Written questions by Kirkham.

What steps he is taking to reduce the hours lost to handover delays by South Western Ambulance Service Foundation Trust.

Ambulance services experiencing long delays when handing over patients to hospitals is a priority for the National Health Service to address, because it holds up ambulances that could be responding to further 999 calls.The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Cornwall Hospital are working on improving ambulance handover times by supporting patients flow through the health and care system.To support longer term urgent and emergency care performance, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, appointed Professor Lord Darzi to lead an independent investigation of the NHS’ performance. The investigation’s findings were published on 12 September and will feed into the Government’s work on a 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.

What steps he is taking to reduce ambulance hand over times at the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

Ambulance services experiencing long delays when handing over patients to hospitals is a priority for the National Health Service to address, because it holds up ambulances that could be responding to further 999 calls.The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Cornwall Hospital are working on improving ambulance handover times by supporting patients flow through the health and care system.To support longer term urgent and emergency care performance, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, appointed Professor Lord Darzi to lead an independent investigation of the NHS’ performance. The investigation’s findings were published on 12 September and will feed into the Government’s work on a 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.

What steps he is taking to increase the proportion of patients (a) transferred, (b) admitted and (c) discharged within four hours at the Emergency Department in Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Government has committed to supporting the National Health Service to improve performance, including at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT), and achieving the standards set out in the NHS Constitution, which includes that 95% of patients attending accident and emergency are admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours.We are also committed to improving accident and emergency waiting times for patients waiting over 12 hours to be admitted, transferred, or discharged through increasing bed capacity and improving hospital discharge, both nationally and at the RCHT.The Government appointed the Professor Lord Darzi to lead an independent investigation of NHS performance. The investigation’s findings were published on 12 September 2024 and will feed into the Government’s work on a 10-year plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.

What steps he is taking to reduce the proportion of attendees who waited 12 hours or more from their time of arrival to be (a) transferred, (b) admitted and (c) discharged from Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust Emergency Department.

The Government has committed to supporting the National Health Service to improve performance, including at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT), and achieving the standards set out in the NHS Constitution, which includes that 95% of patients attending accident and emergency are admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours.We are also committed to improving accident and emergency waiting times for patients waiting over 12 hours to be admitted, transferred, or discharged through increasing bed capacity and improving hospital discharge, both nationally and at the RCHT.The Government appointed the Professor Lord Darzi to lead an independent investigation of NHS performance. The investigation’s findings were published on 12 September 2024 and will feed into the Government’s work on a 10-year plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.

Communities and Local Government, if she will update the Decent Homes Standard to include floor coverings in social rented properties.

There is currently no legislation that requires social housing landlords to provide floor coverings and landlords are not required to remove floor coverings when a home is let to new tenants.The government will consult on a new Decent Homes Standard next year.

Communities and Local Government, if she will issue guidance to registered social housing providers which confirms that if a floor covering exists in a property when the tenancy changes over that the default will be to keep it as part of the Decent Homes Standard.

There is currently no legislation that requires social housing landlords to provide floor coverings and landlords are not required to remove floor coverings when a home is let to new tenants.The government will consult on a new Decent Homes Standard next year.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to (a) reopen and (b) create new (i) Sustainable Farming Incentives and (ii) capital grants to replace previous ones for (A) herbal lays, (B) fencing and (C) hedgerows.

We have not closed the Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes, in fact there are over 60,000 live applications currently open. Due to an overwhelming demand for some capital items, applications for standalone capital grants were temporarily closed to new applications on 27 November. An update will be provided in early 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the Farming Resilience Fund beyond March 2025, in the context of phasing out the Basic Payment Scheme.

The Farming Resilience Fund (FRF) was developed to help farmers through the early years of the Agricultural Transition, specifically to assist farm businesses to adapt to the initial reductions in the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) by providing specialist business advice. BPS was replaced in England with delinked payments in 2024. We plan to pay delinked payments each year from 2024 to 2027, and the amount received will decrease each year as we apply progressive reductions. To date, over 25,000 farmers have received 1-2-1 support. The FRF will conclude March 2025. Farmers yet to receive any support are therefore encouraged to contact the organisations listed on gov.uk before the end of December 2024. Defra has received feedback suggesting many participants have recognised the value of the advice provided and it is our hope that many of the relationships and connections built through the FRF will continue beyond the scheme's official end date. In the Budget announced in October, the Government announced £5 billion for the farming budget over two years - the largest ever directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history. As we continue to optimise our schemes, Defra will carefully consider the findings from the FRF, alongside other advisory programs, to shape what any future support offer might look like.

If his Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of the Fireworks Regulations 2004 at protecting (a) people and (b) animals from the negative impacts of fireworks.

Most people use fireworks in a responsible, safe, and appropriate manner and there are laws in place to address situations where fireworks are misused. The current regulatory framework is designed to support people to enjoy fireworks whilst lowering the risk of dangers and disruption to people, pets, and property. To inform any future decisions the Government intends to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues and impacts of fireworks.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of employees who will be impacted by the closure of the Department’s office in Truro; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of this closure on those employees.

As at the 30 November 2024 there were 15 MHCLG employees based in the Truro office. The Department are consulting staff and Trade Unions on the decision to close the Truro office. This consultation will consider the impact on the individuals affected with a view to putting in place measures to mitigate that impact and enable them to continue to perform their roles effectively.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the NHS Bursary living allowance to match the Student Finance England maintenance loan.

The NHS Bursary funding arrangements are reviewed annually ahead of the start of each academic year.We have applied an uplift of 2% to all NHS Bursary maintenance grants and allowances for the academic year 2024/25. This is the first time the maintenance grant has been uplifted since 2015.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing medical students in all years of the course to access the Learning Support Fund.

Funding arrangements for students are reviewed annually ahead of the start of each academic year.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making retrospective payments to student nurses that were incorrectly labelled as being ineligible for the £5,000 annual training grant via the NHS Learning Support Fund since 2019.

There are no such plans.The NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF) is an annual scheme operated under rules that are published by the Department for each academic year. Eligibility for the LSF under these rules reflects eligibility for student loans set by the Department for Education.The NHS LSF scheme is administered by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) on behalf of the Department. It includes provisions for students to ask the NHSBSA for a review of their decisions, and to contact the Department to appeal NHSBSA decisions.

Media and Sport, when her Department plans to re-establish the Tourism Industry Council; and whether she plans to include representatives from the cruise industry within its membership.

DCMS is keen to hear the views of and work with all parts of the visitor economy, including the cruise sector. Details of how Ministers will engage in this Parliament with stakeholders across what is a diverse and broad sector will be published shortly.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps to encourage rural off-grid households to switch to hydrogenated vegetable oil in heating.

As sustainable biomass is a limited resource, the Government expects to prioritise its use in sectors like aviation, and potentially the small number of homes unsuitable for heat pumps, as these sectors have fewest options to decarbonise. The cost of renewable liquid heating fuels is currently much higher than other fuels available to off grid customers. Before taking decisions on whether to support the use of renewable liquid fuels, like hydrotreated vegetable oil, in heating, the Government would require stronger evidence on their affordability for consumers, and the availability of sustainable feedstocks.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing incentives on the use of heat batteries similar to those on heat pumps.

Heat batteries are a promising electric heating technology, which can be charged off-peak to utilise cheaper electricity. However, they are less efficient than heat pumps and if a battery has insufficient storage capacity, it may need to draw electricity at peak times which can add to the burden on the electricity network. Consequently, policies like the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, are currently focused on supporting heat pumps. However, my Department is exploring, through studies like the Homes for Net Zero trial, the role heat batteries could play in the future.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making retrospective payments to student nurses who were not eligible for the £5,000 annual training grant through the NHS Learning Support Fund since 2019.

The Department has no plans to make retrospective payments to student nurses who were not eligible for the £5,000 annual training grant through the NHS Learning Support Fund since 2019.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding schemes to reintroduce beavers into the wild.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Yes, assessments of the potential merits of beaver reintroductions in England have been made. Most notably, beginning in 2015, a 5-year trial for beaver wild release took place on the River Otter in Devon. In 2020, Natural England published assessment results for the trial. The trial was found to be successful, having brought many benefits to local ecology and communities, including creating wetland habitat and reducing downstream flood risk for housing. Following successful completion of the trial, the Government conducted a public consultation on the approach to beaver reintroduction and management in England. In 2022, the Government published its response to this consultation. Work with Natural England to develop our approach to beaver reintroductions in England is continuing, including on wild release.

What support her Department provides for people who have had their PIP suspended and are awaiting an appeal hearing.

There are nine possible award outcomes on a claim to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), ranging from a nil award through to an award of the enhanced rate of both the daily living and mobility component. The decision on a claim to, or an existing award of, PIP persists in law until such time as a new decision is made. As such, a claimant appealing against their decision will continue to receive the level of award, if any, that the decision entitles them to until such time as a new decision is made by the tribunal. Payment of that existing award will only be suspended in cases where there is evidence to suggest the award in place is incorrect, such as in cases of suspected fraud. Claimants to PIP, whether they are appealing against a decision or not, can be entitled to a range of additional support depending on their circumstances, including benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit.

What steps she is taking to reduce the waiting time for PIP appeal hearings.

We are working to reduce the outstanding caseload in the Social Entitlement Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal. Reducing outstanding caseloads is the key measure to bringing down the waiting times for tribunal hearings.HMCTS continues to invest in improving tribunal productivity through the recruitment of additional Judges, deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems and the use of remote hearing technology.Data on Tribunals performance is published by the Ministry of Justice on a quarterly basis. Receipts, disposals and the outstanding caseload for individual Chambers in the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal, the Employment Tribunal and the Employment Appeal Tribunal can be found at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.