Written questions by Mierlo.

What steps she is taking to ensure the adequacy of services provided by interpreters to her Department.

The Ministry of Justice operates a robust performance and quality regime for these services. Interpreter fulfilment of bookings is the service provided by suppliers under contract, and their performance is managed through contract management. The quality regime includes ensuring that interpreters on the Ministry of Justice register are qualified and security vetted, a rolling programme of spot checks on interpreters to ensure that they are meeting the quality requirements, and a complaints process that will direct quality assessment checks to interpreters that are subject to a complaint.The suppliers forecast demand, and work to ensure that there is a pool of qualified interpreters available to the Ministry of Justice to fulfil our bookings.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Glis Glis (edible dormouse) on (a) indigenous species and (b) property; and whether he plans to take steps to reduce this impact.

An assessment of the risk of edible dormouse (Glis Glis) published by the Great Britain Non-Native Species Secretariat identified that there were potential impacts of edible dormouse on native species of hole nesting birds and on trees. It also identified a risk of damage to property. Full details are available here: https://www.nonnativespecies.org/assets/Uploads/RSS_RA_Glis_glis.pdf To manage the impacts of this species, Defra plans to introduce a new action and capital item under the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) offer, under the Environmental Land Management Schemes. The addition of these items will support the management of edible dormouse in England. We plan to announce more details on the expanded CSHT offer this month. Additionally, the species is listed under Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Country Act 1981. As such it is an offence to release or to allow the escape of this species into the wild.

With reference to the New Hospital Programme review, when the (a) options and (b) recommendations for the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading will be published; and when he plans to announce which hospitals will be prioritised.

The new hospital scheme for the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust at the Royal Berkshire Hospital is in the scope of the review into the New Hospital Programme.We are finalising the outcome of the review so we can be honest and upfront with everyone on when we expect the new hospitals to be delivered.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will set out further details on the outcome of the review, which will include a new and realistic delivery schedule for the programme, at the earliest opportunity.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of replacing external (a) translation and (b) interpretation services provided to her Department with services provided by departmental staff.

The Ministry of Justice considered the potential for bringing the service fully or partially in-house when assessing its options. The outcome of the assessment indicated an outsourced model continued to be the best value for taxpayers’ money, taking account of quality, deliverability, and cost.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the (a) consumption of liquefied petroleum gas by (i) classic cars and (ii) other vehicles and (b) availability of liquefied petroleum gas at forecourts.

DVLA transport statistics show a steady decline in the number of vehicles licensed on UK roads that run on LPG. At their peak in 2010 there were approximately 50,000 vehicles compared to 27,000 at the end of 2023. As the transition to zero exhaust emission vehicles continues, demand for the fuel is expected to continue to reduce. Decisions about whether and where to supply fuels, including LPG, are commercial decisions for suppliers and operators.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of trends in the levels of real terms funding to the Environment Agency between 2010 and 2024.

Environment Agency (EA) funding is closely monitored to ensure that the EA can carry out its duties and functions effectively. Since 2010-11, the EA’s funding has risen from £1.3 billion to £2.1 billion in 2024-25. This is a real terms increase of just over £250 million.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether nutrient pollution will be within the remit of the Independent Water Commission; and how the Commission will interact with the rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan.

On 23 October, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system, to fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good. The Terms of Reference for the Independent Commission are available at here.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the powers of the Environmental Agency to (a) monitor and (b) maintain bathing water (i) status and (ii) quality.

The Environment Agency (EA) is the appropriate agency for monitoring and managing bathing waters in England. Their operational duties ensure the required testing and monitoring of bathing waters, and pollution risk forecasting during the bathing season. On 12 November, Defra also launched a consultation on reforms to the Bathing Water Regulations 2013. This consultation detailed proposals that included moving the fixed dates of the bathing season from Regulations into guidance and considering a sites water quality prior to designation. These proposals would allow the EA greater flexibility when monitoring sites and a more targeted approach to maintaining their status and quality.

What steps he is taking to increase the uptake of (a) digital innovation and (b) patient data systems within the NHS.

NHS England is working closely with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the Accelerated Access Collaborative to improve the process for uptake of innovative digital health technologies in the National Health Service. This includes working with healthcare professionals and other key stakeholders to understand what matters to them.The Federated Data Platform (FDP) is being rolled out to all trusts and integrated care systems which wish to use it, to bring together data in different local systems, to allow better co-ordination of care to patients. All trusts and integrated care boards (ICBs) are being asked to provide plans for how they will maximise the benefits of the NHS FDP for their patients in the next two years.The Shared Care Record programme set the target that by the end of September 2021, ICBs across the country would have a basic shared record in place. As of March 2022, all 42 ICBs in England have at least a basic shared care record.My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has announced the intention for there to be a single patient record that both empowers patients by giving them access to their records and gives professionals access to the information they need to make the best-informed decisions when delivering care and treatment. We have begun engaging with the public to help shape our plans, including what information they would want to see included in a single record.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has (a) held recent discussions with local stakeholders on (i) when bathing water status applications will reopen and (ii) the consultation of bathing water status and (b) taken recent steps to review the cost of applying to the bathing water scheme.

Both Defra Minsters and officials have been engaging with stakeholders before and following the launch of the public consultation. Following this consultation and analysis of responses, we will consider the most appropriate time to reopen applications for new bathing water designations. Defra will publish new application guidance once the Regulations have been reformed and will ensure that there continues to be a clear and easy-to-understand process for applying for bathing water designation.

If he will review the (a) incentives and (b) funding for physician associates.

There is no current plan to review the funding for Physician Associates’ (PAs) training or pay. The Government has commissioned an independent review on the PA and Anaesthesia Associate professions. This review will consider the safety of the roles, and their contribution to multidisciplinary teams.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure high quality water in bathing water designated areas inland.

Designated bathing waters are monitored by the Environment Agency (EA) throughout the bathing season which enables them to assess what action is needed to improve water quality. Sites which receive classifications of poor standard will be subject to an action and improvement plan between the EA, local stakeholders and water companies. Defra also recently launched a consultation on reforms to the Bathing Water Regulations 2013. The three core proposals details in this consultation seek to bring the designation and monitoring process in line with how bathing waters are used today, and ensure it is fit for purpose for inland sites.

Whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of (a) patient knowledge of the training physicians associates receive and (b) information available in general practice for patients on physician associates.

On 20 November 2024, the Government announced that it is establishing an independent review of the physician associate and anaesthesia associate professions. It will consider the safety of the roles, and their contribution to multidisciplinary healthcare teams. The review will report in spring 2025.The introduction of regulation by the General Medical Council (GMC) will provide a standardised framework of governance and assurance for the clinical practice of Physician Associates (PAs) and make it easier for employers, patients, and the public to understand the relationship between these roles and that of doctors.As set out in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines, all healthcare professionals directly involved in a patient's care should introduce themselves and explain their role to the patient. The GMC has published interim standards for PAs in advance of regulation, which make it clear that professionals should always introduce their role to patients, and set out their responsibilities in the team. In primary care, NHS England has produced patient-facing materials that have been shared widely with general practices to support patient awareness and understanding of the PA role.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2024 to Question 8075 on Floods: Government Assistance, for what reason her Department's Property Flood Resilience grant scheme was not activated in response to flooding in September.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) coordinates the Government’s Flood Recovery Framework (FRF). Although Defra’s Property Flood Resilience (PFR) grant scheme is not part of FRF, it has always been activated alongside the FRF. The September flooding was not at the scale where MHCLG, the Department for Business and Trade and Defra would expect to activate the FRF or PFR grant schemes. The PFR grant scheme has been previously activated where more than 2,000 properties have been flooded. The Environment Agency identified that around 1,000 properties were flooded across England in September. Affected householders should ask their insurance provider if they will be eligible for Build Back Better within their claim, which can provide for flood resilient repairs.

Whether he plans to take steps to help support people with Coeliac disease with the cost of food; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of widening access to gluten free products on prescription.

We recognise the pressures people are facing with the rising cost of living. Our extensive arrangements to help people afford National Health Service prescription charges mean that almost 89% of prescription items in England are already provided free of charge. For those who are not exempt from charges, pre-payment certificates can be used to cap costs at just over £2 a week for regular prescriptions.The national prescribing position in England remains that gluten free bread and mixes can be provided to all coeliac patients on an NHS prescription, and a wide range of these items continue to be listed in part XV of the Drug Tariff. This means that prescribers can issue NHS prescriptions based on the individual preferences of their patients, while also being mindful of which product best suits the patient’s dietary needs.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of testing newborn babies for spinal muscular atrophy.

Work is already underway to assess the potential merits of testing newborn babies for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).This is following the UK National Screening Committee’s two-fold recommendation in 2023, to simultaneously develop a new cost-effectiveness screening modelling study for the United Kingdom’s screening context, and to start scoping work for an in-service evaluation of newborn screening for SMA in real world National Health Services in the UK.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the recommendation from the French health authority that the RSV vaccine should be provided to (a) 75-80 and (b) over 80 year olds.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is the United Kingdom’s expert committee that advises the government on immunisation programmes.In line with JCVI advice, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programme for adults turning 75 years old began on 1 September 2024 in England alongside a one-off catch-up programme to rapidly vaccinate all those already aged between 75 and 79 years old. The JCVI considered that there was less certainty about how well the vaccine works in people aged 80 years old and older, as there were not enough people of this age in the clinical trials to be able to see if the vaccines are protective in this age band.Whilst the JCVI notes what takes place in other countries, its advice is specific to the UK. The JCVI continues to keep evidence under review, including data from clinical trials and real world evidence emerging from immunisation programmes in different countries.The JCVI recently discussed the RSV programme at their committee meeting on 2nd October 2024. The minutes from this meeting are publicly available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/joint-committee-on-vaccination-and-immunisation

When he plans to publish real world evidence on the effectiveness of the respiratory syncytial virus vaccine in the 75-80 cohort; how much such evidence has been collected; and whether such evidence from other countries has been taken into account in consideration of extending eligibility for that vaccine.

The UK Health Security Agency is working on vaccine effectiveness analysis within the 75 to 80-year-old age group for this winter season 2024 to 2025. We are collating data on respitatory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalisations in England and general practice consultations in a sentinel network.Data is required from across the entire RSV season to give an accurate estimate of effectiveness. Analyses are therefore likely to take place around the end of the winter season 2024-2025. Publication is expected to follow in due course.Evidence of effectiveness in all age groups in all countries where data has been made available is being used to inform eligibility considerations. Emerging real-world evidence will be reviewed by the Joint Committee on Vaccination & Immunisation as part of its considerations for a potential extension to the older adults RSV immunisation programme, currently aimed at people aged between 75 and 80 years old, to include people over 80 years old and risk groups.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the implementation of restorative justice in the criminal justice system.

This Government supports the use of restorative justice, which 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 be used as part of out of court resolutions, depending on the circumstances of the case.We know that restorative justice can improve victim satisfaction and reduce reoffending when delivered in the right circumstances. This not only benefits the victims and the offender but also their community.

What progress he has made on dementia care in his plans for social care workforce reform; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making dementia training mandatory for adult social care workers as a part of that reform.

Providers must provide sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, competent, skilled, and experienced staff to meet the needs of the people using the service. Staff must receive the support, training, professional development, supervision, and appraisals that are necessary for them to carry out their role.We now have a national career framework for adult social car, the Care Workforce Pathway, which is linked to a number of existing competency frameworks, including the dementia training standards framework.The Department has also launched a new Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate qualification which links to the outcomes in the Care Workforce Pathway. This contains the baseline knowledge required to provide quality care, and will make sure that those who are starting out their careers have an informed awareness of dementia.