Written questions by Turner.

With reference to table 10.10 of her Department's publication entitled Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2024, published on 30 July 2024, if she will publish a version of the regional breakdown of per capita railway expenditure that excludes HS2's contribution.

The country and region tables shown in chapters 9 and 10 of PESA including table 10.10, were originally published the previous December as part of the Country and Regional Analysis (CRA) dataset. It is possible to reproduce railway expenditure excluding HS2 using the data published alongside each CRA release. Provided below is a link to collected editions of the Country and Regional Analysis publications on GOV.UK:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-and-regional-analysis

What steps her Department is taking to increase capacity on the West Coast Main Line north of Birmingham.

The Department recognises concerns about capacity on the West Coast Main Line north of Birmingham and are considering advice before setting out detailed plans in due course. The Department is evaluating possible interventions to improve capacity north of Birmingham, such as changes to timetabling and service patterns, as well as incremental improvements to infrastructure and rolling stock that could help to alleviate capacity shortfalls.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of NHS staff being taxed as a second job for working overtime.

All income earned through employment is taxable, including income from further employment, such as from overtime or through additional employment. Tax is paid on individual’s overall income, regardless of the source of that income. Not all individuals who receive an income are formally employed, as many earn through self-employment or receive other sources of income. By paying tax on overall income, rather than solely through income from a single source of employment, the income tax system is highly progressive, with different rates of tax sitting above an internationally high Personal Allowance. When an individual moves from one tax band to another because of an increase in their income, they will only pay additional tax on the portion of their income that falls within the new tax band.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish a public consultation this year that would enable the Government to provide the best support to farmers to end the use of pig farrowing crates.

We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The use of farrowing crates for pigs is an issue we are currently considering very carefully.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to make Animal Health and Welfare Pathway grants available to pig farmers to install free farrowing systems.

We will simplify and rationalise our grant funding, ensuring that grants are targeted towards those who need them most and where they can deliver the most benefit for food security and nature.

What proportion of children in state-funded schools were educated in special schools in each year from 2010-11.

The department publishes data on the number of children in special schools and the total number of pupils in state-funded schools in the following publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england. Data since 2015/16 can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9e7bff83-c9e9-4503-9355-08dd6ba01329. The same data for years 2010/11 to 2014/15 can be accessed at:: https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F5a80340040f0b62305b89c8b%2FSFR25-2015_TABLES_NATIONAL.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK.

What steps her Department has taken to support the SEND-specialist Further Education sector; and what central capital grants have been provided to that sector during the last ten years.

The department has now published allocations for £740 million of high needs capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year. Of this funding, Birmingham has been allocated a total of just under £15 million which can be used to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings including early years, post-16 settings and alternative provision. It can also be used to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings.This is in addition to over £3 billion of high needs capital funding allocated to local authorities since 2018.The department has also announced allocations of high needs revenue funding, which will be allocated as part of the dedicated schools grant to local authorities, and which they can use to support specialist further education provision for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), particularly those with education, health and care plans, as well as children with SEND in the schools sector. High needs funding will total over £12 billion in the 2025/26 financial year.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Colombia on the potential renewal of the UK-Colombia Bilateral Investment Treaty.

The Government has not been formally approached by the Colombian government about proposals to amend the UK-Colombia Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). The Government regards the UK-Colombia BIT as playing an important role in the investment relationship between our two countries. The stock of total investment between the UK and Colombia was £6.8 billion in 2023. Following the UK-Colombia BIT's initial ten-year term, in accordance with the treaty's provisions, it shall remain in force indefinitely unless it is terminated by either Party.

When Transport Focus last published minutes of meetings of its Board.

Transport Focus is currently in the process of updating numerous sections of its website. This includes records such as the board minutes, and the board committee terms of reference. Transport Focus is committed to upholding the principles of transparency and accountability and will prioritise the publication of historic minutes as soon as possible. The most current iteration of board meeting minutes available on the Transport Focus website are those from the November 2021 board meeting. Recordings of public board meetings are available on the website, with the most recent being from May 2024: https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/about/transparency-and-accountability/board-meetings/ In the interim, if there are any minutes/events of particular interest, Transport Focus will be more than happy to make these available upon request: https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/contact-form.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on the 2025-26 NHS Payment Scheme consultation.

Ministers will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by James Mackey, to lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job, we will empower staff to focus on delivering better care for patients, driving productivity up and getting waiting times down.

With reference to the Office of Rail and Road's letter to Network Rail of 11 February 2025, entitled Management of structures – structures examination and assessment noncompliance, what recent assessment she has made of Network Rail's capability to (a) identify and (b) remedy infrastructure failings; and when the Independent Reporter commission that is referred to in that letter will conclude.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), in its capacity as the independent rail safety regulator for Great Britain, is responsible for assessing the adequacy of the measures taken by Network Rail to examine, assess and evaluate the safety of the structural assets it owns, and for deciding on any appropriate regulatory action. ORR expects the Independent Reporter commission to conclude in approximately 9-12 months. Safety remains our top priority for the railways, and it is important the independent rail regulator can act proactively to ensure high standards are maintained. We will look to Network Rail to work closely with the ORR to agree a plan for prioritising delivery of its planned structures examinations and assessments.

What steps his Department is taking to develop weightings for trade union (a) access and (b) recognition when (i) awarding public contracts and (ii) determining strategic suppliers.

The Social Value Model has been updated to ensure that in-scope organisations can implement the government’s new National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS). Procurement Policy Note 002: The Social Value Model sets out the government’s approach to social value. Strategic suppliers are selected based on the scale, scope and criticality of the services they provide.

What information her Department holds on the levels of corrosion on the Class (a) 150/0, (b) 150/1, (c) 150/2, (d) 155, (e) 156 and (f) 158 vehicles operated by Northern Trains.

The Department does not hold information with regards to the levels of corrosion on the specified rolling stock. It is a matter for the operator, rolling stock owner and maintainer to ensure that their rolling stock remains in an appropriate condition for operation on the railway network.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025 to Question 28794 on Railways: Season Tickets, what the cost of a standard-class annual rail season ticket from (a) Longbridge, (b) Northfield and (c) Kings Norton stations to Birmingham New Street was between 03 March 2024 and 01 March 2025.

The price of the standard class annual season ticket for all these journeys was £971.

If he will make an estimate of the number of NHS (a) operations, (b) appointments and (c) tests that took place in Birmingham between July-November (i) 2024 and (ii) 2023.

The scope of this data is limited to elective services consistent with consultant-led referral to treatment waiting times. It excludes emergency care, maternity, and mental health services. Birmingham has four trusts excluding these services, data for which has been aggregated into the table below. The following table shows the number of elective operations, outpatient appointments, and diagnostic tests, and the total of all three combined, delivered from July to November 2024 and from July to November 2023:Time periodElective operationsOutpatient appointmentsDiagnostic testsTotalJuly to November 2024105,253708,569260,1431,073,965July to November 202399,795683,685248,6831,032,163 In addition, the following table shows the number elective operations, outpatient appointments, and diagnostic tests, and the total of all three combined, delivered from July to November 2023, adjusted for working days, and the number of addition appointments delivered in 2024: Elective operationsOutpatient appointmentsDiagnostic testsTotalJuly to November 2023 adjusted for working days100,719690,015250,9861,041,720Additional appointments4,53418,5549,15732,245Note: the data excludes the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.

How many staff employed by single academy trusts were paid (a) between £150,000 and £199,999, (b) between £200,000 and £249,999 and (c) in excess of £250,000 in each of the last five years by trust.

The department collates and publishes data annually in the ‘Academies sector annual report and accounts’ on the number of academy trusts with an individual staff member whose emoluments are above £100,000. The data is available in the attached spreadsheet and can also be accessed in the reports published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts.Emoluments include salary, employer pension contributions and other benefits received during the year. These are reported in bandings of £100,000 to £150,000 and £150,000 and above.The department also publishes an annex alongside the academy sector accounts listing academy trusts paying one or more staff member remuneration of £150,000 in that year.The academies sector annual report and accounts is drawn from academy trusts’ accounts data. The report for 2022/23 will be published shortly. The deadline for academy trusts to submit data for 2023/24 to the department was 28 January 2025 and this data is currently collated for publication. Academy trusts must also publish pay information in their annual audited accounts and on their website.

What steps Network Rail takes to monitor air quality at Birmingham New Street station.

Network Rail monitors air quality at Birmingham New Street station as part of a £4.5 million air quality monitoring network, which is funded by the Department for Transport and managed by the Rail Safety and Standards Board. The network, which began operating in 2022, has measured air quality at over 100 mainline stations across Great Britain, providing data on key pollutants that impact public health, such as nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5). In addition, Network Rail conducts occupational health monitoring to assess staff exposure to diesel engine exhaust emissions at its managed stations, including Birmingham New Street.

How many cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome there were in each of the last 10 years.

The following table shows the number of cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) since 2014: YearToken Person ID20141,28720151,27920161,19820171,18420181,19520191,08320201,05820211,16320221,09520231,05620241,107 (provisional)Source: NHS England Notes:Token Person ID - for this analysis, each patient has been counted once against each year in which they were recorded as having a hospital episode with a valid diagnosis. A patient is only counted once in a given year, regardless of the number of episodes they may have had.NAS is typically identified at or shortly after birth, but there are also cases where the condition is not immediately apparent. Therefore, the data includes any patients aged less than one year old where the diagnosis was recorded to ensure that all relevant data are presented.

How many staff employed by multi academy trusts were paid (a) between £150,000 and £199,999, (b) between £200,000 and £249,999 and (c) in excess of £250,000 in each of the last five years by trust.

The department collates and publishes data annually in the ‘Academies sector annual report and accounts’ on the number of academy trusts with an individual staff member whose emoluments are above £100,000. The data is available in the attached spreadsheet and can also be accessed in the reports published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts.Emoluments include salary, employer pension contributions and other benefits received during the year. These are reported in bandings of £100,000 to £150,000 and £150,000 and above.The department also publishes an annex alongside the academy sector accounts listing academy trusts paying one or more staff member remuneration of £150,000 in that year.The academies sector annual report and accounts is drawn from academy trusts’ accounts data. The report for 2022/23 will be published shortly. The deadline for academy trusts to submit data for 2023/24 to the department was 28 January 2025 and this data is currently collated for publication. Academy trusts must also publish pay information in their annual audited accounts and on their website.

When her Department plans to respond to the consultation entitled Enabling road use of hydrogen-powered non-road mobile machinery, published on 27 March 2024.

Following a consultation that closed in April 2024, the Department for Transport is developing an amendment to The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 to allow hydrogen-powered off-road machinery to be used on the road. Legislation is expected to be introduced alongside publication of the Government’s response to the public consultation in April.