Written questions by Opher.

What steps he is taking to reduce the neurodiverse assessment waiting list.

Lord Darzi’s independent review of the National Health Service, published September 2024, highlighted the severe delays in accessing autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments, and that demand for assessments for ADHD and autism has grown significantly in recent years.It is the responsibility of integrated care board (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism and ADHD assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the NHS to deliver improved outcomes for children, young people, and adults referred to an autism assessment service. Since publication, NHS England has been supporting systems and services to identify where there are challenges for implementation and how they might overcome these.NHS England is also working with research organisations to explore evidence-based models that support improved outcomes for those people waiting for an autism assessment.NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the NHS, education, charity, and justice sectors. The taskforce is working to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support, with the final report expected in the summer.   In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop an ADHD data improvement plan to inform future service planning.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will ban the use of lead shot and large calibre bullets for game shooting.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has formed a final Opinion on their restriction proposal, including for live quarry shooting, informed by information from public consultations as well as independent scientific advice. Now Defra has received HSE’s final Opinion on their proposed restriction, we are assessing their proposals. A decision will follow in due course, which will be taken with consent from the Devolved Governments of Scotland and Wales.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending eligibility for the Enterprise Investment Scheme tax relief to people investing in community assets that are leased and operated by community groups but owned by commercial landlords.

The venture capital schemes, including the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), are intended to incentivise investment into early-stage, higher-risk companies that are seeking to make profit, and to grow and develop their businesses. To ensure that the schemes are targeted at higher risk companies which face the greatest difficulties in accessing finance, and to provide value for money to UK taxpayers, certain lower-risk activities are excluded, including the leasing of land.The Government supports community investment in other ways. For example, the Community Investment Tax Relief (CITR) stimulates private investment in disadvantaged communities. It provides a tax incentive to individuals and companies that invest in accredited Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), which in turn invest in enterprises located in or serving those communities. In 2022/23, CITR accredited CDFIs raised over £11m of investment and made 355 loans worth over £20m to enterprises located in disadvantaged communities.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) he and (b) a Minister from his Department plans to attend the next round of negotiations on the UN Global Plastics Treaty in Geneva.

The second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution is scheduled to take place from 5 to 14 August 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland. As with previous negotiating committee sessions, the UK will have a strong negotiating presence to push for the agreement of an ambitious and effective Treaty covering the full plastics life cycle. No decisions have been taken on Ministerial attendance.

Which body will administer the proposed merged housing and pension credit.

The Department is committed to delivering the Government’s goal of bringing together the administration of pensioner Housing Benefit and Pension Credit for new claimants from 2026, so that pensioners receive the support they are entitled to.We are working closely with local authorities, to ensure reforms meet the needs of current and future pensioners.In addition, we have already improved how we use existing data to target new pensioner Housing Benefit customers to ensure they are prompted to claim and receive any Pension Credit to which they are entitled.

How many pensioners in receipt of Housing Benefit are not claiming Pension Credit.

Using the latest published benefit combinations statistics from Stat-Xplore, out of the 1.24m benefit claimants of state pension age in Great Britain receiving Housing Benefit in August 2024, 448,500 were not in receipt of Pension Credit. A DWP benefit claimant is defined as the individual who is claiming benefit on their own behalf, or in the case of Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Housing Benefit, an individual who is part of a single or couple claim for benefit.

What progress she has made on merging pension credit and housing benefit.

The Department is committed to delivering the Government’s goal of bringing together the administration of pensioner Housing Benefit and Pension Credit for new claimants from 2026, so that pensioners receive the support they are entitled to.We are working closely with local authorities, to ensure reforms meet the needs of current and future pensioners.In addition, we have already improved how we use existing data to target new pensioner Housing Benefit customers to ensure they are prompted to claim and receive any Pension Credit to which they are entitled.

Communities and Local Government, if she will bring section 230 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 into force.

The government is reviewing heritage planning policy in the context of wider reforms to the planning system. As part of that work we will consider the outstanding measures from the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 including statutory historic environment records in section 230 of the Act.

What steps she is taking to support SEND transport providers.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Stroud to the answer of 7 February 2025 to Question 27291.

With reference to her Department's Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, published on 18 March 2025, how many people in Stroud will no longer be eligible for Personal Independence Payment.

No estimate has yet been made.Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March to Question 36816 on Sustainable Farming Incentive: Educational Visits, whether the proposed standalone capital item for educational access will be included in the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

The proposed stand-alone capital item for educational access is a separate offer from the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). To be eligible for the education access payments applicants must have an SFI or other agri-environment or woodland agreement. We expect to publish more information about the reformed SFI offer in summer 2025.

What steps he is taking to support people with lung conditions.

In collaboration with a number of partners, the National Health Service has developed a package for local systems containing the information and support required to help increase the number of people receiving an early and accurate diagnosis for respiratory disease.Following a significant drop in the volume of respiratory specific diagnostic tests, such as spirometry, during the pandemic, NHS England has managed to bring these numbers to above pre-pandemic levels.The Government is committed to a preventative approach to the public’s health and is determined to improve air quality for everyone and address inequalities by working across Government to tackle these issues, including by supporting the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to deliver their comprehensive and ambitious Clean Air Strategy, which will include a series of interventions to reduce emissions so that everyone’s exposure to air pollution is reduced.In alignment with the Neighbourhood Health Service model, NHS England is leading on the development of an approach for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management, to support proactive identification and management of rising risk patients in winter, thereby reducing demand on primary and secondary care by identifying at risk patients, optimizing care, and strengthened support. Core20PLUS5 identifies COPD as one of the five clinical areas of focus requiring accelerated improvement to help tackle healthcare inequalities, and plans to improve this area by increasing vaccination uptake, namely for COVID-19, flu, and pneumovax, in people with COPD, and by avoiding exacerbations that could lead to emergency treatment in hospital and inpatient care.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the United Nations report entitled Report on the 2022 Transforming Education Summit, published in January 2023, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of that report's recommendation that 15-20% of ODA should be allocated to education on the development of his Department's ODA budgets.

Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027. Equality Impact Assessments - which consider impacts on women and girls - are an essential part of how we make decisions, including on ODA allocations. We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the spending review.The UK is committed to empowering women and girls around the world through our international work. Education, especially for girls and women, has wide-ranging benefits. It can unlock the potential of women and girls to tackle inter-generational poverty and create economic growth.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the continuation of funding for education initiatives through ODA.

Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027. Equality Impact Assessments - which consider impacts on women and girls - are an essential part of how we make decisions, including on ODA allocations. We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the spending review.The UK is committed to empowering women and girls around the world through our international work. Education, especially for girls and women, has wide-ranging benefits. It can unlock the potential of women and girls to tackle inter-generational poverty and create economic growth.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will strengthen legal protections for farmed fish.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for North Herefordshire, Ellie Chowns, on 6 March 2025, PQ 34489.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that teacher pension payments are not suspended as a result of (a) administrative issues and (b) delays related to proof of life documentation.

The department has kept the Disclosure of Death Registration Information (DDRI) check under review with the scheme administrator to ensure that it continues to meet the objectives of both protecting members and the scheme.The DDRI check was introduced as a proportionate means to ensure that recipients of pension payments from the Teachers’ Pensions Scheme continue to be eligible.The process allows 28 days for a pensioner member to respond to an enquiry to certify their ongoing entitlement. Where a pension has been paused because confirmation has not been received within that timescale, it is normally reinstated within 10 working days with payment of any arrears. The scheme administrator is currently working on further enhancements, such as issuing additional notifications by alternative communication methods, including by email.This approach avoids the need to require all recipients to confirm eligibility on an annual basis, and protects them, and taxpayers, from the consequences of any overpayments.Ultimately, the Teachers’ Pension Scheme Pension Board provides oversight of the effectiveness of all elements of the administration of the scheme.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on bringing forward legislative proposals to tighten eligibility for Personal Independence Payments.

As Leader of the House of Commons (and Chair of the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee), I meet regularly with Cabinet colleagues to discuss legislation and other matters. Recently announced changes to PIP eligibility will be brought forward in primary legislation in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Environmental Delivery Plans proposed in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill are compatible with section 17(5) of the Environment Act 2021.

The government is clear that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will not lead to a reduction in environmental protections.The Secretary of State, when considering a policy decision to make an Environmental Delivery Plan for an area, will have due regard to the policy statement on environmental principles.

How many families are receiving Healthy Start in Stroud.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at the following link: https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/The NHSBSA does not hold data on the number of families receiving Healthy Start, but it does hold data on the number of people receiving health start. The number of people on the scheme receiving Healthy Start in February 2025 for Stroud is 356.The NHSBSA does not currently hold data on the number of people who are eligible for the scheme. An issue was identified with the Healthy Start source data that is used to calculate the uptake of the NHS Healthy Start scheme. The NHSBSA removed data for the number of people eligible for the scheme and the uptake percentage from January 2023 onwards.The issue has only affected the data on the number of people eligible for the scheme. It has not prevented anyone from joining the scheme or continuing to access the scheme, if they are eligible.The following table shows the number of people on the scheme for all three wards in Liverpool West, as of February 2025:WardNumber of people on the digital schemeWest Derby Deysbrook36West Derby Leyfield16West Derby Muirhead20

What assessment the Office for Budget Responsibility has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity group on the finances of disabled people unable to work.

The Department published “Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms - Equality Analysis” and “Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts” alongside the Spring Statement. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.