Written questions by Dillon.

With reference to the report entitled Budget 2024 Briefing, published by Tech First in October 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of levels of child poverty on resource allocation in schools.

The schools national funding formula (NFF) targets funding to schools which have pupils with additional needs. In the 2024/25 financial year, over £4.4 billion (10.2%) of the formula is allocated according to deprivation factors in the NFF, including free school meals (FSM) for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, and over £7.8 billion (17.8%) is allocated for additional needs overall.The department has recently published provisional factor values for the 2025/26 NFF, including the increases to the deprivation factors within the formula. This is published at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pre-16-schools-funding-local-authority-guidance-for-2025-to-2026.The core schools budget grant (CSBG), announced earlier this year to support schools with the costs of the 2024 pay awards for support staff and teachers, likewise includes a deprivation factor. This means pupils who have been eligible for FSM at any point over the past six years attract additional funding to their schools through the CSBG.On top of this funding through the NFF and CSBG, the department also provides additional funding to schools through the pupil premium to improve the attainment and wider outcomes of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the 2024/25 financial year, total pupil premium funding is worth over £2.9 billion.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of lifting the two-child benefit cap on funding for local authorities.

No such assessment has been made.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the clean air policy addresses the risks of (a) carbon monoxide and (b) other indoor air pollutants.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works in partnership with other organisations to develop advice and recommended actions which can improve detection of, and prevent accidental exposure to, carbon monoxide in homes. This includes participating in a cross-Government group on gas safety and carbon monoxide awareness, which promotes a joined-up approach to improving gas safety and reducing carbon monoxide poisoning risks.The UKHSA Clean Air Programme includes efforts both to build the evidence base and raise awareness of indoor air quality and its health impacts. Furthermore, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidance on indoor air quality at home, designed to raise awareness of the importance of good air quality in people's homes and advise on how to achieve this.Building regulations already require that carbon monoxide alarms are fitted alongside the installation of fixed combustion appliances of any fuel type, excluding gas cookers, in all tenures. The ingress of outdoor air can affect indoor air quality, and the Government is committed to delivering a comprehensive and ambitious Clean Air Strategy.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending funding settlements for the Household Support Fund beyond one year.

We recognise that certainty helps Local Authorities to design and deliver sustainable plans for local welfare assistance. Committing to funding the Household Support Fund until 31 March 2026 will allow them to plan their approach with greater certainty. No decision has been made at this stage on funding beyond the end of March 2026. As with all other government programmes, any such funding will be considered in the round at Phase 2 of the Spending Review.

What steps she is taking to ensure that teachers have the (a) classroom support and (b) equipment needed to support pupils with SEND.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.High quality teaching is central to ensuring that pupils with SEND are given the best possible opportunity to achieve in their education. To support all teachers, the department is implementing a range of teacher training reforms to ensure teachers have the skills to support all pupils to succeed, including those with SEND.On 1 September 2024, the government introduced a new mandatory leadership level National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs). The NPQ will play a key role in improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND by ensuring SENCOs consistently receive high quality, evidence based training. This is crucial given the central role SENCOs play in supporting pupils with SEND.A new Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) is due to be implemented from September 2025, which contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, such as developing an understanding of different pupil needs and learning how to provide opportunities for success for all pupils.The availability of training and career progression opportunities for teaching assistants helps ensure schools have the skilled staff they need to deliver high quality education. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education has recently approved a new Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant apprenticeship, allowing teaching assistants to specialise in one of three areas: SEND, Social and Emotional Wellbeing, or Curriculum Provision. The apprenticeship will be available for candidates to undertake in 2025.In addition, assistive technology (AT) can break down barriers to opportunity for students with SEND. The department is broadening the effective use of AT for teachers through research, training and guidance.

With reference to paragraph 2.40 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the rise in the rate of employer national insurance contributions on pharmacies.

We have taken tough decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at Autumn Budget. This enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The employer national insurance rise will be implemented April 2025, the Department will set out further details on allocation of funding for next year in due course.

Whether UK Export Finance is taking steps to support companies in Newbury constituency sell their goods and services overseas.

Businesses based in Newbury can take advantage of the range of products that UK Export Finance provides to facilitate exporting, including loan guarantee and insurance facilities.In 2023/24 alone, UKEF provided £8.8 billion support to help UK businesses sell their goods and services overseas.Businesses in Newbury and across the country may also want to consider other support for exporting that is available from the Department for Business and Trade, such as our network of International Trade Advisers and guidance on GREAT.GOV.UK.To obtain further information about the range of support available, businesses in Newbury can reach out to their local Export Finance Manager, for whom contact details are available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/find-an-export-finance-manager.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the cost of storage heaters on the elderly population.

Whilst dedicated analysis on the cost of storage heaters in homes occupied by the elderly has not been carried out, broader analysis by the Department(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/632038fee90e077dba7762a6/CODE-Final-Report-WHOLE-FINAL-v20.pdf) has shown that high retention storage heaters coupled with a time-of-use tariff can be one of the lowest-cost forms of electric heating, particularly for smaller properties with low heat demand such as small flats. However, their competitiveness diminishes in larger properties such as an average house, where heat pumps become the cheapest low carbon option.

What steps his Department is taking to support people to pay their energy bills.

The Government believes that the only way to guarantee our energy security and protect billpayers permanently is to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels and towards homegrown clean energy. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets, and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. In the short-term, we are continuing to deliver the Warm Home Discount which provides an annual £150 rebate off energy bills for eligible low-income households. I have met with energy suppliers and encouraged them to build on the Voluntary Debt Commitment for this winter, and we are continuing to work with suppliers to ensure consumers are supported this winter.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring electric vehicle owners to pay the same energy prices as people with storage heaters.

The Government is supportive of electricity suppliers offering tariffs which incentivise consumers, including electric vehicle owners, to consume energy at off peak times, as this benefits all consumers by reducing the need for additional grid capacity. The Government is working with Ofgem to ensure that tariffs, such as Economy 7 tariffs used by households with storage heaters, are priced fairly. This includes ensuring there is an appropriate price cap for Economy 7 tariffs.

What steps his Department plans to take to provide more (a) sustainable and (b) cost-effective energy options for home heating.

We are taking steps to address a range of barriers to mass deployment of heat pumps, which include improving consumer awareness, building resilient supply chains, improving affordability and growing our understanding of the potential future requirements for electricity generation and network reinforcement, and how these might be met cost effectively and practicably. Our Warm Homes Plan will also transform homes across the country by making them cleaner and cheaper to run, from installing new insulation to rolling out solar and heat pumps.

What assessment has she made of the impact of the level of business rates on high street shops; and what steps she plans to take to support businesses with high business rates.

High street businesses are contending with changing consumer shopping habits and have faced a series of economic headwinds in recent years, including the pandemic. As set out in its manifesto, the government wants to ensure that the weight of business rates is permanently rebalanced and high street businesses are protected.The government announced at the Budget an intention to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties from 2026-27. During the interim period, for 2025-26, RHL properties will receive a 40% relief on business rates bills up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. The small business multiplier paid by properties with RVs below £51,000 will also be frozen for a further year.

What guidance her Department provides to parents on Universal Credit on using the Flexible Support Fund to cover upfront childcare costs.

The Flexible Support Fund can be used to pay 100% of the upfront costs of up to one month of childcare. This is designed to ensure that any costs that the Universal Credit customer incurs in relation to childcare when starting work or increasing their hours is not a barrier to taking up this work. The Government website ‘Childcare Choices’ is a key source of childcare information for parents. It advises that UC customers might be eligible for upfront childcare costs, and to speak to their work coach. We also issue guidance to Jobcentre Plus work coaches on the eligibility and awarding criteria for the Flexible Support Fund and upfront childcare costs. Customers who have received an upfront childcare award can make a Universal Credit childcare claim for up to 85% of their childcare costs thereafter. The Universal Credit childcare claim is paid to the customer through their UC award, which they can use to pay for the next month's costs, thereby easing UC customers into the UC childcare costs payment cycle.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of trends in the number of closures of grassroots sports facilities on young children.

Every child should have the opportunity to play sports and do regular physical activity. Our mission-led Government puts children and young people at the heart of our priorities. This includes breaking down barriers to opportunity for every child to access high-quality sport and physical activity, especially those who are less likely to be active.This Government recognises that grassroots facilities are at the heart of communities up and down the country and is acting to support more people to get active wherever they live through the delivery of the £123 million Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in 2024/25.

Whether her Department plans to reform the SEND system.

For too long the education system has not met the needs of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve. This government’s ambition is for all children and young people with SEND, or in alternative provision, to receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs, restoring parents’ trust that their child will get the support they need. The department wants to drive a consistent and inclusive approach to supporting children and young people with SEND through early identification, effective support, high quality teaching and effective allocation of resources. Our approach will support families, breaking down the barriers to opportunity for their children. The department wants to ensure that, where required, education, health and care (EHC) assessments are progressed promptly and, if needed, EHC plans are issued as quickly as possible. We will work with children, young people, parents, local authorities, schools and colleges and their partners to deliver improvements, so that children and young people can access the support they need.

What steps she plans to take to financially support the early years sector to deliver the expanded 30-hour offer.

The new childcare entitlements for eligible working parents of children aged from nine months will increase from 15 hours to 30 hours from September 2025, helping hundreds of thousands of families with the cost of childcare and supporting parents to work.The Autumn Budget confirmed £1.8 billion in the 2025/26 financial year to support the expansion with a further £15 million of capital funding to expand school-based nurseries. This £1.8 billion will mean the budget for childcare entitlements next year will be over £8 billion, reflecting the additional money needed for the 30 hour expansion and ensuring funding for the entitlements reflect forecasts of average earnings and inflation next year.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the (a) quality and (b) safety of homes.

The Building Regulations set standards for the design and construction of new building work covering safety, security, accessibility, water and energy use. They are intended to protect people’s health and welfare and may apply when somebody is putting up a new building, making material changes to a building, extending an existing building or altering building services. The Regulations apply to new building work and are supported by guidance set out in Approved Documents. Recent significant updates to the Building Regulations and fire safety guidance in Approved Document B have included the ban on combustible materials in and on the external walls of new residential buildings higher than 18 metres; setting a threshold for provision of sprinklers in new blocks of flats taller than 11 metres; making provision for wayfinding signage for fire fighters in residential buildings above 11 metres; and providing additional guidance on evacuation alert systems in new residential buildings over 18 metres in height. An 18-metre threshold height for second staircases in new residential buildings has been introduced from March 2024. The Building Safety Act 2022 requires the safety and standard of buildings to be kept under review; Building Regulations can then be updated as needed. This mechanism offers Government a source of evidence if Regulations or guidance need amendment or to reflect advances in building safety knowledge and technologies.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of preventing Job Centres from distributing food vouchers on levels of access to foodbanks.

Under the previous administration, the Government introduced a new food charity signposting slip to replace the one previously used, removing personal data to better comply with our departmental obligations, including our GDPR responsibilities, and to improve our signposting process. The new slip does not change our DWP policy, and our Jobcentres continue to provide customers with guidance to find additional support, including signposting to emergency food support when appropriate.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that private homes are safe for elderly people.

The Government provides 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.We are also taking action to improve standards within the private rented sector in England through the Renters’ Rights Bill, including through introducing the Decent Homes Standard to the sector for the first time. We are also applying ‘Awaab’s Law’ to the sector which will set clear legal expectations about the timeframes within which landlords in the private rented sector must make homes safe where they contain serious hazards. All elderly people should be able to live in a safe and decent home and these changes will have a positive impact on improving the health and wellbeing of older tenants.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help support grassroots sports.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has access to and benefits from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year.The Government has also committed to continued funding for grassroots facilities, investing £123 million UK-wide via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme throughout 2024/25, working with our delivery partner the Football Foundation.