Written questions by Mullane.

If her Department will take steps to allow colleges to carry out their own end point assessments for apprenticeships.

In February 2025 the department announced improvements to apprenticeship assessment and published a new set of assessment principles. This will make assessment simpler for employers, providers and apprentices and remove unnecessary duplication.End-point assessment organisations (EPAOs) will be able to delegate assessment to the apprenticeship training provider, including colleges, where appropriate, in line with the revised assessment plan. EPAOs will continue to shape the assessment and ensure the validity of outcomes.These changes will make the system more efficient and improve the experience for employers and apprentices, while retaining rigour and quality, and ensuring consistency in outcomes. This will ensure employers can be confident that apprentices have met the standards employers require.Existing assessment plans will be rewritten on a standard-by-standard basis to reflect these changes. The department is working closely with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education to develop and implement these revisions from April 2025. Further detail, including which assessment plans will be revised and by when, will be outlined in due course.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) fiscal measures and (b) tax incentives to promote the uptake of (i) heat battery and (ii) other low carbon technologies in homes.

The Government is committed to improving the quality and sustainability of our housing stock, through improvements such as low carbon heating, insulation, solar panels, and batteries. Installations of qualifying energy-saving materials (ESMs) in residential accommodation and buildings used solely for a charitable purpose benefit from a temporary VAT zero rate until March 2027, after which they will revert to the reduced rate of VAT at five per cent. This support – worth over £1 billion – will aid households and charities in improving the energy efficiency of their buildings and help to reduce carbon emissions.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of heat batteries to balancing grid demand during peak energy usage periods.

Heat batteries are a promising low-carbon heating technology because they utilise time-of-use tariffs and do not require outside space. However, they are less efficient than heat pumps and therefore use more energy to meet the same heating demand. Although they can be charged at off-peak times, if not sized or used correctly, heat batteries could add to peak demand on the electricity network and increase bills for property owners. The Department is exploring, through studies like the Homes for Net Zero Trial, the role heat batteries could play in the future.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential contribution of heat battery technology to the Government’s target for decarbonising homes by 2030.

Heat batteries are a promising low-carbon heating technology because they utilise time-of-use tariffs and do not require outside space. However, they are less efficient than heat pumps and therefore use more energy to meet the same heating demand. Although they can be charged at off-peak times, if not sized or used correctly, heat batteries could add to peak demand on the electricity network and increase bills for property owners. The Department is exploring, through studies like the Homes for Net Zero Trial, the role heat batteries could play in the future.

If she will postpone changes to the taxation of double-cab pick-up trucks for 12 months.

Following a judgement by the Court of Appeal, Double Cab Pick Ups must be treated as cars, rather than goods vehicles, for certain tax purposes, based on their primary suitability.The government has no plans to legislate to postpone the change and treat DCPUs as goods vehicles, as this would depart from the broader principles underpinning the Court of Appeal’s judgement, and be a significant tax break worth hundreds of millions per year.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of service life on non-UK nationality families of serving personnel.

This Government recognises and values the vital support which all Service families provide to our Armed Forces, which enables them to serve our country both in the UK and overseas in order to maintain national security. We are therefore committed through the Armed Forces Covenant to continuously work to improve the lives of the Armed Forces community in conjunction with other Government Departments, and work is currently underway to fully extend the legal duty further. For our non-UK families, much of that work focusses on their UK immigration status, and the Ministry of Defence works very closely with the Home Office to ensure that those who serve or have served in the Regular Armed Forces and their families are not disadvantaged by Service life. This includes special Immigration Rules Appendix HM Armed Forces which offer a number of advantages for families such as being exempt from paying the Immigration Health Surcharge to access NHS services; being granted visas for entry to the UK valid for up to 60 months compared to 30 months on other family routes; being able to count time outside the UK on accompanied overseas assignments towards future Settlement or naturalisation applications; and children born in the UK or qualifying territories to Serving personnel are British by birth. Support and information is also available to families on a range of issues including relocation, accommodation, education and NHS facilities through the Single Services, the HIVE Information Centres, the new Families Hub and the Families Federations.

If she make it her policy to introduce a new interest-free loan scheme for taxi drivers purchasing new taxis matched to the retail price of the LEVC TXE.

As of October 2024, 60% of actively licensed London taxis were zero emission capable (ZEC). The Plug in Taxi Grant (PiTG) has been crucial in supporting taxi drivers to make this transition to ZEC vehicles and decarbonise our roads. On 25 February 2025, the Government announced that the PITG will be extended into the 2025/26 financial year with a reduced rate of £4,000 per eligible vehicle. The Government does not currently intend to introduce an interest-free loan scheme for taxi drivers.

If she will extend the VAT exemption afforded to adapted motor vehicles for people with disabilities to London’s Black Cabs.

The Government is committed to ensuring support is there for the most vulnerable people in our society. Certain products designed solely for use by a disabled person can qualify for a zero rate of VAT. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s third largest tax, forecast to raise £171 billion in 2024/25. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations. Another key consideration when assessing a new VAT relief is whether the cost saving is likely to be passed on to consumers in the form of lower prices. Evidence suggests that businesses only partially pass on any savings from lower VAT rates and so in some cases, reliefs do not represent good value for money.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has issued guidance on the use of offsite manufacture in house building.

Building regulations apply equally to homes built using modern methods of construction as those built using traditional methods. Developers are responsible for complying with the functional requirements of the building regulations, which are set out in legislation and the Approved Documents.We are working with the British Standards Institution to create a Publicly Available Specification for modern methods of construction new build residential properties, which will be published in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) mitigate pollution from historic landfills and (b) facilitate the remediation of landfill sites.

Local Authorities have a duty to identify contaminated land (including historic landfills) which are causing unacceptable risks to human health or the environment. Where requested, the Environment Agency (EA) supports Local Authorities in discharging these duties by providing information and advice. The EA is responsible for requiring remediation to be carried out on Special Sites. These are contaminated land sites where it has the specialist skills to deal with contamination due to past activities or certain current land uses and specific types of water pollution. The EA has inspected many historic landfills as potential special sites on behalf of Local Authorities. 60 sites (including 14 historic landfills) have been designated as Special Sites in England. Remediation is outstanding or ongoing on 19 sites where the EA is either working with those responsible or using discretionary powers to carry out works to reduce unacceptable risks to health and the environment. The list is published here: Contaminated Land Special Sites - data.gov.uk. Operators (and landowners) of permitted or historic landfill sites are responsible for maintaining and managing their sites. Where they propose to remediate sites to enable redevelopment, the EA will advise on permitting requirements where remediation involves deposit, or treatment of waste. Where consulted, the EA will liaise with the relevant Planning Authority. Published guidance is available on GOV.UK: Landfill operators: environmental permits - Deposit waste over existing waste at landfills (overtipping) - Guidance - GOV.UK.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to reduce levels of poverty among migrant children.

Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government and the Ministerial Taskforce is considering all children across the United Kingdom in developing a Child Poverty Strategy. The causes of child poverty are deep-rooted and complex and the Taskforce is exploring all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty.The Taskforce recognises the distinct challenges of poverty faced by migrant children and the Child Poverty Unit is working closely with the Home Office on this important aspect of the work. Alongside this, officials planned specific discussions with experts from outside Government, as part of the wider evidence gathering the Taskforce is undertaking.

If he will take steps to ensure that the new legal duty of candour established in response to Phase 2 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry will be applicable to past incidents.

The Government has committed to implement a ‘Hillsborough Law’ which will place a legal duty of candour on public servants and authorities. The details of this Bill will be announced in due course.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to take steps to support councils in London with temporary accommodation pressures.

Homelessness levels are far too high, and we are taking the first steps to get back on track to ending homelessness. As announced at the Budget, grant funding for homelessness services is increasing this year by £233 million compared to last year (2024/25). This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total funding to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26.This Government has inherited record levels of temporary accommodation, and we recognise the pressure this has put on councils. The government regularly takes a wide range of evidence into account when determining the overall level of funding available for local government services, including expected temporary accommodation pressures in 202/26. The majority of funding provided through the Local Government Finance Settlement is un-ringfenced in recognition that local councils are best placed to understand the needs of their communities. The Government has confirmed there will be over £5 billion additional government grant funding available for local government services in 2025/26, over and above increases to council tax. Of this, over £2 billion is being made available through the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025/26.The Government is clear that, in the short-term, we must prioritise eliminating the worst forms of temporary accommodation such as families in Bed and Breakfast (B&B), other than in genuine emergencies. We have also launched Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots, backed by £8 million, to work with 20 local councils with the highest use of B&B accommodation for homeless families, including 11 London Boroughs. This will support LAs to move families into more suitable accommodation.In addition, the £1.25 billion Local Authority Housing Fund will provide capital funding directly to English councils and is expected to around 7,700 homes by 2026. It will create a lasting asset for UK nationals by building a sustainable stock of affordable housing and better-quality temporary accommodation for local communities.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) increase scanner availability for dementia diagnosis, (b) reduce diagnosis times and (c) improve patient outcomes.

The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, builds on the investments already made with an ambitious vision for the future of diagnostic testing. This will include more straight-to-test pathways, increasing and expanding community diagnostic centres (CDCs), and better use of technology. With 170 CDCs due to be up and running by the end of March 2025, CDCs can take on more of the growing diagnostic demand within elective care. We will also deliver additional CDC capacity in 2025/26 by expanding a number of existing CDCs and building up to five new ones.Alongside Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, Gates Ventures, and the People’s Postcode Lottery, the National Institute for Health and Care Research is funding the Blood Biomarker Challenge which seeks to produce the clinical and economic data that could make the case for the use of a blood test in the NHS to support the diagnosis of dementia.The Dementia Care Pathway: Full Implementation Guidance, commissioned by NHS England, outlines the dementia care pathway and associated benchmarks to support improvements in the delivery and quality of care and support, for people living with dementia and their families and carers. The guide showcases good-practice examples of services that have successfully reduced their waiting times. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/improving-care/nccmh/dementia/nccmh-dementia-care-pathway-full-implementation-guidance.pdf

What steps his Department is taking to accelerate (a) retrofit and (b) home upgrades for social housing residents.

The Government’s Warm Homes Plan will improve the existing housing stock by tackling fuel poverty and ensuring lower energy bills for decades to come. The Autumn 2024 Budget confirmed an initial £3.4 billion for heat decarbonisation and household energy over the next three years. This includes £1.8 billion to support fuel poverty schemes, with £1.29 billion of grant funding allocated to Wave 3 of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund in England to support social housing providers and tenants, with delivery starting in April 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring that both staircases in new residential buildings over 18 metres function as fire-fighting staircases.

In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the UK government took significant steps to enhance fire safety in new residential buildings including increased provisions of sprinkler systems, and the ban on combustible materials in external walls.Following engagement with the sector including fire and rescue services, developers and designers, the government proposed to introduce new guidance making provisions for a second staircases in new residential buildings exceeding 18 metres in height. This new guidance takes effect on 30 September 2026.The current guidance, Approved Document B (Fire Safety), is already clear that residential buildings with a floor area of 900sqm should include a minimum of two firefighting stairs. For buildings below this threshold where a second stair is provided, the second staircases should be, as a minimum, a protected escape stair able to provide an effective means of egress for occupants.

What steps she is taking to (a) help prevent and (b) support the victims of tool theft.

We recognise the negative impact theft has on victims who rely on the tools of their trade to earn a living.We are continuing to work with the police-led National Business Crime Centre and industry via the Combined Industries Theft Solutions forum to explore ways to tackle and prevent the theft of tools.We are also working alongside the police and businesses to tackle these crimes and ensure perpetrators receive just punishment, including work to make tradespeople’s vans secure.Following engagement with the Home Office and National Vehicle Crime Working Group, Thatcham Research agreed to add to their New Vehicle Security Assessment (NVSA), locks and alarms on the back of vans (previously NVSA only covers the cab area of vans) and a motion sensor on the load area of the van. This is supported by crime prevention advice developed by the Police Crime Prevention Initiatives: Secured by Design - Vans & Tool Theft.A key part of making acquisitive crime less attractive to criminals is making stolen goods harder to sell on. That is why we are working closely with policing and academic leads to examine what more can be done to tackle the disposal markets for stolen goods and reduce the ability to profit from this criminality.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the quality of new residential units that were converted from commercial buildings through permitted development rights.

The government acknowledge the concerns that exist about the quality of residential units created through permitted development rights, particularly office-to-residential conversions. We will continue to keep permitted development rights under review.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) landlords and (b) management companies are held accountable for safety defects in leasehold properties.

Regulators – local authorities, fire and rescue authorities and the Building Safety Regulator – have powers to compel landlords and other responsible persons to remediate their unsafe buildings. Where necessary, regulators have powers to prosecute those who are failing to fulfil their duties.The Remediation Acceleration Plan (RAP) published this week (2 December) sets out key measures to fix buildings faster, identify remaining buildings still at risk and ensure that residents are supported through the remediation process. We are increasing funding to ensure that local regulators have the capacity to drive remediation where responsible parties fail to undertake the work quickly. A further £30 million investment in 25/26 will provide capacity for regulators to tackle hundreds of enforcement cases a year, targeting those failing to remediate their buildings.The Government has published new guidance for regulators on the enforcement of remediation work. The guidance establishes key principles for remediation enforcement, such as the designation of a lead regulator at each building. This reduces ambiguity and allows regulators to work together and drive remediation effectively.For landlords, the message is clear: time is running out to do the right thing. Those who fail to fix their buildings can expect swift and robust enforcement action from regulators with the full support of government behind them.

Communities and Local Government, what progress her Department has made on increasing the number of social housing available in Dagenham and Rainham constituency.

I refer my Hon Friend to my answer to Question UIN 11383 on 31 October 2024.