Written questions by Grant.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reversing the changes to VAT on double cab pick-ups .

The VAT treatment of double cab pick-ups (DCPUs) has not changed. DCPUs are subject to the standard 20 per cent rate of VAT. As announced at Autumn Budget 2024, following a Court of Appeal judgment, the Government will treat DCPUs with a payload of one tonne or more as cars for the purposes of Benefit in Kind and Capital Allowances taxation. However, for VAT purposes, DCPUs with a payload of one tonne or more will continue to be classed as vans, meaning VAT-registered businesses will continue to be able to recover the VAT paid on them in line with normal VAT recovery rules. The definition of a motor car, and what does not constitute a car, for VAT purposes is set out in SI 1992/3122 – Value Added Tax (Cars) Order 1992.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve (a) prevention, (b) diagnosis and (c) support for people affected by foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

The Department has taken a number of steps to help prevent foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). The UK Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines, published in 2016, provide clear advice to women not to drink alcohol if they are planning for a pregnancy or are pregnant, and are available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a80b7ed40f0b623026951db/UK_CMOs__report.pdfThe National Health Service website offers advice on the use of alcohol during pregnancy and sources of support, which includes speaking to a general practitioner, midwife, or local treatment service, or contacting the Government’s Talk to Frank website. Further information on the NHS website’s advice on the use of alcohol during pregnancy and sources of support, and the Government’s Talk to Frank website is available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/drinking-alcohol-while-pregnant/www.talktofrank.com/contact-frankThe Department asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to produce a Quality Standard in England (QS204) for FASD to help the health and care system improve both diagnosis and support for people affected by FASD. The quality standard also covers support during pregnancy to improve awareness and prevent the disorder. It was published in March 2022, and is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs204The Department will soon be publishing the first ever United Kingdom clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment. The aim of the guidelines is to promote and support good practice and improve quality of service provision, resulting in better outcomes for people experiencing harmful drinking and alcohol dependence. The guidelines will set out how maternity, alcohol treatment, and other healthcare professionals should support women to reduce or stop their alcohol use as quickly and safely as possible, to reduce the ongoing exposure of the foetus to alcohol and the risk and severity of future disability.

If she will make an assessment of whether the restriction of the application of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to terminally ill patients is compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention and it applies to your question.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the capacity of the High Court (Family Division) to undertake reviews of all required cases under the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is not Government legislation. If the Bill were to progress, the Government may well assess the policy and its impacts. Should the Bill become law, the appropriate arrangements will be made to ensure the Government is able to fulfil its legal duties.

What discussions he has had with (a) SeeAbility and (b) other charities that deliver public sector contracts on the potential impact of increases in levels of employers' national insurance contributions on those charities.

To repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. On the impact on charities in particular, our tax regime for charities, including exemption from paying business rates, is among the most generous of anywhere in the world, with tax reliefs for charities and their donors worth just over £6 billion for the tax year to April 2024.

What steps the Government is taking to provide financial support for carers who look after their partners.

Unpaid carers play a vital role in supporting elderly or disabled relatives (including partners) or friends. We are determined to give family carers the help and support they need and deserve. Research published in 2024 estimated that around 1 in 4 carers receiving Carer’s Allowance are caring for their partner. Unpaid carers may be able to receive financial support from the department depending on their circumstances. Carer’s Allowance provides a measure of financial support and recognition for people who are not able to work full time due to their caring responsibilities. The rate of Carer’s Allowance is £81.90 a week in 2024/25, and from April 2025 this will increase by 1.7%. In addition to Carer’s Allowance, carers on low incomes can claim income-related benefits, such as Universal Credit and Pension Credit. These benefits can be paid to carers at a higher rate than those without caring responsibilities through the carer element and the additional amount for carers respectively. Currently, the Universal Credit carer element is £198.31 per monthly assessment period. The additional amount for a carer in Pension Credit is £45.60 a week.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential causes of poor 5G connectivity.

Network congestion, hills, buildings, trees, and the distance from the mobile mast can impact on a consumer’s experience of 5G outdoors and the material construction of properties can additionally affect indoor connectivity.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of an increase in employers national insurance contributions on charity and not for profit providers of adult social care; and if he will publish this information.

The Government considered the cost pressures facing adult social care as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the Spending Review process. This assessment took into account a wide range of factors, including changes to employer National Insurance contributions, and the National Living Wage increases.In response to the range of pressures facing local authorities, the Government is providing a real-terms uplift to core local government spending power of approximately 3.2%, which includes £1.3 billion of new grant funding in 2025/26.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) farmers and (b) landowners on the proposed changes to Agricultural Property Relief.

We are listening to the sector to ensure their views are heard. We have met with a range of farming stakeholders over the past weeks, including the National Farmers Union (NFU), the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), and the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA), and has meetings planned with trade associations in the coming weeks. The Secretary of State Steve Reed met with NFU President Tom Bradshaw to clarify changes in the Budget. We have also met with NFU, TFA and CLA representatives and recently attended the Eggs and Poultry Industry Conference as part of ongoing engagement with the sector. The Secretary of State spoke at the CLA’s annual conference on 21 November to hear from farmers directly. His speech can be found here. Minister Zeichner recently attended and spoke at Northern Farming Conference, the Eggs and Poultry Industry Conference, the Agricultural Industries Confederation Conference, The Tenant Farmers Association Executive Committee and the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution’s parliamentary reception. We will continue to listen to farmers’ concerns to ensure their views are heard.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that children with SEND have access to the necessary support at schools.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.The department wants to drive a consistent and inclusive approach to supporting children and young people with SEND through early identification, effective support, high quality teaching and effective allocation of resources.High quality teaching is central to ensuring that pupils with SEND are given the best possible opportunity to achieve in their education. To support all teachers, we are implementing a range of teacher training reforms to ensure teachers have the skills to support all pupils to succeed, including those with SEND.On 1 September 2024, the government introduced a new mandatory leadership level National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs). The NPQ will play a key role in improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND by ensuring SENCOs consistently receive high quality, evidence-based training. This is crucial given the central role SENCOs play in supporting pupils with SEND.A new Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework is due to be implemented from September 2025, which contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, including, developing an understanding of different pupil needs and learning how to provide opportunities for success for all pupils.The availability of training and career progression opportunities for teaching assistants helps ensure schools have the skilled staff they need to deliver high quality education. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education has recently approved a new Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant apprenticeship, allowing teaching assistants to specialise in one of three areas: SEND, social and emotional wellbeing or curriculum provision. The apprenticeship will be available for candidates to undertake in 2025.In addition, assistive technology (AT) can break down barriers to opportunity for students with SEND. The department is broadening the effective use of AT for teachers through research, training and guidance.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps through the National Planning Policy Framework to support local authorities with assessing the cumulative impact of multiple planning applications on (a) school places, (b) GP surgeries and (c) other local infrastructure.

The National Planning Policy Framework sets an expectation that the provision of local services is to be taken into account when planning for development.Local development plans should address needs and opportunities in relation to infrastructure and identify what infrastructure is required and how it can be funded and brought forward. This will remain the case irrespective of whether any proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework or wider national planning policy are taken forward.When preparing a Local Plan, Planning Practice Guidance recommends that local planning authorities use available evidence of infrastructure requirements to prepare an Infrastructure Funding Statement. Such Statements can be used to demonstrate the delivery of infrastructure throughout the plan-period.The Government provides financial support for essential infrastructure in areas of greatest housing demand through the Housing Infrastructure Fund.The Government is also committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure that new developments provide appropriate affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.

Media and Sport, how much funding has been allocated to (a) football, (b) rugby union, (c) rugby league, (d) cricket, (e) basketball and (f) netball facilities through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme since 2021.

The Government is acting to support more people in getting onto the pitch wherever they live via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, which is investing £123 million UK-wide throughout 2024/25. This will ensure that everyone, regardless of background, has access to and benefits from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.The Programme’s aim is to provide a multi-sport benefit with up to 40% of funded projects supporting at least one other sport on a sustainable and regular basis. Our delivery partner for the programme in England, the Football Foundation, works closely with Sport England and the respective National Governing Bodies of other sports to encourage development of multi-sport projects and promote collaboration between clubs at local level. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, our delivery partners are the Scottish Football Association, Cymru Football Foundation and Irish Football Association, who each work with applicants to ensure that there is a multi-sport offering in various projects.Between 2021 and 2024, Sport England and delivery partners in other parts of the UK invested £204 million into Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities, providing new and upgraded pitches and facilities.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answers of 17 September 2024 to Questions 4627, 4628, 4629, 4630 and 4631, what funding Sport England has provided to the Football Association in the same five year period referenced.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England. They invest £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year.The Football Association will receive up to £26.1 million from Sport England between 2022 and 2027.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of women’s health provision.

The Women's Health Strategy call for evidence in 2021 received nearly 100,000 responses from individuals, and over 400 written submissions from expert groups and researchers. It identified a range of issues including women not feeling listened to by healthcare professionals, damaging taboos and stigmas in women’s health that can prevent women from seeking help and that can reinforce beliefs that debilitating symptoms are normal, healthcare services not considering women’s needs by default, and under-representation of women in research.We are considering how to take forward the Women’s Health Strategy for England. The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service, and we will put women’s equality at the heart of our missions.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to enhance broadband speed in Maidstone and Malling constituency.

According to the independent website ThinkBroadband.com, over 98% of premises in the Maidstone and Malling constituency can already access superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps) and over 88% have access to a gigabit-capable (>1000 Mbps) connection.The information that broadband suppliers share with Building Digital UK (BDUK) indicates that there is significant further commercial rollout planned in the area. Remaining premises that are unlikely to be reached by suppliers’ commercial plans will be considered for support through Project Gigabit.

Media and Sport, when she plans to launch her consultation on secondary ticketing and dynamic pricing.

This autumn.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Project Gigabit.

According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, over 85% of UK premises are now able to access a gigabit-capable broadband connection.As of February 2024, over 1 million premises had been upgraded to gigabit-capable broadband through government-funded programmes. In total, 36 Project Gigabit contracts have now been signed, to bring fast, reliable broadband to over 1 million more homes and businesses, with more contracts to be awarded in the coming months.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to enhance mobile phone reception in Maidstone and Malling constituency.

Government wants all areas of the UK to benefit from mobile connectivity.Ofcom’s reporting shows that 92% of the pre-boundary change constituency area has 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile operators, and that basic (non-standalone) 5G is available from at least one mobile operator outside 99% of premises.I am aware that Ofcom’s data does not always reflect consumers’ experience of mobile networks. I recently wrote to Ofcom, asking them to set out steps to improve their reporting.Our ambition is for all populated areas to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030. We are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition.

If she will bring forward legislative measures to require power tool manufacturers to include unique product code numbers to help deter rural crime.

We recognise the significant impact the theft of tools can have, especially on people who rely on these to earn a living.We are committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which aims to prevent the theft and re-sale of high-value equipment, particularly for use in an agricultural setting.The Act requires secondary legislation before it can come into effect. We will be carefully considering the views of those who may be affected by the legislation and its regulations, to understand the potential implications and determine the scope of the legislation.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of planned increases in restrictions on (a) TV and (b) online advertising for products high in (i) fat, (ii) salt and (iii) sugar on the (A) advertising and (B) broadcasting sectors.

DCMS is working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care as it implements the restrictions on advertisements for less healthy food and drink which are due to come into force in October next year.The impact of the policy on DCMS sectors was assessed as part of the impact assessment completed by the previous Government. The full impact assessment can be found on GOV.UK.