Written questions by Francis.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission has considered providing a Changing Places toilet in Portcullis House.

I can confirm we have considered the inclusion of a Changing Places toilet in Portcullis House.The nearest Changing Places facility is in the Palace, so we fully recognise the importance of providing one in Portcullis House and are committed to exploring how best to deliver it in future. It is something we want to do and acknowledge it is needed to support accessibility and inclusion. Based on initial assessments, the most appropriate location would be on the first floor within the publicly accessible area. However, installation would require significant refurbishment and the relocation of an existing office.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of exempting people with sickle-cell anaemia from prescription charges.

There are no plans to amend the list of medical conditions that provide eligibility for free prescriptions to include sickle-cell anaemia.Approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there are a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with sickle-cell anaemia may be eligible. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) are also available. PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with three-month and 12-month certificates available. The 12-month PPC can be paid for in instalments, allowing the holder of a 12-month certificate to get all the prescriptions they need for just over £2 per week.

When the Law Commission's review of legal frameworks governing (a) co-operatives and (b) community benefit societies will be published.

The government is keen to ensure that the law governing co-operatives and community benefit societies is clear and supports their growth. That is why we are funding the Law Commission’s independent review of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014.The Law Commission review is considering ways to update and modernise the legislation for co-operatives and community benefit societies - including charitable community benefit societies - ensuring that it fits the nature and needs of these societies as well as ensuring that regulation is proportionate and effective.During consultation, the Law Commission asked a question exploring whether charitable community benefit societies should continue to be exempt charities. It is currently considering feedback from stakeholders on this and other proposals.The Law Commission expects to publish its final recommendations towards the end of 2025. The government will then carefully consider its recommendations to understand whether reform of the legislation is needed to ensure these businesses are supported to grow and succeed into the future.

What progress her Department has made on considering the proposal for Charitable Community Benefit Societies to cease being exempt charities and to allow them to (a) register with the Charities Commission and (b) access new funding opportunities in the current challenging financial context.

The government is keen to ensure that the law governing co-operatives and community benefit societies is clear and supports their growth. That is why we are funding the Law Commission’s independent review of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014.The Law Commission review is considering ways to update and modernise the legislation for co-operatives and community benefit societies - including charitable community benefit societies - ensuring that it fits the nature and needs of these societies as well as ensuring that regulation is proportionate and effective.During consultation, the Law Commission asked a question exploring whether charitable community benefit societies should continue to be exempt charities. It is currently considering feedback from stakeholders on this and other proposals.The Law Commission expects to publish its final recommendations towards the end of 2025. The government will then carefully consider its recommendations to understand whether reform of the legislation is needed to ensure these businesses are supported to grow and succeed into the future.

If he will publish a national service specification for adult cerebral palsy to be used to commission specialist services within integrated care system areas.

We are committed to ensuring that people with cerebral palsy have access to appropriate support and services at all stages of their lives, so that they can fulfil their potential and lead happy, healthy and productive lives. Later this year, NHS England’s service specification for neurology services is being updated. The specification defines standards and manages care pathways for neurological conditions like cerebral palsy.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of trends in the level of inappropriate use of parent and child parking bays; and whether she plans to legislate in this area.

The government is aware of concerns regarding the abuse of valuable parking resources and is determined to raise standards. For private land, the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 places a duty on the government to prepare a Code of Practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities. On 11 July, the government published a consultation document setting out its proposals for raising standards across the private parking industry. On public land, Local Authorities are empowered to determine their parking arrangements through the Traffic Management Act 2004, which requires them to ensure that parking policies meet the requirements of their local area.

Whether she has considered the potential merits of increasing draft duty relief for (a) consumers (b pubs and (c breweries in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.

The Chancellor’s draught rate cut at Autumn Budget 2024 applied to approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. Draught beer and cider now pay 13.9% less in duty than their packaged equivalents – a 50% increase on the previous draught discount of 9.2%. This took a penny of duty off a typical strength pint.Draught beer and cider now pay 13.9% less in duty than their packaged equivalents – a 50% increase on the previous draught discount of 9.2%.The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events. The Government welcomes representations from the beer and pub sectors in advance of the Budget.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of making (a) court transcription services (i) cheaper and (ii) more accessible for the families of victims and (b) court recordings directly available to those families.

Bereaved families of victims of murder, manslaughter, and fatal road offences can request a free transcript of the judge’s sentencing remarks. Following the conclusion of a one-year pilot, on 22 May the Lord Chancellor announced that we are continuing the provision of free transcripts of sentencing remarks for victims of rape and other sexual offences on an ongoing basis. More widely, we are actively considering how to make court transcripts more accessible, and we continue to explore the potential for using AI to produce transcripts more quickly and at a lower cost. HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does does not currently have the technical capability to share audio files. Addressing this or expanding the provision of free transcripts would have operational and resource implications for HMCTS and the judiciary at a time when the system is under considerable pressure.

Whether recordings of court proceedings from October 2023 onwards are available for transcription for a period of one year.

Crown Court transcripts are available for a minimum of one year dependent upon the nature of the disposal.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of online misinformation in the use of chlorine dioxide in treatments for autism on people with autism; and what steps he plans to take to help tackle this.

This government recognises the damaging impact online misinformation can have. Autism is not a medical condition with treatments or a "cure". The NHS website highlights that products falsely claiming to be cures or treatments for autism are harmful, including chlorine dioxide.The Online Safety Act requires platforms to tackle illegal health mis- and disinformation content on their services for all users – these requirements have been in place since March. Additionally from 25 July, services in-scope of the Act that children can easily access, will be required to protect them from legal but nonetheless harmful content, including that which encourages the ingestion, inhalation or exposure to harmful substances.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to help tackle the use of catapults to maim (a) animals and (b) wildlife in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects all wild birds and some wild animals in England and Wales. While the Act does not specifically include catapults in the list of weapons that a person must not use to kill wildlife, it is still illegal under this Act to deliberately attempt to kill, injure, or harm protected species. There are a range of other offences found in further legislation to protect animals from cruelty such as the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Significant sanctions are available to judges to hand down to those convicted of crimes under these Acts. Aside from legislation, a national police-led group named Operation Lakeshot is working in partnership with organisations including the RSPCA and Nature Watch to address the catapulting of wildlife, focusing on education, prevention, detection and justice. The Government takes crimes against animals seriously but there is already sufficient legislation in place which protects them from targeted use of catapults. Defra therefore has no current plans to take further steps to tackle the use of catapults and nor does the Home Office have any plans to change the law to make a catapult a specified prohibited weapon.

Whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleague on developing a cross-departmental strategy to support (a) carers and (b) disabled people into work.

The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out a cross-government strategy to address key labour market challenges, especially tackling the increase in economic inactivity over recent years. It is part of wider government action to spread opportunity and fix the foundations of our economy.This White Paper focuses on support for people who are economically inactive, people who are looking for work or want to progress, and people who are at risk of economic inactivity despite having a desire to stay in work. This includes disabled people, people with a long-term health condition, older people, young people, and those with caring responsibilities.Additionally, in the Pathways to Work green paper we announced that we will be introducing a new guarantee that anyone who is claiming out of work benefits and is disabled or has a health condition will be able to access specialist work, health and skills support. This will be underpinned by additional funding of £1 billion a year by 2029/30. Following the conclusion of the green paper consultation period we will publish more detail on how the government will deliver the guarantee of access to work, health and skills support. We are working closely with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Secretary of State for Education on this.On 3 December 2024, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, I announced the appointment of Lead Ministers for Disability in every government department. The Lead Ministers for Disability will represent the interests of disabled people and champion disability inclusion and accessibility across each Department as they drive forward progress on the Government’s manifesto commitments and the five Missions.

What steps she is taking to develop real time information on the availability of accessibility to public transport for disabled passengers.

Accessibility and inclusivity are key considerations for the government as we seek to deliver against our key missions, including removing barriers to opportunity and delivering safer streets. The government wants disabled people to be able to travel easily, confidently, and with dignity, and we recognise the role of accurate and up-to-date information in making this possible. The rail industry provides both static and real-time information to customers through a variety of channels. For example, live lift information and the location of accessible toilet facilities can be accessed via the National Rail Accessibility Map, as well as via the information and live-updates pages on the National Rail Enquiries website. The government also supports programmes such as Smarter Information, Smart Journeys which is working to ensure more information is available for customers on things like where BSL is available at stations, whether there are toilets on board trains and the live location of rail replacement transport. The Department is undertaking discovery work to capture accessibility assets at bus stops within the National Public Transport Access Nodes (NaPTAN). NaPTAN is also introducing rail replacement data as a priority to align with the expiration of coach operator exemptions from the Accessible Information Regulations which will expire on 31 July 2026. The Department also launched the Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group in November 2024, bringing together industry and consumer representatives, to consider the barriers to air travel for disabled passengers and to develop practical and achievable actions to improve aviation accessibility across the consumer journey.

What discussions her Department has had with Network Rail on maintaining ownership of the northern part of Hornbeam Lane in Barnehurst.

There have are no active discussions between officials in my Department and Network Rail regarding maintaining ownership of the northern part of Hornbeam Lane. If the hon member provides details, my Department would be happy to support the resolution of any issues.

Whether she has had discussions with Network Rail on a timetable to install lighting on the footbridge at Slade Green Station.

Bexley London Borough Council approached Network Rail with a proposal to retrofit LED lighting to the underside of the footbridge handrails at Slade Green station. Network Rail has held meetings with Bexley Council representatives to discuss the proposal and has prepared and issued a Basic Asset Protection Agreement to the council. Network Rail is working closely with Bexley Council to finalise the outstanding agreements required to move forward with the proposals and remains supportive. The timeframe for the works is influenced by several factors, including the scope of the project, track access, design reviews, and more. We anticipate being able to provide a clearer timeline once the outstanding agreements with the council have been finalised.

If she will invest in data infrastructure to better understand where and when disabled children need support.

The department collects and publishes information on disabled children, including through the school census, the SEN2 survey and in the children in need census. These returns provide multiple insights on disabled children and young people such as need and provision type, information recorded as part of the education, health and care (EHC) processes, children receiving support for their disability as a child in need and spending on services for disabled children.Local authorities have clear statutory duties to provide support for disabled children including Section 17(1) of the Children Act 1989 which places a general duty on local authorities to provide services to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need (which includes disabled children). The provision relating to the child or young person's specific needs can be recorded in an EHC and/or a family help plan which covers non-statutory targeted early help support and services provided to a child in need where requirements are set out in the department’s 2023 ‘Working together to safeguard children’ guidance.This national and local data infrastructure enables government and local authorities to plan and deliver more effective services and support for disabled children and young peopleThe department keeps the content of all our data collections under review, including those which collect information on special educational needs and disabilities, whilst ensuring that the data we collect is necessary, feasible and minimises the data collection burden placed on the sector.

What discussions she has had with Transport for London on the potential impact of extending the DLR to Thamesmead on (a) economic growth and (b) housing delivery.

We appreciate the strategic and economic benefits of new transport infrastructure programmes in London like the DLR extension to Thamesmead. This government remains committed to supporting London and the transport network on which it depends and regularly engages with TfL to understand its capital portfolio for the long-term. We continue to work with the Mayor of London and Transport for London on funding for transport in the capital as part of the Spending Review and it will then be for them to decide which projects to take forward.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding allocated to the Support for Families with Disabled Children programme; and what her planned timeline is for reopening the programme.

Each year, the Support for Families with Disabled Children (SFDC) programme provides individual grants to approximately 60,000 low-income families raising a disabled or seriously ill child. The department is pleased to support the SFDC programme, and we expect applications to the scheme to re-open shortly.Future funding decisions beyond this financial year are subject to the ongoing spending review.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Office of Rail and Road on improving access for disabled people on LeShuttle services.

The Government engages regularly with the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to discuss a range of matters and officials meet routinely to discuss the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority (CTSA) and ORR’s regulatory activities concerning Eurotunnel. The Government fully supports efforts to continually improve accessibility on Le Shuttle services.

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the difference between the (a) fee that will be paid to deliver the NHS Special Schools Eye Care Service and (b) cost of delivering the same clinical care in outpatient paediatric ophthalmology clinics.

The fee that has been put in place to underpin the service is aligned to other fees paid for domiciliary sight testing services. NHS England has committed to investing up to £12.7 million annually on the provision of sight tests and the associated optical vouchers in special educational settings. This provides the potential for these services to reach approximately 165,000 children and young people in over 2,000 educational settings, ensuring sight tests are provided in a familiar environment whilst minimising disruption to the school day.NHS England has engaged with key stakeholders throughout the life of the programme and continues to work closely with local integrated care board commissioners, and the ophthalmic and voluntary sector, to scale up and roll out sight tests for patients in a special educational setting.