Written questions by Osborne.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the recommendations of the report by the Taskforce for Lung Health entitled A National Five Year Plan for Lung Health.

The taskforce’s Five Year Plan was published in 2018, and the taskforce has subsequently published a reflection on the progress of the missions within the taskforce plan, which is available at the following link:https://www.taskforceforlunghealth.org.uk/progress/The Government has committed to delivering three big shifts that our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country. This will support earlier diagnosis and better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions, including respiratory conditions, closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. Taking action to reduce the causes of the biggest killers, such as enabling a smoke free generation, can further help prevent lung conditions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of (a) co-operatives and (b) co-operation in the UK's apporach to international development.

The Government recognises the important contribution cooperatives have made in serving local communities around the world. Cooperatives are a tried-and-tested model in international development, that can enable citizens and producers to access services or markets and strengthen their voice in local processes. Cooperatives can enable sustainable and inclusive development centred on self-help, democratic ownership, and concern for the community. The UK has supported cooperatives and producer organisations in developing countries, including, for example in agriculture through funding to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP), which supports producer organisations, and the Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness Programme (CASA), which partners with cooperatives and small agribusinesses in low-income countries to improve smallholder farmers' access to markets.

What discussions she has had with (a) charities, (b) private sector organisations and (c) other non-government organisations on the implementation of changes to practice following the Supreme Court judgment on legal definitions of sex within the Equality Act 2010.

The Government has set out our expectation that organisations follow the clarity the Supreme Court ruling provides. The EHRC has already committed to supporting organisations with its updated statutory Code of Practice which they are consulting on. We will continue to engage with stakeholders across the board as we have always done.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to Personal Independence Payment eligibility criteria on veterans with service-related (a) mental and (b) physical health conditions (i) with and (ii) without fluctuating symptoms.

The Department does not centrally record the veteran status of PIP claimants.In our recent Pathways to Work Green Paper, published on the 18 March 2025, we announced a broad package of reforms to the health and disability benefit and support system. No changes are proposed to Armed Forces Independence Payments which provide support to some of the most severely disabled veterans.For those who receive PIP and are affected by the eligibility changes, we are consulting on how best to support this group, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. We also intend to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress.As we develop proposals further, we will consider the impacts of changes as part of our wider consideration of responses to the Green Paper consultation. We would encourage organisations supporting and representing veterans, such as the Royal British Legion, SSAFA, and many others, to respond to the consultation setting out their thoughts and views on how wounded, injured and sick veterans can best be supported.

What steps she is taking support veterans with fluctuating physical and mental health conditions, in the context of the proposed changes to the Personal Independence Payment eligibility criteria in the Pathways to Work Green Paper.

The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment considers the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability, not the health condition or disability itself. The impact in each case will depend on an individual’s circumstances. For those already claiming PIP, the changes will only apply from November 2026 at their next award review, subject to parliamentary approval. People will be reviewed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstance.Veterans are able to access the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), which provides compensation for injury or illness caused or made worse by Service on or after 6 April 2005. For serious injuries and illness, the AFCS provides a tax-free index-linked income stream known as the Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP). The Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP) is an additional allowance which provides financial support for eligible service personnel and veterans who have an AFCS GIP. It is an alternative to PIP (and other disability benefits), based on separate eligibility criteria, but paid at the same rate as the combined enhanced daily living and mobility components. The eligibility criteria for AFIP is not due to change. I have also asked my officials to work with their counterparts in the OVA to set up a dedicated Green Paper consultation event for armed forces stakeholders (likely to be held in May) and to give a detailed briefing on the proposals to MoD and OVA officials. And once we have completed the consultation we will be building up to a White Paper, where we will once again engage with the OVA and MoD in advance of collective agreement. We are also mindful of the impact the change to PIP eligibility could have on people. That is why, in the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working (published on 18 March), we are consulting on how best to support those who lose entitlement due to the reforms, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the criteria for Armed Forces Independence Payments to include veterans with service-related mental health conditions who may be impacted by changes to Personal Independence Payment criteria.

Veterans with service-related mental health conditions may, depending on the severity of their condition, already be eligible for Armed Forces Independence Payments. Officials in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Ministry of Defence continue to work closely to ensure that where DWP benefits interface with the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and War Pension Scheme, they are taken into consideration as work on welfare reform continues.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 38671 on Means-tested Benefits: Veterans, whether her Department has considered requiring local authorities to disregard payments from the (a) Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, (b) Service Invalidity Pension, (c) Service Attributable Pension and (d) War Pension when assessing entitlement to (i) Housing Benefit, (ii) Council Tax Support, (iii) Discretionary Housing Payments and (iv) Disabled Facilities Grants.

Housing Benefit regulations permit local authorities to disregard beyond the standard disregard of £10 a week the whole or part of any war disablement pensions, war widow’s pensions, war widower’s pensions and guaranteed income payments under the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme. (a) Armed Forces Compensation Scheme £10 disregard with local discretion(b) Service Invalidity Pension no disregard is applied and it is treated as income(c) Service Attributable Pension is treated the same as a War Pension so subject to the £10 disregard and local discretion.(d) War Pension - £10 disregard with local discretionThere are no plans to make changes to the discretionary scheme. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the devolved administrations are responsible for Council Tax Support and Disabled Facilities Grants policy. Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) can be paid to veterans entitled to Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. Local authorities administer the Discretionary Housing Payments scheme as they are best placed to make informed judgements about relative priorities and needs in their area to ensure that the most vulnerable are supported and the funds are targeted effectively. There are no prescribed resources tests; local authorities simply have to be satisfied that the person concerned needs further financial assistance towards housing costs. The payments are entirely at local authority discretion, including the amount and duration of any award.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 39109 on Social Security Benefits: Disability, what estimate she has made of the number of people who will no longer be in receipt of (a) PIP and (b) Universal Credit Carers element, broken down by geographical region.

No estimate has yet been made.Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, with some information 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.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposals within the Pathways to Work Green Paper on the level of regional disparities in access to (a) out-of-work and (b) in-work disability benefits.

The are no regional disparities in access to disability benefits.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of treating military compensation for injury in the same way as civil compensation for the purposes of means testing for benefits.

I refer the honourable member to the answer we gave on 3 March 2025 to question UIN 32275.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to ensure that Overseas Territories adopt open and public registers of beneficial ownership.

Work is ongoing to improve beneficial ownership transparency in the Overseas Territories. At the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) in November 2024, the Falkland Islands and Saint Helena committed to join Montserrat and Gibraltar in implementing fully public registers by April 2025. The British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Anguilla and Turks and Caicos Islands agreed to implement registers of beneficial ownership, accessible to those with a legitimate interest, by June 2025. It remains our expectation that the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies will ultimately implement fully public registers.Every Territory is making progress towards these commitments and FCDO officials are in regular contact with counterparts in the Overseas Territories on their proposals for registers to ensure they meet the agreement made at JMC. I have and will continue to raise this directly with elected leaders across the Overseas Territories, and have discussed with the leaders of a number of OTs including Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands in recent weeks.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the levels of compliance by overseas territories on providing public registers of beneficial ownership.

At the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) in November 2024, the Falkland Islands and Saint Helena committed to join Montserrat and Gibraltar in implementing fully public registers by April 2025. The British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Anguilla and Turks and Caicos Islands agreed to implement registers of beneficial ownership, accessible to those with a legitimate interest by June 2025, with the necessary safeguards to protect the right to privacy in line with respective constitutions.Every Territory is making progress towards these commitments and FCDO officials are in regular contact with counterparts in the Overseas Territories on their proposals for registers to ensure they meet JMC agreements. I have and will continue to raise this directly with elected leaders across the Overseas Territories, and have discussed with the leaders of a number of OTs including Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands in recent weeks.

Media and Sport, how much funding was allocated to grass roots football in (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25; and if she will take steps to continue this funding in 2025-26.

Grassroots sports clubs are at the heart of communities up and down the country. We know just how important they are, which is why we are committed to supporting high-quality, inclusive facilities to get more people active, including through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme, which provides funding to build and improve grassroots facilities, and a commitment to support the Football Association’s ambition to double their number of gold-standard (3-star) community clubs by EURO 2028.£123 million of funding is being delivered through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in 2024/25. Following the Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024, the Government confirmed its continued support for elite and grassroots sport through future investment, of which further details will be confirmed in due course.The Football Association is a long-term partner of Sport England, and have received over £26 million of funding from them for the period 2022-27 for grassroots football projects.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on a long-term funding settlement for women and girls' football facilities.

The Government is dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality sport. High-quality, inclusive facilities help clubs to get more people active and by backing these clubs, the Government will support more women and girls to get onto the pitch wherever they live.The Government continues to support grassroots facilities, including through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme, which provides funding to build and improve grassroots facilities, and a commitment to support the Football Association’s ambition to double their number of gold-standard (3-star) community clubs by EURO 2028. This will deliver more opportunities for women and girls to get on the pitch.£123 million of funding is being delivered through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in 2024/25. Following the Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024, the Government confirmed its continued support for elite and grassroots sport through future investment, of which further details will be confirmed in due course.

Media and Sport, with reference to Q33 of the oral evidence she gave to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on 10 December 2024, HC 330, what assessment she has made of the (a) demand for women's and girl's football facilities and (b) the funding required for that provision over the next five years.

The Government is dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality sport. High-quality, inclusive facilities help clubs to get more people active and by backing these clubs, the Government will support more women and girls to get onto the pitch wherever they live.We are pleased to see the significant progress in the number of women and girls taking up football in recent years, and wider developments in the women’s game. In 2023, Karen Carney OBE published a major Independent Review of Women’s Football which made a series of recommendations including supporting grassroots women and girls’ football. This Government fully endorses those recommendations and looks forward to ensuring tangible progress is made.The Government continues to support grassroots facilities, including through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme, which provides funding to build and improve grassroots facilities, and a commitment to support the Football Association’s ambition to double their number of gold-standard (3-star) community clubs by EURO 2028. This will deliver more opportunities for women and girls to get on the pitch.£123 million of funding is being delivered through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in 2024/25. Following the Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024, the Government confirmed its continued support for elite and grassroots sport through future investment, of which further details will be confirmed in due course.We are also working with the Football Foundation to embed the learnings of the Lionesses Futures Fund as standard criteria for all their major capital projects, meaning more women and girls benefit from our investment. This includes guaranteeing a share of priority slots to women’s and girls’ teams and setting up a new small grants programme specifically targeted at creating female-friendly facilities off the pitch.The Football Foundation plans their investment pipeline based on Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs) which have been developed in partnership with local authorities and are in the process of being refreshed to reflect the increase in demand for women and girls’ grassroots facilities.The Football Association is a long-term partner of Sport England, and have received over £26 million of funding from them for the period 2022-27 for grassroots football projects.

Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to ensure the continuation of the Lionesses Future Fund.

The Government is committed to supporting women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality sport, including football.The department is working with the Football Foundation to embed standard criteria to ensure access for women and girls for all their major capital projects, meaning more women and girls benefit from our investment. At the Autumn Budget, the Government confirmed our continued support for elite and grassroots sport by investing in multi-use facilities. Further details will be confirmed in due course.

If she will take steps to identify all people impacted by the collapse of McClure solicitors.

The legal profession in England and Wales operates independently of government. The responsibility for regulating the sector sits with the approved regulators, overseen by the Legal Services Board. It would therefore not be appropriate for the Ministry of Justice to hold or seek to hold the information on people impacted by the collapse of McClure solicitors. Given the seriousness of the issue raised, my officials have spoken to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, who has confirmed that it is carrying out an investigation into the former partners of WW& J McClure. There are several routes in place to ensure consumers have access to support in the event of the collapse of their solicitor’s law firm. The Legal Ombudsman deals with service complaints against regulated legal services providers – including those who are no longer operational. Their website provides information with regards to the different routes available for consumers depending on their personal circumstances: Complaining about closed service providers | Legal Ombudsman.

What steps her Department is taking to increase uptake of free school meals among eligible children in areas with high levels of (a) child obesity and (b) household food insecurity.

There are currently around 2.1 million pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals (FSM). The department recognises the vital role played by FSM in supporting disadvantaged children and families and encourages all those who are eligible to take up their entitlement. To make this process as easy as possible, the department provides the Eligibility Checking System, which allows local authorities to quickly verify eligibility for FSM. Further to this, our published guidance on FSM provides clarity to families about whether they may qualify for, and how they may claim their FSM entitlement.The department is aware of a range of measures aimed at maximising take-up of FSM, including through approaches being trialled by local authorities. We welcome local authorities taking action to ensure government support reaches families, subject to them meeting legal and data-protection requirements.In addition to this, we are also rolling out free breakfast clubs in every primary school, so children start the day ready to learn. This is part of the department‘s commitment to breaking down barriers to opportunity so that all children have the freedom to achieve and thrive in education.The department is also working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to develop a child poverty strategy to reduce child poverty by tackling its root causes and giving every child the best start in life. The strategy will be published in the spring.

If he will ensure that the new HIV Action Plan includes culturally competent interventions.

HIV is a priority for the Government, and we have commissioned a new HIV Action Plan to end new HIV transmissions within England by 2030. Integration of services and strengthening the delivery of HIV prevention and care will be key objectives of the plan, which we aim to publish in summer 2025.The voluntary and community sector (VCS) has been a key partner in the development and implementation of the existing HIV Action Plan, and will continue to be a key partner in the new plan. The Terrence Higgins Trust, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and the National AIDS Trust have led engagement with the VCS and the wider community to develop recommendations for the new plan, including relating to culturally competent interventions. These were published on 25 November and will be considered in the development of the new HIV Action Plan.In addition, as part of its HIV Prevention England programme, the Department will host three further engagement sessions with the VCS during February and March 2025, including patients with lived experience.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of obesity in (a) Jarrow and Gateshead East constituency and (b) other constituencies with high rates of obesity; and if he will take steps to support dietitian-led weight management programmes in such areas.

Local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services to support their communities to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. These range from behavioural weight management programmes, to specialist services for those living with obesity and associated co-morbidities. Local authorities are able to spend funding from the Public Health Grant on behavioural weight management services, whilst integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning NHS specialist weight management services. Local authorities and ICBs should consider local population need and the relevant guidance when commissioning and designing services, including when considering how the service should be led or the intervention delivered.The North East and North Cumbria ICB is developing its Healthy Weight and Treating Obesity strategy. Additionally, NHS England commissions the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme nationally for people living with obesity, with an existing comorbidity of either diabetes, hypertension, or both. The 12-week online programme is available to eligible people across England, including in the Jarrow and Gateshead East constituency, via direct referral from any general practice or Community Pharmacy.The Government will take action to tackle the root causes of the obesity crisis head on, including through shifting the focus from treatment to prevention. We have made a strong start, including laying the necessary secondary legislation to implement the advertising restrictions for less healthy food or drink on television and online from 1 October 2025, taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose, and giving local authorities the stronger, clearer powers they have told us they need to block new fast food outlets near schools.