less than 1% of the UK’s agricultural land.

Whether he plans to include in his Solar Roadmap a target for the proportion of UK solar energy that should be generated through the installation of solar panels on industrial or commercial roofs; and what incentives his Department plans to provide to encourage such installations.

The Solar Roadmap will be published after consultation with the relaunched Solar Taskforce, which will bring together Government and industry to discuss barriers to solar deployment. The nature of any targets included in the Roadmap will be for the Taskforce to consider. At present, many smaller-scale commercial rooftop projects are covered by permitted development rights, which allow them to be installed without an application for planning consent. From next year, Future Buildings Standards will ensure that all newly-built commercial buildings are fit for a net zero future. Further measures to encourage rooftop installations will be considered by the Solar Taskforce.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much official development assistance was provided to countries that have a space agency with launch capabilities in the last financial year; and how much he plans to provide to those countries this financial year.

The UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending is reported on a calendar year basis. In 2023, the UK's country specific bilateral ODA spend on India was £25.5m (focused mainly on tackling the climate crisis), on China was £7.2m (focused mainly on British Council spend), and on Iran was around £134,000 (focused on cultural exchange). We do not provide funding to the Governments of India, China or Iran. These countries have space agencies capable of launching and operating orbital satellites. The FCDO is reviewing its ODA spending plans for the financial year 2024/25 and will publish these in due course.

What fiscal steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to make efficiency savings in the welfare system.

In the July Statement, the Chancellor set out that all departments will find a 2% saving against their administration budgets so that we can improve the efficiency of the public sector, and prioritise frontline services. This government is also committed to bringing down rates of fraud and error in the welfare system, ensuring support is targeted to those who need it.