Written questions by Burgon.

What steps she is taking to ensure that people with multiple sclerosis are supported through the Personal Independence Payment system.

It is important that all claimants to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are able to access our services and that they do not face obstacles in applying and communicating with the Department and its providers. We have a variety of reasonable adjustments to make the claims process and communications easier for some of our most vulnerable customers. The process is kept under continual review to ensure it meets the needs of claimants and helps the Department provide an accurate assessment of an individual’s entitlement. Since PIP was created, the Department has introduced, for example, dial-in-for third parties, a digital PIP 2 questionnaire and evidence upload function, email as a reasonable adjustment and telephone and video assessments in addition to paper-based and face-to-face assessments. In the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working published on 18 March we outline plans to improve the experience for people who use the health and disability benefits system, including exploring ways to use evidence from eligibility for other services to reduce the need for some people with very severe conditions to undergo a full PIP functional assessment. Over the longer term, the Health Transformation Programme is modernising health and disability benefit services to improve the customer experience. The Programme will transform the entire PIP service, introducing an option to apply and track applications online.We are exploring a case management model - a personalised approach for customers from initial contact through to the end of the application, including signposting to other benefits and services. This approach will help the Programme to better understand our customers, tailor their service, and help to build customer confidence and trust that their case is being progressed appropriately.

With reference to his comments in an interview on the BBC Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme on 16 March 2025, on what evidential basis he said that there is an overdiagnosis of mental health conditions; and if he will publish the evidence used to make those comments.

There is no doubt that many people are genuinely struggling with poor mental health and wellbeing. The Government is committed to reducing mental ill-health through earlier intervention and prevention. Some clinicians argue that there has been an increase in the diagnosis of mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions linked to changes in interpretation of, or ambiguity in, diagnostic criteria. We are committed to take an evidence-based approach to policymaking, and to hear input to reflect the range of views on this issue.Through our work to reform the National Health Service, we are determined to ensure that people with mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions get the right support, at the right time.The Government is committed to shifting care from hospital to community and from sickness to prevention and, by doing so, creating supportive structures which build mental resilience and wellbeing for those who are struggling with their mental health. Similarly, for those with suspected or diagnosed neurodevelopmental conditions, the optimal approach is often to identify and meet needs early in life, and support and empower individuals. Of course, some people benefit from a diagnosis and some from clinical treatment. However, for these people and many others, early effective support may be more important than a clinical diagnosis.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed reductions in official development assistance on the UK contribution to international climate finance.

The impact on international climate finance is being worked through following the decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5 per cent of GNI today to 0.3 per cent in 2027. We will be taking a rigorous approach to ensure all ODA delivers value for money and will set out our spending plans following the completion of the Spending Review and departmental resource allocation process.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to spend at least £1 billion on humanitarian aid in each year of this Parliament.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact, and value for money.

What the projected Official Development Assistance allocations are for the fiscal years 2025 and 2026; and whether these projections indicate a phased approach towards the planned reduction to 0.3% of Gross National Income in 2027.

Future ODA allocations will be decided at Phase 2 of the Spending Review and will deliver on the PM’s announcement that ODA will be reduced to the equivalent of 0.3% of GNI by 2027.

If she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of disabled households that will be in poverty by financial year (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27, (c) 2027-28 and (d) 2028-29.

Making an estimate of future disability poverty rates is difficult to do robustly. It would involve both projecting forward the impact of economic conditions on every household’s income and individual circumstance, and future trends in disability prevalence and distribution. Statistics on the number of people in families with a disabled person are published annually in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) statistics publication, available here: Households below average income (HBAI) statistics - GOV.UK. The latest statistics show that in 2022/23 there were 6.2m (24%) people in families where someone is disabled in relative poverty after housing costs (AHC). Data for 2023/24 will be published on 27th March 2025.

What the average Personal Independence Payment was in the 2023-24 financial year, broken down by (a) total, (b) daily living part and (c) mobility part.

The average weekly Personal Independence Payment (PIP) award for the 2023-24 financial year can be found in the table below. Average Weekly PIP Award(a) Total(b) Daily Living Component(c) Mobility Component£126£83£44 Source: PIP Administrative DataNotes: Figures provided are for England and Wales only.The averages provided are calculated using the daily living and mobility awards during the last month that each claimant was on the caseload in the 2023-24 financial year.These figures include claims made under normal rules and special rules for terminal illness and include new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to PIP reassessment claims.Figures are rounded to the nearest pound.

Whether the child poverty strategy will consider the potential impact of reforms to health and disability benefit on child poverty.

Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish a Child Poverty Strategy which will deliver lasting change. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments. As part of the Strategy's development, the Taskforce is considering the potential impact of policies across government on child poverty.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposals for reform of health and disability benefits on child poverty.

Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish a Child Poverty Strategy which will deliver lasting change. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments. As part of the Strategy's development, the Taskforce is considering the potential impact of policies across government on child poverty.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department plans to provide for international climate finance in (a) 2025-26 and (b) each of the next five financial years.

Tackling climate change is a top priority for this government and we remain committed to International Climate Finance. We will set out our spending plans for future years following the completion of the Spending Review and departmental resource allocation processes.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department plans to provide for programmes to help tackle global hunger in each of the next five financial years.

The impact of the reduction in UK Official Development Assistance from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent in 2027 is being worked through. Announcements on allocations will be made following the completion of the ongoing Spending Review and departmental resource allocation processes. We will continue to advocate for action on global hunger, including through multilateral forums such as the G7, the G20, and as vice-chair of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the reduction in ODA, which (a) sectors and (b) regions will be prioritised for allocation that assistance.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the reduction in ODA spending on food insecurity in (a) Haiti, (b) Mali and (c) South Sudan.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). He has been clear that the government will continue to play a key humanitarian role. Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the reduction in ODA spending, what steps his Department plans to take to provide humanitarian support to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

During the Foreign Secretary's recent visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, the Foreign Secretary announced an uplift of £14.6 million of humanitarian support for at least 480,000 more people in eastern DRC. This brings our humanitarian assistance in Eastern DRC to over £79 million this year. These funds support essential emergency assistance, and provide access to clean drinking water, treatment for malnourished children and life-saving sexual and reproductive health services. The UK remains committed to supporting those most in need in this critical humanitarian situation. Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be allocated in future years will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors, including impact assessments.

What estimate her Department has made of fraud in the social security system in financial year 2023-24 by benefit.

Estimates of the levels of fraud and error in the benefit system for the financial year 2023-24 can be found at: Fraud and error in the benefit system, Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2024 - GOV.UK

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that disabled people employed in the health and social care sector are afforded (a) reasonable adjustments, (b) support in the workplace and (c) other employment rights.

All health and social care employers are expected to comply with employment legislation such as the Employment Rights Act 1996 and the Equality Act 2010, which includes considerations for reasonable adjustments. Most social care workers are employed by private sector providers who set their pay, and terms and conditions, including any occupational health or wellbeing support, independent of the Government.NHS Employers and Skills for Care provide comprehensive guidance to help employers in health and social care understand their legal obligations and how best to support employees with disabilities to have the best working experience possible.Since 2019, NHS England has published the NHS Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) which sets out metrics to enable organisations to understand the experiences of disabled staff. National Health Service trusts are required to report each year and publish a WDES annual report, which includes local data and an action plan.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) adequate and (b) sustainable funding for (i) social care and (ii) disability care services.

To enable local authorities to provide vital services such as adult social care, the Government is making up to £3.7 billion of additional funding available for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant, which can be used to address the range of pressures facing the adult social care sector. This is alongside an £86 million uplift to the Disabled Facilities Grant to support an approximate additional 7,800 adaptations to homes for those with social care needs, to reduce hospitalisations and prolong independence.Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, and are responsible for how they use the available funding to fulfil their duties under the Care Act (2014).We are launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission is expected to begin in April 2025.The commission will be comprehensive and will build on the expert proposals of other reviews, including that of Sir Andrew Dilnot, into care funding and support. It will be broader and wider than ever before, asking essential questions about the shape and future of the social care sector, including what long-term and sustainable funding solutions should look like.

What steps his Department has taken to ensure the engagement of (a) disabled children and adults, (b) their families and (c) representative organisations, in consultations on health and social care policy development.

As part of the 10-Year Health Plan’s process, we are having the largest conversation in the National Health Service’s history. We are undertaking a range of activities, including deliberative events, focus groups, local system events, and partner engagement to hear from all communities. We have ensured this includes people with disabilities, their carers, and the organisations that represent them.The independent commission into adult social care led by Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock, will start a national conversation about what social care should deliver for citizens. The details of this will be developed by the commission in due course, but we expect it will include engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including people with lived experience and unpaid carers, although this will be subject to the commission.

What recent assessment he has made of the role of the Mental Health Investment Standard in (a) meeting his Department's priorities and (b) tackling historical disparities between mental and physical healthcare provision.

We remain committed to the Mental Health Investment Standard. All integrated care boards (ICBs) met the Standard for 2023/24 meaning that their investment in mental health services increased in line with their overall increase in funding for the year.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will set out expectations for mental health funding, including share of overall National Health Service expenditure in 2025/26, in due course, as required under section 3(2) of the Health and Care Act 2022. NHS England is also expected to confirm allocations of financial resources for 2025/26 to ICBs and issue its priorities and operational planning guidance for the NHS for 2025/26 shortly.As part of our discussions on mental health funding, the Department and NHS England have taken into consideration the ability of ICBs to meet Mental Health Investment Standard requirements, the role that it has played in delivering the Government’s priorities for mental health services and the progress made in achieving greater parity between mental and physical health services and reducing mental health inequalities.Ministers and officials hold discussions regularly with mental health partners on a range of issues, including the Mental Health Investment Standard.

Whether his Department plans to continue with the Mental Health Investment Standard.

We remain committed to the Mental Health Investment Standard. All integrated care boards (ICBs) met the Standard for 2023/24 meaning that their investment in mental health services increased in line with their overall increase in funding for the year.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will set out expectations for mental health funding, including share of overall National Health Service expenditure in 2025/26, in due course, as required under section 3(2) of the Health and Care Act 2022. NHS England is also expected to confirm allocations of financial resources for 2025/26 to ICBs and issue its priorities and operational planning guidance for the NHS for 2025/26 shortly.As part of our discussions on mental health funding, the Department and NHS England have taken into consideration the ability of ICBs to meet Mental Health Investment Standard requirements, the role that it has played in delivering the Government’s priorities for mental health services and the progress made in achieving greater parity between mental and physical health services and reducing mental health inequalities.Ministers and officials hold discussions regularly with mental health partners on a range of issues, including the Mental Health Investment Standard.