Written questions by Anderson.

Which locations in Ashfield are currently providing the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine for people who are unable to have the Modena vaccine for health reasons.

The Government is guided by the advice of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) for its immunisation and vaccination programmes. This includes eligibility for vaccination and the vaccines that may be used in the national programme.Both the Moderna mRNA (Spikevax) COVID-19 vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA (Comirnaty) COVID-19 vaccine are approved for use in the United Kingdom and, in line with JCVI advice, may be used in the autumn 2024 COVID-19 national vaccination programme. NHS England advises that all sites in Ashfield are currently providing the Moderna vaccine, and that from November 2024 the Pfizer vaccine is also expected to be supplied. The vaccine or vaccines being supplied at individual sites or nationally is, within JCVI guidance, an operational matter. Further information on the JCVI’s advice is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-autumn-2024-vaccination-programme-jcvi-advice-8-april-2024/Guidance from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) states that there are very few individuals who cannot receive the COVID-19 vaccines approved in the UK. Anyone concerned about possible reactions to a vaccine should in the first instance speak to the clinician responsible for their care for advice.Published UKHSA clinical guidance for health professionals and immunisation practitioners on COVID-19 vaccination includes guidance for the management of patients with a history of allergy, including circumstances where a person may be referred to an expert allergist and, after a review of the individual’s risks and benefits of vaccination, where it is indicated, they could then be vaccinated in hospital under clinical supervision. NHS England will continue to follow this clinical guidance.

What plans his Department has to support students with special needs in the Ashfield and Mansfield district.

Nottinghamshire received a joint local area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in February 2023 under the current Area SEND Inspection framework. Ofsted and the CQC found widespread and/or systemic failings leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND which the local area partnership must address urgently. The report, which was published on 16 May 2023, included two areas for priority action (APA). The local area submitted a Priority Action Plan to Ofsted and the CQC to address these APAs, which was approved on 14 July 2023. The department’s regional team has put in place systems to track outcomes against the APAs found by inspectors and the progress made by children and young people with SEND. Nottinghamshire County Council is committed to working closely with the department to improve services. The department has appointed a SEND Advisor to work collaboratively with an NHS England Adviser to challenge, support and work alongside Nottinghamshire County Council and the local area partnership. In addition, the department commissioned the Council for Disabled Children, which is part of the Research and Improvement for SEND Excellence Consortium contract, to deliver a bespoke package, supporting the local area to develop an outcome-based framework to underpin their new SEND strategy. This is available here: https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/education/special-educational-needs-and-disabilities-send/special-educational-needs-and-disabilities-send/nottinghamshire-local-area-send-strategy. This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is committed to taking a community wide approach in collaboration with local area partnerships, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take to provide safe and affordable (a) assisted living facilities and (b) other housing options for elderly citizens.

The government has committed to building 1.5 million new homes in this parliament, including housing for older people.At the Budget on 30 October, the Chancellor set out details of an immediate one-year cash injection of £500 million to top up the existing Affordable Homes Programme which will deliver up to 5,000 new social and affordable homes. This comes ahead of the multi-year Spending Review next spring, where the Government will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme, including assisted living and housing for older people.In our recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, we proposed policy changes to deliver more mixed tenure development including housing designed for specific groups such as older people. The consultation closed on the 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses with a view to publishing a government response before the end of the year.The government provides funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant, a capital grant administered by local authorities that can help pay the cost of adapting eligible disabled and older people’s homes, regardless of tenure, to allow them to live safely and independently. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test. An additional £86 million for the DFG for 2025-26 was announced in the Budget, bringing the total to £711 million.The last government appointed an independent Older People’s Housing Taskforce to look at options for the provision of greater choice, quality and security of housing for older people. We intend to provide an update in relation to the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report in due course.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing the minimum wage on SMEs; and whether she plans to provide additional support to SMEs.

This Government remains committed to helping small businesses thrive and will be publishing our Small Business Strategy next year. This will set out our vision for all small businesses, from boosting scale-ups to growing the co-operative economy. It will address key policy areas such as creating thriving high streets, making it easier to access finance, opening overseas and domestic markets, building business capabilities, and providing a strong business environment.We will publish an Impact Assessment alongside the legislation that implements the increase to the National Living Wage. We estimate that over 3 million workers will receive a pay rise due to the increase in the National Living Wage in April 2025.

What steps his Department plans to take to increase the number of healthcare professionals in rural areas.

The recent annual reports from the Chief Medical Officer for England set out the clear healthcare challenges patients face when living in remote, rural, and coastal areas.It is clear that the National Health Service has faced chronic workforce shortages across all communities for years, and fixing this will take time. We have commissioned the 10-Year Health Plan, and a central and core part of this will be our workforce, and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities.Plans and policies will align with the strategic objectives set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, and will support its delivery.

Representing the Church Commissioners, if the Commissioners will publish the legal costs of defending bishops against claims that they failed to act appropriately in safeguarding matters in each of the last five years.

The Church Commissioners have a discretion under the Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure 1943, assessed on a case by case basis, to pay the costs of a bishop’s office, including costs in connection with legal claims. Such claims include those which may allege that the office of a serving bishop is liable for the wrongdoing of a previous holder of the office or a person for whom in law the office of the bishop may be responsible.Requests to the Church Commissioners for assistance with legal costs are subject to scrutiny by the First Church Estates Commissioner and the KC Commissioner, assisted by officers, to ensure that costs are reasonable in the circumstances.It is not the practice of the Church Commissioners to disclose expenditure on the costs of legal proceedings of this kind (they are not required to do so under s.5 Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure 1943)

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to intervene where councils have issued a section 114 notice.

This Government recognises that council funding has been under pressure since 2010, and we understand that improving how local government is funded is crucial to enabling councils to deliver for local residents. We will provide councils with more stability and certainty through moving towards multi-year funding settlements and by ending wasteful competitive bidding pots. This will ensure councils can plan their finances for the future properly, delivering better value for money for taxpayers.Councils are responsible for their own finances, and for setting a balanced budget in line with their statutory duties. However, any council that has unmanageable pressures should approach the Government in the first instance.We have recently confirmed that we will have a framework in place to support those in the most difficult positions. This will be a collaborative process, and for example we recently confirmed our intention not to replicate the punitive premium on borrowing for councils needing support which existed under the previous government's framework.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has provided funding to local authorities for diversity and inclusion projects in the last three financial years.

The department funds the Local Government Association (LGA) to deliver a sector support programme for the benefit of local authorities, which during the last three years has included elements of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) work e.g. an online hub housing EDI learning resources and tools, guidance on public sector equality duty and support to councils on the design of EDI policies and services.The department does not maintain a central list of funding to local authorities titled ‘diversity and inclusion projects’ so we are not able to provide that information.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of immigration on the length of waiting lists for social housing in (a) Ashfield and (b) Mansfield district.

The department does not hold information on the immigration status of those on waiting lists. If a person's immigration status does not allow them recourse to public funds, then they are not eligible for an allocation of social housing. Ashfield District Council has a local connection test in place to determine who qualifies for social housing and Mansfield District Council has both a residency and local connection test.

How much (a) funding and (b) other resources his Department is providing to GP practices to help meet the demand for appointments in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial year.

We hugely value the critical role that general practitioners (GPs) play, and we are determined to address the issues they face by shifting the focus of the National Health Service beyond hospitals and into the community. GPs and primary care have been receiving a smaller proportion of NHS resources over time, and we’re committed to reversing that.On 28 February 2024, NHS England published details of the changes to the GP contract for 2024/25, including an overall increase in funding of £259 million, taking overall contract investment to £11,864 million in 2024/25. The 2024/25 contract at that point included a 2% planning assumption for pay, which was used to uplift the GP contract from 1 April 2024. We turned to the independent pay review body, the Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration Board (DDRB), for a recommendation on pay for 2024/25.We have accepted the DDRB’s recommendations in full and, following consultation with the British Medical Association, we uplifted the pay element of the GP contract by 6% on a consolidated basis, an increase of 4% on top of the 2% interim uplift in April, to provide practices with funding to uplift GP partners, salaried GPs, and other salaried staff pay by 6%. The global sum element of the contract has been increased by 7.4% to fund the 6% increase in pay.Departmental expenditure limits for 2025/26 will be set alongside the Budget in October. The overall GP contract investment in 2025/26 will be determined afterwards.

Whether he plans to increase funding for NHS smoking cessation programmes for pregnant women.

The Government is funding a broad package of measures to tackle the harm caused by smoking, including launching the National Smoke-free Pregnancy Incentives Scheme. The scheme can recruit pregnant smokers until 31 March 2025, who will be eligible to receive incentives until three months post-partum for becoming and remaining smoke-free, subject to confirmation via a carbon monoxide breath test. All decisions on funding beyond March 2025 remain subject to the Spending Review process.

What recent estimate her Department has made of when the re-build of Ashfield School will take place.

Ashfield Comprehensive School is currently in the feasibility stage of the School Rebuilding Programme. The feasibility will determine the scope of the project, programme and the budget. Once the feasibility is concluded the department will procure a contractor to undertake the detailed design of the scheme and secure planning permission. The department currently anticipates appointing a contractor in spring 2025, with construction beginning from autumn/winter 2025.

Whether he plans to increase the number of NHS staff working on maternity units.

We are committed to growing workforce capacity as quickly as possible to meet local needs and achieve safe staffing levels. Bringing in the staff we need will take time, but this is an absolute priority for the Government. We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future.One of the themes in NHS England’s Three-Year Delivery Plan covers growing, retaining, and supporting our workforce. NHS England is boosting the midwifery workforce through undergraduate training, apprenticeships, postgraduate conversion, return to midwifery programmes, and international recruitment.We also remain committed to the Long-Term Workforce Plan, which sets out the steps the NHS and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. It will put the workforce on a sustainable footing for the long term.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a higher tax threshold for pensioners.

The Government is committed to making sure older people can live with the dignity and respect they deserve in retirement. The income tax Personal Allowance will continue to exceed the basic and full new State Pension in 2024-25. This means that pensioners whose sole income is the full new State Pension or basic State Pension without any increments will continue to not pay any income tax.

What steps her Department is taking to help support pubs in Ashfield constituency.

Pubs make an enormous contribution to our economy and society, and this is recognised in the tax system.    At the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor cut alcohol duty on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and is equivalent to a 1p duty reduction on a typical pint. This reduction increased the relief available on draught products to 13.9%.      The Chancellor also confirmed her intention to introduce permanently lower business rates for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, including pubs, from 2026-27, and in the interim extend the current RHL relief for 1-year at 40%, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business.

What steps his Department is taking to help support pubs in Ashfield constituency.

Pubs, including those in Ashfield, are at the heart of our communities and vital for economic growth. That is why the Government is creating a fairer business rate system by introducing permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses from 2026-27 and extending the current relief for 1 year at 40%.The government is also reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products, representing an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year.We will transform the apprenticeship levy into a more flexible growth and skills levy to better support business and boost opportunity for people to work in Pubs.Through the Hospitality Sector Council, we are addressing strategic issues for the sector related to high street regeneration, skills, sustainability, and productivity.

Communities and Local Government, how many people claimed the single-person discount on council tax in the latest period for which data is available; and what the cost to the public purse was of this discount in the same period.

The latest available data for October 2023 shows there were approximately 8.6 million households in receipt of a single person discount. This data is available here - Council Taxbase 2023 in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The Government does not collect data on the revenue foregone to provide the discount.

What estimate he has made of the cost of (a) Wegovy and (b) Mounjaro to tackle obesity.

Wegovy is recommended for National Health Service use within a specialist weight management service. It launched in the United Kingdom in September 2023. The price for Wegovy is subject to a confidential commercial agreement between Novo Nordisk and NHS England.Mounjaro is not yet recommended for the management of obesity in the NHS. However, it is under assessment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Their recommendation is currently due to be published in December 2024. The current list price for the maximum dosage of Mounjaro is £122 for a month’s supply. The maximum annual price of Mounjaro per patient is therefore £1,464 based on 12 months at maximum dosage. This does not include service delivery costs to the NHS.

Why was no cost benefit analysis done for the change to the Winter Fuel Allowance entitlement.

There is no requirement to carry out a cost benefit analysis for all policy changes. A policy costing will be published as standard following the Autumn Budget 2024. An equality analysis was produced as part of Ministerial decision making in line with the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Whether he has commissioned a cost-benefit analysis of the Government's net zero target.

The UK was the first country to set legally binding carbon budgets and the first major economy to establish a net zero target in law. An Impact Assessment of the level of the Sixth Carbon Budget was published at the time, including a cost-benefit analysis which showed the economic costs and benefits of net zero. Without the shift to renewable energy, we will continue to be exposed to volatile fossil fuel markets and the cost of living crises households had to live through in the last Parliament.