Written questions by Stuart.

If she will make it her policy to transition from E10 to E15 fuel.

The UK Government made E10 the standard (or ‘premium’) grade petrol in Great Britain in September 2021. Previously the grade supplied at UK forecourts contained a lower bioethanol content known as E5. In making the decision to mandate E10 the Department carried out extensive consultation and undertook a comprehensive public information campaign. The UK did not move to E10 without assurance that vehicles on UK roads were ready to safely use higher blends of bioethanol, and that such a transition would align with industry agreed fuel standards for petrol. The industry agreed standard for petrol, EN228, currently only permits fuel suppliers to supply petrol containing up to 10% ethanol (E10). The Department continually reviews all policies relevant to biofuels, including on E10. Any changes to fuel regulation would require alignment with industry led fuel standards for petrol and a consultation.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-US trade deal on the UK's bioethanol industry.

Whenever a trade agreement of any sort is agreed, there will be domestic impacts if our trading partners have requested further access to the UK market. That is the case for the agreement on bioethanol. Senior officials from the Department for Business and Trade have been meeting representatives of the domestic bioethanol industry, and the Secretary of State has met with bioethanol businesses. We are committed to working with the domestic bioethanol industry about their concerns.

Communities and Local Government, what proportion of homes owned by private registered providers had an Energy Performance Certificate rating of C or above in (a) the most recent year for which data is available and (b) 2010 in (i) England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales.

The English Housing Survey is the Department’s key source of information on households and housing in England. While it is a sample survey and does not have a record of all dwellings built, it does contain data on the proportion of properties in different tenure types annually for England only, which is found: here. The department does not hold data for Wales or Scotland.

Communities and Local Government, what proportion of social housing had an Energy Performance Certificate rating of C or above in (a) the most recent year for which data is available and (b) 2010 in (i) England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales.

The English Housing Survey is the Department’s key source of information on households and housing in England. While it is a sample survey and does not have a record of all dwellings built, it does contain data on the proportion of properties in different tenure types annually for England only, which is found: here. The department does not hold data for Wales or Scotland.

Communities and Local Government, what proportion of homes owned by local authorities had an Energy Performance Certificate rating of C or above in (a) the most recent year for which data is available and (b) 2010 in (i) England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales.

The English Housing Survey is the Department’s key source of information on households and housing in England. While it is a sample survey and does not have a record of all dwellings built, it does contain data on the proportion of properties in different tenure types annually for England only, which is found: here. The department does not hold data for Wales or Scotland.

Communities and Local Government, what proportion of homes provided by housing associations had an Energy Performance Certificate rating of C or above in (a) the most recent year for which data is available and (b) 2010 in (i) England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales.

The English Housing Survey is the Department’s key source of information on households and housing in England. While it is a sample survey and does not have a record of all dwellings built, it does contain data on the proportion of properties in different tenure types annually for England only, which is found: here. The department does not hold data for Wales or Scotland.

Who the designated board-level executive leads are for Down Syndrome in each ICB in England.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make information public about executive leads for Down syndrome in England. In accordance with statutory guidance published by NHS England on 9 May 2023, ICBs should be open and transparent about who holds these roles and should make this information publicly available. We are giving systems greater control and flexibility, and it is for individual ICBs to decide how to publicise these details.The statutory guidance sets out NHS England’s expectations about fulfilling executive lead functions and outlines the responsibilities of these roles in more detail, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/executive-lead-roles-within-integrated-care-boards/

With reference to the Oral Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero of 10 February 2025 on Biomass Generation, Official Report, columns 41-43, what steps he is taking to support the continued operation of waste wood biomass sites under the 100MW threshold beyond 2027.

The Government is aware that the expiration of Renewables Obligation accreditation beyond 2027 may affect the commercial viability of generators from a range of technologies, including waste wood biomass generators below the 100 MW threshold. We are continuing to assess the situation to understand the impact of the end of Renewables Obligation support on security of supply, clean power 2030 and environment. No decisions have been made on support for waste wood biomass sites beyond 2027.

How many children have an education, health and care plan in each local authority area.

Information on the number of education, health and care plans maintained by local authorities in England is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans.The number maintained by each local authority as at January 2024 is shown here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/3d449b46-56a8-4404-6cee-08dd48e2728c.

Whether it is his policy to continue the Green Industries Growth Accelerator; and how much has been spent on the scheme.

The Government recognises the need for strong, home-grown clean energy supply chains to support sustainable jobs and secure growth as we decarbonise our economy.As part of the Industrial Strategy, the Government is developing plans, aligned with the multi-year Spending Review, for each of the key growth sectors, which include Clean Energy technologies.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies on the threshold for agricultural property relief and business property relief of the proportion of commercial farms that are valued at over £1 million.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.It is expected that up to around 2,000 estates will be affected by the changes to APR and BPR in 2026-27, with around half of those being claims that involve AIM shares. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) are expected to be unaffected by these reforms.In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

What assessment her Department made of the potential impact of changes to the threshold for agricultural property relief and business property relief on (a) farm businesses and (b) people who bought land to reduce Inheritance Tax; what data she has used for that assessment; and what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the findings of that assessment.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.It is expected that up to around 2,000 estates will be affected by the changes to APR and BPR in 2026-27, with around half of those being claims that involve AIM shares. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) are expected to be unaffected by these reforms.In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

What estimate she has made of the cost to local authorities of (a) establishing and (b) maintaining a register of home schooled children.

The measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill for statutory Children Not in School registers in every local authority in England, and the accompanying duties on parents and out-of-school education providers to provide information for these registers, will support local authorities in identifying all children not in school in their areas, and ensure that they receive the education they deserve.The department knows that the new duties created by the Children Not in School measures will create additional burdens for local authorities. Additional funding will therefore be provided to support local authorities to carry out these new duties. As part of our implementation strategy, we will conduct a new burdens assessment to determine the level of funding.Parents will not be issued with monetary penalties for failure to provide information for Children Not in School registers. The consequence if a parent of an eligible child has failed to provide the required information for a local authority register is that the local authority has the power to commence the School Attendance Order process. Once an order has been issued, it is only if it is subsequently breached and the parent is convicted that this might lead to a monetary penalty not exceeding Level 4 on the standard scale for the parent. The School Attendance Order process is not intended to criminalise parents of home educated children, but to ensure that those children receive a suitable education.In the autumn 2023 elective home education (EHE) data collection, local authorities recorded that 4.6% of the EHE population were known to them to be children from Gypsy, Roma, Traveller communities, which is in comparison to 0.4% of such children recorded to be in the wider school population. We will continue to engage with these communities as part of the implementation process, to ensure that their specific needs are identified and considered.

Whether she plans to provide additional funding to local authorities to (a) create and (b) enforce a register of children not in school.

The measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill for statutory Children Not in School registers in every local authority in England, and the accompanying duties on parents and out-of-school education providers to provide information for these registers, will support local authorities in identifying all children not in school in their areas, and ensure that they receive the education they deserve.The department knows that the new duties created by the Children Not in School measures will create additional burdens for local authorities. Additional funding will therefore be provided to support local authorities to carry out these new duties. As part of our implementation strategy, we will conduct a new burdens assessment to determine the level of funding.Parents will not be issued with monetary penalties for failure to provide information for Children Not in School registers. The consequence if a parent of an eligible child has failed to provide the required information for a local authority register is that the local authority has the power to commence the School Attendance Order process. Once an order has been issued, it is only if it is subsequently breached and the parent is convicted that this might lead to a monetary penalty not exceeding Level 4 on the standard scale for the parent. The School Attendance Order process is not intended to criminalise parents of home educated children, but to ensure that those children receive a suitable education.In the autumn 2023 elective home education (EHE) data collection, local authorities recorded that 4.6% of the EHE population were known to them to be children from Gypsy, Roma, Traveller communities, which is in comparison to 0.4% of such children recorded to be in the wider school population. We will continue to engage with these communities as part of the implementation process, to ensure that their specific needs are identified and considered.

What the monetary penalty issued to a person who has not registered their child would be under clause 436E of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

The measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill for statutory Children Not in School registers in every local authority in England, and the accompanying duties on parents and out-of-school education providers to provide information for these registers, will support local authorities in identifying all children not in school in their areas, and ensure that they receive the education they deserve.The department knows that the new duties created by the Children Not in School measures will create additional burdens for local authorities. Additional funding will therefore be provided to support local authorities to carry out these new duties. As part of our implementation strategy, we will conduct a new burdens assessment to determine the level of funding.Parents will not be issued with monetary penalties for failure to provide information for Children Not in School registers. The consequence if a parent of an eligible child has failed to provide the required information for a local authority register is that the local authority has the power to commence the School Attendance Order process. Once an order has been issued, it is only if it is subsequently breached and the parent is convicted that this might lead to a monetary penalty not exceeding Level 4 on the standard scale for the parent. The School Attendance Order process is not intended to criminalise parents of home educated children, but to ensure that those children receive a suitable education.In the autumn 2023 elective home education (EHE) data collection, local authorities recorded that 4.6% of the EHE population were known to them to be children from Gypsy, Roma, Traveller communities, which is in comparison to 0.4% of such children recorded to be in the wider school population. We will continue to engage with these communities as part of the implementation process, to ensure that their specific needs are identified and considered.

What estimate her Department has made of the proportion of children of peripatetic families not in school who will be captured by the proposed register of home schooled children.

The measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill for statutory Children Not in School registers in every local authority in England, and the accompanying duties on parents and out-of-school education providers to provide information for these registers, will support local authorities in identifying all children not in school in their areas, and ensure that they receive the education they deserve.The department knows that the new duties created by the Children Not in School measures will create additional burdens for local authorities. Additional funding will therefore be provided to support local authorities to carry out these new duties. As part of our implementation strategy, we will conduct a new burdens assessment to determine the level of funding.Parents will not be issued with monetary penalties for failure to provide information for Children Not in School registers. The consequence if a parent of an eligible child has failed to provide the required information for a local authority register is that the local authority has the power to commence the School Attendance Order process. Once an order has been issued, it is only if it is subsequently breached and the parent is convicted that this might lead to a monetary penalty not exceeding Level 4 on the standard scale for the parent. The School Attendance Order process is not intended to criminalise parents of home educated children, but to ensure that those children receive a suitable education.In the autumn 2023 elective home education (EHE) data collection, local authorities recorded that 4.6% of the EHE population were known to them to be children from Gypsy, Roma, Traveller communities, which is in comparison to 0.4% of such children recorded to be in the wider school population. We will continue to engage with these communities as part of the implementation process, to ensure that their specific needs are identified and considered.

What the penalty for late payment for not registering home schooled children will be; and what the maximum penalty will be in the event of continued non-payment.

The measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill for statutory Children Not in School registers in every local authority in England, and the accompanying duties on parents and out-of-school education providers to provide information for these registers, will support local authorities in identifying all children not in school in their areas, and ensure that they receive the education they deserve.The department knows that the new duties created by the Children Not in School measures will create additional burdens for local authorities. Additional funding will therefore be provided to support local authorities to carry out these new duties. As part of our implementation strategy, we will conduct a new burdens assessment to determine the level of funding.Parents will not be issued with monetary penalties for failure to provide information for Children Not in School registers. The consequence if a parent of an eligible child has failed to provide the required information for a local authority register is that the local authority has the power to commence the School Attendance Order process. Once an order has been issued, it is only if it is subsequently breached and the parent is convicted that this might lead to a monetary penalty not exceeding Level 4 on the standard scale for the parent. The School Attendance Order process is not intended to criminalise parents of home educated children, but to ensure that those children receive a suitable education.In the autumn 2023 elective home education (EHE) data collection, local authorities recorded that 4.6% of the EHE population were known to them to be children from Gypsy, Roma, Traveller communities, which is in comparison to 0.4% of such children recorded to be in the wider school population. We will continue to engage with these communities as part of the implementation process, to ensure that their specific needs are identified and considered.

Media and Sport, what plans she has for the Points of Light awards.

Volunteers serve at the heart of our communities nationwide, dedicating their time to create positive change and enhance the lives of those around them. The Government is committed to supporting volunteering, which is critical to a vibrant, connected and resilient civil society. We are currently considering how the hugely valuable contributions of volunteers can be best recognised.

With reference to her Oral Statement of 30 October 2024 on Financial Statement and Budget Report, Official Report, column 819, what the evidential basis is for the estimate that 75% of family farms will not be affected by the changes to agricultural property relief.

The Government has published information about reforms to agricultural property relief at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) in 2026-27 are expected to be unaffected by these reforms. Historic data published by HMRC shows that in 2021-22, 73% of estates making agricultural property relief claims did so on total amounts worth less than £1m. HMRC is commissioned by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) at each fiscal event to produce Inheritance Tax receipts forecasts. More information behind this process is published on the OBR website: https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/tax-by-tax-spend-by-spend/inheritance-tax/. HMRC analysis suggests that in 2026-27, 500 estates claiming agricultural property relief will receive a lower financial benefit as a result of the Government’s reforms, out of a projected total of 1,800 estates making agricultural property relief claims in that year. This means that around three-quarters of estates making agricultural property relief claims will be unaffected by this measure.

With reference to paragraph 2.51 of the Autumn Budget 2024, on what evidential basis she reduced Agricultural Property Relief on combined agricultural and business assets valued over £1 million.

The Government has published information about reforms to agricultural property relief at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) in 2026-27 are expected to be unaffected by these reforms. Historic data published by HMRC shows that in 2021-22, 73% of estates making agricultural property relief claims did so on total amounts worth less than £1m. HMRC is commissioned by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) at each fiscal event to produce Inheritance Tax receipts forecasts. More information behind this process is published on the OBR website: https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/tax-by-tax-spend-by-spend/inheritance-tax/. HMRC analysis suggests that in 2026-27, 500 estates claiming agricultural property relief will receive a lower financial benefit as a result of the Government’s reforms, out of a projected total of 1,800 estates making agricultural property relief claims in that year. This means that around three-quarters of estates making agricultural property relief claims will be unaffected by this measure.