Written questions by Ribeiro-Addy.

What steps his Department is taking with (a) NHS England and (b) healthcare professionals to ensure that patients from ethnic minority backgrounds are able to discuss any concerns they may have on the potential impact of (i) cultural and (ii) racial bias; and what steps he is taking to improve the experiences of patients who raise those concerns.

The Government recognises that racial health inequalities are linked to broader socioeconomic factors. Tackling these inequalities is central to building a fairer health system where outcomes are not dictated by race or background.Community-led approaches, including peer support and culturally sensitive social prescribing, are integral to preventing poor health outcomes and improving self-management. These will be key features of the upcoming 10-Year Health Plan.The NHS Framework for Action on Inclusion Health is advancing improvements in culturally competent and trauma-informed care, ensuring services are responsive to the needs of ethnic minority groups and other marginalised populations.As raised in last year’s health inequalities public board report, the National Health Service has also established the NHS Race and Health Observatory to better understand and address the stark health inequalities experienced by black and minority ethnic communities. Further information on last year’s health inequalities public board report and the NHS Race and Health Observatory is available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/annual-report-on-nhs-englands-work-on-healthcare-inequalities-and-the-nhs-race-and-health-observatory-2/https://www.nhsrho.org/about-us/

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of revoking the windfall tax on oil and gas companies on the revenues of the exchequer.

In its manifesto the Government committed to make changes to the Energy Profits Levy (EPL) to raise revenue towards clean energy goals, including raising the rate of the levy from 35% to 38% and extending the duration of the levy until 31 March 2030. Following confirmation of these changes at Autumn Budget 2024, the EPL is now due to end by 31 March 2030, or earlier if oil and gas prices fall consistently below the price thresholds set by the Energy Security Investment Mechanism. The OBR’s latest forecast published at Spring Statement 2025 indicates that the levy will generate £13.5 billion in receipts between 2024-25 and 2029-30, on top of £7.4bn already raised since the levy’s introduction.Following a period of change and uncertainty, the government is committed to providing long-term certainty to the oil and gas sector over the future fiscal regime and published a consultation on 5 March exploring the design of a new permanent mechanism for responding to price shocks once the EPL ends.Government is committed to delivering clean power by 2030 and will work in tandem with the private sector to unlock investment and deliver new clean infrastructure. Our Contracts for Difference scheme has driven significant investment in renewable energy generation. The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan sets out proposed reforms to ensure the scheme can support the volumes of capacity needed whilst minimising costs to consumers.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of revoking the windfall tax on oil and gas companies on trends in the level of future renewable investment.

In its manifesto the Government committed to make changes to the Energy Profits Levy (EPL) to raise revenue towards clean energy goals, including raising the rate of the levy from 35% to 38% and extending the duration of the levy until 31 March 2030. Following confirmation of these changes at Autumn Budget 2024, the EPL is now due to end by 31 March 2030, or earlier if oil and gas prices fall consistently below the price thresholds set by the Energy Security Investment Mechanism. The OBR’s latest forecast published at Spring Statement 2025 indicates that the levy will generate £13.5 billion in receipts between 2024-25 and 2029-30, on top of £7.4bn already raised since the levy’s introduction.Following a period of change and uncertainty, the government is committed to providing long-term certainty to the oil and gas sector over the future fiscal regime and published a consultation on 5 March exploring the design of a new permanent mechanism for responding to price shocks once the EPL ends.Government is committed to delivering clean power by 2030 and will work in tandem with the private sector to unlock investment and deliver new clean infrastructure. Our Contracts for Difference scheme has driven significant investment in renewable energy generation. The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan sets out proposed reforms to ensure the scheme can support the volumes of capacity needed whilst minimising costs to consumers.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the quality of maternity care for women from Black and Asian backgrounds.

It is unacceptable that there are inequalities for women and babies. It is a priority for the Government to make sure that all women and babies receive the high-quality care they deserve, regardless of their background, location, or ethnicity. NHS England’s three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services sets out how the National Health Service will make maternity and neonatal care safer, more personalised, and more equitable for women, babies, and families. A central component of this is action to tackle and reduce inequalities, to deliver consistency in access, experiences, and outcomes. Through this plan, all local areas now have Equity and Equality Action Plans in place, which set out tailored interventions that tackle inequalities for women and babies from ethnic backgrounds and those living in the most deprived areas. All trusts are also now implementing Version 3 of the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle, which provides maternity units with guidance and interventions to reduce stillbirths, neonatal brain injury, neonatal death, and preterm birth. It also includes initiatives to tackle factors that also drive worst outcomes, for example reducing smoking in pregnancy. However, further action is needed, and ministers in the Department are working closely with NHS England, and the wider sector, to identify the right actions and interventions that will deliver the required change. Part of this will be setting an explicit target to close the black and Asian maternal mortality gap and drive the change we need to see.

What estimate his Department has made of the potential cost to the NHS of missed appointments by children and young people with cancer due to unaffordable travel costs.

The Department knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families. NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring the healthcare needs of their local communities are met, including providing support for travel.The National Health Service in England runs the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or a Personal Independence Payment. There are also a number of charities in the United Kingdom who provide support, including financial support, for patients with cancer.The Department has not made an estimate of the potential cost to the NHS of missed appointments by children and young people with cancer due to travel costs. On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The Taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The Taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan.

Whether her Department has completed an equality impact assessment on its consultation proposals entitled A railway fit for Britain's future, published on 18 February 2025.

Equality impacts are being considered throughout the policy development process and as we prepare the required legislation. Feedback from the consultation will also inform our assessments. An Equality Impact Assessment will be published alongside the broader Impact Assessment when the legislation is introduced, in line with standard practice and requirements.

Whether (a) his Department and (b) the National Institute for Health Research have commissioned (i) research and (ii) evaluation on systemic racism in maternity services.

The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).The NIHR Research Inclusion Strategy 2022-2027 sets out how the NIHR will become a more inclusive funder of research and widen access to participation in clinical trials for under-represented groups such as pregnant women and ethnic minorities. In addition to these priorities, the NIHR will specifically consider intersectionality, recognising that multiple social identities overlap to exacerbate the experience of inequities.The NIHR is actively supporting research to address disparities and improve equity in maternity services, including projects focussed on racism and its impact on maternal health. For example, the NIHR has supported research to understand how multiple inequalities, including racism, shape postnatal mental health among Black Caribbean and Black African women. The NIHR is also funding a study which is undertaking a wider exploration of the harms that health and social care services can cause the African-Caribbean communities in the United Kingdom. This study will explore how health researchers can work more positively with people of African-Caribbean heritage; to start having conversations about the harms that health and social care services can cause to these communities and determine how research and practice in this area can improve.In addition, in March 2024, the NIHR launched a £50 million ‘Challenge’ funding call for research to tackle inequalities in maternity care bringing together experts across the country into a new consortium. The research carried out by the consortium will focus on inequalities before, during and after pregnancy and identify specific areas where measurable improvements can be made.The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of maternal health, including research on systemic racism in maternity services.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to early years funding on social enterprise nurseries following the changes to National Insurance Contributions.

It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life. This is key to the government’s Plan for Change, which starts with reaching the milestone of a record number of children being ready for school. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high quality early years provision going forward.That is why, despite tough decisions to get public finances back on track, the government is continuing to prioritise and invest in supporting early education and childcare providers, including social enterprise nurseries, with the costs they face.In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements. We have also announced the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year.On top of this, the department is providing a further £75 million through the early years expansion grant to support the sector as it prepares to deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025, recognising the significant level of expansion needed and the effort and planning this will require.Early years childcare providers, including social enterprise nurseries, may also benefit from the Employment Allowance. The Allowance is being increased to protect businesses and provides them with relief of up to £10,500 per annum on their employer Class 1 National Insurance contributions liabilities from 6 April. Early years childcare providers are entitled to claim the Allowance if they are private businesses or charities, and the department expects the vast majority will be eligible to do so.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) restricting eligibility for PIP, (b) reducing the health component of Universal Credit and (c) removing the health component of Universal Credit for 18-21 year olds on the unemployment rate.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, with some information published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of increased usage of heavy vehicles on recent trends in the levels of expenditure on road maintenance and repairs.

The increased usage of heavy vehicles is one of many factors affecting road condition. Others include weather, overall traffic volumes, the age of the road and standard to which it was constructed, and the topography of the area. It is the responsibility of individual highway authorities to maintain and improve their networks, based on local circumstances. The Government has recognised the pressures on local highway networks and is providing almost £1.6 billion for local highway maintenance in 2025/26, an increase of £500 million compared to 2024/25. This funding is not ring-fenced, and it is a matter for local authorities to determine how it is best spent. The Department is also committed to updating its guidance to local highway authorities on how to manage their networks, which will include advice on matters of this sort.

Whether the child poverty strategy will set longer term goals beyond the next 10 years.

The Child Poverty Taskforce is continuing its urgent work and is exploring all available levers, including considering social security reforms, to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. Our focus is on bringing about an enduring reduction in child poverty in this parliament, thereby reversing the trend that is seeing forecasts of child poverty continuing to increase. More details, including on the time horizon, will be set out in the strategy publication. We recognise the critical role Universal Credit has to play in tackling poverty and making work pay. The Department provides extensive information on Universal Credit on Gov.uk that supports claimants to identify what support may be available.

Whether the child poverty strategy will include the removal of the (a) two-child limit and (b) benefit cap.

The Child Poverty Taskforce is continuing its urgent work and is exploring all available levers, including considering social security reforms, to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. Our focus is on bringing about an enduring reduction in child poverty in this parliament, thereby reversing the trend that is seeing forecasts of child poverty continuing to increase. More details, including on the time horizon, will be set out in the strategy publication. We recognise the critical role Universal Credit has to play in tackling poverty and making work pay. The Department provides extensive information on Universal Credit on Gov.uk that supports claimants to identify what support may be available.

What steps her Department is taking to increase the take up of benefits in households with children in poverty.

The Child Poverty Taskforce is continuing its urgent work and is exploring all available levers, including considering social security reforms, to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. Our focus is on bringing about an enduring reduction in child poverty in this parliament, thereby reversing the trend that is seeing forecasts of child poverty continuing to increase. More details, including on the time horizon, will be set out in the strategy publication. We recognise the critical role Universal Credit has to play in tackling poverty and making work pay. The Department provides extensive information on Universal Credit on Gov.uk that supports claimants to identify what support may be available.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce the impact of (a) housing, (b) income, (c) access to education and (d) other social determinants of health on maternal health outcomes for ethnic minority women.

The Government is committed to addressing the stark inequalities for women and babies, so that everyone can receive the high-quality care they deserve regardless of their background, circumstance, or ethnicity.The Department is working with NHS England, other Government departments, and the wider sector to identify and embed the right actions and interventions that will help deliver improvements. For example, we are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to develop non-statutory guidance to support the implementation of Awaab’s Law from October 2025. This law introduces additional hazards, such as excess cold, which increase health risks for pregnant women, as well as for unborn and born children.To find new ways to tackle maternity disparities, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, funded by the Department, launched the first challenge on maternity inequalities in March 2024. Over the subsequent five years, funding of up to £50 million will be made available to develop research and evidence that will drive action to reduce maternity inequalities and improve outcomes for women.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure that data collection on maternity care outcomes is disaggregated by ethnicity and (b) reduce gaps in this data.

Data on a woman’s ethnic background is routinely collected by services at multiple points throughout maternity care. This data is used to disaggregate reporting of adverse outcomes, like maternal mortality, by ethnicity. Differences by ethnicity are also reported as part of the Care Quality Commission’s annual survey, which asks a sample of pregnant women and new mothers about their experience of National Health Service maternity services.NHS trusts are incentivised to collect this information through the Maternity Incentive Scheme, which is a financial incentive program designed to enhance maternity safety within NHS trusts. Safety Action 2 of the Maternity Incentive Scheme incentivises trusts to submit digital information, including ethnicity data, to the Maternity Services Data Set.The levels of completeness are high, and gaps are rare. 95% of women who gave birth in 2023/24 had their ethnic background recorded.

What steps his Department is taking to help support local maternity services to tackle racial disparities; and whether his Department monitors the compliance of these services with guidelines on (a) equality and (b) anti-discrimination.

The National Health Service’s Three-Year Delivery Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Services sets national measures to improve maternity and neonatal services by making care more personalised and equitable. A key objective within the plan is to reduce inequalities for all in maternity access, experience, and outcomes, seeking to improve equity for mothers and babies. As part of the plan, all local areas have published Equity and Equality Action Plans, which set out tailored interventions that will tackle inequalities for women and babies from ethnic backgrounds and those living in the most deprived areas. Equity and Equality Action Plans are published online to ensure public accountability. NHS England has published technical guidance to monitor compliance and to determine the success measures that are used to monitor the outcomes and progress in achieving the key objectives of the plan. The guidance is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/three-year-delivery-plan-for-maternity-and-neonatal-care-technical-guidance/ The Department is also considering what longer term action can be taken to tackle disparities in outcomes and experiences for black, Asian, and minority ethnic women. This includes working closely with NHS England, and the wider sector, to identify the right actions and interventions that will deliver the required change.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that Black, Asian, and other minority ethnic women receive equitable access to high-quality maternity care in (a) areas with significant health inequalities and (b) other areas.

It is unacceptable that there are such inequalities for women and babies. It is a priority for the Government to make sure that all women and babies receive the high-quality care they deserve, regardless of their background, location, or ethnicity. The National Health Service’s Three-Year Delivery Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Services sets national measures to improve maternity and neonatal services by making care more personalised and equitable. A key objective within the plan is to reduce inequalities for all in maternity access, experience, and outcomes, to improve equity for mothers and babies. As part of the plan, all local areas have published Equity and Equality Action Plans, which set out tailored interventions that will tackle inequalities for women and babies from ethnic backgrounds and for those living in the most deprived areas. Trusts are also implementing Version 3 of the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle, which provides maternity units with guidance and interventions to reduce stillbirths, neonatal brain injury, neonatal death, and preterm birth. The Department continues to work closely with the NHS as it delivers these initiatives.The Department is also considering what longer term action can be taken to tackle disparities in outcomes and experiences for black, Asian, and minority ethnic women. This includes working closely with NHS England, and the wider sector, to identify the right actions and interventions that will deliver the required change.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that culturally competent (a) midwifery and (b) obstetric training is available in the NHS; and how his Department assesses the effectiveness of these steps.

It is a priority for the Government to make sure that all women and babies receive the high-quality care they deserve, regardless of their background, location, or ethnicity. To deliver this, it is important that those working in maternity and neonatal services receive the required training needed to deliver culturally competent care. While it is the responsibility of employers in the health system to ensure that their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver safe and effective treatment for patients, NHS England is taking steps to ensure that maternity healthcare professionals receive training on unconscious bias and culturally competent care through the Core Competency Framework and through provision of the Cultural Competence and Cultural Safety in Maternity Services e-learning course. Over 15,400 maternity staff have completed the e-learning module, which supports staff to better understand and meet the needs of diverse communities. NHS England has also embedded equity-focused leadership development through the Perinatal Culture and Leadership Programme. All 150 maternity and neonatal units in England have participated in the programme. No assessment has been made on the effectiveness of these steps.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 38383 on G4S: Fines, what steps she is taking to (a) highlight and (b) report on steps taken by her Department to (i) monitor the performance of and (ii) impose financial penalties on G4S in relation to its key performance indicators.

The Department has an established robust contractual performance management regime in place that reviews G4S achievement against KPIs monthly. The top 3 KPIs achievement are published quarterly in line with Cabinet Office transparency guidelines. In terms of fines, I refer the honourable member to PQ 38383.

What estimate she has made of the number of people reliant on Personal Independence Payments to access employment opportunities.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 March 2025 to Question UIN39344.