Written questions by Murphy.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of low benefit-in-kind rates for electric vehicles on job creation since 2020-21.

Company cars in the UK are subject to an emissions-based regime, which taxes vehicles based on their list price as well as their CO2 emission level. The Government recognises that this regime plays an important role in the electric vehicle transition. In July 2019, the Government announced new company car tax rates for the tax years 2020 to 2025, which included generous incentives for electric vehicles. These were legislated for as part of the Finance Act 2020. The Government subsequently announced rates for 2025 to 2028 at Autumn Statement 2022, and rates for 2028 to 2030 at Autumn Budget 2024. Alongside each fiscal event where the changes were announced, an accompanying Tax Information and Impact Note was published setting out expected economic, equalities and other impacts of the new rates. In each of these notes, the rates were not expected to have any significant macroeconomic impacts, such as impacts on GDP and job creation. At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced £2 billion of funding to 2030 to support the zero emissions vehicle manufacturing base and supply chain, recognising the value that the industry delivers for the UK and its ongoing transition.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of low benefit-in-kind rates for electric vehicles on carbon emissions since 2020-21.

The department has not made a specific assessment of this kind. Transport decarbonisation policy is led by the Department for Transport, while HM Treasury is responsible for strategic oversight of the UK’s tax system. The department continues to work in close collaboration with both, as the Government seeks to decarbonise the UK’s transport networks.

What discussions she has had with electric vehicle public charging point providers on the comparative costs for (a) charging electric vehicles at public charging points and (b) filling up a petrol or diesel car.

The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle. The Government consults with public charging point providers regularly and is monitoring the price of charging.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's timetable is for publishing the final Extended Producer Responsibility fees.

Pending satisfactory regulatory checks, the confirmed, final base fees that will be used to invoice businesses (producers) will be available in June 2025, once the full year of packaging tonnage data has been reported on the Report Packaging Data (RPD) system by April 2025 and verified by the regulators.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of benefit-in-kind rates for electric vehicles on the annual uptake of electric vehicles.

HMRC publishes annual statistics which provide information about the company cars provided as benefits in kind to employees by employers, including the proportion of the company car stock which is electric. The most recent statistics were published in June 2024 for the tax year 2022-23, which showed that 220,000 company cars were fully electric, or 29% of the total company car stock, an increase from 50,000 in 2020-21. The Government is committed to supporting the transition to electric vehicles, and generous company car tax rates for electric cars have been a key incentive for increasing their number on the road. Electric company cars also play a significant role in supporting the used EV markets. At the end of their lease company cars are sold into the used markets, which is where the majority of car sales take place in the UK. There were 314,000 zero emission cars registered for the first time in 2023, an increase of 18 per cent from 2022.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in glass volumes reported through the Extended Producer Responsibility data portal in the first six months of 2024.

The glass volume data reported through the Extended Producer Responsibility data portal in the first six months of 2024 does not cover a long enough period for trends to be identifiable. An assessment of the trends in glass volumes will be made once sufficient data has been gathered and this assessment will be based both on the data from the portal and other reliable sources we may identify.

What steps her Department is taking to help support victims of domestic abuse.

This Government has committed to halving violence against women and girls in a decade.We have launched new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in selected areas, combining the strongest elements of other orders to protect victims from all forms of domestic abuse.From February, offenders sentenced for 12 months plus for coercive and controlling behaviour are now automatically eligible for management under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements.

What steps his Department plans to take to use volunteers to help deliver NHS (a) resilience and (b) career pathways, in the context of the forthcoming 10 Year Plan.

The National Health Service has always benefited from the generous support of volunteers and voluntary sector organisations. Volunteers have, and will continue to have, an important and complementary role in the NHS and care system, supporting patients, families, and staff.A central part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and those who support our workforce, so we can ensure that the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need, when they need it.

How many planned learning hours an average T-level student is expected to undertake in 2024-25.

T Levels range in size, with planned learning hours varying across pathways depending on the needs of individual sectors. Individual providers have freedom to plan their curriculum and structure their teaching hours based on local needs, and there are significant variations in delivery patterns. On average, a T Level has around 1,200 guided learning hours across the two-year programme, in addition to an industry placement of a minimum of 315 hours and employability, enrichment and pastoral activities.

What steps his Department is taking to increase (a) survival rates from out-of hospital cardiac arrests and (b) the availability of defibrillators in Basingstoke.

To improve patients' survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, the Government has committed to improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. Following the depletion of the existing AED Fund, launched in September 2023, the Government approved a further £500,000 in August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the fund.As part of the application process, the Department has selected Smarter Society as its independent partner to manage grant applications against requirements specified by the Department, to ensure that resources are allocated where there is the greatest need, for instance in remote communities with extended ambulance response times, places with high footfall and high population densities, hotspots for cardiac arrest including sporting venues and venues with vulnerable people, and deprived areas.When an AED is installed, these defibrillators are required to be registered on The Circuit, the national defibrillator ambulance service database. Upon registration, contact details are provided for the nominated AED guardian/s who are local to the defibrillator’s location and conduct checks when required. Four AEDs have been distributed through the fund to the Basingstoke postcode area.

Communities and Local Government, what her Department's timetable is for bringing forward proposals for a Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill; and what plans she has to consult leaseholders on those proposals.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Communities and Local Government, whether the forthcoming Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill will include provisions to enable multi-building developments to apply for the right to manage as a single entity.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press notice entitled Help to save households money and deliver cleaner heat to homes, published on 21 November 2024, when her Department will announce a date for the removal of the one-meter rule which requires planning permission to install heat pumps in England.

Further announcements on permitted development rights for air source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points will be made in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to encourage community organisations in Basingstoke to register automated external defibrillators with the national defibrillator network.

To improve patients' survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, the Government has committed to improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. Following the depletion of the existing AED Fund, launched in September 2023, the Government approved a further £500,000 in August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the fund.As part of the application process, the Department has selected Smarter Society as its independent partner to manage grant applications against requirements specified by the Department, to ensure that resources are allocated where there is the greatest need, for instance in remote communities with extended ambulance response times, places with high footfall and high population densities, hotspots for cardiac arrest including sporting venues and venues with vulnerable people, and deprived areas.When an AED is installed, these defibrillators are required to be registered on The Circuit, the national defibrillator ambulance service database. Upon registration, contact details are provided for the nominated AED guardian/s who are local to the defibrillator’s location and conduct checks when required. Four AEDs have been distributed through the fund to the Basingstoke postcode area.

What information his Department holds on the number of clinical commissioning groups that have implemented more restrictive policies on the prescription of gluten-free products for people with coeliac disease; and whether his Department is monitoring the potential impact of those policy changes on affected groups.

The Department and NHS England do not hold this information and are not monitoring the potential impact of those policy changes on the affected groups.Decisions about the commissioning and funding of local health services, including the prescription of gluten-free products for people with coeliac disease, are the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). NHS England’s guidance should be taken into account when ICBs formulate local policies, and prescribers are expected to reflect local policies in their prescribing practices. The guidance does not remove the clinical discretion of prescribers in accordance with their professional duties.The national prescribing position in England remains that gluten free bread and mixes can be provided to coeliac patients on a National Health Service prescription, and a wide range of these items continue to be listed in part XV of the Drug Tariff. This means that prescribers can issue NHS prescriptions, based on a shared decision between prescriber and patient, while also being mindful of local and national guidance.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to allow public sector employees to sacrifice salary to lease an electric vehicle.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to PQ UIN 25529.

Whether she has plans to (a) implement and (b) allow public sector employees to utilise existing private cycle to work style salary sacrifice schemes to (i) lease and (ii) purchase electric vehicles at reduced rates.

The transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is crucial to decarbonising transport and will support growth and productivity across the UK. There are now more than 1 million EVs on our roads. The government has committed to phasing out new cars that rely solely on internal combustion engines by 2030, and that from 2035 all new cars and vans sold in the UK will be zero emission.Salary sacrifice schemes are not generally permitted in the public sector. This is because salary sacrifice arrangements mean employees and employers pay less income tax and National Insurance on remuneration and do not, therefore represent best value for the exchequer and UK taxpayers as a whole.However, many public sector employees can and do make use of existing schemes that will likely be accessible to all staff, such as Cycle to Work. Employers are also encouraged to consider other options for encouraging the use of zero emission vehicles in their workforce.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 23643 on Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner, for what reasons funding amounts for individual Police and Crime Commissioner areas are not routinely published; and if she will make it her policy to publish these amounts in the future.

Funding amounts for the commissioning of victims’ services by individual Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) have not previously been systematically published on gov.uk.Individual PCCs publish annual reports which includes funding for victim services. Furthermore, a breakdown of grant funding is publicly available on the Government Grants Information System, which is released annually in March covering the previous financial period of grant spending.PCCs commission victim services with funding outside of Ministry of Justice allocations, and individual allocations do not take into account any co-commissioning arrangements. As such, individual allocations will not provide the whole picture for victims’ funding in an area.

How much funding has been allocated to the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner (a) in total and (b) for support services for survivors of sexual assault and abuse since 2012.

The 42 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales receive annual grant funding from the Ministry of Justice’s victim and witness budget to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types.My Department has committed £154 million per annum on a multi-year basis across this spending review period, up to the end of March 2025. For 2024/25 we provided £41 million of ringfenced funding for the recruitment of Independent Sexual and Domestic Violence Advisors, and £21 million of ringfenced funding for community-based domestic abuse and sexual violence services. These funding commitments have enabled us to provide tailored support to enable victims of sexual violence to cope and recover from the devastating effect of their crimes. Funding amounts for individual PCC areas are not routinely published.The PCC for Hampshire publishes details on services commissioned in their annual reports available at: Money - Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner.

What the (a) retention and (b) pass rate is for 16 to 19 year olds studying three A level-equivalent (i) applied general and (ii) tech level qualifications.

The department does not publish retention and pass rate data for 16 to 19-year-olds for applied general and tech level qualifications equivalent in size to three A levels.However, the department does publish data on pass rates and the proportion of students who are retained to the end of their ’core aim’ (or main learning aim) of their study programme at a school or college in the ’A level and other 16 to 18 results’ statistical release, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results/2022-23. The data covers students at the end of 16 to 18 study in the reporting year attending state-funded schools and colleges. This includes all applied general and tech level qualifications approved for reporting in school and college performance data in that year, irrespective of the size of the qualification. For retention, the data relates to qualifications where it is the student’s core aim. This means that if a student studied both applied general and tech level qualifications, the statistics only refer to the learning aim recognised as their core aim. For pass rates, data reflects their best result if students enter multiple applied general (or tech level) qualifications, but students that enter both applied general and tech level qualifications will report outcomes for both unless they are in the same subject. The most recent published data is for the cohort of students at the end of 16 to 18 study in 2022/23 and is available for pass rates, available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/e869e68e-85ab-4cf7-595d-08dd3479441b, and retention which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/e09fafe6-b348-4839-5950-08dd3479441b.Additionally, in 2024 the department included in the T Level Action Plan a retention rate for 16-year-olds starting a large vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) equivalent in size to three A levels in academic year 2021/22, which found that 80% of 16-year-olds were retained within two years of starting their large VTQ. This is based on all relevant aims, and not just each student's core aim. The T Level Action Plan is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66290c86b0ace32985a7e6d6/T_Level_action_plan_-_analytical_annex.pdf.