Written questions by Platt.

Whether his Department has plans to allocate additional funding towards the Government's myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue delivery plan.

There are currently no plans to allocate additional funding towards the myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue (ME/CFS) final delivery plan. The ME/CFS final delivery plan continues to be developed.The plan will focus on improving research, attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this disease. The consultation responses, alongside continued stakeholder engagement via the ME/CFS Task and Finish Group, will inform the development of the final delivery plan for ME/CFS, which we aim to publish by the end of March 2025.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a centre of excellence for care and research for infection-associated chronic conditions.

We do not anticipate setting up a new centre of excellence for care and research specifically for post-viral or infection-associated conditions. The Department funds research on post-viral conditions through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR and Medical Research Council (MRC) remain committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment of post-viral conditions such as myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and long COVID, and are actively exploring next steps for stimulating further research in this area. The MRC and NIHR currently fund research through a variety of routes, including infrastructure, research programmes, capacity building, for example research fellowships, and in the case of NIHR, research delivery to support recruitment to studies. Funding is available for infection-associated research.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 January to Question 22097 on Drugs: Organised Crime, what steps she is taking to tackle cuckooing.

The Government is clear that cuckooing is an appalling practice associated with violence, exploitation and anti-social behaviour.Through the County Lines Programme we are targeting exploitative drug dealing gangs, including those who take over the homes of vulnerable people.The Government’s Safer Streets Mission will continue to tackle these issues and we will make further announcements in the normal way in due course.

Media and Sport, how (a) the Local News Commission and (b) other similar organisations will be able to contribute to the development of her planned local media strategy.

We have been working across Government as the Local Media Strategy develops and are also engaging with key external stakeholders, from industry, academia, civil society and local government. Officials have already met with the Public Interest News Foundation, founders of the Local News Commission, as part of that engagement. Our work is also being informed by the range of studies conducted into the state of local journalism in the UK in recent years. With this in mind, we look forward to publication of the Local News Commission’s report and any new insights or recommendations that the Commission is able to offer.

Whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that all eligible NHS Trusts participate in the early access programme for givinostat.

ITF Pharma UK, the United Kingdom marketing authorisation holder for givinostat, is providing access to givinostat through a type of compassionate use scheme called an Early Access Programme (EAP). Under the EAP, givinostat is free to both patients taking part in it and to the National Health Service, but the trusts must still cover the cost of administering it to patients. Only Duchenne muscular dystrophy clinicians can make requests for givinostat for their patients. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis for individual named patients, aligned to eligibility criteria.NHS England does not have any initiatives to encourage participation in compassionate use schemes, which are the responsibility of individual pharmaceutical companies. Participation in the EAP for givinostat, which must be through one of the 23 NorthStar Centres in the UK, is decided at an individual NHS trust level, although there is general advice that trusts should engage with the relevant commissioner if they choose to participate, so that any impacts on the wider service can be taken into account. A NorthStar Centre will not be able to provide givinostat if its local trust has not approved participation.NHS England has published guidance for integrated care systems (ICS) on free of charge medicines schemes such as EAPs, including providing advice on potential financial, administrative, and clinical risks. The guidance aims to support the NHS to drive value from the medicines and ensure consistent and equitable access to medicines across England. ICSs should follow the recommendations to determine whether to implement any free of charge scheme, including assessing suitability and any risks in the short, medium, and long term. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/free-of-charge-foc-medicines-schemes-national-policy-recommendations-for-local-systems/

What recent discussions he has had with (a) NHS England and (b) ITF Pharma UK on the provision of (i) resources and (ii) guidance to NHS trusts to enable them to take part in the Early Access Programme for givinostat.

ITF Pharma UK, the United Kingdom marketing authorisation holder for givinostat, is providing access to givinostat through a type of compassionate use scheme called an Early Access Programme (EAP). Under the EAP, givinostat is free to both patients taking part in it and to the National Health Service, but the trusts must still cover the cost of administering it to patients. Only Duchenne muscular dystrophy clinicians can make requests for givinostat for their patients. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis for individual named patients, aligned to eligibility criteria.NHS England does not have any initiatives to encourage participation in compassionate use schemes, which are the responsibility of individual pharmaceutical companies. Participation in the EAP for givinostat, which must be through one of the 23 NorthStar Centres in the UK, is decided at an individual NHS trust level, although there is general advice that trusts should engage with the relevant commissioner if they choose to participate, so that any impacts on the wider service can be taken into account. A NorthStar Centre will not be able to provide givinostat if its local trust has not approved participation.NHS England has published guidance for integrated care systems (ICS) on free of charge medicines schemes such as EAPs, including providing advice on potential financial, administrative, and clinical risks. The guidance aims to support the NHS to drive value from the medicines and ensure consistent and equitable access to medicines across England. ICSs should follow the recommendations to determine whether to implement any free of charge scheme, including assessing suitability and any risks in the short, medium, and long term. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/free-of-charge-foc-medicines-schemes-national-policy-recommendations-for-local-systems/

What steps he has taken to ensure that the findings of the Government's Resilience Review (a) reflect the specific needs of and (b) engage with (i) people on low incomes, (ii) people who face discrimination and (iii) other disproportionately impacted communities.

Disproportionate impacts and vulnerability is a key focus of the Cabinet Office-led review of our approach to resilience. We are engaging with charitable, faith and other representative organisations to understand how the reduction and prevention of disproportionate impacts to at-risk groups and persons can be better considered in resilience planning and policy.

Communities and Local Government, what additional funding and resources will be allocated to local authorities to implement the recommendations of the Government's Resilience Review.

The Resilience Review is considering established practices and policies to support UK resilience against the full spectrum of risks we face. It is evidence based and is identifying what should be kept, changed or improved to ensure we are best prepared now and into the future.Government will continue to work closely with local partners to ensure local resilience is at the heart of the Review; and relevant outcomes will be considered as part of any future investment into national and local resilience.The Resilience Review is due to conclude in Spring 2025.

What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on long-term funding and resource allocations for cross-government resilience work; and how these agreements will support the delivery of the Government's Resilience Review recommendations.

The Spending Review will set resource or day-to-day departmental budgets until 2028-29 and capital departmental budgets until 2029-30. I and my Cabinet Office officials engage regularly with HM Treasury to support the Spending Review, the outcomes of which will inform the delivery of the Resilience Review. The resilience review is considering established practices and policies to support UK resilience against the full spectrum of risks we face. It is evidence based and is identifying what should be kept, changed or improved to ensure we are best prepared now and into the future.

How the Resilience Review has incorporated input from the voluntary and community sector; and what steps he plans to take to facilitate ongoing collaboration in resilience planning and response.

The Cabinet Office recognises the valuable role that the voluntary and community sector can play in all aspects of resilience. The Cabinet Office has ensured that contributions from a range of Voluntary, Community, and Faith sector representatives have been able to inform the resilience review, specifically to inform the understanding of disproportionate impacts to at-risk groups in emergencies. The Cabinet Office has ongoing engagement with the sector. The Head of Resilience in the Cabinet Office chairs the Voluntary and Community Sector Strategic Discussion Forum every six months. The Forum brings together senior leaders from national voluntary sector organisations and central government. We will continue to explore opportunities to further strengthen voluntary, community and faith sector engagement to build national resilience as part of the resilience review.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) financially and (b) emotionally support victims of domestic abuse (i) when seeking a non-molestation order and (ii) in other circumstances, in the context of seeking a non-molestation order.

It is incredibly important that victims of domestic abuse get the support they need to apply for protective orders. The Ministry of Justice funds FLOWS (Finding Legal Options for Women Survivors), a free and confidential service delivered by RCJ Advice, which helps survivors apply for a non-molestation order in the family court. Legal aid is also available to eligible victims of domestic abuse for the new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) currently piloted in selected areas, and for non-molestation orders.It is equally important that victims of domestic abuse receive emotional and practical support to recover from abuse and rebuild their lives. The 42 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales receive annual grant funding from the Ministry of Justice to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types. This includes ring-fenced funding for sexual violence and domestic abuse community-based services and Independent Sexual Violence and Domestic Abuse Advisers.  In addition, the Home Office runs the Flexible Fund, administered by Women’s Aid Federation, which can offer financial support to victims in specific circumstances.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has conducted a market impact assessment for the options in the open consultation entitled Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, published on 17 December 2024.

The Government published the consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024. Prior to its publication, the Government considered a range of approaches to clarify copyright law and meet its objectives for AI innovators and the creative industries. Further detail of the Government’s assessment of options can be found in the summary assessment (external link) published alongside the consultation. The consultation closes on 25 February.

Innovation and Technology, if he will introduce transparency obligations on Artificial intelligence firms to disclose material used to train models.

The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.This consultation seeks views on a number of issues relating to copyright and AI. It sets a clear objective of achieving proportionate transparency from AI developers over the creative content that is used to train their models.The consultation closes on 25 February.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to develop technical standards to enable rightsholders to reserve rights if they opt-out of training generative artificial intelligence models.

The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.This consultation proposes a new regulatory model for text and data mining, and seeks views on creating an effective rights reservation system.The implementation of any text and data mining exception is contingent upon having workable technical solutions in place for rights reservation. Some standards already exist and more are in development. If there is a role for Government to play, it is to ensure that standards work for right holders as well as developers, and to facilitate convergence on a manageable set of standards.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that proposed copyright exemptions for Artificial intelligence training will lead to inward investment.

The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024. This consultation is seeking views on how to promote growth and investment in both the creative industries and AI sector - both of which are essential parts of the Government’s Industrial Strategy. This will help the Government develop an approach which will accelerate growth in the UK for both sectors. The consultation closes on 25 February.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of EU rights reservation mechanisms for Artificial intelligence and copyright.

The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.This consultation is seeking views on a similar approach to the EU’s, which many AI firms and right holders are already familiar with. However, we recognise that there is more work to do on technical standards and transparency before a rights reservation model can be considered workable for right holders and AI developers alike. We will use responses to the consultation to inform work on this detail and bring forward firm proposals.The consultation closes on 25 February

What steps his Department is taking to standardise the use of Pathological Demand Avoidance for autism diagnosis.

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is most often understood as a characteristic of, or observed in, some autistic people, but professional consensus on its status is still required. PDA is not a recognised and stand-alone diagnosis within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or the International Classification of Disease.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including assessment services for autistic people, in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.The NICE guideline, Autism spectrum disorder in under 19s: recognition, referral and diagnosis, recommends that as part of autism assessments, healthcare workers should consider PDA, and carry out appropriate referrals.

Whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle class pay gaps in the private sector.

We are committed to delivering better life chances for all - breaking the link between background and success. The National Minimum Wage has been one of the most successful economic policy interventions over the last quarter of a century. In 2024, the percentage of employees in low-hourly paid jobs was 3.4% - a record low, and compared to 21.9% in 1999, when the National Minimum Wage was introduced. In April 2025, over 3 million workers are expected to receive a pay rise due to the increase to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to review the UK Chemical Strategy.

Delivery of a Chemicals Strategy was a commitment set by the previous Government and is being considered as part of our rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to create a taskforce to develop a sustainable biomanufacturing strategy.

DSIT does not currently have plans to create a taskforce to develop a sustainable biomanufacturing strategy. DSIT is considering how Engineering Biology could play a role in driving sustainable growth through the Industrial Strategy, which will be published in Spring 2025 by HMT and DBT.