Written questions by Chope.

How many claims to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme on Covid-19 vaccinations have been (a) received, (b) successful, (c) unsuccessful as a result of the claim not meeting the 60 per cent disability threshold, (d) rejected and (e) still awaiting resolution.

As of 22 November 2024, the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) has received 17,379 claims related to COVID-19 vaccinations. Of these, 194 claims have resulted in a payment being awarded, 9,196 have been rejected, 7,173 are awaiting resolution, and 816 were found to be invalid due to either being outside the scope of the VDPS or for being a duplicate claim. Of the 9,196 rejected claims, 416 were rejected for not meeting the 60% disability threshold.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2024 to Question 14442 on Access to Work Programme, what measurements her Department takes of the time scales for processing applications to monitor whether targets are being met.

The Department for Work and Pensions uses internal management information on finalised applications to oversee performance against our aspiration to process applications in 25 days. The Access to Work scheme continues to be in high demand, and we are considering options for how to improve waiting times for customers.

How many applications for Access to Work assessments have been outstanding for more than two months; what steps she is taking to reduce waiting times for such applications; and if she will make it her policy to prioritise applications from people who are about to start a job.

We are unable to provide information with regards to the number of applications for Access to Work which have been outstanding for more than two months because this information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs. With regards to what steps we have taken to reduce waiting times, we have streamlined delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. We also prioritise customers starting a job within four weeks.  We have taken steps to modernise Access to Work to improve the customer experience. From April 2024, all core parts of the Scheme have been fully digital, with customers able to apply and make payment requests online.

What support is available from the NHS for people requiring neurological rehabilitation following a covid-19 vaccination.

In the very rare event where an individual may have suffered a severe adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine, care and support will be best met and managed by local National Health Service specialist services, augmented as appropriate by national specialist advice. Individuals would be treated and managed through existing healthcare services, for example by seeing their general practitioner, who may refer them to a relevant specialist if necessary.

What assessment he has made of the impact of reductions in carbon emissions since 1990 on climate change in the UK.

The UK was the first country to set legally binding carbon budgets and the first major economy to establish a net zero target in law. The Impact Assessment of the Sixth Carbon Budget included a cost-benefit analysis which showed the economic costs and benefits of net zero. Without the shift to renewable energy, we will continue to be exposed to volatile fossil fuel markets and the cost of living crises households had to live through in the last Parliament. The UK has a vital role to play - nearly half of annual global emissions come from countries producing 3% or less of the global total, and our domestic leadership is essential to persuade others to act and protect future generations from climate breakdown.

For what reason there are different rules for exemptions from NHS prescription charges for people with (a) hypothyroidism and (b) hyperthyroidism.

Records are not available to enable us to explain why only hypothyroidism is listed.The list of specified medical conditions that provide exemption from prescription charges was agreed in discussion with the British Medical Association in 1968. Decisions on which conditions to include were reflective of medical knowledge and practice at the time. The only addition to the list since then has been the treatment of cancer in 2009.However, whilst it is the case that most patients with hypothyroidism, also known as an underactive thyroid, will require life-long synthetic hormone replacement with a medication called levothyroxine, patients with hyperthyroidism, also known as an overactive thyroid, do not necessarily require medication, as this condition can sometimes be managed surgically, or with radioactive iodine therapy.While the Government’s policy remains that there are no current plans to review the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate, there are extensive arrangements currently in place in England to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/help-nhs-prescription-costs

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions, as announced in the Autumn Budget 2024, on the ability of school meals providers to provide those meals within the existing fixed price cost of £2.53.

The government will provide funding to the public sector to support them with the additional costs associated with changes to Employers National Insurance Contributions policy.This funding will be additional to the £2.3 billion increase to core school budgets announced at the Autumn Budget 2024. Due to timing constraints, this compensation will need to be provided as a separate grant, alongside the national funding formula (NFF), in 2025/26. Schools will continue to have autonomy over their spending and will be able to use any future grant funding to cover all cost increases, including food costs.The department currently allocates a meal rate of £2.53 per child per meal for the 2024/2025 academic year to support the delivery of universal infant free school meals and further education free meals. Final funding rates for the 2024/2025 academic year will be confirmed in due course. Further to this, we fund benefits-related free school meals (FSM) at £490 per eligible pupil annually through the FSM factor of the NFF for schools. In total, we spend £1.5 billion across these programmes.This funding is intended to cover the broad costs of meal provision. However, schools have considerable autonomy over delivery of FSM, including entering into contracts with suppliers and allocation of funding within their budgets.

With reference to the Prime Minister's speech at COP29 in Baku on 12 November 2024, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the revised emissions targets.

At COP29, the Prime Minister announced the UK’s ambitious and credible NDC target to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81% by 2035, compared to 1990 levels, excluding international aviation and shipping emissions.This is an ambitious, economy-wide emission reduction target, covering all greenhouse gases, sectors and categories and aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5 °C, as set out in the Global Stocktake, agreed at COP28. It aligns with the recommendation of the independent Climate Change Committee published on 26 October and is consistent with the effort required to deliver our ambitious Carbon Budget 6 (2033-2037). More details on delivery will follow in our cross-economy plan to meet carbon budgets, to be published in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2024 to Question 9409 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, if he will launch a consultation with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to increase the limitation period for court claims relating to Covid-19 vaccines.

It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment on individual claims or cases whilst there is ongoing litigation. It is right that such matters follow the appropriate legal process, which can take time. There are, however, currently no plans to launch a consultation on increasing the limitation period for court claims relating to COVID-19 vaccines.

When the use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine Vaxrevia ended in the UK; and for what reason that vaccine is no longer available.

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was first deployed in England in January 2021. Having reached the end of the supply agreement with the Government, the vaccine has not been used in the United Kingdom’s COVID-19 vaccination programme since 2022. Since September 2021, in line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, the vaccines deployed in the national programme have primarily been mRNA vaccines that were considered to provide a strong booster response.

If he will meet with Professor Adam Finn to discuss the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (a) 60% threshold, (b) levels of payments in the context of levels of inflation and (c) the potential impact of those factors on levels of public confidence in vaccines.

Whilst there are currently no plans to meet with Professor Adam Finn, the Government continues to listen carefully to the concerns raised about the Vaccine Damages Payment Scheme. As part of this consideration, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care met recently with Vaccine Injured and Bereaved UK, and other representatives of those who have suffered harm.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2024 to Question 9410 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, whether any line extensions to covid-19 vaccinations have been authorised to tackle reported adverse side effects, other than for the side effects listed in that Answer.

No modifications or line extensions to the original vaccines have been introduced to reduce side effects.

On what date he met representatives of those (a) injured and (b) bereaved as a result of Covid-19 vaccine damage; and what steps he has taken as a result of that meeting.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care met with the families of those who have suffered serious side effects from the Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine on 11 September 2024. The families raised the need for the reform of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, and they requested a compensation scheme for those affected. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care listened to their concerns and agreed that the Government will look closely at this, as it continues to learn and apply the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 8098 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, whether any line extensions to Covid-19 vaccinations have been authorised to tackle reported adverse side effects.

The most common side effects observed with COVID-19 vaccines are pain and swelling at the injection site, tiredness, headaches, muscle and joint pain, chills, fever, and diarrhoea. These side effects are similar to those seen with other vaccines and are usually mild or moderate, and get better within a few days after vaccination. A full list of side effects is presented in the Patient Information Leaflet for each vaccine. Modifications or line extensions to the original vaccines, specifically to reduce these side effects, have not been introduced.

If he will take steps to provide (a) healthcare and (b) financial support to people whose applications to the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme were rejected on the basis that they do not have a severe disablement that exceeds the 60% threshold.

We expect that individuals whose claims to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) have been rejected on the basis that they do not meet the 60% disability threshold would receive the same level of treatment and care from the National Health Service as those with any other long-term condition requiring support.The VDPS is not a compensation scheme. It does not prejudice the right of the disabled person to pursue a claim for damages through the courts. Other Government support remains open to claimants with a disability or long-term health condition, including Statutory Sick Pay, Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Attendance Allowance, and Personal Independence Payments.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Environment Agency and Natural England have made on facilitating reinstatement of the Avon Valley footpath between Christchurch and Burton.

The closure of the footpath in this location is because there are breaches in the banks of the Hampshire Avon along Winkton Common upstream of Christchurch. These breaches have worsened over the last 6 months because of the exceptionally high-water levels in the river. The Environment Agency (EA) is working with the Meyrick Estate, South West Water (SWW), Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) and Natural England (NE) to understand and mitigate the long-term implications. We are jointly exploring potentially significant environmental benefits in the form of new wetland habitat, but there are a number of important considerations, such as assets owned by SWW which run across the common. While the EA is neither responsible nor funded to maintain the banks of the river in this location, we are supporting Natural England in their work with the Meyrick Estate to identify a long-term alternative route for the footpath. NE have worked with the Meyrick Estate on a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier application which will include a review of public access in this area and aim to identify a new sustainable route for the footpath. We recognise that the situation is frustrating for those who want to access the Avon Valley footpath, but changes in river levels associated with climate change do mean that the historic route is likely to be unsustainable.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, how many dedicated charging points for electric vehicles belonging to hon. Members are available in the House of Commons underground car park; how many and what proportion of those charging points are fast chargers; whether those charging points are free at the point of use; and whether an estimate has been made of the average cost to the public purse of electricity consumption from the use of those charging points during a sitting week.

There are two dedicated electrical vehicle charging points in the underground car park. This is supplemented by 12 key controlled socket outlets that provide trickle charging. Owners with certified and PAT tested chargers can request a key to use the sockets for trickle charging. There are no fast chargers.The New Palace Yard Underground Car Park Project is exploring the installation of new charging points. Users of these charging points would be expected to pay for the service. Currently charging is free at the point of use. No estimate has been made of the cost as consumption from these points is not measured separately.

What the cost to his Department is of the study by Winning Moves of experiences of the Warm Home Discount.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero have commissioned RSM UK Consulting in consortium with Winning Moves to evaluate the Warm Home Discount Scheme. Further information is available on: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

How many Albanian nationals (a) have been sentenced to imprisonment in the last 12 months, (b) are in prison, (c) have been released in the last 12 months and (d) have been deported to Albania in the last 12 months.

Nationality data held by courts is not held centrally by the Ministry of Justice. We are therefore unable to provide information on how many Albanian nationals have been sentenced to imprisonment at court in the last 12 months. We have instead provided information on sentenced prison admissions for Albanian nationals between April 2023 and March 2024 (the latest 12 months published period). This information has been provided in the data attached.The nationality of foreign national offenders in prison is published quarterly in table 1_Q_12 of Offender Management Statistics, with the latest data (30 June 2024) available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a1167cce1fd0da7b592c8d/Prison-population-30-June-2024.ods. As of 30 June 2024, there were 1,227 Albania nationals in HMPPS custody. We have provided information on prisoner releases of Albanian nationals between April 2023 and March 2024 (the latest 12 months published period). This information has been provided in the data attached. Please note, not all these were released into the UK community: the number of prisoner releases includes those who were deported to Albania directly from prison, having completed their UK custodial sentence, and those who were transferred from prison to Albania to serve their prison sentence there.Information on deportations is a matter for the Home Office.Foreign nationals who commit crimes should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced, and where appropriate the Government will pursue their deportation and ensure the rules are respected and enforced. This will help to manage prison pressures, keep the public safe and reduce crime. The Government have already begun delivering a major surge in immigration enforcement and returns activity to remove people with no right to be in the UK, with 3,000 people already being returned since the new government came into power.

What modifications have been made to existing Covid-19 vaccine products; for what reasons were those modifications made; and when those modifications were approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

The Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency may authorise a line extension, which is a new product authorisation linked to the original marketing authorisation. Various versions of the COVID-19 vaccines have been approved as line extensions to the original vaccines since the first COVID-19 vaccines were approved in December 2020. Variations may be requested to add an indication, dosage form, strength or pack size, which will make the vaccine available for a wider patient pool, whilst maintaining effectiveness and an acceptable safety level. For example, Pfizer, in late 2021, made an application to extend the indication of their vaccines to children between five and 11 years old in a smaller 10 micrograms per dose, and later, via the European Commission Decision Reliance Procedure, a new three micrograms per dose in infants and children between aged six months and four years old. New versions of the vaccine have also been introduced to adapt the vaccines to the new strains of the virus.