Written questions by Milne.

If his Department will include a target in a future Rare Disease Action Plan on proportionate access to multi-indication medicines for (a) rare and (b) ultra-rare disease patients.

Improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs is a priority under the UK Rare Diseases Framework. The 2025 England Rare Diseases Action Plan was published in February 2025 and reports on progress against existing actions under this priority. This included reviewing the effectiveness of the Early Access to Medicines Scheme, the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway, and the Innovative Medicines Fund, which are key access initiatives aimed at facilitating earlier availability of innovative treatments. Our review specifically assessed how effective these pathways are in supporting timely access to therapies for individuals living with rare diseases.As set out in the Life Sciences Sector plan, we will be introducing a new and proportionate approach to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) appraisals and NHS indication-specific based pricing agreements for medicines with large numbers of indications, strong long-term outcome data, and low affordability risk. This will support treatments for rare diseases. There are currently no plans to introduce an access target, as it is essential to review the available evidence on a case-by-case basis. However, the Government remains committed to improving access to medicines for rare and ultra-rare diseases.

How many carers aged 18 to 21 receive (a) Universal Credit and Carer's Allowance and (b) the carer element of Universal Credit but not Carer's Allowance in England.

Data from February 2025 shows that there were 15,872 people aged 18-21 who received Universal Credit and Carer’s Allowance in England. The source for this figure is the benefit combinations dataset on Stat-Xplore. The department does not hold data on how many carers aged 18-21 in England receive UC and Carer’s Element but not Carer’s Allowance and to provide this would be at disproportionate cost.

What plans his Department has to work with the (a) Department of Health and Social Care, (b) Department of Education, (c) Carers Trust and (d) other organisations to ensure young adult carers can receive support through the Youth Guarantee.

The government is determined to provide carers of all ages with the recognition and support they deserve. Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), and the Department for Education (DfE) have convened twice this year to discuss support for unpaid carers and consider opportunities to provide further recognition and support. My Right Hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security and Disability has met with Carers Trust on several occasions, and the department will continue to work collaboratively with groups representing and supporting carers. DWP and DfE are launching a Youth Guarantee to ensure young people aged 18-21 can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship, or help to find work. As part of the Youth Guarantee we are working with Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSA) to deliver 8 Trailblazers in England which are testing different approaches to identifying, engaging, and supporting young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET. MSAs have developed their approaches with consideration to young people in their locality who need more support. As we set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper our Youth Guarantee will meet the needs of those facing disadvantages, including disadvantages related to unpaid caregiving.

Whether her Department plans to include young carers within the daily attendance recording.

​​The department wants to ensure that young carers have the best life chances by supporting them to access and thrive in education. We recognise that absence from school can be a symptom and indicator of wider needs within a family, and that the early identification of attendance issues is crucial.​Young carers are now included in the school census, providing annual data to establish long-term trends and help schools develop identification and support strategies. The department continues to monitor the quality of data on young carers collected via school registers, informing consideration on whether to include young carers in the daily data collection in the future.​The statutory ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, in place since 19 August 2024, specifically references young carers and promotes a ‘support first’ approach. The department has also provided local authorities with access to code level breakdowns of attendance data at pupil level, enabling local authorities to cross-reference real-time data sources to monitor the attendance of pupils identified as young carers. ​

With reference to her Department's publication entitled Suspensions and permanent exclusions by young career status, published on 10 July 2025, what steps her Department help reduce (a) suspension and (b) permanent exclusion rates among young carers.

Whilst schools can use sanctions to improve behaviour, in the most serious cases, exclusion may be necessary. The statutory ‘Suspension and permanent exclusion’ guidance is clear that school leaders should consider early intervention to address the underlying causes of disruptive behaviour.‘Keeping children safe in education’ also sets out school staff should be alert to the potential need for early help for young carers and requires designated safeguarding leads to be trained to understand and respond to their needs.The department is committed to ensuring every child can succeed and learn in a safe, calm environment. To support this, we have committed to providing access to mental health support in every school and ensuring earlier intervention for pupils at risk of exclusion. Our new attendance and behaviour hubs will directly target the schools with the highest need, as well as wider support for schools in all corners of the country.

Whether his Department has assessed the suitability of Fujitsu Ltd to continue holding public sector contracts following its role in the Horizon IT system failures.

The impact that the Horizon scandal has had on postmasters and their families is horrendous. This Government is determined to hold those responsible to account. Fujitsu’s culpability needs to be assessed in light of the final report of Sir Wyn Williams’s Inquiry. Once it is published we will carefully consider whether to launch debarment investigations based on the findings in that report. In January 2024, Fujitsu committed to withdraw from bidding for contracts with new Government customers until the Post Office Horizon inquiry concluded – it would only bid for work with existing Government customers where it already has a contract with them, or where there is an agreed need for Fujitsu’s capabilities. Fujitsu’s correspondence on this matter is deposited in Parliament. The Cabinet Office is monitoring Fujitsu’s compliance with these bidding constraints and carries out regular reviews of Fujitsu’s performance across their Government contracts. The Crown Representative meets regularly with the UK CEO to discuss this and other issues.

How Fujitsu Ltd’s central role in the Horizon IT failures is affecting its eligibility for future government contracts.

The impact that the Horizon scandal has had on postmasters and their families is horrendous. This Government is determined to hold those responsible to account. Fujitsu’s culpability needs to be assessed in light of the final report of Sir Wyn Williams’s Inquiry. Once it is published we will carefully consider whether to launch debarment investigations based on the findings in that report. In January 2024, Fujitsu committed to withdraw from bidding for contracts with new Government customers until the Post Office Horizon inquiry concluded – it would only bid for work with existing Government customers where it already has a contract with them, or where there is an agreed need for Fujitsu’s capabilities. Fujitsu’s correspondence on this matter is deposited in Parliament. The Cabinet Office is monitoring Fujitsu’s compliance with these bidding constraints and carries out regular reviews of Fujitsu’s performance across their Government contracts. The Crown Representative meets regularly with the UK CEO to discuss this and other issues.

If he will take steps to ensure that the Timms Review includes workstreams on the potential impact of (a) illness fluctuations, (b) invisible symptoms and (c) mobility on the PIP assessment process.

The Timms Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them and other experts to ensure that expertise from a wide range of perspectives is drawn upon. This means the Government will share ownership and responsibility for how the Review runs and what it recommends. We are currently working through how to best co-produce the Review, taking into account the feedback from extensive stakeholder engagement over the summer. I anticipate it will be led by a core leadership group of around a dozen people, the majority of whom will be disabled people. Through co-production, it will be for this core leadership group – building from the Terms of Reference – to set the Review’s strategic direction, priorities and workplan. The Review will invite input from a wide range of perspectives. I will share more details about our approach to the Review, and recruitment of its leadership group, shortly.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of agri-environment agreements that are due to expire in 2025 without being replaced on farm business cashflow.

Defra are offering a one-year extension to more than 5,000 farmers whose Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier (CS MT) agreements are due to expire on 31 December this year. This targeted, time-limited extension is being offered, whilst we develop the reformed Sustainable Farming Incentive for 2026, and refresh the Environmental Improvement Plan and roll out the new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. The one-off investment of £70m (from within existing budgets) will allow farmers to continue their vital role in sustainable food production and nature’s recovery. Ministers will now review plans for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), to ensure the available funding is distributed more efficiently and more fairly.

What assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Growth Guarantee Scheme in providing loans to small and medium-sized enterprises on terms more favourable than those available commercially.

The Growth Guarantee Scheme (GGS) opened for applications in July 2024, replacing the Recovery Loan Scheme, and has recently been extended until 31 March 2029. Evaluations for GGS are currently being procured and will commence in 2026/27. As of June 2025, GGS had supported a total of 16,082 facilities, driving the sustainability and growth of smaller businesses across the UK. The status of these facilities is summarised in the table below. StatusNumber of facilities% of facilitiesOn Schedule13,91286.51%Arrears3682.29%Defaulted2591.61%Claimed1510.94%Settled4812.99%Fully Repaid9115.66%Total16,082100.00%

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to provide funding to help support people with expiring agri-environment agreements to enter new agreements.

Defra are offering a one-year extension to more than 5,000 farmers whose Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier (CS MT) agreements are due to expire on 31 December this year. This targeted, time-limited extension is being offered, whilst we develop the reformed Sustainable Farming Incentive for 2026, and refresh the Environmental Improvement Plan and roll out the new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. The one-off investment of £70m (from within existing budgets) will allow farmers to continue their vital role in sustainable food production and nature’s recovery. Ministers will now review plans for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), to ensure the available funding is distributed more efficiently and more fairly.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of agri-environment agreements that are due to expire in 2025 without being replaced on her environmental targets.

Defra are offering a one-year extension to more than 5,000 farmers whose Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier (CS MT) agreements are due to expire on 31 December this year. This targeted, time-limited extension is being offered, whilst we develop the reformed Sustainable Farming Incentive for 2026, and refresh the Environmental Improvement Plan and roll out the new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. The one-off investment of £70m (from within existing budgets) will allow farmers to continue their vital role in sustainable food production and nature’s recovery. Ministers will now review plans for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), to ensure the available funding is distributed more efficiently and more fairly.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help support the holders of agri-environment agreements that expire in 2025 to access new agreements.

Defra are offering a one-year extension to more than 5,000 farmers whose Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier (CS MT) agreements are due to expire on 31 December this year. This targeted, time-limited extension is being offered, whilst we develop the reformed Sustainable Farming Incentive for 2026, and refresh the Environmental Improvement Plan and roll out the new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. The one-off investment of £70m (from within existing budgets) will allow farmers to continue their vital role in sustainable food production and nature’s recovery. Ministers will now review plans for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), to ensure the available funding is distributed more efficiently and more fairly.

If he will take steps to include people with lived experience of (a) fluctuating conditions, (b) invisible symptoms and (c) challenges with mobility in the membership of the core group overseeing the Timms Review.

The Timms Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them and other experts to ensure that expertise from a wide range of perspectives is drawn upon. This means the Government will share ownership and responsibility for how the Review runs and what it recommends. We are currently working through how to best co-produce the Review, taking into account the feedback from extensive stakeholder engagement over the summer. I anticipate it will be led by a core leadership group of around a dozen people, the majority of whom will be disabled people. Through co-production, it will be for this core leadership group – building from the Terms of Reference – to set the Review’s strategic direction, priorities and workplan. The Review will invite input from a wide range of perspectives. I will share more details about our approach to the Review, and recruitment of its leadership group, shortly.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the British Business Bank’s Growth Guarantee Scheme.

The Growth Guarantee Scheme (GGS) opened for applications in July 2024, replacing the Recovery Loan Scheme, and has recently been extended until 31 March 2029. Evaluations for GGS are currently being procured and will commence in 2026/27. As of June 2025, GGS had supported a total of 16,082 facilities, driving the sustainability and growth of smaller businesses across the UK. The status of these facilities is summarised in the table below. StatusNumber of facilities% of facilitiesOn Schedule13,91286.51%Arrears3682.29%Defaulted2591.61%Claimed1510.94%Settled4812.99%Fully Repaid9115.66%Total16,082100.00%

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Rural Payments Agency plans to take to help support people with expiring agri-environment agreements to enter new agreements.

Defra are offering a one-year extension to more than 5,000 farmers whose Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier (CS MT) agreements are due to expire on 31 December this year. This targeted, time-limited extension is being offered, whilst we develop the reformed Sustainable Farming Incentive for 2026, and refresh the Environmental Improvement Plan and roll out the new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. The one-off investment of £70m (from within existing budgets) will allow farmers to continue their vital role in sustainable food production and nature’s recovery. Ministers will now review plans for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), to ensure the available funding is distributed more efficiently and more fairly.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on the potential merits of implementing a one-year rollover for agri-environment agreements that are due to expire in 2025.

Defra are offering a one-year extension to more than 5,000 farmers whose Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier (CS MT) agreements are due to expire on 31 December this year. This targeted, time-limited extension is being offered, whilst we develop the reformed Sustainable Farming Incentive for 2026, and refresh the Environmental Improvement Plan and roll out the new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. The one-off investment of £70m (from within existing budgets) will allow farmers to continue their vital role in sustainable food production and nature’s recovery. Ministers will now review plans for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), to ensure the available funding is distributed more efficiently and more fairly.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of her Department's agricultural budget for the 2026-27 financial year will be spent on existing multi-year agri-environment agreements.

We are investing £2.7 billion a year into sustainable food production and nature's recovery. Overall, farmers and land managers will benefit from an average of £2.3 billion a year through the Farming and Countryside Programme. And up to £400 million from additional nature schemes, including those for tree planting and peatland restorations. Funding for the Environmental Land Management schemes paid to farmers, which includes multi-annual agri-environment agreements, will increase by 150% from £800 billion in 2023/24 to £2 billion by 2028/29. Defra manages the farming budget flexibly. To respond to demand and achieve our intended outcomes for farm productivity, environment, climate and animal health and welfare. In line with its obligations under the Agriculture Act 2020, Defra regularly publishes an annual report, setting out commitments in the previous financial year, including FCP spend broken down by each scheme.

What assessment she has made on the potential impact of extending the Armed Forces Covenant Duty across her Departmental responsibilities.

I refer the hon. Member for Horsham to the answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 73095.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made on the potential impact of extending the Armed Forces Covenant Duty across his Departmental responsibilities.

Local authorities are already bound by this duty when they discharge their housing and homelessness duties, and independent Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers support service personnel and their families to register and to vote. Extending the legal duty of the Armed Forces Covenant to MHCLG would therefore align with my department’s existing policies.A detailed assessment can be found in our response to the Defence Committee in April, available at: committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/142062/default/.