Written questions by Anderson.

What steps his Department is taking to improve local healthcare provision in rural communities.

Rural populations increasingly include people who are most likely to need care. South Shropshire is facing particular challenges. The waiting list for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB has increased by 12,000 compared to 2023. This is why we must continue to focus on patient access, including in rural areas, as part of plans to build an NHS fit for the future.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contribution rates on social care providers in South Shropshire constituency; and whether she plans to provide additional funding to help them with these costs.

The Budget will provide support for government departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer NICs costs. Private sector firms or charities, including social care providers, that are contracted by central or local Government will not be exempt from these changes.This is consistent with the approach to previous Employer NICs changes, as was the case with the previous Government’s Health and Social Care Levy.The Government is supporting local authority services through a real terms increase in core local government spending power of around 3.2%, including at least £600 million of new grant funding to support social care.

What steps her Department is taking to increase access to careers advice in rural communities.

The National Careers Service in England provides free, up to date, impartial information advice and guidance on careers, skills and the labour market, helping customers make informed choices about their career options, whatever their age, ethnic group and background.The service is delivered via three channels. These are face to face, telephone and webchat. It is delivered by local, community-based contractors in nine geographic areas, drawing on localised labour market information to provide guidance, helping those who face barriers, including those within rural communities.The National Careers Service website gives customers 24/7 access to information and advice. Careers advisers are co-located in the majority of Jobcentre Plus offices, providing specialist careers guidance.The service operates in other settings including community centres, training providers, libraries. A recent initiative in the South West used a specially equipped bus to take careers advice directly to local communities. In some rural settings, where travel can be an issue, telephone appointments are arranged. Virtual jobs fairs and online webinars are offered for customers who may find it difficult to access face to face workshops.Looking ahead, alongside the Department for Work and Pensions we are working in England to bring together Jobcentre Plus with the National Careers Service to create a greater awareness and focus on skills and careers, as well as join-up between employability and careers provision, enabling everyone to access and progress in good, meaningful work.The new service will be a one-stop shop for anyone, including those in rural areas, who wants to look for work, wants help to increase their earnings, or who wants help to change their career or re-train. Employment and careers support will be available to all, not just those on benefits, who want support to find or progress in work. The department will ensure the service is responsive to local employers, inclusive for all users, and works in partnership with other local services. We will set out more details about this and other labour market reforms through our forthcoming White Paper to Get Britain Working.

Whether she plans to extend the targeted STEM retention incentive payments for secondary school teachers to those teachers in further education colleges.

In October, the department expanded eligibility for retention incentives to include early career further education (FE) teachers in key science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and technical subjects. FE teachers can currently apply for the payment between 14 October 2024 and 31 March 2025 on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/targeted-retention-incentive-payments-for-fe-teachers. The targeted retention incentive, aimed at boosting the recruitment and retention of teachers, gives eligible teachers in disadvantaged schools and all colleges up to £6,000 after tax. This has doubled the previous retention payments paid to school teachers and is now available to eligible teachers at all FE colleges, for the first time.

What steps he is taking to increase levels of community energy infrastructure.

The Government recognises the role community groups play in our efforts to tackle climate change. Great British Energy’s Local Power Plan will support Local and Combined Authorities and Community Energy Groups to roll out small and medium‑scale renewable energy projects, to develop up to 8GW of cleaner power by 2030. The Government also supports the community energy sector through the £10 million Community Energy Fund, which enables communities across England to access grant funding to develop local renewable energy projects for investment.

What steps he is taking to increase the availability of automated external defibrillators in rural areas.

The treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease is a priority for the Government. We want people to have the best chance of survival from cardiac arrest, and rapid intervention is central to improving outcomes. This is why the Government increased the number of publicly accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs).The Government is committed to improving access to AEDs in public spaces, and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. We made a further £500,000 available from August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the Department’s Community AED Fund. The criteria specified for the original grant continues to apply and will go to applications for AEDs in areas where there is the greatest need, including in areas of high footfall, hot spots for cardiac arrest, and areas that already have low access to AEDs, which could include rural areas.

What steps she is taking to help increase prosecution rates for rural crime.

This Government is committed to working with the police and other partners to address the blight of rural crime – broadly classified as any crime and anti-social behaviour occurring in rural areas. We are introducing tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, stronger neighbourhood policing, and robust laws to prevent farm theft and fly-tippers.We are recruiting 13,000 more neighbourhood police and police community support officers across England and Wales.The National Police Chiefs’ Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-2025 provides a framework through which policing, and its partners, can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues which predominantly affect rural communities.Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutors work closely with local police officers to tackle farm equipment theft, fly-tipping and other rural crime, and officers from the National Wildlife Crime Unit to tackle wildlife offences.The CPS provides specialist training to ensure that its prosecutors have the expert knowledge needed to prosecute rural crime.Each CPS Area also has a crown prosecutor dedicated to act as a Wildlife, Rural and Heritage Crime Coordinator to ensure the specialist knowledge needed to prosecute such offending is readily available.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle homelessness among veteran communities in rural areas.

This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country. I am working across Government to ensure veterans throughout the UK have access to the support they need on housing, as well as health, employment and other areas. This Government has, just last week, committed £3.5 million for veteran supported homelessness programmes, including Op FORTITUDE, the homelessness pathway for veterans. As of 3 November 2024, Op FORTITUDE has taken over 2,700 referrals and supported nearly 800 veterans into housing. This new funding announcement follows the Prime Minister’s commitment earlier in the year that veterans living in England will be exempt from local connection and residency tests when applying for social housing. I recently attended a roundtable with veteran housing organisations to discuss the implementation of this reform, and I am also a member of the Inter-ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping which is driving progress on the development of our cross-government homelessness strategy.

What assessment she has made of the impact of the alcohol duty freeze on pubs in South Shropshire.

Pubs and breweries make an enormous contribution to our economy and society, and this is recognised in the tax system. At the Budget, the Chancellor cut alcohol duty on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and is equivalent to a 1p duty reduction on a typical pint. This reduction increased the relief available on draught products to 13.9%.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve the enforcement of animal welfare penalty notices.

Enforcement authorities have been able to issue penalty notices for a range of animal health and welfare offences since 1 January 2024. At the end of each financial year, enforcement authorities are required to submit an annual report to Defra on how many penalty notices they have issued. The first annual report from enforcement authorities on penalty notices issued is to be submitted to Defra by June 2025. Defra is funding training to enforcement authorities such as local authorities and the police to support the effective implementation of penalty notices within their enforcement regime and their effective use as an enforcement tool.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of childcare places in rural communities.

High quality, affordable early education and childcare is essential to ensuring that all our children get the best start in life.The department recognises that there are differences in the availability of childcare depending on where you live.The latest data from the Office for National Statistics and Ofsted shows variations in the level of access to childcare places across the country, with the most deprived local authorities and rural areas the most likely to be areas that have faced low childcare accessibility over time. The data is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-access-to-childcare-in-england/commentary-changes-in-access-to-childcare-in-england.The government has committed to working with the sector to embed early years within the wider education system, and to find new ways to shift the early education system to better support parents in poorer and rural areas. This starts with the plan to utilise unused space in primary schools to create much needed places in 3,000 nurseries, working in partnership with all parts of the sector and local authorities.Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the 'Early education and childcare' statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facingWhere local authorities report sufficiency challenges, the department discusses what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract. We have recently launched a termly local authority readiness self assessment tool, which is intended to enable local authorities to gauge their progress as we move towards rollout. This will enable the department to work with local authorities to address issues as they emerge.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of animal welfare penalty notices.

The first annual report from enforcement authorities on penalty notices issued is to be submitted to Defra by June 2025 and a consolidated report will subsequently be published.

Representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Commissioners are taking to help churches in rural areas undertake renovations in (a) parish halls and (b) other assets that can serve the wider community.

Church buildings are community assets as well as places of worship and almost 80% of churches are involved in 35,000 social action projects annually. Church Halls are able to apply for support from our Net Zero Carbon programme’s Quick Wins Fund (currently £2.4 million total),which can help church halls become more sustainable and energy efficient. Through the Archbishops’ Council, the Church Commissioners funded the Buildings for Mission project, which has so far provided £6.2 million to all 41 dioceses across England for grants for repairs to churches. A further £3.2 million has funded over 30 Church Buildings Support Officers to help parishes most in need in rural and urban areas to keep their church buildings in good repair and extend their use by the wider community. St Michael and All Angels in Lydbury North, which is within the South Shropshire constituency, has received Buildings for Mission funding for urgent roof repairs and heritage at risk. St John the Evangelist in Newcastle on Clun has also received funding for urgent ceiling plastering work restoration, supported by the Buildings Support Officer in the Diocese of Hereford.

What steps his Department is taking to help increase participation in UK Parliament Week.

The Parliamentary Capability Team within the Cabinet Office designs and delivers training for civil servants on all aspects of parliamentary procedure. Parliament Week is an important part of the training calendar every year. This year a programme of events will take place each day designed to improve the awareness and understanding of Parliament across the Civil Service. This will include discussions with the right honourable Leaders of both houses, officials and members. These events are advertised across all departments and open to all to attend.

What recent discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) the Northern Ireland Executive on protecting veterans who served in Northern Ireland from vexatious claims in relation to their service.

I regularly discuss the Government's approach to the legacy of the Troubles with Cabinet colleagues and with the Northern Ireland Executive, and I am consulting widely on the repeal and replacement of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act, including with the veterans community.The Government recognises the dedicated service of the vast majority of members of the Armed Forces, as well as police officers and members of the security services, who did so much to keep people in Northern Ireland safe during the Troubles. Any veteran who does go through legal proceedings will receive welfare and, where appropriate, legal support.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support sports development in rural communities.

The Government is committed to improving access to sport and physical activity for everybody. This is central to achieving the aims set out in the manifesto around the health and opportunity missions. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they are in the country, should have access to the best possible facilities and opportunities to get active.The Government has committed to continued funding for grassroots facilities. £123 million will be invested UK-wide via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme throughout 2024/25, working with our delivery partner the Football Foundation. Grassroots sport is also funded through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, who invest over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to encourage participation in UK Parliament Week.

The Commission fully supports UK Parliament Week, the largest single public engagement campaign delivered by the UK Parliament.This year, UK Parliament Week (18–24 November) will reach over two million people, who will take part in over 15,500 activities being organised by schools, youth organisations and community groups all over the UK, in British Overseas Territories, Crown Dependencies, and many countries around the world. Every parliamentary constituency will host some form of UK Parliament Week activity.UK Parliament Week activities are registered by the public via the UK Parliament Week website. Activities can take many forms. They have previously ranged from themed assemblies and meeting Members of Parliament to artistic and creative activities with a Parliament or democracy theme. All those who register activities are sent either a printed or digital resource to help participants learn about Parliament. The resources include board games and quizzes aimed at school-aged learners.The Commission invites all Members to participate in UK Parliament Week by encouraging constituents to sign up for events and activities that will help them learn more about the role of Members, the work that Members carry out both at Westminster and in their constituencies, and the importance of parliamentary democracy.UK Parliament Week is delivered by the Participation team, Parliament’s bicameral public engagement specialists.

What information her Department holds on the number of women impacted by changes to the State Pension Age in South Shropshire constituency; if she will take steps to establish a compensation scheme; and if she will make a statement.

All women born since 6 April 1950 have been affected by changes to State Pension age, through changes brought in by the Pensions Acts 1995, 2007, 2011 and 2014. As State Pension age is now the same for men and women, following equalisation, all men born since the 6 December 1953 have also been affected by changes to State Pension age, through the 2007, 2011 and 2014 Pensions Acts. The oldest of the women affected by changes to State Pension age would now be 74 years old, the oldest of the men affected by changes to State Pension age would now be 70 years old. ONS population estimates suggest that in 2021 there were 41,095 females aged 74 or below currently resident in the South Shropshire constituency. The Courts have considered the effect of the equalisation and increase of the State Pension age and found that there was no discrimination. Separately the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman investigated complaints into how the changes were communicated to 1950s born women. The Ombudsman published its final report: Women’s State Pension age: our findings on injustice and associated issues on 21 March this year, which we are now considering.

Whether she is taking steps to increase funding available for very light rail projects.

We are considering how best to support mass transit long-term as part of the Spending Review and we will work closely with local authorities to understand what is needed to improve and grow their networks by learning from their experiences and building on their successes.

Whether he plans to provide further funding to (a) voluntary community and (b) social enterprise organisations responding to local suicide rates.

The Government has committed to tackling suicide. We will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health workers, and these new staff will be specially trained to support people at risk of suicide.The Department continues to provide funding to a wide range of national and local voluntary and community organisations to support their work on suicide prevention through the £10 million Suicide Prevention Grant Fund, which runs to March 2025.