Written questions by Heylings.

If he will take steps with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to encourage occupational pension schemes to invest in clean energy (a) projects and (b) infrastructure.

The Government is committed to working with the pensions sector to transition to net zero. DESNZ collaborates with DWP and others in Government on this. Pension schemes in scope of DWP’s requirements must produce an annual Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures report. In the manifesto, we committed to mandate listed companies, financial institutions and pension funds to develop and implement credible transition plans that align with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. The Government will consult in the first half of this year on how best to take this forward. The Government is also exploring ways to unlock the investment potential of the Local Government Pensions Scheme, through asset pooling for investment into climate-related projects.

What steps she plans to take to ensure that reform of regulations for accessing surplus in defined benefit pension schemes help improve economic growth.

Trustees will continue to be at the heart of decision making. Working with employers, they will consider how best to use DB scheme surplus to benefit members and employers. More flexibility can fuel growth, provide benefits for the economy and ensure members remain protected. The Government will set out further details in its response to the Options for Defined Benefit schemes consultation this Spring.

How the NHS England Consultation on changes to Right to Choose under the NHS Payment Scheme Policy will take into account the views of patients and their families.

NHS England has followed standard procedure in its consultation on the NHS Payment Scheme. A consultation on changes to the payment scheme takes place every year as required to by law. While the legal requirement is to consult commissioners and providers, the views of patients and their families are important and responses are therefore accepted from other interested parties and members of the public. Responses will inform further decisions on the final scheme design.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of NHS England in upholding (a) article 5 and (b) article 6 of the UK's General Data Protection Regulation.

The Department requires all health and care organisations, including NHS England, to annually assess themselves against the standards set out in the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT). The DSPT measures health and care organisations’ data protection and security capability and preparedness. The requirement to comply with Articles 5 and 6 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are embedded in the standards required by the DSPT.NHS England has consistently met the requirements of the DSPT, including its most recent assessment in June 2024.In addition, NHS England provides a safe haven for National Health Service data in accordance with the Department’s statutory guidance, NHS England’s protection of patient data. The guidance ensures that NHS England acts as a safe and effective guardian of information collected from the NHS and adult social care services.As part of its compliance with Article 5 of the UK GDPR, NHS England ensures transparency in its use of personal data by publishing data protection impact assessments and a monthly data uses register that details all external data sharing agreements.

What steps his Department is taking to help increase the supply of prescription medicines in (a) rural and (b) other areas.

Integrated care boards are responsible for understanding the health needs of their areas and commissioning services to meet those needs. Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment every three years, to assess whether their population is adequately served, and must keep these assessments under review. These assessments inform integrated care boards when they are reviewing applications for National Health Service pharmacies. The Pharmacy Access Scheme provides additional funding to pharmacies in areas where there are fewer pharmacies. In rural areas where there are no pharmacies, general practices are permitted to dispense medicines. Patients can also choose to access medicines and pharmacy services through any of the nearly 400 NHS online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver prescription medicines free of charge to patients.Medicine supply chains are complex, global, and highly regulated, and there are a number of reasons why supply can be disrupted, many of which are not specific to the United Kingdom and outside of Government control, including manufacturing difficulties, difficulties in access to raw materials, sudden demand spikes or distribution issues, and regulatory issues. We have drawn on up-to-date intelligence and data on the root causes of medicine supply issues, with manufacturing problems being the most dominant root cause.Most supply issues can be managed to avoid shortages, and while we can’t always prevent supply issues from occurring, we have a range of well-established processes and tools to manage them when they arise and mitigate the risks to patients.The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within individual pharmacies is not held centrally.The resilience of UK’s supply chains is a key priority, and the Department and NHS England are committed to helping to build long term supply chain resilience for medicines. We are continually learning and seeking to improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues and avoid shortages. The Department, working closely with NHS England, is taking forward a range of actions to improve our ability to mitigate and manage shortages and strengthen our resilience. As part of that work, we continue to engage with industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and other colleagues across the supply chain as we progress work to co-design and deliver solutions.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that people in (a) low-paid and (b) insecure work receive an adequate income in retirement.

The new State Pension has been designed to provide a foundation for private saving, supported through Automatic Enrolment (AE). The new State Pension improves State Pension outcomes for those who often did less well under the previous system, including those on low incomes. Alongside qualifying through work or self-employment, there is also a wide range of National Insurance credits available, ensuring people can achieve the best possible State Pension outcome.We have made a commitment to the Triple Lock throughout this Parliament which will mean spending on people’s State Pensions is forecast to rise by over £31 billion. As a result, over 12 million pensioners will receive up to £1,900 a year more by the end of the Parliament. Pension Credit also provides a means-tested safety-net for those on low-incomes in retirement.AE has succeeded in transforming retirement saving with over 11 million employees having been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension since 2012. AE has been a particular success for lower earners with participation for eligible employees earning between £10,000 and £20,000 in the private sector, increasing from 17% in 2012 to 75% in 2023. However, we know we need to do even more to build on the success of AE in getting people into saving by ensuring security in retirement for all.The first phase of our review is focused on investment and growth with the twin objectives of increasing investment in the UK and delivering improved returns for savers. In November 2024 we published the interim report of this review with consultations on unlocking the UK pensions market for growth and reforming the Local Government Pension Scheme. These consultations closed in January, and we expect to provide our response in Spring 2025.However, it is also important that we then consider the broader question of adequacy and how to build on the success of AE to ensure that people are saving enough for retirement. Therefore, the second phase of the review will in due course look at further steps to improve pension outcomes, and pension adequacy for all.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the deployment of offshore renewables is not detrimental to blue carbon stores.

The Government is committed to delivering clean power by 2030, to accelerating to net zero and to restoring nature. The Government needs to ensure that the UK’s marine ecosystems are healthy and capturing and storing carbon too. This means that new energy infrastructure needs to be planned and developed in a way that protects the natural environment and supports nature recovery. Assessment and mitigation of environmental impacts are a core part of the Government’s planning processes, and future spatial plans will support rebuilding the UK’s natural infrastructure at the same time as building the new energy infrastructure the UK needs for the twenty-first century.

What steps he is taking to support industrial electrification.

Fuel switching from fossil fuels to electricity has the potential to significantly reduce annual industrial emissions, making a critical contribution to our carbon budget commitments contributing between 15% and 40% of the necessary carbon abatement in industry by 2050. The Government remains committed to supporting industrial electrification and addressing the barriers to investment that were highlighted in the 2023 call for evidence on enabling industrial electrification. This includes further development of policy options to address the high cost of electricity relative to natural gas, and the implementation of planning reforms to speed up infrastructure development and unblock issues on grid connection delays.

What steps he is taking to promote nature-positive renewable energy.

The Government will ensure that the protection of nature is embedded into the delivery of clean power and we will be driving for nature to not only be protected but restored through clean power infrastructure. As part of our Clean Power Action Plan, we are considering how to use development to fund nature recovery unlocking a win-win outcome for the economy and for nature. We are working with nature delivery organisations, stakeholders and the sector to consider how we can better support the delivery of infrastructure whilst driving better environmental outcomes.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Local Government Pension Scheme on levels of economic growth in local communities.

The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) already invests approximately 30% of its assets in the UK, as part of its duty to invest to pay pensions. The government believes that the LGPS can make a distinctive contribution to local economic growth building on its local role and networks, through increasing its long-term investment in local communities.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of increases to employers National Insurance contributions on home to school transport for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

I refer the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire to the answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 26397.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the rollout of offshore wind is not detrimental to halting species decline by 2030.

The Government is committed to delivering clean power by 2030, to accelerating to net zero and to restoring nature. New energy infrastructure should be built in a way that protects the natural environment and supports nature recovery, by following a “mitigation hierarchy” to avoid damage to marine protected areas, and minimising, restoring and delivering compensation when damage cannot be avoided. On 29 January 2025, the Government announced reforms in infrastructure consenting to unlock up to thirteen major offshore wind infrastructure projects while protecting the marine environment and the Government’s commitment to protect 30% of our seas for nature by 2030.

What steps she is taking to improve road safety for vulnerable road users.

The Government treats road safety with the utmost seriousness, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing our road safety strategy and will set out more details in due course.

What steps he is taking to increase the capacity of electricity distribution networks.

The Government is committed to expanding the electricity network to support its Clean Energy Superpower mission and is working closely with Ofgem and industry to mobilise the required investment. Under the most recent price control for electricity distribution, covering 2023-2028, Ofgem has allowed £22.2bn for upfront network investment, of which £3.1bn is set aside for network upgrades to ready the grid for low carbon technologies. The National Infrastructure Commission published recommendations on 21 February [1] on making the electricity distribution network fit for net zero. We will review the study with our key delivery partners and will publish a formal response this spring. [1] https://nic.org.uk/app/uploads/Electricity-Distribution-Networks-report-21-Feb-2025.pdf

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the capacity of electricity distribution networks, in the context of meeting the Government's net zero targets.

The National Infrastructure Commission published recommendations on 21 February1 on making the electricity distribution network fit for net zero. Their modelling demonstrates that nationally, £37-50 billion of investment in the distribution network could be needed to meet net zero targets by 2050, taking into account expected increases in electricity demand. We are reviewing the study with our key delivery partners and will publish a formal response this spring. 1 https://nic.org.uk/app/uploads/Electricity-Distribution-Networks-report-21-Feb-2025.pdf

What steps he is taking to support green technologies.

The Government is committed to supporting the growth and scaling-up of green technologies, including through the creation of GB Energy, as part of its Clean Energy Superpower Mission. A combined total of £1.3 billion has been committed through the 2021-25 Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) to accelerate the commercialisation of green technologies supporting around 5,500 jobs and leveraging £750 million in private investment. The Government will set out its full approach to seizing the growth opportunities from clean energy industries in the forthcoming Industrial Strategy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase the use of nature-based solutions to help tackle climate change.

The Government is supporting farmers to implement nature-based farming practices through a range of measures. These include habitat restoration and creation; activities to reduce the impact of invasive non-native species on sites or to address pressures on sensitive areas; improvements in water storage and management; and changes to limit emissions while maintaining agricultural profitability and increasing productivity. These measures will be delivered through our Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes. We now have more than half of farmers in an ELM scheme, putting us on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector. In the October 2024 budget, we committed £5 billion for farming over two years, including £1.8 billion for our ELM schemes - the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history. Trees and peat are at the forefront of our plans to reduce emissions. We are working towards our Environment Act targets to reach 16.5% tree canopy cover in England by 2050. We have pledged up to £400 million for tree planting and peatland restoration over the current and next financial year. We also recognise the potential to scale up private investment for carbon and nature projects. Learning from the success of the established UK Woodland Carbon Code and UK Peatland Code, the government is funding the British Standards Institution to build a more comprehensive framework of UK Nature Investment Standards. This includes a UK Natural Carbon Standard, which will be available to support the development of high integrity investment schemes for nature recovery and sustainable farming projects around the UK. As announced in November 2024 at COP29 in Baku, the government is committed to delivering confidence in the integrity of these growing markets and will consult on further potential measures later this year.

If he will publish the research paper entitled UK:EU Ecofin Regulatory Divergence Study of minimum energy efficiency performance standards (MEPS) for water pumps, vacuum cleaners and tumble dryers, commissioned from Riccardo-AEA Ltd in May 2022; and if he will make it his policy to seek to align related regulations with future EU's Ecofin regulations.

A summary of the research is available. We will consult on the merits of alignment with new EU regulations and will align where it makes sense to do so. GB may choose not to align if it is not in the interests of consumers, businesses, and our wider policy goals.

What his Department's timetable is for publishing submissions to the consultation entitled Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, opened in December 2020; and what plans he has to publish new minimum energy efficiency standards for non-residential buildings.

The Government published the ‘Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes in England and Wales’ consultation on 7 February 2025. This consultation includes government responses to the 2020 consultation on ‘Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes’. Responses to the 2019 and 2021 consultations on minimum energy efficiency standards in the non-domestic private rented sector are being reviewed to inform the policy design and ensure it remains fair and appropriate for landlords and tenants, with the aim to publish in the early part of 2025.

How many and what proportion of continuing care assessments resulted in eligibility in (a) the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board and (b) England in the most recent year for which figures are available.

We have interpreted the request for information regarding continuing care assessments as a request for data on NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) eligibility decisions for standard CHC. The following data is based on the number of assessments completed and the number and proportion found eligible:- from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, 157 assessments out of a total of 638 standard CHC assessments, or 25%, resulted in eligibility in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board area; and- from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, 10,791 assessments out of a total of 51,165 standard CHC assessments, or 21%, resulted in eligibility in England.