Written questions by Turner.

Whether her Department is able to produce statistics on PIP recipients broken down by (a) Output Areas and (b) lower layer Super Output Areas.

Information on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants by different geographic breakdowns can be found on Stat Xplore. You can use the ‘PIP Cases with Entitlement from 2019’ dataset and the ‘Geography’ filter to narrow down to the breakdowns you require. For further guidance on how to use Stat Xplore, please see the User Guide here.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to progress Sustainable Development Goal 4.

With some 250 million children, and growing, out of school globally, it is very unlikely that Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) will be met by 2030. The UK is working with the humanitarian system, leveraging multilateral institutions' funding, and strategically deploying scarce resources to improve access to quality education through stronger systems.For example, in November 2024, the UK provided £14 million of earmarked support for Sudanese refugees through Education Cannot Wait. This funding supports 200,000 vulnerable displaced children with education interventions in Sudan and reaches Sudanese refugee populations in Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Uganda.With a global annual financing gap of $97 billion to deliver SDG4, the UK is working to unlock additional education finance through mechanisms such as the innovative International Finance Facility for Education, which will unlock up to $1 billion in additional and affordable education finance for lower middle-income country governments, providing a seven-fold return on our investment.

If he will take steps to raise public awareness of dyspraxia.

The Government is committed to creating a more inclusive society where neurodiverse people, including those with dyspraxia, are supported to thrive.Dyspraxia, also known as developmental co-ordination disorder or DCD, is a common disorder that affects movement and co-ordination. Information on dyspraxia assessments and treatment is available to the public on the NHS.UK website, at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/developmental-coordination-disorder-dyspraxia-in-adults/The Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with the Department for Education on reforms to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system to improve inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools as well as to ensure that special schools cater to those with the most complex needs. The Government is also supporting earlier intervention for children with SEND through Mental Health Support Teams, as well as the Early Language Support for Every Child and the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programmes.

Communities and Local Government, whether local authorities are able to prevent new employees from joining the Local Government Pension Scheme.

It is unlawful for local authorities to prevent their new employees from joining the Local Government Pension Scheme. Local authorities are scheduled bodies, as defined by part 1 of Schedule 2 of the LGPS Regulations 2013, and scheduled bodies must offer the LGPS to directly employed staff.

With reference to her Department's press release entitled Over half a million more children to get free school meals, published on 4 June 2025, if she will make an estimate of how many additional children will be made eligible for free school meals from September 2026 in (a) the West Midlands, (b) the Birmingham local authority area and (c) the Birmingham Northfield constituency.

This government is determined to tackle child poverty and spread growth and opportunity to every family in every part of our country. We have now announced the biggest expansion of free school meal eligibility in England in a generation. We will give every child whose family is in receipt of Universal Credit the entitlement to free school meals (FSM) from September 2026. This means that over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds will become eligible for a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day. This will lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.Crucially, this will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back into parents’ pockets, supporting families with decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.Department for Work and Pensions data shows that 11,350 children in the Birmingham Northfield constituency will be eligible for FSM from September 2026. Following publication of the updated school census on 5 June, the department will publish further information on the numbers of children currently in receipt of means-tested FSM and the numbers of eligible children, by parliamentary constituency, in the coming weeks.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to reduce the barriers for disabled people accessing cultural events.

The Government supports the Arts Councils of each UK nation and Ireland and the British Film Institute in launching All In, a free, UK wide arts access scheme. This scheme will help remove barriers for disabled, deaf and neurodivergent people in music venues, festivals, theatres, museums, galleries, libraries and more. It will introduce the UK and Ireland’s first set of industry standards to improve access to arts and culture as well as launch new digital tools to support accessible ticket booking. Work so far has included consultation with potential users, as well as feasibility studies to inform how the scheme can address access barriers faced by disabled audience members.The Office for Equality and Opportunity has also appointed David Stanley as Disability and Access Ambassador for arts and culture - to drive improvements in the accessibility and quality of services and facilities in the sector for disabled people, helping to ensure businesses are doing all they can to support disabled customers.We are continuing to support Arts Council England’s (ACE’s) Supporting Grassroots Music Fund (SGMF), which as well as aiming to bolster the grassroots music ecosystem, aims to promote inclusivity within the sector. For example, through support from the SGMF, a music venue in Bristol has become the first grassroots music venue in the country to secure an Attitude is Everything Gold Award, a widely-coveted Industry award, given only to those that show a significant and ongoing commitment to improving accessibility.

What proportion of Personal Independence Payment recipients are in work in (a) Birmingham Northfield constituency, (b) Birmingham local authority area and (c) the West Midlands.

For the proportion of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants who are in work by different geographic breakdowns, please see table 1 below. Table 1: the percentage of PIP claimants who are in work by different geographic breakdownsGeographyPercentage of PIP claimants in workBirmingham Northfield PC18Birmingham LA15West Midlands19 Source(s): PIP Administrative Data and HMRC data Notes:Figures are for March 2024 which is the latest employment data available.Figures only include claims made under normal rules and exclude claims made under Special Rules for End of Life (SREL).Figures only include claimants who are working age.Employment category includes self-employed as well as employees.Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

With reference to her spokesperson's comments in the Birmingham Mail article entitled The reason staff at a Birmingham school decided a last resort strike, published on 7 March 2025, whether she plans to make an Academy Order for the George Dixon Primary School in Birmingham.

High and rising standards are at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity so every child can achieve and thrive.An academy order for George Dixon Primary School in Birmingham was issued in June 2023 and remains in place. Departmental officials continue to work with the local authority on next steps. A request has been made by the school’s governing body to revoke the academy order, and a decision will be shared with them shortly.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 50727 on Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority: Standards, what proportion of the respondents to that paper survey selected (a) very good, (b) good, (c) average, (d) poor and (e) very poor in 2023-24.

Of the respondents to the paper survey in 2023-34, (a) 53.2% selected very good, (b) 31.0% selected good, (c) 10.0% selected average, (d) 3.3% poor and (e) 2.5% selected very poor.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 07 April 2025 to Question 43306 on Birmingham City Council: Finance, when the transparency publication referred to in that Answer will next be updated.

The Commissioners’ fees and expenses up to and including March 2025 have now been published on Birmingham City Council’s website.

What the (a) process and (b) timetable will be for recruiting a new Chief Executive of Network Rail.

The Network Rail Board via its Nomination and Remuneration Committee is responsible for the Chief Executive selection process. In line with the Network Rail Framework Agreement, the Secretary of State for Transport has the right to approve the Board’s suggested candidate for Chief Executive.The timetable for appointing a new Chief Executive will be confirmed once the Secretary of State has considered the recommendations of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

On what dates the HS2 ministerial taskforce has met since 25 October 2022.

The Ministerial Task Force for HS2 has met on the following dates since 25 October 2022: 1 November 202331 January 202422 October 202418 March 2025.

With reference to item 5.4.4 of the minutes of HS2 Limited's Board meeting of 25 September 2024, what the (a) membership and (b) remit is of the Tripartite Cooperation Board.

The Tripartite Cooperation Board (TCB) was established in 2014 following a memorandum of understanding signed between the DfT, NR and HS2 Ltd. The TCB brings together the senior executives from the Department, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, as sponsor for the programme, HS2 Ltd as delivery agent for the programme and Network Rail as owner and operator of the existing network. Its purpose is to provide strategic advice at the request of the Programme Senior Responsible Owner, Alan Over, or the Programme Board to ensure the successful integration of HS2 onto the conventional network in such a way that the whole network is enhanced. The members at this time are: Alan Over, Major Rail Projects Group DG, DfT - ChairAlex Hynes, Rail Services Group DG, DfTSir Andrew Haines, Chief Executive, Network Rail Chief ExecMark Wild, CEO, HS2 LtdRichard Goodman, Rail Reform and Strategy DG, DfT Clare Dixon, DfT – Secretariat.

Which Ministers have been members of the HS2 Ministerial Taskforce since its creation; and on which dates each Minister (a) joined and (b) left the taskforce.

The Secretary of State for Transport, Minister for Rail and Chief Secretary to the Treasury have been members of the Ministerial Task Force for HS2 since its first meeting on 30 April 2020. Ministers from the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (and its predecessors) are no longer members, with the former last attending the meeting held on 15 December 2021 and the latter on 27 January 2022.

What steps he is taking to reduce barriers to the sharing of medical records between NHS trusts in cases when those trusts are treating the same patients.

Appropriate information sharing is essential for the provision of safe and effective health care. Improving this will enable enhanced quality of care and safety for patients and better informed clinical and care decision-making, empowered by access to precise and comprehensive information.The Connecting Care Records programme joins up information based on the individual rather than via one organisation. Through targeted investment, local Connecting Care Record systems have been established in all integrated commissioning board areas. 97% of trusts and 92% of primary care networks are now connected.As you may also be aware, NHS England has been supporting National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts in acquiring and developing the effectiveness of their electronic patient records, and support is available to bring trusts to an optimum level of digital maturity, which will further reduce barriers to the information sharing needed to treat patients. Further information on data and clinical record sharing is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/data-and-clinical-record-sharing/Going beyond this, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has announced the intention for there to be a single patient record, which would provide a comprehensive patient record and end the need for patients to have to repeat their medical history when interacting with the NHS. We have been engaging with the public to help shape our plans, including what information they would want to see included in a single record.

With reference to item 24/132 of Network Rail's Board minutes of 05 December 2024, what the proposed (a) resourcing and (b) functions were of the Shadow Great British Railways Delivery Unit; and for what reason did the then Secretary of State decided not to establish it.

Shadow Great British Railways has been established to bring together the leaders responsible for the operational railway working with an independent Chair to start to realise the benefits of rail reform for passengers and freight ahead of the formal creation of Great British Railways.To maximise collaboration, we are utilising cross-organisational project teams working together, with Shadow Great British Railways drawing on existing resources and capabilities from across the department, Network Rail and DfT Operator.

With reference to her Department's press notice entitled Transport Secretary launches review of train company revenue protection practices, published on 13 November 2024, what progress the Office of Rail and Road has made on that review; and when she expects the conclusions of that review to be published.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) will provide a final report to the Secretary of State no later than 15 May 2025. The review is currently in progress, and regular updates have been provided to the Department for Transport throughout. The ORR will determine when to publish the report.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of National Archives documents misplaced while on loan to Departments.

Section 4(6) of the Public Records Act 1958 gives departments the right to recall records that they have transferred to The National Archives. In 2018, The National Archives put in place a framework for safeguarding public records that establishes firm controls around such recalls. Officials at The National Archives are unaware of any records going missing since the establishment of this framework.

With reference to Table 9, on page 19 of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority's Annual Report and Accounts, published on 24 July 2024, what the wording of the question that measured overall satisfaction was; and what the response rate was to that question.

When issuing decision letters by post at both first and review decision stage, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority includes a paper survey form that applicants can complete and return. The wording of the question used to measure overall satisfaction was “Overall how did you feel about the service you received throughout the claims process”. In response applicants can select very good, good, average, poor and very poor. In 2023-24, the response rate to this question was 5.6%* (2326 surveys returned).*The survey is issued at both first and review decision stage meaning the same applicant may be asked to complete this more than once. The survey is not issued again for cases which are appealed to the First-tier Tribunal.

Media and Sport, what recent progress her Department has made on the establishment of the community wealth fund.

The government announced in November 2024 that it is allocating £87.5 million of dormant assets funding to the Community Wealth Fund and is committed to ensuring it delivers meaningful benefits to disadvantaged communities across England. DCMS and MHCLG are working to shortly publish the government response to the Community Wealth Fund technical consultation. This will set out the final design of the Community Wealth Fund, including further information on how beneficiary communities will be selected, and other elements of its delivery.