Written questions by Wrigley.

What steps he is taking to support people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community, and these include better coordination of care, and improving access to specialist care, treatment, and drugs. We remain committed to delivering under the framework, and will publish an annual England action plan in 2025 which will report on progress.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed 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 has recently published guidance recommending vamorolone as an option for treating DMD in people four years old and over, and is currently developing recommendations on the use of givinostat, which was granted a conditional marketing authorisation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for the treatment of DMD in patients aged six years old and over in December 2024.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using alternative voting systems to first past the post for new local authorities.

The Government has no plans to change the voting system for local council elections.

What steps he is taking to raise awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities, collaboratively developed with the rare disease community, which includes increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals. We remain committed to delivering under the framework, and will publish an annual England action plan in 2025, which will report on progress.The NHS England Genomics Education Programme (GEP) has continued to develop the GeNotes digital educational resource aimed at healthcare professionals, and has launched several specialities, including in neurology. Through the education and training of the workforce, the GEP will support earlier recognition, timely diagnosis, and healthcare professionals’ understanding of the genomic testing available for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Innovation and Technology, what transparency obligations his Department plans to introduce on generative AI developers.

The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.This consultation seeks views on a number of issues relating to copyright and AI, including on how to achieve proportionate levels of transparency from AI developers over their training sources.The success of any new approach to copyright and AI will depend on stronger trust between AI developers and rights holders. That is why transparency is one of the three primary objectives underpinning the Government’s approach to this work.The consultation closes on 25 February.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that generative AI does not undermine creative industries.

The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024. It seeks views on how to create clarity in this area, to promote growth and investment in both the creative industries and AI sector.Through this consultation, the Government aims to ensure that right holders in the creative industries can control and be remunerated for the use of their work, while supporting the development of world-leading AI models in the UK.The Government recognises that this is a complex area and welcomes all views and evidence to help shape its thinking.

What steps his Department is taking to help increase storage levels of gas.

National Gas has confirmed on 10 January that “the overall picture across Great Britain’s eight main gas storage sites remains healthy - with average levels at just over 60% across the board." We have diverse sources of gas supply, including from the North Sea, as well as the second largest LNG import capacity in Europe and three gas interconnectors. Only a small proportion of GB gas supply comes from our eight storage facilities, which primarily act as source of system flexibility, with capacity fluctuating throughout the year.

What steps she is taking to support vulnerable pensioners during winter 2024-25, in the context of changes to the eligibility criteria for the winter fuel payment.

The Government offers an array of support to ensure pensioners remain comfortable and safe in the winter months. This includes direct financial help to low-income pensioners through Pension Credit, the Warm Home Discount, and (in England & Wales) Cold Weather Payments. We know there are low-income pensioners who aren’t claiming Pension Credit. We want to ensure as many people as possible have access to this support and urge pensioners to check their eligibility. Pension Credit will passport them to receive Winter Fuel Payments in future, alongside other benefits. Our Pension Credit campaign has been successful in boosting applications by 145%, and thanks to the Pension Credit backdating rules, anyone who made a successful backdated claim by 21 December will also qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment. The Warm Home Discount scheme provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate on their winter energy bill. This winter, we expect over three million households, including over one million pensioners, to benefit under the scheme. The Government and industry have worked together to deliver a £500 million Winter Support Commitment for customers, which will help customers most in need by providing credit on bills, enhanced debt write-off schemes, and increased funding for charity partners to target hard to reach customers. This support is all underpinned by this Government’s commitment to the Triple Lock this Parliament and a 4.1% increase to the basic State Pension and the new State Pension this April. We are also increasing the standard minimum guarantee in Pension Credit by 4.1%. As such, according to the latest OBR projections, the full yearly rate of the new State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,900 over the course of this parliament whilst the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,500. Low-income pensioners and others struggling with the cost of living should contact their local council to see what further support may be available to them, as they may be able to receive support from Council Tax Reduction, or through energy support programmes (such as the Homes Upgrade Grant and Energy Company Obligation) – or in England, through the Household Support Fund (a scheme providing discretionary support to those most in need towards the cost of essentials, such as food, energy and water). The Government is extending the Household Support Fund in England by a further year (until 31 March 2026), with funding of £742 million provided to enable this extension in England, plus additional funding for the devolved Governments to be spent at their discretion. This builds on the previous investment of £421 million to extend the fund from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025.

Whether she plans to implement the recommendations of the report by Professor Alexis Jay entitled Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, HC 720, published on 20 October 2022.

As my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister has made clear, the government is focused on delivering the change and justice victims deserve.On 7 January, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department outlined in Parliament commitments to introduce a mandatory duty for those engaging with children to report sexual abuse and exploitation, making grooming an aggravating factor to toughen up sentencing, and introducing a new performance framework for policing.The government is working at pace to address the recommendations in the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. That is happening now and the government is determined to finally deliver for victims after years of no action being taken.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of new US tariffs on the UK economy.

HMT continuously monitors external developments and potential impacts on the UK economy, but it will not comment on hypotheticals. The US is one of the UK’s closest partners with a trading relationship worth £304 billion and representing 18% of total UK trade. We look forward to working with the new US administration in office, including on their policy priorities and to improve UK-US trading relations to support businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the incoming US presidency on healthcare research in the UK.

The United Kingdom’s world-class health research ecosystem makes us a natural and leading partner for the United States’ research community and life sciences. The United States ranks the highest in the number of co-authorships, between UK researchers and researchers in international organisations, of peer reviewed biomedical journal papers. The Government will continue to encourage close working between our respective research funders to support cutting-edge, collaborative research between the UK and the United States.

Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the incoming US presidency on scientific research in the UK.

The US is our biggest research partner. We expect this to continue. The UK’s thriving scientific ecosystem make us a natural and leading collaborator for the US research community. The UK and US have a deep scientific partnership which supports the UK's economic growth agenda. The Government looks forward to continuing to build on our strong existing bilateral commitments on research, which advance the frontiers of science, research and innovation to shape the technologies of the future.

With reference to page 25 of the Government response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's investigation into Women’s State Pension age and associated issues, what the evidential basis is for the statement that awareness among the 45-54 age group that State Pension age was increasing had increased to 90%.

The Attitudes to Pensions: the 2006 Survey was a large-scale survey commissioned by DWP and carried out by the respected National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the School of Social Sciences, University of Birmingham. The authors included a mix of academics and research professionals, experienced in survey design and delivery, and the report was quality assured to Government Social Research standards. Almost 2,000 adults took part in the survey, and weightings were applied to ensure results were representative of the population. The survey report includes the finding that the percentage of women who reported knowing that women’s State Pension age would increase in the future was 90% for women aged 45-54. The 45-54 female subgroup has a sample size of 203. With a sample of this size, we can get a reliable estimate of the percentage of women among this group who reported knowing that the women’s State Pension age would increase in the future. Using confidence intervals, we can have 95% confidence that this figure would be around 85-95%. The 95% level is a widely accepted standard of confidence. Therefore, even at the lower estimate, the data shows the vast majority of 1950s women were aware. The 2006 Attitudes to Pensions Survey report is available online athttps://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20100208141655mp_/http:/research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2007-2008/rrep434.pdf

What recent discussions on future US-UK defence collaboration he has had with the incoming US Defense Secretary.

The US is our closest security ally. The Government looks forward to working with the incoming US Administration in the months and years ahead. The Senate confirmation process is ongoing for members of President-elect Trump’s cabinet. The Prime Minister had a warm introductory call with President-Elect Trump on 6 November and spoke again with the President-elect on 18 December. The Prime Minister offered his congratulations and said he looked forward to working closely with President-elect Trump across all areas of the special relationship and our shared priorities, including international security.

For what reason funding for pre-school care provision is restricted to 38 weeks per year, the same number of weeks as school term time.

The government’s Plan for Change set the ambition of a record number of children starting school ready to learn, measured by the number meeting the early learning goals, and accessible, high-quality early education and childcare is a crucial part of this. The government is committed to delivering the expansion of early years entitlements to enable eligible working parents of children aged from nine months to access 30 hours of funded childcare from September 2025, boosting children’s life chances and parents work choices.Early years early education and childcare entitlements are available for either 15 or 30 hours, over 38 weeks a year, which aligns to school terms. Early years entitlements can be stretched so parents and carers have fewer hours over more weeks, up to 52 weeks a year, but cannot be compressed into fewer than 38 weeks.Additionally, parents can access Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) and Universal Credit. TFC can save parents up to £2,000 per year on the cost of childcare, or up to £4,000 for eligible children with disabilities. The eligibility criteria for TFC are the same as the working parent entitlement. Eligible Universal Credit claimants can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month, regardless of the number of hours they work.This government had a dire financial inheritance with a £22 billion black hole in the nation’s finances. Our first priority must be to fix the economic foundations of our country, and any policy changes must be affordable.

Is she will take steps to extend funding for pre-school child care provision beyond 38 weeks a year.

The government’s Plan for Change set the ambition of a record number of children starting school ready to learn, measured by the number meeting the early learning goals, and accessible, high-quality early education and childcare is a crucial part of this. The government is committed to delivering the expansion of early years entitlements to enable eligible working parents of children aged from nine months to access 30 hours of funded childcare from September 2025, boosting children’s life chances and parents work choices.Early years early education and childcare entitlements are available for either 15 or 30 hours, over 38 weeks a year, which aligns to school terms. Early years entitlements can be stretched so parents and carers have fewer hours over more weeks, up to 52 weeks a year, but cannot be compressed into fewer than 38 weeks.Additionally, parents can access Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) and Universal Credit. TFC can save parents up to £2,000 per year on the cost of childcare, or up to £4,000 for eligible children with disabilities. The eligibility criteria for TFC are the same as the working parent entitlement. Eligible Universal Credit claimants can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month, regardless of the number of hours they work.This government had a dire financial inheritance with a £22 billion black hole in the nation’s finances. Our first priority must be to fix the economic foundations of our country, and any policy changes must be affordable.

What plans she has to support parents and carers that require more than 38 weeks of funded pre-school care provision per year.

The government’s Plan for Change set the ambition of a record number of children starting school ready to learn, measured by the number meeting the early learning goals, and accessible, high-quality early education and childcare is a crucial part of this. The government is committed to delivering the expansion of early years entitlements to enable eligible working parents of children aged from nine months to access 30 hours of funded childcare from September 2025, boosting children’s life chances and parents work choices.Early years early education and childcare entitlements are available for either 15 or 30 hours, over 38 weeks a year, which aligns to school terms. Early years entitlements can be stretched so parents and carers have fewer hours over more weeks, up to 52 weeks a year, but cannot be compressed into fewer than 38 weeks.Additionally, parents can access Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) and Universal Credit. TFC can save parents up to £2,000 per year on the cost of childcare, or up to £4,000 for eligible children with disabilities. The eligibility criteria for TFC are the same as the working parent entitlement. Eligible Universal Credit claimants can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month, regardless of the number of hours they work.This government had a dire financial inheritance with a £22 billion black hole in the nation’s finances. Our first priority must be to fix the economic foundations of our country, and any policy changes must be affordable.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to merge (a) the 8 Devon districts and (b) Devon County Council into unitary councils with Torbay and Plymouth.

Following the publication of the English Devolution White Paper on the 16 December, I wrote to all councils where there is a two-tier structure of local government and to their neighbouring unitary councils, to set out further details on the Government's ambitions for local government reorganisation. Within that letter I set out my intention “to formally invite unitary proposals in January 2025 from all councils in two-tier areas, and small neighbouring unitary councils.”

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to seek the approval of local councils before establishing new (a) foundation strategic authorities, (b) mayoral strategic authorities and (c) established mayoral strategic authorities; and whether she plans to introduce secondary legislation to implement these proposals.

The Government has announced its intention to introduce new Mayoral Combined Authorities and Mayoral Combined County Authorities with elections in May 2026. This will require the consent of all constituent local authorities involved, using the processes set out in the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 and Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. These areas, and other new and existing devolved institutions in England, will be designated as Strategic Authorities when the English Devolution Bill comes into force. The government is fully committed to working in partnership with councils to bring about devolution by establishing new strategic authorities, and to creating a clear pathway to accessing higher levels of devolution, including Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities. We will set out in the English Devolution Bill more detail on how we will seek the consent of constituent councils under this new legislation, which will be laid in this Parliamentary session.

Whether his Department plans to monitor the declining charitable income of hospices and the potential link to deterioration in service.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at end of life and their loved ones.Individual ICBs oversee palliative care provision by NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each area.The biggest investment in a generation for hospices has been announced by the Government, ensuring that hospices can continue to deliver the highest quality end of life care possible for their patients, families, and loved ones.This was through a £100 million boost for adult and children’s hospices to ensure they have the best physical environment for care, and £26 million of revenue to support children and young people’s hospices. Further details of the funding allocation and dissemination will be set out in the new year.We, alongside key partners NHS England, will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, in order to understand the issues they face.

Communities and Local Government, for what reason the minimum population to become a Foundation Strategic Authority is different for (a) new unitary councils and (b) London boroughs.

The assumed population threshold for all levels of Strategic Authority is 1.5 million or above, but we accept that in some places, smaller authorities may be necessary.As set out in the English Devolution White Paper, new unitary councils must be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks. For most areas, this will mean creating councils with a population of 500,000 or more, but there may be exceptions to ensure new structures makes sense for an area, including for devolution, and decisions will be on a case-by-case-basis.As individual councils, London boroughs will not be designated as Strategic Authorities. The Greater London Authority will be designated as the Strategic Authority for London.