Written questions by Stephenson.

What recent estimate she has made of whether the rollout of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax will be completed by April 2026.

Making Tax Digital (MTD) is an ambitious reform that will support modernisation of the tax system. The government is working collaboratively with HMRC and external stakeholders to bring the first businesses and landlords into MTD for Income Tax. Reflecting its status within the Government Major Projects Portfolio, the MTD programme is subject to strong governance and independent assurance by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.

What steps her Department is taking to help support small businesses to comply with the Making Tax Digital for Income Tax regulations.

HMRC have worked closely with stakeholders in the business and tax communities on the design and scope of MTD for Income Tax to make sure it is fit for purpose. This has led to practical design changes and improvements that will benefit users. HMRC is currently testing the IT functionality, customer support model and customer experience for MTD for Income Tax. HMRC will continue to provide guidance and communications to help small businesses, landlords and their agents prepare for this change. Ahead of rollout, HMRC will also introduce a comprehensive communications campaign, based on customer insight, to further increase awareness.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to upgrade sewage infrastructure in Mid Bedfordshire constituency in this Parliament.

The Secretary of State and I have secured agreement that funding for vital infrastructure investment is ringfenced and can only be spent on upgrades benefiting customers and the environment. There are several schemes at sewage treatment works in the Mid-Bedfordshire constituency that have been or will be completed during Asset Management Period (AMP) 7 (2020 – 2025). This includes a 0.5 mg/l Phosphate limit at Marston Mortaine STW to be delivered by 22/12/2024. A groundwater investigation into water quality at Upper Sundon has been completed. Five other works have also had investigations into storm overflows, flows within the works and storm and flow monitors installed. Other improvements to the infrastructure, including the sewer network and at sewage treatment works will be carried out by Anglian Water through a part of their AMP. We do not have sight of this.

What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Probation Service in the East of England.

The performance of the Probation Service in England and Wales is closely monitored by both internal and external scrutiny bodies, including His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP), who provide independent scrutiny of Probation Services. The Ministry of Justice also publishes the Probation Scorecard, which gives an overall rating of the performance of the probation service both nationally and within regions. The Probation Scorecard ratings for all regions, for the performance year ending March 2024, can be found on GOV.UK at: Community Performance Annual, update to March 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Following eight inspection reports on Probation Delivery Units in the East of England from May to August 2024, the HM Chief Inspector of Probation published an assessment of the region on 29 August 2024, which can be found at: An inspection of Probation Service – East of England region (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk).The most recent HMPPS assurance of sentence management in East of England region was completed in January 2024 and identified similar performance issues in the East of England, such as insufficient assessment, planning and risk management, which the region is taking steps to address via their published Action Plan: East of England Probation Service Action Plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of sustainable drainage systems in managing flood risk on new housing developments.

Planning policy requires that Sustainable Drainage Systems are included in all new major developments, unless there is clear evidence that this would be inappropriate. The Government is currently assessing how best to implement its ambitions on sustainable drainage, while also being mindful of the cumulative impact of new regulatory burdens on the development sector.

What steps she is taking to reduce class sizes in Bedfordshire.

The average class size for state-funded primary schools in Bedford is 26.8 pupils and in Central Bedfordshire it is 25.7 pupils, which is broadly in line with the national average of 26.6 pupils. The average class size for state-funded secondary schools in Bedford is 21.5 pupils and in Central Bedfordshire it is 22.6 pupils, which again is broadly in line with the national average of 22.4 pupils.Secondary schools can decide how to organise classes based on local needs and circumstances, ensuring they are consistent with raising attainment and helping pupils to achieve and thrive. Legislation limits the size of an infant class to 30 pupils per school teacher.It is local authorities who have responsibility to ensure that there are sufficient school places in their area. The department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities to provide school places. Bedford Borough Council will receive £15.1 million and Central Bedfordshire Council will receive £3.3 million in 2024/25 to support the provision of new school places needed by September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the consultation entitled Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system, published on 30 July 2024, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of removing beauty as a requirement on support for new housing developments by local communities.

The Government is committed to building more high-quality, well-designed, and sustainable homes and places. There is a clear framework through policy and guidance on how to achieve well-designed places and the principles of good design are set out in the National Model Design Code, as referenced in the National Planning Policy Framework.In our recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, we were clear that well designed and beautiful development is important as part of the overarching objectives of the planning system and to achieve sustainable development.However, we proposed to remove a few of the ‘beauty’ and ‘beautiful’ references in the Framework where they may result in inconsistency in how it is applied in decision-making, as many find the term subjective and difficult to define.

What steps he is taking to help ensure new GP surgeries are established in areas of population growth.

GPs have been neglected for too long. They are under-resourced, struggling to cope, and patients pay the price. We know that there is pressure on primary care estates and service provision in areas of high population growth. General practice provides high quality care, and we are committed to shifting the focus of care out of hospitals and into the community.