Written questions by Reynolds.

Communities and Local Government, whether she will issue guidance to local authorities to waive street party fees for celebrations commemorating the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe.

On 5 March 2025, Minister Peacock, Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) wrote to all local authorities regarding the 80th anniversaries of Victory in Europe (VE) and Victory over Japan (VJ) Day this year.The letter asked councils to help their communities in their preparations for VE Day – including by making processes cost-free for residents, as well as by signposting and updating existing community activity guidance and being flexible when receiving applications for road closures for street parties.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government plans to take steps to intervene in the case of Iranian citizens Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani; and whether he plans to have discussions with his Iranian counterpart on the use of the death penalty in Iran.

The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. We have repeatedly called on the Islamic Republic to establish a moratorium on executions, including through a Human Rights Ambassadors joint statement at the Human Rights Council in October 2024. The UK also helped deliver a resolution on the human rights situation in Iran at the UN Third Committee in November 2024. In January, the Foreign Secretary raised human rights directly with his Iranian counterpart. We will continue to raise human rights issues directly with the regime, including through our Ambassador in Tehran.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent persistent flooding in (a) Cookham and (b) Hurley.

Environment Agency (EA) teams are working with colleagues from Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council to improve knowledge and understanding of the flooding that has occurred during the last two years of higher-than-average rainfall. The EA is engaging with residents and community groups around Cookham, as well as elsewhere in the borough, to improve the services it provides. EA teams have also been providing advice and guidance about flood resilience, as well as promoting the recently closed Flood Recovery Grants. A study was completed during 2018-19 to look at possible options to mitigate flooding in Hurley. Unfortunately, at the time this study was completed it did not find an option that was financially viable. Inspections of EA flood defences led to temporary works during December 2024, to reinstate a bank collapse on the Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme (MWEFAS) near Taplow. This repair enabled MWEFAS to remain operational this winter, ensuring 3000 properties still benefit from the defences which include flood gates, walls and embankments in the Cookham area. EA teams are now designing the permanent repairs to take place as soon as possible.

Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department will publish the consultation on fluorinated gas regulation.

The GB F-gas review is ongoing, and we are in the process of developing proposals for amending the F-gas legislation in Great Britain. We intend to go out to consultation on proposals for reform in due course. Defra officials have ongoing and valued engagement with sector stakeholders as part of the review process and have gathered incredibly useful input.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will meet with manufacturers from the (a) heating, (b) refrigeration and (c) air conditioning industries to discuss the inclusion of mandatory training for flammable refrigerants in the Government’s consultation on fluorinated gas regulation.

The GB F-gas review is ongoing, and we are in the process of developing proposals for amending the F-gas legislation in Great Britain. We intend to go out to consultation on proposals for reform in due course. Defra officials have ongoing and valued engagement with sector stakeholders as part of the review process and have gathered incredibly useful input. Private office handles all meeting requests. Please contact them directly to request a meeting.

What was the most recent date on which Israeli officials entered the Department's buildings on Whitehall.

The last visit by Israeli officials to the Ministry of Defence Main Building took place on Wednesday 5 February 2025.

What steps she plans to take to reform the Carer’s Allowance system.

We have announced the highest ever increase to the Carers Allowance earning limit, started considering the feasibility of a taper instead of the earnings threshold and launched an independent review of Carers Allowance overpayments.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of Personal Independence Payments in covering additional costs associated with disability.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) provides a contribution to the extra costs that may arise from a long-term disability or health condition. PIP is a non-contributory, non-means-tested, additional cost benefit and can be worth over £9,500 a year, tax free. Individuals can choose how to use the benefit, in the light of their individual needs and preferences. The benefit can also be paid in addition to any other financial or practical support someone may be entitled to such as Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, NHS services, free prescriptions, help with travel costs to appointments. It can also act as a passport to additional support such as premiums and additional amounts paid within certain benefits, Carer’s Allowance for an informal carer or the Blue Badge scheme. The benefits have been consistently uprated in line with inflation since they were introduced and were, like other benefits, increased by 6.7% from 8 April 2024.

How many people HMRC has identified as being liable for the Loan Charge who have not yet (a) paid and (b) settled to avoid it (i) in total and (ii) by Parliamentary constituency.

HMRC has previously estimated that around 40,000 individuals and 5,000 employers were liable to the Loan Charge and were yet to settle with HMRC, including those who had settled some but not all of their liabilities. This information is not available at parliamentary constituency level. Between Budget 2016 and 31 March 2024, HMRC agreed just over 25,000 settlements with employers and individuals of their disguised remuneration schemes, bringing into charge around £4.2 billion in revenue.

If he will make it his policy to open one of the new seven day Community Diagnostic Centres at St Mark's Hospital in Maidenhead.

St Marks Hospital is currently hosting temporary activity for Slough Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) in Maidenhead whilst the permanent site at Upton Community Hospital in Slough is being completed. All diagnostic activity will move to Upton Hospital later in 2025 once the new CDC is constructed, where it is expected that Slough CDC will be open 12 hours per day, 7 days a week. The Elective Reform Plan, published on 6 January 2025, sets out that we will extend the minimum standards for all community diagnostic centres, to open 12 hours per day, 7 days a week as well as delivering additional CDC capacity in 2025/26 by expanding a number of existing CDCs and building up to five new ones. CDCs intend to provide a broad range of elective diagnostics in the community and closer to home, reducing pressure on hospitals and giving patients quicker and more convenient access to tests. Therefore, where feasible, the National Health Service has and will endeavour to locate CDCs in the community rather than in acute settings. This supports one of the Government’s key strategic shifts, namely moving care from the hospital to the community. Capital investment agreed at Spending Review 2025 and announced in the Autumn Statement will be allocated to local systems by NHS England, and details on this will be released as part of upcoming capital planning guidance. The investment will support a range of initiatives, including supporting systems to deliver against the Government's ambition to return to the 18-week constitutional standard. NHS England will work with local systems to identify the most appropriate locations for investments, including new CDCs, and expansions of existing CDCs. A key factor they will consider is that new CDCs are positioned in a location which addresses local need and will address health inequalities.

If she will make it her policy to pay additional compensation to people impacted by the collapse of Equitable Life.

The Equitable Life Payment Scheme has been fully wound down and closed since 2016 and there are no plans to reopen any decisions relating to the Payment Scheme or review the £1.5 billion funding allocation previously made to it. Further guidance on the st...

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle disinformation through AI-generated deepfakes.

We have recently announced that we are delivering on our manifesto commitment to ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes through the Crime and Policing Bill.Deepfakes more broadly are captured by the Online Safety Act where they are shared on soci...

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of zero emission domestic boilers on the transition to net zero.

Zero emission boilers, or heat batteries are a promising technology because they utilise time-of-use tariffs, do not require outside space, and can be cheaper to install than heat pumps in some circumstances. However, they are also less efficient than hea...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his definition is of progressive realism; and what steps he is taking to implement a progressive realist foreign policy.

In his article in Foreign Affairs (April 2024), the Foreign Secretary defined progressive realism as "using realist means to pursue progressive ends". He is clear that this approach will underpin FCDO policies and will require using all the tool...

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking help tackle homelessness.

The Government recognises that homelessness levels are far too high and this can have a devastating impact on those affected, including young people. We will consider youth homelessness as we develop our long-term cross-government strategy, working with m...

What steps her Department is taking to stop driving tests being bulk booked and re-sold at a higher cost.

To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests, very often at significant profit. It is not possible to...

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring a company to confirm an address before registering it at Companies House.

Through the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 we have given the registrar more powers to ensure address (and other) information on the register of companies is as accurate and complete as reasonably possible. Additionally, next year will ...

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to employer National Insurance contributions on the number of available GP appointments.

Primary care providers, including general practices (GPs), are valued independent contractors who provide nearly £20 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with each sector both about what services they provide, and the money pro...

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help secure the financial sustainability of (a) the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead and (b) all local councils.

This Government recognises that council funding has been under pressure since 2010. Any council that has unmanageable pressures and is concerned about its financial position should approach the department.We will provide councils with more stability and c...

What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting lists for heart care treatments, in the context of recent statistics published by the British Heart Foundation on trends in the number of prema

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission. The waiting list at the end of July stood at 7.62 million patient pathways, with 417,864 incomplete pathways waiting for treatment for cardiology.We will deliver an extra 40,000 operations, scans...