Written questions by Duncan-Jordan.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Young Carers Covenant.

I have met young adult carers since taking up my current role last July and plan to do so again in future. I also work very closely with Ministerial colleagues in the Departments for Education and Health and Social Care, and we regularly discuss the help and support that young adult carers need and deserve and how the Government can meet the principles of the Young Carers Covenant. The Department for Education (DfE) has oversight of Government support for young carers in England.

What plans her Department has to review the (a) eligibility requirements for, (b) age threshold for, (c) tapering the earnings threshold for, (d) time spent caring condition for and (e) level of the Carers Allowance.

The Government keeps all aspects of Carer’s Allowance under review to see if it is meeting its objectives. It is not means-tested, but is subject to a weekly earnings limit. This was increased by a record amount in April 2025, which will benefit at least 60,000 unpaid carers between 2025/26 and 2029/30. The Government is also considering the possibility of introducing an earnings taper in the longer term. Carer’s Allowance may be supplemented for those on low incomes through Universal Credit and Pension Credit. These are paid at a higher rate for carers through the Universal Credit carer element of £201.68 per monthly assessment period, paid in addition to the Standard Allowance; or the additional amount for carers in Pension Credit of £46.40 a week, paid in addition to the Standard Minimum Guarantee. The Government has no plans to make Carer’s Allowance available to those aged under 16, or to change the requirement to be caring for at least 35 hours a week for someone in receipt of a “trigger” disability benefit.

If she will create an Older People's Commissioner for England.

The Department for Work and Pensions has no current plans to appoint a Commissioner for Old People in England. Employment support, through the creation of our new Jobs and Careers Service, will enable everyone, including older people, to access good, meaningful work and support progression into work. More details are set out in our Get Britain Working White Paper published last year and additional employment support for eligible older jobseekers is already currently available through our UK network of Jobcentres. To better hear the voices of older people and further develop the reforms set out in in our Pathways to Work Green Paper, we are committing to the establishment of ‘collaboration committees’. This will bring together groups of people, including older people, with civil servants to collaborate on discussions, challenges, and recommendations on specific areas of work.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, what proportion of the funding announced for affordable and social housing will go to social housing; and what the Government's target is for social housing annually in the next five years.

The new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme that was announced at the Spending Review will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent. We will confirm further details in due course. The government has not set an affordable housing target to date, but we continue to keep the matter under review.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications of the level of the new state pension for the finances of people subject to the lower personal tax allowance.

This Government remains committed to supporting pensioners and giving them the dignity and security they deserve in retirementThrough our commitment to protect the Triple Lock, over 12 million pensioners benefitted from a 4.1% increase to their basic or new State Pension in April 2025. Over the course of this Parliament, the full yearly rate of the new State Pension is expected to increase by around £1,900 based on the Office for Budget Responsibility’s latest forecastThe Personal Allowance - the amount an individual can earn before paying tax - will continue to exceed the basic and full new State Pension in 2025/26. This means pensioners whose sole income is the full new State Pension or basic State Pension without any increments will not pay any income tax.The previous Government made the decision to freeze the income tax Personal Allowance at its current level of £12,570 until April 2028. The current Government is committed to keeping people’s taxes as low as possible while ensuring fiscal responsibility and so, at our first Budget, we decided not to extend the freeze on personal tax thresholds.

Whether NHS England plans to commission selective internal radiation therapy for patients with neuroendocrine tumours.

Radiotherapy treatment for cancer is highly individualised and decisions about cancer treatment are typically made by clinicians and multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals. They consider all aspects of a patient's health and circumstances when recommending treatment options. While certain treatments may not be advised for some patients, these decisions are based on medical assessments and what is best for the individual's overall health and well-being. For this reason, NHS England has not made an assessment on the potential impact of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) on survival outcome and quality of life for neuroendocrine tumour patients. However, the Department recognises the need to offer patients who need it the most suitable treatment, including SIRT.NHS England commissions SIRT for chemotherapy refractory/intolerant metastatic colorectal cancer in adults in accordance with the criteria outlined at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Selective-internal-radiation-therapy-for-chemotherapy-refractory-intolerant-metastatic-colorectal-cancer.pdf

Whether NHS England has made an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning selective internal radiation therapy for patients with neuroendocrine tumours.

Radiotherapy treatment for cancer is highly individualised and decisions about cancer treatment are typically made by clinicians and multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals. They consider all aspects of a patient's health and circumstances when recommending treatment options. While certain treatments may not be advised for some patients, these decisions are based on medical assessments and what is best for the individual's overall health and well-being. For this reason, NHS England has not made an assessment on the potential impact of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) on survival outcome and quality of life for neuroendocrine tumour patients. However, the Department recognises the need to offer patients who need it the most suitable treatment, including SIRT.NHS England commissions SIRT for chemotherapy refractory/intolerant metastatic colorectal cancer in adults in accordance with the criteria outlined at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Selective-internal-radiation-therapy-for-chemotherapy-refractory-intolerant-metastatic-colorectal-cancer.pdf

How many overseas social care workers have been successful in finding a new sponsor through the redeployment pool since 9 April 2025.

According to the latest available data, between 1 April and 30 April 2025, 165 overseas care workers were successfully supported into new employment by the regional partnerships funded by the Department. This data is self-reported by the regional partnerships and has not been independently verified by the Department or UK Visas and Immigration. Overseas workers are also not obliged to report their employment outcomes. Data for May 2025 and beyond is not yet available.Between July 2024 and April 2025, a total of 940 overseas care workers have been successfully supported into new employment. In addition, thousands more are being supported through the regional partnerships with CV writing, interview techniques, employability skills support, support to better understand workplace culture in the United Kingdom, and signposting.

What estimate her Department has made of the amount spent on providing (a) football, (b) pool, (c) table-tennis, (d) gym, (e) running, (f) yoga, (g) chess and (h) other sporting activities in prisons in the last year.

H M Prison and Probation Service recognises the importance physical activity plays in the overall well-being of prisoners and the effect sport, exercise and movement can have on supporting other programmes designed to reduce offending behaviour.Data on the amount spent in providing the activities specified are not held centrally, and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

What estimate she has made of the number of new vehicles manufactured (a) in the UK and (b) elsewhere that will be commissioned following the announcement of the allocations for the Transport for City Regions settlements between the 2027-28 and 2031-32 financial years.

The Chancellor announced the £15.6 billion Transport for City Regions settlements for 9 eligible mayoral strategic authorities on 4 June 2025. As a devolved funding programme, it is for local areas to decide how to allocate this funding to address their local transport priorities. The longer-term funding certainty provided by this announcement will enable city regions to develop project pipelines, supporting market engagement.

Whether his Department has issued licences to RCV Engines to export to Israel.

RCV engines have in the past been issued licences for the export of controlled goods to Israel. The most recent licences issued were in 2021 and expired in 2023.

Media and Sport, whether Dormant Assets Scheme funding will be used in part to support existing (a) Music Hubs and (b) other services and strategies.

As announced in the Dormant Assets Strategy, DCMS will work with The National Lottery Community Fund to design the specific programmes to be delivered by the youth portion of funding. These will take into account the missions and Plan for Change, as well as the additionality principle which is central to the ongoing success of the Scheme. Further details will be announced in due course.

If she will seek legal advice on the potential impact of her Department’s proposal to remove the right to return to the UK from existing social care workers who fail to find an alternative sponsor after 60 days on the Human Rights Act 1998.

When a sponsored worker loses their job, they are expected to either secure new sponsorship, switch into a different immigration route or leave the UK. Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care officials are working hard to ensure care workers seeking alternative employment due to exploitation by their employer or licence revocation have access to support. Information about the Regional Partnerships can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-offer-to-international-asc-workers-whose-employers-sponsor-licence-has-been-revoked/support-offer-to-international-asc-workers-whose-employers-sponsor-licence-has-been-revoked.

What the reasons are for the higher level of NICE Health Technology Assessments of new blood cancer treatments that have been terminated compared to Health Technology Assessments for other forms of cancer treatment.

In the last 10 years, where the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been able to make a recommendation, 92% of blood cancer treatment recommendations were positive. This is significantly higher than the overall rate for cancer treatments (80%).NICE has made 97 positive recommendations for blood cancer treatments over the last decade, five times more than in the previous ten years. NICE can only recommend treatments when the evidence shows that they provide benefits for patients and value for money to the taxpayer.NICE cannot evaluate treatments without information from the companies. If a company withdraws from the evaluation process, the assessment is terminated. For blood cancers, the majority of terminated appraisals were because the company did not provide an evidence submission or the technology was unlikely to be a cost-effective use of National Health Service resources.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has put enforcement procedures in place for local authorities that do not follow their statutory duties under the Homelessness code of guidance for local authorities, published on 22 February 2018.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is responsible for setting the national framework for housing, including the legislation and Homelessness Code of Guidance to which councils must have regard. Compliance with legislation, guidance, and the statutory homelessness duties rests with local councils. It is the responsibility of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to investigate individual complaints and take action where they consider councils have not applied their duties correctly.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a flat-rate 20% inheritance levy on unused pension funds.

Most unused pension funds and death benefits will be included within the value of a person’s estate for inheritance tax purposes from 6 April 2027. This removes distortions resulting from changes that have been made to pensions tax policy over the last decade, which have led to pensions being openly used and marketed as a tax planning vehicle to transfer wealth, rather than as a way to fund retirement. These reforms also remove inconsistencies in the inheritance tax treatment of different types of pensions.

What mechanisms are in place to remove social care workers who fail to secure alternative sponsorship arrangements within the specified 60-day period.

The White Paper, published on May 12 2025, set out that the Government intend to end access to the Health and Care visa for carers due to worker exploitation in the route. There will be a transition period until 2028, we will permit visa extensions and in-country switching for those already in the country with working rights, but this will be kept under review.On 9 April the Home Office previously restricted access to overseas recruitment unless employers have first tried to recruit international care workers in the UK. Sponsors are also required to access the redeployment pool before sponsoring switching applications in-country so although we are considering whether this requirement will be needed longer term, we are not in a position to confirm at this stage.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a certificate of common sponsorship for future social care workers from overseas.

The White Paper, published on May 12 2025, set out that the Government intend to end access to the Health and Care visa for carers due to worker exploitation in the route. There will be a transition period until 2028, we will permit visa extensions and in-country switching for those already in the country with working rights, but this will be kept under review.On 9 April the Home Office previously restricted access to overseas recruitment unless employers have first tried to recruit international care workers in the UK. Sponsors are also required to access the redeployment pool before sponsoring switching applications in-country so although we are considering whether this requirement will be needed longer term, we are not in a position to confirm at this stage.

Whether she plans to publish a consultation on the proposal to remove the right of existing social care workers to return to the UK following the loss of their sponsorship arrangements set out in the White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025.

The White Paper, published on May 12 2025, set out that the Government intend to end access to the Health and Care visa for carers due to worker exploitation in the route. There will be a transition period until 2028, we will permit visa extensions and in-country switching for those already in the country with working rights, but this will be kept under review.On 9 April the Home Office previously restricted access to overseas recruitment unless employers have first tried to recruit international care workers in the UK. Sponsors are also required to access the redeployment pool before sponsoring switching applications in-country so although we are considering whether this requirement will be needed longer term, we are not in a position to confirm at this stage.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of rules requiring social care workers who fail to find alternative sponsorship arrangements to leave the UK on their dependents.

The White Paper, published on May 12 2025, set out that the Government intend to end access to the Health and Care visa for carers due to worker exploitation in the route. There will be a transition period until 2028, we will permit visa extensions and in-country switching for those already in the country with working rights, but this will be kept under review.On 9 April the Home Office previously restricted access to overseas recruitment unless employers have first tried to recruit international care workers in the UK. Sponsors are also required to access the redeployment pool before sponsoring switching applications in-country so although we are considering whether this requirement will be needed longer term, we are not in a position to confirm at this stage.