Written questions by Smith.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on the number of apprenticeships and training opportunities across the heritage sector.

We believe that the changes announced were necessary and adequate given the tight fiscal challenges we inherited from the previous government and considering competing financial demands in other parts of the heritage and cultural sector, and will continue the widest distribution of the scheme’s benefits within the available means. Based on previous scheme data, we expect 94% of claims to be unaffected by this change.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reductions to the Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme on the Government's aim of increasing access to the arts at (a) local, (b) regional and (c) national level.

DCMS Ministers received advice on changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, including consideration of the potential impacts of various options to scale the scheme.We believe that the changes announced were necessary and adequate given the tight fiscal challenges we inherited from the previous government and considering competing financial demands in other parts of the heritage and cultural sector, and will continue the widest distribution of the scheme’s benefits within the available means. Based on previous scheme data, we expect 94% of claims to be unaffected by this change.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) phasing in and (b) enabling the completion of projects already (i) on-site, (ii) soon-to-start and (iii) those part of the phased work part started prior to the changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

Claims received in this financial year are unaffected, assuming that they are eligible claims with the required detail and documentation. We expect the cap will be applied to all claims received on or after 1 April 2025. We will be publishing guidance on scheme applications and eligibility in due course.

Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's Sector Plan for the creative industries, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on (a) creators and creative networks in the UK and (b) the ability to deliver Art for Everyone Everywhere.

DCMS Ministers received advice on changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, including consideration of the potential impacts of various options to scale the scheme.We believe that the changes announced were necessary and adequate given the tight fiscal challenges we inherited from the previous government and considering competing financial demands in other parts of the heritage and cultural sector, and will continue the widest distribution of the scheme’s benefits within the available means. Based on previous scheme data, we expect 94% of claims to be unaffected by this change.

Food and Rural Affairs, how the quantum for the Rural England Prosperity Fund for 2025-2026 was decided.

The Department announced on 4th March that it would be providing an additional £33 million for the Rural England Prosperity Fund in financial year 2025-26. This announcement continues funding beyond the lifetime of the original scheme providing new money for new projects in rural areas. The Autumn Statement on 30 October confirmed Defra’s budgets for 2024-25 and 2025-26. Funding allocations for individual programmes have been determined through the departments business planning exercise. Future funding decisions remain subject to the Government spending review.

Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the Rural England Prosperity Fund has been reduced for the year 2025-2026.

The Department announced on 4th March that it would be providing an additional £33 million for the Rural England Prosperity Fund in financial year 2025-26. This announcement continues funding beyond the lifetime of the original scheme providing new money for new projects in rural areas. The Autumn Statement on 30 October confirmed Defra’s budgets for 2024-25 and 2025-26. Funding allocations for individual programmes have been determined through the departments business planning exercise. Future funding decisions remain subject to the Government spending review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the restoration of funding to UNRWA on the UK's relations with the United States.

Since the Foreign Secretary restored funding to the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in July 2024, the UK has committed £41 million this financial year to UNRWA, to deliver essential services for civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, and to Palestinian refugees across the region. UNRWA plays a vital role in delivering humanitarian assistance in Gaza and enabling the broader international response through its logistics and distribution network. We reiterated this position in our E3 joint Foreign Ministers' statement of 31 January, alongside France and Germany.We continue to work together with the new US administration to ensure regional security and stability, including ensuring lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians, and we thank the US for the integral role it played in negotiating the ceasefire agreement, alongside Qatar and Egypt. The Prime Minister reiterated this in his call with President Trump on 26 January. Our shared priority must be to work together to ensure the ceasefire is implemented in full, becomes permanent, and supports a pathway to a sustainable peace.

What meetings (a) she and (b) Ministers have had with Doug Gurr since 4 July 2024.

Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and deliveryDetails of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available on GOV.UK.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the increase to employers' National Insurance contributions on hospices.

We have taken necessary decisions at the Autumn Budget, which enabled a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department. In December, we announced a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices and an additional £26 million revenue funding for children’s hospices. The biggest investment in a generation for hospices. The employer National Insurance contribution rise will be implemented in April 2025 and the Department will set out further details on allocation of funding for hospices in England for next year in due course, including through the NHS planning guidance.

If she will conduct modelling on the potential impact of increases in the use of (a) low carbon-emitting and (b) synthetic fuels by vehicles in the logistics sector on carbon emissions.

Low carbon fuels, including synthetics, are helping decarbonise the logistics sector and are supported by the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation. Any future policy decisions on the support for low carbon fuels in transport will be developed and informed by modelling potential impacts. In the logistics sector, delivering net zero will require the adoption of zero emission vehicles and this is why we are turbocharging the rollout of zero emission HGVs and their charging and fuelling infrastructure through our Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator programme. The logistics sector is vital to drive economic growth and achieve net zero and we are committed to working with the sector to achieve these aims.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of construction inflation on mitigation projects linked to the building of HS2 Phase 1.

The funding provided to HS2 Ltd includes allowances for inflation based on inflation forecasts set at spending reviews. HS2 Ltd has been impacted by high levels of inflation in recent years alongside all major construction projects. However, HS2 Ltd continues to bear down on its costs to mitigate this, manage pressures within its annual budgets, and is working to reduce the impact to any mitigation projects linked to the building of Phase 1.

When she last met with the HS2 (a) Construction Commissioner and (b) Residents Commissioner.

The Secretary of State, who was appointed on 29th November 2024, has not yet met the Construction or Residents’ Commissioners. However, Minister for Rail Lord Hendy met both Commissioners on Monday 16th December.

What recent estimate she has made of the cost of HS2 Phase 1.

As reported in the last HS2 report to Parliament published in November 2023, HS2 Ltd indicated that its projected cost to deliver Phase 1 would significantly exceed the current Funding Envelope of £44.6 billion (2019 prices). Following the significant scope changes and deferrals made under the previous government, the Department is working with HS2 Ltd to review the Estimate at Completion (EAC) for HS2 Phase 1 and will report to Parliament in due course.

What recent discussions she has had with the DVLA on the call for evidence entitled Registering historic, classic, rebuilt vehicles and vehicles converted to electric: call for evidence, updated on 9 December 2024.

The summary of the responses to the call for evidence was published on 9 December.As part of the ongoing engagement regarding this matter, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency held a positive meeting with representatives of the Historic Vehicle User Group on 12 December, in which the DVLA updated the Group on potential next steps in reviewing the policies in this area.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of capacity on Chiltern Railways services.

The Department continues to work closely with Chiltern Railways to support the delivery of an improved passenger experience. In response to passenger demand and to reduce overcrowding, Chiltern periodically adjusts its timetable. The Department is fully engaged with Chiltern’s fleet renewal programme. We are considering the option to procure additional trains to increase capacity, whilst ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.

What proportion of people with the right to remain in the UK have registered for an e-Visa.

There is no deadline for registering for a UKVI account to access an eVisa. Most BRPs expire on 31 December and we encourage all BRP holders to create a UKVI account before their BRP expires. If a person has not created an account by 31 December 2024, they will still be able to do so in 2025, using their expired BRP if needed.eVisas are a key part of our Border Transformation and have been successfully used by over 6 million people in recent years.The rollout of eVisas does not affect a person’s immigration status. Even where someone has not yet created a UKVI account, their eVisa is already available and employers and landlords can digitally check a person’s right to work status using the ‘Check a job applicant’s right to work’ and ‘Check a tenant’s right to rent in England’ services.It is not possible to provide accurate figures on the number of people who have failed to complete the UKVI account registration process. These failures can be due to a number of reasons, including the user choosing to pause the process. Similarly, it is not possible to identify the proportion of people who may have experienced technical difficulties with the eVisa system itself rather than for another reason.There have been 441 complaints relating to eVisas received by our Customer Complaints Team between 28 August 2024 and 15 December 2024, which is the most recent reporting period available. This number refers to all complaints relating to eVisas rather than just in relation to registering for a UKVI account.Over 3.1 million people, mostly with BRPs, have successfully made the transition to eVisas from March to November this year. There are still a proportion of customers who have not yet signed up, and we would strongly encourage them to do so. We publish monthly statistics on the number of people who have created a UKVI account, the latest edition of which can be found at Online immigration status (eVisa): UKVI account creation data - GOV.UK.

How many complaints her Department has received on systems for registering for an e-Visa.

There is no deadline for registering for a UKVI account to access an eVisa. Most BRPs expire on 31 December and we encourage all BRP holders to create a UKVI account before their BRP expires. If a person has not created an account by 31 December 2024, they will still be able to do so in 2025, using their expired BRP if needed.eVisas are a key part of our Border Transformation and have been successfully used by over 6 million people in recent years.The rollout of eVisas does not affect a person’s immigration status. Even where someone has not yet created a UKVI account, their eVisa is already available and employers and landlords can digitally check a person’s right to work status using the ‘Check a job applicant’s right to work’ and ‘Check a tenant’s right to rent in England’ services.It is not possible to provide accurate figures on the number of people who have failed to complete the UKVI account registration process. These failures can be due to a number of reasons, including the user choosing to pause the process. Similarly, it is not possible to identify the proportion of people who may have experienced technical difficulties with the eVisa system itself rather than for another reason.There have been 441 complaints relating to eVisas received by our Customer Complaints Team between 28 August 2024 and 15 December 2024, which is the most recent reporting period available. This number refers to all complaints relating to eVisas rather than just in relation to registering for a UKVI account.Over 3.1 million people, mostly with BRPs, have successfully made the transition to eVisas from March to November this year. There are still a proportion of customers who have not yet signed up, and we would strongly encourage them to do so. We publish monthly statistics on the number of people who have created a UKVI account, the latest edition of which can be found at Online immigration status (eVisa): UKVI account creation data - GOV.UK.

How many registrations for an e-Visa have (a) failed to complete the process and (b) experienced technical difficulties.

There is no deadline for registering for a UKVI account to access an eVisa. Most BRPs expire on 31 December and we encourage all BRP holders to create a UKVI account before their BRP expires. If a person has not created an account by 31 December 2024, they will still be able to do so in 2025, using their expired BRP if needed.eVisas are a key part of our Border Transformation and have been successfully used by over 6 million people in recent years.The rollout of eVisas does not affect a person’s immigration status. Even where someone has not yet created a UKVI account, their eVisa is already available and employers and landlords can digitally check a person’s right to work status using the ‘Check a job applicant’s right to work’ and ‘Check a tenant’s right to rent in England’ services.It is not possible to provide accurate figures on the number of people who have failed to complete the UKVI account registration process. These failures can be due to a number of reasons, including the user choosing to pause the process. Similarly, it is not possible to identify the proportion of people who may have experienced technical difficulties with the eVisa system itself rather than for another reason.There have been 441 complaints relating to eVisas received by our Customer Complaints Team between 28 August 2024 and 15 December 2024, which is the most recent reporting period available. This number refers to all complaints relating to eVisas rather than just in relation to registering for a UKVI account.Over 3.1 million people, mostly with BRPs, have successfully made the transition to eVisas from March to November this year. There are still a proportion of customers who have not yet signed up, and we would strongly encourage them to do so. We publish monthly statistics on the number of people who have created a UKVI account, the latest edition of which can be found at Online immigration status (eVisa): UKVI account creation data - GOV.UK.

What proportion of people with the right to remain in the UK have reported issues registering for an e-Visa.

There is no deadline for registering for a UKVI account to access an eVisa. Most BRPs expire on 31 December and we encourage all BRP holders to create a UKVI account before their BRP expires. If a person has not created an account by 31 December 2024, they will still be able to do so in 2025, using their expired BRP if needed.eVisas are a key part of our Border Transformation and have been successfully used by over 6 million people in recent years.The rollout of eVisas does not affect a person’s immigration status. Even where someone has not yet created a UKVI account, their eVisa is already available and employers and landlords can digitally check a person’s right to work status using the ‘Check a job applicant’s right to work’ and ‘Check a tenant’s right to rent in England’ services.It is not possible to provide accurate figures on the number of people who have failed to complete the UKVI account registration process. These failures can be due to a number of reasons, including the user choosing to pause the process. Similarly, it is not possible to identify the proportion of people who may have experienced technical difficulties with the eVisa system itself rather than for another reason.There have been 441 complaints relating to eVisas received by our Customer Complaints Team between 28 August 2024 and 15 December 2024, which is the most recent reporting period available. This number refers to all complaints relating to eVisas rather than just in relation to registering for a UKVI account.Over 3.1 million people, mostly with BRPs, have successfully made the transition to eVisas from March to November this year. There are still a proportion of customers who have not yet signed up, and we would strongly encourage them to do so. We publish monthly statistics on the number of people who have created a UKVI account, the latest edition of which can be found at Online immigration status (eVisa): UKVI account creation data - GOV.UK.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the work for vehicle entry and exit in New Palace Yard is on (a) time and (b) budget.

The most recently approved Business Case for the works in New Palace Yard anticipated a completion date of between October 2024 and March 2026. This range takes into account identified risks that may occur over the life span of the project, for example material shortages, unexpected discoveries during excavation, or unexpected events. The works are currently expected to complete in October 2025, which is within the approved range. The works are anticipated to complete within the overall budget set out in the Business Case.