Written questions by Paffey.

Whether his Department plans to (a) review and (b) remove the upper age limit for entry into flying and other officer roles in the armed forces.

The Department is assessing current policies and identifying those which obstruct individuals from joining the Armed Forces. It is essential that new entrants to the Armed Forces meet set requirements so that they are capable of successfully tackling the various challenges of Service life and the roles in which they will be expected to deploy. As part of this assessment, regulations concerning eligibility requirements, plus those supporting Armed Forces recruitment processes, will be revised and promulgated once finalised. I hope the Hon. Gentleman will understand that where policies are found to be reasonable they will be kept, and where changes are recommended, they will be enacted.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of current fee levels under the Licensing Act 2003; and whether she plans to review that Act to ensure that licensing fees reflect the actual costs incurred by local authorities in processing and enforcing those licences.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that alcohol licensing fees, set under Section 55 of the Licensing Act 2003, are fair, proportionate and reflective of the costs incurred by local authorities in administering the licensing system.A previous consultation by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government explored whether local authorities should have more control over setting statutory fees. The Government is reviewing the consultation’s findings and will assess the wider fee landscape alongside this to inform any potential future changes.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate availability of Premarin in the NHS; and what steps he is taking to support patients who are unable to access it.

Premarin tablets remain available. However, the supplier of Premarin has debranded this product, which means the product's brand name, Premarin, has been removed and it is now available and known under its generic name, which is conjugated oestrogens tablets.

When he plans to update NHS commissioning policy to include funding for Selective Internal Radiation Therapy for patients with neuroendocrine tumours with liver metastases.

The Department recognises the need to offer patients the most suitable treatment, including the use of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT).NHS England is currently in the early stages of policy development for SIRT as an additional treatment option for patients with neuroendocrine tumours with liver metastases. NHS England, through its specialised commissioning function, is responsible for setting national service standards, and for the development of clinical commissioning policies for prescribed specialised services. Should NHS England’s Clinical Panel consider that the evidence is robust enough to warrant making the treatment routinely available across the National Health Service in England, it will require further consideration through relative prioritisation and investment.

What steps she is taking to increase post-18 opportunities for young people.

Our new Youth Guarantee will provide tailored support to young people aged 18 to 21 to help them access high-quality education, training and employment opportunities. £45 million has been allocated to test the Youth Guarantee in eight locations.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Multiply Programme on adult numeracy skills; and whether she plans to introduce further funding or alternative provisions to support (a) adults with learning difficulties and (b) other adults improve their maths skills following the programme’s conclusion.

The extensive Multiply programme evaluation is ongoing and will conclude in winter 2025.The final evaluation report will provide valuable lessons to take into future policy development and delivery of the adult skills fund (ASF) and Tailored Learning.The government remains committed to ensuring opportunity for all as one of its key missions. This includes building a skills system for opportunity and growth, and delivering a stronger skills offer.The department continues to support participation in mathematics provision through the essential skills entitlements which fully fund adults who do not have essential numeracy skills up to and including level 2. This allows learners to undertake a range of courses fully funded through the ASF, including GCSEs, Functional Skills and other relevant qualifications from entry level to level 2.Tailored Learning also offers the flexibility within the ASF for non-qualification based provision that is similar to Multiply, including outreach and engagement. Tailored Learning is available to all grant funded providers. The ASF supports adults to improve their numeracy skills, including adults with learning difficulties.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to require full planning permission to convert commercial premises for residential use.

The government recognises that there has been criticism of some of the homes delivered under permitted development rights for change of use. We continue to keep permitted development rights under review.

Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to (a) support a repair and reuse economy and (b) prioritise waste reduction measures; and whether his Department plans to help reduce advertising of disposable products.

This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. We have convened a Circular Economy Taskforce, comprising experts from industry, academia, and civil society, to help develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. The Strategy will map our transition to a circular economy, supported by a series of roadmaps that detail the interventions that the Government and others will make on a sector-by-sector basis. Defra recognises that reuse and repair are fundamental tenets of any circular economy, and a successful transition aims to eliminate waste and promote sustainability through reuse and resource efficiency. We will consider the evidence for appropriate action right across the economy as we develop the Strategy.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that there is adequate training for physics teachers.

​​The within-school factor that makes the biggest difference to a young person’s educational outcome is high quality teaching. We want to ensure all teachers have access to and stay up-to-date with best practice in continuing professional development at every stage of their career, giving them the expertise and support needed to deliver high quality teaching.Through the revised initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF), new teachers now benefit from at least three years of evidence-based training, across initial teacher training (ITT) and into their induction. The department has also launched a new and updated suite of national professional qualifications for teachers and school leaders at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice to those leading multiple schools across trusts.For the 2025 teacher trainee recruitment cycle, the department awarded the Institute of Physics (IOP) a grant agreement worth around £200,000 as part of the two-year ITT Scholarship Programme. This enables the IOP to offer 175 scholarships to talented individuals with a passion for physics and the potential to become inspirational teachers. Between 2022 and 2024, the IOP has recruited 256 scholars who received a bursary uplift, currently £2,000, on top of the standard £29,000 ITT bursary for physics.The department also supports physics recruitment through ‘Engineers teach physics’, an established national ITT course. The department continues to work closely with sector experts, representative bodies and academic institutions, such as the IOP, Engineering UK, the University of Birmingham and the Gatsby Foundation, to ensure that this course reflects best practice and includes the most up-to-date industry knowledge.The subject knowledge for physics teaching programme supports non-specialist teachers of physics to enhance their subject knowledge and confidence through a series of blended learning courses covering the key stage 3 and key stage 4 physics curriculum.This government has inherited a system with critical shortages of teachers, especially in physics, with numbers not keeping pace with demographic changes. We are committed to resetting the relationship with the sector and restoring teaching’s status as a valued and respected profession, one that new graduates want to join and existing staff wish to remain in and thrive.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that care proceedings are concluded within 26 weeks.

Reducing unnecessary delays in family courts is a priority for this government. The Family Justice Board (FJB) meets quarterly to set direction and oversee performance in the family justice system. This includes progress in meeting the 26-week Public Law Outline.The department is investing £10 million over 2024/25 to implement and test new solutions to address the causes of the longest delays in care proceedings. This work consists of the following three pilots.The department is working closely with local authorities in five designated family judge ‘trailblazer’ areas to complete deep dive analysis as well as to develop and test targeted solutions to address the biggest local drivers of delays.The department is piloting an initiative to bring the child’s Cafcass Guardian and Local Authority Social Worker together before the first case management hearing, to reduce delays caused at the earliest stage of proceedings.Finally, the department is piloting the use of a new service for suspected inflicted injury in children within the NHS, to address delays caused by the lack of independent medical experts engaging in family court work.These pilots are due to conclude at the end of March 2025, after which the department will receive an independent evaluation, which will help inform future decisions around reducing family court delays.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to tackle increases in building insurance premiums for leaseholders in high-risk buildings.

Buildings insurance premiums remain unacceptably high for many leaseholders in buildings with fire safety issues, who have been paying too much for too long.My officials have already started working with the insurance industry, as announced in the Remediation Acceleration Plan, to consider whether, for the duration of remediation programmes, government might support industry to reduce fire related liabilities, in order to reduce the high insurance bills some leaseholders are facing.We have also launched a public consultation on the introduction of a fair and transparent fee for leaseholders to pay to those who manage insurance for their buildings.

Communities and Local Government, what her Department's planned timetable for abolishing ground rents and implementing broader leasehold reforms is.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).On 31 January 2025, provisions in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 to remove the two-year qualifying period in relation to enfranchisement and lease extensions came into force.On 10 February, we laid regulations in Parliament to implement the reforms contained in the Act concerning the Right to Manage and these will come into force on Monday 3 March.

What assessment she has made of the impact of parental employment on child poverty.

The Child Poverty Action Group estimates 38% of children in My Hon Friend’s constituency are now growing up in povertyIncreasing the employment rate for lone parents, and increasing the number of second earners in couples, is absolutely crucial to tackling this problem.Our Get Britain Working plan, backed by £240m of additional investment, is reforming employment support and overhauling JobCentres to help more people get work and get on at work.And increasing parental employment is a key focus of our Child Poverty Taskforce too.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to facilitate co-operation under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 between local authorities in cases of domestic abuse.

This government is committed to tackling violence against women and girls and supporting victims of domestic abuse.Since 2021, local authorities in England have had a duty to ensure that all victims and their children who need to flee their homes have access to support within safe accommodation when they need it.MHCLG statutory guidance is clear that tier one local authorities should work collaboratively with tier two and neighbouring local authorities to develop a shared understanding of need, including for victims who need to flee their local area for their safety.The government has raised total funding for this duty to £160 million in 2025/26, to enable local authorities in England to expand these essential services for victims of domestic abuse.MHCLG regularly runs workshops with the Local Government Association to support local authorities to deliver their duties effectively. In addition, I am establishing a new Domestic Abuse Housing Group, co-chaired by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, to maintain oversight and ensure that councils have the support they need to deliver their duty requirements.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of outdoor education for (a) children’s access to outdoor learning opportunities and (b) the development of skills; and the (i) adequacy and (ii) sustainability of the funding for outdoor education.

All children and young people should have the opportunity to learn about and connect with nature.Spending time in, and connecting with, nature has been linked with improved mental and physical health outcomes for children and young people. The most consistent findings point to improved resilience, decreased stress, increased levels of physical activity, and lower levels of obesity. Outdoor education specifically is also linked to improved motivation, social capital, and sense of belonging in school.The department is supporting a 12-month project (running from July 2024 to June 2025) led by researchers at the University of Oxford. The project will assess the evidence of nature-based programmes for mental health and wellbeing in young people, delivered through schools. Evidence will help the department understand the value of nature for mental health in the school environment. We expect to receive outputs, including a peer reviewed paper and policy brief, in summer 2025. More information about the project can be found here: https://www.agile-initiative.ox.ac.uk/sprints/is-nature-a-policy-solution-to-mental-health-in-schools/.Through the National Education Nature Park initiative, children and young people have exciting opportunities to participate in low or no cost outdoor education within the boundaries of their education setting.Participating children and young people will also develop their scientific, analytical and digital mapping skills. This will allow them to build careers and access jobs that require a knowledge of sustainability and climate change to support the transition to net zero and nature’s recovery.The department announced £15 million of capital funding over the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years as part of the roll out of the National Education Nature Park. This funding is available to support settings and young people that need the most help in accessing nature.

Communities and Local Government, what plans she has for the future of community involvement schemes following the closure of the Community Ownership Fund.

This Government remains committed to the communities’ sector and to community empowerment.The Devolution White Paper, which was published on 16 December 2024, set out plans which demonstrate our commitment and there will be further announcements relating to communities this year, including on the community ownership of assets.

Whether he is having discussions with Royal Mail on (a) instances of repeat error charges and (b) the effectiveness of its complaints processes, in the context of the universal service obligation.

Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider. However operational issues such as error charges and complaints procedures are a matter for Royal Mail as an independent business, with the delivery of the universal service obligation overseen by Ofcom as the independent regulator.Following its 2022 review of the regulatory framework for post, Ofcom issued new guidance which took effect from 1 April 2023 on improving complaints handling processes to ensure postal operators’ compliance with their existing regulatory obligations. Ofcom has committed to ongoing monitoring of the new provisions. Further information on Ofcom’s findings in its review are available on Ofcom’s website: www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/postal-regulation-review.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the wastewater licence at Portswood Wastewater Treatment Works in Southampton.

The adequacy of the Environmental Permit at Portswood Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) in Southampton has been assessed through various modelling investigations and regulatory reviews. These have resulted in several improvements at Portswood including the most recent permit variation issued on 28 June 2023, when a modern consolidated Environmental Permit was issued which included statutory driver improvements to be delivered by 2025. The Environment Agency (EA) is currently assessing an application by Southern Water, who operate the site, to vary operations to help further improve odour control at the site. As with all bespoke permit applications for water discharge the EA consults with the public and relevant organisations, Additionally, the EA’s comprehensive assessments to monitor and manage nutrient levels in the region help ensure the Environmental Permit for the Portswood WwTW remains adequate and compliant with environmental standards, while future improvements planned for the 2025-30 period will further enhance its environmental performance through meeting nitrogen neutrality requirements The Government is committed to taking action to give regulators the teeth they need to take tougher action against water companies who fail to meet their obligations. The Water (Special Measures) Bill will provide the most significant increase in enforcement powers to the regulators in a decade. The Bill will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector. On 23 October 2024 the UK and Welsh governments launched an independent commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, to recommend reforms to reset the water sector regulatory system. The Commission will publish a report in Q2 2025, with recommendations for actionable solutions to the sector’s problems.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the maximum number of months for which the Bereavement Support Payment can be paid beyond the existing cap of 18 monthly payments.

Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) helps people through the immediate period following a bereavement by way of an initial lump sum followed by up to 18 monthly instalments. Where longer-term financial support is needed, benefits such as Universal Credit have been specifically designed to provide assistance with ongoing living costs. The Government keeps the eligibility of all benefits under review.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that there is adequate (a) funding and (b) support for (i) forensic investigation teams and (ii) coroner services to help minimise delays.

It is important that the death investigation process is as swift and efficient as possible to avoid additional distress for bereaved families at such a difficult time in their lives.Whilst the Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy, this Department does not have operational responsibility for coroner services as they are a local service, funded and administered by individual local authorities. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring these services are adequately resourced in line with local needs and priorities.However, the Government recognises the impact of delays in coronial investigations on bereaved families. This was an issue explored and highlighted by the Justice Select Committee following their recent follow-up inquiry into the coroner service. The Government is carefully considering the Committee’s findings including on coronial pathology provision, which is a long-standing and cross cutting issue that can impact on the timeliness of coronial investigations and will respond on the steps it intends to take to further support the coroner service in due course.Fair and efficient police investigations and outcomes depend on the timely delivery of high-quality forensic science. The Government is working with PCCs, Chief Constables, the Forensic Science Regulator and other leaders in forensic science to ensure forensic services are reliable and robust to increase confidence in the police and criminal justice system to their highest levels.