Written questions by Eccles.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits increasing duties on additional (a) food and (b) drink products that cause tooth decay.

The Soft Drinks Industry Levy is recognised as a transformative health tax intervention. Following the announcement of the Levy, the average sugar content of soft drinks in scope fell 46% between 2015 and 2020. Further, the policy has been linked to 5,000 fewer cases of obesity in year 6 girls, and a 28.6% and 5.5% fall in sugar-related tooth extractions in those aged 0-4 years and 5-9 years respectively.The ‘Strengthening the Soft Drinks Industry Levy’ consultation, published last month, seeks ways to further encourage producers to remove added sugar from soft drinks. Specifically, it sets out proposals to reduce the minimum sugar threshold at which the levy applies from 5g to 4g sugar per 100ml, and to remove the current exemptions for milk-based and milk substitute drinks with added sugar. These changes would be estimated to reduce calorie consumption by 15 million kcal per day in children and 46 million kcal per day in adults, achieving health and economic benefits of around £4.2 billion over 25 years.

If she will make an assessment of the merits of increasing the six year period for claims allowed under s.32(1)(c) of the Limitation Act from the consequences of a mistake.

The effect of the legislation is that for civil claims which involve the consequences of a mistake, the relevant limitation period only starts when the claimant discovers the mistake or could have discovered it with reasonable due diligence (subject to certain exceptions). As such it enables a normal statutory time limit to be postponed if a court is satisfied the conditions are met in an individual case.It is important that the law of limitation achieves a balance between the competing interests of claimants and defendants. The Government has no plans to review this section.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Pathways to Work Green Paper on the number of people in poverty in each of the next five years.

An assessment of the potential impact of the Pathways to Work Green Paper on the number of people in poverty in each of the next five years is not yet available.The government's impact assessment regarding the Pathways to Work Green Paper is available here: Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts. The Office for Budget Responsibility will publish its assessment of the labour market impacts of the Green Paper proposals at the time of the Autumn Budget.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to his Israeli counterpart on its military strategy in Gaza.

The Foreign Secretary continues to engage regularly with his Israeli counterparts. Following the release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander on 12 May, the Foreign Secretary urged Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar of the need for an end to the aid blockade and for all parties to push towards an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages who remain in Gaza. The UK Government totally opposes an expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza and have consistently urged the Israeli Government that a permanent ceasefire remains the only way to return all the remaining hostages and ensure Hamas has no future role in Gaza. On 20 May, the Foreign Secretary announced that we have suspended negotiations with the Israeli government on a new free trade agreement, decided to review cooperation with them under the 2030 Bilateral Roadmap, and imposed further sanctions on settlers.

What assessment she has made of the merits of writing off debt payments for Child Support Agency payments valued below £500.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has the ability to write off Child Support Agency (CSA) debt that is £500 and under in circumstances where no payment has been made within the last 90 days and where administrative powers have been considered but were deemed inappropriate or ineffective.Writing off is not a quick or easy decision and involves exhausting other approaches to deal with the debt. All Child Support Agency debt is now at least 11 years old.In the year ending March 2024 £17.8m of CSA debt was collected and £13.5m was written off.

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of differences in funding per child between SEN children educated in state schools and those educated in privately owned institutions.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.From the 2018/19 financial year to 2023/24, the most recent year for which information is available, the average per-pupil expenditure on pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan in maintained special schools and special academies on the one hand, and non-maintained and independent special schools on the other, are set out in the tables below:Per-pupil expenditure: Cash values (rounded) as at the time, not adjusted for inflation 2018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24Maintained special schools and special academies£20,000£21,000£22,000£23,000£24,000£26,000Non-maintained and independent special schools£52,000£54,000£54,000£57,000£62,000£63,000 To note:1. Per-pupil expenditure is the average calculated from the national expenditure on place and top-up funding for the school types, per pupil with an EHC plan.2. For maintained special schools and special academies the calculation uses the place funding rate of £10,000 per place plus the average top-up funding expenditure. by local authorities on those schools as recorded in their section 251 outturn data, per pupil as recorded in the January schools census.3. For non-maintained and independent special schools the department has calculated the total expenditure from the £10,000 per-place funding allocated to non-maintained special schools and the total top-up funding expenditure by local authorities on those schools as recorded in their section 251 outturn data, per pupil with an EHC plan as recorded in our SEN2 data collection.4. From 2023, the data collection for SEN2 changed from aggregated figures at local authority level, to a person-level collection. This has been a major change in approach and care should be taken with comparisons across this period because expenditure per pupil changes between 2021/22 and 2022/23 may include an effect from the EHC plan data collection methodology change.The per-pupil expenditure amounts for children with EHC plans as set out in the table above are averages of a wide range of per-pupil funding levels that are different depending on the needs of the child and school they attend. It is the relevant local authority’s responsibility to decide how to allocate that funding and how much to allocate to each school.Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to over £12 billion. Of that total, Dudley Council is being allocated over £62 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £5.4 million on their 2024/25 DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered adopting a phased introduction of the extended producer responsibility fees to allow businesses time to adapt.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I provided on 7 April 2025 to PQ 42929.

What guidance she is issuing to public buildings on the facilities post operation trans women should use.

The Government has set out our expectation that organisations follow the clarity the ruling provides. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is developing its updated statutory Code of Practice to support organisations. Ministers will consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it following further work in light of this ruling.

Whether she has made an assessment of the merits of increasing the funding per-pupil for children with an Education, Health and Care Plan.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.From the 2018/19 financial year to 2023/24, the most recent year for which information is available, the average per-pupil expenditure on pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan in maintained special schools and special academies on the one hand, and non-maintained and independent special schools on the other, are set out in the tables below:Per-pupil expenditure: Cash values (rounded) as at the time, not adjusted for inflation 2018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24Maintained special schools and special academies£20,000£21,000£22,000£23,000£24,000£26,000Non-maintained and independent special schools£52,000£54,000£54,000£57,000£62,000£63,000 To note:1. Per-pupil expenditure is the average calculated from the national expenditure on place and top-up funding for the school types, per pupil with an EHC plan.2. For maintained special schools and special academies the calculation uses the place funding rate of £10,000 per place plus the average top-up funding expenditure. by local authorities on those schools as recorded in their section 251 outturn data, per pupil as recorded in the January schools census.3. For non-maintained and independent special schools the department has calculated the total expenditure from the £10,000 per-place funding allocated to non-maintained special schools and the total top-up funding expenditure by local authorities on those schools as recorded in their section 251 outturn data, per pupil with an EHC plan as recorded in our SEN2 data collection.4. From 2023, the data collection for SEN2 changed from aggregated figures at local authority level, to a person-level collection. This has been a major change in approach and care should be taken with comparisons across this period because expenditure per pupil changes between 2021/22 and 2022/23 may include an effect from the EHC plan data collection methodology change.The per-pupil expenditure amounts for children with EHC plans as set out in the table above are averages of a wide range of per-pupil funding levels that are different depending on the needs of the child and school they attend. It is the relevant local authority’s responsibility to decide how to allocate that funding and how much to allocate to each school.Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to over £12 billion. Of that total, Dudley Council is being allocated over £62 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £5.4 million on their 2024/25 DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle settler violence in the West Bank.

Settler violence is unacceptable, and settlements are illegal under international law. The Foreign Secretary has been clear with Israeli ministers that they must clamp down on settler violence and end settler expansion and has previously met with Palestinian communities in the West Bank to hear how they are affected. On 15 October 2024, the Foreign Secretary announced sanctions targeting three illegal settler outposts and four organisations that have supported and sponsored violence against communities in the West Bank. These measures will help bring accountability to those who have supported and perpetrated such heinous abuses of human rights. As I reiterated in the House on 29 April, we call for an end to settlement expansion and settler violence.

What steps he is taking to help increase the provision of Givinostat free at the point of use for people with Duchene Muscular Dystrophy.

The Department understands the impact that Duchenne muscular dystrophy has on those living with it and their families, and the urgent need for new treatment options. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS independently, based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by the NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance. The NICE is currently evaluating givinostat for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and its independent Appraisal Committee will meet to consider the evidence in July 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for reviewing the recommendations of the Animal Welfare Committee Opinion on the welfare implications of current and emergent feline breeding practices, published in December 2024.

The Government welcomes the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on the welfare implications of current and emergent feline breeding practices. We are carefully considering the Committee’s recommendations.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that green spaces are adequately designed to (a) tackle climate challenges, (b) support water availability and (c) increase flood resilience.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 makes clear that the planning system should take full account of all climate impacts, including water scarcity and flood risk. Planning should help to shape places in a way that minimises vulnerability and improves resilience to the effects of climate change though suitable adaptation measures, including through incorporating green infrastructure and sustainable drainage systems. The government provides design guidance through the National Design Guide (NDG) and National Model Design Code (NDMC) which support the National Planning Policy Framework. The department intends to update this guidance in Spring 2025. Natural England have also published The Green Infrastructure Framework and accompanying Design Guide in February 2023. This can be used to support local planning authorities and developers to design and create more nature-rich urban greenspaces.

Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will conduct a review of the statutory framework for biodiversity net gain; and if he will take steps with environmental horticulture experts to include cultivated plant diversity in its metrics.

The Government is working with stakeholders, including the horticulture sector, to monitor the implementation of biodiversity net gain to make sure it is working as intended.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help tackle unaffordable rent increases.

The government recognises that paying rent is likely to be a tenant’s biggest monthly expense. The Renters’ Rights Bill empowers private rented sector tenants to challenge unreasonable rent increases, with all rent increases taking place via an existing statutory process. Tenants who receive a rent increase that they feel is not representative of the market value will be able to challenge the increase at the First-tier Tribunal. This will prevent unscrupulous landlords using rent increases as a backdoor means of eviction, while ensuring rents can be increased to reflect market rates. The Bill also prohibits rental bidding practices and landlords demanding large amounts of rent in advance.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to increase funding for social housing in the next Spending Review in the context of levels of homelessness.

The government is committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 30393 on 24 February 2025 for more detail on the steps we have already taken to increase social and affordable housebuilding.We will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for Social Rent.

Whether he plans to continue funding for additional higher anaesthetic training places in 2025-26.

We are committed to training the staff we need, including anaesthetists, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it.We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.We have launched the 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to reform and repair the NHS, and ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. In summer 2025, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to build the transformed health service we will deliver over the next decade.

Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timetable is for bringing forward measures to ban trophy hunting.

The Government committed to banning the import of hunting trophies in its Manifesto. We intend to deliver on this and are currently considering the most effective way to do so.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that the children of families of boaters without a permanent mooring have daily access to education without falling under enforcement of the Canal and River Trust and other navigation authorities.

Navigation authorities are responsible for operational matters on their waterways, and boaters using navigable waterways are required to comply with the terms of their licences for the benefit of all waterway users. The country’s largest navigation authority owning the majority of the canal network, the Canal and River Trust, has provided assurances that appropriate enforcement action on its waterways is only used as a last resort in response to persistent non-compliance, to ensure fairness to all boaters. Those with children who choose to live on a boat without a permanent mooring are responsible for ensuring they have access to education; the Trust provides reasonable adjustments for anyone who qualifies under the Equalities & Human Rights Act.

What assessment she has made of the causes of backlogs in Teachers' Pensions; and what steps she is taking to reduce such backlogs.

A backlog in the provision of cash equivalent transfer values (CETVs) to members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme has been caused by two issues. Initially, an embargo was placed on the provision of CETVs by the public service pension schemes from March 2023 to July 2023. This was a result of the need for new factors to be calculated following a change to the Superannuation Contributions Adjusted for Past Experience (SCAPE) discount rate. Not all of those cases could be cleared by the scheme administrator before the Transitional Protection (McCloud) legislation took effect on 1 October 2023. For those members affected by Transitional Protection, further cross-scheme guidance was needed by the scheme administrator which created another significant period in which CETV cases could not be processed.As of 20 November 2024, there are 1,952 CETV cases which have not been processed three months after the member applied.The majority of these cases do not include scheme flexibilities and the scheme administrator currently estimates that such cases will all be cleared by the end of February 2025. The department is working with the scheme administrator to determine the likely timeframe for cases that involve flexibilities and the small cohort where guidance is being finalised. Consideration is being given to measures to reduce the timescales that members are waiting, including investigating the potential for any further automation of calculations, simplification of the CETV figures provided to the member and maximising the administrative resource available, for example through ongoing overtime.