Written questions by Evans.

With reference to the National Audit Office report entitled Public chargepoints for electric vehicles, published on 13 December 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of ensuring compliance with the electric chargepoint accessibility standard on (a) industry and (b) local authorities.

Publicly Available Standard 1899 was co-sponsored by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles and the national disability charity Motability. The standard was developed in close collaboration with industry, disabled users, accessibility experts, charities, consumer groups and the devolved administrations. PAS 1899 provides specifications on designing and installing accessible public EV chargepoints, meeting the industry need for standardised guidance on what accessible public chargepoint design consists of and how it can be deployed. Whilst compliance with PAS 1899 is voluntary, legal obligations pertaining to the Equality Act 2010 have to be adhered to. The Government, in collaboration with the British Standards Institute and Motability, is spearheading the Technical Working Group conducting the two-year review of PAS 1899, with results anticipated by the end of the first quarter of 2025.

What steps she is taking to resolve the strike action by the RMT on Avanti West Coast.

The Secretary of State expects the operator and RMT to do everything they can to avoid further industrial action, and to minimise disruption to passengers in the meantime.As part of our plans to reform the railways, we are determined to move towards a seven-day working week and end the overreliance on rest day working, giving passengers the certainty and reliability they deserve.

What steps she plans to take to ensure that (a) rising mobilisation, (b) due diligence and (c) general programme delivery costs are (i) monitored and (ii) restrained during the transfer of train operator services to public ownership; and whether she plans to publish those costs.

In line with established Departmental arrangements, a robust governance framework and spending controls have been put in place for the Public Ownership Programme. The Programme will also be included in the Government Major Projects Portfolio.

Pursuant to the Answers of 9 December 2024 to Question 17895 on South Western Railway: Nationalisation, Question 17896 on C2C: Nationalisation and Question 17897 on Abellio Greater Anglia: Nationalisation, what the evidential basis is for the expectation that transfer costs will be less than the fees provided to private operators.

Based on previous mobilisations undertaken by the Department and DfT Operator (DfTO), we have an understanding of the base level costs associated with transfer from a private sector operator to public ownership. For example, as set out in the Explanatory Note to the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, mobilisation and due diligence costs are estimated at £1m to £1.5m per transaction. However, the exact costs of each transfer cannot be determined until engagement with each operator has commenced. For comparison, savings in fees no longer payable to private operators are expected to be between £110m and £150m per annum, once all services have transferred into public ownership from the ten current private-sector operators.

What progress her Department has made on the kinship allowance trial; how many kinship carers will be able to join the trial; what date she plans to launch the trial; and whether the findings of the trial be published.

The department recognises the important role that kinship carers play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children, and the role of local authorities to support them.​​​​The government has recently announced a £40 million package to trial a new Kinship Allowance to test whether paying an allowance to cover the additional costs of supporting the child can help increase the number of children taken in by family members and friends. The pilot will begin in 2025.This government’s ambition is that all kinship carers will get the support they need to care for their children. It is important that we first build the evidence base to find out how best to deliver financial support for kinship families, therefore we will be evaluating this pilot. Decisions about future national rollout will be informed by the findings of the evaluation.The department will share further details on the process for selecting local authorities in due course.​

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Midlands Engine Strategy on economic growth in the Midlands.

Pan regional partnerships have made a valuable contribution, supporting collaboration and taking forward a breadth of work on shared growth opportunities. Moving forward, the government intends to support Mayors in collaborating at pan-regional level and creating convening bodies whose purpose, priorities and membership are decided at a regional level, and working with existing regional organisations such as Sub-National Transport bodies.At the Autumn Budget, the government confirmed that it would consult on its minded to decision to cease funding for pan-regional partnerships at the end of this financial year. The consultation sought to gather views from all interested parties on the impacts of this decision, should it be taken forward, and closed on 16 December. The Department is currently considering the responses received and will confirm a final decision shortly.

Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the role of pan-regional partnerships in encouraging regional economic growth in (a) the Midlands and (b) across the UK.

Pan regional partnerships have made a valuable contribution, supporting collaboration and taking forward a breadth of work on shared growth opportunities. Moving forward, the government intends to support Mayors in collaborating at pan-regional level and creating convening bodies whose purpose, priorities and membership are decided at a regional level, and working with existing regional organisations such as Sub-National Transport bodies.At the Autumn Budget, the government confirmed that it would consult on its minded to decision to cease funding for pan-regional partnerships at the end of this financial year. The consultation sought to gather views from all interested parties on the impacts of this decision, should it be taken forward, and closed on 16 December. The Department is currently considering the responses received and will confirm a final decision shortly.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of A22's new Unify League proposals on English football.

The Prime Minister has made it very clear that there will be no Super League-style breakaway from English football.As part of the strengthened Football Governance Bill, the Regulator will be able to prevent English clubs from joining future breakaway competitions by taking into account factors such as sustainability, heritage and fairness. The Regulator will be obliged to gather the views of fans and consult the FA before it prohibits a competition.This approach is the most effective way of stopping unwanted competitions that do not adhere to the principles of how sport operates in this country, are not supported by fans, and that risk undermining the English football pyramid.The Football Governance Bill was introduced on 24 October.

What discussions she has had with local authorities on ensuring (a) major new road infrastructure design is safe for motorcyclists and (b) pothole funding ensures smooth roads for (i) motorcyclists and (ii) other road users.

Local authorities are responsible for setting their own design standards for their roads. They are subject to various legal duties in managing their roads, including to promote road safety. It is for them to ensure road infrastructure is safe and fit for purpose and is designed and delivered in a way that takes account of all road users’ needs. This Government is committed to tackling the poor state of our roads. As announced in October’s Budget, the Government is providing local highway authorities in England with an additional £500 million funding for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year. This will help them to provide smoother, safer roads for motorcyclists and other road users. Further details of this will be set out shortly.

Media and Sport, if she will undertake a review of (a) financial pressures and (b) governance challenges facing rugby union in England.

Rugby Union has a vital role to play in our national identity. I recently met with the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby to discuss the future of the sport, and my department is in regular contact with the rugby union authorities.The RFU is independent of the Government and is responsible for the regulation of rugby union, and for protecting and promoting the financial sustainability of the sport. My department does not intend to conduct a review into the finances or governance of rugby union at this time.My department continues to work with the RFU, representatives of Premiership clubs and Championship clubs, and the wider sport sector to support the ongoing sustainability of elite and community level rugby union.

Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) the Rugby Football Union, (b) Premiership Rugby and (c) the Rugby Players Association on the issues facing rugby union.

Rugby Union has a vital role to play in our national identity. I recently met with the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby to discuss the future of the sport, and my department is in regular contact with the rugby union authorities.The RFU is independent of the Government and is responsible for the regulation of rugby union, and for protecting and promoting the financial sustainability of the sport. My department does not intend to conduct a review into the finances or governance of rugby union at this time.My department continues to work with the RFU, representatives of Premiership clubs and Championship clubs, and the wider sport sector to support the ongoing sustainability of elite and community level rugby union.

What discussions she has had with representatives of the motorcycle sector on improving safety of motorcyclists on the road.

This Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads, including motorcyclists who are overrepresented in casualty statistics. A representative of the motorcycling sector attended a Ministerial roundtable on 7 October to discuss road safety and motorcycle stakeholders also have regular meetings with officials from the Department.

Media and Sport, if she will meet representatives of (a) Rugby Football Union, (b) Premiership Rugby, (c) Championship Clubs and (d) Community Clubs Union to discuss (i) future governance, (ii) financial stability and (iii) executive pay.

Rugby Union has a vital role to play in our national identity. I recently met with the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby to discuss the future of the sport, and my department is in regular contact with the rugby union authorities.The RFU is independent of the Government and is responsible for the regulation of rugby union, and for protecting and promoting the financial sustainability of the sport. My department does not intend to conduct a review into the finances or governance of rugby union at this time.My department continues to work with the RFU, representatives of Premiership clubs and Championship clubs, and the wider sport sector to support the ongoing sustainability of elite and community level rugby union.

What account she took of (a) numbers of claimants of Business Property Relief and (b) reasons for Business Property Relief claims in the introduction of a £1m threshold to (a) Agricultural and (b) Business Property Relief.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms. It is expected that up to around 2,000 estates will be affected by the changes to APR and BPR in 2026-27, with around half of those being claims that involve AIM shares. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) are expected to be unaffected by these reforms. In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

What proportion of the revenue (a) raised by changes to employee national insurance contributions and (b) announced for the NHS at Autumn Budget 2024 will be allocated to fund non employee national insurance contribution related NHS activity.

At Autumn Statement, the Chancellor outlined the Government’s commitment to ensuring the sustainability and productivity of the NHS. As part of this, HM Treasury have allocated £22.6 billion to the NHS to support productivity improvements, upgrade IT systems, enhance working conditions for staff, and address the maintenance backlog. The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer National Insurance Contributions cost, in line with the approach taken under the previous Government’s Health and Social Care Levy. The Government will update Parliament on allocations in due course.

What estimate his Department has made of the percentage of funding announced in the Autumn Budget 2024 that will be allocated by NHS bodies to fund increases in National Insurance Contributions.

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, and this enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department, from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.The Budget announced the increase to the National Insurance contribution, but additional funding will be agreed with HM Treasury for 2025/26 separately, which is not included in the £22.6 billion increase.The Employer National Insurance rise will be implemented in April 2025, with the Department setting out further details on allocation of funding in due course, including through planning guidance.

What recent discussions her Department has had with Active Travel England on the use of bus stop bypasses.

The Department is carefully considering options in developing next steps on bus stop bypasses. Active Travel England has been involved in those discussions as the executive agency of the Department with a remit to help deliver increases in walking and cycling. The Disabled Persons’ Transport Advisory Committee has also provided input, in their role as a statutory advisory body on disability transport issues.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2024 to Question 9263 on Pedestrian Areas: Visual Impairment, what recent discussions he has had with the Disabled Persons’ Transport Advisory Committee on the (a) use and (b) safety of bus stop bypasses.

The Department is carefully considering options in developing next steps on bus stop bypasses. Active Travel England has been involved in those discussions as the executive agency of the Department with a remit to help deliver increases in walking and cycling. The Disabled Persons’ Transport Advisory Committee has also provided input, in their role as a statutory advisory body on disability transport issues.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of police force reporting of dog on dog attacks.

Defra is working with the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to help prevent attacks by encouraging responsible dog ownership, to ensure dog control issues are addressed before they escalate and to make sure the full force of the law is applied. As part of this work, we will continue to consider how we can improve data collection and recording on dog attacks so that we are in a better position to take action.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to support the work of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

The UK is one of the largest donors to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; committing £1.65 billion in the 2021-2025 period. This funding supports Gavi's mission to immunise 300 million children and save up to 8 million lives. There are a number of global health replenishments coming up in 2025. The UK is considering all future investments in the round and announcements will be made following the completion of the Spending Review.