Written questions by Conlon.

What steps her Department is taking to improve neighbourhood policing in Beckenham and Penge constituency.

As part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission, the Home Secretary has made a clear commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing through the introduction of a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.This includes getting thousands of neighbourhood police personnel back on the beat, ensuring local people have a named officer who they can turn to when things go wrong, and cracking down on the street crime, shop theft and anti-social behaviour which has made communities feel less safe for far too long.

What steps he is taking to help tackle late payments to small and medium-sized businesses.

Last month we announced a package of new measures to tackle late payments and long payment terms for small businesses and the self-employed. We will legislate in this parliamentary session to require that large companies include payment performance in their annual reports, driving up transparency on how they pay their suppliers. We will also be consulting on potential primary legislation measures and launching a new Fair Payment Code that rewards companies who pay their suppliers quickly and fairly.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce the number of people off work due to long term sickness.

We know that appropriate work is generally good for health and wellbeing. We want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. We want people to avoid poverty, and for this to happen we must ensure that disabled people and people with health conditions have the opportunity to work and save for as long as they wish and are able to. Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group, so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key.The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Work and Pensions are committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, and have range of support available so individuals can stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems.Measures include joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care, as well as support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants.We have also launched WorkWell services in 15 integrated care board areas across England from October this year. WorkWell seeks to help people with health-related barriers to start and get on in work.Employers play a key role in increasing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and people with health conditions to thrive as part of the workforce. Our support to employers includes increasing access to Occupational Health, a digital information service for employers, and the Disability Confident scheme. Further information on the digital information service is available at the following link:https://www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk/support-with-employee-health-and-disabilityAs part of the Get Britain Working plan, more disabled people and those with health conditions will be supported to enter and stay in work, by devolving more power to local areas so they can shape a joined-up work, health, and skills offer that suits the needs of the people they serve.The Autumn Budget 2024 included more than £2.7 billion in 2025/26 for the Department for Work and Pensions to deliver individualised employment support programmes and reduce health related inactivity, helping the Government meet its ambition to support more people into work. This includes more than £800 million for disability employment support and £240 million to tackle the root causes of inactivity through the Get Britain Working White Paper.

What recent progress he has made on meeting his target to have a zero carbon electricity system by 2030.

Since July the Government has taken rapid action towards meeting our mission for clean power by 2030. We’ve ended the onshore wind ban, approved enough solar to power hundreds of thousands of homes, secured a record-breaking 131 renewables projects and set up Great British Energy in Aberdeen.The Government recently commissioned the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to provide practical advice on achieving a zero-carbon electricity system by 2030. The Government received NESO’s advice on 5 November, which will inform the 2030 Clean Power Action Plan, due for publication by the end of the year.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to tackle unaffordable and unfair ground rents in Beckenham and Penge constituency.

The Government are committed to tackling unregulated and unaffordable existing ground rents. We will set out further details on this in due course.

What steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for elective surgeries in Beckenham and Penge constituency.

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government, as we get the National Health Service back on its feet. Equality of both access to care and outcomes will be at the heart of building an NHS that is fit for the future.We have committed to achieving the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by the end of this Parliament. As a first step to achieving this, we will deliver an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week across the country, and will increase the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests, that are needed to reduce elective and cancer waits.Dedicated and protected surgical hubs are also helping to reduce elective surgeries’ wait times by focusing on high volume low complexity surgeries, as recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and transforming the way the NHS provides elective care. There is one surgical hub within the King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the Orpington Hospital Elective Surgical Hub. This stand-alone hub opened in December 2013 and is a single specialty hub focusing on trauma and orthopaedics. Patients from the Beckenham and Penge constituency can be referred to this surgical hub for elective surgeries.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce air pollution (a) nationally and (b) in Beckenham and Penge constituency.

(a) The Government will introduce a comprehensive Clean Air Strategy to deliver legally binding targets to improve air quality. The Clean Air Strategy will include a series of interventions to reduce emissions so that everyone’s exposure to air pollution is reduced. (b) Air quality policy in London is devolved to the Mayor. The Mayor and the London Assembly prioritise action to improve air quality and support local authorities including Bromley to improve air quality in their area.

What steps her Department is taking to support people with (a) learning and (b) other disabilities who are seeking paid employment in Beckenham and Penge constituency.

In the Beckenham and Penge constituency, we have a dedicated Disability Employment Adviser (DEA) who supports learning disabled and neurodiverse customers alongside partner organisations that we work closely with. We have a range of specialist initiatives to support people with learning disabilities and other disabled people into work. Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres, Access to Work grants, and joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies. As part of the Get Britain Working plan, we will be devolving more power to local areas so they can shape a joined-up work, health, and skills offer that suits the needs of the people they serve.Employers play a key role in increasing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, to thrive as part of the workforce. Our support to employers includes promoting a digital information service for employers to help them support disability at work and the Disability Confident scheme.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to clear up water ways in Beckenham and Penge constituency.

The Secretary of State has met with water company bosses, including Thames Water, to make clear companies will be held accountable for their performance for customers and the environment. During the meeting water bosses signed up to the Government’s initial package of reforms to reduce sewage pollution and attract investment to upgrade infrastructure. In addition, the Government’s Water (Special Measures) Bill will strengthen regulation, giving the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met and increasing accountability for water executives. These are the first critical steps in enabling a long-term and transformative reset of the entire water sector. The Government will be carrying out a review to fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good. Also, in Beckenham and Penge, and across the country, the Environment Agency undertakes weekly debris screen clearances and vegetation clearances at priority locations to keep the main rivers clear.

What his policy is on the role of pharmacies in (a) delivering healthcare and (b) improving health outcomes in the community.

We are committed to expanding the role of community pharmacies. We want to develop and better utilise the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to improve access to care in local communities and address inequalities.That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists. In preparation, NHS England is piloting the use of prescribing by community pharmacists in a range of pathways that will enable them to play an increased role in delivering clinical services in primary care.Pharmacies have demonstrated their reach into their local communities, particularly in delivering preventative healthcare like vaccinations and advice on minor illness. The Government is committed to shifting more care from the hospital to the community, and pharmacies will play a vital role in that.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of NHS urgent and emergency care services.

The Government is committed to supporting the National Health Service to reduce urgent and emergency service waiting times, and to achieve the standards set out in the NHS Constitution.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ordered an investigation of NHS performance by Professor Lord Darzi. The report, which was published on 12 September 2024, includes an assessment of the pressures on urgent and emergency care services, and is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66f42ae630536cb92748271f/Lord-Darzi-Independent-Investigation-of-the-National-Health-Service-in-England-Updated-25-September.pdf

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help protect people online.

The Government is committed to keeping people safe online. Our priority is the effective implementation of the Online Safety Act so that users, especially children, can benefit from its wide-reaching protections.In-scope services will have to take effective action to reduce the risk their service is used for illegal activity, and they must take appropriate measures to protect children against harmful or inappropriate content such as pornography and the promotion of self-harm and eating disorders. Ofcom has robust enforcement powers available against companies who fail to fulfil their duties.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he plans to take to help increase public confidence in the safety of AI.

The Government wants to ensure the safe development of AI models. As set out in the Manifesto, the Government intends to introduce targeted requirements on the handful of companies developing the most powerful AI systems. We will be consulting on these proposals shortly.These proposals will place 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. Such policies are key to increasing public confidence in AI safety, which will drive adoption across the country.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle anti-social behaviour in Beckenham and Penge constituency.

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.We will put thousands of new neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities and we will crack down on those causing havoc on our high streets by introducing tougher powers, including new Respect Orders to tackle repeat offending.

What assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of the report by Lord Darzi entitled Independent investigation of the NHS in (a) England and (b) Beckenham and Penge constituency.

Lord Darzi’s full report has laid bare the true extent of the challenges facing our health service, giving us the frank assessment necessary to face these problems honestly and properly, and do the hard work required to fix them. Lord Darzi’s findings will inform our 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform the National Health Service, and build a health service that is fit for the future. across England’s constituencies, such as Beckenham and Penge.The plan will be a key element of how we deliver the change needed to meet the three mission goals, specifically: a fairer system where everyone lives well for longer: an NHS that is there when people need it: and fewer lives lost to the biggest killers.This is a long-term challenge and will take time to deliver, and so the plan will consider both the immediate actions needed to get the NHS back on its feet and bring waiting lists down, as well as the longer-term changes needed to make the health service fit for the future.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to identify buildings with dangerous cladding.

The Government has been clear that more must be done to accelerate the pace of remediation of unsafe buildings across the country.After the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the Government prioritised identifying and providing funding for the highest risk buildings with unsafe cladding. Fire and rescue services and local authorities conducted a risk review of high-rise buildings over 18 metres in height, and building owners were required to register high-rise buildings with the department and apply for government funding to remove dangerous cladding.The Building Safety Act 2022 establishes a new regulatory regime for high-rise buildings, which requires all residential buildings above 18 metres or seven storeys to be registered with the Building Safety Regulator by October 2023. The regulator has powers to pursue any building owner who fails to comply, including prosecuting for non-compliance.In 2022, the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) was launched, to meet the cost of addressing life safety fire risks associated with cladding in buildings over 11 metres. Eligible building owners can apply for this scheme, and leaseholders can utilise the ‘Tell us tool’ to self-refer their building: Tell us about life-safety fire risks on the external wall system of your building - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).The department is working at pace to identify buildings eligible for funding that are not coming forward. We are utilising specialist data sources and knowledge from local regulators to identify buildings eligible for funding.The Deputy Prime Minister wrote to mayoral authorities on the 13 September to support and empower them to deliver plans, which use their convening powers, relationships and local knowledge to accelerate where buildings are not remediating quickly. The identification of buildings with unsafe cladding falls within the remit of this initiative. The Deputy Prime Minister will set out further steps to increase the pace of remediation this Autumn.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support the residents of buildings with unsafe cladding.

I refer my Hon Friend to the answer given to Question UIN 8547 on 28 October 2024.