Written questions by Coombes.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of funding provided by her Department to Steps to Work in Walsall through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is committed to evaluating the impacts and effectiveness of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The UKSPF evaluation strategy sets out the approach to evaluation. The department has committed to publish evaluation findings on an ongoing basis as they are available.

If he will make an estimate of the total costs incurred by businesses of steel safeguarding duties since the end of the UK-EU transition period.

Both the UK and EU separately apply a safeguard measure on certain categories of steel products. A safeguard measure protects domestic producers from injury as a result of unforeseen surges of imports. Both the UK and EU apply a 25% duty where import thresholds have been exceeded. HMRC may have the necessary data pertaining to any assessment of the total costs by businesses on the UK safeguard measure. However, since the expiry of the transition period an assessment has not been conducted. I will write to you on your question once my officials have consulted with HMRC.

What steps she is taking to tackle illegal street racing in West Bromwich constituency.

Any form of anti-social, dangerous or inconsiderate behaviour involving any vehicle is a serious issue. Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for the Government, and a key part of the Safer Streets Mission.Excess speed is a major cause of death and serious injury on our roads so anyone who breaks the speed limit should expect to face proper sanction.We recently announced plans to strengthen the law so that these vehicles can be seized by police when they are used to commit anti-social behaviour, including illegal street racing, without having to issue a warning which delays enforcement action. This will allow them to swiftly deal with vehicles being used anti-socially.

What recent discussions he has had with the the Chancellor of the Exchequer on retrospective steel safeguarding charges imposed on businesses.

Both the UK and EU separately apply a safeguard measure on certain categories of steel products. A safeguard measure protects domestic producers from injury as a result of unforeseen surges of imports. Both the UK and EU apply a 25% duty where import thresholds have been exceeded. HMRC may have the necessary data pertaining to any assessment of the total costs by businesses on the UK safeguard measure. However, since the expiry of the transition period an assessment has not been conducted. I will write to you on your question once my officials have consulted with HMRC.

How many deaths were caused by illegal street racing incidents in the West Midlands in the last ten years.

Statistics and data on road injury collisions and casualties reported to and recorded by police are collected via the data collection system known as STATS19. While STATS19 collects information on the collision circumstances, vehicles involved and contributory factors, it does not identify when collisions are the result of illegal street racing incidents.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the extra cost of car insurance premiums faced by drivers from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

We are committed to tackling the increased costs of motor insurance to deliver on our manifesto commitment, including how this impacts different demographics, geographies, and communities. The cross-government Motor Insurance Taskforce, including the stakeholder panel, met for the first time on 16th October. The Taskforce is currently exploring short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover. As it takes this work forwards, the Taskforce will continue to work closely with the independent Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Competition and Markets Authority. The FCA has launched a market study into the premium finance market and is undertaking work to analyse the cause of increased claims costs in the motor insurance market.

What steps she is taking to reduce persistent absences in primary and secondary schools in West Bromwich constituency.

This government is determined to tackle the generational challenge of school absence which is a fundamental barrier to learning and life chances. Missing school regularly is harmful to a child’s attainment, safety and physical and mental health, which limits their opportunity to succeed. There is evidence that more students are attending school this year compared to last, thanks to the sector’s efforts although around 1.6 million children remain persistently absent and miss 10% or more of lessons.The department has a national approach to supporting all schools to tackle absence, including those in the West Bromwich constituency. Central to this approach are stronger expectations of local authorities and schools, as set out in the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which was made statutory on 19 August 2024. The guidance promotes a 'support first' approach, encouraging schools, trusts and local authorities to work with families in addressing attendance barriers.Every state school in England should now be sharing their daily attendance register data with the department, local authorities and trusts. These bodies can access this data through a secure, interactive dashboard which is maintained by the department, allowing them to target attendance interventions more effectively.The department recognises the importance of creating opportunities within the sector to share existing best practice on how to improve attendance. This is why the department has set up a network of 31 attendance hubs, who have offered support to 2000 schools and shared their strategies and resources for improving attendance.In addition to this work, the department also aims to improve the existing evidence on which interventions work to improve attendance. Over £17 million is being invested across two mentoring projects that will support at least 12,000 pupils in 15 areas. These programmes will be evaluated and the effective practice shared with schools and local authorities nationally.From early 2025, new Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams will support all state schools by facilitating networking, sharing best practice across areas, including attendance, and empowering schools to feel they can better access support and learn from one another. For schools requiring more intensive support, RISE teams and supporting organisations will work collaboratively with their responsible body to agree bespoke packages of targeted support, based on a school’s particular circumstances.School attendance is also supported by broader investments, such as funded breakfast clubs, across all primary schools to ensure children start their day ready to learn.We are working across government on plans to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.Schools can also allocate pupil premium funding, which has now increased to over £2.9 billion for the 2024/25 financial year, to support pupils with identified needs to attend school regularly.

What proportion of same-sex female couples are receiving NHS-funded IVF after undertaking six self-funded rounds of Intrauterine insemination as recommended by NICE.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that between 2020 and 2022, the years in which they have the most recently data available, 25% of patients in same-sex female couples in the United Kingdom received National Health Service-funded in vitro fertilization (IVF), after completing six self-funded rounds of intrauterine insemination.Integrated care boards are expected to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. The NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to NHS-funded treatment are still appropriate. We expect this review to be published in 2025. The Government will also be receiving advice from NHS England on the eligibility criteria for IVF and on access to treatment, and this will inform the Government’s considerations of future policy options.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of above average unauthorised absence rates on educational outcomes in Sandwell local authority area.

Improving school attendance is central to the government’s Opportunity Mission to drive high and rising standards for every child. The government has inherited an epidemic of school absence which is one of the biggest barriers to opportunity, damaging learning, health and wellbeing.Each day of lost learning can do serious harm. Days missed add up quickly. We know there is a link between absence and attainment, and that can have a knock-on effect on lifetime outcomes.Analysis produced by the department in 2016 found that overall absence due to family holiday has a statistically significant negative link to attainment at both key stage 2 and key stage 4. The analysis is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a808fdee5274a2e8ab50d9f/The-link-between-absence-and-attainment-at-KS2-and-KS4-2013-to-2014-academic-year.pdf. This is further supported by a 2023 study by the Office for the Children’s Commissioner using departmental data which shows of the pupils who were persistently absent in year 10 and 11, 36% passed at least 5 GCSEs, including English and mathematics, compared to 78% who were rarely absent. The full details of the analysis can be found in the ‘Missing Children, Missing Grades’ report, which is accessible here: https://assets.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wpuploads/2023/11/CC-REPORT-_-Attendance-and-Attainment-_-Oct-23.pdf.Absence does not just harm the attainment of those not in school, it can impact children in the classroom too. Children thrive on stability, but a steady churn of absences disrupts the learning of every child. The work of staff to cultivate a sense of community and belonging is weakened, and it increases workload for teachers who have to replan lessons.The department’s ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which became statutory in August 2024, emphasises the importance of a 'support first' approach, setting clear expectations that schools and local authorities should work with families to address barriers to attendance in a sensitive way.The department is also supporting school attendance through broader investments, such as funded breakfast clubs across all primary schools to ensure children start their day ready to learn and providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.

Whether he will make an assessment of the eligibility criteria for IVF on access to treatment for (a) single patients and (b) same-sex female couples.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that between 2020 and 2022, the years in which they have the most recently data available, 25% of patients in same-sex female couples in the United Kingdom received National Health Service-funded in vitro fertilization (IVF), after completing six self-funded rounds of intrauterine insemination.Integrated care boards are expected to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. The NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to NHS-funded treatment are still appropriate. We expect this review to be published in 2025. The Government will also be receiving advice from NHS England on the eligibility criteria for IVF and on access to treatment, and this will inform the Government’s considerations of future policy options.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of housing associations in England that are charging tenants for a 53 week rent year.

The Government does not collect data on whether weekly rent charged by housing associations is collected 52 or 53 times in a year. Government policy on social housing rents stipulates how the maximum weekly rent is to be calculated for any given social housing property, not how many times that weekly rent may be charged in any given year. The arrangements for charging rent should be set out in a tenancy agreement.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support the health of night shift workers in West Bromwich constituency.

Reducing ill health at work is an important area of focus for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). HSE published its 10 year strategy ‘Protecting people and places’ in 2022 and this includes a strategic objective to reduce work-related ill health. HSE works closely with other government departments to ensure that they cooperate and collaborate on matters concerning their respective health responsibilities.The Department for Business and Trade has overall policy responsibility for the Working Time Regulations 1998. However, both HSE and Local Authorities (LAs) enforce certain aspects of the Regulations and night work is one of the requirements that HSE enforces.The Working Time Regulations require employers to ensure workers do not exceed night work limits, and to provide night workers with the opportunity to have a free health assessment at regular intervals.When organising and planning night work, employers must also comply with their general duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR).HSWA places a duty on all employers, so far as is reasonably practicable, to protect the health, safety, and welfare at work of all their employees. MHSWR places a duty on all employers to make an assessment of the risks to their employees from work activities and introduce measures that are ‘reasonably practicable’ to remove or control these risks.This includes any health and safety risks associated with the number of hours worked, how these hours are scheduled and hazards such as fatigue, and its likelihood of occurring because of night shift working.HSE has published guidance for employers to support them in managing the health and safety of shift workers (Managing shift work [HSG 256]) and Hints and tips for shift-workers (hse.gov.uk) to improve sleep quality, increase alertness and reduce health risk.

Whether he plans to take steps to help reduce the cost of IVF for female same-sex couples.

The Government has signed secondary legislation into law on 31 October 2024 to update the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, which removes additional screening costs for female same sex couples undergoing reciprocal in-vitro fertilisation.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently reviewing the fertility guideline and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service-funded treatment are still appropriate. We expect this review to be published in 2025. NHS England will be providing advice on this issue, and the Government will be considering future policy options soon.

What steps his Department is taking to help support people who work in the night time economy.

We recognise the important role that the night-time economy plays in supporting local communities. Healthy night-time economy businesses not only support our creative industries, including musicians, DJs and performance artists, but also support tourism and bolster day economy businesses.In her Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced an increase to the National Living Wage in line with the Low Pay Commission recommendation to £12.21 per hour, alongside a minimum wage for 18-20 year olds of £10.00 per hour, with a view to eventually creating a single adult wage rate. This will benefit over 3.3 million workers around the UK, including those employed in the night-time economy.

What assessment he has made of the impact of the current NHS resource allocation formula on more deprived areas.

The National Health Service resource allocation formula is intended to support equal opportunity of access for equal need, taking account of NHS England’s duty to have regard to the need to reduce health inequalities. The formula takes account of factors such as demography, morbidity, deprivation, and the unavoidable cost of providing services in different areas. In addition, a further adjustment to address health inequalities and unmet needs increases the resources directed to deprived areas. The formula is based on independent academic research which is overseen by the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation, which in turn provides advice to the Chief Executive of NHS England on whether changes to the formula should be considered.

Whether improving respiratory health will be central to the new NHS 10-year plan.

The 10-Year Health Plan will consider the change needed to meet the three health mission goals: a fairer system where everyone lives well for longer; a National Health Service that is there when people need it; and fewer lives lost to the biggest killers. We will carefully be considering policies with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders as we develop the plan.

Whether she has made an estimate of the cost of increasing the number of crown court sitting days beyond the original allocation.

Every year, the Government and the Judiciary agree a number of sitting days and an overall budget in what is known as the Concordat process.In June, the Judiciary reached an agreement with the former Lord Chancellor to sit 106,000 days in the Crown Court within a total budget of £275 million.The Lord Chancellor has since agreed to fund an additional 500 days, but it has become clear that there has been significant over-listing against this budget – with more trials scheduled than the funding allows.As a result of that, approximately 1,600 sitting days have had to be withdrawn. The level of impact will vary across regions and is being managed closely to ensure there is minimal disruption to all involved.

Whether she is taking steps she to prevent the closure of private after-school childcare providers.

The department does not hold this information.This government recognises the vital work that private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers, including childminders, undertake to deliver before-school, after-school and holiday childcare. The government knows that they are an important part of the system, bringing expertise, resources and capacity to the provision of school aged childcare. Local authorities are currently working in close collaboration with PVIs as part of the wraparound childcare programme to deliver new and expanded wraparound childcare places, so that parents can work and receive education and training, making everyone better off, not just the few.

What steps she is taking to support unemployed teachers into teaching jobs.

High quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education. This government is focused on supporting qualified teachers, be they newly qualified or returning to the profession, and helping them find teaching jobs that help both them and their pupils achieve the best possible outcome. The department has established its own vacancy listing service for state-funded schools in England, Teaching Vacancies, to provide an effective and simple process for teachers to find the right jobs. Schools can list all their vacancies on the service, including support staff roles, for free. Over 85% of state-funded schools now use this service to advertise teaching roles. Support is also provided to jobseekers on searching, applying and interviewing for a school that feels like the right fit. For qualified teachers returning to the profession, the department offers additional support, including the Return to Teaching Advisory (RTTA) service, specialised events, and the Return to Teaching webpage. The RTTA provides tailored support from a one-to-one adviser who can help with the application and interview process, increasing classroom readiness and finding suitable vacancies. This year, we have seen an increase in the number of teachers returning to teach in state-funded schools in England; 17,388 (FTE) teachers returned this year, which is 669 more than last year (16,719). The department does not hold data on the number of qualified teachers who are unemployed. The School Workforce Census measures the number of qualified teachers employed in the state sector and does not cover those employed by the independent sector. Further data on the teacher workforce is available through the publication of the School Workforce Census data, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2023.

How many after-school childcare providers have closed since 2020.

The department does not hold this information.This government recognises the vital work that private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers, including childminders, undertake to deliver before-school, after-school and holiday childcare. The government knows that they are an important part of the system, bringing expertise, resources and capacity to the provision of school aged childcare. Local authorities are currently working in close collaboration with PVIs as part of the wraparound childcare programme to deliver new and expanded wraparound childcare places, so that parents can work and receive education and training, making everyone better off, not just the few.