Written questions by Evans.

Communities and Local Government, how much and what proportion of the £233 million funding for homelessness services is expected to be spent on covering increased employer National Insurance contributions.

The £233 million uplift in homelessness funding has been provided to get back on track to ending homelessness. This brings total for funding for homelessness services to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26.The Government has also announced £502 million in funding to protect local government from changes to employer National Insurance contributions. Allocations have been published here Updated explanatory note on the Employer National Insurance Contribution Grant 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2025 to Question 31507, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of additional staff on pension credit application processing times.

The Government has recently put in place the biggest ever pension Credit tave-up drive. To help ensure it has the capacity to assess all claims within reasonable timeframes, the Department has deployed over 500 additional staff through a combination of internal redeployments, use of external providers and external recruitment. We measure Pension Credit performance via our published 50 working day timeliness measure and monitor weekly average actual clearance times. The most recent information on processing times for Pension Credit was published in DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK (ARA) on 22nd July 2024. This shows that in 2023/24 DWP cleared 192,000 Pension Credit claims within the planned 50 working day timescale, equating to 77.7%. The next publication of the ARA will include claims processed in the Financial Year 2024 to 2025, which is due for publication in the summer. As a result of this investment in staff the latest Average Actual Clearance Time is now down to 56.2 working days in week commencing 24th February 2025 after a peak of 87 working days week commencing 9 December 2024. Please note, the Average Actual Clearance Time figures shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. It is rounded to the nearest working day and based on the week the claim was cleared, rather than the week the claim was made.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including pension fraud as part of the Government's forthcoming fraud strategy.

The Government committed in our manifesto to introduce an expanded Fraud Strategy, which will cover all relevant types of fraud where criminals target the UK public and businesses, including pension fraud.We will be engaging all relevant stakeholders in the development of the Strategy, and further details will be set out in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2025 to Question 31507 on Pension Credit, what departmental budget stream is supporting the funding for additional staff to process pension credit applications.

The Government has recently put in place the biggest ever pension Credit tave-up drive. To help ensure it has the capacity to assess all claims within reasonable timeframes, the Department has deployed over 500 additional staff through a combination of internal redeployments, use of external providers and external recruitment. We measure Pension Credit performance via our published 50 working day timeliness measure and monitor weekly average actual clearance times. The most recent information on processing times for Pension Credit was published in DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK (ARA) on 22nd July 2024. This shows that in 2023/24 DWP cleared 192,000 Pension Credit claims within the planned 50 working day timescale, equating to 77.7%. The next publication of the ARA will include claims processed in the Financial Year 2024 to 2025, which is due for publication in the summer. As a result of this investment in staff the latest Average Actual Clearance Time is now down to 56.2 working days in week commencing 24th February 2025 after a peak of 87 working days week commencing 9 December 2024. Please note, the Average Actual Clearance Time figures shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. It is rounded to the nearest working day and based on the week the claim was cleared, rather than the week the claim was made.

What discussions he has had with (a) NHS England, (b) the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and (c) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the availability of (i) treatment options and (ii) care pathways for patients with myasthenia gravis.

Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as myasthenia gravis. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not specifically discussed myasthenia gravis with NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), or the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).On 7 March 2024, the MHRA approved the medicine rozanolixizumab (Rystiggo) to treat adults with generalised myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness, which can affect multiple muscle groups throughout the body. The MHRA is in active discussion with companies to bring more medications to patients.The NICE is currently developing technology appraisal guidance on the following treatments for generalised myasthenia gravis: rozanolixizumab and zilucoplan for treating antibody positive generalised myasthenia gravis; and efgartigimod for treating generalised myasthenia gravis. Further information on rozanolixizumab, zilucoplan, and efgartigimod is available, respectively, at the following three links:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ta10994https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ta11096https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ta10986In addition, nipocalimab and inebilizumab, for treating generalised myasthenia gravis, have been selected for appraisal by the NICE, with further information on both available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/awaiting-development/gid-ta11492https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/awaiting-development/gid-ta11667Finally, the NHS.UK website page on myasthenia gravis provides an overview of the care pathway, with further information available at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/myasthenia-gravis/

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2025 to Question, what performance matrix she is following to monitor the effectiveness of the funding for additional staffing to reducing pension credit application processing times to a planned timescale of 50 working days.

The Government has recently put in place the biggest ever pension Credit tave-up drive. To help ensure it has the capacity to assess all claims within reasonable timeframes, the Department has deployed over 500 additional staff through a combination of internal redeployments, use of external providers and external recruitment. We measure Pension Credit performance via our published 50 working day timeliness measure and monitor weekly average actual clearance times. The most recent information on processing times for Pension Credit was published in DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK (ARA) on 22nd July 2024. This shows that in 2023/24 DWP cleared 192,000 Pension Credit claims within the planned 50 working day timescale, equating to 77.7%. The next publication of the ARA will include claims processed in the Financial Year 2024 to 2025, which is due for publication in the summer. As a result of this investment in staff the latest Average Actual Clearance Time is now down to 56.2 working days in week commencing 24th February 2025 after a peak of 87 working days week commencing 9 December 2024. Please note, the Average Actual Clearance Time figures shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. It is rounded to the nearest working day and based on the week the claim was cleared, rather than the week the claim was made.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is to respond to the consultation on fairer food labelling.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central, Gareth Snell on 23 December 2024, PQ 20692.

What estimate she has made of the number of Pension Credit applications rejected by decision makers since September 2024; and what the reasons were for the rejection of those applications.

The latest published data on Pension Credit applications and awards was published on 27 February [Pension Credit applications and awards: February 2025 - GOV.UK]. This showed that DWP cleared 232,200 Pension Credit claims between 29 July 2024 and 23 February 2025, of which 117,800 claims were awarded Pension Credit and 114,500 were not awarded Pension Credit. In common with all income-related benefits, a person’s eligibility for Pension Credit depends on their financial and household circumstances. The most common reason why a person might not qualify for Pension Credit is because their household income is too high.

If he will take steps to increase the (a) offer and (b) size of cadet forces in the context of proposed increases to defence expenditure.

We want more young people to be able to become Cadets given the tremendous benefits which can be gained from the experience. We are committed to sustaining Cadet Forces across the UK, and we are looking to significantly grow Cadet numbers and support youngsters throughout the UK to enrich their lives by choosing to join the Cadets. To this end, I have directed that a review is carried out to look at how we can increase the size and offer of the Cadet Forces. Defence officials have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders to consider how we can deliver these aims. Input has been provided by advocates and subject matter experts including Cadet leaders within the Ministry of Defence, Lords Lieutenants, Cadet Honorary Colonels, through the Cadet Force chains of command, and from many other interested parties. The review is closely aligned with the Strategic Defence Review and is undertaken in the context of recent announcements of increases in Defence spending. The resource requirements of any expansion will be evaluated in light of competing priorities, but our investment in Cadets is fantastic value for money. The total annual cost of the Cadets is fully covered if the life outcomes of just 1% of Cadets change each year so that they are in education, training, or employment.

What steps she is taking to seek improvements to the child maintenance system; and what recent discussions she has had with statutory and non statutory bodies to discuss system improvements.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is taking steps to make improvements across the child maintenance system and create a modern, accessible and robust service through our Service Modernisation Programme and CMS reforms.Throughout our Service Modernisation Programme, we have worked with suppliers who have experience of transforming organisations globally – this is ongoing, and we benefit from their insight and innovation. Additionally, we have worked with other government departments to understand elements of their transformation, for example HMRC on how they have modernised guidance.The Service Modernisation Programme (SMP) has already delivered significant improvements to the customer experience through the provision of online services and Digital Assist Telephony Service enabling parents to access their on-line My Child Maintenance Case at any time. We have restructured our telephony call routing system, made incremental improvements to customer communications, including a full review of letters, and made significant advancements to our IT systems. The wide-reaching programme aims to continue to reform and modernise CMS services with increased effectiveness and efficiency and will continue to engage a wide range of statutory and non-statutory bodies to do this.The CMS has recently concluded a public consultation on policy changes to the CMS (The Child Maintenance: Improving the collection and transfer of payments) and are analysing the responses. This includes removing the Direct Pay service and managing all CMS cases in one service to allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster. The consultation also sought views on how victims and survivors of domestic abuse can be better supported to use CMS, and whether removing Direct Pay completely would benefit victims and survivors of domestic abuse. This is ongoing and the Government will publish a response in due course. Following the Child Support (Enforcement) Act 2023 receiving royal assent in 2023, government consulted on accelerating enforcement to inform its proposed regulations to support the introduction of administrative liability orders. Proposed changes will streamline the enforcement process and facilitate compliance from paying parents more quickly. We are working to bring them into effect as soon as possible. The department is also conducting a programme of work to review the maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose, reflects today’s social trends and is future proofed to handle further changes.

What assessment he has made of the impact of the Hospitality Sector Council on informing wider government policy towards Pubs and the Hospitality Sector.

The Hospitality Sector Council is designed as a collaboration between government and the sector. The Council has several working groups led by business which work through specific issues and recommend policy initiatives as appropriate. Through this collaboration, we are addressing strategic issues related to high street regeneration, skills, sustainability, and productivity. This includes expanding the Hospitality Sector-Based Work Academy Program - addressing high vacancy rates by providing jobseekers with bespoke training, work placements, and guaranteed interviews so that they are job ready. The program when piloted was highly successful with 80% of those who completed the course securing employment in the hospitality sector.

What discussions he has had with local cadet forces on increasing the (a) offer and (b) size of those forces.

We want more young people to be able to become Cadets given the tremendous benefits which can be gained from the experience. We are committed to sustaining Cadet Forces across the UK, and we are looking to significantly grow Cadet numbers and support youngsters throughout the UK to enrich their lives by choosing to join the Cadets. To this end, I have directed that a review is carried out to look at how we can increase the size and offer of the Cadet Forces. Defence officials have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders to consider how we can deliver these aims. Input has been provided by advocates and subject matter experts including Cadet leaders within the Ministry of Defence, Lords Lieutenants, Cadet Honorary Colonels, through the Cadet Force chains of command, and from many other interested parties. The review is closely aligned with the Strategic Defence Review and is undertaken in the context of recent announcements of increases in Defence spending. The resource requirements of any expansion will be evaluated in light of competing priorities, but our investment in Cadets is fantastic value for money. The total annual cost of the Cadets is fully covered if the life outcomes of just 1% of Cadets change each year so that they are in education, training, or employment.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase of employer National Insurance on the (a) operational costs and (b) financial profitability of small and medium sized tourist attractions.

The Government recognises the vital role that small and medium-sized tourist attractions play in supporting local economies and driving economic growth across all regions of Great Britain. The increase in employer National Insurance contributions will affect businesses across all sectors, which is why the Government has put in place mitigations to protect smaller businesses. The Government remains committed to supporting the tourism industry, and my department will continue working with the sector to understand cost pressures.

What assessment he has made of the opportunities available to improve diagnosis times for autism spectrum disorder.

It is the responsibility of the integrated care board (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism assessments and diagnosis, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the National Health Service to deliver improved outcomes for children, young people, and adults referred to an autism assessment service. Since publication, NHS England has been supporting systems and services to identify where there are challenges for implementation, and how they might overcome these.In 2024/25, £4.3 million is available nationally to improve services for autistic children and young people, including autism assessment services. NHS England is also working with research organisations to explore evidence-based models that support improved outcomes for those people waiting for an autism assessment.As part of the Government’s five long-term missions, we have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS and make it fit for the future. Department officials recently convened a roundtable with autistic people and people with a learning disability to listen to their views on the future of the NHS as part of 10-Year Health Plan.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the statistics, published by Sky News, showing that the Care Quality Commission has inspected 3.6% of the 67,778 concerns it received between October 2022 and 2024 about elderly care homes.

No such assessment has been made. The number of concerns raised with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and highlighted by Sky News, include those which are being handled by another body, for example, a local authority or the police. It may also include duplicates, that is, where a number of concerns have been raised about the same incident.While not all information shared with the CQC would necessarily result in an inspection, it does inform ongoing monitoring and will result in action where there are indications that people are at risk of harm.

How many Remedial Service Statements (a) are required in total (b) have been issued to date (c) are calculated and awaiting fulfilment and (d) still outstanding.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), the scheme administrator, has identified that 381,920 remedial service statements are required for affected members who have retired. Of these, 21 statements have been issued and 393 have been calculated and are awaiting fulfilment, and 381,506 are outstanding.A revised delivery plan for remedial service statements is currently in production and will be communicated with affected individuals within the coming weeks. The Department recognises the importance of issuing the remedial service statements to members in a timely way and is working with the NHSBSA to increase delivery.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2025 to Question 23858 on NHS Business Services Authority: Workplace Pensions, how many remedial pension savings statements (a) were required in total, (b) had been issued to date, (c) were calculated and awaiting fulfilment and (d) were still outstanding in the latest period for which data is available.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), the scheme administrator, has identified that 137,694 remedial pension savings statements are required. Of these, 60,630 statements have been calculated and issued, and 1,887 statements have been calculated and are awaiting fulfilment. The 75,177 statements outstanding include statements that require calculations and statements that require re-calculations.The NHSBSA had previously reported a higher number of statements issued due to a batch of remedial pension savings statements being categorised as “issued” when they were still undergoing their quality assurance process. The current figures only consider remedial pension savings statements as “issued” once they have passed the NHSBSA’s quality assurance and have been fulfilled.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the forthcoming consultation about the Flooding funding formula will consider instances when small communities do not qualify for the threshold for funding due to the (a) size of the communities and (b) flooding focused on roads and connectors rather than houses.

A consultation will be launched in the coming months on the flood investment framework. This will include a review of the existing floods funding formula to ensure that the challenges facing businesses and rural and coastal communities are adequately taken into account when delivering flood protection. The consultation will be open to everyone, and we will be inviting all stakeholders, including organisations that play a role in flood resilience, community groups and members of the public, to share their views and be part of the consultation. We will review all responses received to improve our approach to floods investment.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025 to Question 23859 on General Practitioners: Recruitment, what his planned timetable is for collecting that data.

Data on numbers of general practitioners (GPs) employed through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme is not currently published. Information on the number of recently qualified GPs for which primary care networks are claiming reimbursement via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme is currently being collated. We are working to verify the data and establish its reliability, which is necessary before any dataset can be published.

When (a) he and (b) the Minister of State for Care last met with Community Pharmacy England.

I last met with Community Pharmacy England on 25 February 2025.