Written questions by Paffey.

What her planned timeline is for the implementation of steps to transition toward restorative justice is; and what the key milestones toward this will be.

Restorative justice can, when delivered in the right circumstances, improve victim satisfaction and reduce reoffending. This not only benefits the victims and the offender but also their community.That is why, under the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (‘the Victims’ Code’), all adult victims must be told about the option of restorative justice and how to access it. We also provide Police and Crime Commissioners with grant funding for victim support services, including restorative justice services. They are best placed to assess local need and commission services based on the needs of the population in the local area.Restorative justice can also already be used as part of out of court resolutions, depending on the circumstances of the case.

When she plans to publish an action plan for imprisonment for public protection sentences.

I am pleased to announce that on 15 November, the Lord Chancellor laid the first IPP Annual Report and a newly updated IPP Action Plan before Parliament. The Report and Plan can be accessed using the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmpps-annual-report-on-the-ipp-sentence-2023-to-24. The Government is committed to ensuring that the updated Plan drives effective frontline delivery in our prisons, to ensure that those serving IPP sentences are given every chance to make further progress in reducing their risk and eventually obtaining a release direction from the Parole Board in a way that prioritises public protection. We are also committed to ensuring that the Plan improves the support for IPP offenders to comply with licence in the community, so that they can see the eventual termination of the licence and a definitive end to their sentence. We will review the IPP Action Plan annually and will continue thoroughly to scrutinise the progress made.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of lifeguard numbers on UK beaches; and whether he plans to improve beach safety.

We have made no such assessment. However, the responsibility for lifeguards on beaches is usually a matter for local authorities or private beach owners.

If he will make an assessment of the potential feasibility of extending free prescriptions to care leavers aged 18 to 25.

There are no current plans to make an assessment of the feasibility of extending free prescriptions to care leavers aged 18 to 25 years old.

Whether she is taking steps to reduce the cost to local authorities of home-to-school transport.

The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local authorities must arrange free home-to-school travel for children of compulsory school age who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or because the route is unsafe. There are extended rights to free home-to-school travel for children from low-income families, aimed at helping them exercise school choice.The department knows that local authorities’ spending on home-to-school travel has increased sharply in recent years, particularly for children with special educational needs and disabilities. This is largely due to increases in the number of children with education, health and care plans and the number of those children who have to travel long distances to a school that can meet their needs.The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools so fewer children need to travel long distances to a school that can meet their needs. This will reduce home-to-school travel costs for local authorities over time.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) social and (b) council housebuilding projects in Southampton are not delayed due to financial infeasibility.

I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave to Question UIN 10272 on 28 October 2024.

If he will implement a national breast cancer screening awareness campaign to encourage people to attend appointments.

The NHS Breast Screening Programme has high levels of activity, however NHS England has advised that some women are simply not coming forward for screening. To address this, NHS England is carrying out research into the best approaches to target specific groups that are not coming forward for screening. Evidence suggests approaches such as personalised appointments from a general practitioner (GP), fixed appointment with a date and time, and text messaging reminders are the best ways to engage underserved communities.In addition, The Help Us Help You national campaign helps to raise awareness of early diagnosis of cancer and encourages people to see their GP sooner. The campaign activity is designed to increase earlier diagnosis of cancer by reducing barriers to seeking earlier help, and by increasing body vigilance and knowledge of key red flag symptoms.

Whether she plans to review the eligibility criteria for legal aid.

This Government fully recognises that access to legal aid is central to helping those individuals who are unable to afford legal services to resolve their legal issues – provided it is in scope and meets the merits test. We are giving careful consideration to the criteria that govern financial eligibility for legal aid, to support the most financially vulnerable in society in resolving their legal issue.

What steps she is taking to reduce waiting times for visa applications.

We are seeking to ensure visa applications are processed as quickly as possible. Customer service standards exist for all types of visa applications, however the time taken to process a visa application may take longer under certain circumstances such as if the information provided is not accurate or further evidence is required.If there is a delay, the applicant will be notified of this within the current processing times.Data relating to the performance against visa service standards for all types of applications are produced as part of the Migration Transparency publication.These can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration (opens in a new tab).

What steps she is taking to (a) support families of young people who die by suicide after taking illegal substances bought online and (b) raise awareness in schools and communities of this risk.

I am grateful for the Hon. Gentleman for raising this important issue, and highlighting the dangers posed by the availability of illegal substances in online marketplaces, and the tragic consequences that can result from their purchase and consumption, both for young people at risk from that threat, and for their families. I would be happy to meet the Hon. Gentlemen to discuss how best we can address these complex issues, and ensure the safety and wellbeing of our young people is protected.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help reduce the number of (a) social and (b) council housebuilding projects in Southampton which are delayed due to financial infeasibility.

The Government has committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.On 30 July we announced a number of changes in planning policy designed to support the delivery of affordable homes and also confirmed a range of new flexibilities for councils and housing associations, both within the Affordable Homes Programme and in relation to how councils can use their Right to Buy receipts.At this week’s Budget, the Chancellor will set out details of an immediate one year cash injection of £500 million to top up the existing Affordable Homes Programme which will deliver up to 5,000 new social and affordable homes. This comes ahead of the multi-year Spending Review next spring, where the Government will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme.The Chancellor will also confirm that councils will be able to retain 100% of the receipts generated by Right to Buy sales. In addition, the Government will consult on a new 5-year social housing rent settlement to provide the sector with the certainty it needs to invest in new social housing.

What steps she is taking to tackle the (a) availability of illegal substances for sale via online platforms and (b) purchase of those substances by young people who subsequently die by suicide.

I am grateful for the Hon. Gentleman for raising this important issue, and highlighting the dangers posed by the availability of illegal substances in online marketplaces, and the tragic consequences that can result from their purchase and consumption, both for young people at risk from that threat, and for their families. I would be happy to meet the Hon. Gentlemen to discuss how best we can address these complex issues, and ensure the safety and wellbeing of our young people is protected.

Whether she plans to take steps to reduce pay differentials between (a) school teachers and (b) college lecturers.

The government does not set or recommend pay in further education (FE). This remains the responsibility of individual colleges who are free to implement pay arrangements in line with their local needs.The department recognises the vital role that FE teachers play in developing the skills needed to drive our missions to improve opportunity and economic growth. That is why we are investing around £600 million in FE across the 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years, including extending retention payments of up to £6,000 after tax to eligible early career FE teachers in key subject areas. The department also continues to support recruitment and retention with teacher training bursaries worth up to £30,000 tax-free in certain key subject areas, and provides support for industry professionals to enter the teaching workforce through the Taking Teaching Further programme.My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced a Budget on 30 October to be followed by a multi-year Spending Review in the spring of next year. Decisions about future post-16 funding and capital programmes will be subject to the outcomes of these fiscal events.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of NHS prescribers for ADHD medication.

No specific assessment has been made. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of developing large-scale battery storage within the Port of Southampton area.

This Government recognises that batteries have a key role to play in decarbonising the power sector by 2030 by balancing the electricity system and facilitating the integration of renewable power. The Government does not intend to commission an assessment of storage in this specific area. To ensure that we develop the right strategic mix of energy infrastructure in the appropriate locations, the government has commissioned the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to develop a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) to support a more actively planned approach to energy infrastructure across Great Britain.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential (a) funding and (b) capital investment implications for her policies of trends in the number of 16-year olds entering further education in Southampton Itchen constituency.

Funding for the number of 16 year olds entering further education in Southampton Itchen constituency is part of the 16 to 19 funding allocations, which uses student numbers from the previous year as a basis for the calculation. To support providers that have exceptional increases in the number of students, compared to their allocation, the department announced in year growth funding ahead of the GCSE results on 22 August. Details of the funding are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-funding-in-year-growth-for-2024-to-2025/16-to-19-funding-in-year-growth-for-2024-to-2025.Capital investment to support the demographic increase in 16 to 19 learners has been available through the Post-16 Capacity Fund, which provides funding to schools and colleges. This includes projects by Itchen Sixth Form College to ensure enough capital capacity in schools and colleges to accommodate the additional learners. It has made available £238 million in capital funding since 2021.All future funding commitments are subject to the Spending Review.

What progress the Commission for Human Medicines has made on its review of how the risk of sexual dysfunction is communicated to patients; and whether that review includes the potential effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

The first meeting of the Expert Working Group (EWG) on antidepressant risk minimisation convened by the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, on the advice of the Commission on Human Medicines, was held on 4 July 2024.At the initial meeting of the EWG, the terms of reference, scope of work, additional expertise, and plans for patient engagement were discussed. The EWG will consider whether the patient information can be improved and whether additional risk minimisation measures are required for all antidepressants, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

If his Department will (a) review evidence on the health impacts of Primodos and (b) make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a financial redress scheme for people affected by Primodos.

We are hugely sympathetic to the families who believe that they have suffered because of using Hormone Pregnancy Tests (HPTs). Currently, the available scientific evidence does not support a causal association between the use HPTs during early pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, together with the wider Government, has committed to review any new scientific evidence which comes to light since the conclusions of the 2017 independent Expert Working Group convened by the Commission on Human Medicines.Due to the unavailability of scientific evidence supporting a causal association between the use of HPTs and adverse pregnancy outcomes, options for financial redress have not been considered further.

Whether she plans to reimburse VAT to colleges.

The Government strongly supports the work colleges do to enable people to gain the skills they need to thrive in the modern labour market. Maintained schools who are funded by local authorities are able to recover their VAT through the s33 VAT refund scheme, which aims to ensure VAT is not a burden on local taxation. Academies can also recover their VAT under s33B, to ensure they are not disincentivised from leaving LA control. FE colleges do not meet the rationale for admission to either refund scheme. Decisions on funding for the sector will be considered as part of the Spending Review.

What (a) steps her Department takes and (b) guidance her Department provides to ensure the process of obtaining visa sponsorship licences is accessible to companies.

Links to comprehensive guidance are available to companies wishing to obtain sponsor licences and sponsored workers wanting to switch sponsors on the Gov.uk website at: www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas