Written questions by Pritchard.

If she will review the Sovereign Grant annually on audited and published Crown Estate profits.

The rules governing the Sovereign Grant are set out in the Sovereign Grant Act 2011. This Act requires a review following every five-year period to ensure the percentage of Crown Estate profits used in the calculation of the Grant remains appropriate. In addition, any unspent surplus from the Sovereign Grant goes into a reserve fund. If this reserve fund goes above 50 per cent of annual expenditure, the level of the Sovereign Grant can be reduced, requiring the Household to draw down this reserve rather than receive excessive additional funding.

Whether he plans to take steps to bring forward legislative proposals on regulating sports therapists.

The Government has no plans to extend statutory regulation to sports therapists at this time.

If she will hold discussions with the (a) Duchy of Lancaster and (b) Duchy of Cornwall on creating a shared costs formula for local authorities within those Duchy areas when a Royal visit takes place.

The Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster are private estates, and neither Duchy manages public money. The government has a limited number of functions in relation to their administration, prescribed by Acts of Parliament.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has plans to re-open the British Embassy in Syria.

Currently, there are no plans to reopen our embassy in Damascus. We will keep this under review.

What steps he is taking to improve the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) is managed through cardiovascular services, and is managed by specialised cardiologists, linking with expertise from other specialties according to individual patients’ needs. Specialised Cardiology is one of the services which is being delegated to integrated care boards. Improvements in diagnosis and treatment are for local determination within national frameworks and NICE guidance and standards.As of the end of October 2024, there were 412,017 patient pathways waiting for Cardiology Service, with 59.6%, or 245,532 patient pathways, waiting within 18 weeks. This is far below the 92% 18-week Referral-to-Treatment NHS Constitutional Standard. It is unacceptable that people cannot access the care they need, when they need it.We have committed to getting back to the 18-week standard by the end of this Parliament. Funding announced in the Autumn Budget will support delivery of an additional 2 million operations, scans, and appointments during our first year in Government, which is equivalent to 40,000 per week, as a first step towards achieving this.As part of this package, £1.5 billion of capital funding in 2025/26 will enable new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners to build capacity for over 30,000 additional procedures and over 1.25 million diagnostic tests as they come online.Dedicated and protected surgical hubs will transform the way the National Health Service provides elective care, improving outcomes for patients and reducing pressures on hospitals. Some hubs offer cardiology treatments and procedures, which could include treatment for PoTS.

Innovation and Technology, if he will take steps to prevent social media companies adjusting network algorithms to promote actions by users (a) favouring political (i) candidates and (ii) outcomes and (b) who are potential national security threats.

The Online Safety Act gives platforms duties to tackle illegal content. The regulator, Ofcom, has outlined steps providers can take to fulfil these duties in codes of practice, including recommending steps for stopping illegal foreign interference and terrorism content being promoted via algorithms. These duties should be in effect by spring 2025.The Act will also require all services to have clear, accessible Terms of Service (ToS) and will require Category 1 services to state what legal content for adults is not accepted. Companies must have effective reporting mechanisms, enabling users to raise concerns about enforcement of ToS, if they feel companies are not fulfilling their duties.

What steps he is taking to ensure sufficient supplies of (a) lamotrigine, (b) Epilim Chronosphere and (c) other epilepsy medication.

The Department is working hard with industry to help resolve intermittent supply issues with some epilepsy medications. As a result of ongoing activity and intensive work, including directing suppliers to expedite deliveries, some issues, including with some carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine presentations, have been resolved.There was a supply issue with all strengths of lamotrigine tablets, used to manage epilepsy, due to manufacturing issues. The supply issue has recently resolved, and supply is expected to return to normal levels through early December 2024.We are aware of an ongoing supply issue with all strengths of topiramate tablets with the resupply date to be confirmed. Other manufacturers of topiramate tablets can meet the increased demand during this time. We have confirmed with the supplier of Epilim Chronosphere that there are currently no issues with supply.The Department continues to work closely with industry, the National Health Service, and others to help ensure patients continue to have access to an alternative treatment until their usual product is back in stock.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed increase in the rate of employers' National Insurance contributions on dental practices which provide NHS dentistry.

The employer National Insurance rise will be implemented April 2025, and the Department will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year in due course.

If he will take steps to ensure NHS Trusts admit early liability and compensate victims of medical negligence whilst under NHS Care.

NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. NHSR has a responsibility to settle claims fairly and promptly, and defend unmeritorious claims to secure NHS resources. Each case must be considered on its own merits, and it is important that a proper investigation is undertaken.NHSR is committed to the use of dispute resolution interventions, including increased mediation and resolution meetings. Consequently, the percentage of cases settling before formal court proceedings are required has continued to increase. In 2023/24, 81% of the 13,382 clinical claims settled were resolved without formal court proceedings being commenced.

If he will install productivity tracking software to monitor work from home employment practices in the Civil Service.

Most office-based civil servants are expected to spend 60% of their working time in the office, setting a consistent balance across the Civil Service. Departments, as individual employers, are responsible for any other measures.

How many and what proportion of (a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) other medical professionals were struck off from practicing in the NHS in 2022-23; and if he will publish the country of origin of their baseline medical qualifications.

The Department does not hold the requested information centrally. All groups of healthcare professionals have their own regulatory bodies, for example, the General Medical Council is the regulator of all medical doctors practising in the United Kingdom, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council is the regulator of all nurses and midwives in the UK, and nursing associates in England. Healthcare professional regulators are independent of the Government, are directly accountable to Parliament, and are responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of their statutory duties. Regulators will hold data on professionals removed from their registers, and may be able to share this information upon request.Any general practitioner, optometrist, or dentist offering National Health Service primary care services must also be registered on the NHS England Performers Lists. NHS England will hold data on professionals removed from the Performers Lists.The Department does not intend to publish the country of origin of the baseline medical qualifications held by healthcare professionals removed from regulators’ registers or the Performers Lists.

If he will bring forward legislative proposals to make it a criminal offence to create fake online media accounts for public bodies and organisations where the communication of official and public information is necessary for civic order and resilience.

I apologise to the Rt. Hon. Member for the delayed response to his question of 6 December. The Online Safety Act, brought forward by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, introduced the false communications offence. This offence captures communications where the individual knows the information to be false and sends it intending to cause harm, without reasonable excuse. Further legislative proposals on online media usage would fall within the remit of the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology.

What processes his Department has in place for Parliamentary oversight of Government decisions in (a) a time of war and (b) circumstances where the House of Commons is not functional.

It is a long-standing convention that the Government notifies the House of Commons of significant military action, either before or after the event, and where appropriate, makes time for a debate on that action. In the event that the House of Commons is unable to meet or conduct its business, the Government is committed to restoring the functioning of democratic institutions at the earliest opportunity. Even in emergency scenarios it is vital that Government decisions are scrutinised appropriately.

Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on extending the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

Departmental settlements have been set by The Treasury following the Budget announcement on October 30. Individual programmes will now be assessed during the departmental Business Planning process.

If he will bring forward legislative proposals to update the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 in the light of the threat from Russia.

The Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) 2004 and the associated Regulations deliver a single framework for civil protection in the UK. The legislation is deliberately broad ranging and sets out the requirements to consider all emergencies that threaten serious damage to human welfare in the UK; the environment of a place in the UK; or war, or terrorism, which threatens serious damage to the security of the UK.The Government keeps this legislation under review. The Cabinet Office has a legal obligation to review the CCA every five years. The most recent review was published in March 2022 and concluded that the Act continues to achieve its stated objectives. It did set out recommendations to strengthen the system and its planning which are being considered as part of the Resilience Review.

What steps she is taking to help increase the proportion of patients that receive treatment within 18 weeks of referral for a respiratory condition in The Wrekin constituency.

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government, including waits for respiratory conditions. We are committed to achieving the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment.Funding announced in the Autumn Budget 2024 will support the delivery of an additional two million operations, scans, and appointments during the Government’s first year as a First Step in our commitment to ensuring patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks. Further details regarding the additional appointments will be confirmed in due course.

Whether he plans to take steps to create shared patient records to allow (a) NHS clinical teams and (b) social care providers to access patient health and social care records.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has announced the intention for there to be a single patient record that both empowers patients, by giving them access to their records, and gives professionals access to the information they need to make the best-informed decisions when delivering care and treatment. We have begun engaging with the public to help shape our plans, including what information they would want to see included in a single record.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed increase in the rate of employers' National Insurance contributions on (a) nurseries and (b) pre-schools.

I refer the right hon. Member for The Wrekin to the answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12804.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to support the release of Ukrainian civilians taken hostage by the Russian military who are not subject to the military prisoner exchange programme.

The UK consistently draws attention to Russia's abhorrent actions in Ukraine, including arbitrary detentions of civilians. In the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, alongside other participating states, we have invoked the Moscow Mechanism four times since Russia's full-scale invasion. The most recent of these reports, published in April, exposed Russia's arbitrary deprivation of liberty of Ukrainian civilians. We call again on Russia to uphold its obligations under International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law, and to release all arbitrarily detained civilians.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with Apple on its reported removal of apps linked to Russian opposition supporters from its Russian app store.

The UK Government condemns the Russian authorities' use of censorship to punish political opposition, repress anti-war sentiment and clamp down on freedom of expression online. The UK has raised Russia's use of repressive legislation to maintain a climate of fear in multilateral fora, most recently at the UN on 29 October. The UK Government stands in solidarity with Russian independent journalists, human rights defenders and civil society activists who continue their work, including online, at great personal risk. The UK Government has regular engagement with Apple on a variety of matters.