Written questions by Duncan-Jordan.

Whether his Department has funded awareness campaigns to encourage the use of sunscreen to prevent melanoma in the last three years.

The Department continues to advise patients to follow National Health Service guidance on reducing the risk of melanoma. This advice is available publicly on the NHS website, via the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/sunscreen-and-sun-safety/The Department is not taking any additional steps, currently or within the last three years, to specifically fund awareness campaigns to encourage the use of sunscreen to prevent melanoma.

If she will take steps to enforce Section 96(1)(1) of the Children and Families Act 2014 on providing a needs assessment for all young carers.

Young carers were added, as a specific group within the education system, to the school census in the 2022/23 academic year. Ofsted has committed to developing and consulting upon a revised schools’ inspection framework for September 2025. This will support the new school report card, which will also be in place from that time. A consultation on the framework and report card is scheduled to launch early in the new year. The department and Ofsted are engaging closely to take this forward. This includes considering how schools are to be assessed in future in terms of their contribution to inclusion, in the context of the government’s mission to ensure that all children, including young carers, can achieve and thrive at school. Local authorities have a statutory duty to undertake a Young Carers’ Needs Assessment where it appears that a young carer may need support or where an assessment is requested by a young carer or by a parent of a young carer. The Children’s Social Care National Framework, which was issued in December 2023, is statutory guidance for local authorities. It provides clarity on the outcomes that children’s social care should achieve when supporting children, young people and families, including young carers. The department is clear that the everyone working within children’s social care should use the National Framework to understand how they can improve the outcomes and break down barriers for opportunity for children, young people, and families. We have included specific expectations, in the framework, for practice for senior leaders, practice supervisors and practitioners on providing help to young carers.

Whether his Department has plans to fund awareness campaigns to encourage the use of sunscreen to prevent melanoma.

The Department continues to advise patients to follow National Health Service guidance on reducing the risk of melanoma. This advice is available publicly on the NHS website, via the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/sunscreen-and-sun-safety/The Department is not taking any additional steps, currently or within the last three years, to specifically fund awareness campaigns to encourage the use of sunscreen to prevent melanoma.

Whether officials in his Department have had discussions with their counterparts in the Treasury on the potential merits of funding measures to improve access to sunscreen.

The Department continues to advise patients to follow National Health Service guidance on reducing the risk of melanoma. This advice is available publicly on the NHS website, via the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/sunscreen-and-sun-safety/The Department is not taking any additional steps, currently or within the last three years, to specifically fund awareness campaigns to encourage the use of sunscreen to prevent melanoma.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing annual health check-ups for young carers under 18.

The Department recognises the importance of all young carers having their support needs identified, assessed, and met in a timely manner. Local authorities have a statutory duty to identify when a young carer may need support, and to what extent. The local authority needs assessment provides a holistic approach to understanding the young person’s caring responsibilities and the impact it may have on their education, well-being, and development.NHS England is working to increase identification and support for young carers. This includes working in partnership with key stakeholders and sharing data and insights on young carers with colleagues in education, to improve the support we provide.

What steps her Department is taking to work with (a) disabled people and (b) disabled people's organisations to improve disabled people’s experiences of the benefits system.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 14 October to PQs 7651and 6447.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of Personal Independence Payments at supporting the extra costs of disability.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) provides a contribution to the extra costs that may arise from a disability or health condition. There is no objective way of deciding what an adequate level of PIP should be, as everyone has different requirements reflecting their own circumstances and priorities. PIP is a non-contributory, non-means-tested, additional cost benefit and can be worth over £9,500 a year, tax free. Individuals can choose how to use the benefit, in the light of their individual needs and preferences. The benefit can also be paid in addition to any other financial or practical support someone may be entitled to such as Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, NHS services, free prescriptions, help with travel costs to appointments or the Blue Badge scheme. The benefits have been consistently uprated in line with inflation since they were introduced and were, like other benefits, increased by 6.7% from 8 April 2024. DWP pays close attention to the evidence base on the extra costs faced by disabled people; including academic research, analysis by Scope, and DWP’s own commissioned research on the Uses of Health and Disability Benefits from 2019. In order to understand more, DWP is now undertaking a new survey of Personal Independence Payment customers to understand more about their disability related needs. This project has an advisory group of experts including representatives of the disability charity Scope and academic experts.

How much funding he plans to provide for home insulation in each of the next three years; and if he will make it his policy (a) for all homes to have an efficiency rating of band C or higher by 2035 and (b) to publish the Warm Homes Plan by the end of 2024.

Funding announcements will be confirmed at the upcoming Spending Review.The government is considering options to ensure a fair, proportionate and affordable approach to improving the energy performance of owner-occupied homes. We will consult this year on proposals for private and social rented homes to achieve Energy Performance Certificate C or equivalent by 2030. The Warm Homes Plan will offer grants and low interest loans to support investment in insulation and other home improvements. We will set out further detail on delivering our Warm Homes Plan next Spring.

What steps he plans to take to create a National Care Service; and what his planned timetable is for this.

The Government is committed to building a National Care Service based on clear, consistent national standards, that will improve the quality of care. On 10 October 2024, recognising the central role of our amazing care workforce, we took a critical step, introducing the legislation that will establish the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for care professionals. We will set out the next steps in due course for a process that engages with adult social care stakeholders, including cross-party members and a diverse range of people with lived experience of care, to build consensus towards a National Care Service.

Communities and Local Government, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals on increasing the rights of leaseholders to challenge the reasonableness of their service charges.

The Governments intend to act quickly to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes by implementing the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. These include a new right to a lease extension for leaseholders of both houses and flats, for a term of 990 years at a peppercorn ground rent on payment of a premium, and reforms to drive up the transparency of service charges to make them more easily challengeable if leaseholders consider them to be unreasonable. We will set out details in due course about the extensive programme of secondary legislation need to bring the Act into force.

Whether his Department has made an estimate of the additional resources needed by general practice to meet patient demand in 2024-2025.

We know that patients are finding it harder than ever to see a general practitioner (GP), and we are committed to fixing the crisis in GPs. Our plan to restore GPs will require both investment and reform, and our 10-Year Health Plan will outline steps to shift care from hospitals back to the community, as well as the move to Neighbourhood Health Services which will bring together vital health and care services, ensuring healthcare is closer to home.Additionally, we will increase the proportion of funding for GPs and are already investing £82 million to recruit 1,000 newly qualified GPs in 2024/25. We will also train more doctors which will increase the number of appointments delivered in GPs, as well as take pressure off those currently working in the system.

Whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the potential impact of the level of Statutory Sick Pay on public health outcomes.

The pandemic exposed just how precarious work and life is for those on acute low incomes. No one should be forced to choose between their health and financial hardship. Through the Employment Rights Bill, introduced last week, we are strengthening Statutory Sick Pay so it provides a safety net for those who need it most.We will ensure all employees receive SSP from their first day of sickness absence. These changes will help to keep people in work, grow the economy and protect public health.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the condition of the general practice estate; and what additional investment his Department intends to make in the general practice estate.

NHS England has undertaken an exercise to gather information on the primary care estate which provides a thorough understanding of the age, condition, quality, utilisation, and ownership of the estate, allowing us to estimate and calculate the requirement for investment.NHS England remains committed to continuing to invest in capital estates both nationally and locally through integrated care boards, to improve capacity and environments for general practitioners and their patients.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a maximum number of appointments each GP can undertake in one day.

We hugely value the critical role that general practitioners (GPs) play, and GPs are delivering more appointments than ever before. No evaluation has been conducted to determine the merits of introducing a maximum number of appointments each GP can undertake. GPs are independent businesses who are contracted by National Health Service commissioners to perform essential medical services. As a result, individual practices are responsible for the daily operations of their business outside of their contractual obligations, including determining the number of clinics and appointments offered to patients. This is because each practice is best placed to understand their own workforce and workloads.

Whether her Department has considered the potential merits of (a) reviewing and (b) reforming the Carer's Allowance.

Unpaid carers play a vital role in supporting elderly or disabled relatives or friends. Sometimes unpaid carers will need to turn to the benefit system for financial support, so it is right that we keep Carer’s Allowance under review, to see if it is meeting its objectives, and giving unpaid carers the help and support they need and deserve.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of adding Attendance Allowance to the list of benefits that qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment.

This Government is committed to pensioners. Everyone in our society, no matter their working history or savings deserves a comfortable and dignified retirement. Given the substantial pressures faced by the public finances this year and next, the Government has had to make hard choices to bring the public finances back under control. Winter Fuel Payments will continue to be paid to pensioner households that need it most, that is those receiving Pension Credit or certain other income-related benefits. They will continue to be worth £200 for eligible households, or £300 for eligible households with someone aged over 80. For those with long-term health conditions or disabilities, the “extra costs” disability benefits, including those provided for by the Scottish Government, provide a tax free, non-income-related contribution towards the extra costs people with a long-term health condition can face, such as additional heating costs. They are paid in addition to any other benefits received . For example, Attendance Allowance can be worth around £5,600 a year. Further, receipt of AA can provide a passport to additional amounts in means-tested benefits for those on low incomes providing they meet the other eligibility criteria. Immediate support for pensioners includes our commitment to the Triple Lock, with over 12 million pensioners set to benefit through the course of this parliament, with the full yearly rate of the new State Pensions forecast to increase by around £1700. We will ensure that the poorest pensioners get the support they need. The government will work with external partners and local authorities to boost the uptake of Pension Credit and to target additional support to the poorest pensioners.The Household Support Fund is also being extended for a further six months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025.   An additional £421 million will be provided to enable the extension of the HSF in England, plus funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual.The Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate on their electricity bill. This winter, we expect over three million households, including over one million pensioners, to benefit under the scheme.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of publishing a National Carers Strategy.

This Government is committed to ensuring that families have the support that they need. The Government has heard the calls for a National Carers Strategy. This must be addressed in the wider context of the urgent need for a renewed vision for adult social care.As part of that renewed vision, we will consider how best to support unpaid carers. As we move forward, we will collaborate with our counterparts across Government, unpaid carers, and sector partners, to make sure that unpaid carers are visible, valued, and supported.

If he will make it his policy to implement the recommendations of Blood Cancer UK's Action Plan.

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancer, as quickly as possible to treat it faster and to improve outcomes. This is supported by NHS England’s key ambition on cancer to meet the Faster Diagnosis Standard, which sets a target of 28 days from urgent referral by a general practitioner or screening programme to patients being told that they have cancer, or that cancer is ruled out.The Department is committed to implementing the recommendations of the Lord O'Shaughnessy review into commercial clinical trials making sure that the United Kingdom leads the world in clinical trials, and to ensure that innovative, lifesaving treatments are accessible to NHS patients, including those with blood cancer.Professor Lord Darzi has undertaken an independent investigation into the state of the NHS, the findings of which will feed into the Government’s 10-year plan to build a health service that is fit for the future. The Government will therefore set out any further priorities on cancer and health in due course.I would be happy to meet the Hon. member to discuss the Blood Cancer UK Action Plan.

What steps he is taking to help improve NHS health and social care services.

We have made it our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future. We aim to shorten the time people spend in ill health, reduce health inequalities, and support economic growth.Reform is at the heart of this mission and will be delivered by the upcoming 10 Year Plan for Health. We will shift our NHS away from a model focussed on delivering healthcare in hospital, to one which delivers more care in local communities, effectively utilises digital approaches and prioritises prevention over treatment.We are also committed to building consensus on the long-term reform needed to create a National Care Service based on consistent national standards. We will set out next steps for a process that engages with adult social care stakeholders, including cross-party and people with lived experience of care.

What steps his Department is taking to encourage the use of sunscreen to help prevent (a) melanoma and (b) other skin cancers.

The Department would advise people to the follow the National Health Service guidance on using sunscreen. This advice is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/sunscreen-and-sun-safety/