Written questions by Milne.

Whether his Department plans to issue new guidance on the provision of advanced community eye care services in (a) Horsham and (b) England.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning primary and secondary eye care services in their areas to meet patient needs, and this includes services to meet the needs of patients with glaucoma.The Department worked with the eye care sector to develop a standard clinical specification for the commissioning of Community Minor and Urgent Eye Care Services, and this was published in February 2024. The specification is available at the following link:https://locsu.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/1.-CUES-Service-specification-vs-1.43-Feb-2024.pdf

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of amending the filtering criteria for DBS checks to automatically exclude sentences of 12 months or under on levels of employment of people with criminal records.

The criminal records regime seeks to strike a balance between providing employers with the information they need to make safer recruitment decisions and enabling ex-offenders to rebuild their lives.We are carefully reviewing the evidence in this area before we consider whether adjustments to the regime are necessary or desirable.In the meantime, we are working hard to support employment of prison leavers. In January, we launched regional Employment Councils, which for the first time bring businesses together with prisons, probation and the Department for Work and Pensions to support offenders into jobs.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 43737, if she will share the minutes of those meetings with the hon. Member for Horsham and the Child Trust Fund campaign.

Engagement with The Investment and Savings Alliance (TISA) was via an exchange of emails so there are no meeting minutes. The exchanges sought any feedback provided to Child Trust Fund providers by parents or carers about: (i) signposting by TISA to the parent and carers toolkit published by the Ministry of Justice in 2023; and (ii) the additional information sent by providers to account holders since February 2024 with the mandatory account statement at age 16. This provides information about mental capacity and the possible need for a parent or carer to make an application to the Court of Protection. No data was available.An informal meeting took place with UK Finance in April 2025 to explore whether any data was available in relation to Child Trust Fund withdrawals and the process used. No formal minutes were produced but the note taken by officials records that no data was available.

If the Minister of State for Courts and Justice will meet with the hon. Member for Horsham to discuss the Child Trust Fund campaign.

As he acknowledged in his letter to me dated 02 March 2025, the Hon. Member for Horsham is aware that I am happy to meet with him regarding locked Child Trust Funds.My office will be in touch to agree a mutually convenient date.

Which organisations within the financial industry her Department has consulted with on locked Child Trust Funds since January 2025.

The Department continues to engage with financial organisations on the issue of Child Trust Funds where the account holder lacks mental capacity to access their account and legal authority is required to enable a parent or carer to access the funds on their behalf.Since January 2025, the Department has engaged with The Investment and Savings Alliance (TISA) and UK Finance. The Department has also engaged with a range of stakeholders with interest including One Family and others.

Innovation and Technology, if he will make £20 million available each year to fund research into alternatives for animal testing.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year. Any future funding allocations are subject to the outcome of the Spending Review.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of making access to work schemes the responsibility of employers on small and medium-sized businesses.

As outlined in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published on 18 March, we need to get the balance right between supporting employers to understand and provide reasonable adjustments as part of their legal duties, and interventions that go beyond this this to enable employment. There are no plans to require employers to provide measures beyond a reasonable adjustment. We will assess any new intervention through evaluation, ensuring its impact and value for money.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of under 22 year olds who will no longer receive limited capability to work payments.

Information on the impacts of the “Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper” will be published in due course, with some information already published alongside the Spring Statement.A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of planned reforms to Personal Independence Payment on people that receive (a) housing allowances and (b) higher rate housing allowances.

No such assessment has yet been made.Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

Whether her Department plans to introduce a substantial risk element into the PIP assessment process.

In our Green Paper, Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, we announced our plans to scrap the Work Capability Assessment and use the single Personal Independence Payment assessment to assess entitlement for the Universal Credit health element. We are considering how change of this kind could affect individuals who currently meet limited capability for work and work-related activity criteria due to non-functional special circumstances; including those currently classed as having substantial risk. We also announced plans to launch a process to review the PIP assessment. We will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. Any changes to the PIP assessment will need to work alongside the reforms set out in the Green Paper.

Whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of making access to work schemes the responsibility of employers on the employability of people with disabilities.

As outlined in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published on 18 March, we need to get the balance right between supporting employers to understand and provide reasonable adjustments as part of their legal duties, and interventions that go beyond this this to enable employment. There are no plans to require employers to provide measures beyond a reasonable adjustment. We will assess any new intervention through evaluation, ensuring its impact and value for money.

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that the land use framework encourages community energy projects.

My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ministerial Colleagues on a number of issues. The Government is currently consulting on the Land Use Framework, which aims to use the most sophisticated land use data ever published, to provide the principles, advanced data, and tools to support decision-making by stakeholders to make the most of our land. Views are currently being sought in the public consultation, which closes on 25 April. The previous Government consulted on the barriers to community energy through a Call for Evidence and published a response to this Call for Evidence on 21 March. The evidence is being used to inform potential changes that could be put in place to overcome these barriers. The Government is committed to growing community energy and supporting its important role in the energy transition.

Whether communities affected by (a) community-run and (b) centrally-led energy infrastructure development will receive (i) energy bill discounts and (ii) other compensation.

In the Clean Power Action Plan, we made clear that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, they should feel tangible and enduring benefit of doing so. We are exploring options in this area, including community funds and shared ownership. The Government has already announced bill discounts for communities living nearest to new electricity transmission infrastructure, and published guidance on community funds for electricity transmission infrastructure. The Government intends to publish community benefit guidance for onshore wind in England, and Solar Energy UK has also committed to publishing further guidance.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the eligibility criteria for carers allowance on local authority care services.

From 7 April 2025 the weekly earnings limit in Carer's Allowance increased to £196 net earnings, the largest cash increase ever. All things being equal, the earnings rule change will result in more people being entitled to Carer’s Allowance. There are no other planned changes to the entitlement conditions. Local authorities are responsible for their own "care service" arrangements and these may differ between authorities.In our recent Pathways to Work Green Paper we announced a broad package of reforms to the health and disability benefit and support system, including changes to Personal Independence Payment. For those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including for linked entitlements such as Carer’s Allowance, we are consulting on how best to support this group, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.

What steps he is taking to (a) protect and (b) promote community energy projects beyond the Local Power Plan.

Local power generation is an essential part of the UK’s energy generation and increasing support from Great British Energy will ensure that local communities benefit as the UK supercharges its mission to become a clean energy superpower. We recently announced that Community Energy Groups will be able to access a share of £5 million in grant funding through the Great British Energy Community Fund to help communities develop their own clean energy projects. Great British Energy will also work closely with Community Energy Groups, providing commercial, technical, and project-planning assistance to increase their capability and capacity to build a pipeline of successful projects in their local areas.

Who is responsible for the (a) design and (b) delivery of the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan.

The UK, Scottish and Welsh governments have commissioned the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to develop the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan. NESO is independently producing the plan, with oversight from the three governments and Ofgem.

Whether his Department plans to direct the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan to be inclusive of community energy projects.

The Strategic Spatial Energy Plan is a national, transmission-level plan covering Great Britain, and as such it will not prescribe or authorise individual projects at community level. Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs) will undertake spatial planning at a more local level.

How spatial planning responsibilities will be split between national and local level; and whether local people will be able to run community energy projects.

The Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) is the national-level plan covering GB, whilst Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs) will work with organisations at a local level to plan how local energy systems need to be developed to reach net zero, considering both the national targets set by government and local needs. Great British Energy will also provide increased funding and support to ensure that local communities continue to directly benefit from clean energy projects.

Innovation and Technology, if he will make it his policy to make £20 million available each year to fund research into alternatives for animal testing.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are considering funding into alternatives for animal testing as part of the Spending Review, and cannot commit funding amounts in advance of this process.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of offering the RSV vaccination to people over the age of 65.

The policy for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) programme is based on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), an independent expert advisory committee. That advice is provided to the Government to inform, develop, and make policy.In 2023, RSV programmes for those aged over 65 years old and those aged over 75 years old were assessed by the JCVI for their potential impact and cost effectiveness. There was more certainty in the data available at the time to support a programme for those aged over 75 years old. Therefore, the JCVI advised a programme for older adults aged 75 years old and above. However, the JCVI did note that as more data accumulated, the impact and cost effectiveness for those aged over 65 years old could be kept under review.The committee keeps all vaccine programmes under review and will continue to update its advice as new evidence emerges.