Written questions by Maskell.

If she will make it her policy to set up a task group on tackling the impact of poverty on disabled people.

This government is putting disabled people’s views and voices at the heart of everything we do. That is why we have brought forward the Pathways to Work Green Paper and opened a public consultation. This consultation welcomes all views, and we hope that a wide range of voices will respond before it closes on the 30 June 2025. In addition to the consultation itself, we are establishing ‘collaboration committees’ that bring groups of people together for specific work areas and our wider review of the PIP assessment will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience. We are also in the process of establishing the Disability Advisory Panel, which was announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper. It will be a strategic advisory panel consisting of up to 12 disabled people and individuals with long-term health conditions.We are listening carefully to the voices of children and families living in poverty, including children with disabilities and special educational needs (SEND). Examples of the engagement we’ve undertaken are events with: Contact, a charity for families with disabled children; ALLFIE, a campaign group focused on including disabled learners in mainstream education; and the Challenging Behaviour Foundation that aims to improve the life opportunities for young people with severe learning disabilities and their families. In April, the Taskforce met with external experts, including disability charities and organisations, to discuss the experiences of disabled children living in poverty.In December 2024, a Lead Minister for Disability was appointed in every government department, to represent the interests of disabled people and champion disability inclusion and accessibility across their department, as they drive forward progress on the government’s manifesto commitments and 5 missions. I am proud to serve as the chair of this group and we meet regularly throughout the year to break down barriers to opportunity for disabled people right across the government’s long-term missions; and fulfil the manifesto commitment to ensure their departments put the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of everything they do.Alongside delivering on our Get Britain Working plan to support people into good jobs and make everyone better off, which is the fastest route out of poverty, we’re increasing the Living Wage, uprating benefits (including the first sustained, above inflation increase to the UC standard allowance) and supporting 700,000 of the poorest families with children by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions to help low-income households. We have also extended free school meals provision to all children in households on Universal Credit.

How much (a) local housing allowance and (b) housing support was provided to tenants in the private rented sector in each of the last five years.

Information on how much the Department for Work and Pensions spent to support households a) in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) and in receipt of the Local Housing Allowance and b) in the PRS in general is published and the latest statistics can be found at: Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2025 - GOV.UK, in the Housing Benefits tab. For real term expenditure on all claimants in receipt of housing support in the PRS this can be found in row 80 of the published statistics. Expenditure on LHA can be calculated by summing rows 75 and 76.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the number of people in the private rented sector due to a lack of social housing.

According to the most recent data from the English Housing Survey from 2022/23, 6% (280,000) of Household Reference Persons in the private rented sector reported that someone in their home is on the waiting list for social housing.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has had recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on introducing rent controls at a local authority level.

The government has been clear it does not support rent controls and has not discussed their introduction at a local authority level. We believe that rent controls could make life more difficult for private renters, both in terms of incentivising landlords to increase rents routinely up to a cap where they might otherwise not have done, and in pushing many landlords out of the market, thereby making it even harder for renters to find a home they can afford. The Renters’ Rights Bill will empower private rented sector tenants to challenge unreasonable within-tenancy rent increases.

If she will make it her policy to introduce a minimum income guarantee for people in receipt of social security.

The Government recognises the importance of the social security safety net and the role Universal Credit has to play in tackling poverty and making work pay. In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we announced that we will improve the adequacy of the standard allowance with the first sustained above inflation rise in the basic rate of Universal Credit since it was introduced. This increase will be for new and existing customers and will help millions of people. According to the Institute of Fiscal Studies, this is the largest sustained increase in the headline rate of benefit since at least 1980. We recently introduced a new Fair Repayment Rate for Universal Credit customers, reducing the overall deductions cap from 25% to 15% of a customer's standard allowance. This enables approximately 1.2 million of the poorest households to retain on average £420 a year of their award. This increase will be for new and existing customers and will help millions of people with a cash increase of £725 by the end of the Parliament.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of introducing rent controls; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on Local Housing Allowance expenditure on private rent.

The government has been clear it does not support rent controls and has not discussed their introduction at a local authority level. We believe that rent controls could make life more difficult for private renters, both in terms of incentivising landlords to increase rents routinely up to a cap where they might otherwise not have done, and in pushing many landlords out of the market, thereby making it even harder for renters to find a home they can afford. The Renters’ Rights Bill will empower private rented sector tenants to challenge unreasonable within-tenancy rent increases.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Iranian authorities following reports of 10 Bahá'í women being sentenced to a combined 90 years in prison for facilitating community-based educational and recreational activities for children.

Iran's abhorrent repression of Baha'is is unacceptable. We continue to take action in multilateral fora to spotlight abuses against Baha'is and hold Iran to account. On 18 March, at the Human Rights Council, the UK's Permanent Representative to the UN, said: "The past year has seen an escalation in the arrest and detention of Baha'i women as authorities seek to suppress their religious identity and autonomy as women." We were integral to the delivery of a new Iran human rights resolution, adopted by the Human Rights Council on 3 April, which renewed and expanded the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, which will investigate a broader range of abuses including against religious minorities, in an important step towards accountability. His Majesty's Ambassador to Iran and I continue to raise human rights directly with the Iranian government.

What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on changing the eligibility criteria for free school meals to include children whose parents claim Universal Credit.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We have now announced that we are extending free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. It will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.

Innovation and Technology, what recent progress he has made on phasing out animal testing.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.While it is not yet possible to replace all animal use due to the complexity of biological systems and regulatory requirements, we support the development and application of approaches that replace, reduce and refine animal use in research (the 3Rs). The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year, which will set out clear objectives and measurable milestones.

If she will bring forward legislative proposals to create an offence of assaulting a transport worker.

There is no place for abuse or assault of any worker; everyone should be, and feel, safe whilst working. The Government values the commitment of everyone who works in the public transport sector ensuring the continued running of all the vital services which people rely on daily.Assault is already an offence, and when prosecuting assaults, the courts must already consider offences against public-facing workers such as transport staff as an aggravating factor when sentencing, in line with the provision in the Police, Crime and Sentencing 2022 Act.

When she plans to enact the socioeconomic measures in the Equality Act 2010.

The Government is committed to commencing the socio-economic duty in the Equality Act 2010. The duty will require specified public bodies, when making strategic decisions, to consider actively how their decisions might help to reduce the inequalities associated with socio-economic disadvantage. We will work in partnership with public authorities, civil society and others in order to ensure that the implementation of the duty is as effective as possible. As part of this, we have included questions in relation to the socio-economic duty in a call for evidence on equality law, which was launched on 7 April and will be open until 30 June. This will enable public authorities and others to input into plans in relation to the socio-economic duty at an early stage.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing levels of funding for the British Transport Police.

The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. Set against a backdrop of wider public sector efficiencies and affordability by the rail industry it has agreed a budget increase for the financial year 2025/26 of 5.9%. BTP work closely with BTPA and industry operators to make final resourcing decisions with their agreed budget.The cost of policing the rail network in Great Britain is primarily covered through the funding agreements that the British Transport Police Authority holds with Network Rail, the rail operators and Transport for London.

What consultation her Department carried out with (a) sector representatives and (b) people with lived experience in making its decision to cut the amount of therapy available per application via the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund in the financial year 2025 – 2026.

The department was not able to consult organisations before the recent announcement, due to the need to open the fund for applications as soon as possible, for the benefit of the children involved. I meet regularly with adoption stakeholders, including recently with the charity Adoption UK and separately the department’s Adopter Reference Group, where we discussed the adoption and special guardianship support fund.

How much of the budget allocated to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund was spent on therapy in each financial year; and how much overspend there was in each financial year.

The table below provides the data requested:Financial YearTherapeutic Services SpendOver spend2016/17£26,162,360.25£3,797,187.452017/18£27,643,580.09£194,021.492018/19£40,188,413.25£19,668,135.732019/20£41,575,278.06£6,755,560.462020/21£40,942,685.01-£1,805,992.592021/22£50,217,044.09£6,726,186.492022/23£27,659,930.00-£16,481,530.492023/24£45,591,102.00£639,996.352024/25£56,676,643.00£11,355,181.91 Note: A negative number represents an underspend. The large underspend in the 2022/23 financial year was due to a process change whereby the fund moved from payments on approval in advance to payments made in arrears on invoice.

If she will publish any impact assessment carried out by her Department as part of its decision to reduce the amount of funding per application to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for York Central, to the answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 49523.

What her plans are for future funding arrangements for British Transport Police (a) during and (b) after the transition to Great British Railways.

The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set currently set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. We anticipate that the level of funding for the BTP during the transition to and commencement of Great British Railways will similarly balance the needs of the industry and the force against public sector affordability.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the (a) English Football League and (b) Premier League on the potential impact of the new deal financial package on grassroots football.

Ministers continue to discuss a distributions deal with the Premier League and EFL on a regular basis, with a clear expectation that any agreement should provide meaningful support across the football pyramid, including grassroots football. While the Football Governance Bill includes a backstop power for the independent regulator to intervene if a deal cannot be reached, this would only apply to distributions between the leagues. As such, Ministers continue to emphasise the importance of a voluntary agreement that delivers broader benefits, including investment in grassroots facilities and programmes.

If she will assess the potential impact of changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund on the number of applications received to that fund; and if she will publish that assessment.

The department expects the number of applications to the adoption and special guardianship support fund to continue to increase, in line with previous years. The changes we introduced were designed to maximise the number of children who can get support in this year. Application numbers are collected and assessed on a weekly basis as part of routine management reporting.

How many and what proportion of people in receipt of the Personal Independence Payment enhanced daily living component were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities in the most recent period for which data is available.

Data on the number and proportion of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants with an enhanced daily living component who scored less than four points can be found in table 1 below.The number of people currently on PIP who did not score 4 points in one category in their last assessment should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP in future. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious. Someone who did not score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment as conditions change over time.After taking account of behavioural changes, the OBR predicts that 9 in 10 of those on PIP daily living at the point any changes come in will still be receiving PIP by the end of the decade.There will be no immediate changes to PIP eligibility. Our intention is that changes will start to come into effect from November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval.After that date, no one will lose PIP without first being reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, who assesses individual needs and circumstance. Reassessments happen on average every 3 years.We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including ensuring health and care needs are met.We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I will lead. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress.Even with these reforms, the overall number of people on PIP and DLA is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this parliament and spending will rise from £23bn in 24/25 to £31bn in 29/30.Table 1: volume and percentage of PIP claimants receiving an enhanced daily living award, who scored less than four points in all daily living activitiesDaily Living AwardVolume of PIP claimants who scored < 4 pointsPercentage of PIP claimants who scored < 4 pointsEnhanced203,00013%Source(s): PIP Administrative DataNotes:Figures are for England and Wales only.Figures are for January 2025 caseload.Figures only include New Claims.Figures include normal claims and exclude claims under Special Rules for End of Life (SREL).Figures are for working aged claimants only.Figures have been rounded to the nearest 1000.Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the (a) English Football League and (b) National League on equal opportunity for promotions to the football league for non-league clubs.

We recognise the strength of feeling within the National League regarding promotion arrangements to the EFL and understand the desire for greater opportunities for clubs to progress through the football pyramid. The competitiveness and sustainability of the league system are important considerations, and we appreciate the views of all stakeholders on this issue.While promotion and relegation structures are ultimately a matter for the leagues themselves, we remain engaged with the football authorities on broader discussions about the future of the game.