Written questions by Stephenson.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of future rates of Air Passenger Duty on levels of economic growth.

The Government published Tax Impact and Information Notes (TIINs) assessing the impacts of the 2025/26 and 2026/27 APD rates, which can be found at GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-air-passenger-duty-rates-from-1-april-2025/air-passenger-duty-rates-from-1-april-2025-to-31-march-2026 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-air-passenger-duty-rates-from-1-april-2026/air-passenger-duty-rates-from-1-april-2026-to-31-march-2027 These measures are not expected to have any significant macroeconomic impact.

Communities and Local Government, how much funding her Department has provided to (a) Bedford Borough and (b) Central Bedfordshire Councils to tackle rough sleeping in each financial year since 2022-23.

Between 2022/23 and 2024/25, Bedford Borough Council were allocated funding to tackle rough sleeping through the Rough Sleeping Initiative, Accommodation for Ex-Offenders, Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme and Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment. Bedford Borough Council were allocated £2,929,761 in 2022/23, £2,007,058 in 2023/24 and £1,718,596 in 2024/25. In 2025/26, this Government has simplified local authorities’ access to and management of rough sleeping grants by consolidating the Rough Sleeping Initiative and Accommodation for Ex Offenders programmes into the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant. Bedford Borough Council have also been allocated Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme and Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment in 2025/26. The total funding allocation is £1,699,802. Between 2022/23 and 2024/25, Central Bedfordshire Council were allocated funding to tackle rough sleeping through the Rough Sleeping Initiative and the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme. Central Bedfordshire Council were allocated £542,406 in 2022/23, £560,600 in 2023/24 and £388,479 in 2024/25. In 2025/26 Central Bedfordshire Council have been allocated £388,479 to tackle rough sleeping through the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant and the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme.

Media and Sport, with reference to the press release entitled Major investment to boost growth and cement Britain’s place as cultural powerhouse, published on 20 February 2025, whether this funding is additional to funding allocated at the Autumn Budget 2024.

The £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund is made up of multiple funds including the £85 million Creative Foundations Fund and the £20 million Museum Renewal Fund. Full details of these funds can be found on the UK Parliament website here.The Autumn Budget 2024 set out the new settlements for FY 2025-26 as part of the SR Phase 1. The Arts Everywhere Fund announcement brought together arts programme funding - all of which were included in the overall settlement, as a single strategy. Within the Arts Everywhere Fund are brand new programmes as well as further/new funding rounds for established programmes.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer to Question 43757 on Aquariums and Zoos: Tourism, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to GREAT programme funding on Visit Britain’s work to promote (a) safari parks, (b) zoos and (c) aquariums.

The GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland campaign remains an effective tool in driving economic growth and we will continue to work closely with partners to optimise the campaign’s resources to deliver growth right across the UK. DCMS recognises the importance of the GREAT programme funding in supporting the UK’s international tourism promotion, including the work of VisitBritain to showcase the diverse range of visitor experiences available across the UK. VisitBritain’s latest annual attractions survey for 2023 showed that visits to wildlife parks and zoos increased by 6% from the previous year and will continue to monitor the impact of any changes.

With reference to the press release entitled Hundreds of quangos to be examined for potential closure as Government takes back control, published on 7 April 2025, whether this review will consider future Arm's Length Bodies already announced.

The review will cover all arm’s-length bodies (ALBs), including proposals for new ALBs.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 36886 on Personal Income: Expenditure, if she will publish the assessment of behavioural changes referenced in that Answer.

The Office for Budget Responsibility reports on the impact of the government’s policy announcements, including behavioural impacts where relevant. The impact of policies announced at Autumn Budget 2024 can be found in its published document Economic and Fiscal Outlook, October 2024. Additionally, Tax Information and Impact Notes, published on gov.uk, describe the 'economic impact' and 'impact on individuals, households and families'.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support increased participation in grassroots rugby.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year. Sport England’s work focuses on increasing participation in sport, including rugby, at grassroots level to give more and better opportunities to all.Sport England provides long term investment to the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League, the National Governing Bodies for rugby. The Rugby Football Union receives £13.9 million from 2022-27 and the Rugby Football League (RFL) receives £11.9 million from 2022-2025 of funding to support grassroots rugby league.

If he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of his Department's (a) recruitment and (b) retention of armed forces personnel.

The current Government inherited a crisis in recruitment and retention from the last administration, and we are committed to addressing this through a range of targets, initiatives and measures. Although Armed Forces outflow currently remains greater than intake, compared to the previous 12-month period Armed Forces inflow has increased and outflow has decreased, with the gap between getting smaller.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Government to turbocharge defence innovation, published on 3 March 2025, which defence firms he met with at RAF Waddington.

The following companies attended the Defence Industrial Strategy and Growth Roundtable at RAF Waddington on 28 February 2025: BAE SystemsBabcockRolls-RoyceQinetiQ GroupLeonardo UKMBDA UKLockheed Martin UKRheinmetall UKRTX UKPearsons EngineeringAtlas Elektronik UKPalantirHelsingAndurilHadeanModini Limited2iCKinsetsu

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of expanding London Stansted Airport on the economy in (a) the East of England and (b) Bedfordshire.

We have been clear that any airport expansion proposals need to demonstrate that they contribute to economic growth, can be delivered in line with the UK’s legally binding climate change commitments and meet strict environmental requirements on air quality and noise pollution. The impacts of any planning application made by Stansted Airport to expand the airport will be carefully considered by the relevant planning authority.

What estimate her Department has made of passenger numbers on Thameslink services in (a) 2030 and (b) 2040.

In line with our published guidance, the Department has developed a number of possible rail demand scenarios in both the medium and long term. The Department considers a wide range of evidence for our project appraisals and policy decisions and seeks to use the most up to date inputs to aid in these decisions.

What steps she is taking to help ensure the safety of retail workers who deliver to people's homes.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to UIN 48505 on the 6th May 2025.

How much and what proportion of the funding for steel through the National Wealth Fund will be used to maintain steel production in Scunthorpe.

The funding required to maintain iron and steel production at Scunthorpe will be drawn from the £2.5bn funding for steel, which is available through the National Wealth Fund and other routes. The National Wealth Fund is operationally independent, and financing is already accessible to projects that meet the investment principles. Companies across the UK are already engaging with them on projects within the steel sector.The Department for Business and Trade's accounts for 2025/26 will reflect the financial support that the department has given to British Steel.

Whether it is his policy to not allow another Chinese partner for the Scunthorpe steel plant.

Our unique and unprecedented action was related to an individual company no longer acting in good faith. No decisions have yet been made about British Steel's long-term future - that will come at a later date.More broadly, the UK remains open to Chinese investment. At the same time, this Government will always prioritise our own security and resilience. We recognise the importance of the UK's powers through the National Security and Investment Act 2021 to scrutinise and intervene in investments and other acquisitions to protect national security where necessary.

Whether she has had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on improving (a) awareness and (b) treatment of chronic and recurring urinary tract infections.

The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published guidelines for referral for patients who present with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs). https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/urinary-tract-infection-lower-women/management/recurrent-uti-no-haematuria-not-pregnant-or-catheterized/There are specific referral criteria for women compared to men, and children. There are also guidelines in place for those who present to pharmacy first. If the patient has had a history of UTIs, they are asked to see their GP surgery, rather than being prescribed antibiotics by the pharmacy.Patients with recurrent UTIs should be referred to secondary care to exclude other causes perhaps by ultrasound scan or cystoscopy. Once cleared, patients may be prescribed prophylactic antibiotics.The number of clinics for urinary tract issues is locally managed and commissioned by each Integrated Care Boards (ICB), in accordance with the local population’s needs.While there are no current plans to train GPs and urologists on better recognising the symptoms of chronic UTIs, NHS England’s UTI reduction workstream was established as part of delivery of the ‘UK 5-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2019 to 2024’. This workstream aims to enhance prevention, support early and accurate diagnosis and improve the treatment of UTIs through identifying and adopting best practice and interventions for different populations.More widely, NHSE has also been working with other public bodies, including the UK Health Security Agency, to strengthen the guidance about the appropriate use of diagnostics including dipsticks. GPs can request testing for chronic UTIs via several pathways, including at point-of-care, via community diagnostic centres, or via laboratories.

Whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of excluding Chinese firms from critical national infrastructure.

The UK will not compromise on economic security and will continue to prioritise national security and resilience. We will continue to cooperate with China on trade and investment, recognising there will also be areas where we need to challenge non-market policies and protect sensitive sectors of the economy. We will continue to support UK business to engage with the second largest economy in the world, while being clear-eyed to any risks and ensuring security and resilience. The National Technical Authorities (National Cyber Security Centre and National Protective Security Authority) provide advice to critical national infrastructure (CNI) industry on best practice for CNI security and resilience.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the UK leaving the EU on the level of tariffs applied to the UK by the US.

The UK has a strong and balanced trading relationship with the US worth £315 billion. Investment supports around 2.5 million jobs across both countries. Trade is second only to the EU where our trading relationship is worth £813 billion. The level of tariff applied to any country, including the UK, by the US is determined by the US government.On 8 May, the UK government announced a landmark economic deal with the US, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump. This deal protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK.

What steps he is taking to support van manufacturers in the context of US tariffs.

A landmark economic deal with the US, announced on 8 May, protects jobs in key sectors including automotive, directly supporting over 320,000 jobs across the UK. The Government also continues to support van manufacturing through the Automotive Transformation Fund, aiming to build a competitive electric vehicle supply chain. The 2024 Autumn Budget allocated over £2 billion for zero-emission vehicle manufacturing and supply chains, including £120 million to extend the Plug-in Van Grant (PIVG) until 2025/26. In addition, following the recent ZEV support consultation, fine levels for vans will also decrease by £3,000 to £15,000, and a bidirectional mechanism will be implemented for credit exchange between car and van schemes.

If she will hold discussions with local leaders in Bedfordshire on the effectiveness of (a) rules relating to on-street parking and (b) the enforcement of those rules near train stations on the (a) Thameslink line and (b) Marston Vale line in the context of increased visitors to the Universal Bedfordshire project.

Responsibility for implementing parking restrictions rests with the appropriate local authority, as they are best placed to consider how to balance the needs of residents, emergency services, local business and those who work in and visit the area. Central Bedfordshire Council has civil parking enforcement powers to deal with any contraventions of their parking restrictions.

With reference to Chapter 9 of the final stage impact assessment entitled Improve access to Statutory Sick Pay by removing the Lower Earnings Limit and removing the waiting period, if she will make it her policy publish an assessment of the impact of that policy on behaviour in each of the first five years after it is implemented.

The Government intends to conduct a post-implementation review (PIR) of the Employment Rights Bill within five years of implementation. The impact of the measures to strengthen Statutory Sick Pay will be monitored, including how Statutory Sick Pay is used by employers and how effectively it supports employees.