Written questions by Bloore.

Whether their Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers.

HM Treasury recognises the importance of providing a supportive workplace for employees who have caring responsibilities. We do not have a policy which explicitly covers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers. Employees are able to take time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant or are able to request other leave, paid and unpaid, as well as annual and flexi leave as required to support them when they become a kinship carer. Employees are also able to request flexible working to support both short term and longer term care arrangements. Each case is considered on an individual basis.

Whether his Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers.

Employees can apply for five days paid special leave as a friends and family carer, this can be increased to ten days in a 12-month period.Employees also have the statutory right to take up to a week’s unpaid leave in any 12-month period, to provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need.DBT has an Employee Assistance Programme which provides impartial and confidential advice, counselling and online resources for all employees. The department also has a Carer’s group which is a support network for carers working at DBT

Whether their Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers.

The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the response provided by the Cabinet Office (33179).

Whether her Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers.

We do not have a policy which explicitly covers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers. Employees are able to take time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant or are able to request other leave, paid and unpaid, as well as annual and flexi leave as required to support them when they become a kinship carer. Employees are also able to request a combination of flexible working patterns, special leave and adjusted duties depending on their specific needs.

Whether their Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers.

The Northern Ireland Office does not have a policy which explicitly covers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers. We follow the Ministry of Justice Flexible Working and Special Leave Policies, which supports and enables employees to take time off work to deal with an emergency or situation involving a dependant.Employees are able to request other leave, paid and unpaid, as well as annual and flexi leave as required to support them when they become a kinship carer. Employees are also able to request flexible working to support both short term and longer term arrangements.

Media and Sport, whether her Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers.

We do not have a policy which explicitly covers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers. Employees are able to take time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant or are able to request other leave, paid and unpaid, as well as annual and flexi leave as required to support them when they become a kinship carer. Employees are also able to request flexible working to support both short term and longer term arrangements.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers.

The Department does not offer paid time off work specifically for kinship care. However, the Department does offer unpaid carer’s leave and both paid and unpaid special leave for employees who have caring responsibilities for dependants, either family or friends, which can include kinship care.

Whether his Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers.

The Department does not offer paid time off work specifically for kinship care. However, the Department does offer unpaid carer’s leave and both paid and unpaid special leave for employees who have caring responsibilities for dependants, either family or friends, which can include kinship.

Communities and Local Government, whether their Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers.

We do not have a policy which explicitly covers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers. Employees are able to take paid time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant, and non-emergency medical appointments. In addition, employees are able to request other unpaid leave to provide or arrange care for a long-term care need, as well as annual and flexi leave as required to support them when they become a kinship carer. Employees are also able to request flexible working to support both short term and longer-term arrangements.

Whether their Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers.

Home Office employees who are carers have a statutory right to take up to a week’s unpaid leave in any rolling 12-month period to provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need. The statutory entitlement is for unpaid leave, but managers may at their discretion choose to offer up to 5 days per annum of paid special leave.Other forms of support available for employees who are kinship carers are Emergency Leave for Dependants of up to 5 days, flexible working arrangements, job sharing, career breaks and Unpaid Parental Leave.

Whether his Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers.

We do not have a policy which explicitly covers paid time off work and other support to employees who become kinship carers. Employees can take time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant or are able to request other special leave, paid and unpaid, as well as annual and flexi leave as required to support them when they become a kinship carer. Employees are also able to request flexible working to support both short term and longer-term arrangements.As with all requests for time off under our policies, each case is taken on a case-by-case basis, and consideration to grant requests, either paid or unpaid, taken in line with our provisions.

How many bus routes were closed in Worcestershire between 2010 and 2024.

The Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain only publish data on a Traffic Area wide basis. The West Midlands Traffic Area includes the West Midlands conurbation, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire. Between 2009-10 and 2023-24, the Traffic Commissioners recorded that 3,992 existing registrations in the West Midlands traffic area were cancelled. An existing registration being cancelled does not always mean a bus route was closed. For example, a registration could have been cancelled and replaced with another registration that covers much of the same route, or the route continues to be served by different operator. It should also be noted that prior to 2019-20 the total number of live local bus service registrations included an element of double-counting as services running across multiple local authority areas were recorded multiple times, e.g. a service running between the West Midlands and Staffordshire was presented as two services when it should have been counted as a single service. This has now been rectified.

Media and Sport, whether the Football Governance Code will stipulate requirements for independent directors to be included in a club's governance structure.

It will be the responsibility of the Independent Football Regulator to determine the key elements of the Football Governance Code, including whether independent directors should be included. This will be done in consultation with the FA and other stakeholders with an interest in safeguarding the long-term future of our national game.We recognise that independent directors can greatly improve decision-making and independent scrutiny on corporate governance, however, it will be for the Regulator to determine whether independent directors are included in scope of the Football Governance Code.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the benefits of introducing statutory recycling targets for local authorities.

The Government is committed to reducing waste by transitioning to a circular economy. To support the Government in achieving this goal, a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts has been established from across the Government, industry, academia, and civil society to help us develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. The taskforce will consider the evidence for sector-specific interventions from right across the economy and will be exploring a wide range of levers to drive circularity. Local Authorities are best placed to determine the effective delivery of local services. We want to provide the framework in which they do this and ensure that there is consistency in what is collected.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the merits of a variable rate of deposit for the Deposit Return Scheme.

The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) regulations provide the powers for the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO) - who will be appointed by Government to administer the DRS. The regulations also set out what the DMO must consider and who they must consult in determining the deposit level, including whether a fixed or variable rate deposit is appropriate and, when doing so, have regard to the views expressed in responses to the consultation.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the contribution of football clubs to local economies.

Football clubs deliver significant economic benefits to their local economies. Analysis from 2024 showed that the Premier League and its clubs alone support over 90,000 jobs. Football clubs also deliver indirect economic benefits to the local communities they serve, attracting visitors, and bringing increased footfall to the hospitality, retail, and transport sectors.The influence of clubs also extends beyond football, fostering economic growth, social cohesion, and a strong sense of local identity. Clubs often engage in community initiatives, and contribute to civic identity and pride in place. For example, Club Community Organisations in the English Football League (EFL) contribute £63 million to community and social projects each year, and The Premier League Charitable Fund has a three-year budget of around £100 million to support community organisations.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to tackle stalking.

This Government is serious about tackling stalking, as part of our ambition to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade.For over seven years there have been yearly increases in the number of stalking offences which received a first hearing in the magistrates' courts. In 2018/19, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recorded 2,208 cases, and in 2023/24 these had more than doubled to 5,859.In November 2024, the CPS and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan which prioritises improving the recognition and identification of behaviour driven offending including stalking. This applies to domestic and non-domestic forms of this crime.Since publication, work has already commenced to develop a shared definition of high-harm, high-risk repeat offending and to update the police and CPS joint protocol on the appropriate handling of stalking offences. Informed by operational insights from police and stalking leads in the CPS, this work will ensure police and prosecutors are better equipped to recognise and handle stalking and identify the offenders who pose the greatest threat.Protective orders are an important tool in safeguarding victims of stalking. On 22 January, the CPS updated its prosecution guidance on stalking or harassment emphasising that prosecutors must consider breaches of orders within the wider context of offending and, where new offences are present, that they are charged in addition to breaches. This Government has also committed to extend the reach of Stalking Protection Orders so they can be applied for on acquittal, as well as on conviction.

If he will take steps to extend independent prescribing responsibilities to Occupational Therapists under the Medicines and Medical Devices Act (2021) where it is safe to do so.

Appropriately trained occupational therapists can already supply/administer medicines under a Patient Specific Direction (PSD) or a Patient Group Direction (PGD). A PSD is a written instruction from a prescriber for medicines to be supplied or administered to a specific patient or person. PGDs are a set of instructions which allow healthcare professionals to supply and administer specific medicines to pre-defined groups of patients without the need for them to be referred to a prescriber.There is a process in place for making changes to prescribing responsibilities to ensure those changes are safe and beneficial for patients.In late 2020, NHS England launched a series of public consultations seeking views on proposals to amend responsibilities for the prescribing, supply and/or administration of medicines for specific healthcare professionals.The Department is working with NHS England to consider these consultations and other requests to progress the extension of responsibilities to supply, administer or prescribe medicines under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to regulated healthcare professionals, where a clear need and benefits have been identified.

Communities and Local Government, how many council houses were built in the West Midlands between 2010 and 2024.

Data on new affordable housing delivery by provider and region, including West Midlands, broken down by new build and acquisitions is available on gov.uk here. The number of new affordable housing delivered without provider information (unknown provider) was higher prior to 2014-15 than it is currently. As such, breakdowns by provider, including the delivery by local authorities, should be interpreted with care prior to 2014-15.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning a review into event booking fees.

On 10 January, the Government launched a call for evidence on pricing practices in the live events sector, which closes on 4 April 2025.It is important that consumers experience openness and transparency when buying tickets. We are seeking evidence on the impact of current pricing practices on consumers and businesses and whether the current legal framework provides sufficient protection. We encourage responses, including on issues such as booking fees.