Written questions by McVey.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the transition to net zero on energy security.

Switching to homegrown clean energy, including renewables and other clean technologies, offers security that fossil fuels simply cannot provide. The Government recognises the challenges in moving away from fossil fuels but the only way to ensure energy security is through homegrown clean power. The Government has empowered the independent National Energy System Operator with the responsibility to carry out resilience functions across the electricity and gas systems and it will continue to work with stakeholders to improve and maintain the resilience of energy infrastructure.

What assessment he has made of the potential risks that the transition to net zero poses to (a) households and (b) businesses.

The transition to net zero will be an incredible opportunity for jobs and growth all across the country. As the OBR has noted in its July 2021 Fiscal Risks Report, “the costs of failing to get climate change under control would be much larger than those of bringing emissions down to net zero”. The Government is taking coordinated action to ensure a fair and inclusive transition to clean energy and net zero, addressing workforce challenges and enabling workers to benefit from the economic opportunities. Our priority is making it easier, clearer and more affordable for people to access new technologies and benefit from the transition.

If she will make an assessment of the (a) effectiveness of the processes put in place by HMRC to register private schools for VAT and (b) adequacy of the time taken for those schools to receive a VAT number.

The government is committed to supporting private schools to ensure that the VAT registration process is as smooth as possible for them, and to ensuring they have the necessary support in order to be able to correctly charge VAT and remit it to HMRC. HMRC has put in place additional resource to process VAT registrations and, on 10 October, published bespoke guidance for schools, which can be found on GOV.UK. HMRC published initial guidance ahead of the Budget to maximise the amount of time schools had to prepare for this policy taking effect. Currently more than 80% of VAT registration applications are being processed within 20 working days, exceeding HMRC’s published service standard of 80% within 40 working days HMRC has also hosted online webinars to answer any queries that schools may have and can be contacted via a dedicated mailbox in the event of any technical queries about registering.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 12696 on Primodos: Research, when the minutes and outcome of the November Commission on Human Medicines discussion will be published.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), together with the wider Government, have committed to reviewing any new scientific evidence which comes to light.The new publication by Danielsson et al has been reviewed by the MHRA and advice has been sought from the Government’s independent advisory body, the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM), who have provided their independent expert advice on our assessment of whether the findings of the latest publication justify a further review. The MHRA will consider the recommendations given by the CHM before deciding whether any further action is warranted.The minutes of the November CHM meeting will be made publicly available through the GOV.UK website at the earliest opportunity.

What estimate she has made of the cost to the police service in (a) England and (b) Wales of the increase in Employers' National Insurance Contributions.

On 12 December, the PSC issued a circular stating that it has agreed to the deletion of the lowest pay point (£23,286) on the PSC Pay Spine with effect from 1 April 2025. This is to reflect that the increase in the National Living Wage, which will take effect on 1 April 2025, and will result in a rate of £12.21 per hour which will equate to £23,555 and which would be above the lowest pay point on the PSC pay spine. https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/workforce-and-hr-support/police/police-staff/police-staff-council-circulars/psc-joint-8We announced the provisional police funding settlement for 2025-26 on 17 December. This includes additional funding of £230.3 million to cover the costs to the police for additional employer’s National Insurance contributions.

What estimate she has made of the cost to the police service in (a) England and (b) Wales of the increase in minimum wage.

On 12 December, the PSC issued a circular stating that it has agreed to the deletion of the lowest pay point (£23,286) on the PSC Pay Spine with effect from 1 April 2025. This is to reflect that the increase in the National Living Wage, which will take effect on 1 April 2025, and will result in a rate of £12.21 per hour which will equate to £23,555 and which would be above the lowest pay point on the PSC pay spine. https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/workforce-and-hr-support/police/police-staff/police-staff-council-circulars/psc-joint-8We announced the provisional police funding settlement for 2025-26 on 17 December. This includes additional funding of £230.3 million to cover the costs to the police for additional employer’s National Insurance contributions.

How many and what proportion of private schools have been provided with a VAT number.

HMRC publishes data on the VAT population by sector on an annual basis. The latest statistics can be found here: Value Added Tax (VAT) annual statistics - GOV.UK The point at which private schools need to register for VAT depends on their individual circumstances and fee schedules. A significant number were registered for VAT before the announcement that, from 1 January 2025, all education and boarding services provided by a private school or connected person will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20%. HMRC is also supporting schools through the registration process via webinars, its helpline and a dedicated technical query mailbox which can be used by schools, their representative bodies and tax advisors.

How many and what proportion of private schools have been provided with a VAT number.

HMRC publishes data on the VAT population by sector on an annual basis. The latest statistics can be found here: Value Added Tax (VAT) annual statistics - GOV.UK The point at which private schools need to register for VAT depends on their individual circumstances and fee schedules. A significant number were registered for VAT before the announcement that, from 1 January 2025, all education and boarding services provided by a private school or connected person will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20%. HMRC is also supporting schools through the registration process via webinars, its helpline and a dedicated technical query mailbox which can be used by schools, their representative bodies and tax advisors.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2024 to Question 13772 on Cardiovascular Diseases: Emergency Calls, if he will provide this data for the period between March 2015 and March 2021; and what assessment he has made of potential impact of the (a) ageing population and (b) number of patients with multiple comorbidities on trends in the number of category one incidents.

Information on ambulance service demand is published by NHS England, including, as of April 2018, the monthly total number of cardiac arrests responded to by ambulance services. The following table shows the total number of cardiac arrests each month from April 2018 to June 2024:MonthTotal cardiac arrestsApril 20186,345May 20186,587June 20186,005July 20186,792August 20186,136September 20185,887October 20186,761November 20186,623December 20187,225January 20197,670February 20196,522March 20196,642April 20196,345May 20196,037June 20195,724July 20196,373August 20196,100September 20196,135October 20196,783November 20197,152December 20198,737January 20208,145February 20207,008March 20208,607April 202010,208May 20207,639June 20206,838July 20206,748August 20207,168September 20206,889October 20207,727November 20207,684December 20209,259January 202110,724February 20217,699March 20217,473Source: the data is published by NHS England, and is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/The increasing aging population and complexity that comes with more patients with multiple comorbidities may be reflected in the trend of rising in category 1 incidents.

What guidance his Department issues to hospitals on visiting times for friends and family.

Contact with family and friends is fundamental to the health and wellbeing of residents in care homes and people in hospital. We have worked with NHS England and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to develop the policy options to strengthen the expectation for care providers and hospitals in England to allow visiting. This included introducing secondary legislation to amend CQC regulations. Further information on CQC regulations, specifically Regulation 9A: Visiting and accompanying in care homes, hospitals and hospices, is available at the following link:https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/regulations/regulation-9a-visiting-and-accompanying

Which companies have applied to operate a small modular reactor.

I understand the Right Honourable Member is asking about small modular reactor technology vendors down-selected to negotiate with Great British Nuclear as part of its ongoing competition. The vendors are: GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy International LLC; Holtec Britain Ltd; Rolls Royce SMR Ltd; and Westinghouse Electric Company UK Ltd. Final decisions will be taken in the spring.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 13773 on the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, how much his Department spent on legal fees defending against appeals.

Between 1 November 2021 and 1 December 2024, the total spent by the NHS Business Services Authority on behalf of the Department on legal fees to defend against appeals within the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme was £50,608.

When recent estimate his Department has made of when small modular reactors will be operational.

The Government is committed to ensuring new nuclear power stations, such as Hinkley Point C, Sizewell C, and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), will play an important role in helping the UK achieve energy security and clean power while securing thousands of good, skilled jobs. Great British Nuclear (GBN), the government’s expert nuclear delivery body, is running an SMR technology selection process and is negotiating with four companies. Final decisions will be taken in the spring. GBN is working to a timeline that enables a robust process underpinned by fairness and transparency, to ensure any selected technology provides best value for money. The programme seeks to select those technologies best able to facilitate operational projects by the mid-2030s.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 13773 on the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, how many claims have waited over a year for a decision; and what support his Department provides to claimants.

As of 1 December 2024, 1,107 claims have been waiting over a year for a resolution. All claims are managed on a case-by-case basis and there are several factors that may impact processing times. This includes time spent awaiting medical records from healthcare providers, or appropriate legal identification documentation, or awaiting consent from claimants for access to their medical records

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 13773 on the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, how many people were (a) assessed and (b) successful in each of those financial years; and what the (i) mean, (ii) median and (iii) range of awards was.

In the financial year (FY) 2022/23, 1,298 applications were assessed, and 72 applications were successful. In the FY 2023/24, 3,806 applications were assessed, and 99 applications were successful. In the FY 2024/25, 4,664 applications have been assessed, and 27 applications have been successful. We are unable to disclose the specific number of applications that were successful in the 2021/22 FY, as that number is fewer than or equal to five, and could lead to individuals being identified. For the FYs 2022/23 to 2024/25, the mean average number of successful applications is 66, the median average is 72, and the range is 72. The mean average, median average, and range do not include numbers for the 2021/22 FY, as including this information could lead to individuals being identified. The payment amount for successful claims is fixed at £120,000.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12927 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the hazard ratios for heart-related conditions reported in Pfizer study abstract entitled Non-Interventional Study Interim Study Report 5 Abstract C4591021, dated 12 March 2024, on the Civil Aviation Authority's regime of aeromedicals which are designed to reduce the risk of sudden incapacitation of pilots during flight.

The data in the Pfizer report does not support the assertion that vaccination causes a clinically significant increase in the risk of any conditions that could prevent a safety-critical worker from undertaking their work. Pilots continue to undergo regular medical examination with cardiovascular examination and with periodic resting electrocardiograms (ECGs). Any anomalies recorded on an ECG are reviewed by a cardiologist and further investigations undertaken if appropriate. In this way, any cardiac conditions, are screened for among those applying to hold a pilot medical certificate, including those that might arise in relation to COVID infection and management.

What the nationalities are of immigrants accommodated in the Cresta Court Hotel in Altrincham.

For the safety, security and wellbeing of staff and those being accommodated, the Home Office does not comment publicly on individual accommodation sites.When a person claims asylum, the Home Office conducts mandatory identity and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.Data on the number of asylum seekers in receipt of support by nationality, support type, accommodation type, and UK region can be found within the Asy_D09 tab for our most recent stats release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab).

Whether her Department has undertaken background checks on the asylum seekers accommodated at the Cresta Court Hotel in Altrincham.

For the safety, security and wellbeing of staff and those being accommodated, the Home Office does not comment publicly on individual accommodation sites.When a person claims asylum, the Home Office conducts mandatory identity and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.Data on the number of asylum seekers in receipt of support by nationality, support type, accommodation type, and UK region can be found within the Asy_D09 tab for our most recent stats release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab).

With reference to section 4.2 of NHS key statistics: England, HC 07281, published on 25 October 2024, (a) what assessment he has made of the causes of the increase in life threatening ambulance calls since Spring 2021 and (b) what percentage of the calls each month were cardiac related.

The rise in category 1 incidents reflects an increase in the proportion of patients’ ambulance services that have been determined to require an immediate face-to-face response. This may reflect a long-term trend of rising pressures on the health services from an increasing aging population, and complexity that comes with more patients with multiple comorbidities. Information on increases in ambulance service demand is published by NHS England. The total number of cardiac arrests that ambulance services responded to is published by month, however this information does not include other cardiac incidents, for example heart attack or angina, and the information is not disaggregated by incident category. The following table shows the total number of cardiac arrests each month from March 2021 to June 2024:MonthTotal cardiac arrestsMarch 20217,473April 20216,982May 20217,085June 20216,944July 20217,592August 20217,135September 20217,442October 20218,307November 20218,483December 20219,227January 20218,936February 20217,466March 20218,216April 20228,043May 20227,781June 20227,407July 20227,959August 20227,408September 20227,349October 20228,118November 20228,440December 202211,988January 20229,832February 20227,682March 20228,599April 20238,049May 20237,298June 20236,921July 20236,611August 20236,753September 20236,668October 20237,941November 20238,259December 20239,554January 20249,471February 20248,045March 20248,309May 20247,544June 20247,344Source: The data is published by NHS England, and is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

How much has been spent on (a) reviewing applications to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme and (b) reviewing cases where a patient has challenged a decision in each of the last 5 years.

The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions to the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in November 2021. We cannot provide any costings for the scheme during the period in which it was operated by the Department for Work and Pensions. Since the NHSBSA took over operation of the scheme, the following costs have been incurred for the medical assessments of the claims:in the financial year 2021/22, no costs were incurred, as the claims assessment did not begin until May 2022;in the financial year 2022/23, the total cost of the medical assessments was £5,018,638.73;in the financial year 2023/24, the total cost of the medical assessments was £10,500,029.88; andin the current financial year, up to 1 November 2024, the total cost of the medical assessments is £9,616,394.02.These are annual totals since we do not separate the budgets for initial assessments and mandatory reversals, the review of claims already assessed.