Written questions by Cane.

What steps her Department is taking to support disabled people with the cost of living.

In England, the Household Support Fund (HSF) is a scheme providing discretionary support towards the cost of essentials, such as food and energy to those most in need, including disabled people. The current HSF is running from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025. Funding of £742 million will be provided to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund in England, from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026, plus funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual.This winter, we are continuing to deliver the £150 Warm Home Discount to eligible low-income households and we expect it again to support well over three million households.The extra costs disability benefits are a contribution to meeting the extra costs that arise from a disability or long-term health condition. The benefits can be used by the recipient according to their own needs and priorities. These benefits were not subject to the benefits freeze, were most recently uprated by 6.7 per cent from 8 April 2024 and, subject to Parliamentary approval, are due to be uprated by 1.7% from April this year. They are also tax-free and worth up to £184.30 a week, or over £9,580 a year.The extra costs disability benefits can be paid in addition to other financial support that those with a health condition or disability may be eligible for, such as Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit and can attract additional support such as premiums and additional amounts paid within the income-related benefits, access to Carer’s Allowance, the Motability scheme and the Blue Badge scheme.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Personal Independence Payment application process.

Customers are currently able to register for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) by telephone or in writing. Those who are eligible are then required to complete a health information questionnaire which is used to support the health assessment, undertaken by our contracted Health Professionals. The health information form (PIP2) is generally completed and returned by post, but a proportion of customers are able to submit their information online. We understand that the PIP application process can be challenging for some, in part due to the quantity of information that customers need to provide, but the process has been developed and improved over a number of years to be as straightforward and inclusive as possible. For those who may find it difficult to complete the form we signpost to organisations that can help, and we can also provide more time for customers to complete and return their form if this is requested. DWP offer bespoke services for those who find it difficult to navigate the process, for example those who are vision or hearing impaired. To prepare customers for what they can expect when they claim PIP we also introduced a series of videos on YouTube (links below). These videos help to explain the different parts of the process including the application and the assessment. PIP video 1 - An overview. PIP video 1 - An overviewPIP video 2 - How you can claim PIP PIP video 2 - How you can claim PIPPIP video 3 - What you can expect at a PIP assessment PIP video 3 - What you can expect at a PIP assessment Over the longer-term, the Health Transformation Programme is modernising the entire PIP service to improve customer experience and efficiency, building trust in our services and decisions. This year, we are expanding the availability of the digital health information gather, so that this option is available to everyone who calls to begin their claim. Once fully developed, the new service will include an option to apply and track the application wholly online.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the bus fare cap on vulnerable people.

On 1 January, the government introduced a £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London until 31 December 2025. The government is investing over £150 million to deliver the £3 cap, which replaced the £2 cap, and will ensure millions of people, including vulnerable people, can continue to access affordable bus fares and better opportunities all over the country. If the government had not taken action, the bus fare cap would have ended and fares would have jumped back up to their previous levels on 1 January which could have meant fares soaring above £10 on the most expensive routes.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of removing the two-child benefit cap.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child. The Child Poverty Taskforce is exploring how we can harness all available levers to reduce child poverty, including social security reforms, before publishing a strategy.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the eligibility for Winter Fuel Payment on living standards for pensioners.

Winter Fuel Payments continue to be paid to pensioner households with someone receiving Pension Credit or certain other income-related benefits. They continue to be worth £200 for eligible households, or £300 for eligible households with someone aged over 80. The Government also offers an array of support with energy costs for low-income groups in the winter months. This includes direct financial help to low-income pensioners through Pension Credit, the Warm Home Discount, and (in England & Wales) Cold Weather Payments. The Warm Home Discount scheme provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate on their winter energy bill. This winter, we expect over one million pensioners to benefit under the scheme. The Government and energy industry have also worked together to deliver a £500 million Winter Support Commitment for customers, which will help customers most in need by providing credit on bills, enhanced debt write-off schemes, and increased funding for charity partners to target hard to reach customers. Low-income pensioners and others struggling with the cost of living should contact their local council to see what further support may be available to them, as they may be able to receive support from Council Tax Reduction, or through energy support programmes (such as the Homes Upgrade Grant and Energy Company Obligation) – or through the Household Support Fund (a scheme providing discretionary support to those most in need towards the cost of essentials, such as food, energy and water). This support is all underpinned by this Government’s commitment to the Triple Lock which will see a 4.1% increase to the basic State Pension and the new State Pension in April 2025. According to the latest OBR projections, the full yearly rate of the new State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,900 over the course of this parliament whilst the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,500.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill on NHS GP practices.

We have made necessary decisions to fix the foundations of the public finances in the Autumn Budget. Resource spending for the Department will be £22.6 billion more in 2025/26 than in 2023/24, as part of the Spending Review settlement. The employers’ National Insurance rise will be implemented in April 2025.We recently announced a proposed funding uplift for general practices (GPs) for 2025/26 of £889 million, representing a 7.2% cash growth, estimated at approximately 4.8% in real terms growth. This is the largest uplift to GP funding since the beginning of the five-year framework, and means that we are reversing the recent trend, with a rising share of total National Health Service resources going to GPs. We are currently consulting the profession on corresponding reforms to the GP Contract that would improve access, increase continuity of care, enhance GP recruitment, and reduce bureaucracy.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill on small high-street businesses.

The Bill provides the Treasury with powers to make provision for two new lower multipliers for qualifying retail, hospitality, and leisure properties from 2026/27. The intention of these provisions in the Bill is to rebalance the playing field for high street businesses.Policies and legislation concerning tax and tax administration fall outside the meaning of regulatory provisions and, therefore, are not required to be accompanied by an Impact Assessment. Nevertheless, when the new multipliers are set at Budget 2025, the Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.

What steps his Department is taking to support businesses in rural areas.

Rural areas offer significant potential for growth and are central to our economy. As with all places, fulfilling the needs of people and businesses in rural areas is at the heart of our policymaking.The Government has recently announced our intention to launch a Business Growth Service (BGS), a national service with local delivery at its heart. Over time, it will bring a range of existing core services under the BGS banner, working hand in glove with local and devolved governments and the Growth Hubs network.All businesses can access their Local Growth Hubs, which provide advice and support throughout the business journey, shaping their offer around the unique needs, whether town or country.

What steps her Department is taking to help support businesses to invest in skills and training.

Employers have a crucial role to play in the skills system, and the department wants all employers to invest in their workforce.The department’s post-16 education and skills strategy will set out how we will drive up employer investment in the skills needed by their workforce. We want to start a national conversation on the role that employers, government and learners have to play in funding education and training, as part of an approach that clarifies expectations of what the right mix of funding is for the skills system. We will work with employers and others as we develop the strategy.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of free trade agreements on farmers.

Our approach to trade deals will always consider the impacts and opportunities for those working within the agricultural sector, along with those employed within other sectors of the economy and our Growth Mission.The independent Trade and Agriculture Commission scrutinises new FTAs and assesses whether they are consistent with the maintenance of UK levels of statutory protections in relation to animal and plant life or health, animal welfare, and the environment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support people who become ill from sewage discharge.

For too long, water companies have discharged record levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas. The Government is committed to holding water companies to account. The Water (Special Measures) Bill will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector. The Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan sets the stretching public health target that water companies must significantly reduce harmful pathogens from storm overflows discharging near designated bathing waters to meet Environment Agency (EA) spill standards by 2035. To support this, as part of one of the most ambitious investment cycles since privatisation, investment is going in to improving storm overflows to reduce spills prioritising those affecting the most sensitive sites, including bathing waters. Furthermore, during the bathing water season, designated sites benefit from water quality monitoring by the Environment Agency, enabling the public to make informed decisions about where to swim: Swimfo bathing waters website Throughout the bathing season, the EA also makes daily pollution risk forecasts for a number of bathing waters where water quality may be temporarily reduced, notifying bathers of these changes.

What steps she is taking to support survivors of (a) domestic abuse and (b) violence against women through the criminal justice system.

This Government is working towards the ambition of halving violence against women and girls, including domestic abuse, in the next decade.We are committed to supporting victims of these abhorrent crimes. We have protected VAWG spending by maintaining 2024/25 ringfenced funding levels for sexual violence and domestic abuse support this year, as well as the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund and funding for Independent Domestic and Sexual Violence Advocates.In November, we launched Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in selected areas. These orders will improve protection for victims of domestic abuse, including non-physical abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour.Further, we will increase the powers of the Victims’ Commissioner to improve accountability when victims’ needs are not met, and the Victims and Prisoners Act will improve awareness of, and compliance with, the Victims’ Code which supports victims of crime to understand what they can expect from the justice system. It will also require local commissioners to collaborate when commissioning support for victims of domestic and sexual abuse.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Early Release Scheme.

After inheriting a prison system in crisis, SDS40 was a necessary measure we were forced to take to avoid the collapse of the Criminal Justice System. Our initial operational insights suggested there was not a significant change to the use and application of recall since the implementation of the SDS change, however we will continue to monitor this. In designing the measure, we took every possible step to mitigate risk including an 8-week implementation period, clear offence exclusions, and a huge amount of collaboration with partners across the Criminal Justice System.Following the first tranche of SDS40 releases that took place on 10 September, the Ministry of Justice and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service consulted our frontline and cross government partners on how things went. This consultation informed our preparation for the Tranche 2 releases on 22 October.As the Lord Chancellor has previously announced, the change will be reviewed after 18 months.

What steps she is taking to tackle backlogs in the courts.

Criminal Courts We remain committed to bearing down on the outstanding caseload and delivering swifter justice for victims, but the challenge we face to do so is significant.The Government has taken action to reduce the rate of caseload growth, through extending magistrates’ court sentencing powers to 12 months and funding 108,500 days at the Crown Court this financial year (FY24/25), the highest level since FY15/16.  To tackle the outstanding caseload in the longer term it is clear that we must go further and do things differently. The Lord Chancellor has commissioned an independent review of the criminal courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to consider the merits of longer-term reform, as well as reviewing the efficiency and timeliness of court processes, through charge to case completion. Family Courts Delays in the court process can have a significant impact on children and families - we are committed to improving timeliness and reducing the outstanding caseload.The Family Justice Board agreed system-wide targets for reducing delay in 2024/25. These are focused on closing the longest running cases and increasing the proportion of public law cases concluded within the statutory 26-week timeframe.  Areas delivering the Pathfinder model for private law are making significant progress in addressing delays, with some of the lowest case durations nationally. To address the particular challenges in London, we are investing up to £1 million this financial year to tackle the outstanding private law caseload through providing additional capacity.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure that new housing developments have adequate access to primary health services.

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner.Local development plans should address needs and opportunities in relation to infrastructure and identify what infrastructure is required and how it can be funded and brought forward. When preparing a Local Plan, Planning Practice Guidance recommends that local planning authorities use available evidence of infrastructure requirements to prepare an Infrastructure Funding Statement. Such Statements can be used to demonstrate the delivery of infrastructure throughout the plan-period.The government provides financial support for essential infrastructure in areas of greatest housing demand through Land and Infrastructure funding programmes, such as the Housing Infrastructure Fund.The changes to the National Planning Policy Framework announced on 12 December will support the increased provision and modernisation of various types of public infrastructure, including health infrastructure.The government is also committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.

What steps her Department is taking to support the mental health and well-being of school students.

This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to high and rising standards in schools and breaking down barriers to opportunity, helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education. That is why the department has committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. We will also be putting in place new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults. Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) continue to roll out in schools and colleges across the country. As of April 2024, MHSTs covered 44% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England. MHSTs are expected to cover at least 50% of pupils by the end of March 2025. The department has also provided a resource hub for mental health leads signposting practical resources and tools to embed effective whole-school approaches. To further help schools identify and embed the most effective targeted support options for their setting, we also launched a targeted mental wellbeing toolkit. This practical guide and tool covers a range of evidence-based interventions.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure access to high-quality local journalism.

Sustainability of high-quality local journalism is a priority for this Government.We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level. This means reporting on the issues that matter to communities, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story.We are working across Government and with other stakeholders as the Strategy develops and will announce further details in due course.

What steps she is taking with the police to help tackle burglaries.

We recognise the profound impact burglary can have on individuals and the wider community. For too long a culture has been allowed to develop whereby victims of burglary believe if they report what has happened, no one will come and nothing will be done. We will tackle this perception through our Safer Streets Mission and our commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing and restore confidence in policing.This is why we have been clear that, when someone calls the police, they should come; and when a person reports a crime it should be properly investigated no matter who they are, or where they live.We welcome the police's commitment across England and Wales to attending the scene of every home burglary, and the specific College of Policing good practice guidance on conducting residential burglary investigations; setting the standard for the entire investigation, not just initial attendance, including victim care. More information is available at: https://www.college.police.uk/guidance/residential-burglary.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve local government support for arts and culture.

Local authorities play a vital role in supporting the arts and cultural institutions, but they operate independently of central government. Ministers have no remit to intervene in the day to day affairs and decisions of local authorities, except where specific provision has been made in legislation.The government is already taking action via the provisional 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement to begin addressing the significant challenges facing local government. Over £4 billion in additional funding for local government services was announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, including £1.3 billion which will go through the Settlement.The government has also provided funding to local authorities to strengthen their arts, cultural, heritage, and visitor economy provision through programmes such as the Cultural Development Fund, the Museum and Estate Development Fund, and High Streets Heritage Action Zones.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the number of (a) suspensions and (b) exclusions of pupils with SEND.

Schools can use sanctions as a measure to improve behaviour and, in the most serious cases, exclusion may be necessary to protect other pupils and staff from disruption and restore a safe, calm learning environment. The government supports headteachers in taking these difficult decisions. This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision (AP) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs. We want to reduce numbers of preventable exclusions, including by using the expertise of AP schools. The statutory ‘Suspension and permanent exclusion’ guidance is clear that, in all cases, school leaders should consider early intervention strategies to address the underlying causes or contributing factors of a pupil’s disruptive behaviour before issuing an exclusion. This includes situations where a pupil has SEND. Schools should also consider using a multi-agency assessment for pupils who display persistent disruptive behaviour, which could include those with unidentified SEND. Schools should arrange such assessments when concerns arise, rather than waiting for a specific trigger.