Written questions by Hinchliff.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2024 to Question 11941 on Community Ownership Fund, if she will publish details of options her Department is considering.

This Government is committed to community ownership, and through the English Devolution Bill will introduce a new Community Right to Buy, which will make it easier for communities to take on valued assets, such as empty shops, pubs and community spaces.All future funding is subject to the Spending Review, launched by the Chancellor on 2 August 2024. The Government will use the Spending Review to change the way public services are delivered by embedding a mission-led approach, driving forward public service reform and making the best use of technology to better deliver services. The Spending Review will set spending plans for a minimum of three years of the five-year forecast period.

Whether his Department has had discussions with trade unions on Vauxhall's planned closure of its plant in Luton.

Stellantis announced on 26 November that it was starting a consultation with staff on its plans to consolidate its two UK manufacturing sites into one plant at Ellesmere Port. The Department is actively engaging with the company and has asked them to share the full details of its plans, including its consultation with workers and trade unions. We will continue to work closely with Stellantis, as well as trade unions and Luton Borough Council, on the next steps of their proposals.

Whether his Department is holding discussions with Stellantis on the announced closure of its Vauxhall plant in Luton.

The Secretary of State has been in contact with Stellantis since July to discuss the pressures in their UK and global business and the future of the Luton plant. He met them again on 26 November where they regrettably shared their proposals to consult on the closure Luton and consolidation at Ellesmere Port.We know this will be a concerning time for the families of employees at Luton who may be affected, and we will continue to work closely with Stellantis, as well as trade unions and Luton Borough Council on the next steps of their proposals and how to mitigate the impact on employees affected and the local area.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Vauxhall's planned closure of its plant in Luton on North East Hertfordshire constituency; and if he will take steps to support (a) people and (b) businesses in that constituency affected by that planned closure.

Stellantis announced on 26 November that it was starting a consultation with staff at its Luton plant on its plans for the future of its manufacturing there. The Department is actively engaging with the company and has asked them to share the full details of its plans, including the site. We will continue to work closely with Stellantis, trade unions and Hertfordshire County Council to understand the impact of their proposals on the economy of Hertfordshire.

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the report entitled Pharmacy Pressures Survey 2024: Funding and Profitability Report, published on 19 October 2024.

As noted in the review by Lord Darzi, primary care is under pressure and in crisis. The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities, as an easily accessible front door to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals. Unfortunately, we inherited a system that has been neglected for too long and is no longer supporting the pharmacists we need to deliver for patients at a local level. I am committed to working with the sector, and would encourage all pharmacists to work with us to achieve what we all want, a service fit for the future.Now that the Budget for the Government has been set, we will shortly be resuming our consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding funding arrangements. I am unable to say more until these have been concluded.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the range of conditions that can be treated under the Pharmacy First service.

Pharmacy professionals are highly skilled clinicians who are experts in the use and management of medicines. The Pharmacy First Service, alongside other services that enable quicker and more convenient access to medicines, where it is safe to do so, supports patients in realising the maximum benefit from the medicines prescribed by their general practitioners.In considering the services that we commission, on a national basis, we carefully consider their deliverability, including whether they are deliverable in the current estate, and any necessary IT and referral processes that need to be put in place to ensure patient safety. The cost effectiveness of providing services in community pharmacy compared to providing them in other settings is also considered. All services are kept under review.NHS England is currently running over 200 pathfinder programmes, examining different governance and delivery models to understand how prescribing services could be commissioned from community pharmacy. This will help inform the future expansion in community pharmacy services, including Pharmacy First, over the coming years.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of disabled access at Baldock station; and whether her Department plans to upgrade access to that station.

This government is committed to improving the accessibility of Britain’s railway and recognise the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.Ministers are carefully considering the best approach to the Access for All programme. We are unable to comment on next steps regarding specific stations, including at Baldock station. Once we can confirm our approach to Access for All programme, we will ensure MPs and stakeholders are informed.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of Wild Justice's report entitled Collateral Damage: The Rodenticide Stewardship Scheme - is it working?, published in November 2024.

The Rodenticides Stewardship Scheme was developed by The Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use UK to promote responsible use and is overseen by the Government Oversight Group for Rodenticide Stewardship (GOG), chaired by the Health and Safety Executive. The GOG is conducting a review of rodenticide stewardship, under which it will consider all appropriate evidence. The detailed work of this review is expected to be completed in 2025.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential economic impact of differences in the cost per mile of domestic (a) plane and (b) train travel; and if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps to equalise costs to ensure it is never cheaper to travel by plane than train for domestic purposes.

The UK aviation market operates predominantly in the private sector. Airlines’ business models can at times accommodate more flexible pricing than the railway. The Government sets the percentage that regulated rail fares can be increased each year. Regulated fares make up around 45 per cent of rail fares and include commuter fares, such as season ticket and shorter-distance peak return, alongside longer-distance off-peak returns. The increase in regulated fares for 2025 will be the lowest absolute increase in three years and delivers a fair balance between passengers and taxpayers.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding free school transport access to include students between 16 and 19 years old.

The department recognises that the cost and availability of public transport can be an issue for some 16 to 19 year olds when travelling to their college or sixth form, particularly for those with special educational needs (SEN) or those living in rural areas.It is the responsibility of local authorities to put in place transport arrangements to help young people aged 16 to 19 to access education or training, as well as those aged 19 to 24 with SEN, using funds they have available locally. All local authorities have to prioritise their spending carefully.Many local authorities do offer some form of subsidised transport. For example, in North East Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire County Council offer discounted fares to all young people, and free transport for eligible young people from low-income backgrounds, or those with education, health and care plans, to access relevant learning.The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund can also be used for transport costs to support young people to access education and training. Schools and colleges are responsible for deciding how to distribute their bursary allocations to students and for establishing what criteria to use.

What notice the Post Office plans to give of closure of branches; and what plans he has to to mitigate the potential impact of such closures on rural communities.

No decisions to close any or all of the remaining Directly Managed Branches in rural and urban areas have been taken as of yet. Given the difficult financial position the Post Office is in, it is right that it reviews the costs of its operations and considers ways to reduce their costs further. The Post Office will continue to deliver on the 11,500 minimum branch requirement set by Government. Longer term, Government has set out our plan to publish a Green Paper to consult with the public on the long-term future of the Post Office. This Green Paper will help inform what customers, communities and postmasters would like to see from a modern Post Office network.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to review the provisions for dairy free options for children with dairy (a) allergies and (b) intolerances in the school milk subsidy scheme.

This is a devolved matter, and I am answering with responsibility for the school milk scheme in England. Only milk and relevant dairy products are currently eligible for subsidy in the school milk scheme and there are no plans to subsidise dairy-free beverages. The Government recognises that some children with clinical and dietary needs are unable to consume milk and expects schools to make reasonable adjustments for those with particular needs. The School Food Standards require milk to be available, but also enable schools in England to provide a variety of other products to meet pupils’ particular dietary needs. Further information is available on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools A joint working group of the Committee on Toxicity and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition was established in Autumn 2021 to conduct a risk-benefit- analysis considering both nutritional and toxicological aspects associated with the consumption of plant-based drinks by the UK population. This work is ongoing, and the Government will continue to monitor developments. These committees separately provide advice on food safety and nutrition issues to the UK Governments.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of draught duty relief for (a) beer and (b) cider.

The current alcohol duty system supports the industry through Draught Relief, which ensures eligible products served on draught pay less duty. Draught Relief helps to level the playing field between pubs and supermarkets, allowing pubs and brewers to price their on-trade products more competitively. The Government is closely monitoring the impact of the recent reforms and rates that took effect on 1 August 2023. As with all taxes, the Government keeps the alcohol duty system under review during its yearly Budget process.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 October 2024 to Question 5661 on Private Education: VAT, whether her Department has made a specific assessment of the potential impact of the policy on children with special educational needs in the independent sector.

This government is committed to ending the VAT exemption that private schools enjoy and will confirm the introduction of these changes at the Budget on 30 October. The Office for Budget Responsibility will also certify the government’s costings for these measures at that time. Children with education, health and care plans that provide a necessary local authority funded place at a private school, will not be impacted by this policy. This is because local authorities can reclaim VAT on service expenditure through existing routes. Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies assumes a net gain to the public finances of £1.3 to 1.5 billion per year in the medium to long run as a result of removing tax exemptions from private schools. This would allow for about a 2% increase in state school spending in England. This analysis can be found here: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/tax-private-school-fees-and-state-school-spending.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of awarding teaching status to Lister Hospital; and when his Department plans to respond to the application on this matter.

Lister Hospital is part of the East and North Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. Officials are in correspondence with the trust about amending their establishment order to reflect teaching status.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to appoint a Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion and Belief.

This Government will champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. No one should live in fear because of what they do, or do not believe in. Envoy roles are under Ministerial consideration and will be decided upon in due course. In the meantime, we will continue to use the strength of our global diplomatic network, including dedicated staff within the FCDO, to promote and protect FoRB around the world.

If he will ensure that Departments only use (a) regulated, (b) registered and (c) qualified interpreters.

Government departments can access interpreters through the Crown Commercial Service’s RM6141 Language Services agreement, which offers innovative language solutions tailored to meet the core needs of the public sector.To secure a place on the RM6141 Language Services framework, all suppliers must be prepared to provide proof of their interpreters’ qualifications upon request. The specific level of qualification required will depend on the services being procured. Additionally, when purchasing through this agreement, buyers may request the following information:list of qualifications including supporting evidencelist of security clearances held including supporting evidencelist of previous experience and supporting evidenceevidence of Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

What steps she is taking to ensure adequate resources to support the surge in applications for pension credit.

Prior to the Winter Fuel announcement, Retirement Services Directorate (RSD) had 352 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff deployed on Pension Credit claims. Since the announcement, a deployment plan has been agreed to deploy an additional 537 FTE into RSD to support Pension Credit. With a further 156 FTE planned to onboard from recruitment between November 2024 and January 2025.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of moving the qualifying week for Pension Credit to (a) 30 September, (b) 31 October and (c) 30 November 2024 on the number of eligible claimants.

There is no qualifying week for Pension Credit. A claim for Pension Credit may be made at any time and may be backdated for up to three months as long as the entitlement conditions are met during that period. This means that a pensioner who was eligible for, but had not claimed, Pension Credit during the qualifying week for the Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2024-25 (16 to 22 September 2024) can still qualify for the payment if they make a successful backdated application for Pension Credit by 21 December 2024.

If he will take steps to reform the military honours system to allow those serving in operations abroad to receive appropriate honours upon completion of their service.

Between 2012 and 2014, Sir John Holmes conducted an independent review of the policy governing the award of military medals. Sir John’s reviews were subject to detailed discussion by the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals and the conclusions submitted for Royal approval. There are no plans for a further review on that scale at this time; however, the medallic system continues to evolve to ensure it remains fit-for-purpose as the environment within which our personnel operate changes.