Written questions by Morgan.

Whether her Department took into account the scale of the reduction in bus miles in each authority area over the past five years when allocating Bus Service Improvement Plan funding for 2025-26.

The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Shropshire Council has been allocated £4.4 million of this funding.As the Secretary of State noted in her oral statement to the House of Commons on 18 November, funding for local authorities has been allocated based on local needs, including population, the distance that buses travel, and levels of deprivation.

Whether her Department made an assessment of Shropshire Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan before deciding the authority’s 2025-26 funding.

The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Shropshire Council has been allocated £4.4 million of this funding.As the Secretary of State noted in her oral statement to the House of Commons on 18 November, funding for local authorities has been allocated based on local needs, including population, the distance that buses travel, and levels of deprivation.

How many legal claims made against his Department in relation to the impact of aircrew’s exposure to helicopter fuel and exhaust fumes were outstanding on 14 November 2024.

Common law claims alleging adverse impact from helicopter fuel and exhaust fumes were first received in 2019. Without any admission of liability, since 23 April 2023 the Ministry of Defence has made five compensation payments, totalling £3,578,566 in relation to common law claims alleging adverse impact from helicopter fuel and exhaust fumes. As of the 14 November 2024 there are six related, continuing common law compensation claims. The department is in the process of testing the exhaust emissions of in-service helicopters, including Chinook and Puma to ensure we are meeting our duty of care for personnel. It is essential that we can assure our people of their safety at work. The Westland Sea king was retired in 2018. The Westland Wessex was retired in 2003.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of exposure to (a) Sea King (b) Westland Wessex (c) Puma and (d) CH-47 Chinook helicopter (i) fuel and (ii) exhaust fumes on aircrew’s (A) health and (B) risk of developing cancer.

Common law claims alleging adverse impact from helicopter fuel and exhaust fumes were first received in 2019. Without any admission of liability, since 23 April 2023 the Ministry of Defence has made five compensation payments, totalling £3,578,566 in relation to common law claims alleging adverse impact from helicopter fuel and exhaust fumes. As of the 14 November 2024 there are seven related, continuing common law compensation claims. The department is in the process of testing the exhaust emissions of in-service helicopters, including Chinook and Puma to ensure we are meeting our duty of care for personnel. It is essential that we can assure our people of their safety at work. The Westland Sea king was retired in 2018. The Westland Wessex was retired in 2003.

When his Department first became aware of the potential link between long exposure to exhaust fumes from helicopters used by the Armed Forces and the risk of cancer.

Common law claims alleging adverse impact from helicopter fuel and exhaust fumes were first received in 2019. Without any admission of liability, since 23 April 2023 the Ministry of Defence has made five compensation payments, totalling £3,578,566 in relation to common law claims alleging adverse impact from helicopter fuel and exhaust fumes. As of the 14 November 2024 there are six related, continuing common law compensation claims. The department is in the process of testing the exhaust emissions of in-service helicopters, including Chinook and Puma to ensure we are meeting our duty of care for personnel. It is essential that we can assure our people of their safety at work. The Westland Sea king was retired in 2018. The Westland Wessex was retired in 2003.

How many compensation payments have been made by his Department for health issues relating to Armed Forces helicopters since 23 April 2023; and what was the total value of those payments.

Common law claims alleging adverse impact from helicopter fuel and exhaust fumes were first received in 2019. Without any admission of liability, since 23 April 2023 the Ministry of Defence has made five compensation payments, totalling £3,578,566 in relation to common law claims alleging adverse impact from helicopter fuel and exhaust fumes. As of the 14 November 2024 there are six related, continuing common law compensation claims. The department is in the process of testing the exhaust emissions of in-service helicopters, including Chinook and Puma to ensure we are meeting our duty of care for personnel. It is essential that we can assure our people of their safety at work. The Westland Sea king was retired in 2018. The Westland Wessex was retired in 2003.

What assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the number of (a) deaths and (b) serious accidents on roads in Shropshire.

This Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing our road safety strategy and will set out more details in due course. Local government is the main delivery agent of road safety. The responsibility to implement, fund, deliver, promote and enforce local road safety initiatives remains with the Local Authorities under the 1988 Road Traffic Act. It is for the local council to decide what measures may be appropriate in their local area to “take steps both to reduce and prevent accidents”. Local authorities are also responsible for the management of local roads, within the rules set by Government, including setting local speed limits where the national limit would not be appropriate.In Shropshire, the Department for Transport has funded two road safety schemes as part of the Safer Roads Fund, the A5191 and the A529, aiming to reduce risk on England’s most high risk ‘A’ roads.

What steps his Department is taking to help promote UK vaccine development.

Vaccines are critical for preventing infectious diseases, and lessening their impact. Vaccine development ensures that the United Kingdom remains on the cutting edge of technological advancements, and is able to respond to new and emerging disease risks. The Department’s work on vaccine development aligns with the Biological Security Strategy, which seeks to ensure that the UK is resilient to a spectrum of biological threats and is a world leader in responsible innovation by 2030. It also contributes to the 100 Days Mission, a global mission to have safe and effective diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines in the first 100 days of a pandemic. The Department promotes UK vaccine development through a variety of mechanisms, including:investing in innovative research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research and its infrastructure, which actively supports the development of new interventions to prevent disease, including research for the whole of the national immunisation programme;funding the UK Vaccine Network’s (UKVN) research projects into vaccines and vaccine technology that could prevent and respond to epidemics in low- and middle-income countries, with research innovations developed through this project having the potential to also promote the development of vaccine technologies with domestic applications, with, for example, the UKVN’s funding for a Middle East respiratory syndrome vaccine being rapidly adapted to develop the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine;funding the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which aims to accelerate development of vaccines against epidemic and pandemic threats and to enable equitable access to these vaccines globally, with the UK having committed to provide £160 million in support for the CEPI over five years at the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit in March 2022;establishing the UK Health Security Agency’s Vaccine Development and Evaluation Centre to strengthen UK research and develop vaccines against the world’s deadliest pathogens;investing in the Moderna Strategic Partnership, through which Moderna has invested in mRNA research and development in the UK and is building a state-of-the-art vaccine manufacturing centre with the ability to produce up to 250 million vaccines a year; andassessing bids into the Government’s Life Sciences Innovation Manufacturing Fund, announced on 30 October 2024, which will provide up to £520 million in capital grants to help the UK’s medicines manufacturers grow and innovate.

What discussions he has had with health charities on the potential impact of increases in levels of employers' national insurance contributions on those charities.

Ministers and officials meet regularly with health and care charities to discuss a variety of issues.To repair 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.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of an increase in employers national insurance contributions on dental practices' finances.

No assessments have been made yet on the potential impact of an increase in employers National Insurance Contributions on dental practices’ finances.The employer National Insurance rise will be implemented April 2025, and the Department will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year in due course.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Healthy Ageing Challenge in helping companies scale up projects.

An independent evaluation of the Healthy Ageing Challenge has been published on UKRI’s website. The evaluation found that the Challenge has:Contributed to firm-level growth, as evidenced by increased turnover, R&D expenditure, and staff numbers among participating companies.Largely achieved its short- to medium-term outcomes. Even against a backdrop of a global pandemic and cost of living crisisSupported research and innovation across the entire innovation pipeline from early-stage research to adoption and scaling research, and commercialisation. The medium- to long-term outcomes are likely to be achieved over the next 3 to 5 years.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UKRI funding in helping innovative projects scale-up.

Criteria assessing the impact and effectiveness of UKRI funding to support scale-up of innovative projects are consistently tracked through the UKRI Commercialisation Monitoring Framework, as well as Innovate UK’s Impact Management Framework.All evaluations are published on UKRI’s website and are used to inform future approach and investments.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Accelerating Reform Fund in innovating the social care sector.

The Accelerating Reform Fund (ARF) aims to address barriers to the adoption and scaling of innovation in adult social care and improve support for unpaid carers. Local authorities are supported to take forward locally identified innovative projects, working collaboratively with other local authorities, the National Health Service, care providers, and voluntary and community organisations in their integrated care system footprints.An independent national evaluation by Ipsos aims to improve the evidence base on the impact of funded innovations, as well as assessing the success of the fund in overcoming barriers to, and creating the conditions for, innovation.Emerging evidence suggests the ARF is encouraging more innovative activities in adult social care. The evaluation will continue to assess the effectiveness of the ARF through the lifecycle of the fund, concluding in June 2025.

With reference to paragraph 2.72 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, whether the £600 million for social care is in addition to Accelerating Reform Fund money yet to be released to councils.

The Budget announced that the Government is providing at least £600 million of new grant funding for social care in 2025/26, as part of the broader estimated real-terms uplift to core local government spending power of approximately 3.2%. To support our unpaid carers, from April 2025, the Government will also increase the Carer's Allowance weekly earnings limit from £151 a week to £196, which is the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage.The funding announced at the budget for 2025/26 is distinct from the £22.6 million intended to support the Accelerating Reform Fund in 24/25.

What steps he is taking to improve public health services focusing on (a) smoking cessation, (b) drug and alcohol and (c) children's health.

The Government is committed to improving public health as part of delivering a shift from sickness to prevention. As part of this, the Public Health Grant funds a range of preventative interventions across the country, including local authority-led stop smoking services, local authority-led alcohol and drug treatment services, and services which promote and support children’s health. The National Health Service’s 10-Year Health Plan will ensure that children and their families are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it.The Government is also delivering additional targeted interventions which will promote public health. On smoking, this includes delivering the national smoke-free pregnancy incentives scheme, and working to ensure that all hospitals integrate opt-out smoking cessation interventions into routine care.For drug and alcohol treatment, the Government continues to invest in improvements to local alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services to enable people to access high quality help and support, should they need it. In addition, the Government has allocated local authorities a further £267 million in 2024/25 to improve the quality and capacity of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery, alongside £105 million made available by the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to improve treatment pathways and recovery, housing, and employment outcomes for people with drug and alcohol problems.The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. There are a range of public health services through which children and their families can access support. This includes the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme, which places at its heart preventative health services from conception to the age of two years old, in 75 local authorities with high levels of deprivation. In addition, the Healthy Child Programme provides targeted support, offering universal, personalised services provided by a health visiting team for those aged zero to five years old.

Whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the report entitled Return on investment of public health interventions: a systematic review, published in March 2017. .

We agree with the overall systematic review findings that local and national preventative public health interventions can be highly cost effective. The systematic review sets out analysis and evidence which has informed the Department’s own analysis.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he expects to agree new phytosanitary arrangements with the EU for (a) agricultural and (b) horticultural businesses.

Following their meeting in Brussels on 2 October, the President of the European Commission and the Prime Minister have agreed to strengthen the relationship between the EU and UK. The UK and EU are like-minded partners with similarly high standards. The Government has already committed to seek to negotiate a veterinary/sanitary and phytosanitary agreement to help boost trade and deliver benefits to businesses and consumers in the UK and the EU. The Government is unable to speculate on timings before we have begun formal discussions with the EU.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of an increase in employers national insurance contributions on GP surgeries' finances.

Primary care providers, for instance general practices (GPs), dentists, pharmacies, and eye care, are valued independent contractors who provide nearly £20 billion worth of services within the National Health Service. Every year we have discussions with each sector both about what services they provide, and what their pay will be. In accordance with the usual process, this issue will be dealt with as part of those discussions. We will shortly begin negotiations on the annual GP contract.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on steps to ensure horticultural imports are produced to the same environmental standards as domestic products.

The UK has high environmental standards that underpin the production of fresh fruit and vegetables. As set out in the manifesto, the Government is committed to using our Trade Strategy to promote the highest standards of food production.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending agricultural compensation schemes to horticultural businesses impacted by forestry diseases such as Ash dieback.

Our policy is not to pay compensation for plant health measures. We believe that resources are best directed at detection of pests and diseases, risk management and proactive assessment of emerging threats. We also invest in research programmes that enhance our understanding of plant health issues and provide evidence to inform contingency plans and management responses. Protecting plant health is not an issue for government alone. Many plant importers, nurseries and landowners already play a major role in minimising the risk and spread of pests through practising good biosecurity, including sourcing clean stock and identifying outbreaks on their sites. The current arrangements ensure that everyone (the Government and its agencies, industry, non-governmental organisations, landowners, and the public) shares a common understanding of biosecurity and their role and responsibilities. The UK Government provides other forms of financial and non-financial support to assist with essential management of some of the most devastating tree diseases, including ash dieback.