Written questions by Blundell.

What steps she is taking to tackle tax evasion by business in the hospitality sector who (a) fail to declare earnings and (b) pay cash in hand.

The Government recognises that sometimes businesses do not declare their cash income and thereby conceal their true earnings and is committed to creating a level playing field for all by ensuring that everyone pays the right amount of tax at the right time. Most taxpayers pay what they owe, but a small minority fail to register with HMRC or only declare a portion of their earnings. This small minority deprive our vital public services of funding, affect fair competition between businesses, and place unfair burdens on everyone else. It is vital these revenues are collected to fund our essential public services. Closing the tax gap and making sure that more of the tax that is owed is correctly paid is one of the Government’s top priorities for HMRC. HMRC is making it increasingly difficult for businesses to hide their earnings and have an extensive range of powers, including information gathering powers, that help build a picture of risk and identify those who are trying to abuse the system. HMRC’s approach to tax evasion aims to tackle current non-compliance and change future behaviours. Their activities include national campaigns and specialist task forces that incorporate intensive bursts of activity in targeted high risk trade sectors, such as the hospitality sector, and locations across the UK. This includes providing customer education highlighting the importance of keeping accurate records. Cash continues to be used by many people across the UK and is a legitimate means of paying for goods and services. It is the choice of a business whether to accept or decline any form of payment and is based on factors such as customer preference and cost. Where an individual or business is paid in cash, the onus is on them to ensure they meet their tax obligations, including registering for and paying the right taxes. The Government will continue to consider options to tackle cash-facilitated evasion and has indicated it will consult in the future on any measures in relation to tackling cash facilitated evasion.

What discussions he has had with the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board on steps to reduce the number of patients awaiting treatment in Heywood and Middleton North constituency.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are accountable to NHS England. The NHS Oversight Framework outlines NHS England’s approach to overseeing and monitoring ICB performance, and NHS England regional teams have regular review meetings with ICBs, the frequency of which will vary according to the governance arrangements, but they should be at least quarterly.More broadly, the Government is working to reduce the number of patients awaiting treatment across the country, including those in Heywood and Middleton North. The Elective Reform Plan, launched as part of the Government’s Plan for Change, sets out how we will get back to the NHS Constitutional Standard, that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment (RTT) by the end of this Parliament, and will also ensure patients have the best possible experience of care.We have set an ambition for 2025/26 that we reach 65% of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks nationally, and for all trusts to deliver a minimum 5% improvement by March 2026. We will also publish minimum standards of care that patients can expect to experience, and will make digital improvements, including to the NHS App, to provide patients with greater choice, control, and flexibility.Across the country, dedicated and protected surgical hubs are transforming the way the National Health Service provides elective care, by focussing on high volume low complexity surgeries. In the Heywood and Middleton North constituency, there are two such surgical hubs serving patients, the Fairfield General Hospital Elective Surgical Hub, and the Rochdale Infirmary Elective Surgical Hub.

What steps her Department is taking to increase road safety for vulnerable road users.

The Government treats road safety with the utmost seriousness, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My department is developing our road safety strategy and will set out more details in due course.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of a reciprocal agreement between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to accept pensioners' bus passes.

Concessionary travel is a devolved policy area so the administrative arrangements in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland differ from those in England. There are no plans at present to introduce such an arrangement.

What steps her Department is taking to make it easier for women to report abuse experienced when they have been exercising in public.

This Government has set out an unprecedented ambition to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade, and we are determined to use every lever available to us to deliver on that aim.That means working across Government departments to tackle threats to women’s safety in all areas of their lives, including in public spaces.This year, the Home Office is providing £15 million to support communities through a variety of preventative interventions such as improved CCTV and streetlighting, public guardianship schemes, and behavioural change initiatives including educational programmes to help change attitudes towards women and girls.In addition to reporting via 999 and the 101 non-emergency number, anyone who has experienced abuse which is not an emergency can report it through the Single Online Home (SOH) reporting tool (www.police.uk/pu/contact-us/). As of November 2024, 40 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales plus British Transport Police have been onboarded onto the Single Online platform and one further force is currently onboarding.

If he will take steps to provide funding for respite care for people with disabilities away from their care setting.

The Government is providing at least £600 million of new grant funding for social care, as part of the broader estimated real-terms uplift to core local government spending power of approximately 3.2%. Local authorities are responsible for how they use the available funding to fulfil their duties under the Care Act (2014).