Written questions by Darling.

With reference to her Department's Pathways to work: reforming benefits and support to get Britain working green paper, published on 18 March, when accessible versions will be published.

Further accessible formats will be published on GOV.UK in due course. The consultation will close 12 weeks after the point at which all accessible versions of this Green Paper are available, to ensure that all stakeholders have sufficient time to engage and we hear from as many people as possible.We have published this Green Paper ahead of all accessible versions to put detailed information about the matters subject to consultation in the public domain at the earliest opportunity; the production of accessible versions requires some additional time.

What information his Department has on the (a) number of unfilled vacancies, (b) cost for using (i) locum and (ii) bank staff to fill vacancies at Torbay Hospital in the most recent period for which data is available.

The Department does not hold information on the number of unfilled vacancies or the costs of using locum or bank staff to fill vacancies at Torbay Hospital. NHS England published vacancy rates by trust as of June 2024, with further information available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/supplementary-information/2024/total-vacancy-rates-by-org-since-201718The Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, of which the hospital is a part, has reported to NHS England a position of a zero full time equivalent vacancy rate across the trust.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that adequate transition arrangement are put in place to help support people with changes to the levels of benefits.

There will be no immediate changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Our intention is that the changes will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. For those already on PIP, the changes will only apply at their next award review. The average award review is about three years. When people are reassessed, they will be reviewed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, and assessed on their individual needs and circumstances. The personal impact will depend on an individual’s circumstances. We are consulting on how best to support those who lose entitlement, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.In regards to Universal Credit (UC), for people who already receive the UC health element the rate of the UC health element will be frozen at £97pw until 2029/2030 but this group will receive an increased UC entitlement in cash terms as a result of the increased standard allowance.In addition, we will guarantee that no-one who has been found Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity (LCWRA) prior to April 2026 and remains LCWRA following reassessment will see their UC health element entitlement changed. We will ensure that this group do not fear a loss of their benefit rate from working.For new claims the rate of the UC health element will be reduced by £47pw (from £97pw in 2024/2025 to £50pw in 2026/2027). However, this group will benefit from the higher standard allowance, which will partially offset this reduction.For those receiving the new reduced UC health element after April 2026, we are proposing that those with the most severe, life-long health conditions, who have no prospect of improvement and will never be able to work, will see their incomes protected through an additional premium. We will also guarantee that for both new and existing claims, those in this group will not need to be reassessed in future

Communities and Local Government, when she plans to provide an Answer to Question 35806 on Resettlement: Afghanistan, tabled on 5 March 2025.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 35806 on 20 March 2025.

If his Department will take steps to provide financial support for unpaid carers through the social care system.

Local authorities have duties to support people caring for their family and friends. Under the Care Act 2014, they are required to undertake Carer’s Assessments to support people caring for their family and friends who appear to have a need for support, and to meet their eligible needs upon request from them. For example, if eligible, this might include financial support, such as direct payments.We have already taken action to support unpaid carers. From April 2025, we will increase the Carer's Allowance weekly earnings limit from £151 a week to £196, the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage. This means carers can earn up to £10,000 a year whilst still retaining Carer's Allowance, which is approximately an additional £2,000 a year.The Government also recognises the challenges facing the adult social care system. That is why the Government is launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service.The commission will start a national conversation about what working age adults, older people, and their families expect from adult social care, including exploring the needs of unpaid carers who provide vital care and support.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2025 to Question 36169 on Health Services, what tests (a) his Department and (b) NHS England require before a substantial planned service change.

The tests the Department requires are set out in NHS England’s guidance to the National Health Service on planning, assuring and delivering service change, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/planning-assuring-and-delivering-service-change-for-patients/The Government’s four tests of service change are:strong public and patient engagement;consistency with current and prospective need for patient choice;clear, clinical evidence base; andsupport for proposals from clinical commissioners.In any proposal includes plans to significantly reduce hospital bed numbers, NHS England will expect commissioners to be able to evidence that they can meet one of the following three conditions: demonstrate that sufficient alternative provision, such as increased general practice or community services, is being put in place alongside or ahead of bed closures, and that the new workforce will be there to deliver it; and/or show that specific new treatments or therapies, such as new anti-coagulation drugs used to treat strokes, will reduce specific categories of admissions; or where a hospital has been using beds less efficiently than the national average, that it has a credible plan to improve performance without affecting patient care, for example in line with the Getting it Right First Time programme.

How many defendants were (a) prosecuted and (b) found guilty of offences under each relevant section of (i) the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, (ii) the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, (iii) the Deer Act 1991, (iv) the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and (v) the Hunting Act 2004 in each year since 2019.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions and convictions offences under i) the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, (ii) the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, (iii) the Deer Act 1991, (iv) the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and (v) the Hunting Act 2004 at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.The specific offences requested are listed below: 10822 - Offences under Protection of Badgers Act 1992 09948 - Areas of special scientific interest (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981) 10823 - Offences under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - e.g. certain wild animals (schedule 5) may not be killed, injured or taken by any method 10824 - Offences under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - e.g. wild certain animals (schedule 6) may not be killed or taken by certain methods 19001 - Summary offences in relation to birds under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 19002 - Summary offences in relation to nests and eggs of birds under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 19004 - Summary offences in relation to nests and eggs of birds under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 19006 - Prohibition of certain methods of killing or taking wild birds (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981) 19007 - Offences under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 19009 - Offences under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 12111 - Summary offences under the Deer Act 1991 - e.g. taking, injuring or killing deer 10825 - Offences under Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 12113 - Hunting a wild mammal with dogs - Hunting Act 2004 12114 - Knowingly permit land to be entered / used for hunting a wild mammal with dogs - Hunting Act 2004 12115 - Knowingly permit dog to be used for hunting a wild mammal - Hunting Act 2004 12116 - Participate in a hare coursing event 12117 - Attend a hare coursing event - Hunting Act 2004 12118 - Knowingly facilitate a hare coursing event - Hunting Act 2004 12119 - Permit land to be used for the purposes of a hare coursing event - Hunting Act 2004 12120 - Enter dog in a hare coursing event - Hunting Act 2004 12120 - Permit dog to be entered in hare coursing event - Hunting Act 2004 12120 - Control / handle dog in the course of / for the purposes of a hare coursing event - Hunting Act 2004

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of raising the standard rate of Universal Credit on the number of people claiming incapacity benefits.

Universal Credit awards include a standard allowance, which is the core component of any award and is paid according to age and household unit. The purpose of the standard allowance is to provide towards basic living costs. Additional amounts are added to provide for individual needs such as housing, children, disability, and childcare costs. On 18 March 2025 we announced the first permanent above-inflation rise in the Standard Allowance, benefitting millions of people. That is an increase of up to £775 annually in cash terms by 2029/30 for single households on UC aged over 25. This avoids people having to choose between employment or adequate financial support, and addresses the current issue where people on the health element receive over double the rate of the standard allowance, creating an incentive for people to prove they are unfit to work to claim the health element and access greater financial support. The government will publish the OBR-certified costings of individual measures on the day of the Spring Statement on 26 March and we will be publishing estimated impacts on claimants, including for changes to the Standard Rate of Universal Credit, on the same day.

What steps his Department is taking to help support hospital radio stations.

Hospital radio can provide National Health Service patients and visitors with a positive experience at a time when they are feeling vulnerable. NHS trusts work locally with volunteers and organisations to provide this service. Decisions about supporting the service are made most appropriately at a local level.

When she plans to respond to the letter of 3 February 2025 on (a) mental health support for school staff and (b) automated external defibrillators governance and compliance from the Hon. Member for Torbay.

I can confirm that a response to the correspondence dated 3 February 2025 from the hon. Member for Torbay was sent on 26 February 2025.

What steps his Department is taking to support NHS long Covid clinics.

Commissioning of post-COVID services transitioned from the long COVID national programme to local integrated care boards (ICBs) at the end of March 2024. Funding for post-COVID services in 2024/25 was expected to be allocated based on the 2023/24 distribution, to minimise disruption to funding flows and to maintain services.NHS England has recently completed a long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) stocktake, aimed to provide a nationwide overview of service delivery in commissioning and contracting, assessing access, activity and outcomes. It was agreed that long COVID and ME/CFS services are rightly commissioned by ICBs, which have responsibility for ensuring coverage for their population.To support clinical leadership in this area, NHS England has worked in partnership with the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to develop a new Clinical Post-COVID Society to facilitate the ongoing sharing of best practice to support people affected by long COVID.NHS England has published commissioning guidance for post-COVID services which sets out the commissioning, service requirements and oversight of post-COVID services by ICBs in England for adults, and children and young people. It outlines the elements that post-COVID services should comprise of and the principles of care for long COVID. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/commissioning-guidance-for-post-covid-services-for-adults-children-and-young-people/There is specific advice for general practitioners to manage long COVID. Patients should be managed according to current clinical guidance such as that published and updated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; this is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG188

What guidance his Department has issued to NHS trusts on the provision of support for long COVID (a) clinics and (b) patients.

Commissioning of post-COVID services transitioned from the long COVID national programme to local integrated care boards (ICBs) at the end of March 2024. Funding for post-COVID services in 2024/25 was expected to be allocated based on the 2023/24 distribution, to minimise disruption to funding flows and to maintain services.NHS England has recently completed a long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) stocktake, aimed to provide a nationwide overview of service delivery in commissioning and contracting, assessing access, activity and outcomes. It was agreed that long COVID and ME/CFS services are rightly commissioned by ICBs, which have responsibility for ensuring coverage for their population.To support clinical leadership in this area, NHS England has worked in partnership with the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to develop a new Clinical Post-COVID Society to facilitate the ongoing sharing of best practice to support people affected by long COVID.NHS England has published commissioning guidance for post-COVID services which sets out the commissioning, service requirements and oversight of post-COVID services by ICBs in England for adults, and children and young people. It outlines the elements that post-COVID services should comprise of and the principles of care for long COVID. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/commissioning-guidance-for-post-covid-services-for-adults-children-and-young-people/There is specific advice for general practitioners to manage long COVID. Patients should be managed according to current clinical guidance such as that published and updated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; this is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG188

Whether she has made an assessment of the impact of the removal of the additional Limited Capability for Work payment in 2017 on the likelihood of claimants applying for the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity payment.

The removal of the Work-Related Activity Component in the 2017 change made the financial distinction between those found to have Limited Capability for Work (LCW) and those with Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity (LCWRA) sharper. The Department has not made an assessment of whether this led to rising LCWRA claims. Although, in their “Welfare trends” report for October 2024, the Office for Budget Responsibility did mention this issue. Specifically, the OBR noted an increase of people’s claims to incapacity benefits being approved from 2018-19 to 2022-23, nearly entirely in the more severe incapacity group. They say that this might be in part explained by the reduced generosity of the 2017 policy for the less severe incapacity group creating higher incentives to be placed in the more severe group, as well as a reflection in claimants having more serious health conditions than in the past.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the introduction of Universal Credit on the ease of applying for (a) the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity element and (b) other incapacity benefits.

We are always looking to make improvements to the service we provide to customers, including how they apply for benefits As a modern digital service Universal Credit is iterated all the time. It is developed taking into consideration the users of the service. Before and after any changes are made Universal Credit undertakes user research with claimants, including those with health conditions, to gain feedback on their experience and suggestions for improvements.

With reference to the policy paper entitled Simplification update – January 2024, published 16 January 2024, when she plans to implement changes to National Insurance credits for parents who did not claim Child Benefit.

I can confirm that the new National Insurance (NI) credit for parents who did not claim child benefit due to the High-Income Child Benefit Charge will be implemented as planned from April 2026 to ensure that affected parents and carers do not miss out on building entitlement to the State Pension.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the competition for the UK City of Culture enables all participants to enhance their cultural offer.

The Government’s approach to a future City of Culture competition will be announced in due course.The current application guidance for the UK City of Culture competition already allows towns to enter. We keep under review our competition criteria feeding in lessons from previous rounds to provide the best support to each bidding place.Towns have great potential to benefit from culture driven development.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Health and Safety Executive on the provision of waste disposal bins in male toilets for people experiencing incontinence due to (a) prostate cancer treatment and (b) other medical conditions.

Officials are working across the Government to deal with this important issue. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is reviewing the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) and guidance of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 regarding provision of disposal facilities in workplace toilets. This work is included within the Government’s wider plans under Make Work Pay, and HSE will hold appropriate consultation in due course.

Media and Sport, when she plans to launch the next Cities of Culture prospectus.

The Government’s approach to a future City of Culture competition will be announced in due course.The current application guidance for the UK City of Culture competition already allows towns to enter. We keep under review our competition criteria feeding in lessons from previous rounds to provide the best support to each bidding place.Towns have great potential to benefit from culture driven development.

Media and Sport, if her Department will consider changing the terms of reference for the UK City of Culture competition to allow towns to participate.

The Government’s approach to a future City of Culture competition will be announced in due course.The current application guidance for the UK City of Culture competition already allows towns to enter. We keep under review our competition criteria feeding in lessons from previous rounds to provide the best support to each bidding place.Towns have great potential to benefit from culture driven development.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to increase funding support for towns and coastal communities.

The Government will set out a refreshed approach to local growth funding at the multi-year Spending Review in the Spring. An approach that includes more integrated settlements, over longer term, with less central direction and more local choice.