Written questions by Eastwood.

What steps he is taking to progress funding for the Mid South West and Causeway Coast and Glens growth deals; and for what reason those projects have been paused.

I understand the enormous importance of the City and Growth Deals in Northern Ireland for economic growth. However, we are facing a £22 billion black hole in the public finances. Many of the City and Growth Deals have decades’ worth of funding attached so it is right that we consider any remaining deals that haven’t been signed yet in the round at the Spending Review, as we are doing with other long-term funding programmes. In Northern Ireland, this includes both the Mid South West and the Causeway Coast and Glens Growth Deals. My officials and I continue to work closely with the four council areas, their officials and the Department of Finance to develop a compelling case for the Deals, in the run up to the Autumn Budget, and I recently met representatives of the Deals to discuss the matter. The Chancellor and Chief Secretary to the Treasury will provide certainty over the remaining Deals following phase 1 of the Spending Review which will conclude on 30 October.

If he will have discussions with the Northern Ireland Health Minister on access to Enhertu in Northern Ireland.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has no plans to speak to the Minister of Health for Northern Ireland about the specific issue of access to the medicine Enhertu in Northern Ireland. Decisions on the availability of individual treatments to National Health Service patients in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are for the devolved administrations.Decisions on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS in England are taken by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the basis of an evaluation of a treatment’s costs and benefits. The NICE’s methods are internationally respected, and have been developed through extensive work with industry, academics, and the public to ensure they appropriately capture the costs and benefits, and best reflect social values. These are very difficult decisions to make, and it is important that they are made independently and on the basis of the available evidence.

Whether she plans to ensure Local Housing Allowance keeps pace with local rents.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates were restored to the 30th percentile of local market rents from April 2024 for one year. Decisions on LHA for future years will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, housing priorities, and the fiscal context.

What the average length of time asylum seeker families are spending in contingency accommodation is in (a) the UK and (b) Northern Ireland.

The Home Office does not publish information regarding the length of time spent in contingency accommodation by asylum seekers. This period of time is determined by a number of factors including overall demand and availability of dispersal accommodation as well as individual circumstances.The Government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly. This includes identifying a range of options to reduce the use of hotels over time and ensuring efficiency and value for money across all accommodation arrangements.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the eligibility criteria for Carer’s Allowance for people in receipt of the State Pension who have provided long-term unpaid care.

Although there is no upper age limit to claiming Carer’s Allowance, it cannot normally be paid with the State Pension. It has been a long-held feature of the GB benefit system, under successive Governments, that where someone is entitled to two benefits for the same contingency, then whilst there may be entitlement to both benefits, only one will be paid to avoid duplication for the same need. Although entitlement to State Pension and Carer’s Allowance arise in different circumstances they are nevertheless designed for the same contingency – as an income replacement. Carer’s Allowance replaces income where the carer has given up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to care for a severely disabled person is unable to undertake full time employment due to their caring responsibilities, while State Pension replaces income in retirement. For this reason, social security rules operate to prevent them being paid together, to avoid duplicate provision for the same need. However, if a carer’s State Pension is less than Carer's Allowance, State Pension is paid and topped up with Carer's Allowance to the basic weekly rate of Carer's Allowance which is currently £81.90. Where Carer’s Allowance cannot be paid, the person will keep underlying entitlement to the benefit. This gives access to the additional amount for carers in Pension Credit of £45.60 a week and potentially other means-tested support. Around 125,000 people are receiving the Carer Premium with their Pension Credit. And even if a pensioner’s income is above the limit for Pension Credit, they may still be able to receive Housing Benefit.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) maternity and (b) paternity pay for (i) one child and (ii) multiple child births.

Maternity pay is primarily a health and safety provisions for pregnant working women. It is not intended to replace a woman's earnings completely, rather it provides a measure of financial security to help pregnant working women take time off work in the later stages of their pregnancy and in the months following childbirth. We want new parents to be able to take time away from work. The standard rate of Statutory Maternity Pay, Maternity Allowance and Statutory Paternity Pay is reviewed annually. All three rates were raised again by 6.7% in April from £172.48 to £184.03. These payments are not paid in respect of each child but in respect of each pregnancy. The qualifying conditions for both are generally based on a woman's, father’s or partner’s recent employment and earnings. They are not intended to assist with the costs associated with the birth of a new child or children.

Whether the option for individual assessment of claims will be made to victims of the infected blood scandal.

The Government expects the majority of claims will be made via the tariff-based Core Route. In some exceptional cases however, the level of compensation awarded through the Core Route may not be sufficiently reflective of the financial loss and care costs that a person has experienced as a result of infected blood. This may be the case where, for example, the person had particularly high earnings prior to their infection and therefore suffered greater financial loss, or where they have suffered a particular associated health condition that has necessitated increased levels of care. Where an applicant can demonstrate that their defined circumstances necessitate a higher compensation payment for care and financial loss, they will be able to apply for additional compensation awards through the Supplementary Route.

Whether the infected blood compensation scheme will deliver compensation in the event of an infected person's death to (a) their surviving partner and (b) their estate.

Where a person who would have been eligible to apply to the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme as an infected person has died, the personal representatives of the deceased person’s estate may apply for compensation on behalf of their estate. People who are affected, such as bereaved partners, can claim compensation in their own right in addition to any claims on behalf of the estate.

How the Infected Blood Compensation Authority will determine the date of infection for individuals where no definitive medical records are available; and what criteria will be used to make these determinations.

Given the historic nature of the infected blood scandal, the Government recognises that not all medical records will still be available. The Scheme has been designed to minimise as far as possible the burden on those applying, and as set out in the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2024, eligibility for the Scheme will be determined based on the balance of probabilities. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority will provide assistance to those who believe their medical records have been lost or destroyed.

How the infected blood compensation scheme will account for the additional financial burdens experienced by (a) carers and (b) bereaved partners.

Compensation paid through the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme will be calculated in line with tariffs and based on the severity of infection and negative impacts suffered by victims - both infected and affected - in different aspects of their lives. All eligible affected persons will be able to claim in their own right under the Injury Impact and Social Impact categories of award. The care award is not available for affected persons to claim in their own right, as the care awards will be paid to infected persons. However, this can be paid directly to affected persons at the request of an infected person or their estate representative. Where the infected person has very sadly died, the financial loss awards will be paid to affected dependents, which may include bereaved partners.

Whether his Department plans to support the provision of (a) legal advice and (b) advocacy services to potential claimants under the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme.

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority will aim to ensure that appropriate advice and support is available to assist people with managing their compensation awards, accessing financial services, and accessing benefits advice where relevant. Sir Robert Francis KC recommended in his report that legal support is available to people who want to claim compensation. The Government accepted this recommendation and is working with IBCA to develop a package of support services.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of defaulting self-employed people into pension savings.

Finding effective and enduring solutions to enable self-employed people to achieve greater financial security in later life is a challenge, which the UK like other countries is confronting. Research has highlighted that while self-employments are diverse, the behavioural barriers that were overcome through Automatic Enrolment for employees persist for self-employed people, in particular low levels of knowledge and inertia make it difficult to get started with retirement saving. In addition, there are specific barriers experienced by many self-employed people, including irregularity of income. My department has been working with research partners to explore the feasibility of addressing such barriers through building and testing default retirement saving solutions in digital platforms, used by many self-employed people to manage their money. The second phase of our pensions review will begin later this year, looking at further steps to improve pension outcomes, including assessing pension adequacy.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the fiscal floor for Northern Ireland.

As part of the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive (NIE) the UK Government and NIE agreed to add a 24% needs-based factor into the Barnett formula as it applies to the NIE from 2024-25. This is part of the financial package worth over £3.3 billion. This factor reflects the higher level of relative need in Northern Ireland, that the independent Northern Ireland Fiscal Council (NIFC) has calculated is 24% more per head than the rest of the UK for equivalent spending. The NIFC was established with cross-party agreement by the NIE in 2021 as part of the New Decade, New Approach agreement signed with the UK Government.

With reference to the report by Lord Darzi entitled Independent investigation of the NHS in England, published on 12 September 2024, what steps he plans to take to improve the quality of the NHS equipment referenced in that report.

Professor Lord Darzi highlights that the National Health Service has been starved of capital, with outdated scanners, too little automation, and that the NHS is failing to enter the digital era. The findings provide a diagnosis of the challenges facing the NHS which will inform the solutions, including the 10-year plan to reform the NHS.Digital transformation and technology are critical to the future of the NHS. We are committed to providing the NHS with the latest technology and replacing outdated equipment to catch cancer and other conditions earlier, thereby saving lives.As part of this, we are progressing our commitment to double the number of magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners to address the challenges in diagnostic waiting times, accelerate cancer diagnosis, and build an NHS fit for the future. We will harness the power of technologies like artificial intelligence to transform the speed and accuracy of diagnostic services, saving potentially thousands of lives.The Frontline Digitisation programme is working to improve digital maturity across the NHS, prioritising hardware, connectivity, and electronic patient record systems. National support is in place for trusts to procure and implement electronic patient records.

Whether he plans to take steps with NHS England to develop (a) modelling of the blood cancer care workforce and (b) national standards for staffing and facilities.

Information on the number of blood cancer clinical nurse specialists employed in the National Health Service, and the number of vacant posts, is not held centrally.The NHS has been facing chronic workforce shortages for years, and we have to be honest that bringing in the staff we need will take time.  We are committed to training the staff we need to get patients seen on time.  To achieve this, we will reform the NHS to deliver more care in the community and more preventative care.As we fix the NHS, we will deliver the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, so patients, including blood cancer patients, are always cared for by the relevant, qualified healthcare professionals.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of participation in clinical trials for blood cancer; and whether he plans to take steps to increase the level of participation among underrepresented groups.

No such assessment has been made. The Department-funded National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research and research infrastructure which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research. The NIHR supported the opening of 171 studies on blood cancer and the recruitment of 7,939 participants between 2021/22 and 2023/24, indicating a consistent level of participation.The Department is committed to implementing the recommendations of Lord O'Shaughnessy’s review into commercial clinical trials, maximising the United Kingdom’s potential to lead the world in clinical trials, and ensuring that innovative, lifesaving treatments are accessible to National Health Service patients. Our aim is to ensure all patients, including those in underrepresented groups, are empowered to directly and proactively explore research opportunities.The NIHR provides an online service called Be Part of Research, which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This can also be accessed through the NHS App. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them.

If she will conduct a comprehensive review of (a) relative need and (b) associated implications for the level of the fiscal floor for Northern Ireland required to ensure equivalent levels of service provision across the UK.

As part of the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive (NIE) the UK Government and NIE agreed to add a 24% needs-based factor into the Barnett formula as it applies to the NIE from 2024-25. This is part of the financial package worth over £3.3 billion. This factor reflects the higher level of relative need in Northern Ireland, that the independent Northern Ireland Fiscal Council (NIFC) has calculated is 24% more per head than the rest of the UK for equivalent spending. The NIFC was established with cross-party agreement by the NIE in 2021 as part of the New Decade, New Approach agreement signed with the UK Government.

If she will fund an updated version of the report entitled Cost of Division: A benchmark of performance and expenditure, published by the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre in January 2016.

As part of the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive (NIE) the UK Government and NIE agreed to add a 24% needs-based factor into the Barnett formula as it applies to the NIE from 2024-25. This is part of the financial package worth over £3.3 billion. This factor reflects the higher level of relative need in Northern Ireland, that the independent Northern Ireland Fiscal Council (NIFC) has calculated is 24% more per head than the rest of the UK for equivalent spending. The NIFC was established with cross-party agreement by the NIE in 2021 as part of the New Decade, New Approach agreement signed with the UK Government.

Whether people with hepatitis B are eligible to claim through the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme for financial loss due to (a) the inability to work full time and (b) not receiving regular support scheme payments.

Anyone with an eligible Hepatitis B infection will be able to claim compensation calculated under five categories of award including a financial loss award. The financial loss award recognises the past and future financial losses suffered as a result of infection. This includes both financial loss and loss of services. Financial Loss award calculations take into account a person’s average loss of earnings in the years prior to the establishment of the Compensation Scheme, as well as future loss of earnings up to healthy life expectancy and will disregard whether or not an individual received Infected Blood Support Scheme payments prior to 31 March 2025.

Whether people with hepatitis B who have not received (a) a lump sum and (b) regular payments from a support scheme will be entitled to an award under the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme.

People who received contaminated blood or blood products which resulted in a chronic Hepatitis B infection will be eligible to claim compensation under the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme. The estates of those who died from an acute Hepatitis B infection during the acute period will also be eligible to claim compensation. The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme will be delivered by the UK-wide delivery body, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, which is separate to the current support schemes.