Written questions by Vickers.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on maintaining operational independence when considering complaints against licensed broadcasters.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the impact of the proposed amendments to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations on the ability of voluntary mountain rescue teams to provide rescue cover at temporary sporting and cultural events.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What estimate she has made of the number of additional taxpayers who will pay an effective marginal rate of income tax of 60% because their income is between £100,000 to £125,140 due to the freezing of income tax thresholds before 2031.

The Government recognises that taxpayers earning between £100,000 and £125,140 face a higher marginal tax rate due to the tapering of the tax-free Personal Allowance, introduced in 2010-11. The number of people forecast to pay tax by marginal rate can be found in the OBR’s March 2026 Economic and fiscal outlook – detailed forecast tables: receipts, linked below. https://obr.uk/download/march-2026-economic-and-fiscal-outlook-detailed-forecast-tables-receipts/?tmstv=1772624887 The previous Government made the decision to maintain income tax thresholds at their current levels from April 2021 until April 2028 and this is reflected in the numbers.

What estimate she has made of the number of people who have reduced their taxable income to avoid the tapered withdrawal of the personal allowance for income tax.

The Government recognises that taxpayers earning between £100,000 and £125,140 face a higher marginal tax rate due to the tapering of the tax-free Personal Allowance, introduced in 2010-11. The number of people forecast to pay tax by marginal rate can be found in the OBR’s March 2026 Economic and fiscal outlook – detailed forecast tables: receipts, linked below. https://obr.uk/download/march-2026-economic-and-fiscal-outlook-detailed-forecast-tables-receipts/?tmstv=1772624887 The previous Government made the decision to maintain income tax thresholds at their current levels from April 2021 until April 2028 and this is reflected in the numbers.

What steps his Department is taking to improve public awareness of the symptoms of endometriosis.

The Government acknowledges the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and the workforce.We acknowledge that improving public awareness of endometriosis will reduce stigma and ensure symptoms are recognised, and we have taken action to address this.In July 2025, the Department for Education published revised Relationships Education and Sex Education and Health Education statutory guidance, which emphasise the importance of ensuring that pupils have a comprehensive understanding of women’s health topics, including endometriosis. This will help young people better understand what is normal and when to seek professional help.The women’s health area on the National Health Service website brings together over 100 different women’s health topics for the public seeking health information, including pages on periods, gynaecological conditions, and endometriosis.The NHS YouTube channel features two video series on endometriosis and heavy periods, providing more evidence-based information for women, girls, and the wider public, as well as some short videos filmed with NHS doctors.The Women’s Health Ambassador for England has also been raising awareness of women’s health since her appointment in 2022 by engaging extensively with NHS and healthcare leaders, voluntary sector organisations, patient groups, and industry to raise awareness of the women’s health strategy and build collaborative relationships.

What plans his Department has to increase the capacity of specialist services for diagnosing Endometriosis.

The Government acknowledges the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and the workforce.We are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for gynaecological conditions including endometriosis, and we have already taken action to address this.NHS England is updating the service specification for severe endometriosis which will be published in due course. This will improve the standards of care for women with severe endometriosis by ensuring specialist endometriosis services have access to the most up-to-date evidence and advice. This is considering specialist care for thoracic endometriosis.Research has led to new treatments being made available, including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approval of two pills to treat endometriosis this year, Relugolix and Linzagolix. Both are estimated to help approximately 1,000 women with severe endometriosis for whom other treatment options haven’t been effective.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of property-based business taxation, such as business rates, on business investment and productivity.

The Call for Evidence on business rates and investment closed on 18 February. It asked stakeholders for more detailed evidence on how the business rates system influences investment decisions, with questions on the business rates system’s tax structure, small business rates relief, improvement relief and empty property relief. The Government is carefully considering representations we’ve received, and a response to the Call for Evidence will be published in due course.

Whether she plans to review the long-term structure of business rates in England.

The Call for Evidence on business rates and investment closed on 18 February. It asked stakeholders for more detailed evidence on how the business rates system influences investment decisions, with questions on the business rates system’s tax structure, small business rates relief, improvement relief and empty property relief. The Government is carefully considering representations we’ve received, and a response to the Call for Evidence will be published in due course.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of emergency response driver training standards across in the (a) police, (b) fire and (c) ambulance services.

The Home Office supports police objectives to keep the public safe and ensure that officers can provide an emergency response, rapidly and effectively, to attend incidents. Police investment in technology for vehicle safety, along with guidance issued by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing on response driving, help forces to achieve rapid responses and ensure public safety.Police drivers must undergo comprehensive training at several levels throughout their career and they have a duty to ensure that their standard of driving is consistent with their training.The development and maintenance of police driver training standards, along with driving-related curricula, are led by the College of Policing, with support from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, both of whom have expertise in this area of police operations.

What steps the Government is taking to help ensure public safety in relation to emergency response driving.

The Home Office supports police objectives to keep the public safe and ensure that officers can provide an emergency response, rapidly and effectively, to attend incidents. Police investment in technology for vehicle safety, along with guidance issued by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing on response driving, help forces to achieve rapid responses and ensure public safety.Police drivers must undergo comprehensive training at several levels throughout their career and they have a duty to ensure that their standard of driving is consistent with their training.The development and maintenance of police driver training standards, along with driving-related curricula, are led by the College of Policing, with support from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, both of whom have expertise in this area of police operations.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the Bereavement Support Payment in the context of trends in the cost of living.

Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is intended to provide support during the acute period following a bereavement when people may face sudden costs or disruption. Where longer-term income support is needed for everyday living costs, qualifying individuals can access Universal Credit, which is generally increased in line with inflation. The rate of Bereavement Support Payment is reviewed on a discretionary basis each year as part of the annual uprating process.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department’s Statement of Strategic Priorities for Ofcom, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of role of the Competition and Markets Authority in sustaining network competition in the fixed broadband market.

The Competition and Markets Authority’s role is to effectively investigate, as needed, mergers and anti-competitive practices in the fixed telecoms market in order to promote competition and protect consumers to drive economic growth and improve household prosperity, and works as appropriate with Ofcom as the sector regulator in doing so.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the duration of the Bereavement Support Payment on the finances of bereaved parents with dependent children.

Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) aims to provide support during the acute period following a bereavement by way of an initial lump sum followed by up to 18 monthly instalments. Where longer-term financial support is needed, benefits such as Universal Credit have been specifically designed to provide assistance with ongoing living costs. The Government keeps the eligibility of all benefits under review.In Autumn 2021 the previous Government carried out an evaluation on whether BSP is meeting its policy intent by supporting claimants with the immediate costs that follow a bereavement. The findings suggested that BSP is meeting this policy intent, and it also found that the current payment distribution of a lump sum and 18 monthly instalment was working well.

What criteria will be used to evaluate the success of the Government’s SEND reforms.

Every child deserves an education that meets their needs, one that is academically stretching, where every child feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work.Driving inclusion in schools will improve outcomes for all children. Our reforms will restore parents’ trust in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. We will be investing £4 billion more over three years to support implementation, including £1.8 billion so every community has experts on hand, with £1.6 billion going directly to schools for early intervention and over £200 million to train every teacher.The department regularly publishes statistics on pupils with special educational needs, including information on educational attainment, destinations, absence, exclusions and characteristics.We are consulting on proposals to reform the SEND system, and will set out in more detail how we will evaluate policy after the consultation closes. We will set clear expectations of our public services and hold them to account for delivering.

How her Department monitors the impact of budget pressures on SEND outcomes.

The department’s assessment of the impact of pressures on the outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is available in our consultation document ‘SEND Reform: putting children and young people first’, published 23 February.

What criteria the Government uses to determine whether payments made under a Government compensation scheme are exempt from (a) income tax and (b) inheritance tax.

Some payments made under Government established compensation schemes will not give rise to an income tax liability. This is because payments intended to compensate individuals for personal injury would generally fall within established tax principles that treat compensation for personal injury as non-taxable. If payments are made which specifically represent loss of earnings, they will be subject to income tax under miscellaneous income rules.Beyond this, tax exemptions for individual schemes will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Given the historic nature of the Infected Blood Scandal and the reduced life expectancy of Infected Blood recipients, many individuals will have passed away before they could receive their compensation. This means that concerns around the impacts of secondary transfers are particularly acute in the case of Infected Blood compensation. For this reason, we have taken steps to extend the inheritance tax relief for this scheme.

Whether the Government plans to apply the same inheritance tax treatment used for the infected blood compensation scheme to future comparable schemes.

Some payments made under Government established compensation schemes will not give rise to an income tax liability. This is because payments intended to compensate individuals for personal injury would generally fall within established tax principles that treat compensation for personal injury as non-taxable. If payments are made which specifically represent loss of earnings, they will be subject to income tax under miscellaneous income rules.Beyond this, tax exemptions for individual schemes will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Given the historic nature of the Infected Blood Scandal and the reduced life expectancy of Infected Blood recipients, many individuals will have passed away before they could receive their compensation. This means that concerns around the impacts of secondary transfers are particularly acute in the case of Infected Blood compensation. For this reason, we have taken steps to extend the inheritance tax relief for this scheme.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that reliance on automated customer service systems does not impede consumers’ ability to make complaints or seek redress.

Everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world – helping families save money, get a better job, and access services like the NHS more easily. But we know some people face real barriers. That’s why government published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan and launched the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, helping more people across the UK get the access, skills and confidence to get online. Legislation provides the redress rights for consumers. Beyond this, the government does not generally intervene in how businesses choose to conduct their activities as this is a commercial decision. However, we encourage key private sector services important to people’s daily lives – like banking, utilities and online shopping – to prioritise inclusive digital services and government remains committed to working with industry and the voluntary sector to explore opportunities to align.

What data his Department holds on consumer complaints relating to the inability to contact a human representative when seeking to resolve disputes.

Everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world – helping families save money, get a better job, and access services like the NHS more easily. But we know some people face real barriers. That’s why government published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan and launched the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, helping more people across the UK get the access, skills and confidence to get online. Legislation provides the redress rights for consumers. Beyond this, the government does not generally intervene in how businesses choose to conduct their activities as this is a commercial decision. However, we encourage key private sector services important to people’s daily lives – like banking, utilities and online shopping – to prioritise inclusive digital services and government remains committed to working with industry and the voluntary sector to explore opportunities to align.

What assessment he has made of the impact of automated customer service systems, including chatbots and AI-based systems, on consumers’ ability to exercise their statutory rights.

Everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world – helping families save money, get a better job, and access services like the NHS more easily. But we know some people face real barriers. That’s why government published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan and launched the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, helping more people across the UK get the access, skills and confidence to get online. Legislation provides the redress rights for consumers. Beyond this, the government does not generally intervene in how businesses choose to conduct their activities as this is a commercial decision. However, we encourage key private sector services important to people’s daily lives – like banking, utilities and online shopping – to prioritise inclusive digital services and government remains committed to working with industry and the voluntary sector to explore opportunities to align.