Written questions by Dillon.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of funding on Fire and Rescue services; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to Fire and Rescue services through the Local Government Settlement.

MHCLG published the final Local Government Settlement on 5 February 2024 setting out the referendum principles for Local Authorities in 2024/25. All standalone FRAs will be able to increase their council tax by the core referendum limit of 3%. Standalone FRAs utilised this flexibility, which raised £42.6m in 2024/25.Overall, fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.87 billion in 2024/25. It is the responsibility of each fire and rescue authority to determine how to allocate that funding based on its analysis of risk and local circumstances. The Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to keep the public safe.Funding for Local Authorities in 2025/26 will be announced at the provisional Local Government Settlement later this year.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a discounted railcard for people aged 30 to 60 years old who earn below the average.

There are several Railcards that people aged 30 to 60 are eligible to hold, including the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card that offers 50 per cent off selected rail fares. Affordability of rail travel is one of our key objectives. However, any concessions made to rail fares policy must balance benefits for certain groups against the impacts on taxpayers.

Whether his Department plans to prohibit light bulbs with an energy efficiency below 45 watts; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of this ban on animals that require specific light bulbs to survive indoors.

The previous Government consulted on new minimum energy performance standards for lighting products, which would ban the most inefficient lighting products from being sold on the GB market. Officials are analysing the feedback received including, for example, evidence around the need for aquaria lighting. The Government will publish a response in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to introduce a ban on all live animal exports.

The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024 came into force on 22 July 2024. The Act bans the export of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and horses for fattening or slaughter from Great Britain, stopping stress, exhaustion and injury caused by this unnecessary trade. It applies to journeys from, and transiting journeys through, Great Britain to destinations outside the UK, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. We are putting in place Regulations to ensure the ban is implemented effectively and enforced robustly. The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Enforcement Regulations 2024 have been laid before Parliament. Exports for all purposes other than slaughter or fattening, such as for breeding, competitions and shows, or scientific research, continue to be permitted.

Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of the homes her Department aims to build during this Parliament will be affordable; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that these homes meet the needs of communities.

The Government has committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and we will update Parliament on our progress. Our proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework aim to ensure that decisions about what to build and where are based on delivering the housing an area needs.

What steps she plans to take to improve the (a) cost, (b) accessibility and (c) appeal process of visa applications.

The Government regularly reviews the cost and accessibility of visas and process of appeals to ensure that public services are efficient and provide value for money to the taxpayer.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he plans to take to promote the safe use of artificial intelligence.

The Government wants to see AI adopted widely to realise its potential productivity benefits, and regulatory clarity will help drive this adoption. That is why we committed in our manifesto to introduce binding regulations on the handful of companies developing the most powerful AI systems. We also intend to put the AI Safety Institute on a statutory footing. The AISI conducts research and model evaluations to assess the capabilities of frontier AI systems and works with developers, and international partners, to enhance the safety of models.

What guidance her Department issues on the amount of time a level crossing may be down each day; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of delays caused by crossings being down on (a) commuters, (b) the local economy and (c) the environment.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), in its capacity as the independent safety regulator for Britain’s railways, works closely with the rail industry to improve level crossing safety, including by issuing guidance on managing level crossings and minimising risks so far as is reasonably practicable. The law requires railway businesses to manage level crossing risk effectively using their own safety management systems on a case-by-case basis, and ORR provides assurance that they are doing so. This involves ensuring that duty holders work with local authorities to understand the needs of local communities and impacts of operational decisions. The department does not, however, have a formal role in this process.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help improve voter turnout in national elections; and what assessment she has made of the impact of voter ID on the 2024 general election.

To encourage participation in our democracy, the Government will improve voter registration and address the inconsistencies in voter ID rules. We will be bringing forward firm proposals in due course.In September the Electoral Commission published its interim report on voter ID at the 2024 UK Parliamentary General Election. The Elections Act 2022 included a requirement for the Secretary of State to publish an evaluation of the implementation and impact of the voter ID policy on the next local and next two UK Parliamentary General Elections. Work has already begun on the evaluation of the July 2024 election, and we expect the report in the spring of 2025. Both of these reports will inform the wider work officials are doing to thoroughly review voter ID.

What assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of changes in the number of 18-24 year olds claiming jobseeker’s allowance in Newbury constituency; and what steps she plans to take to help young people find job opportunities.

Our plan to get Britain Working includes a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or employment support. This will sit alongside; a new public employment and careers service to help get more people into work, and the launch of Skills England to open new opportunities for young people. In August 2024, 686 young people aged 18-24 were claiming Universal Credit in the Newbury parliamentary constituency. The latest released statistics on Job Seeker’s Allowance suggest that 5 young people aged 18-24 were claiming this benefit in February 2024. Please note however, that these statistics are subject to small, randomised adjustments in order to prevent the accidental disclosure of personal information. The small number of young claimants of Job Seeker’s Allowance is particularly sensitive to the impact of these randomised adjustments. DWP currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. Newbury Jobcentre has a dedicated youth Work Coach team, who work closely with the National Careers Service as well, encouraging all customers to take part in any training or Work experience activities that the Jobcentre organises such as Job Fairs, Sector-based Work Academy programmes, and movement to work opportunities.