Written questions by Lewis.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the (a) quality of child's rights impact assessments prepared by Government Departments on (i) reserved and (ii) other matters and (b) extent to which children’s (A) views and (B) experiences have been taken into account in these assessments.

Departments are responsible for carrying out assessments on their policy or legislation area. The Department for Education does not collect information centrally on the number or quality of assessments carried out and the extent to which children’s views and experiences have been taken into account in those assessments. This is the responsibility of individual departments and their policy teams to oversee. Child’s Rights Impact Assessments are encouraged to be used across government to ensure new or significant changes to policy or legislation do not adversely affect children’s rights and wellbeing. The department co-produced, with civil society experts, a Child’s Rights Impact Assessment template with guidance that has been shared with other departments. Within the template, the guidance prompts the departments to detail what steps have been taken to directly or indirectly gather the views of children and young people. We value the voices and lived experiences of children and young people and recognise the importance of listening to how decisions made in government impact them.

Whether he plans to incorporate (a) the impact of climate change and (b) access to (i) water and (ii) nutritious food into the UK's future defence strategy.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) agrees that Climate Change will have impacts on the world to which our Armed Forces may need to respond, both directly and indirectly. The MOD carefully considers climate change impacts, along with other drivers of food and water insecurity, when conducting strategic planning.The MOD continues to play an important part in contributing to Government's Plan for Change, including our contributions to the energy security and sustainability Mission.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Nature Restoration Fund on the size of populations of (a) great crested newts, (b) bats, (c) dormice and (d) other protected species.

In December, we published a working paper on our proposal to establish a Nature Restoration Fund through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. We have listened carefully to feedback from the working paper and engagement with the development industry, nature conservation organisations and other stakeholders in developing this legislation. We continue to engage stakeholders and will work with private providers and land managers, including district licensing scheme providers, to ensure competition and innovation in securing impactful and good value for money interventions. We are committed to delivering a win-win for nature and the economy. An Environmental Delivery Plan can only be put in place where the Secretary of State is satisfied the delivery of conservation measures will outweigh the negative effects of development.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he had with (a) NGOs and (b) district licensing scheme providers other than Natural England on the potential impact of the inclusion of species in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on (i) protected species and (ii) farming revenues.

In December, we published a working paper on our proposal to establish a Nature Restoration Fund through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. We have listened carefully to feedback from the working paper and engagement with the development industry, nature conservation organisations and other stakeholders in developing this legislation. We continue to engage stakeholders and will work with private providers and land managers, including district licensing scheme providers, to ensure competition and innovation in securing impactful and good value for money interventions. We are committed to delivering a win-win for nature and the economy. An Environmental Delivery Plan can only be put in place where the Secretary of State is satisfied the delivery of conservation measures will outweigh the negative effects of development.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Nature Restoration Fund on district licensing schemes.

In December, we published a working paper on our proposal to establish a Nature Restoration Fund through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. We have listened carefully to feedback from the working paper and engagement with the development industry, nature conservation organisations and other stakeholders in developing this legislation. We continue to engage stakeholders and will work with private providers and land managers, including district licensing scheme providers, to ensure competition and innovation in securing impactful and good value for money interventions. We are committed to delivering a win-win for nature and the economy. An Environmental Delivery Plan can only be put in place where the Secretary of State is satisfied the delivery of conservation measures will outweigh the negative effects of development.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of Natural England's resources to run the Nature Restoration Fund, as outlined in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Defra is working closely with Natural England and the wider Government to ensure appropriate resources are in place to administer the Nature Restoration Fund.

If he will make an assessment of the impact of the abolition of NHS England on the Federated Data Platform and Associated Services contract awarded to the consortium led by Palantir Technologies.

Ministers will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by James Mackey, to lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job, we will empower staff to focus on delivering better care for patients, driving productivity up and getting waiting times down.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of climate change on water security.

Water companies are required by law to publish a water resources management plan (WRMP) that sets out how they will provide secure public water supplies for a 25-year period (as a minimum). This includes a detailed assessment of the effect of climate change on water supply (and demand). Water companies have just published the latest WRMPs, and this assessment shows that, in England, the quantity of water needed to replace water that will be lost due to the impacts of climate change on water supplies by 2050 is 642 million litres per day. Water companies outline in WRMPs how they plan to manage water supplies to ensure that they are resilient to climate change and other factors such as improving resilience to droughts, population growth, business growth needs and protecting and improving the water environment. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs provides permission to publish the WRMPs, once he is satisfied the plans produced by water companies demonstrate a secure supply of water. In addition, the Environment Agency’s National Framework for Water Resources published in March 2020, set out the strategic water needs for England up to 2050 and beyond. This included an assessment of the likely effect of climate change on water availability. The Framework sets out how water security will be maintained through actions such as halving leakage, reducing demand and developing new water supply infrastructure. A new framework will be released in late spring/early summer. The most recent WRMPs (WRMP24) have been assessed by the Environment Agency and a summary published (A summary of England’s revised draft regional and water resources management plans - GOV.UK).

What steps she is taking to monitor the compliance of use of predictive policing and risk prediction sytems by police forces with the UK's national and international human rights obligations.

AI, and other technologies, can provide a wide range of benefits to improve efficiency and productivity in policing, as well as boosting public confidence by improving the prevention, detection and investigation of crime. However, the procurement and deployment of AI technology to assist with forecasting potential areas of crime or disorder, commonly known as ‘predictive policing’, must always be subject to strong safeguards.The AI Covenant for Policing was agreed at National Police Chiefs Council in September 2023. This provides practical high-level principles that, if followed, will ensure that the police develop and use AI tools that are lawful, transparent, explainable, responsible, accountable and robust. The Home Office has provided funding to support the National Police Chiefs Council AI Portfolio to drive consistency and create guidance for forces to develop and deploy AI tools, and we are undertaking further detailed work in this area. There are a number of essential wider protections in place, including the Public Sector Equality Duty, to ensure that all Government policies take account of the human rights impacts on individuals.

Whether her Department has sought legal advice on the compatibility of the use of (a) predictive policing and (b) risk prediction systems by police forces with (i) national and (ii) international human rights obligations.

AI, and other technologies, can provide a wide range of benefits to improve efficiency and productivity in policing, as well as boosting public confidence by improving the prevention, detection and investigation of crime. However, the procurement and deployment of AI technology to assist with forecasting potential areas of crime or disorder, commonly known as ‘predictive policing’, must always be subject to strong safeguards.The AI Covenant for Policing was agreed at National Police Chiefs Council in September 2023. This provides practical high-level principles that, if followed, will ensure that the police develop and use AI tools that are lawful, transparent, explainable, responsible, accountable and robust. The Home Office has provided funding to support the National Police Chiefs Council AI Portfolio to drive consistency and create guidance for forces to develop and deploy AI tools, and we are undertaking further detailed work in this area. There are a number of essential wider protections in place, including the Public Sector Equality Duty, to ensure that all Government policies take account of the human rights impacts on individuals.

What steps she is taking to increase (a) transparency and (b) accountability in her Department.

The Home Office regularly reports on its performance through the annual report and accounts which are published each year on gov.uk and provide a narrative on the finances and performance of the Home Office.

What steps she has taken since July 2024 to implement (a) recommendation 7 and (b) other recommendations of the Windrush Lessons Learned Review, published on 19 July 2018.

This government is determined to put right the appalling injustices caused by the treatment of members of the Windrush community, making sure that those affected receive the compensation they deserve quickly, and ensuring cultural change is embedded permanently into the fabric of the Home Office.We have established a new Windrush Unit in the department who are undertaking a review of all 30 recommendations in the Windrush Lessons Learned Review. This includes an assessment of the response to Recommendation 7. We will assess how far the department has come and identify those recommendations which require more work.Last month we also launched the recruitment for a Windrush Commissioner, which marks a vital step in resetting the government’s response to the Home Office Windrush scandal. The Commissioner will serve as an independent advocate for those affected, assure delivery of the Windrush Compensation Scheme and hold the department to account as we learn the lessons of the past to drive improvements.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 32022 on Schools: Pay, whether the new productivity initiatives include consideration of the use of AI technology to reduce the employment of (a) teaching and (b) teaching assistant staff.

High quality teaching is the within-school factor that makes the biggest difference to a young person’s educational outcomes. This is why the department will recruit 6,500 new expert teachers.The department is committed to supporting schools in driving high standards for every child and addressing workload challenges. Our productivity initiatives include the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other evidence-based technology to reduce the time teachers spend marking, planning and form filling so that their drive, energy and passion is fully focused on delivering change for children.AI, when made safe and reliable, represents an exciting opportunity to give our schools leaders and teachers a helping hand with classroom life. The department wants our teachers and support staff to not only stay in our classrooms, but to thrive in them.

How many members of the infected blood community were selected for the testing of compensation payments in Norwich South constituency.

As of 21 February 2025, IBCA has invited 204 people to start their compensation claim. IBCA claims managers are taking them through the process and 38 offers of compensation have been made, with a total value of £48.2 million. This information is not available for specific constituencies.

Whether his Department has had discussions with the Infected Blood Compensation Authority on the potential cost to the public purse of using external communications companies.

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is an operationally independent body. IBCA are working with external companies to help them develop their service and reach those who are eligible. For example, external companies will be used to support IBCA in building a digital service, storing data, offering legal and financial support to those claiming. They will also be used to plan future communication work to reach all potential claimants, and especially those who are not already registered with a support service. All of these are requirements for IBCA to deliver compensation as swiftly and compassionately as possible. Commercial contracts are necessary to progress this work and all contracts are awarded through fair and open competition using a tendering process. The budget for IBCA’s communications activity is separate from the funding for compensation itself. As sponsor Minister, I am committed to working with IBCA to monitor its performance and ensure compensation is delivered to everyone who is eligible as quickly as possible.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to review the limit for adaptions under the Disabled Facilities Grant.

Government recognises how important home adaptations are in enabling disabled people to live as independently as possible in a safe and suitable environment. Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding helps adapt around 55,000 homes annually, helping disabled people and their families to live independently and well in their own homes for longer. This Government is reviewing the suitability of the current grant upper limit. We expect the review to conclude later in 2025. Given that any rise in the upper limit will require additional funding, the Government will say more about its future approach after the Spending Review. In the meanwhile, local authorities have considerable discretion and may fund adaptations above the current £30,000 upper limit in line with a local policy or in exceptional circumstances.

Innovation and Technology, what recent progress his Department has made on Project Gigabit.

We continue to make good progress on the delivery of Project Gigabit. According to the independent website ThinkBroadband.com, over 86% of UK premises can now access a gigabit-capable broadband connection. At the beginning of this year, we signed four additional Project Gigabit contracts with Openreach and last month, we announced the first Project Gigabit contract in Scotland. In total, more than £2 billion of contracts have now been signed to bring fast, reliable broadband to hard-to-reach premises across the UK.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking with Openreach to deliver Full Fibre broadband to homes and businesses.

The government is committed to delivering 2030 nationwide gigabit connectivity coverage, with 86% of premises now able to access a gigabit-capable connection thanks to a pro-competition regulatory environment. As a result, there is now a thriving market of over 100 providers, including Openreach, investing over £40bn rolling out gigabit broadband all over the UK. As part of Project Gigabit, we have announced six contracts with Openreach across the UK to provide access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection to premises that would not be connected through the commercial market.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of closing the Adoption and special guardianship support fund on children receiving support from that fund.

The department will shortly be finalising business planning decisions on how its budget will be allocated for the next financial year. All decisions regarding the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund are being made as part of these discussions. An announcement will be made as soon as possible.The department will always consider the impact of decisions on vulnerable children.

Whether she plans to replace support for (a) adopted and (b) special guardianship children receiving therapy for early trauma when the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund closes.

The department will shortly be finalising business planning decisions on how its budget will be allocated for the next financial year. All decisions regarding the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund are being made as part of these discussions. An announcement will be made as soon as possible.The department will always consider the impact of decisions on vulnerable children.