Written questions by Glover.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2025 to Question 32531 on Active Travel: Finance, how much funding her Department allocated for active travel by (a) (i) capital and (ii) revenue funding and (b) funding for local authorities, (c) funding for non-governmental organisations and (d) funding for Active Travel England's operational costs in each financial year between 2020-21 and 2023-24.

The below table sets out capital and revenue funding allocations to (a) local authorities (LA) and (b) non-government organisations (NGO), alongside funding for Active Travel England’s (ATE) operating costs from financial year 20/21 to 23/24. Final payments may differ from funding allocations. 20/2121/2222/2323/24LA capital173.9161.0200.045.8LA revenue71.136.945.757.2NGO capital18.048.0 7.7NGO revenue43.632.026.528.6ATE operating costs 4.010.2Total306.6277.9276.2149.5

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the report by National Infrastructure Commission entitled Electricity distribution networks: creating capacity for the future, published on 21 February 2025.

The government welcomes the overall thrust of the National Infrastructure Commission’s study and its focus on supporting strategic investment in the distribution network. We are reviewing the detail of the study with our key delivery partners and will publish a response to the individual recommendations this spring. This will include how current policy work is addressing the recommendations and how we will build on this in the future.

With reference to the Answer of 7 May 2024 to 24262, whether the Innovative Devices Access Pathway pilot will conclude in March 2025; and what his planned timetable is for assessing the findings of the pilot.

The Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP) pilot will conclude in March 2025. We are continuing to seek feedback from the pilot, which will capture key insights and learnings to help inform the feasibility and development of a future pathway. This will inform a wider evaluation of IDAP. We will complete this evaluation soon after the conclusion of the pilot and intend to publish a report in spring.

What the estimated cost of the Great British Railways livery rebrand is.

We're delivering a once in a generation overhaul of the railways and will establish Great British Railways, a new body bringing track and train together, delivering reliable services for passengers and freight customers, and catalysing growth across the country. We’re looking at options for GBR branding and what the roll out options are, taking into account value for money for taxpayers and ensuring minimal disruption to services.

What assessment her Department has made of the impact of excess nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from diesel vehicles using defeat devices on UK air quality.

The Department for Transport is the department responsible for setting and enforcing standards for NOx emissions from diesel vehicles. The Market Surveillance Unit within the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is undertaking a programme looking at possible non-compliant diesel emissions in Euro 5 and Euro 6A/B/C diesel cars and vans where there is reason to believe that they contain a prohibited defeat device. DVSA investigations will include assessing the impact of excess NOx emissions from non-compliant vehicles. This programme of investigations is ongoing, and the Department will publish outcomes of these investigations when completed.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) identify and (b) recall diesel vehicles found to contain illegal defeat devices.

The Department for Transport is the department responsible for setting and enforcing standards for NOx emissions from diesel vehicles. The Market Surveillance Unit within the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is undertaking a programme looking at possible non-compliant diesel emissions in Euro 5 and Euro 6A/B/C diesel cars and vans where there is reason to believe that they contain a prohibited defeat device. DVSA investigations will include assessing the impact of excess NOx emissions from non-compliant vehicles. This programme of investigations is ongoing, and the Department will publish outcomes of these investigations when completed.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of excess diesel emissions from vehicles using defeat devices on (a) the prevalence of respiratory diseases and (b) public health.

Diesel vehicles significantly impact air pollution in the United Kingdom, primarily through emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) and particulate matter. Poor air quality is one of the largest environmental risks to public health in the UK, and epidemiological studies have shown that long-term exposure to air pollution, over years or lifetimes, reduces life expectancy, mainly due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and lung cancer. Short-term exposure, over hours or days, to elevated levels of air pollution can also cause a range of health impacts, including effects on lung function, exacerbation of asthma, increases in respiratory and cardiovascular hospital admissions and mortality.The Department for Transport is responsible for setting and enforcing standards for NOx emissions from diesel vehicles. The Market Surveillance Unit within the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is undertaking a programme looking at possible non-compliant diesel emissions in Euro 5 and Euro 6A/B/C diesel cars and vans where there is reason to believe that they contain a prohibited defeat device. The programme is designed to ensure any non-compliance found is fixed as soon as reasonably possible, working together with manufacturers to achieve real-world impacts on air quality. There is no current assessment of the potential health impacts specifically related to the use of defeat devices in diesel vehicles.

What steps his Department is taking to help tackle the public health risks associated with high levels of nitrogen oxide pollution from diesel vehicles.

Despite significant progress, air pollution remains a significant environmental threat to human health. Leading our Health Mission, the Department of Health and Social Care is working across Government, including with the Department for Transport, to promote a reduction in the health harms of air pollution.Tackling the public health risks associated with air pollution involves reducing concentrations of pollutants where people live, work and play. Local authorities have an important role in identifying and implementing the local measures needed to achieve legal air quality limits and clean up the air we breathe. The NO2 programme has provided £575 million to support local authorities to address nitrogen dioxide pollution and achieve compliance with legal limits in the shortest possible time, supporting measures such as Clean Air Zones, traffic management improvements and vehicle upgrade schemes, and recently agreeing Greater Manchester’s £86 million Clean Air Plan.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of recent trends in the level of funding for elective services on ADHD right to choose assessments.

Elective funding covers a range of planned health services, including elective ordinary and day cases, outpatient appointments, and diagnostics tests, although this does not include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services. ADHD patients continue to benefit from the right to choose their provider at the point of referral.It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including assessments for ADHD, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.NHS England has established a taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience, and experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors. The taskforce is working to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support, and is expecting to report in the summer of 2025.In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop an ADHD data improvement plan to inform future service planning. NHS England has also conducted detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, capturing examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services. NHS England is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.

What assessment his Department has made of the impact of the EU General Product Safety Regulation on UK medium-sized businesses exporting to the EU.

I appreciate that for some businesses, the updated EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) will require changes, and we take these concerns seriously. The Government is supporting medium-sized and other businesses to understand GPSR and engaging directly with businesses to assess the regulation's impact.We have published guidance on GPSR's application in Northern Ireland, which we will keep under review. The responsibility for interpreting EU legislation lies with the European Commission. The Commission have published their own business guidance and impact assessment of the regulation.Businesses exporting to the EU may also wish to contact the Government's Export Support Service.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of midwife training with respect to (a) pay and (b) conditions and (i) the impact to the profession and (ii) the care that expectant parents receive.

In addition to the student loans system, there is supplementary financial support available from the Department to midwifery students through the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF). The LSF provides eligible midwifery students with a non-repayable training grant of £5,000 per academic year, with further financial support depending on personal circumstances. The Government keeps the funding arrangements for all healthcare students under close review to strike a balance between ensuring that students are financially supported during their studies and delivering maximum value for money for the taxpayer. Apprenticeship opportunities are also available for those for whom a full-time university course is not practical or preferred, as well as postgraduate conversions and return to midwifery programmes.Approved Education Institutions and practice partners are responsible for developing the content and design of academic and practice-based learning programmes in line with the standards of proficiency, conduct, and performance of midwives, as set out by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). The NMC approves these programmes and ensures the quality of practice placements for students. It would not be appropriate for the Government to intervene in this process, and we respect the independence and expertise of universities and regulators in designing standards that ensure public safety, including the safety of expectant parents.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendations within the article entitled Transforming children and young people’s futures through PE, school sport, and physical activity, published by the University of Manchester on 12 February 2025.

This government values physical education (PE) and sport as a way to improve not only the health, but the wellbeing and lives of all children and young people. Existing government-funded programmes look to address this with the primary PE and sport premium and the School Games Organisers.To address specific barriers, we have recently launched an open procurement for a new grant programme for up to 3 financial years (from April 2025 to March 2028 at up to £300,000 per year) to develop and deliver a programme that improves and increases PE, school sport and physical activity opportunities for pupils with SEND. The inclusive education hub, funded by the department through the inclusion 2024 programme is an online platform of bespoke resources to help schools make PE and sport more inclusive.

Whether she plans to develop programmes promoting active lifestyles for children and young people as recommended in the article by Sarah MacQuarrie and Alexandra Hennessey entitled Transforming children and young people’s futures through PE, school sport, and physical activity, published on 12 February 2025.

This government values physical education (PE) and sport as a way to improve not only the health, but the wellbeing and lives of all children and young people. Existing government-funded programmes look to address this with the primary PE and sport premium and the School Games Organisers.To address specific barriers, we have recently launched an open procurement for a new grant programme for up to 3 financial years (from April 2025 to March 2028 at up to £300,000 per year) to develop and deliver a programme that improves and increases PE, school sport and physical activity opportunities for pupils with SEND. The inclusive education hub, funded by the department through the inclusion 2024 programme is an online platform of bespoke resources to help schools make PE and sport more inclusive.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Ofwat and (b) Thames Water on increases to consumers' water bills.

Under the Conservatives, our sewage system crumbled. They irresponsibly let water companies divert customers’ money to line the pockets of their bosses and shareholders. The public are right to be angry after they have been left to pay the price of Conservative failure. The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population and climate change. Now whilst it is never wanted, customer bills will therefore now need to rise to invest in our crumbling infrastructure and deliver cleaner waterways. Given these challenges, in the first week of office the Secretary of State secured agreement that funding for vital infrastructure investment is ringfenced and can only be spent on upgrades benefiting customers and the environment. Where money is not spent this will be returned to customers. Furthermore, we understand the financial pressures hardworking families are facing and are pushing the sector to ensure support is available for vulnerable customers who are struggling to pay their bills. The Government expects water companies to put robust support measures in place for customers to ensure vulnerable customers across the country are supported. Water companies therefore have more than doubled the number of customers that will receive help with their bills through social tariffs, from 4% to 9% by 2030, and the Government is working with industry to keep current support schemes under review to ensure customers are sufficiently supported.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on support for consumers with increases to water bills.

Under the Conservatives, our sewage system crumbled. They irresponsibly let water companies divert customers’ money to line the pockets of their bosses and shareholders. The public are right to be angry after they have been left to pay the price of Conservative failure. The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population and climate change. Now whilst it is never wanted, customer bills will therefore now need to rise to invest in our crumbling infrastructure and deliver cleaner waterways. Given these challenges, in the first week of office the Secretary of State secured agreement that funding for vital infrastructure investment is ringfenced and can only be spent on upgrades benefiting customers and the environment. Where money is not spent this will be returned to customers. Furthermore, we understand the financial pressures hardworking families are facing and are pushing the sector to ensure support is available for vulnerable customers who are struggling to pay their bills. The Government expects water companies to put robust support measures in place for customers to ensure vulnerable customers across the country are supported. Water companies therefore have more than doubled the number of customers that will receive help with their bills through social tariffs, from 4% to 9% by 2030, and the Government is working with industry to keep current support schemes under review to ensure customers are sufficiently supported.

If she will set out the amounts of dedicated funding she has allocated for active travel in England for (a) 2024/5 and (b) 2025/6, each broken down into (i) capital and revenue funding and (ii) funding for local authorities and for non-governmental organisations.

The dedicated funding allocated for active travel in England is (a) £111.2 million in 2024/25 and (b) £246.4 million in 2025/26, broken down in the table below. The remaining funding covers Active Travel England (ATE) operational costs. Funding type2024/252025/26Local authority capital£48.0m£128.0mLocal authority revenue£11.7m£40.5mNGO capital£5.0m£25.0mNGO revenue£34.4m£38.3m £99.1m£231.8m

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Building Digital UK on the existing levels of (a) fibre and (b) gigabit capable broadband of premises included in Project Gigabit in Didcot and Wantage constituency.

The latest data from the independent website Thinkbroadband.com shows that in the Didcot and Wantage constituency, over 52% of premises have access to full fibre broadband, and 86% can access a gigabit-capable broadband connection (>1000 Mbps).To improve this further, Gigaclear is currently delivering two contracts as part of Project Gigabit that will bring gigabit-capable broadband to approximately 10,000 eligible premises across Oxfordshire, including in the Didcot and Wantage constituency.

Whether she has had discussions with Eurofins Forensic Services Limited on the market for forensic services to police forces in England and Wales.

The Home Office has routine discussions with commercial forensic providers on issues relating to the forensics market, including through the Association of Forensic Science Providers which represents companies including Eurofins Forensic Services.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help ensure that infrastructure service suppliers do not leave areas of poor broadband connection in fully connected urban areas.

We aim to achieve nationwide gigabit capable coverage by 2030, connecting a minimum of 99% of premises across the UK. The regulatory regime has helped create a competition-friendly environment in commercially viable areas, supporting market entry and expansion by alternative network operators. Project Gigabit is designed to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to premises that will not be built to by the market. We continue to monitor commercial rollout plans and adapt Project Gigabit plans accordingly. We are aware pockets of unconnected premises remain in urban and suburban areas and continue to assess the best approach to addressing these

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of re-nationalisation of forensic services in England and Wales.

The forensics market plays an important role in the provision of services in England and Wales and we have no plans to nationalise it, but we are looking at whether a new National Centre of Policing might include national capabilities such as forensics.