Written questions by Allin-Khan.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of equalising VAT rates for (a) home and (b) public electric vehicle charging points.

The supply of energy for domestic use attracts the reduced rate of VAT. (five per cent). Whilst this relief was not designed for charging EVs at home, it applies for all uses of domestic energy. Public EV charging is subject to the standard rate of VAT (20 per cent). This matches the VAT treatment of petrol and diesel, as well as all non-domestic electricity. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a higher stamp duty threshold for first-time buyers in inner London boroughs.

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is a national tax in England and Northern Ireland charged using the same percentage rates in all areas. This ensures stable and predictable revenue for the Exchequer while maintaining fairness for taxpayers. The current structure of SDLT ensures that those buying the most expensive properties contribute the most. Introducing higher SDLT thresholds for first-time buyers in inner London boroughs could increase complexity and create distortive effects around borders, impacting property markets. More broadly, SDLT continues to be an important source of Government revenue, raising around £12 billion each year to help pay for the essential services the Government provides. Any reforms to SDLT would have to carefully consider impacts on the Exchequer alongside administrative costs and simplicity for the taxpayer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the impact of increased water bills on Thames Water customers.

For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population and climate change. Bills will therefore now need to rise to invest in our crumbling infrastructure and deliver cleaner waterways. Ofwat’s five-yearly ‘price review’ sets the price, investment and service package for water companies in England and Wales. Ofwat published their final determinations for Price Review 2024 on 19 December, which sets company expenditure and customer bills for 2025-2030. This will deliver substantial, lasting, improvements for customers and the environment through a £104bn upgrade for the water sector. Government expects water companies to put robust support in place for customers that are struggling to pay their bills. These include bill discount schemes such as WaterSure and Social Tariffs as well as financial support measures to assist households to better manage their budgets and provide flexible payments including payment holidays, payment matching, benefit entitlement checks and money/debt advice referral arrangements. The Government expects industry to keep the current support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers across the country are supported. Bills must remain affordable, and customers cannot be expected to pay the price for years of underperformance in the past.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of increased water bills on Thames Water customers in (a) Tooting and (b) other areas.

For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population and climate change. Bills will therefore now need to rise to invest in our crumbling infrastructure and deliver cleaner waterways. Ofwat’s five-yearly ‘price review’ sets the price, investment and service package for water companies in England and Wales. Ofwat published their final determinations for Price Review 2024 on 19 December, which sets company expenditure and customer bills for 2025-2030. This will deliver substantial, lasting, improvements for customers and the environment through a £104bn upgrade for the water sector. Government expects water companies to put robust support in place for customers that are struggling to pay their bills. These include bill discount schemes such as WaterSure and Social Tariffs as well as financial support measures to assist households to better manage their budgets and provide flexible payments including payment holidays, payment matching, benefit entitlement checks and money/debt advice referral arrangements. The Government expects industry to keep the current support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers across the country are supported. Bills must remain affordable, and customers cannot be expected to pay the price for years of underperformance in the past.

How many were awaiting decisions from the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme under the Separated Families pathway as of 8 April 2025.

Available data on the Afghan Resettlement Programme is published on a quarterly basis. The latest release is viewable at: Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of measures for protecting tenants experiencing anti-social behaviour in local authority housing.

Social landlords, including local authorities, already have a range of powers and enforcement tools to tackle anti-social behaviour including powers to evict perpetrators. We expect landlords to use those powers promptly and proportionately, putting the needs of victims at the heart of their response. The Regulator of Social Housing has also published a revised Neighbourhood and Community Standard, which came into force on 1 April 2024 as part of the new proactive consumer regulation regime. This Standard will require local authorities to work in partnership the police and other relevant organisations to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour and hate incidents in the neighbourhoods where they provide social housing. Under the new consumer regulation regime, social landlords, including local authorities, will also be required to collect and publish Tenant Satisfaction Measures. These will include data on tenants’ satisfaction with their landlord’s approach to handling anti-social behaviour, and the number of anti-social behaviour cases relative to size of landlord. Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced tougher powers to tackle repeat offending, including the new Respect Order to tackle the most persistent ASB offenders. Police, local authorities and housing providers will be able to apply to the court for a Respect Order. Breach of a Respect Order will be a criminal offence and courts will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of health visitor check-ups for newborns within the first 12 months.

Data on new birth health visitor reviews is officially recorded and published annually. In 2023/24, the most recent annual data available, 97.8% of newborns received a health visitor review within 30 days following birth, a statistic stable from the previous year. The same data shows that 81.8% of newborns received a six to eight week health visitor review by week eight, which is 2.2% higher than 2022/23, but 3.3% lower than the comparable figure from 2019/20. Meanwhile, 86.5% of children received a 12-month health visitor review by month 15. This 12-month review figure represents an increase of 3.9% from 2022/23. It also represents a 2.9% increase from 2019/20.The Government laid out its commitment to strengthen health visiting services in the Plan for Change.

What steps she is taking to ensure mental health services are integrated into employment support programmes.

The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including people with mental health conditions, with their employment journey. Appropriate work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. The Government announced an 80% employment rate ambition in the Getting Britain Working White Paper.Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. My department therefore is investing in a range of support for individuals to help them stay in work and get back into work, including several that join up employment and health systems.Additional Work Coach Support, delivered through our Jobcentres, provides disabled people and people with health conditions, including mental health conditions, with increased one-to-one personalised support from their work coach to help them move towards, and into, work. Support is now available in all Jobcentres across England, Scotland and Wales. This rollout has been informed by trialling in Jobcentres. This personalised support from Work Coaches aims to enable disabled people and people with health conditions, to access employment, wider support including our employment programmes earlier.Work coaches receive specialist support from Disability Employment Advisers on how to tailor their support to help disabled customers move closer or into the labour market. Disability Employment Advisers can also offer “direct support” to disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, including mental health conditions, where additional bespoke support would benefit the customer. We will continue to ensure that every Work Coach has access to support from a Disability Employment Adviser.The Access to Work Scheme provides grant funding to disabled people, as well as those with a health condition. The grant supports workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. The Scheme also includes the Mental Health Support Service which provides up to nine months of non-clinical support for people who need additional help with their wellbeing while in employment. In 2023/24, 49,920 people were in receipt of a payment for an Access to Work element. Of those, 14,310 (29%) received one or more payments for the Mental Health Support Service element in the same period.Work in partnership between the DWP and health systems, currently includes Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) a Supported Employment programme (using the place, train and maintain model) delivered in primary care settings and is aimed at people with physical or common mental health disabilities, both out of work who need help into work, and those needing support with their health issues to stay in work. IPSPC is integrated with an individual’s normal health treatment encouraging recognition of employment as an important driver of an individual’s health and wellbeing. We will be bringing this approach to all areas of England and Wales through the roll out of the Connect to Work Programme which will support 100,000 people a year from 2026/27. This complements the delivery of Individual Placement and Support for Severe Mental Illness which is delivered in secondary mental health services by the NHS in England.The Employment Advice in Talking Therapies programme combines the expertise of therapists and employment advisers to give those with mental health conditions the support they need to find work tailored to them. Employment Advisors support patients in NHS Talking Therapies irrespective of their employment or benefit status. People who are looking for work will be supported to improve the quality of their CVs, complete application forms and improve the quality of their performance in interviews. If the client wishes, Employment Advisors can also work with NHS Talking Therapies clients and their employers to support returns to work following mental health-related absences. This could include suggesting coping mechanisms empowering clients to have better conversations with their colleagues or manager, or through suggesting workplace reasonable adjustments or a graduated return to work.WorkWell sites went live in 15 areas across England from October 2024, providing low intensity holistic support for health-related barriers to employment, and a single joined up gateway to existing local work and health service provision. Each area designs and delivers an integrated work and health support offer, that brings together partnerships between Integrated Care Boards, local government, Jobcentres and community partners, including mental health services. People can be referred via their GP, Jobcentre, via other local services or can self-refer. By Spring 2026, WorkWell is expected to support up to 56,000 disabled people and people with health conditions, including mental health conditions, to get into work or get on at work.Furthermore, in March we announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work, backed up by £1 billion of new funding.As the Green Paper notes, we are keen to engage widely on the design of this guarantee and the components needed to deliver it. To get this right, we will be seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders including devolved governments, local health systems, local government and Mayoral Strategic Authorities, private and voluntary sector providers, employers and potential users. We will confirm further details in due course after we have completed our consultation process.

What steps her Department is taking to help jobseekers manage their mental health while looking for employment.

The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including people with mental health conditions, with their employment journey. Appropriate work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. The Government announced an 80% employment rate ambition in the Getting Britain Working White Paper.Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. My department therefore is investing in a range of support for individuals to help them stay in work and get back into work, including several that join up employment and health systems.Additional Work Coach Support, delivered through our Jobcentres, provides disabled people and people with health conditions, including mental health conditions, with increased one-to-one personalised support from their work coach to help them move towards, and into, work. Support is now available in all Jobcentres across England, Scotland and Wales. This rollout has been informed by trialling in Jobcentres. This personalised support from Work Coaches aims to enable disabled people and people with health conditions, to access employment, wider support including our employment programmes earlier.Work coaches receive specialist support from Disability Employment Advisers on how to tailor their support to help disabled customers move closer or into the labour market. Disability Employment Advisers can also offer “direct support” to disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, including mental health conditions, where additional bespoke support would benefit the customer. We will continue to ensure that every Work Coach has access to support from a Disability Employment Adviser.The Access to Work Scheme provides grant funding to disabled people, as well as those with a health condition. The grant supports workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. The Scheme also includes the Mental Health Support Service which provides up to nine months of non-clinical support for people who need additional help with their wellbeing while in employment. In 2023/24, 49,920 people were in receipt of a payment for an Access to Work element. Of those, 14,310 (29%) received one or more payments for the Mental Health Support Service element in the same period.Work in partnership between the DWP and health systems, currently includes Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) a Supported Employment programme (using the place, train and maintain model) delivered in primary care settings and is aimed at people with physical or common mental health disabilities, both out of work who need help into work, and those needing support with their health issues to stay in work. IPSPC is integrated with an individual’s normal health treatment encouraging recognition of employment as an important driver of an individual’s health and wellbeing. We will be bringing this approach to all areas of England and Wales through the roll out of the Connect to Work Programme which will support 100,000 people a year from 2026/27. This complements the delivery of Individual Placement and Support for Severe Mental Illness which is delivered in secondary mental health services by the NHS in England.The Employment Advice in Talking Therapies programme combines the expertise of therapists and employment advisers to give those with mental health conditions the support they need to find work tailored to them. Employment Advisors support patients in NHS Talking Therapies irrespective of their employment or benefit status. People who are looking for work will be supported to improve the quality of their CVs, complete application forms and improve the quality of their performance in interviews. If the client wishes, Employment Advisors can also work with NHS Talking Therapies clients and their employers to support returns to work following mental health-related absences. This could include suggesting coping mechanisms empowering clients to have better conversations with their colleagues or manager, or through suggesting workplace reasonable adjustments or a graduated return to work.WorkWell sites went live in 15 areas across England from October 2024, providing low intensity holistic support for health-related barriers to employment, and a single joined up gateway to existing local work and health service provision. Each area designs and delivers an integrated work and health support offer, that brings together partnerships between Integrated Care Boards, local government, Jobcentres and community partners, including mental health services. People can be referred via their GP, Jobcentre, via other local services or can self-refer. By Spring 2026, WorkWell is expected to support up to 56,000 disabled people and people with health conditions, including mental health conditions, to get into work or get on at work.Furthermore, in March we announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work, backed up by £1 billion of new funding.As the Green Paper notes, we are keen to engage widely on the design of this guarantee and the components needed to deliver it. To get this right, we will be seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders including devolved governments, local health systems, local government and Mayoral Strategic Authorities, private and voluntary sector providers, employers and potential users. We will confirm further details in due course after we have completed our consultation process.

What steps he is taking to widen access to appropriate therapy treatments for adult survivors of childhood abuse.

National Health Service mental health services can support adults who have experienced trauma as a result of childhood abuse.The Government has chosen to prioritise funding to deliver expansions of NHS Talking Therapies. These offer well-governed, evidence-based, and effective psychological therapy services for common mental health problems, including depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress reactions. These services are available in every integrated care system through self-referral.NHS Talking Therapies consistently meet the existing waiting time standards, which state that 75% of referrals should be seen within six weeks, and 95% of referrals should be seen within 18 weeks. NHS Talking Therapies continue to expand to deliver additional courses of treatment and to increase the number of sessions available. It is expected that an additional 384,000 people will access treatment by 2028/29.Guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder should receive high-intensity interventions from the outset. The recent expansion focuses on the high-intensity workforce within NHS Talking Therapies, who receive training on how to support individuals impacted by abuse. This workforce includes therapists trained in trauma focussed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of NHS therapy treatments for adult survivors of childhood abuse.

National Health Service mental health services can support adults who have experienced trauma as a result of childhood abuse.The Government has chosen to prioritise funding to deliver expansions of NHS Talking Therapies. These offer well-governed, evidence-based, and effective psychological therapy services for common mental health problems, including depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress reactions. These services are available in every integrated care system through self-referral.NHS Talking Therapies consistently meet the existing waiting time standards, which state that 75% of referrals should be seen within six weeks, and 95% of referrals should be seen within 18 weeks. NHS Talking Therapies continue to expand to deliver additional courses of treatment and to increase the number of sessions available. It is expected that an additional 384,000 people will access treatment by 2028/29.Guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder should receive high-intensity interventions from the outset. The recent expansion focuses on the high-intensity workforce within NHS Talking Therapies, who receive training on how to support individuals impacted by abuse. This workforce includes therapists trained in trauma focussed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

What steps he is taking to encourage public service bodies to buy British-made products.

The Government is committed to supporting British businesses and the products they produce, ensuring they have the best opportunities to win UK public contracts and deliver high-quality goods and services. The new Procurement Act contains measures that help British businesses and manufacturers by creating a simpler and more transparent system that will deliver better value for money, giving small businesses greater access to £385 billion of annual spend. Our new National Procurement Policy Statement encourages contracting authorities to consider how procurement can foster economic growth, support small businesses, strengthen UK supply chains and drive delivery of the Government’s Industrial Strategy and missions. We have also recently announced a package of further measures to demonstrate how central government will implement the NPPS, further helping British firms succeed.Furthermore, our modern Industrial Strategy will set out how public procurement can support growth and investment in key sectors of the economy by encouraging innovation and the development of new technologies.

What steps he is taking to ensure that Government procurement policies promote British (a) manufacturers and (b) suppliers.

The Government is committed to supporting British businesses, ensuring they have maximum opportunities to win UK public contracts and deliver high-quality goods and services. The new Procurement Act contains measures that help British businesses and manufacturers by creating a simpler and more transparent system that will deliver better value for money, giving small businesses greater access to nearly £400billion of yearly spend. Our new National Procurement Policy statement also encourages contracting authorities to consider how procurement can foster economic growth, support small businesses, strengthen UK supply chains and drive delivery of the Government’s Industrial Strategy and missions.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the expiration of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund on foster (a) carers and (b) children.

On 1 April, the department announced that the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) would continue into 2025/26, with a budget of £50 million. A further announcement about arrangements for applications will be made as soon as possible. We remain committed to supporting families, who play an essential role in providing stable and loving homes for children in need. This funding will enable eligible families to apply for support in the coming year. The ASGSF provides support for adopted children and those under special guardianship or child arrangement orders. The only group of foster carers and foster children who can access the ASGSF are those on the ‘foster to adopt’ pathway, where the plan is for the foster carer to adopt the child they are caring for if the court makes a placement order. Foster carers who obtain a special guardianship order can also ask that an application be made to the fund for a child they previously fostered.

If she will make an estimate of the amount of corporation tax lost due to tax (a) evasion and (b) avoidance during the current financial year to date.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates the size of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. The tax gap statistics are published annually. The latest estimates are available at: Measuring tax gaps 2024 edition: tax gap estimates for 2022 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). In the tax year 2022 to 2023 the tax gap for Corporation Tax gap was 13.9% of the total theoretical Corporation Tax liability, or £13.7 billion in absolute terms. The amount of the Corporation Tax gap in 2022 to 2023 due to evasion is estimated to be around £2.9 billion, and due to avoidance, around £1.0 billion.

What steps she is taking to ensure that large corporations pay the correct amount of tax.

HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Large Business team manages the tax compliance of the UK’s 2,000 largest businesses through a resource intensive Customer Compliance Manager (CCM) model because their tax at stake, their size and complexity mean that this is the most cost-effective way of ensuring they pay the right amount of tax. This approach is in line with international best practice on cooperative compliance. CCMs are senior, highly trained compliance professionals, who lead teams of skilled specialists to scrutinise HMRC’s large business customers. This gives an in-depth knowledge of the business and the economic and commercial environment in which it operates, its appetite for tax planning and its internal governance, which allows HMRC to effectively identify and tackle tax compliance risk and ensure the right amount of tax is paid. The UK Tax Gap in 2022 to 2023 (Measuring Tax Gaps 2024 Edition) was £39.8bn or 4.8% of total theoretical tax liabilities. The element of the Tax Gap relating to large businesses in 2022 to 2023 was £4.3bn (or 0.5% of the UK’s total theoretical liabilities) decreasing from £7.4bn (or 1.7% of the UK’s total theoretical liabilities) in 2005 to 2006. Whilst the UK tax gap for large businesses remains low (the latest figures showing this customer segment pays over 99% of its theoretical liabilities), HMRC continues to take a risk-based approach, focusing resources to close the Tax Gap. HMRC subjects large businesses to an exceptional level of scrutiny, investigating around half of the UK’s largest businesses at any given time As of 31 March 2024, HMRC’s tax under consideration for large businesses was £44.9 billion. Tax under consideration is an estimate of the amount at stake in open enquiries, which demonstrates that HMRC is very actively challenging large businesses on tax that may be due. During 2023 to 2024, by effectively policing the tax rules as they apply to large businesses, HMRC successfully achieved compliance yield of £11.4bn

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Meta's content reporting procedures.

Under the Online Safety Act all in scope services, including Meta, will be required to have systems and processes to enable users and other affected persons to report instances of the types of content the services have responsibility for. This includes illegal content, and, where relevant, content that is harmful to children (where services are likely to be accessed by children).The Act also requires Ofcom to review the efficacy of content reporting and complaints mechanisms once the above duties have been implemented.

What steps his Department is taking to manage the environmental impact of installing overground pylons.

Developers of transmission projects and all nationally significant infrastructure projects in England and Wales must assess the impacts of their proposals. This includes conducting assessments of projects’ impacts on the environment through Environmental Impact Assessments. Additionally, developers engage with statutory and non-statutory stakeholders through consultations to ensure their feedback is considered and incorporated into project proposals. These assessments are considered as part of the consenting process by the Secretary of State. Scottish planning requirements are a devolved matter but also require due and proper consideration of environmental and other impacts and the opportunity for public scrutiny within the planning process.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing statutory regulation of the veterinary profession.

Defra officials are actively engaging with key stakeholders, including representatives from the BVA (British Veterinary Association), as well as the RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons), BVNA (British Veterinary Nursing Association), and the Vet Schools Council to review opportunities for reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act (VSA). This core working group is looking at how changes to policy can support the profession, animals, and consumers in the future.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing (a) artists, (b) musicians and (c) other people in creative industries to opt in, rather than opt out, to their intellectual property being used for the training of artificial intelligence.

The government recognises the importance of the UKs copyright regime to the economic success of the cultural and creative industries, one of eight growth-driving sectors as identified in our Industrial Strategy. We also recognise the basic principle that rights holders should have control over and seek payment for their work, including when thinking about the role of AI. The current UK Copyright Framework enables creative right holders to prevent the use of protected works, but we are aware that this can be very difficult to implement in the context of AI, especially for individual firms and creators.Responses to our consultation on the impact of AI on the copyright regime, which was published on 17 December and closed on 25 February, will inform our approach to the design and delivery of a solution to these issues. Our aim is to clarify the copyright framework for AI – delivering certainty through a copyright regime that provides creators with real control and transparency, and helps them licence their content, while supporting AI developers' access to high-quality material.The consultation was published alongside an accompanying options assessment. The consultation sought to gather further evidence on the potential impact on the creative industries of both AI and any change to the copyright regime. We will now consider the full range of responses we have received through our consultation and if legislative changes are needed, a full economic impact assessment will be undertaken.