Written questions by Cordova.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Oral Statement of 26 February 2025 on Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report, Official Report, whether she plans to take steps to enforce personal emergency evacuation plans for disabled residents living in high-rise (a) social housing and (b) privately rented accommodation.

Residential personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs) for which my Rt Hon Friend the Home Secretary currently retains responsibility until the Machinery of Government change comes into effect on 1 April will be introduced through legislation yet to be laid before Parliament. We expect that enforcing authorities under the Fire Safety Order, including Fire and Rescue Authorities, who have a duty to enforce Responsible Persons’ compliance with their duties will also enforce duties in relation to Residential PEEPs.Under the Building Safety Act, Accountable Persons are required to assess and manage the building safety risks in their building. In doing this they are required to consider the impacts on residents, carry out engagement with residents, and set out in the Residents’ Engagement Strategy and Safety Case report the arrangements for how residents will respond to emergency situations, which can be expected to include the arrangements for putting in place and managing Residential PEEPs once required.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterparts on Israeli settler attacks on (a) schools, (b) higher education facilities and (c) cultural institutions in the West Bank.

We remain very concerned at the disproportionate impact of violence on children, including in the West Bank: education is a priority sector. Any destruction of cultural facilities is also highly concerning. We engage regularly with non-governmental organizations and civil society, who are best placed to communicate needs and rebuild their communities. The Foreign Secretary and I have emphasised the importance of stability throughout all the Occupied Territories to our Israeli counterparts. The Foreign Secretary raised Israel's ongoing operation in Jenin and highlighted the risk that this undermines the Palestinian Authority when he spoke to Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 22 January. The Foreign Secretary also noted the need for violent settlers to be held accountable.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions to overseas aid on the levels of resilience to (a) conflict and (b) climate shocks among civilian populations in recipient countries.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review on the basis of various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he makes of the potential impact of proposed reductions in official development assistance on future trends in the levels of (a) violence against women and girls and (b) preventable deaths among infants in recipient countries.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review.The UK has placed empowering women and girls at the centre of our international work. We remain committed to tackling violence against women and girls around the world, and to supporting global efforts to end preventable maternal, child and newborn deaths in line with Sustainable Development Goal targets.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed reductions in official development assistance on future trends in the level of preventable sight loss in recipient countries.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and Official Development Assistance. Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review on the basis of various factors including impact assessments.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of making the NHS Accessible Information Standard mandatory in all NHS England health and social care settings on the ability of (a) deaf and (b) visually impaired people to access healthcare.

Following commencement of the regulations made under the Health and Care Act 2022, new arrangements will come into effect to make information standards mandatory. Existing standards will need to go through a new process to become mandatory, and once a standard becomes mandatory, organisations will be expected to comply. The timing for the Accessible Information Standard will be considered along with those of the other existing standards. These arrangements are expected to happen this year, once the regulations have been approved by Parliament.The intent of making information standards mandatory is to improve the rigour of standards, and the consistency of their application. The implementation of Section 95 should have a beneficial impact on those using services, by contributing to the effective operation of the health and care sector. The Accessible Information Standard is intended to improve the accessibility of information, while other standards often specify the technical basis for ensuring that data flows through the system in a usable and standardised form, improving the quality of care and patient outcomes. Information standards do not affect people’s rights.NHS England commissioned the North of England Commissioning Support Unit to review compliance with the Accessible Information Standard, prior to reviewing the standard. Their findings matched the independent reviews undertaken by Sign Health and Healthwatch, that implementation was inconsistent. NHS England has considered how to strengthen compliance with the standard, including the requirement to identify local implementation leads, and the development and testing of a self-assessment framework.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of expediting the implementation of section 95 of the Health and Care Act 2022 on the rights of disabled people.

Following commencement of the regulations made under the Health and Care Act 2022, new arrangements will come into effect to make information standards mandatory. Existing standards will need to go through a new process to become mandatory, and once a standard becomes mandatory, organisations will be expected to comply. The timing for the Accessible Information Standard will be considered along with those of the other existing standards. These arrangements are expected to happen this year, once the regulations have been approved by Parliament.The intent of making information standards mandatory is to improve the rigour of standards, and the consistency of their application. The implementation of Section 95 should have a beneficial impact on those using services, by contributing to the effective operation of the health and care sector. The Accessible Information Standard is intended to improve the accessibility of information, while other standards often specify the technical basis for ensuring that data flows through the system in a usable and standardised form, improving the quality of care and patient outcomes. Information standards do not affect people’s rights.NHS England commissioned the North of England Commissioning Support Unit to review compliance with the Accessible Information Standard, prior to reviewing the standard. Their findings matched the independent reviews undertaken by Sign Health and Healthwatch, that implementation was inconsistent. NHS England has considered how to strengthen compliance with the standard, including the requirement to identify local implementation leads, and the development and testing of a self-assessment framework.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help prevent fraudulent fire safety certificates.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to Question UIN 27050 on 3 February 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help meet (a) climate and (b) nature targets.

The UK fully supported the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and has already submitted to the Convention on Biological Diversity National Targets that are fully aligned with the Framework. We will publish the full UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) in due course, and we will provide an assessment of our progress in the implementation of the KMGBF, including progress towards the national targets, in our seventh and eighth national reports in February 2026 and June 2029, respectively. The UK’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 2030 and 2035 targets – to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% and 81% respectively on 1990 levels – are a fair and ambitious contribution to global action on climate change, in line with the Paris Agreement temperature goal, and remains in place. We are absolutely committed to our climate targets. That is why making Britain a clean energy superpower is one of the five missions of this Government - delivering clean power by 2030 and accelerating the transition to net zero across the economy. This will make it easier and affordable for people across the country to move towards sustainable lifestyles. The UK was the first major economy to halve its emissions, cutting them by around 53% between 1990 and 2023, while growing our economy by 79%. The UK over-achieved against the first, second and third Carbon Budgets, and we will deliver an updated cross-economy plan in due course, which will outline the policies and proposals needed to deliver carbon budgets 4-6 and the 2030 and 2035 NDCs on a pathway to net zero.

What steps she is taking to improve pupil attendance at SEND schools in Battersea constituency.

This government is determined to tackle the generational challenge of school absence and to ensure that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. Missing school regularly is harmful to a child’s attainment, safety and physical and mental health, which limits their opportunity to succeed. There is evidence that more students are attending school this year compared to last, thanks to the sector’s efforts, although around 1.6 million children remain persistently absent and miss 10% or more of lessons.The department has a national approach to supporting all schools to tackle absence, including those in the Battersea constituency. Central to this approach are stronger expectations of local authorities and schools, including special schools, as set out in the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which was made statutory on 19 August 2024. The guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdf. The guidance promotes a support first approach and sets out clear expectations on how schools, trusts, local authorities and wider services should work together and with families to address attendance barriers and provide the right support, including where a pupil is not attending due to special educational needs. The department is committed to ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs and will work with the sector as essential and valued partners to deliver our shared mission and restore parents’ trust.Every state school in England should now be sharing their daily attendance register data with the department, local authorities and trusts. These bodies can access this data through a secure, interactive dashboard which is maintained by the department, allowing them to target attendance interventions more effectively.The department is strengthening its tools for faster and more effective school improvement by launching the new Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams. Supported by over £20 million, these teams will offer both mandatory targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve and a universal service, acting as a catalyst for a self-improving system for all schools. The RISE teams are now beginning work with the first 30 schools eligible for the targeted, bespoke service, with additional schools to begin in April.School attendance is also supported by broader investments, such as funded breakfast clubs, across all primary schools, including special schools, to ensure children start their day ready to learn.The department is working across government on plans to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.Schools can also allocate pupil premium funding, which has now increased to over £2.9 billion for the 2024/25 financial year, which can be used to support eligible pupils to attend school regularly.

If she will make an assessment with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions of the potential impact of increasing cost-of-living support for disabled people on the wider economy.

The Government understands that increased costs of essentials such as energy and food are causing worries and hardship for many people, including disabled people. We are deeply committed to addressing these concerns. Certain benefits available to support disabled people, such as the Personal Independence Payment, which is designed to help people with the extra costs of their disability or health condition, will increase fully by inflation in 2025-26 – an increase of 1.7% (September CPI) from April 2025. This will help many people with disabilities to manage cost-of-living pressures. The Government recognises that not everyone can work and is committed to supporting those who are unable to work through the benefit system. However, where people can work, the Government has introduced a range of policies which help disabled people interact with, and return to, the labour market. Supporting people into good quality work will not only improve living standards but is vital in managing fiscal pressures and boosting the wider economy. The Government updated the remit of the Low Pay Commission (LPC) so that, for the first time, the LPC were asked to consider the cost of living when recommending a National Living Wage (NLW) rate. From 1 April 2025, the NLW will increase by 6.7% to £12.21 per hour. This represents an increase of £1,400 to the gross annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW and is expected to benefit over 3 million low-paid workers. Those with a disability are among those more likely to benefit from these increases. In November the Government also published the ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper, which set out the Government’s strategy to reduce economic inactivity and help people with long-term health conditions start or stay in work. This includes a new Connect to Work programme providing £115 million in funding next year to local areas in England and Wales to deliver new back-to-work support for people who are economically inactive. Over 4 years, the OBR judge it will expand the labour market by 25,000 people.

What steps she plans to take to reduce outcome waiting times for applications to the EU Settlement Scheme.

The Home Office seeks to process all applications to the EU Settlement Scheme as expeditiously as possible.Details of the processing times can be found on the GOV.UK website (EU Settlement Scheme: current estimated processing times for applications - GOV.UK) which advises on expected processing times and common reasons an EUSS application may take longer to conclude.It is over three years since the deadline to apply to the main scheme and the Home Office continues to make changes with the aim of improving the customer experience.The Home Office is introducing a new process to automatically convert eligible pre-settled status holders to settled status without the need for them to make a further EUSS application. It is expected the first grants under this process will be issued in late January 2025.Pre-settled status holders will not need to take any action and the Home Office will inform them if it is unable to convert them to settled status. The Home Office will undertake automated checks of pre-settled status holders against government-held information, for example in respect of their ongoing continuous residence in the UK. This reflects the assessment undertaken when the person first applied to the EUSS and will ensure their eligibility for settled status is thoroughly considered before it is granted.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what further steps he plans to take to encourage the Egyptian authorities to release Alaa Abd El-Fattah.

The UK Government remains committed to securing the release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah. We continue to raise Mr El-Fattah's case at the highest levels with the Egyptian Government. The Prime Minister wrote to President Sisi on the case on 26 December. The Foreign Secretary raised Mr El-Fattah's case with Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelatty most recently on 20 December 2024. The National Security Advisor, Jonathan Powell raised this with the Foreign Minister on 2 January 2025. I raised Mr El-Fattah's case with Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 15 October 2024.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing data on whether illicit objects were found during strip searches (a) in police custody and (b) during police stop and searches by (i) police force and (ii) the (A) age, (B) sex and (C) ethnicity of the person.

Strip search is one of the most intrusive powers available to the police. Its use must be fair, respectful, without unlawful discrimination, and transparent. The Government is committed to introducing new legal safeguards around strip searching children.As part of the Home Office’s Annual Data Requirement, data on strip searches which take place in custody is collected and published on an annual basis online at gov.uk:Other PACE powers, year ending March 2023 (second edition) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) This custody data includes the number of strip searches carried out, as well as the age, sex and ethnicity of persons searched. For the 2024/25 custody data collection, forces will be required to record the reasonable grounds for search during a strip search. However, the data does not currently include data on the outcome of the search, and this is something the Home Office will consider collecting in future years.Since April 2023, the Home Office has also collected data on the extent of clothing removal in stop and searches, allowing analysis of strip searches under stop and search powers. This includes publishing for the first time in September 2024 a breakdown by the sex, age and ethnicity of the person strip searched following the stop and search encounter. Home Office statistics on stop and search includes data on the outcome of the search, including the grounds for the search and whether the outcome of the search was linked to the grounds, which allows analysis of items found.Information on the levels of stop and search is available at gov.uk:Stop and search, arrests and mental health detentions, March 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Data on the level of clothing removal during stop and search is labelled as ‘Official Statistics in development’ to denote its collection on a voluntary basis and ongoing quality improvements to the data.

Whether he has made an estimate of the cost to outpatient paediatric ophthalmology of (a) cancelled appointments and (b) appointments missed because the patient did not attend in 2023-24.

Patients awaiting outpatient care make up over 85% of the elective waiting list, which includes children. Minimising missed appointments will help us to make sure we maximise the use of clinical time and ensure that all patients can be seen sooner. This is part of delivering on our commitment that 92% of patients, including children awaiting hospital-based eyecare, return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment.The following table shows the recorded outcomes of outpatient paediatric ophthalmology appointments in 2023/24, for children aged zero to 18 years old:OutcomeAppointmentsCancelled by hospital69,335Cancelled by patient61,699Did not attend61,904Not known/other221Attended377,520Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.No estimate has been made of the cost of missed appointments to outpatient paediatric ophthalmology because the Department does not hold information centrally on the extent to which outpatient clinics are overbooked based on the expectation that some appointments will be cancelled or marked as did not attend, and that clinicians may undertake other clinical work during these missed clinic appointments.

How many outpatient paediatric ophthalmology appointments for children under 19 years were (a) cancelled and (b) missed because the patient did not attend in 2023-24.

Patients awaiting outpatient care make up over 85% of the elective waiting list, which includes children. Minimising missed appointments will help us to make sure we maximise the use of clinical time and ensure that all patients can be seen sooner. This is part of delivering on our commitment that 92% of patients, including children awaiting hospital-based eyecare, return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment.The following table shows the recorded outcomes of outpatient paediatric ophthalmology appointments in 2023/24, for children aged zero to 18 years old:OutcomeAppointmentsCancelled by hospital69,335Cancelled by patient61,699Did not attend61,904Not known/other221Attended377,520Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.No estimate has been made of the cost of missed appointments to outpatient paediatric ophthalmology because the Department does not hold information centrally on the extent to which outpatient clinics are overbooked based on the expectation that some appointments will be cancelled or marked as did not attend, and that clinicians may undertake other clinical work during these missed clinic appointments.

If he will require NHS England to publish Referral To Treatment waiting times for (a) glaucoma, (b) macular degeneration and (c) other irreversible sight loss conditions separately from minor and reversible eye condition waiting times.

There are no current plans to require NHS England to publish Referral to Treatment waiting times for glaucoma, macular degeneration, and other irreversible sight loss conditions separately from minor and reversible eye condition waiting times.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) assessment of and (b) access to specialist treatments for rare diseases.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community, including improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs. We remain committed to delivering under the framework, and will publish an England action plan in 2025. Delivery partners have committed to reviewing the effectiveness of treatment access pathways like the Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMs), the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP), and the Innovative Medicines Fund for rare disease therapies.NHS England commissions over 80 highly specialised services provided to small numbers of patients, which includes services for rare diseases. The services are delivered and co-ordinated nationally through a limited number of expert centres, to develop appropriate clinical quality, expertise, and experience.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency supports development and access to treatments for rare diseases through regulating the medicines supplied in the United Kingdom. These include the Orphan Medicinal Products Regulation, and Marketing Authorisations under Exceptional Circumstances for treatments where there is limited data, such as rare diseases. Additionally, initiatives like Project Orbis, the ILAP, the EAMS, and the Regulatory Advice Service for Regenerative Medicines accelerate access to treatments.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether all licensed new medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS, based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by the NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance. The NICE operates a separate Highly Specialised Technologies (HST) programme for very rare diseases, with significantly higher cost-effectiveness thresholds than those evaluated under the NICE’s standard technology appraisal processes. Decisions on whether new medicines should be evaluated through the HST programme are taken by the NICE against published routing criteria.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients living with rare inherited retinal diseases receive (a) timely and (b) equitable access to new treatments.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as rare inherited retinal diseases. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community, including improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs. We remain committed to delivering under the framework, and will publish an England action plan in 2025.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether all licensed new medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of their costs and benefits, and NHS England ensures that funding is available for any licensed new medicines recommended by the NICE. The NICE aims to issue guidance on new medicines, including for rare diseases, as close to the time of licensing as possible. The NICE operates a separate Highly Specialised Technologies (HST) programme for very rare diseases, with significantly higher cost-effectiveness thresholds than those evaluated under the NICE’s standard technology appraisal processes. Decisions on whether new medicines should be evaluated through the HST programme are taken by the NICE against published routing criteria.The NICE is currently appraising one treatment for treating visual impairment caused by a rare inherited retinal disease, and final guidance is expected to be published in April 2025.

Whether she has had discussions with the Mayor of London on the potential merits of connecting Clapham Junction station to the Northern line.

Government remains committed to supporting London and the transport network on which it depends. We recently provided £485m in funding to support Transport for London’s (TfL) capital programme for 2025/26 and will continue to work with TfL to understand its capital funding needs, which will be considered at Phase 2 of the Spending Review. However, transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and TfL and it is for the Mayor to assess the merits of capital projects and make decisions on investment.