Written questions by Naismith.

What steps his Department is taking to help support people with epilepsy to monitor seizures.

At a national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with epilepsy, such as the RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit, the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the Neurology Transformation Programme.The RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit signposts readers to the Epilepsy Self-Monitoring app developed by SUDEP Action, which is a digital tool designed to help patients understand their own personal risk of seizures, and to track and manage this risk.In our recently published 10-Year Health Plan, we set out our plans to expand the use of wearable technologies and biosensors which will be able to provide ‘real-time data’ and help patients track and monitor their health, including people with epilepsy.

Whether his Department has considered introducing voluntary pension-sharing orders in cases of life-changing events.

We have no plans to introduce further pension sharing provisions.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department is taking steps to help support bereaved families with council tax owed following the sale of a property.

When a property has been left empty following the death of its owner or occupant, it is exempt from council tax for as long as it remains unoccupied and until probate is granted. Following a grant of probate (or the signing of letters of administration), a further six months exemption is possible, so long as the property remains unoccupied and has not been sold or transferred to someone else. Furthermore, this government has introduced an exception to any council tax premiums for up to 12 months after probate, provided the property has not been sold. The government does not currently have any plans to change this.

Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to help support male voice choirs.

His Majesty’s Government has a strong commitment to all forms of music, including choral music. Local choirs are an important part of many people’s lives across the UK, providing a creative outlet and strong sense of community, as well as an accessible, enjoyable cultural experience enjoyed by people of all ages. The Government supports the arts financially, including choirs and singing, through its arm’s-length body Arts Council England. The Arts Council does not have a specific category for identifying investment in ‘male choirs’, however, for the financial year 2024/25 Arts Council England funded activity with a choral focus or element by nearly £44 million. This funding has supported the development, touring and promotion of choral music throughout England. Organisations supported by this funding include Ex Cathedra, a nationally recognised choir with a repertoire that reaches from the 12th to the 21st centuries. Within the Music and Dance Scheme, the Department for Education continues to fund bursaries for training choristers through the Choir Schools’ Association.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to take steps to help incentivise the temporary use of vacant commercial spaces for (a) community-based and (b) start-up projects.

The Government is committed to bringing empty buildings back into use. That’s why we introduced High Street Rental Auctions giving local authorities the power to auction the lease of persistently vacant commercial properties and make town centre tenancies more accessible and affordable for any organisation including start-up businesses and community groups. Through the Pride in Place strategy, we are going further by giving communities extra tools to improve their high street, alongside up to £5 billion funding over ten years to 244 neighbourhoods experiencing some of the highest levels of disadvantage.

What steps her Department is taking to support schools with provisions for wraparound care.

​​This government is committed to providing a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. So far, we have delivered 2.6 million breakfasts and offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country. Following the success of the early adopters, and as the first phase of national rollout, we are investing a further £80 million into the programme to fund an additional 2,000 schools between April 2026 and March 2027. Since September 2024, over 50,000 additional full childcare places have also been made available to families through the National Wraparound Programme. ​

Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to provide additional support to prospective Paralympians.

The Government is fully committed to our elite sport system and enabling our Paralympians to achieve their potential and excel on the world stage. UK Sport have committed nearly £75 million to support the LA 2028 Paralympic cycle for new and returning Paralympians. We will soon get to see our Winter Paralympians compete in Milan-Cortina 2026, who have benefited from a nearly £8 million package of support.The Backing The Best programme, managed by SportsAid for Sport England, also supports para-athletes who would face difficulties progressing through their sport’s talent development system without support.

Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to reduce the TV licence fee.

To ensure the BBC is on a stable financial footing, the Government has committed to the current licence fee model for the remainder of the current Charter period.The licence fee will increase annually in line with CPI inflation until the end of this Charter period, as required by the Licence Fee Settlement agreed by the last Government in 2022.Looking ahead, the Secretary of State is a strong supporter of the BBC and has been clear that it must be funded by a model that is sustainable. The Government is keeping an open mind about the future of the licence fee, and the forthcoming Charter Review will provide an opportunity to consider the best possible funding model to set the BBC up for success long into the future.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department is taking steps to reduce council tax.

It is for individual local authorities to set their level of council tax, taking into account all relevant local factors. The government maintains a referendum threshold, and authorities who choose to increase their council tax above this must obtain the approval of voters. The government will set out its position on referendum principles for the next financial year at the local government finance settlement in the usual way.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to consult neighbourhood groups on proposed noise reforms; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of those reforms on local residents.

The government is exploring a range of reforms proposed by the recent Licensing Taskforce to support the hospitality industry and night-time economy. This includes considering whether the ‘agent of change’ principle should be strengthened in the licensing regime to better protect existing licensed premises and residents. We have launched a call for evidence, which will provide an opportunity for the public and a range of stakeholders – including neighbourhood groups – to shape any future changes. We also intend to explore how we can improve the implementation of the ‘agent of change’ principle as it applies in the planning system and will consult on a new set of national policies for decision-making later this year.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that teachers are not pressured into leaving the profession.

No staff member should ever be pressured into leaving their job. Headteachers have the freedom to manage employment at their schools in accordance with the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document guidance for maintained schools and relevant employment law for all schools.In addition, the government is taking action to ensure that non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) cannot be used to take unfair advantage of workers. For example, the Employment Rights Bill now includes a measure that will void any provision in an agreement, such as a contract of employment or settlement agreement, between a worker and their employer that prevents a worker from speaking out about relevant harassment or discrimination. The government intends to outline strict conditions in regulations under which NDAs can still be validly entered into.We are also taking significant steps to reduce pressure on teachers and therefore increase teacher retention. Our ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service contains a range of supportive resources for schools to review and reduce workload, as well as improve staff wellbeing. This year saw one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,300 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector.

If she will take steps to ensure that schools do not use non-disclosure agreements to require teachers to take settlement agreements.

No staff member should ever be pressured into leaving their job. Headteachers have the freedom to manage employment at their schools in accordance with the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document guidance for maintained schools and relevant employment law for all schools.In addition, the government is taking action to ensure that non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) cannot be used to take unfair advantage of workers. For example, the Employment Rights Bill now includes a measure that will void any provision in an agreement, such as a contract of employment or settlement agreement, between a worker and their employer that prevents a worker from speaking out about relevant harassment or discrimination. The government intends to outline strict conditions in regulations under which NDAs can still be validly entered into.We are also taking significant steps to reduce pressure on teachers and therefore increase teacher retention. Our ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service contains a range of supportive resources for schools to review and reduce workload, as well as improve staff wellbeing. This year saw one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,300 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector.

Whether he plans to review the requirement for small businesses to file profits and losses with Companies House.

The Department for Business and Trade is currently engaging with stakeholders on proposed changes in filing requirements at Companies House, to ensure they strike the right balance between tackling economic crime and avoiding undue burden on business. As part of this we are considering stakeholder views on the requirement for small and micro entities to file profit and loss accounts. We will set out next steps in due course.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) unprocessed and (b) minimally processed foods on public health.

Scientific risk assessment and United Kingdom dietary recommendations are based on robust independent risk assessments by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).SACN has considered the evidence on the impact of processing on health in a position statement in 2023 and rapid evidence update in April 2025 which considered evidence published since the 2023 position statement. SACN has concluded that the observed associations between higher consumption of ultra processed foods and adverse health outcomes are concerning.SACN recommended that on balance, most people are likely to benefit from reducing their consumption of processed foods high in energy, saturated fat, salt and free sugars and low in fibre. This is based on the nutrient content of many ultra processed foods and concerns raised in relation to health.SACN’s recommendations align with existing policies for supporting healthier diets and advice to consumers. SACN will keep the topic of food processing and health under annual review and consider it again in 2026.SACN has also previously advised on consumption of fruit and vegetables, supporting the WHO recommendations (2003), red and processed meat as part of its assessment on iron and health (2010), and on consumption of whole grain foods, as part of its recommendations on Carbohydrates and Health (2015). The UK’s national food model the Eatwell Guide, which is based on SACN’s recommendations, already advises that people should eat more fruit and vegetables and wholegrain or higher-fibre foods, as well as less processed meat and food and drink that is high in sugar, calories, saturated fat, and salt.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has had discussions with British Paralympic Association on the selection process for Paralympians.

The Government has not had discussions with the British Paralympic Association on the selection process for Paralympians.ParalympicsGB selections are made by the British Paralympic Association, working in collaboration with the relevant National Governing Bodies (NGBs) who know their athletes best. These processes remain fully independent from the Government.

Whether protections for victims of fraud have changed since July 2024.

The Government takes the issue of fraud very seriously and is dedicated to protecting the public from this appalling crime. In response to a developing threat landscape, and honouring its manifesto commitment to do so, the Government will publish a new, expanded Fraud Strategy, setting out its approach to tackling fraud, including victim support and public resilience. The Fraud strategy will set out the direction of partnership between Government, law enforcement, industry and the international community to tackle this serious crime. To protect consumers, under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has introduced mandatory reimbursement for APP scams taking place over the Faster Payment system. This came into force on 7 October 2024. Enforcement of the APP scam reimbursement regime is a matter for the PSR, but to monitor the success and impact of this, the PSR has committed to commission an independent post implementation review of its policy after 12 months of the policy being in force.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the Overseas Territories introduce public registers of beneficial ownership.

Please refer to my Written Ministerial Statements of 3 July and 22 July which provide an update on progress achieved to date and details of next steps. We have clearly conveyed to our partners in the remaining Overseas Territories the urgency of meeting previously agreed deadlines and expect prompt action. To assist in this effort, we have offered technical support. The registers should offer streamlined access to a broad range of legitimate users, supporting proactive investigations, deterring the concealment of illicit gains, and promoting maximum transparency.

What steps he is taking to ensure the availability of minimally processed foods (a) for children and young people and (b) in general.

The Government’s Eatwell Guide advises that people should eat more fruit and vegetables and wholegrain or higher-fibre foods, as well as less processed meat and food and drink that is high in sugar, calories, saturated fat, and salt.The Eatwell Guide principles are communicated through a variety of channels, including the NHS.UK website and Government social marketing campaigns.  Examples include the Better Health Healthier Families website and the Healthy Steps email programme which aims to help families with primary aged children in England to eat well and move more.A range of actions that have already been taken to create a healthier environment to help children eat a healthy, balanced diet including:- the Healthy Start scheme which supported over 355,000 people in August 2025;- the Nursery Milk Scheme which provides a reimbursement to childcare providers (in England and Wales) for a daily one-third pint portion of milk to children and babies; and- the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme which provides around 2.2 million children in Key Stage 1 with a portion of fresh fruit or vegetables per day at school.In relation to processed foods and drinks high in calories, saturated fat, salt and free sugars, work on manifesto commitments is progressing through:- implementing the TV and online advertising restrictions for less healthy food or drink;- consulting on plans to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old; and- giving local authorities stronger, clearer powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools and where young people congregate.Earlier this year, the Government committed to reviewing the School Food Standards to reflect the most recent government dietary recommendations. In particular, this will reduce levels of sugar and increase fibre in school food.In August 2025, voluntary industry guidelines for commercial baby food and drink were published by government. The guidelines challenge businesses to reduce the sugar and salt content and improve marketing and labelling of foods and drinks aimed at children aged up to 36 months.

What steps she is taking to help prevent inheritance fraud.

The legal framework in England and Wales provides a wide range of measures to help protect the public from inheritance fraud, with longstanding legal requirements to be satisfied before a will is executed so it is valid in law. There are a range of legal tests to be satisfied in areas such as the capacity of a person to make a will. When wills are submitted for proof as part of the process of applying for grants of probate (to administer the deceased person’s estate) a number of checks are undertaken. In the light of recent allegations of fraudulent activity in respect of some probate applications the Government is reviewing the preventative steps taken, involving all relevant departments and agencies. The law also provides the means for challenges to be made against the validity of a will by interested parties, including on the grounds of forgery, fraud, undue influence and testamentary capacity. The Government is currently considering reforms to the law of wills recommended by the Law Commission and a number of these proposals relate to measures to improve safeguards and protections to testators and beneficiaries.

Whether his Department plans to (a) abolish and (b) reform standing charges for (i) gas and (ii) electricity bills.

The Government knows that, for many consumers, too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges. We are committed to lowering the cost of standing charges and have worked constructively with the regulator, Ofgem, on this issue. Ofgem has conducted a broad public consultation to understand the views of consumers on this issue, receiving over 5,000 responses on their 2024 discussion paper. Since then, Ofgem has been continuing work in two areas. Firstly, Ofgem has been working to ensure that domestic consumers can choose tariffs with low or no standing charges. Ofgem took a further step towards this goal on 24 July, announcing proposals to require suppliers to offer their customers low or no standing charge tariffs from early 2026. Secondly, Ofgem has been reviewing how ‘fixed’ costs, which tend to be funded through standing charges, should be recovered in the future energy system. This includes whether those fixed costs could be recovered in more progressive ways, and we are working closely with the regulator on this. Ofgem published its Cost Allocation and Recovery Review on 30 July.