Written questions by Dillon.

Media and Sport, whether (a) the Government plans to pause the implementation of financial risk assessments for gambling; and (b) if she will make a statement on the matter.

Awaiting answer.

Media and Sport, whether the findings of the Gambling Commission's financial risk assessment pilot will be assessed against the specific commitments made in the April 2023 Gambling White Paper before any decision is taken on a national rollout of financial risk assessments.

Awaiting answer.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential economic impact on the horse racing and sports betting industries of the full implementation of financial risk assessments on gambling.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment has been made of the potential impact of Stamp Duty Land Tax, particularly the Higher Rates for Additional Dwellings, on the ability of residential property traders to provide liquidity to the housing market, especially among transactions relating to housing stock where no Stamp Duty Land Tax relief is available for those traders.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government increased the higher rates of SDLT by two percentage points and set out the impacts of this change. This information can be found here on page 130: Autumn Budget 2024 - GOV.UK

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of larger housing transaction volumes arising from changes to Stamp Duty Land Tax for residential property traders, particularly the Higher Rates for Additional Dwellings, on fiscal receipts.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government increased the higher rates of SDLT by two percentage points and set out the impacts of this change. This information can be found here on page 130: Autumn Budget 2024 - GOV.UK

What steps his Department is taking to reduce fuel poverty.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) fiscal and (b) regulatory framework, including Stamp Duty Land Tax rates, for residential property traders on (i) rates of downsizing and (ii) the release of under-occupied homes onto the market.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will undertake a review of the Sustainable Farming Incentive application system; and whether she will make it her policy to enable smaller farmers to apply for the next funding round before their current agreement ends.

As announced at the recent NFU Conference, a range of improvements will be introduced to make SFI26 a simpler, more streamlined offer and easier to navigate. One change is the introduction of two application windows, to ensure as many farmers as possible can benefit from a SFI agreement. Small farms with existing agreements will be able to apply in either Window 1 or Window 2. Farms over 50 hectares with existing agreements will be able to apply in Window 2.

Media and Sport, what guidance her Department is providing to local authorities implementing Young Futures Hubs on (a) ensuring that they are safe spaces for children, (b) provision for girls and young women to access mixed-gender and gender-specific spaces where appropriate, and (c) appropriate responses to disclosures of violence against women and girls.

Early adopter local authorities were provided with guidance on core requirements for Young Futures Hubs. Local areas co-design their hubs with young people to ensure provision meets their needs, including mixed-gender and gender-specific spaces where appropriate. While facilities may vary, every hub should offer a consistent, safe, inclusive and welcoming experience, with governance structures that support risk and safeguarding management. Learning from the early adopters will inform future guidance. We are passionate about the safety of girls and young women in all youth provision. We committed in the cross government strategy on Freedom from Violence and abuse that frontline professionals, such as GPs, teachers, youth workers and social workers, will spot the signs of abuse and connect individuals to specialist help.

What steps her Department is taking to help schools in the Newbury constituency to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What assessment she has made of the impact of reductions in the number of (a) teaching assistants, (b) support staff and (c) teachers on (i) pupils with special educational needs and disabilities and (ii) other pupils requiring additional learning support.

As part of our Plan for Change, we are committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and colleges, over the course of this Parliament.We are already making good progress. The teaching workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time equivalent (FTE) between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, the schools where they are needed most.The number of FTE school support staff has increased by 7,100 (1.4%) since 2023/24, which is mainly due to an increase of 5,900 teaching assistants.Our recent ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ white paper sets out the government’s vision for reforms to the schools and special educational needs and disabilities systems in England to ensure that every child can achieve and thrive.

What assessment he has made of the impact of the Personal Independence Payment assessment process on the mental health of people with cystic fibrosis.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What guidance his Department provides to Personal Independence Payment assessors on assessing people with cystic fibrosis, including the range of symptoms associated with the condition.

The department is committed to ensuring that individuals with cystic fibrosis receive high-quality and accurate Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments. All health professionals (HPs) carrying out PIP assessments receive comprehensive training in disability analysis, with a clear focus on understanding the functional effects of a claimant’s condition rather than the diagnosis itself. To support this approach, the department provides assessment suppliers with core training and guidance materials on the varying symptoms of cystic fibrosis. These materials include clinical background information and detail the potential functional impacts of the condition, enabling HPs to deliver informed, consistent and accurate assessments. In addition, all training and guidance materials are currently subject to a comprehensive review and update programme. A dedicated team is overseeing this work to ensure alignment with national best practice helping to ensure that guidance remains accurate, relevant and up to date.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact on small farms of the Sustainable Farming Incentive application window opening after the previous scheme has closed.

To date small farms have been less likely to be in SFI. SFI26 will have two application windows, to ensure as many farmers as possible can benefit from a SFI agreement. Window 1 will open from June 2026 for small farms with between 3 and 50 hectares and also farms without an existing Environmental Land Management agreement. The Government is specifically targeting these two groups (before opening to applications from all farmers) because it wants to bring more of them into SFI. This will make a major contribution to Defra’s EIP target to double the number of farms providing for farm wildlife by December 2030 (compared with 2025). Window 2 will open from September 2026 for all farms.

What steps she is taking to ensure that reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities system in England take account of the needs of children from armed forces families with additional needs.

As part of the consultation on the government’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, I recently attended a roundtable hosted by the Armed Forces Community All-Party Parliamentary Group, to hear first-hand from armed forces families about the problems they face.The government’s proposed SEND reforms will better support children from mobile families. For example, education, health and care plans and new Individual Support Plans will be digital, which will support smoother transitions when service children move between schools or local authorities.National Inclusion Standards will set out support available in every mainstream setting, and a nationally consistent set of Specialist Provision Packages will provide comprehensive, evidence-based packages of support for children and young people with the most complex needs.Schools receive targeted funding through the Service Pupil Premium, with over £26 million allocated in 2026/27. Schools can use this funding flexibly to provide pastoral, academic and transition support to mitigate effects of mobility and parental deployment, supported by joint Department for Education and Ministry of Defence guidance.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits of introducing training programmes to improve awareness and understanding of neurodiversity in the workplace.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 April to PQ 127771.

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce electricity prices.

At the Autumn Budget, we committed to taking money off energy bills to tackle the cost of living. The measures taken reduce the cost of electricity and therefore benefit all households with a domestic electricity meter. The two actions we took are (a) Removal of ECO home insulation scheme; and (b) Moving 75% of the domestic costs of the Renewables Obligation to the Exchequer from April 2026/27-28/29. These actions are designed to provide immediate savings for households, support the transition to clean energy, and ensure that future investments in the energy system are funded in a way that is fair and sustainable. In addition, we will bring forward plans later this year to offer legacy low carbon generators, which provide about a third of our power today, the option of fixed price arrangements, with an intention to run an allocation process in 2027. This will be a voluntary decision for those generators. This will help protect families and businesses from higher bills when gas prices spike, with contracts offered only where they deliver clear value for money for consumers.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how the UK is working through the G7 and G20 to promote outcomes that benefit women and girls globally.

The UK is committed to putting women and girls at the heart of everything we do. This includes ensuring the multilateral system remains a powerful tool for gender equality. The UK has used the G7 and G20 to secure strong commitments for progress on women and girls and will continue to do so, including through working with this year's G7 and G20 Presidencies and during our own G20 Presidency year in 2027.

What plans she has to place greater emphasis on the development of work-related skills in schools and colleges.

The department’s reforms will prepare children for the modern world, ensuring every pupil develops essential knowledge and skills for life, work and innovation. We will strengthen the curriculum by embedding critical media literacy and sustainability and improving financial education. A refreshed computing curriculum will build early digital confidence, including core learning on artificial intelligence, and integrate digital skills across subjects.Colleges already deliver a wide range of technical or vocational provision aimed at equipping students with the skills they need for work or higher study, such as T Levels, based on employer-designed standards with a 45-day industry placement.Reforms set out in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper to develop the skilled workforce our economy needs include new V Levels, expansion of T Levels; and clearer Level 2 routes through Occupational and Further Study Pathways.We are also strengthening careers advice and guidance in schools, driven by updated Gatsby Benchmarks and our commitment to deliver at least two weeks’ worth of work experience for all pupils.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential economic impact on the horseracing industry of the full implementation of financial risk assessments for gambling.

The Government recognises the significant contribution that racing makes to British sporting culture and its importance to the British economy. Horseracing is the only sport in receipt of a direct government-mandated levy which helps to drive improvements in the sport.The Government remains committed to supporting the implementation of key measures in the 2023 white paper, including the introduction of Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs).Following the conclusion of its pilot on FRAs, the Gambling Commission has continued to engage with gambling operators and other stakeholders. As the independent regulator, the Gambling Commission will decide how to implement FRAs based on the best available evidence.The Gambling Commission has recently published an updated blog on its pilot findings and plans to publish the pilot data, including updated impact assessment results following implementation decision, as is standard practice.