Written questions by Thomas.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the impact of adult social care obligations on local authorities.

Department ministers regularly discuss a range of topics with other Cabinet colleagues. In response to the pressures facing adult social care, the Government will make up to £3.5 billion of additional funding for social care authorities available in 2025/26, which includes a £680 million increase in the Social Care Grant.

Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions her Department has had with Worcestershire County Council on (a) local government reorganisation and (b) devolution.

On Monday, this Government published a landmark English Devolution White Paper, setting out an ambitious plan for extending the benefits of devolution to more of England and unleashing further powers from Whitehall back into local communities that know their areas best. The White Paper sets out a new Devolution Priority Programme which is available to all places, including Worcestershire, who are ready to come together under sensible geographies and are ready to deliver on the Governments ambitions around mayoral devolution. This programme will aim to deliver institutions and have Mayors elected in the May 2026 elections. The Government will announce the places included in the Devolution Priority Programme in due course.Alongside this, Government will shortly invite unitary proposals from all councils in two-tier areas, including Worcestershire. Any new unitary councils must be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks.Government looks forward to hearing from Worcestershire on English Devolution and Local Government Reform.

What assessment she made of the potential impact of increases in employer National Insurance contributions on charities prior the the announcement of the Autumn Budget 2024.

In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance.HMRC has published a Tax Information and Impact Note that covers the impact of employer NICs changes.The Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, which means that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all next year; more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package, and all eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.More broadly, within the tax system, we provide support to charities through a range of reliefs and exemptions, including reliefs for charitable giving, with more than £6 billion in charitable reliefs provided to charities, CASCs and their donors in 2023 to 2024.

What his Department's timetable is for lowering energy bills for people in Bromsgrove constituency, in the context of the Great British Energy Bill.

Great British Energy is a key part of the government's mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. This is a sustainable, long-term plan to protect billpayers. In an unstable world, the only way to guarantee our energy security and protect billpayers permanently is to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels and towards homegrown clean energy. We are progressing the Great British Energy Bill through Parliament. By putting the company on a statutory footing and using the £100 million of capital funding announced at Autumn Budget, Great British Energy will be able to hit the ground running next year.

How many additional police officers her Department plans to fund in West Mercia by the end of 2025.

As part of our Safer Streets Mission we will put neighbourhood police back on the beat, with 13,000 additional officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood policing roles across England and Wales.Last week the Prime Minister announced that £100 million will be made available in 2025/26 to support the initial delivery of the 13,000 additional neighbourhood police, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood policing roles across England and Wales.The Home Office is working closely with policing to implement this commitment and will announce further detail in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help protect rural communities in Bromsgrove constituency from flooding.

Communities at risk of flooding in the Bromsgrove constituency include Hagley, Hollywood and Bromsgrove itself. At present, there have been no reports to the Environment Agency (EA) of property flooding in this constituency during the recent wet weather. The EA has been supporting Worcestershire County Council as the Lead Local Flood Authority and Bromsgrove District Council, to establish flood risk management projects on the 2021-2027 Flood and Coastal Risk Management Investment Programme. Over £300,000 has been invested to date with a further £600,000 planned to be invested over the next 3 years. The projects aim to better protect 155 properties from flooding by March 2027 through Property Level Resilience interventions across Bromsgrove and Redditch Council areas. The EA are engaging with the community at Hagley and Bromsgrove via flood action groups and responding to direct enquiries from residents. A Flood Warning Service is available to over 900 homes and businesses at risk of flooding from main rivers in the constituency. The EA will continue to work with partners towards raising awareness of flood risk in the area to support community resilience.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of multiple solar farms on the local environment; whether he has had discussions with the the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on the impact of solar farms on the rural (a) landscape and (b) communities; and if he will take steps to ensure that those farms are distributed over a wide area.

Although the precise location of energy infrastructure is a matter for developers, planning guidance sets out that the cumulative impact of solar developments located close to each other can be a factor in planning decisions. This impact should be considered by decision-makers. Officials are in regular contact with their counterparts at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with whom they work closely on matters related to the rural impacts of solar farms.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the GP-to-patient ratio in Bromsgrove constituency.

In August 2024, the median number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) doctors in general practice (GP) per 10,000 registered patients in the Bromsgrove constituency was 7.2. The median number nationally of FTE fully qualified GPs per 10,000 registered patients was 5.7.

What steps he is taking to support the long-term viability of pubs (a) in Bromsgrove constituency and (b) nationally.

Pubs, including those in Bromsgrove, are at the heart of our communities and vital for economic growth. That is why the Government is creating a fairer business rate system by introducing permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses from 2026-27 and extending the current relief for 1 year at 40%.The government is also reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products, representing an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year.We will transform the apprenticeship levy into a more flexible growth and skills levy to better support business and boost opportunity for people to work in Pubs.Through the Hospitality Sector Council, we are addressing strategic issues for the sector related to high street regeneration, skills, sustainability, and productivity.

Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of mobile phone coverage for cellular calls in Bromsgrove constituency.

It’s inadequate, but the government wants all areas of the UK to benefit from mobile connectivity.Ofcom’s recent reporting shows that 98% of Bromsgrove has 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile operators, and that basic (non-standalone) 5G is available from at least one mobile operator outside nearly 100% of premises.I am aware that Ofcom’s data does not always reflect consumers’ experience of mobile networks. I recently wrote to Ofcom, asking them to set out steps to improve their reporting.Our ambition is for all populated areas to have high-quality standalone 5G by 2030. We are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that children who eave the independent sector in areas with no state school availability are safeguarded.

This government is committed to ending the VAT exemption that private schools enjoy. Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies indicates that the number of pupils who may switch schools as a result of this change is likely to represent a very small proportion of overall pupil numbers in the state sector and any displacement would be expected to take place over several years. This research can be found here: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/tax-private-school-fees-and-state-school-spending.There is significant spare capacity in existing state schools. The department collects pupil forecasts and school capacity data from local authorities annually through the School Capacity survey and this data shows that in May 2023, 11.7% of primary capacity and 11.5% of secondary capacity was unfilled nationally, meaning school places are available in many parts of the country. The department will monitor demand and capacity using our normal processes and continue to work with local authorities to meet any pressures.

Food and Rural Affairs, how the Floods Resilience Task Force will work with stakeholders in Bromsgrove constituency.

The Government’s new Floods Resilience Taskforce marks a new approach to preparing for flooding. It brings together a range of partners in national, regional and local Government, including the Environment Agency (EA), Devolved Administrations, selected Regional Mayors and Lead Local Flood Authorities. Membership of the Taskforce is flexed to meet the specific agenda and priorities but the Taskforce will also work with a wider range of flood risk partners as needed. The EA has been supporting Bromsgrove District Council to deliver flood risk management projects which will increase protection for over 150 properties by 2027. The EA has acted on local feedback to further improve the flood warning service on these watercourses, to help warn and inform constituents to take action to protect livelihoods and property.

What steps she is taking to help protect free speech on university campuses.

This government fully supports freedom of speech and academic freedom. Higher education (HE) must be a space for robust discussion and intellectual rigour. This is enshrined within the existing legislation, whereby universities have a legal obligation to protect lawful freedom of speech, and protections for free speech are also set out in the requirements in the Office for Students’ Regulatory Framework.In addition, the government took the decision to pause implementation of further parts of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act because it wants to consider the impact of the Act and make sure that it effectively protects freedom of speech.The department is continuing to meet with a full range of stakeholders, including academics with concerns about constraints on freedom of speech. This will feed into decision making on the future of the Act and this government’s longer-term policy on protecting freedom of speech across the HE sector.