Written questions by Perteghella.

Whether he plans to consult stakeholders on the potential impact of fixed recoverable costs on access to justice for vulnerable patients impacted by clinical negligence.

Currently, the Government is considering the way forward on fixed recoverable costs and we will announce our position in due course.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of fixed recoverable costs on (a) birth injury cases, (b) mental health-related negligence claims and (c) claims involving elderly care.

Currently, the Government is considering the way forward on fixed recoverable costs and we will announce our position in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to review the proposed fixed recoverable costs scheme for clinical negligence claims.

Currently, the Government is considering the way forward on fixed recoverable costs and we will announce our position in due course.

Whether her Department plans to deliver a Music and Arts Pupil Premium to schools.

Schools are expected to fund the delivery of music and arts teaching from their core budget. The government has committed to putting education back at the forefront of national life, with a further £3.2 billion going into schools’ budgets, with £1 billion for children and young people with high needs. Overall core revenue funding for schools totalled almost £61.6 billion in the 2024/25 financial year. Over and above core school funding, the government is investing £79 million per year for the Music Hubs programme, which includes the 2024/25 academic year. The 43 Music Hubs partnerships across England offer a range of services, including musical instrument tuition, instrument loaning and whole-class ensemble teaching. To widen access to musical instruments, the government is investing £25 million in capital funding for musical instruments, equipment and technology from the 2024/25 academic year. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced last month our intention to launch a National Centre for Arts and Music Education to promote opportunities for children and young people to pursue their artistic and creative interests in school, including through the government’s network of Music Hubs. Our intention is to launch in September 2026, with a delivery lead appointed through an open procurement. One of the responsibilities of the National Centre will be to lead the Music Hubs programme. Future funding for music and arts education is subject to the ongoing spending review and more details will be published in due course.

What steps her Department is taking to increase recruitment of music teachers.

High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor in determining a child’s educational outcomes. Recruiting and retaining additional numbers of qualified, expert teachers is therefore critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances of every child. This is why the department will recruit 6,500 new, expert teachers. To deliver this pledge we are resetting the relationship with the sector to ensure teaching is once again a valued and attractive profession and one that existing teachers want to remain in, former teachers want to return to and new graduates wish to join. The 2024/25 initial teacher training census reported 331 trainees had begun courses in music, up from 216 trainees in the 2023/24 academic year. We reintroduced a £10,000 music bursary for the 2024/25 academic year and are continuing to offer this for courses starting in 2025/26. A successful recruitment strategy starts with a strong retention strategy, and the department wants to ensure teachers of all subjects and phases stay and thrive in the profession. We agreed a 5.5% pay award for teachers this academic year, 2024/25, and have taken steps to improve teachers’ workloads and wellbeing and enable greater flexible working, to support retention and help re-establish teaching as an attractive profession.

Whether music education will be one of the metrics assessed in the Ofsted report card announced for schools in England.

Ofsted is currently consulting on a revised education inspection framework and inspection report card. This is therefore a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing targeted support to universities at risk of closing their music departments.

The government is committed to supporting higher education arts courses. We recognise the vital role these institutions play in nurturing talent and contributing to the UK's cultural and economic landscape.For the 2024/25 academic year, the department has allocated around £12.9 million to creative and performing arts courses. Additionally, we have allocated £58 million in Strategic Priorities Grant funding to world-leading small and specialist providers, including 12 creative and performing arts institutions. This funding supports the provision of these courses and promotes opportunities for students.

What steps her Department plans to take to increase the number of apprenticeships in the creative sector.

The government is reforming the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, which will provide greater flexibility to employers and learners across England. This will create routes into skilled jobs in growing industries, such as the creative industries, for people of all ages and backgrounds.This will include introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter-duration apprenticeships in targeted sectors. The department is reducing the minimum duration of an apprenticeship to eight months, so employers have the flexibility to train people up more quickly where that makes sense, for example, because an apprentice has high a level of prior experience, or that sector does not work in 12-month training cycles. Apprentices in Film/TV production will be some of the many who are set to benefit from this approach.Employers in the creative sector have developed 74 apprenticeships, including the level 3 Creative Industries Production Technician, to help them develop their workforce.To support employers to access apprenticeships the government pays £1,000 to employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, and for apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or have been in local authority care. Non-levy paying employers can also benefit from the government paying the full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an EHC plan or have been in local authority care.The department continues to promote apprenticeships to young people, adults and employers through the ‘Skills for Life’ campaign.

Innovation and Technology, which of the recommendations from the 2019 Online Harms White Paper his Department has implemented.

The Online Harms White Paper set out a vision for a new regulatory framework for online services to tackle online harm, which would be overseen by an independent regulator with a suite of enforcement powers.The Online Safety Act realises this vision. On 17 March 2025, illegal harms codes of practice came into effect, enabling Ofcom to take robust enforcement action against platforms failing to protect users from illegal content. Services are also required to conduct risk assessments for content harmful to children later this month, with the child safety duties expected to be enforceable by Summer 2025.

If she will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce legal protections for cohabiting couples to ensure equitable distribution of assets on separation.

The financial difficulties which cohabitants can face when their cohabiting relationships come to an end is a matter of concern. The Government committed in its manifesto to strengthening the rights and protections for women in cohabiting couples within its broader commitment to tackle violence against women and girls.As part of our work on cohabitation reform, we are carefully considering issues relating to cohabitation and domestic abuse, including economic abuse. We will launch a public consultation later this year to build public consensus on what cohabitation reform should look like.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the non-recognition of unmarried partnerships in family law on economic abuse.

The financial difficulties which cohabitants can face when their cohabiting relationships come to an end is a matter of concern. The Government committed in its manifesto to strengthening the rights and protections for women in cohabiting couples within its broader commitment to tackle violence against women and girls.As part of our work on cohabitation reform, we are carefully considering issues relating to cohabitation and domestic abuse, including economic abuse. We will launch a public consultation later this year to build public consensus on what cohabitation reform should look like.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Child Maintenance Service does not allow economic abuse through missed payments by the paying parent.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) takes the issue of domestic and economic abuse extremely seriously and is committed to ensuring that victims of abuse get the help and support they need. The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) possess robust enforcement powers and use them effectively in the collection of arrears. CMS has also implemented significant improvements to speed up action when payments break down, targeting enforcement actions more effectively. A consultation on proposed reforms to the CMS was published by the previous Government on 8 May 2024. This included proposals to remove the Direct Pay service. These measures will allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster as monitoring all payments would enable the CMS to immediately identify any missed, late or partial payments and take swift enforcement action.The consultation was extended by this Government at the end of July and ran until 30 September 2024. We are currently analysing the responses we have received, and the Government will publish a response in due course.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of false complaints to social services by parents paying child maintenance on the well-being of receiving parents and their children.

The Child Maintenance Service is committed to ensuring that it delivers a safe service that is sensitive to the needs of all the parents that use its service.  We recognise that some parents may face difficult circumstances, particularly at a time of separation. All caseworkers receive extensive training and follow a well-managed process with clear steps to support vulnerable clients, including those facing domestic abuse. However, the department has no jurisdiction relating to Social Services investigations. The CMS has access to a list of resources which helps caseworkers provide signposting to supporting organisations, which is regularly reviewed and strengthened on the basis of customer insight.

What steps she is taking to improve enforcement against paying parents who repeatedly miss Child Maintenance Service payments.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring separated parents support their children financially, taking robust enforcement action against those who do not. The CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers that can be used against those who consistently refuse to meet their obligations to provide financial support to their children including deducting directly from earnings, bank accounts and forcing the sale of a property. The Child Support (Enforcement) Act 2023 proposed regulations to support the introduction of administrative liability orders (ALOs), removing the requirement to obtain a court issued liability order. Introducing this process should enable the Child Maintenance Service to take faster action against those paying parents who actively avoid their responsibilities and get money to children more quickly. We are working with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service and the Scottish Government to establish a process for implementing ALOs and plan to introduce regulations to Parliament by the end of this year.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential role of (a) co-operatives and (b) co-operation in his Department's approach to international development.

The Government recognises the important contribution cooperatives have made in serving local communities around the world. Cooperatives are a tried-and-tested model in international development, that can enable citizens and producers to access services or markets and strengthen their voice in local processes. Cooperatives can enable sustainable and inclusive development centred on self-help, democratic ownership, and concern for the community. The UK has supported cooperatives and producer organisations in developing countries, including, for example in agriculture through funding to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP), which supports producer organisations, and the Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness Programme (CASA), which partners with cooperatives and small agribusinesses in low-income countries to improve smallholder farmers' access to markets.

What steps she is taking to ensure the adequacy of Personal Independence Payment assessments in ensuring support for people in need.

It is important that all people claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are able to access our services and that they do not face obstacles in applying and communicating with the Department and its providers. In the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working published on 18 March we outline plans to improve the experience for people who use the health and disability benefits system, including recording more assessments to improve people’s trust in the assessment process through greater transparency and using recordings as a learning opportunity to consider potential improvements to the quality of the assessment process and to be available to people who are appealing the initial award given. We also announced plans to launch a process to review the PIP assessment. We will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress. The Health Transformation Programme is also transforming the entire PIP service, including introducing the option to apply and track applications online. The transformed service will improve how we gather health information, and tailor the process to the customer’s needs and circumstances, offering a better customer experience and improving trust in our services and decisions.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to prevent children from being exposed to (a) violent and (b) sexual content online.

Under the Online Safety Act, all in-scope services need to tackle illegal content and criminal behaviour, including illegal violent and sexual offences. These duties are in force now.From Summer, in-scope user-to-user services likely to be accessed by children have a duty to prevent all children from encountering the most harmful content, which includes pornography. Additionally, services will need to provide age-appropriate access for other types of harmful content, including content which encourages, promotes or provides instructions for an act of serious violence against a person.

Innovation and Technology if he will ensure that (a) digital access is classified as a basic utility and (b) suppliers connect broadband in a timely manner.

The Government recognises that access to the internet is essential for participation in society. There is no single definition of a utility; gas, water, electricity and telecoms are regulated differently. Unlike other sectors, the UK telecoms market is competitive at wholesale and retail levels.The broadband Universal Service Obligation provides consumers with the right to request a decent broadband service. The government continues to work closely with Ofcom on the affordability of telecoms services, including on social tariffs.The Department continues to consider ways to remove barriers and speed up deployment; for example, exploring more flexible permitting for street works.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of late dyslexia diagnosis on children's (a) confidence, (b) literacy skills and (c) long-term educational outcomes.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions. As part of this, the department is considering evidence on international best practice in its policymaking on special educational needs (SEN).The department is providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support, and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and early career teachers (ECTs) respectively, covers the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.

Whether she plans to provide additional support for young people with lifelong conditions following reforms to the Universal Credit health top-up.

The Pathways to Work Green Paper is an important staging post on a journey of reform. It sets out our vision, strategy and proposals for change. Before any decisions are made, we are consulting on the design options for a work, health and skills support package. We are specifically seeking input on the proposal to raise the age of eligibility for the health element of the Universal Credit (UC) award to 22. The government will actively engage with a diverse range of stakeholders, including young people with health conditions and disabilities. This consultation is now open and will close on 30th June.As we set out at point 256 in the Pathways to Work Green Paper: “Delaying access to the UC health element would remove any potential disincentive to work during this time. Proceeding with this change would be on the basis that resources could be better spent on improving the quality and range of opportunities available to young people through the [Youth] guarantee, so they can sign up to work or training rather than long-term benefits.” Such a change could support the establishment of a distinct and active transition phase for young people, based on learning or earning for all.