Written questions by Evans.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of VAT on independent school fees on the ability on non-affluent families to afford private school education.

HM Treasury published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) on applying VAT to independent school fees. This is a comprehensive assessment of the VAT policy, including impacts on individuals and families and can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/applying-vat-to-private-school-fees#who-is-likely-to-be-affected.

What his Department’s definition of a working person is for the purposes of policy development in the context of civil service internship schemes.

The refocused Fast Stream Summer Internship scheme will give talented undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds the opportunity to see what a career in the Civil Service is like. We will assess eligibility for the summer internship scheme based on parental occupation at the age of 14. The Social Mobility Commission (SMC) identifies this as the most accurate measure of socio-economic background.

Whether he has had recent discussions with (a) representatives of rural communities and (b) third party bodies on including the energy needs of off grid communities within the Warm Homes Plan.

The then Minister for Energy Consumers (Miatta Fahnbulleh) had discussions with industry, local government and devolved governments in the development of the Warm Homes Plan. The Warm Homes Plan will help households, including rural off-gas grid households, take up measures like solar panels, heat pumps, batteries and insulation, helping them save money on their bills and benefit from cleaner, cheaper heating. The Department has partnered with combined authorities and local and devolved governments to roll out this plan. The plan will be published by October and will set out our strategy for decarbonising homes, including in rural settings, in more detail.

Whether he has had recent discussions with (a) representatives of rural communities and (b) third party bodies on including the energy needs of rural communities within the Warm Homes Plan.

The then Minister for Energy Consumers (Miatta Fahnbulleh) had discussions with industry, local government and devolved governments in the development of the Warm Homes Plan. The Warm Homes Plan will help households, including rural off-gas grid households, take up measures like solar panels, heat pumps, batteries and insulation, helping them save money on their bills and benefit from cleaner, cheaper heating. The Department has partnered with combined authorities and local and devolved governments to roll out this plan. The plan will be published by October and will set out our strategy for decarbonising homes, including in rural settings, in more detail.

Whether he has had recent discussions with (a) representatives of rural communities and (b) third party bodies on including the energy needs of canal boat owning communities within the Warm Homes Plan.

The then Minister for Energy Consumers (Miatta Fahnbulleh) had discussions with industry, local government and devolved governments in the development of the Warm Homes Plan. Boat dwellers will not qualify for government energy efficiency schemes as a valid domestic Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating is required to access this support. The Reduced data Standard Assessment Procedure (RdSAP) method does not support the creation of domestic EPCs for houseboats. However, the Warm Homes Plan will help households, including off-gas grid rural households, take up measures like solar panels, heat pumps, batteries and insulation, helping them save money on their bills and benefit from cleaner, cheaper heating.

Whether he plans to publish the next report by Alma Economics on the evaluation of the Op FORTITUDE and Reducing Veterans Homelessness programme.

The Government has already published an interim report evaluating these programmes which identified notable successes. As of 24 August 2025, the service has taken over 3,900 referrals and supported 980 veterans into housing. It is the Government's intention to also publish the next evaluation report of these programmes in due course.

Whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on (a) assessing the adequacy and (b) improving the availability of single occupancy for veterans.

This Government is committed to ensuring that veterans have access to the support they need, including with regards to their housing. As the Minister for Veterans and People, I regularly attend the Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping which is chaired by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. This group drives progress on Government strategy to get Britain back on track to ending homelessness, ensuring we are working across Government, and in partnership with local authorities and Mayors, to tackle the root causes. I represent the Ministry of Defence at these meetings, ensuring that the needs and experiences of veterans are considered in the development of cross-Government housing and homelessness policy. In response to the second part of the hon. Member's question, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 June 2025 to Question 57385.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of clause 8 of the Crime and Policing Bill on the number of police interceptions of (a) pedal bikes and (b) e-bikes whose riders are committing antisocial behaviour.

Tackling anti-social behaviour and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. Clause 8 of the Crime and Policing Bill removes the requirement for police to issue a warning before seizing a vehicle which is being used anti-socially, including illegally modified e-bikes, under section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002. This will allow police to put an immediate stop to offending.The Government has recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to more quickly dispose of seized vehicles, such as illegally modified e-bikes, which have been used anti-socially. The consultation closed on 8 July and the Government response will be published in due course.These combined measures will strengthen the law and send a clear message that antisocial behaviour involving vehicles will not be tolerated.Section 59 seizure powers apply to motor vehicles only.

When Ministers in her Department last met representatives of the independent school sector to discuss issues facing that sector.

The last meeting was held on 22 July 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of his policies on the ability of farmers to diversify their income streams to support their farming business.

Agricultural permitted development rights were amended in April 2024 to expand the range of uses agricultural buildings and land within their curtilage can be used for under a ‘flexible commercial use’, incentivising development by providing certainty and removing the time and money needed to submit a planning application. As the Secretary of State announced earlier this year, we will ensure these permitted development rights work for farms to support all farmers to innovate and diversify their businesses. In June, we held three roundtables with agriculture stakeholders to discuss planning issues in depth. Government is consulting on national policies for decision making later this year to make the planning policy framework clearer and more accessible.

What definition the Government uses of a working class student, in the context of the new Internship Scheme.

The refocused Fast Stream Summer Internship scheme will give talented undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds the opportunity to see what a career in the Civil Service is like. We will assess eligibility for the summer internship scheme based on parental occupation at the age of 14. The Social Mobility Commission (SMC) identifies this as the most accurate measure of socio-economic background.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the grassroots ticket levy on the long term financial sustainability of small independent music festivals.

The Government supports the live music industry’s work to introduce a voluntary levy on tickets for stadium and arena shows. This will compliment the significant increase in government funding for the grassroots sector through our new Music Growth Package, of up to £30m over the next 3 years. This package will deliver concrete benefits for venues and emerging artists with touring, performance, mentoring and export opportunities.Funding from the grassroots ticket levy will be distributed by the LIVE Trust to existing industry-led initiatives that will support grassroots festivals, as well as artists, promoters and venues. This targeted support will not only benefit current small festivals, but also help secure the pipeline of talent to safeguard their future and create the right conditions for future growth.The Government is encouraged to see sector reporting showing that 44% of 2025 tickets on sale since July now include the levy, and 1.9 million levied tickets have been sold since January. Autumn ticket sales and the establishment of the LIVE Trust should mean even greater uptake by Winter. We want to see a voluntary levy be in place for as many concerts as possible in 2025 and 2026, and we will continue to convene the live music industry to drive progress. We would encourage all artists, promoters and venues to promote the levy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his policies on recycling rates in (a) England and (b) Leicestershire.

Simpler Recycling will ensure every household and workplace (businesses and relevant non-domestic premises like schools and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core waste streams: metal, glass, plastic (including cartons), paper and card, food waste, and garden waste (for households only). The Collection and Packaging Reforms, which also include a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) and Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR), are estimated to increase the municipal recycling rate from around 42% to over 55.9% by 2035, mostly driven by Simpler Recycling and DRS. pEPR achieves further increases in packaging recycling rates of 2%. We do not have projected recycling rate increases for individual local authorities.

What progress he has made on considering the transfer the investment reserve to the members of the British Coal Superannuation Scheme.

The then Minister for Industry (Sarah Jones) met the BCSSS Trustees on 22 April, 11 June and 22 July and confirmed the Government’s commitment to considering their proposals regarding the reserve and the future of the scheme. DESNZ will now engage HM Treasury with a view to agreeing a way forward on the transfer of the reserve to members. The Government is aiming to reach agreement on an outcome that can be implemented later this year which will benefit scheme members.

If he will (a) raise the progress of OFGEM's Consumer Confidence Review and (b) determine a clear timetable for the Review to conclude with published findings and recommendations at his next meeting with OFGEM.

Ofgem have kept the Government updated on the progress of the review and the timetable for publication, and the findings of the review are due to be published shortly. DESNZ Ministers regularly meet with Ofgem, including to discuss progress on key Ofgem initiatives such as its Consumer Confidence programme.

What assessment he has made of the feasibility of introducing solar canopies in public car parks.

Solar canopies on outdoor carparks provide clean electricity, the potential for electric vehicle charging and shelter for cars. A comprehensive assessment of the carbon savings, deployment feasibility, and cost-effectiveness of different intervention options, including mandates and incentives, in both the public and private sector, requires input from stakeholders, including local authorities and commercial owners. The Secretary of State published a call for evidence earlier this year to assess the potential to drive the construction of solar canopies on outdoor car parks. A government response will be published this year.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the compliance by energy companies with their standard licence conditions in the context of ensuring people understand the costs that constitute their energy bills.

The Supplier Licence Conditions (SLCs) were put in place by the industry regulator Ofgem, so it is for them to make any assessment of supplier compliance to these rules. However, this Government does take the issue of clear, accurate billing very seriously. According to the SLCs set by Ofgem, suppliers must take all reasonable 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.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of his Department's policies on reducing plastic pollution on levels of plastic pollution.

This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy for plastics – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer, waste is reduced, we accelerate the path to net zero, we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs, our economy prospers, and nature thrives. We have recently completed a Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the 2020 bans and restrictions on single-use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds. This review assesses the effectiveness of these measures in achieving their policy objectives, including reducing plastic pollution, and considers their environmental and economic impacts. The PIR is scheduled for publication in October 2025. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and/or materials to take a systematic approach, in line with circular economy principles, to reduce the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products and encourage reuse solutions.

With reference to the report from Together for Short Lives entitled Overstretched and underfunded: The state of children’s hospice funding in 2025, if he will review the disparity in per person funding from integrated care boards for (a) children and (b) young people in hospice care.

We want a society where every child receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations.The Together for Short Lives report, Overstretched and underfunded: The state of children’s hospice funding in 2025, highlights variation in the ‘per person’ funding of charitable children’s hospices but does not take into account funding spent via National Health Services, which also supports children with palliative care and end of life care needs. In England, while the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including children’s hospices, also play in providing support to children, and their loved ones, at the end of life.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant. We will confirm funding for 2026/27 in line with usual processes and timelines for Government finances.I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.The Government and the NHS will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required shifts in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 64429 on Hospices: Children, what his planned timetable is for confirming funding arrangements for children's hospices for 2026/27.

We want a society where every child receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations.The Together for Short Lives report, Overstretched and underfunded: The state of children’s hospice funding in 2025, highlights variation in the ‘per person’ funding of charitable children’s hospices but does not take into account funding spent via National Health Services, which also supports children with palliative care and end of life care needs. In England, while the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including children’s hospices, also play in providing support to children, and their loved ones, at the end of life.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant. We will confirm funding for 2026/27 in line with usual processes and timelines for Government finances.I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.The Government and the NHS will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required shifts in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.