Written questions by Smart.

What steps her Department is taking to support care leavers after the age of 21 to help ensure that they have stable living arrangements.

Supporting care leavers to make a successful transition from care to independence is a priority for this government.Housing and concerns about accommodation rank as one of the highest worries for care leavers, and for professionals trying to support them.The department is introducing, through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, a new duty for local authorities to consider whether former relevant children, up to age 25, require support to find and keep suitable accommodation, and support to access services relating to health and wellbeing, relationships, education and training, employment and participating in society. If support is required, the local authority should then provide this in the form of a ‘staying close’ arrangement.The Bill also introduces an additional requirement on local authorities to publish the arrangements they have in place for the purpose of supporting and assisting care leavers in their transition to adulthood. This information in the local authority’s local offer will aid care leavers to look at all the options open to them and help them make informed decisions when deciding upon accommodation and other support they might wish to access.The Bill also includes a measure to ensure that where a council is their corporate parent, no care leaver can be found to have become homeless intentionally.All care leavers are entitled to support from a Personal Adviser (PA) until they are 25. PAs help care leavers to access services like housing, health and benefits, as well as providing practical and emotional support for independent living. PAs also work with care leavers to create a mandatory pathway plan outlining the support provided by the local authority.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of (a) weekly minimum payments and (b) other financial support provided to foster carers.

The ‘Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards’ set out the expectations that are placed on foster carers and their agencies at standard 28. The department is clear that no one should be financially disadvantaged because of their fostering role, and we expect all foster carers to receive at least the national minimum allowance (NMA) plus any agreed expenses to cover the cost of caring for each child placed with them. The standards are available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/192705/NMS_Fostering_Services.pdf.The NMA was introduced by the Labour government in 2007 and has kept pace with inflation over time. The current levels of the NMA are available at: https://www.gov.uk/support-for-foster-parents/help-with-the-cost-of-fostering. The NMA is being uplifted by 3.55% in the 2025/26 financial year. Combined with increases to qualifying care relief, which provides tax relief and is uplifted with inflation every year, this provides additional support for foster carers and the children in their care. There are currently no plans to review the way the NMA is calculated.The NMA was developed by calculating the cost of caring for a birth child and accounting for the additional cost of caring for a foster child. The criteria for calculating fees and allowances should be applied equally to all foster carers, whether the foster carer is related or unrelated to the child, or the placement is short or long term.The department knows that many fostering service providers offer incentive schemes as rewards for their foster carers and we encourage the use of these. Discount schemes, free or discounted leisure centre passes, IT grant schemes and council tax exemptions are common examples.

Whether his Department has had recent discussions with the Energy Ombudsman on (a) trends in the number of billing inaccuracies and (b) the impact of billing inaccuracies on customers.

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2024 to Question 20062 on Bank Services: Direct Debits, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that organisations receiving payments via Direct Debit are held accountable when they do not (a) verify that Direct Debit instructions have been properly authorised by the payment account holder and (b) provide advance notice of the (i) amount and (ii) collection date for each Direct Debit payment, except where an alternative arrangement has been explicitly agreed.

Direct Debits are subject to rules made by Pay.UK, a private sector payment system operator that is regulated by the Bank of England and Payment Systems Regulator. In order to receive Direct Debit payments, businesses and other organisations must be ‘sponsored’ by a Payment Service Provider (usually their bank or building society). Businesses undergo stringent checks to ensure their identity and that they understand their responsibilities and obligations when using the Direct Debit scheme. If a business does not comply with the rules Pay.UK has a range of sanctions available, including removing the business from the service altogether if necessary. In the case of any incorrect or fraudulent payments, the account holder is entitled to an immediate refund of any unauthorised amounts collected from their account provider under the Direct Debit Guarantee scheme. Further information about Direct Debits is available at: www.directdebit.co.uk.

What discussions his Department has had with Ofgem on improving oversight of energy suppliers’ billing practices to help prevent inaccurate estimated billing after actual meter readings have been submitted.

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Whether her Department plans to introduce safeguards to help tackle (a) errors and (b) delayed updates by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in (i) cases where initial penalty charge notices are issued and (ii) other cases.

It is a legal requirement for the keeper of a vehicle to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) of any changes to details on the vehicle record including a change of address or when someone has bought or sold a vehicle. This can be done by sending a notification by post or the online channel at GOV.UK. The DVLA aims to issue a revised registration certificate within four weeks.The DVLA is not responsible for the issue of a penalty charge notice. These are generally issued by local authorities or Transport for London in relation to parking offences or congestion charging, for example. The DVLA is responsible for issuing Late Licensing Penalty or Out of Court Settlements to the keeper of untaxed vehicles or Fixed Penalty Notices to the keeper of an uninsured vehicle. Any penalty issued by the DVLA will be sent to the keeper held on record at the time of the offence.

What information her Department holds on the number of contacts that UK Fire and Rescue Services have had with (a) people experiencing suicidal ideation and (b) where a suicide is in progress; and if she will publish this data by each UK Fire and Rescue Service.

The Home Office collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) through the Incident Recording System (IRS), with this including non-fire incidents such as suicide / attempts. This data is published available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fire-statistics.The latest available data on the number of suicide / attempts incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services in England is published in FIRE0901: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6787b920868b2b1923b64653/fire-statistics-data-tables-fire0901-230125.xlsxThe table below provides the number of suicide/attempts incidents in England between the years ending March 2011 and March 2024.Year ending MarchNumber of suicide/attempts incidents20111,17220121,16920131,07120141,11220151,10120161,30120171,49320181,62520191,91520202,04120212,09620222,58220232,82920243,113The data in this table are consistent with records that reached the IRS by 26 November 2024, and was published on 23 January 2025.

Whether her Department has considered alternative models for the (a) oversight and (b) registration of foster carers; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of alternative models on the adequacy of (i) safeguarding and (ii) consistency.

The department is considering the merits of a national register of foster carers. We will continue to review the costs and benefits of a national register versus our other investments into foster care.We recognise that some stakeholders are in favour of a register, but we are also mindful of increasing any burden on local authorities and social workers, given our wider drive to reduce workload and unnecessary bureaucracy in the system.

If his Department will take steps to support people who have reported (a) long-term health and (b) personal impacts due to being prescribed Diethylstilbestrol (DES) between 1950 and 1980.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates medicines supplied in the United Kingdom. Our activity spans the whole of a medicine’s lifecycle. Diethylstilboestrol (DES) is an oestrogenic hormone formerly used in the treatment of threatened miscarriage. In 1971, it was identified in a US study that DES could cause a distinct type of cancer in the daughters of women who took DES in early pregnancy. It was subsequently contraindicated in pregnancy, pre-menopausal women, children and young adults. The issue of DES and vaginal carcinoma in the daughters of women who took DES in pregnancy was reviewed by the predecessor to the Commission on Human Medicines, the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) in the early 1970s. In 1973, the CSM wrote to all doctors to inform them of the results of the US study and the absence of identified cases in the UK.DES may still be prescribed in the UK for certain types of cancer, including cancer of the prostate and metastatic post-menopausal cancer of the breast. The product information for DES clearly describes the risk of harms related to its use in pregnancy and for this reason its use is contra-indicated in pregnant women; it is not suitable for pre-menopausal women, and should not be prescribed to children or young people due to its carcinogenic potential. The use of DES is now only justified in the management of malignant disease.The MHRA continuously assesses the benefit risk balance of all medicines at the time of initial licensing and throughout their use in clinical practice, carefully evaluating any emerging evidence on their benefits and risks.A small increased risk of breast cancer in women who received DES whilst pregnant was first identified in the 1980s and confirmed in further studies in the 1990s, when longer follow up of women who had taken DES was available. No increased risk of other cancers has been established, including endometrial cancer or ovarian cancer.Since 1992 the National Cancer Institute at the US National Institutes of Health has been conducting the DES Follow-up Study of more than 21,000 mothers, daughters, and sons, exposed in the womb during the mother’s pregnancy, to better understand the long-term health effects of exposure to DES. The findings of this follow up have been published in the scientific literature.Daughters of individuals exposed to DES are at increased risk of clear cell cancer of the cervix and vagina. The current advice from the UK Health Security Agency is that routine cervical screening is appropriate for those who believed they were exposed to DES in utero; the advice is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cervical-screening-programme-and-colposcopy-management/5-screening-and-management-of-immunosuppressed-individualsParticipation in the National Breast Screening Programme is also recommended. Pregnant women who know that they were exposed in utero to DES should inform their obstetrician and be aware of the increased risks of ectopic pregnancy and preterm labour.

Whether their Department has made an assessment of the impact of energy suppliers incorrectly reporting missed payments to credit reference agencies based on erroneous estimated bills on consumers.

While this is a commercial matter between suppliers and credit reference agencies, the Government takes the issue of accurate billing very seriously.All suppliers must take the required steps to reflect accurate meter readings in bills or statements sent to customers where these have been provided by a customer or obtained by the supplier. This is also laid out in the Ofgem’s licence conditions.All energy suppliers must follow Ofgem’s enforceable overarching principles of the Standard Licence Conditions 0 and 0A. These are a set of broad and enforceable ‘standards of conduct’ principles that set fundamental expectations on how suppliers must ensure fair treatment of each customer. These principles guide supplier behaviour, information provision, and customer service processes.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to prevent developers from deliberately delaying defect rectification until after the statutory liability period has expired.

The Building Safety Act ensures that those who built defective buildings take responsibility for remedying them. The Building Safety Act extended the limitation period under section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972, which imposes a duty on a person providing a dwelling to see that the dwelling is fit for habitation from 6 to 30 years retrospectively and from 6 to 15 years prospectively. The Building Safety Act also includes a robust package of measures designed to ensure that those responsible for relevant defects in relevant buildings fix them. Where remediation is needed and not progressing due to the building owner’s inaction, remediation orders can be issued to compel a building owner to fix their building. Regarding the costs of inaction, the Building Safety Act also includes remediation contribution orders, new tools that allow interested persons, including leaseholders, to apply to the First-tier Tribunal for an order requiring building owners to pay to fix unsafe buildings. A remediation contribution order can be used to require a landlord (or other specified body corporate or partnership) to make payments for the purpose of meeting costs already incurred (or to be incurred) in remedying relevant defects (or specified relevant defects) relating to the relevant building.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure energy suppliers issue accurate bills based on customer-submitted meter readings rather than estimated usage.

The Government takes the issue of accurate billing very seriously. All suppliers must take the required steps to reflect accurate meter readings in bills or statements sent to customers. This is laid out in Ofgem licence conditions. All energy suppliers must follow Ofgem’s enforceable overarching principles of the Standard Licence Conditions 0 and 0A. These are a set of broad and enforceable ‘standards of conduct’ principles that set fundamental expectations on how suppliers must ensure fair treatment of each customer. These principles guide supplier behaviour, information provision, and customer service processes. For domestic consumers, the Standards also dictate how suppliers identify and respond to consumers in vulnerable situations.

Communities and Local Government, whether she will make it her policy to require all housing developers to register with the New Homes Ombudsman Service.

The government believes that existing redress mechanisms for those buying a new home are inadequate. We are therefore working with the devolved administrations to implement the statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman (NHO) to investigate and resolve complaints, and will bring forward the necessary secondary legislation in due course. Once enacted all developers will be required to be a member of the statutory NHO.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of developers (a) failing to rectify defects within the statutory period and (b) those defects being excluded from warranty coverage on the finances of homeowners.

The Building Safety Act ensures that those who built defective buildings take responsibility for remedying them. The Building Safety Act extended the limitation period under section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972, which imposes a duty on a person providing a dwelling to see that the dwelling is fit for habitation from 6 to 30 years retrospectively and from 6 to 15 years prospectively. The Building Safety Act also includes a robust package of measures designed to ensure that those responsible for relevant defects in relevant buildings fix them. Where remediation is needed and not progressing due to the building owner’s inaction, remediation orders can be issued to compel a building owner to fix their building. Regarding the costs of inaction, the Building Safety Act also includes remediation contribution orders, new tools that allow interested persons, including leaseholders, to apply to the First-tier Tribunal for an order requiring building owners to pay to fix unsafe buildings. A remediation contribution order can be used to require a landlord (or other specified body corporate or partnership) to make payments for the purpose of meeting costs already incurred (or to be incurred) in remedying relevant defects (or specified relevant defects) relating to the relevant building.

Communities and Local Government, whether measures are in place to prevent private landlords from inflating the cost of electricity when reselling it to tenants.

Ofgem’s Maximum Resale Price Guidance protects tenants from being charged inflated electricity costs by their landlord. It sets a maximum price that can be charged for electricity and gas which has already been bought from an authorised supplier.The current maximum resale price is set at the same price as paid by the person reselling, including any discounts.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to (a) issue guidance and (b) strengthen regulations to ensure that landlords provide (i) transparent and (ii) fair billing when reselling utilities to tenants.

Measures are already in place to protect tenants from landlords passing on inflated utility bills. Where tenants pay their landlord for their water, rather than paying a water company directly, they are protected by Ofwat’s guidelines on water resale. This means that a reseller cannot profit from selling water and sewerage to its purchasers beyond a small admin fee of £5 a year for an unmetered bill and £10 a year for a metered one. Similarly, Ofgem’s Maximum Resale Price Guidance protects tenants from being charged inflated gas and electricity costs by their landlord. It sets a maximum price that can be charged for gas and electricity which has already been bought from an authorised supplier. The current maximum resale price is set at the same price as paid by the person reselling, including any discounts.

Whether she has considered introducing a transitional funding arrangement for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund beyond March 2025 to prevent a gap in therapeutic support for eligible children.

The department will shortly be finalising business planning decisions on how we will allocate our budget for the next financial year. All decisions regarding the future of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) are being considered as part of these discussions. An announcement will be made as soon as possible. The department will, of course, always consider the impact of decisions on vulnerable children.ASGSF applications are generally permitted to extend up to 12 months, allowing children and families to receive continuing therapy across financial years. Where applications are agreed, therapy which starts before March 2025 may therefore continue into the next financial year, under previously agreed transitional funding arrangements.

What steps she is taking to ensure that children currently undergoing therapy funded by the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund do not experience disruption to their care due to uncertainty around the fund’s future.

The department will shortly be finalising business planning decisions on how we will allocate our budget for the next financial year. All decisions regarding the future of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) are being considered as part of these discussions. An announcement will be made as soon as possible. The department will, of course, always consider the impact of decisions on vulnerable children.ASGSF applications are generally permitted to extend up to 12 months, allowing children and families to receive continuing therapy across financial years. Where applications are agreed, therapy which starts before March 2025 may therefore continue into the next financial year, under previously agreed transitional funding arrangements.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund funding not being extended beyond March 2025 on children receiving therapy through that fund.

The department will shortly be finalising business planning decisions on how we will allocate our budget for the next financial year. All decisions regarding the future of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) are being considered as part of these discussions. An announcement will be made as soon as possible. The department will, of course, always consider the impact of decisions on vulnerable children.ASGSF applications are generally permitted to extend up to 12 months, allowing children and families to receive continuing therapy across financial years. Where applications are agreed, therapy which starts before March 2025 may therefore continue into the next financial year, under previously agreed transitional funding arrangements.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing increased powers to local councils to help them ensure that utility companies adhere to agreed timescales for completing emergency works on critical highway networks.

The Government continues to review how works are planned, managed and communicated and how this can be improved. The Government announced in December that we will be clamping down on disruptive works by doubling fixed penalty notices for utility companies who fail to comply with rules and extending charges for works that overrun into weekends.