Written questions by Jarvis.

If she will exempt hospitality businesses from the business rates surcharge.

To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure that RHL businesses benefit from much-needed certainty and support.This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so we intend to apply a higher multiplier from 2026-27 on the most valuable properties - those with rateable values of £500,000 and above. These represent less than one per cent of all properties, but cover the majority of large distribution warehouses, including those used by online giants.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the Personal Independence Payment assessment process for people living with bipolar disorder.

Entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is based on the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability and not on a particular disability or diagnosis such as bipolar disorder. Health conditions may be physical, sensory, mental, intellectual or cognitive, or any combination of these, and the assessment takes a comprehensive approach to disability, reflecting the needs arising from the full range of conditions. Health Professionals conducting PIP assessments are trained specialists in disability analysis. All HPs receive specific training on assessing the effects of mental health conditions and are supported by Mental Health Function Champions (MHFCs). MHFCs are experienced professionals with relevant expertise in mental health, cognitive, developmental, and learning disabilities. They are available to provide advice and support throughout the assessment process. Additionally, HPs have access to Condition Insight Reports and Continuing Professional Development guides. These resources offer detailed clinical and functional information on a range of conditions, including Bipolar, to support HPs in delivering informed assessments.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's changes to employers' National Insurance Contributions on trends in the level of employment in the hospitality sector.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs). The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts. The Office for Budget Responsibility also published the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO), which sets out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances. With all policies considered, the OBR's March 2025 EFO forecasts the employment level to increase from 33.6 million in 2024 to 34.8 million in 2029.The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from the changes to employer NICs by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change.

What steps his Department is taking to support hospitality businesses that made an economic and social contribution to towns and city centres.

We recognise the vital role hospitality businesses play in driving economic growth and strengthening community cohesion across the country.We plan to introduce permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with a rateable value under £500,000, we have reduced alcohol duty on qualifying draught beer products, saving the sector over £85 million annually. We’ve introduced a £1.5 million Hospitality Support Scheme to co-fund projects aligned with Department for Business & Trade and Hospitality Sector Council priorities, such as supporting initiatives like Pub is The Hub to encourage local investment. We have also launched a licensing taskforce to cut red tape and remove barriers to business growth.

If he will conduct a review of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.

The Government recognises that concerns have been raised regarding the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS). Ministers are currently considering a number of options for reforming the scheme. In parallel, the Department has been working with the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the scheme, to take steps to improve the VDPS by modernising operations, and processing claims at a faster rate.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of holiday clubs for parents of children with disabilities.

The government is committed to the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme to ensure children who are eligible for free school meals can access enriching activities and healthy meals. More than £200 million has been allocated to the programme for 2025/26.Local authorities and their providers have flexibility about how they deliver HAF provision to best serve the needs of children and families in their area. The department encourages all local authorities to have a rich mix of provision catering for children with different interests and of different ages. There is flexibility in how the programme can be delivered to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or additional needs.When assessing the requirements of children with SEND or additional needs, local authorities should ensure that the provision they fund through the HAF programme is fully compliant with the Equality Act 2010. This will include making sure that they, and the providers they work with, put in place any reasonable adjustments which are required to ensure that children with a disability are not subject to discrimination.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support innovation in the gaming industry.

The Government has recently published the Creative Industries Sector Plan which will make the UK the number one place for creativity and innovation by 2035.The plan includes a commitment that UKRI will lead efforts to increase public funding for the creative industries.The plan identifies video games as a priority growth sector, with a new Games Growth Package worth £30 million over three years.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of mandatory in-person assessments on levels of likelihood of veterans seeking support.

As announced in Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, we are planning to do more face-to-face health assessments. We will, however, preserve alternative health assessment channels to meet the specific needs of people who require a different channel, for example as a reasonable adjustment. In all cases, the Healthcare Professional (HCP) aims to complete the assessment using the customer’s health questionnaire and any supporting medical evidence provided. Should this not be possible the customer is invited to a consultation. Before sending an invitation to a consultation, the HCP considers whether a specific assessment channel is needed due to the customer’s health or circumstances. Otherwise, customers are offered the next available appointment. Customers can request a change to their allocated assessment channel if they inform us that a reasonable adjustment is appropriate in their circumstances. We are committed to ensuring equal access to our services, in line with the Equality Act 2010. Customers are encouraged to inform us of any reasonable adjustments at any stage. If notified, the assessment provider will consider an alternative assessment method.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the decision to remove The Gardens Trust as a statuatory consultee on planning applications that may affect a site nationally designated on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement 10th March (HCWS510), the government intends to consult on the impacts of removing statutory consultee status from a limited number of bodies, including The Gardens Trust.

If his Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of the funding into Parkinson's Disease research.

Government responsibility for delivering Parkinson’s disease research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation.Between the financial years 2019/20 and 2023/24, the Government spent a total of £79.1 million on research into Parkinson’s disease. Research spend is calculated retrospectively, with a time lag due to annual reporting lapses, and so 2023/24 is the most recent financial year we have data for.As well as funding research itself, the NIHR invests significantly into research expertise and capacity, specialist facilities, support services, and collaborations to support and deliver research in England. Collectively this forms NIHR infrastructure. NIHR infrastructure enables the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality translational, clinical, and applied research into Parkinson’s disease. For example, in the financial year 2022/23, the NIHR Clinical Research Network enabled 114 studies related to Parkinson’s disease to be conducted in the National Health Service.The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including Parkinson’s disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.Welcoming applications on Parkinson's disease to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

What steps he is taking to improve access to HIV support services for people affected by HIV.

The Government is committed to ending new transmissions of HIV in England by 2030 and is developing the new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year. The plan will address ways to optimise rapid access to treatment and retention in care, and will improve the quality of life for people living with HIV, including consideration of peer support services.A key component of the Government’s successful HIV emergency department opt-out testing programme includes a recommendation that 10% of the funding allocated to each site should be used to support community and peer services for individuals diagnosed with a blood borne virus.NHS England is responsible for delivering HIV care, including support services for those living with HIV. In April 2024, it published the updated national Service Specification for Adult HIV services, which sets out the standards of care that HIV providers are expected to meet, including the availability of community, psychological, and psychosocial support for patients.

What steps is his Department taking to reduce waiting lists for gynaecology services (a) nationally and (b) in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

At the end of April 2025, the gynaecology waiting list was down 15,955 since the end of June 2024. Waits for gynaecology services have also decreased by 1,052 in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB) over the same period.However, we know there is more to do across gynaecology services, which is why we’ve committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard, that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment, by March 2029.As our first step in achieving this, we have already exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered 3.6 million more.Gynaecology is one of the specialities serviced by surgical hubs, which are part of the Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) High Volume Low Complexity programme, which aims to increase capacity and transform the ways that gynaecology and other services are provided. There are currently 116 elective surgical hubs nationally, three of which are in the Hampshire and the Isle of Wight ICB, and there is one additional hub planned.We are also taking action to support general practitioners and hospital doctors to work more effectively together to ensure patients are always seen in the right setting, through use of Advice and Guidance. The GIRFT programme has recently published a series of advice and guidance templates specifically for gynaecology.Women’s health hubs bring together healthcare professionals and existing services to provide integrated women’s health services in the community, centred on meeting women’s needs across their life course. Women’s health hubs have a key role to play in shifting care out of hospitals and in reducing gynaecology waiting lists.The Government is committed to encouraging ICBs to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and to supporting ICBs to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women, including in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

If she will introduce mandatory training to ensure that all benefits assessors understand the impact of military service-related (a) injuries and (b) mental health conditions on claimants who have served in the armed forces.

I have interpreted your question to refer to health professionals (HPs) who conduct Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments and Work Capability Assessments (WCA) for our assessment suppliers on behalf of the department, and not Department for Work and Pensions decision makers who make decisions on entitlement to benefit. The Functional Assessment Service contracts require assessment suppliers to act in a manner supportive of the Armed Forces Covenant, to ensure the fair treatment of veterans and their families. PIP assessments and WCAs are not medical consultations and do not require HPs to diagnose conditions or recommend treatment. Instead, they are functional assessments designed to evaluate how an individual’s health conditions or impairments affect their ability to carry out daily living activities and/or their capability for work. HPs conducting assessments are trained specialists in disability analysis. Their focus is on understanding the functional impact of a claimant’s condition, rather than its clinical diagnosis. All HPs receive specific training on assessing the effects of mental health conditions and are supported by Mental Health Function Champions (MHFCs). MHFCs are experienced professionals with relevant expertise in mental health, cognitive, developmental, and learning disabilities. They are available to provide advice and support throughout the assessment process. Additionally, HPs have access to Condition Insight Reports and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) guides. These resources offer detailed clinical and functional information on a range of conditions, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, to support HPs in delivering informed assessments. Furthermore, within the WCA core training and guidance material (CTGM) there is a CPD module titled ‘life post miliary service’. While this does not currently form part of the PIP CTGM, we do intend to make this available across the benefit strands. On 25 June, I attended an online event with veterans, as one of the series of consultation events on the proposals in the Pathways to Work Green Paper.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of his policies in tackling global deforestation.

We recognise the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation. Deforestation associated with UK consumption is estimated to have fallen by 55% since 2005, although progress has slowed over the last decade. The Government recently published a Post-Implementation Review evaluating the effectiveness of the UK Timber Regulation (UKTR), which prohibits the placing of illegally harvested timber on the GB market. The review concluded that the regulation has been largely effective in reducing the risk of illegal timber entering the market and has contributed to tackling deforestation. The Government will set out its approach to addressing UK consumption of forest risk commodities in due course. We are committed to ensuring that any regulatory framework is robust, proportionate and effective in addressing deforestation in UK supply chains.

What steps his Department is taking to expand audiology testing capacity.

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services, including for audiology.The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the 18-week constitutional standard by the end of this Parliament. The plan commits to transforming and expanding diagnostic services and to speeding up waiting times for tests, a crucial part of reducing overall waiting times and returning to the referral to treatment 18-week standard.NHS England is supporting provider organisations and integrated care boards, who are the commissioners of audiology services, to improve performance and reduce waiting lists. This includes capital investment to upgrade audiology facilities in NHS trusts, expanding audiology testing capacity via community diagnostic centres, and direct support through a national audiology improvement collaborative. The latest management information data shows that community diagnostic centres have delivered over 56,000 audiology assessments since July 2021.The 2025 Spending Review confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years across new diagnostic, elective, and urgent care capacity. Further details and allocations will be set out in due course.

If his Department will take steps to prioritise primary care audiology.

NHS Audiology services are locally commissioned, and the responsibility for prioritising primary care audiology lies with local National Health Service commissioners.NHS England is supporting the integrated care boards to make informed decisions about the provision of audiology services so that they can provide consistent, high quality, and integrated care.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of safety regulations on the storage of lithium-ion powered (a) e-bikes and (b) e-scooters.

There is a cross-Government programme of work to tackle unsafe e-bikes, e-scooters and associated products such as lithium-ion batteries, involving the Office for Product Safety and Standards in my Department, and the Department for Transport, Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. DBT is not responsible for regulations covering the storage of electric vehicles. The Government’s Buy Safe, Be Safe campaign contains vital safety advice for consumers where these products are kept in the home.

Whether he has conducted an impact assessment for the decision to extend cervical screening intervals.

The UK National Screening Committee’s recommendation to change the cervical screening intervals from three to five years for women aged 25 to 49 years old was made in 2019. The evidence and consultation responses supporting the recommendation can be found at the following link:https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/cervical-cancer/The decision to make the changes was based on what is best for individuals. The more accurate human papillomavirus test requires less frequent screening, and changing the frequency eliminates the unnecessary over screening of the population.The IT system supporting the national cervical screening programme was updated in July 2024, and can now enable the changes that were recommended.A full impact assessment and equality impact assessment were considered before the changes were agreed by the Government. We will publish these shortly.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of Overseas Development Assistance on projects preventing the spread of malaria.

Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through following the recent Spending Review and through resource allocation processes, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is focused on ensuring that every pound is spent in the most impactful way.

What steps he is taking to improve access to NHS dentistry in Eastleigh constituency.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Eastleigh constituency, this is the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB.ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The Hampshire and Isle of Wright ICB is expected to deliver 30,032 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.ICBs have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.