Written questions by Moran.

If she will publish a timeframe for implementing the findings of the research by Ofsted entitled Best start in life part 3: the 4 specific areas of learning, published on 8 October 2024.

Ofsted is an independent non-ministerial government department and, as such, we are unable to comment on its processes or on specific issues. The department has responsibility for policy on inspection and registration, but how it is implemented is for Ofsted to decide and to be held to account by Parliament. The department will therefore not be publishing a timeline for implementation of findings in ‘Best Start in Life part 3: the 4 specific areas of learning’, nor were there any particular recommendations made by Ofsted for it to implement. The reviews published by Ofsted are publicly available on GOV.UK and are primarily intended to help early years practitioners to raise the quality of early years education.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of removing the referee requirement for UK citizenship applications, in the context of the introduction of biometric identity checks.

The application process for British citizenship is kept under regular review with a view to making it as efficient and straightforward as possible while upholding necessary security requirements.

With reference to the consultation entitled Smarter regulation: proposed changes to legislation for electrically assisted pedal cycles, which closed on 25 April 2024, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of amending regulations on (a) the classification of and (b) enabling throttle assistance for electrically-assisted pedal cycles.

The Department is carefully considering the responses to the consultation, and will make an announcement on the way forward as soon as possible.

How much unusable PPE has been disposed of since November 2023.

The Department holds all pertinent contractual detail on those companies who provided personal protective equipment (PPE) products that were considered unsuitable for use. Between 1 November 2023 and 30 September 2024, approximately 432,700 pallets of unusable PPE have been disposed of.It currently costs approximately £200,000 per week to store PPE unsuitable for National Health Service use. The figure is dynamic because the stock is reducing. NHS Supply Chain manages PPE product supply and logistics and they lease storage for PPE from the following companies GXO and Visku (Bis Henderson).A programme of work is underway to reduce our excess stock. This work will significantly reduce the cost of our storage network and is due to be complete by January 2025 through sales, donations, recycling, and energy from waste.

What the cost to the public purse is of storing PPE unsuitable for NHS use; and which companies are contracted to provide such storage services.

The Department holds all pertinent contractual detail on those companies who provided personal protective equipment (PPE) products that were considered unsuitable for use. Between 1 November 2023 and 30 September 2024, approximately 432,700 pallets of unusable PPE have been disposed of.It currently costs approximately £200,000 per week to store PPE unsuitable for National Health Service use. The figure is dynamic because the stock is reducing. NHS Supply Chain manages PPE product supply and logistics and they lease storage for PPE from the following companies GXO and Visku (Bis Henderson).A programme of work is underway to reduce our excess stock. This work will significantly reduce the cost of our storage network and is due to be complete by January 2025 through sales, donations, recycling, and energy from waste.

What information his Department holds on companies involved in supplying PPE which was subsequently marked as do not supply due to being unsuitable for use in the NHS.

The Department holds all pertinent contractual detail on those companies who provided personal protective equipment (PPE) products that were considered unsuitable for use. Between 1 November 2023 and 30 September 2024, approximately 432,700 pallets of unusable PPE have been disposed of.It currently costs approximately £200,000 per week to store PPE unsuitable for National Health Service use. The figure is dynamic because the stock is reducing. NHS Supply Chain manages PPE product supply and logistics and they lease storage for PPE from the following companies GXO and Visku (Bis Henderson).A programme of work is underway to reduce our excess stock. This work will significantly reduce the cost of our storage network and is due to be complete by January 2025 through sales, donations, recycling, and energy from waste.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure consular access to British tourists in Egypt who have been arrested.

The FCDO, via our consular staff, is available 24/7 to provide consular support to British nationals abroad. Whenever the FCDO is informed of the arrest of a British national in Egypt, our consular officials aim to make contact as soon as possible to seek more information and assess their situation, including requesting consular access. In the event consular access is delayed or denied, we can raise this with the Egyptian authorities where appropriate.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that rural communities benefit from hosting ground-mounted solar farm infrastructure on agricultural land.

The Government is committed to ensuring that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, such as solar farms, they directly benefit from it. The relaunched Solar Taskforce, which will set out how Government and industry can radically increase the level of solar deployment required by 2030, is considering how best to ensure that communities receive appropriate benefits. Its recommendations will be made in a Solar Roadmap, due to be published shortly.

Whether he has (a) made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing the Liberty Protection Safeguards and (b) had discussions with relevant stakeholders on a timetable for replacing the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards with the Liberty Protection Safeguards.

The implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards was paused by the previous government. The previous government decided to focus on other priorities. No assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing the Liberty Protection Safeguards and there have been no discussions about a timetable to replace the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards at this time.We do, however, recognise the vital importance of protecting the rights of people who lack mental capacity to consent to their care arrangements, and we are determined to tackle the challenges facing adult social care and to stabilise the system. In addressing these challenges, we will engage a wide range of adult social care stakeholders including people with lived experience of care and their families.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) payments are made to affected persons within three months of the passage of the Prisoners and Victims Act 2024 and (b) its compliance with other provisions of that Act.

The Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 required the Government to lay regulations to establish the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme within three months of the passing of the Act. On 23 August, we laid regulations that will give the Infected Blood Compensation Authority the powers necessary to pay compensation through the core route to the infected, both living and deceased. The Government expects the Infected Blood Compensation Authority to begin making payments to people who are infected under the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme by the end of this year. Payments to the affected are expected to begin in 2025, following a second set of regulations. Regarding other provisions of the Act, applications for interim payments of £100,000 to the estates of deceased people, whose deaths have not yet been recognised by a previous interim payment, will open in October. The Government takes its responsibilities under the Victims and Prisoners Act seriously and is doing everything possible to deliver compensation in a timely manner.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the exemption criteria for the EU Settlement Scheme, in the context of the exceptional circumstances faced by some applicants during the covid-19 pandemic.

There is already significant flexibility available to those applying to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) whose circumstances have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, they can be absent from the UK for a period of up to 12 months without breaking their continuity of residence where this is for an important reason, which can include COVID-19.The relevant published guidance, which provides for further flexibility for EUSS applicants who would otherwise have broken their continuous qualifying period of residence in the UK because of COVID-19, is available at:www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-eu-settlement-scheme-guidance-for-applicants

What steps his Department is taking to improve pathways of care for young people with ADHD in Oxfordshire.

The Department is currently considering next steps to improve access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments and care pathways.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including ADHD care pathways, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England is establishing to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce will bring together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the National Health Service, education and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD and help provide a joined-up approach in response to concerns around rising demand.The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire ICB advises that it has implemented a new assessment model within its neurodevelopmental conditions service to enable the team to carry out additional assessments. It has also commissioned a Living Well with Neurodivergence offer for children and young people with diagnosed or suspected ADHD, launched a parent peer support network for families waiting for assessment, and partnered with Oxfordshire Parent Carers Forum to provide a range of workshops for parents.