Written questions by Mierlo.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing driving instructors to temporarily work as examiners, in the context of recent trends in the availability of driving tests.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA’s) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.As of 21 October 2024, there were 567,344 car practical driving tests booked, and 84,092 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.It is not possible to allow approved driving instructors (ADI’s) to temporarily work as driving examiners. The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) 1999 regulations require driving test examiners to meet certain criteria and pass an initial qualification and examination and prohibits a person from being an active ADI and an examiner simultaneously.As part of measures to ensure its booking system is used correctly, DVSA has reduced the number of times a driving test appointment can be changed. Driving test candidates can change their appointment up to six times. If candidates need to make more changes after that, they will need to cancel their test and rebook it. DVSA currently has no plans to reduce this figure further as it is designed to give candidates sufficient flexibility to manage their car practical driving test appointment.Driving examiners are Civil Servants so their salary is determined by the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance. The guidance sets out the financial parameters within which Civil Service departments can determine pay awards for their staff. DVSA cannot act independently from this guidance.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of (a) pay and (b) incentives for driving examiners (a) in Oxfordshire, (b) in other high-cost areas and (c) generally.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA’s) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.As of 21 October 2024, there were 567,344 car practical driving tests booked, and 84,092 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.It is not possible to allow approved driving instructors (ADI’s) to temporarily work as driving examiners. The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) 1999 regulations require driving test examiners to meet certain criteria and pass an initial qualification and examination and prohibits a person from being an active ADI and an examiner simultaneously.As part of measures to ensure its booking system is used correctly, DVSA has reduced the number of times a driving test appointment can be changed. Driving test candidates can change their appointment up to six times. If candidates need to make more changes after that, they will need to cancel their test and rebook it. DVSA currently has no plans to reduce this figure further as it is designed to give candidates sufficient flexibility to manage their car practical driving test appointment.Driving examiners are Civil Servants so their salary is determined by the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance. The guidance sets out the financial parameters within which Civil Service departments can determine pay awards for their staff. DVSA cannot act independently from this guidance.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of agricultural property relief on the financial sustainability of farms.

The Government does not speculate on tax changes outside of fiscal events. Where changes are made, information about impacts is published in the usual way.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the boiler upgrade scheme to include (a) heat batteries and (b) other low carbon heating technologies.

The Government is committed to incentivising properties to transition to cleaner, affordable heating. At present, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, does not apply to alternative electric heating technologies, such as heat batteries. We are targeting support at technologies, like heat pumps, that current evidence suggests offer the greatest potential to decarbonise our buildings. However, the Government will keep its position on alternative electric heating technologies under review and make further assessments as the evidence base develops. Our Warm Homes Plan will offer grants and low interest loans to support investment in low carbon heating and other home improvements to cut bills.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of taking steps to improve the nutritional content of commercial baby food.

A 2019 evidence review showed that babies and young children are exceeding their energy intake requirement and are eating too much sugar and salt. Some commercial baby foods, particularly finger foods, had added sugar or salt, or contained ingredients that are high in sugar or salt.More recently, the independent Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) highlighted in their 2023 report, Feeding Young Children aged 1 to 5 years, that free sugar intakes are above recommendations for children at all ages where recommendations have been set. Furthermore, commercial baby food and drinks contributed to approximately 20% of free sugar intake in children aged 12 to 18 months. The SACN also recommended that in diets of children aged one to five years old, foods, including snacks that are high in salt, free sugars, saturated fat, or are energy dense, should be limited. The SACN also recommended that commercially manufactured foods and drinks marketed specifically for infants and young children are not needed to meet nutrition requirements.We face a childhood obesity crisis, and the Government is committed to raising the healthiest next generation ever. Under our health mission and shift to prevention, we are considering what action is needed to respond to the SACN’s commercial baby food recommendations to establish healthy habits as early as possible.

What discussions his Department has had on the impact of the nutritional labelling and packaging of infant and baby products on children's dietary health and consumption of excess (a) sugar, (b) salt and (c) fat.

We face a childhood obesity crisis, and the Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. The Department speaks with many stakeholders about its policies to improve the diets and associated public health outcomes for the population.It is vital that labelling and packaging of infant and baby food products are accurate and honest, to support parents and carers to make the best choices for feeding their young children. This is why infant and baby food products are already subject to robust regulations which set nutrition, composition, and labelling standards.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of shortages of ADHD medication on (a) children and (b) their families.

No assessment has been made. To aid ADHD service providers and prescribers further we have widely disseminated our communications and continually update a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website, helping ensure that those involved in the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medications can make informed decisions with patients.The Department has been working hard with industry and NHS England to help resolve supply issues with some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. As a result of intensive work, some issues have been resolved and all strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available.We are continuing to work to resolve supply issues where they remain for methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets. We are engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. We anticipate intermittent regional supply disruptions to continue, and we expect supply to improve in the United Kingdom from October 2024 onwards.In parallel, the Department has worked with specialist clinicians, including those within the National Health Service, to develop management advice for NHS clinicians to consider prescribing available alternative brands of methylphenidate prolonged release tablets or available alternative ADHD medicines. We would expect ADHD service providers and specialists to follow our guidance, which includes offering rapid response to primary care teams seeking urgent advice or opinion for the management of patients, including those known to be at a higher risk of adverse impact because of these shortages.

When he estimates supply shortages of Methylphenidate for ADHD will be resolved.

The Department has been working hard with industry and NHS England to help resolve supply issues with some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. As a result of intensive work, some issues have been resolved and all strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available.We are continuing to work to resolve supply issues, where they remain, for methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets. We are engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. We anticipate intermittent regional supply disruptions to continue, and we expect supply to improve in the UK from October 2024 onwards.In parallel, the Department has worked with specialist clinicians, including those within the National Health Service, to develop management advice for NHS clinicians to consider prescribing available alternative brands of methylphenidate prolonged release tablets or available alternative ADHD medicines. We would expect ADHD service providers and specialists to follow our guidance, which includes offering rapid response to primary care teams seeking urgent advice or opinions for the management of patients, including those known to be at a higher risk of adverse impact because of these shortages.To aid ADHD service providers and prescribers further we have widely disseminated our communications and continually update a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website, helping ensure that those involved in the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medications can make informed decisions with patients.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent the spread of Brucella canis.

The Government takes biosecurity seriously and has taken steps to mitigate the risk of Brucella canis. Disease risk is monitored carefully and is kept under regular review. Defra made detection of Brucella canis in dogs reportable in April 2021. The Department has also published information for veterinary professionals and pet owners and has worked with stakeholders to disseminate advice and recommended actions to veterinary surgeons, rescue and rehoming organisations and dog breeding associations. Where necessary Defra have the powers in legislation to introduce preventive health measures to protect animal or public health by controlling diseases or infections that are likely to be spread due to the movement of pet animals into Great Britain. Defra will continue to monitor and consider any further actions as appropriate.

If she will make an assessment with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero of the potential merits of (a) providing VAT relief for heat batteries and (b) taking other fiscal steps to help support the decarbonisation of homes.

This Government is committed to improving the quality and sustainability of our housing stock, through improvements such as low carbon heating, insulation, solar panels, and batteries. This will be vital to making the UK more energy resilient and meeting our 2050 Net Zero commitment. Our Warm Homes Plan will increase ambition in this area, working with the private sector to make progress and ensuring the energy efficiency of privately rented homes improves. The Government recently announced a new Warm Homes: Local Grant to help low-income homeowners and private tenants with energy performance upgrades and cleaner heating, and confirmed the continuation of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund to support social housing providers and tenants. Further details of the Warm Homes Plan will be set out through the Spending Review.The installation of qualifying energy-saving materials in residential accommodation and buildings used solely for a relevant charitable purpose also benefits from a temporary VAT zero rate until March 2027. Last year, a Call for Evidence (CfE) seeking views on additional technologies to potentially include within this relief was run. Heat batteries were one of the technologies put forwards by respondents. As set out in the Government response to the CfE, at that time, the Government was unable to identify sufficient independent data regarding the efficiency of heat batteries, making it difficult to assess the technology’s energy-saving properties objectively. The Government currently has no plans to add further technologies to this VAT relief. Nevertheless, the Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process. Changes to the tax system are announced at fiscal events in the usual way.

Whether she has made a recent assessment with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero of the potential merits of taking fiscal steps to help support the adoption of (a) heat batteries and (b) other energy saving technologies.

The Government recently announced a new Warm Homes: Local Grant and confirmed the continuation of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund to support those with low incomes with energy performance upgrades and cleaner heating. Both support a range of energy saving technologies. Further details will be set out following the Spending Review. The installation of qualifying energy saving materials in residential accommodation and buildings used solely for a relevant charitable purpose also benefit from a temporary VAT zero rate until March 2027, worth over £1 billion. The Government currently has no plans to add further technologies to this VAT relief but keeps all taxes under review.

What plans his Department has to increase diagnostic capacity in memory clinics to reduce waiting times for dementia diagnosis in England.

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services, including for the detection and diagnosis of dementia, through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging scanners.To further reduce waiting times for diagnosis, NHS England has funded an evidence-based improvement project to fund two trusts in each region, 14 sites in total, to pilot the Diagnosing Advanced Dementia Mandate tool to improve the diagnosis of dementia and provision of support in care homes. All pilots completed at the end of May 2024, and it is anticipated that learning will be shared by end of the third quarter of 2024/25.

What steps his Department is taking to improve dementia diagnosis rates in Henley and Thame constituency.

The Henley and Thame constituency lies within the county of Oxfordshire, where the performance in August 2024 was 63%. The performance across the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire Integrated Care Board is 62.6%, and across the NHS South East region is 63%. Oxfordshire’s performance has improved over the last 12 months by 0.2%. The national target for dementia diagnosis is that 66.7% of the prevalent population has a diagnosis of dementia. The current England wide position is 65.4%.We are currently working with our local population, including patients, carers, Age UK, and clinicians in primary care, mental health services, and acute hospital services, to develop a new strategy, Living Well with Dementia, to be implemented from April 2025. Within this work we are seeking to increase the rate of diagnosis by streamlining the referral processes into diagnostic and memory clinics, and alignment with other services that might be needed. We also work closely with our voluntary and community partners to improve access to post-diagnostic support, offering advice and practical help to patients, and their carers and wider family.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve public awareness of (a) the importance of early dementia diagnosis and (b) recognition of early symptoms.

Lord Darzi’s independent review showed that a timely diagnosis is vital to ensure that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care, and support that can help them to live well and remain independent for as long as possible.The NHS Health Check for adults in England aged 45 to 74 years old is designed to identify early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or dementia. Since 2018, dementia risk reduction has been incorporated in the NHS Health Check to increase dementia awareness and motivate people to make positive changes to reduce their risks. In addition, those aged 65 years old and over are made aware of the signs and symptoms of dementia and guided to memory clinics.The Government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, formerly known as the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission, is investing in innovations in biomarkers, clinical trials, and implementation. Some of these innovations could support earlier diagnosis in the future, if validated for clinical use.

If he will make it his policy to review levels of pharmacy reimbursement funding, in the context of recent trends in levels of closures of local pharmacies.

Community Pharmacy funding is kept under regular review. The Department and NHS England consult with the sector on a quarterly basis on reimbursement rates, as well as monthly on concessionary prices. Consultations are held each year about service fee levels and what the sector will deliver for the available funding.Department officials are working at pace to conclude the consultation on the Community Pharmacy contractual framework arrangements for 2024/25. The Department also continues to monitor patient access to pharmaceutical services closely.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will amend the criteria relating to bathing water designation to include the (a) use of (i) non-motorised boats and (ii) paddleboards and (b) holding of (i) the Royal Regatta, (ii) events organised by Swim Henley and (iii) other such events.

Ministers continue to consider possible changes to the Bathing water system. In light of this, applications for designations for the 2025 bathing season which were closed by the previous administration, remain closed.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to provide grants for people whose (a) property and (b) business has been (i) flooded and (ii) significantly impacted by flooding.

The Government recognises that flooding is devastating for those affected. Protecting communities from flooding is a key priority for this Government. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) co-ordinates the Government's Flood Recovery Framework (FRF). The FRF, which includes support for businesses and households, and Defra's Property Flood Resilience grant scheme (PFR) can be activated in response to large scale and widespread flooding. Where flooding results in localised impacts, local authorities should provide support as needed.  Affected householders should ask their insurance provider if they are eligible for Build Back Better within their claim, which can provide for flood resilient repairs over and above the cost for like-for-like reinstatement of actual flood damage. The Government is determined to turbocharge the delivery and repair of flood defences, improve drainage systems and develop natural flood management schemes. That is why the Government set up the Flood Resilience Taskforce to improve coordination of the national and local flood response and strengthen preparedness ahead of the winter flood season. We are investing over £1.25 billion this year to scale up national resilience through building new and improving existing flood defences.

What his planned timetable is for adopting Standard Assessment Procedure 10.2, in the context of the Home Upgrade Grant 2 project; and whether residents that have missed out on solar batteries will be able to apply for their system to be upgraded.

We are introducing improvements to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) modelling in early 2025, known as Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure 10 (RdSAP 10), to improve accuracy. EPC assessors will soon be able to record if a consumer has installed solar batteries. The Home Upgrade Grant (HUG 2) will run until March 2025 and will be succeeded by the Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG). Details of the policy on retreating low-income households that received upgrades under HUG 2 were published on 23rd September as part of the WH:LG guidance.

With reference to the Third Report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights of Session 2022-23 on The Violation of Family Life: Adoption of Children of Unmarried Women 1949–1976, HC270, published on 6 July 2022, if she will apologise for the historic role of the Government in forced adoptions; and if she will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on ensuring that suitable mental health support is made available for adult adoptees.

The department has the deepest sympathy with everyone affected by historic forced adoption. The practice was abhorrent and should never have taken place. The department is committed to supporting adopted adults. Regulations have already been changed to make it easier for adults to access therapy, and we are providing funding to Adoption England’s Improving Adoption Services for Adults project, which is designed to maintain relationships and offer support. The department will continue to review the offer, including looking to learn from the approach of the devolved nations and will consider how we can collaborate across the government to provide support.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) help tackle the use of bots and apps to bulk-buy practical driving tests, (b) increase the number of driving test examiners and (c) otherwise increase the availability of practical driving tests in Oxfordshire.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards. Measures in place to reduce waiting times for customers at driving test centres include the recruitment of driving examiners, conducting tests outside of regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from driving examiners. As of 7 October 2024, there were 571,047 car practical driving tests booked, and 89,349 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window. It is not possible to block book car practical driving tests. A driving licence number can only be assigned to one car practical driving test at a time. A survey by DVSA suggests that only 10% of learner drivers use third parties to book their tests. Most either book appointments themselves or through their approved driving instructor (ADI). To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, DVSA continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests. Such apps or bots are not approved by DVSA. They make it harder for candidates to get a test and can also result in people paying more for a test. DVSA will continue to take steps to block cancellation services from accessing the booking system, which are having a positive impact. DVSA operates an online booking service (OBS) for instructors and trainers so that they can book and manage driving and riding tests for their pupils. DVSA has made changes to the OBS by stopping automatic online registrations to use the service, ensuring each company that registers employs an ADI and removing access for any companies not linked to driving instructors. In January 2023, DVSA changed the terms and conditions for using the booking service to help prevent anyone from selling tests at profit. Since then, DVSA has issued 313 warnings, 766 suspensions, and closed 705 businesses for misuse of its booking service. Following these changes, there has been a significant drop in traffic to these services because DVSA is successfully identifying and blocking apps or bots.