Written questions by Timothy.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in her Department have had with the Muslim Council of Britain since 5 July.

There has been no change to HMG policy on engagement with the Muslim Council of Britain.

How many (a) dentists and (b) dental surgeries there were per capita in (a) England, (b) the East of England and (c) Suffolk in each year between 2014 and 2024.

We do not hold data on how many dental surgeries there were per capita in England, in the East of England, or in Suffolk, each year between 2014 and 2024. However, the following table shows the number of National Health Service dentists per 100,000 population each year in England, in the East of England, and in the Suffolk and Northeast Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB), each year from 2014/15 to 2023/24:YearSuffolk and Northeast Essex ICBEast of EnglandNational2014/1553.349.154.22015/1652.948.154.72016/1751.347.1542017/1853.847.854.82018/1953.548.4552019/205147.952.92020/2147.245.448.62021/2246.545.9512022/2345.245.150.32023/2444.244.549.5Source: the figures for 2019 to 2024 are published by the NHS Business Services Authority, and the figures prior to 2019 were published by NHS Digital, and both are available, respectively, at the following two links: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324 https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-dental-statisticsNote: the figures from the two different data sources are not directly comparable, and caution should be taken when comparing pre and post 2019 figures.

If she will publish the terms of reference for her Department’s quality assurance framework; and what steps she is taking to ensure that framework is adhered to when responding to correspondence from hon. Members.

The Department for Work and Pensions follows the Cabinet Office Guide to Handling Correspondence. This guidance is published on Gov.uk and sets out how all departments should respond to correspondence from hon members. Drafters receive ongoing training, and each response is quality assured by a correspondence manager before being sent to Minister. The department aims to respond to correspondence within 20 working days. The Cabinet Office publishes statistics on Departmental performance which can be found on the gov.uk website and can be viewed here.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2024 to Question 12772 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: HOPE not hate, if she will list the issues on which officials have engaged with Hope not Hate since 5 July 2024.

I refer the hon member to the answer to Question UIN 12772 on 15 November 2024.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 October to Question 9811 on Members: Correspondence, when she plans to respond to the letter of 1 September 2024 from the hon. Member for West Suffolk.

We apologise for the delay and will provide a response as soon as possible. The Honourable Member will also be pleased to know that the breakdown of expenditure on the Rwanda Agreement will be published next week, to mark the one-year anniversary of the former Home Secretary’s visit to Kigali.

Whether she has received representations from (a) the Catholic Education Service and (b) dioceses on the decision to end trust (i) capacity funding and (ii) establishment and growth and academy conversion payments.

Ministers and departmental officials have regular discussions with the Catholic Education Service (CES) and with dioceses. Departmental officials met the CES this month and they discussed the announcement to end the voluntary converter grant from 1 January 2025 and the Trust Capacity Fund, and the implications for Catholic schools.

How many meetings Alan Milburn attended with (a) ministers and (b) officials in his Department between 5 July 2024 and 9 November 2024; and how his Department communicated with Mr Milburn in that period.

As my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said in Parliament on 9 September 2024, “The right honourable Alan Milburn is a former Member of this House, a member of the Privy Council and a former Health Secretary. There is a clear distinction between inviting people with a wide range of experience and perspectives into the Department to have policy debates and to generate ideas, and having meetings that are about transacting Government business. I can assure the House that nothing commercially sensitive has been shared with Alan Milburn.”He also said that “transparency matters. That is why meetings in the Department, and their attendees, will be published in the right and proper way on a quarterly basis.” As part of this quarterly return, and in line with guidance, we will be listing the purpose of the meetings.

Pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2024 to Question 12771 on Home Office: Hope not Hate, what information her Department holds on (a) the name of, (b) the purpose of and (c) other organisations invited to the stakeholder forums that officials attended with Hope not Hate.

The wider stakeholder forums in question were not organised by the Home Office, and it is not for the department to publish lists of attendees.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2024 to Question 12788 on Menopause: Health Services, when the curriculum was introduced; and whether any additional training is provided to GPs after qualifying.

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is responsible for publishing the postgraduate curriculum for general practitioners (GPs), and ensuring that it remains up to date. The RCGP curriculum was last updated in 2019. It is scheduled to be updated again in August 2025, pending approval by the General Medical Council. GPs are responsible for ensuring that their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date, and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. The RCGP Women’s Heath Library contains educational resources and guidelines on women’s health that are relevant to GPs and other primary healthcare professionals. It brings together national guidance and resources produced and accredited by the RCGP, and resources from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare. Further information on the RCGP Women’s Heath Library is available at the following link:https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/index.php?categoryid=57

Pursuant to her Answer in Business Questions of 17 October 2024, Official Report, column 1000, whether she has asked the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to come to the House with an update on the Cass review.

As the Hon. Member will know from my correspondence with him, following the Business Question on the 17th October 2024, I wrote to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the 25th October and asked that the House be provided with an update on the Cass Review. I have raised this matter with the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Secretary of State is now actively considering the timing of this, such that it can be of most use to the House.

Pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024 to Question 10237 on Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People Independent Review, when he plans to update the House on further developments.

With reference to the answer I gave the Hon. Member on 31 October 2024, to Question 10237, my Rt. Hon friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is actively considering the timing of a further update, such that it can be of most use to the House.

How many ministerial cars are used by (a) him and (b) Ministers in his Department; and what is the model of those cars.

I refer the hon Member to the answers I gave to the hon Member for Bridlington and The Wolds (Charlie Dewhirst) on 14 October to Question UIN 7001 and on 6 November to Question UIN 11759.

What assessment she has made of the potential financial impact of her decision to close the trust capacity and most establishment and growth funds on schools planning to academise.

Across the public sector there have been tough decisions to take on how money is spent to achieve the best value for taxpayers. This government is committed to fixing the foundations of the economy and ensuring public spending is on a sustainable footing. The government recognises the important contribution that high quality trusts have played, and continue to play, in raising standards. The department is focused on ensuring that spending helps to support every child so they can achieve and thrive.The department keeps all of its programmes under review to ensure funding is targeted where it is needed most and on 1 November, we announced that we would be ending the academy conversion grant from 1 January 2025. At the same time, the department also informed trusts that had submitted grant applications for the Trust Capacity Fund, including the Trust Establishment and Growth Fund, that the most recent Window 4 funding round had been cancelled and that there were no plans for future rounds.The academy trust sector is in relatively good financial health. The latest published data shows that 98.2% of academy trusts in 2021/22 had a cumulative surplus or a zero balance. At Budget, we announced an additional £2.3 billion for mainstream schools and young people with high needs for 2025/26, compared to 2024/25. This means that overall core school funding will total almost £63.9 billion next year, compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25 after technical adjustments.We will continue to support the institutions we fund by building financial management, school business and governance capability, and working with providers facing financial challenge.

What contracts have been agreed with private companies to provide healthcare for asylum seekers and refugees since 5 July 2024.

None.

What assessment she has made of the impact of increasing employer’s National Insurance contributions on charities in (a) the East of England and (b) the rest of the UK.

The Government recognises the important role charities play in our society, and has made it a priority to reset the relationship with civil society by developing a Civil Society Covenant.To repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance.The Government recognises the need to protect the smallest businesses and charities, which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning more than half of employers with NICs liabilities either gain or see no change next year. Charities will still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under 21s and under 25 apprentices, where eligible.More broadly, within the tax system, we provide support to charities through a range of reliefs and exemptions, including reliefs for charitable giving, with more than £6 billion in charitable reliefs provided to charities, CASCs and their donors in 2023 to 2024.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether criminal charges (a) have been made and (b) convictions have been secured against Sri Lankan nationals on Diego Garcia by BIOT authorities.

Where allegations of criminality are made on BIOT, they are investigated by the authorities there and criminal charges brought and prosecuted where appropriate.

With reference to the memo to item 26 on page 118 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, what methodology she used to calculate the public sector compensation amount for the increase to employer National Insurance contributions.

The amount of public sector support was based on an estimate of the proportion of employer NICs receipts paid by public sector organisations, using the Office for National Statistics (ONS) classification of the public sector boundary. The Treasury routinely uses the Office for National Statistics (ONS) classification of the public sector boundary, for example in relation to public sector spending, public sector borrowing and public sector debt.

With reference to item 26 on page 118 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, how she defines public sector organisations.

For the purposes of defining support for Employer NICs costs, the Government has used the Office for National Statistics (ONS) classification of the public sector boundary. This is the usual approach for classification of the public sector boundary, for example in relation to public sector spending, public sector borrowing and public sector debt.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of closing the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme on UK farming, in the context of the continuation of the equivalent scheme in the EU.

The Government appreciates and values the vital work of the horticulture industry and recognises its role in maintaining a secure food supply. As part of our mission-driven Government, and in partnership with the sector, Defra is considering how we can achieve our ambitious, measurable and long-term goals for the sector, including how to recognise the sector’s diversity and specialist needs.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to (a) implement the measures against unfair costs in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 and (b) expand protections for homeowners on private estates.

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November (HCWS244) which sets out further detail on the steps the government intends to take to implement the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 and to progress the wider set of reforms necessary to end the feudal leasehold system for good.