Written questions by Smart.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of increasing funding for educational support for children with a cancer diagnosis on costs to the public purse.

If a child is too unwell to attend school, local authorities have a duty under section 19 of the Children's Act 1996 to provide suitable and (normally) full-time education for children of compulsory school age who, because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, would not receive suitable education.Ofsted holds local authorities to account for the sufficiency and commissioning of alternative provision as part of their area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspections.Where full-time education is not possible due to a child’s health needs, local authorities must arrange part-time education on whatever basis they consider to be in the child's best interests.Full and part-time education should still aim to be equivalent to the education the child would receive in their mainstream school. Any part-time education should be reviewed regularly, with the aim of eventually increasing the number of hours up to full-time as soon as the child’s health allows.The law places a duty on parents to ensure that their child of compulsory school age who is registered at school attends regularly. However, section 444 of the Education Act 1996 sets out exemptions to this duty. This includes where the child cannot attend due to illness. Parents cannot be penalised if their child is ill and unable to attend to school.There is nothing in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill that has a direct impact on children being absent from school due to illness. The full suite of impact assessments of the measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill can be found on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childrens-wellbeing-and-schools-bill-impact-assessments.Educational provision for children who cannot receive their education in school for health reasons, including those in hospital, is funded from local authorities’ high needs budgets.Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to over £12 billion.

What information her Department holds on the number of contacts that each police force has had (a) with people experiencing suicidal ideation and (b) where a suicide is in progress in the last 12 months.

The Home Office does not collect or hold data on these subjects.The College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice guidance contains a chapter intended to support the police in offering crisis intervention to people who are at risk of suicide and to respond professionally and effectively when suicide occurs: https://www.college.police.uk/app/mental-health/suicide-and-bereavement-responseThe Independent Office for Police Conduct’s annual report on the number of deaths during or following police contact in England and Wales contains information on the number of apparent suicides following police custody. The most recent publication is here: https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/publications/annual-deaths-during-or-following-police-contact-report-202324The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, College of Policing, and key health and voluntary sector stakeholders to improve support for those at risk of suicide following release from police custody.

What steps she plans to take to tackle the backlog of court cases involving violence against women and girls.

The judiciary prioritises cases involving vulnerable victims and witnesses, which includes victims of violence against women and girls.We have increased Crown Court funding, bringing courts to their highest capacity in almost a decade.We look forward to Sir Brian Leveson’s recommendations on once in a generation court reform, due in late Spring.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce call waiting times on the PIP helpline.

Telephony is our customers’ primary channel to contact us. We continually assess the number of calls we are receiving and the associated waiting times. Where we have been seeing higher call volumes, we have been deploying more of our available resource onto telephony and at times this has been up to 100% of that resource, whilst also balancing the need to complete necessary processing work. As a result, over the last month we have seen improvements with call wait times dropping by c30%.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) current and (b) projected future capacity of the A6 road corridor between Hazel Grove and Whaley Bridge.

This Government is committed to renewing national infrastructure, improving England’s road network and driving growth as part of its Plan for Change. It has been clear that any funding decisions will be part of a long-term infrastructure strategy for this country, as stated within the manifesto. Decisions on funding more generally beyond 2025/26 is a matter for the forthcoming Spending Review. Any assessment of the adequacy of the current or projected future capacity of the A6 road corridor between Hazel Grove and Whaley Bridge is a matter for the local highway authority.

What steps his Department is taking to prevent third-party websites from misleading members of the public by imitating the DVLA online services.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) advises customers to use GOV.UK as the official and only website when seeking information or completing applications. All DVLA literature directs customers to the official GOV.UK website. The DVLA also uses its external communication channels, including social media, to publish advice and to remind motorists that GOV.UK is the only website for government motoring services.The DVLA investigates reports of organisations which act illegally or are actively misleading users about their services. Where appropriate such sites can be and are taken down promptly.DVLA officials have regular discussions and briefings, with the National Cyber Security Centre, to assess and prevent a range of risks. The DVLA is also a longstanding user of the National Cyber Security Centre active cyber defence services and regularly uses the Netcraft takedown service for removing malicious websites.

What recent discussions she has had with the National Cyber Security Centre on (a) preventing and (b) removing scam or impersonation websites that mimic (a) the DVLA and (b) government services.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) advises customers to use GOV.UK as the official and only website when seeking information or completing applications. All DVLA literature directs customers to the official GOV.UK website. The DVLA also uses its external communication channels, including social media, to publish advice and to remind motorists that GOV.UK is the only website for government motoring services.The DVLA investigates reports of organisations which act illegally or are actively misleading users about their services. Where appropriate such sites can be and are taken down promptly.DVLA officials have regular discussions and briefings, with the National Cyber Security Centre, to assess and prevent a range of risks. The DVLA is also a longstanding user of the National Cyber Security Centre active cyber defence services and regularly uses the Netcraft takedown service for removing malicious websites.

If he will support the development of a new bypass to link the A6 at Hazel Grove with the M60 at Bredbury.

This Government is committed to renewing national infrastructure, improving England’s road network and driving growth as part of its Plan for Change. It has been clear that any funding decisions will be part of a long-term infrastructure strategy for this country, as stated within the manifesto. Decisions on funding more generally beyond 2025/26 is a matter for the forthcoming Spending Review. Any assessment of the adequacy of the current or projected future capacity of the A6 road corridor between Hazel Grove and Whaley Bridge is a matter for the local highway authority.

Whether her Department plans to increase the £2.50 fee charged by private parking companies for each V888/3 application to access vehicle keeper data from the DVLA to use in issuing parking charge notices.

The £2.50 fee is set to recover the cost of providing the information and ensures that the cost is borne by the requester, not passed on to the taxpayer. In line with Managing Public Money, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency reviews its fees regularly to ensure that fees are set to recover the costs of providing the service.

Whether his Department plans to raise the minimum reference range for vitamin B12 serum levels to 500 pmol/L.

The assessment and clinical management of vitamin B12 falls under the remit of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). In March 2024, the NICE published the guidance, Vitamin B12 deficiency in over 16s: diagnosis and management, which is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng239The guidance provides thresholds in table 1 to guide diagnosis. There are no plans to update this guidance at present.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding standard NHS blood tests to routinely include (a) B12, (b) B6, (c) folate, (d) vitamin C and (e) vitamin D.

The Department has made no assessment of the potential merits of expanding standard National Health Service blood tests to routinely include B12, B6, folate, vitamin C, and vitamin D. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which provides evidence-base guidance for the health and care system on best practice, makes recommendations on testing for vitamin deficiency based on symptoms and risk factors.NICE guidance makes recommendations on tests where the evidence supports their use in making a diagnosis, ruling out a condition, or for guiding treatment decisions. This is usually condition or symptom specific, and the NICE would not make recommendations on a ‘standard’ blood test or range of blood tests. NICE guidance is not mandatory, and therefore healthcare professionals should use their clinical judgement in deciding what blood tests should be carried out for individual patients, taking into account relevant national or local guidance, including NICE guidelines.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to (a) exempt and (b) reduce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees to packaging waste managed through private waste contracts in the hospitality sector.

Since Autumn 2024, the Government has been working with stakeholders, including representatives of the hospitality sector, to consider potential amendments to the definition of household packaging. We are continuing to engage with sectors on a way forward and we are planning next steps as a priority.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency and reduce the number of cases misdiagnosed as (a) dementia, (b) chronic fatigue syndrome and (c) psychiatric conditions.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance in March 2024 on the diagnosis and management of vitamin B12 deficiency in over 16 year olds. The guidance is available at the following link:http://nice.org.uk/guidance/ng239It provides guidance to clinicians on recognising the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, outlines the recommended diagnostic tests that should be carried out if vitamin B12 deficiency is suspected, and provides guidance on how to interpret the results from the diagnostic tests. Clinicians adhering to this guidance will help to minimise the number of B12 deficiency cases misdiagnosed as dementia, chronic fatigue syndrome, psychiatric conditions, or any other health condition.The NICE’s guidance is informed by clinical expertise, is evidence-based, and represents best practice. Healthcare professionals are expected to pay due regard to NICE guidance, although NICE guidelines are not mandatory and do not supersede the judgement and clinical discretion of clinicians in determining the most appropriate treatment for their patients.The NICE promotes its guidance via its website, newsletters, and other media. Healthcare professionals are responsible for ensuring that their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date, and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the NICE.

If he will take steps to help ensure that carers are (a) involved in patient care decisions and (b) given appropriate access to medical (i) records and (ii) updates during hospital stays in cases where patients have (A) cognitive and (B) neurological conditions.

The Health and Care Act 2022 introduced significant measures for people caring for their family and friends, as well as the people they are caring for. These include:provisions for integrated care boards to promote the involvement of patients and their carers and representatives, if any, in decisions relating to the prevention and diagnosis of illness, and the care and treatment of the person they care for; anda duty for National Health Service trusts and foundations to take any steps they consider necessary to involve patients and carers in discharge planning, where appropriate.Lord Darzi’s independent review of the NHS said that a fresh approach to supporting and involving unpaid carers is required to improve outcomes for carers, people needing care, and the NHS.We will carefully consider these findings as part of our 10-year plan for reforming and modernising the NHS and as we develop plans to reform adult social care, including through the National Care Service.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS documents are available in (a) large print, (b) braille and (c) other accessible formats for patients with visual impairments.

Under the Equality Act 2010, health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged.Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers are expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which details the approach to supporting the information and communication support needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss. This includes providing information in alternative formats such as large print and braille.NHS England has been undertaking a review of the AIS to help ensure that the communication needs of people with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss are met in health and care provision. A revised AIS will be published in due course. In the meantime, the current AIS remains in force and therefore there should not be a gap in provision for people using services.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fee structure accurately reflects the environmental performance of (a) the brewing sector, (b) the hospitality sector and (c) other sectors which operate closed-loop recycling systems.

The Government has worked closely with industry, including the brewing and hospitality sectors, throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). This is a major reform that will be iterated over several years to incentivise packaging producers to reduce their material footprint and use more sustainable packaging. We are considering further improvements to the scheme, including how to treat businesses which run closed loop recycling systems for packaging that is commonly collected by Local Authorities, and my officials are reviewing options to bring forward an offset for closed loop recycling systems at the earliest opportunity.

Whether she has had recent discussions with UK banks on the provision of (a) bank statements and (b) other financial documents in accessible formats for customers with visual impairments.

The Government works closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the independent regulator of the UK’s financial services sector, to ensure that all customers get the right support with their financial products and services. FCA guidance highlights the actions firms should take to understand the needs of customers who may be vulnerable, such as those with visual impairments, and to consider these needs appropriately. The guidance sets out that firms should offer multiple channels of communication where possible and includes examples of how firms can put this into practice, such as by providing large print documents and audio options. Additionally, under the Equality Act 2010, banks must make reasonable adjustments to ensure their services are accessible to all.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes in the level of staff overtime pay rates in emergency departments on (a) the quality of patient care and (b) the retention of senior clinical staff.

The Department has not made this specific assessment. Where national rates for overtime are applicable in England, these are set out in the national terms and conditions, and no recent changes have been made to these provisions, nor are there planned to be. Where pay for additional work is set at a local level or where local providers agree overtime rates that are different to those in the national terms and conditions, this would be considered a local matter.

Whether HMRC plans to improve its (a) telephone and (b) online chat services to ensure that people can receive human assistance when digital systems fail to provide information.

Once they have submitted an A1 certificate renewal or other time-sensitive application, customers can use the “check when you can expect a reply from HMRC” tool which is available on gov.uk to confirm when they are likely to receive a response. Customers can contact HMRC via telephony or web chat for urgent A1 applications. HMRC advisors will then decide if the case needs urgent escalation and will take it forward as appropriate. These cases relate to customers who need a certificate to work in another country. HMRC are always seeking to improve their day to day performance including their telephony and webchat service. HMRC received extra funding last year to recruit more customer service advisers and, under the current Government, are focused on transforming services to better support taxpayers.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of HMRC's communication channels for people seeking urgent updates on (a) A1 certificate renewals and (b) other time-sensitive applications.

Once they have submitted an A1 certificate renewal or other time-sensitive application, customers can use the “check when you can expect a reply from HMRC” tool which is available on gov.uk to confirm when they are likely to receive a response. Customers can contact HMRC via telephony or web chat for urgent A1 applications. HMRC advisors will then decide if the case needs urgent escalation and will take it forward as appropriate. These cases relate to customers who need a certificate to work in another country. HMRC are always seeking to improve their day to day performance including their telephony and webchat service. HMRC received extra funding last year to recruit more customer service advisers and, under the current Government, are focused on transforming services to better support taxpayers.