Written questions by Byrne.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the rights of children in countries most impacted by climate change.

This Government is committed to the promotion, protection and realisation of children's rights. We know that children are disproportionately at risk from the effects of climate change, and children and young people will be at the forefront of shaping a resilient, sustainable future. The UK-led Glasgow Climate Pact urges Parties and stakeholders to ensure meaningful youth participation and representation in multilateral, national and local decision-making processes. We championed this approach at COP29, where I met with youth climate activists from developing countries, and where UK Special Representative for Climate Rachel Kyte attended events alongside universities and the UN Youth Office to highlight the critical role of youth in climate action.

What recent assessment has she made of the potential impact of the under occupancy charge on rates of poverty.

The Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy (RSRS), sometimes referred to as the underoccupancy charge, applies to claims for housing support - either Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit - where the claimant is living in the social rented sector in a property that has more bedrooms than their benefit entitlement. Easements are available which allow an additional bedroom to support disabled people and carers, the families of disabled children, foster carers, parents who adopt, parents of service personnel and people who have suffered a bereavement. We continue to keep all policies under review, considering them against a range of factors, including the wider fiscal situation and fit with government missions. Those unable to meet the shortfall in their rent can seek a Discretionary Housing Payment from their local authority.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a maximum 28 days statutory time limit for immigration detention.

I would like to refer the Honourable Member to the written answer I gave to the Honourable Member for Stroud on 29 November 2024 (UIN 15894).

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of reintroducing maintenance grants on widening access to higher education.

The department is determined that the higher education (HE) funding system should deliver for our economy, universities and students, and the government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university. The government recognises the impact that the cost of living crisis has had on students. That is why we are increasing maximum loans for living costs for the 2025/26 academic year by 3.1%, in line with the forecast rate of RPIX inflation, to ensure that the most support is targeted at students from the lowest income families. In addition, vulnerable groups of students, such as lone parents and some disabled students who are eligible for benefits, qualify for higher rates of loans for living costs. Means-tested, non-repayable grants remain available to low-income students with children, or adults who are financially dependent on them. Students undertaking nursing, midwifery and allied health profession courses also qualify for non-repayable grant support through the NHS Learning Support Fund. However, the department recognises that there is more to be done to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds and is determined to reverse the decline in participation rates for disadvantaged students. The department will set out this government’s longer term plan for HE reform by summer 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the effectiveness of the Hunting Act 2004.

Defra holds no data on the adequacy of the effectiveness of the Hunting Act 2004 as the enforcement of the Hunting Act is an operational matter for the police.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of vision rehabilitation.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes supporting people with sight loss to develop practical skills and strategies to maintain independence. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is now assessing how local authorities are meeting the full range of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. These assessments identify local authorities’ strengths and areas for development, facilitating the sharing of good practice and helping us to target support where it is most needed. This means that sensory services, including vision rehabilitation, form part of the CQC’s overall assessment of local authorities’ delivery of adult social care. In that context, the CQC will report on sensory services when there is something important to highlight, for example, something being done well, innovative practice, or an area for improvement.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of provision of support for children with epilepsy in schools.

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. Some children with medical conditions may be considered to be disabled under the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010. Where this is the case, governing bodies must comply with their duties under that Act.Governing bodies should ensure all schools develop a policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions that is reviewed regularly and is readily accessible to parents and school staff. They must ensure the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and should ensure that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the impact of greyhound racing on animal welfare.

The welfare of greyhounds in England is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The Act allows action to be taken where there is evidence of cruelty to an animal or a failure to provide for that animal’s welfare needs. This includes where greyhounds are raced or kept at trainers’ kennels. Specific welfare standards at all greyhound racing tracks in England are also required by the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010, including having a vet present while dogs are running (with all greyhounds inspected by the vet before being allowed to run). The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has also undertaken a number of welfare reforms, including publishing a long term, national welfare strategy – ‘A Good Life for Every Greyhound’. The Government is monitoring GBGB’s progress in delivering the strategy and should further measures be required the Government will consider options which are targeted, effective, and proportionate.

With reference to the report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman entitled Women’s State Pension age: our findings on injustice and associated issues, published on 21 March 2024, whether she has conducted an impact assessment of the issues raised in that report.

Ministers will comply with requirements under the Public Sector Equality Duty as set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 for decisions in relation to the Ombudsman’s report.

With reference to the report entitled Kind of Blue, published by the Carbon Tracker Initiative in June 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of upstream emissions of carbon capture schemes on the government's net zero targets.

As highlighted in the Climate Change Committee's CB6 report, CCUS enabled technologies, including Power, will be essential to achieving net zero. By capturing and storing carbon dioxide, CCUS significantly reduces overall emissions. Emissions from the production of natural gas must reduce significantly both in the UK and globally. Through the North Sea Transition Deal DESNZ is working with industry to cut emissions from upstream production by 50% from 2018 levels by 2030. Internationally, the UK is a member of the Global Methane Pledge to collectively reduce global methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ending the Sovereign Grant and redirecting those funds to help tackle increases in the cost-of-living for low income households.

Under the Sovereign Grant Act 2011, the Sovereign Grant is determined in accordance with a formula. That formula operates with a reference to a percentage of The Crown Estate’s profits two financial years previously. The percentage is currently set at 12 per cent. In exchange for the Sovereign Grant, the Monarch surrenders the revenue from The Crown Estate to the government – more than £4 billion over the last ten years. Regarding support for low-income families, the government is announcing measures to support households who face the greatest hardships. This package of measures will improve economic security and resilience for those who need it most. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced the Fair Repayment Rate which lowers the cap on deductions in Universal Credit to 15 per cent of the standard allowance from April 2025. This will benefit 1.2 million households, with families expected to be better off by around £420 a year on average. This measure supports the government’s ambition to tackle child poverty – with 700,000 of the poorest families with children benefitting as a result of this change. In addition, the Government will provide £1 billion (including Barnett impact) to extend the Household Support Fund in England, and Discretionary Housing Payments in England and Wales. This will help individuals and families facing the greatest hardship, including supporting them with the cost of essentials such as food, energy and housing. This builds on the previous investment of £500 million (including Barnett impact) to extend the Household Support Fund to 31 March 2025.

What steps he is taking to help GPs meet the needs of patients.

The Government is providing £82 million to fund the recruitment of more than 1,000 newly qualified general practitioners, via the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS), so patients can get the care they need.The ARRS provides funding for several additional roles to help create bespoke, multi-disciplinary teams. All these roles are in place to assist general practice doctors in reducing their workload and assisting patients directly with their needs, allowing doctors to focus on more complex patients and other priorities, including continuity of care.This government will bring back the family doctor for those who would benefit from seeing the same clinician regularly, for example, those living with chronic illness. This will improve continuity of care, which is associated with better health outcomes and fewer accident and emergency attendances.

What estimate he has made of the number of new born babies losing their sight in one eye as a result of insufficient staffing levels at the hospital where they were born in each of the last five years.

There has been no specific estimate made regarding the number of newborn babies losing their sight in one eye due to insufficient staffing levels. As per the National Health Service newborn and infant physical examination (NIPE) screening programme, the vision of newborn babies must be assessed within 72 hours of birth, and at the six-to-eight-week checkup. Further information on the NIPE is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/nhs-newborn-and-infant-physical-examination-nipe-screening-programmeWe recognise the concerns around workforce shortages. Whilst change will not happen overnight, we are committed to training thousands more midwives to better support women and babies throughout pregnancy and beyond.The responsibility for staffing levels should remain with clinical and other leaders at a local level, responding to local needs, supported by national and professional bodies’ guidelines, and regulated by the Care Quality Commission.

What estimate he has made of the number of patients waiting longer than 18 weeks for treatment for (a) wet macular degeneration and (b) glaucoma in (i) England, (ii) Merseyside and (iii) Liverpool.

The classification codes required to identify pathways where patients may have glaucoma or macular degeneration do not allow for distinction between the two conditions.The following table provides an estimate of the number of patients who have been waiting longer than 18 weeks for treatment specifically for wet macular degeneration and glaucoma in England, Merseyside, and Liverpool, via the latter’s integrated care boards (ICBs), as a snapshot for the week ending 10 November 2024, extracted on 15 November 2024: Number of pathways greater than 18 weeksEnglandCheshire and Merseyside ICBNHS Liverpool Sub ICBGlaucoma or macular degeneration765617Source: Waiting List Minimum Data Set (WLMDS), NHS England.However, these figures may include patients that also have other conditions, as full coding for glaucoma and macular degeneration procedures requires diagnostic codes that are not available in the WLMDS.The WLMDS is weekly management information that is subject to less validation than the monthly official statistics. There may be issues regarding the quality and completeness of the recorded data, which is not routinely reviewed centrally.

How many training places there were for ophthalmology in the NHS in each of the last five years.

The following table shows the number of doctors in training in the ophthalmology specialty in England, in each of the last five years:YearNumbers of doctors in training in the ophthalmology specialty group201955820205632021563202258320235922024610Source: General Medical Council, National Training Survey, via Data Explorer, available at the following link: https://gde.gmc-uk.org/postgraduate-training/postgraduate-trainees/postgraduate-trainees-summary-data

What progress NHS England has made on developing a mechanism to track, monitor and evaluate independent sector’s impact on the long-term NHS capacity landscape in accordance with the Elective Recovery Taskforce implementation plan.

NHS England is working closely with the Independent Healthcare Providers Network and the wider sector to ensure we have appropriate mechanisms to track and monitor the independent sector’s impact on the long-term National Health Service capacity landscape. From October 2024, NHS England will be reporting independent sector activity data based on the Secondary Uses Service data submissions, to which a large number of independent sector provider sites currently report. This will therefore enable us to more fully capture the sector’s activity.NHS England continues to explore opportunities for the independent sector to support the NHS in the areas of greatest need, including in diagnostics and the most challenged specialties, while ensuring that NHS care remains free at the point of use. NHS England meets regularly with all independent sector providers to encourage this collaborative working.

What research other than by his Department has been carried out on the potential impact of the use of the independent sector to deliver cataract surgery on waiting times for (a) cataract patients and (b) patients waiting for ophthalmology services.

Getting waiting lists down is a key priority for the Government. Independent sector providers have a role to play in supporting the National Health Service to do this by using additional capacity to tackle the backlog, whilst still delivering value for money and care that is free at the point of use. Throughout its history, the NHS has worked with non-NHS healthcare providers to deliver essential services to patients, especially at times of operational pressures.The Department considers a wide range of sources when developing policy. This includes research by think tanks, academics, patient groups, and other relevant bodies.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's polices of UN Secretary-General António Guterres's call for every country to ban advertising from fossil fuel companies, dated 5 June 2024.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is responsible for regulating advertising in the UK across traditional forms of media and takes environmental issues into account. The ASA operates independently of Government, and I would encourage the Hon. Member to reach out to the ASA to discuss this issue further.

What estimate he has made of the number of people who have lost their sight due to insufficient staffing levels after presenting at an Accident and Emergency department in each of the last five years.

This information is not held centrally. We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service. A central and core part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce, and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to care of patients when and where they need it.Action is also being taken to improve the referral, triage, and management of patients between primary and secondary eye care services. This includes looking at how we can deliver more care in the community. These measures aim to free up hospital eye service capacity for those that need specialist input.Providers regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) are required to ensure that there are enough suitably qualified, competent, skilled, and experienced people to provide safe care and treatment to patients. Where incorrect staffing levels or mix of staff are having an impact on patient outcomes, the CQC can take enforcement action.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of the independent sector to deliver cataract surgery on waiting times for (a) cataract patients and (b) patients waiting for other ophthalmology services.

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government, as we get the National Health Service back on its feet. This includes ensuring that patients waiting for cataract and ophthalmology services are seen on time. The ophthalmology waiting list stood at approximately 640,00 in September 2023.Whilst a formal assessment of the potential impact of the use of the independent sector for cataract and ophthalmology services has not been undertaken, independent sector providers have a role to play in supporting the NHS to recover elective services, including in ophthalmology, to ensure that patients can choose the service best for them, are seen on time, and have the best possible experience during their care. We will continue to work with the independent sector to support our commitment of getting waiting lists down, whilst ensuring this provides value for money, and that NHS care is always free at the point of use.