Written questions by Darling.

Whether his Department is taking steps to establish a formal pathway for the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of Charles Bonnet Syndrome.

Patients who experience Charles Bonnet symptoms who are already under hospital eye services can access support services via an Eye Care Liaison Officer within the hospital. Otherwise, a patient should contact their general practice (GP). The GP will make sure that the patients is not suffering hallucinations for any other reason, and then refer them directly to local Low Vision Services, which will incorporate support for Charles Bonnet Syndrome.Healthcare professionals are responsible for ensuring their clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development.

Whether he plans to increase the number of healthcare professionals trained to (a) diagnose and (b) treat Charles Bonnet Syndrome.

Patients who experience Charles Bonnet symptoms who are already under hospital eye services can access support services via an Eye Care Liaison Officer within the hospital. Otherwise, a patient should contact their general practice (GP). The GP will make sure that the patients is not suffering hallucinations for any other reason, and then refer them directly to local Low Vision Services, which will incorporate support for Charles Bonnet Syndrome.Healthcare professionals are responsible for ensuring their clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on reforms to business rates.

The government will create a fairer business rates system that protects the high-street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century. Autumn Budget 2024 announced the first steps including an intention to introduce permanently lower multipliers for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties from April 2026. To fund this sustainably the government also intends to introduce a higher multiplier on properties with Rateable Values (RV) of £500,000 or more. During the interim period, for 2025-26, RHL properties will receive a 40% relief on business rates bills up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. The small business multiplier paid by properties with RVs below £51,000 will also be frozen for a further year. The government published a discussion paper at Budget which sets out priority areas for further reform and invites stakeholders to a conversation about transforming the system over the Parliament.

Whether she has undertaken financial modelling for a potential compensation scheme for issues raised in the report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman entitled Women’s State Pension age: our findings on injustice and associated issues, published on 21 March 2024.

As part of our work on the Ombudsman’s investigation and report, we have been considering the costs of setting up a compensation scheme. The Ombudsman used DWP’s broad estimates in their report published 21 March 2024, stating that “Compensating all women born in the 1950s at the level 4 range would involve spending between around £3.5 billion and £10.5 billion of public funds”. This estimate excludes administration costs. This government is giving its full and proper consideration to all areas of the Ombudsman's report. Once this work has been undertaken, we will be in a position to outline our approach.

Whether he plans to introduce (a) the right to paid employment leave and (b) legal safeguarding for kinship carers.

The Government greatly values kinship carers who care for children who cannot live with their parents. The Government has committed in the Plan to Make Work Pay to review the system of parental leave to ensure that it best supports all working families. We will set out more information in due courseIn relation to legal safeguarding, the Law Commission will carry out a review into the legal statuses and orders for kinship carers, to ensure that the legislative framework is fair, modern, and meets the needs of its users.

How many full-time civil servants are working on the response to the report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman entitled Women’s State Pension age: our findings on injustice and associated issues, published on 21 March 2024.

Work is ongoing by civil servants across grades who work both full and part-time. The Ombudsman’s report is detailed and complex. It took around 6 years to complete and the issues it considers span a period of some 30 years. It is not possible to determine the exact number of people working on this as it fluctuates as we review and consider different elements of the Ombudsman’s report and evidence. The work includes input from teams across the Department, who support it as and when needed. Once this work has been undertaken, we will be in a position to outline our approach.

If he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of providing auditory verbal therapy to deaf young children on (a) their employment prospects and (b) other outcomes.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Washington and Gateshead South on 14 October 2024 to Question 5963.

If she is will hold discussions with Auditory Verbal UK on tackling barriers to opportunities for deaf children.

There are no current plans to meet. However, I note that my colleague the Minister for Early Education has met with and visited Auditory Verbal UK to understand the work they are doing to improve the lives of deaf children.

What estimate he has made of the number of NHS employees who have (a) taken early retirement and (b) had their employment terminated as a result of long covid, by region.

No such estimate has been made by the Department.

If he will publish a regional breakdown of the supply chain issues with Creon.

The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information is not collected on a local level.The Department has been working with suppliers to address current supply issues with Creon, which is used by patients with conditions such as cystic fibrosis and certain cancers, including pancreatic cancer. The supply issues with Creon are impacting countries throughout Europe and have been caused by limited availability of raw ingredients and manufacturing capacity constraints to produce the volumes needed to meet demand. These issues have resulted in knock-on supply disruptions of alternative pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) medications. The Department is continuing to work with all suppliers of PERT to help resolve the supply issues in the short and longer term. This includes asking that they expedite deliveries, source stock from other markets, and increase production.The supplier of Creon has advised that they expect to have regular supplies released each month going forward, and are working to increase the quantities released. Serious Shortage Protocols are in place for Creon 10,000 and 25,000 capsules which pharmacists can use to restrict supply to one month at a time to ensure more patients have access to it whilst stock is limited.We have worked closely with colleagues in NHS England to issue comprehensive guidance to healthcare professionals about these supply issues, and encourage sharing of local solutions. The guidance provides advice on how to manage patients whilst there is disruption to supply and is being kept under review, with updates made as necessary.

With reference to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report into women’s State Pension age changes, published on 21 March 2024, what recent discussions she has had with the Leader of the House on making parliamentary time available for a debate on financial redress before 19 December 2024.

In the course of conducting the business of her Department, the Secretary of State has many discussions with Cabinet colleagues. As stated on 07 October (Women’s State Pension Age: Compensation - Hansard - UK Parliament.) I am the first Minister in eight years to meet WASPI campaigners to hear their experiences directly. The Ombudsman’s report took around five years to complete and deserves serious consideration. This Government respects the work of the Ombudsman and we are currently working through all aspects of the Ombudsman’s final report along with the evidence provided during the investigation.

Whether he plans to reform the funding model for charitable hospices as part of the 10 year plan for health and care.

We have committed to develop a 10-Year Health Plan to deliver an NHS fit for the future, by driving three shifts in the way health care is delivered, specifically: moving healthcare from hospital to the community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. We will carefully consider policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders, including those in the hospice sector, as we develop the plan.Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing National Health Services.  The amount of funding charitable hospices receive varies by integrated care board (ICB) area, and will, in part, be dependent on the breadth of palliative and end of life care provision within each ICB catchment area.I recently met with NHS England and discussions have begun on how to reduce inequalities and variation in access to, and the quality of, palliative and end of life care in England.  We will consider next steps on palliative and end of life care, including hospice funding, in the coming months.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of hospice funding on people's experiences of death and dying.

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and hospices will have a big role to play in that shift.Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at end of life, as well as their loved ones.No assessment has been made of the impact of hospice funding on people’s experiences of death and dying. Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding charitable hospices receive varies by ICB area, and will, in part, be dependent on the breadth and range of palliative and end of life care provision within their ICB footprint.

What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Universal Support programme; and what steps she is taking to ensure that funding is targeted towards the areas of highest deprivation.

The Universal Support funding has supported the expansion of Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care and additional support through Work and Health Programme Pioneer. For Work and Health Programme Pioneer, between September 2023 and May 2024, the Official Statistics publication Work and Health Programme statistics to May 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) shows that 17,000 individuals were referred with 11,000 starting on the programme. By May 2024, so far 1,700 people had achieved first earnings from employment and 290 people had achieved a sustained work job outcome. Data on Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care will be published in due course. We will shortly announce further details about a new supported employment programme, which, using the funding originally intended for the main Universal Support programme, will be co-designed with local authorities. Once fully rolled out across England and Wales, the programme will support up to 100,000 disabled people, people with health conditions and those with complex barriers to employment to help them get into and on in work per year. As local areas understand local needs best, they will be able to make choices about which eligible groups to prioritise for support.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the flexibility NHS trusts have relating to capital departmental resource limit leases to allow trusts to support (a) local authorities and (b) regeneration of the high street to help support access to local health facilities.

The Government is supportive of the National Health Service considering wider benefits from health capital investment opportunities, including high street regeneration. NHS England provides ‘business as usual’ capital allocations to integrated care systems (ICSs), who then determine how they are allocated between their operations and the NHS trusts in their system. This is based on their healthcare priorities and local system needs. Within their allocation, ICSs, along with NHS England, can already make payments to local authorities towards healthcare expenditure on community services. For example, a local authority operating a unit for people with learning difficulties may receive a grant from the NHS body to cover the provision of healthcare to the clients in the unit. They also have the ability to grant capital to local authorities as a contribution to a facility occupied by a general practice, community trust, or a voluntary body that would provide healthcare services from the premises. However, all capital activity needs to be within the capital limit set by Parliament.

What assessment he has made of the level of variation in funding hospices receive across England.

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure that patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and palliative and end of life care, including hospices, will have a big role to play in that shift.Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at end of life and their loved ones.No assessment has been made on the level of variation of hospice funding. Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding charitable hospices receive varies by ICB area, and will, in part, be dependent on the breadth and range of palliative and end of life care provision within their ICB footprint.

What steps he plans to take through the criminal justice system to reduce levels of violence against women.

This Government was elected with the unprecedented ambition to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade, which is an integral part of the wider mission to take back our streets and raise confidence in the police and criminal justice system.To begin, we have committed to fast-tracking rape cases through the courts to deliver swift and effective justice to some of the most vulnerable victims and survivors. In addition, we have announced that from next year, we will be rolling out free, independent legal advocates for victims and survivors of adult rape, ensuring that they have support to enforce their legal rights, for example, in relation to use of their personal records during an investigation or in court.We will also be piloting Domestic Abuse Protection Orders from November, and in the family court we will further expand the Pathfinder courts model and ensure that children and families are better supported with access to domestic abuse specialists.In our manifesto we also committed to banning the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes, as well as strengthening the law to help the police better respond to the crime of spiking.These are just some of the early steps we are taking in the Ministry of Justice to deliver on our ambition to halve VAWG. I am also working closely with my cross-government colleagues to ensure every department is focussed on tackling this national emergency.

How many and what proportion of NHS estates are rated condition A in each NHS estate in the South West.

As part of the management of their estate, National Health Service trusts regularly assess the physical condition of their estate. Facilities rated as category A are considered new and able to perform adequately throughout their full lifespan.The Estates Related Information Collection (ERIC) survey collects data from trusts on the quality of their estate annually. However, it does not collect the number or proportion of the NHS estate that is ranked as category A. The ERIC does collect data on backlog maintenance, the projected cost of bringing all the buildings on each NHS site into acceptable condition. The latest data is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/estates-returns-information-collection-summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-202223

What data banks will have to share under the Fraud, Error and Debt Bill.

The Fraud, Error and Debt Bill will introduce a range of measures that will interact with banks and Financial Institutions. Information shared will vary by each measure but will always be proportionate, and include strong safeguards being put in place for each. Further details will be set out when the Bill is introduced to Parliament shortly.

What steps her Department plans to take to (a) protect and (b) support vulnerable people in relation to the new Fraud, Error and Debt Bill.

Safeguarding vulnerable claimants is always a priority. All the powers included in the Fraud, Error and Debt Bill will include strong safeguards to ensure they are only used appropriately and proportionately – including new oversight and reporting mechanisms. We have a clearly defined scope and clear limitations for the use of all the powers we are introducing, and our staff will be trained to the highest possible standards.