Written questions by Jermy.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure national scale cavity nesting habitat is (a) preserved and (b) created to stabilise populations of red listed birds reliant on buildings to breed.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 22080 on 15 January 2025.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25th February to Question 31290 on Housing: Standards, whether levels of lead standardisation will be be included in the Decent Homes Standard for the social and private rented sectors.

The government will consult this year on a reformed Decent Homes Standard for the social and private rented sectors.The existing Decent Homes Standard, which applies to social housing, makes clear that a home is not decent if it contains category 1 (serious) hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).Tenants who believe their rented home is in a seriously dangerous condition can inform their local authority. Local authorities must take enforcement action under the Housing Act 2004 if they find category 1 hazards assessed using the HHSRS. These include those relating to the presence of lead.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 27855, when the consultation for a reformed decent homes standard will be published and; what its scope will be.

The government will bring forward a consultation this year on a reformed Decent Homes Standard for the social and private rented sectors.

What steps her Department is taking to increase access to work capability assessments in South West Norfolk.

We have interpreted your question as referring to the accessibility of Work Capability Assessments (used in supporting the department in the determination of the health element of Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance and other specialist benefits) within the South-West Norfolk area. We take our responsibility to ensure all individuals have access to our services, without disadvantage, very seriously. We have a range of provisions in place to ensure assessments are accessible to all individuals, in line with the standards under the Equality Act 2010. DWP meets legal accessibility requirements by ensuring individuals can access our services. Consideration will be given to individuals who need a specific assessment channel due to their health condition or circumstances. At all stages of the claim, individuals are asked to advise us of any mobility restrictions. If the assessment supplier is made aware of mobility restrictions, they will consider booking a different assessment channel. As part of the Functional Assessment Services process, the feasibility of a paper-based assessment will always be considered in the first instance. Where a paper-based review is not possible individuals will be invited to an assessment.

Whether his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to increase the amount of bereavement leave.

The Employment Rights Bill establishes a new day one statutory right to bereavement leave for employees who have experienced the loss of a loved one. The measures in the bill set a framework for the entitlement, including providing for a minimum of one week leave, with details to be set out in secondary legislation.Due to the sensitive and personal nature of bereavement, we will be consulting stakeholders on the specifics of the entitlement to ensure that Bereavement Leave properly reflects the needs of employees and employers.

What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on steps to help create skilled jobs in South West Norfolk constituency.

South-West Norfolk Jobcentres Plus engage directly with local businesses as well as employment and skills forums across the region to both understand local labour market need and to influence the delivery of skills provision in line with these requirements, including training provision needed to deliver our successful Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAPs). As outlined in the Get Britain Working White Paper, the Government is committed to creating in England a new single universal service that will provide a stronger focus on skills and careers by bringing together Jobcentre Plus and the National Careers Service. The service will be crucial in ensuring more of our domestic workforce, especially those in regions of higher unemployment and economic inactivity can take full advantage of the opportunities and job creation that the Industrial Strategy and Government’s wider sectoral priorities will bring. As the HR department for the Government’s growth mission, the DWP ministerial team and officials work closely with colleagues across to help employers including those in sectors crucial to growth, including Industrial Strategy sectors, to help meet their recruitment needs and break down barriers to opportunity across the country. This includes the steps announced by DWP Secretary of State to overhaul our relationship with employers https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dedicated-team-to-serve-businesses-amongst-dwp-overhaul-of-employer-support-to-get-britain-working and the forthcoming joint ministerial Get Britain Working sectoral workforce summits, starting with construction, health and social care and clean energy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that environment regulations are upheld on intensive livestock farms in (a) East Anglia and (b) South West Norfolk constituency.

To ensure compliance with environmental regulations, permitted farms in East Anglia have routine inspections as an essential part of Environment Agency (EA) regulation. Within East Anglia there is a target of completing more than 80% of one hundred intensive farm site visits for the performance year 2024-2025. This target is on track to be met. Inspections incorporate permitting aspects linked to business plans as well as environmental legislation, such as Farming Rules for Water and Nitrate Vulnerable Zones. Farms with a high standard of compliance and within the Pig and Assurance Scheme are inspected once every three years by the EA and annually in the other two years by certified bodies. Farms not in the assurance scheme are inspected by the Environment Agency a minimum of once in every three years, depending on risk. Inspections are recorded on the National Compliance Assessment Database. Any permit condition breaches are given a Compliance Classification Scheme (CCS) score. CCS scores affect subsistence charges for farms that are not in the Pig and Poultry Assurance Scheme.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to improve 5G access in (a) England, (b) East Anglia and (c) South West Norfolk constituency.

The Government wants all areas of the UK, including East Anglia and South West Norfolk, to benefit from reliable and good quality mobile coverage.Through the Shared Rural Network, 4G geographic coverage from at least one mobile operator has now reached over 95% of the UK landmass.Our ambition is for all populated areas, including communities in rural areas, to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030. We are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition. This includes working with Ofcom to ensure that their coverage reporting is more accurate.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of installing solar panels on the roofs of (a) car parks, (b) warehouses and (c) council-owned buildings in Norfolk.

The Government will assess the potential to drive the construction of solar canopies on outdoor carparks over a certain size through a call for evidence this year. New standards will be introduced this year which will amend the energy efficiency standards in the Building Regulations in England. This will ensure all new homes and buildings, including warehouses and council-owned buildings, in England are zero-carbon ready. Further details about how the Government will increase the deployment of solar panels will be set out in the forthcoming Solar Roadmap.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department has taken to ensure Project Gigabit improves broadband speeds in South West Norfolk constituency.

According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, over 96% of premises in the South West Norfolk constituency can access superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps) and over 59% have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection (>1000 Mbps).To improve this coverage further, CityFibre is delivering a Project Gigabit contract in Norfolk, targeted at bringing fast, reliable broadband to premises in hard-to-reach areas that are unlikely to be otherwise reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout. Approximately 5,000 premises in South West Norfolk are currently included within this contract.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to improve mobile phone access in (a) England, (b) East Anglia and (c) South West Norfolk constituency.

The Government wants all areas of the UK, including East Anglia and South West Norfolk, to benefit from reliable and good quality mobile coverage.Through the Shared Rural Network, 4G geographic coverage from at least one mobile operator has now reached over 95% of the UK landmass.Our ambition is for all populated areas, including communities in rural areas, to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030. We are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition. This includes working with Ofcom to ensure that their coverage reporting is more accurate.

What plans she has to extend to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support fund.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for South West Norfolk to the answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 26025.

What steps the Health and Security Agency is taking to prevent population exposure to lead.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is raising awareness and has published advice and guidance for the public and professional partners on the risk of harm from lead exposure, and effective public health interventions to reduce lead exposure. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lead-poisoning-advice-for-the-public-and-healthcare-professionals.The UKHSA supports partners in identifying the pathways and sources of lead and in introducing public health interventions to aid in reducing exposure.

What steps she is taking to reduce emissions from transport refrigeration units.

The Department has commissioned research on emissions from auxiliary engines mounted on road freight vehicles. The interim reports were published on 9 February and 28 October 2024. The final report is due shortly.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle toxic lead pipes in housing in (a) England, (b) East Anglia and (c) South West Norfolk.

Lead pipes have not been permitted since 1970, but they may be present in older properties. To reduce the risk of lead leaching into water, this Government expects water companies to treat the water. Any failure of the lead standard is investigated thoroughly. In Defra’s Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat, we supported action by the water industry to trial approaches to reduce exposure to lead which have been agreed in water companies’ business plans for 2025-2030. Two Green Recovery projects, approved by Ofwat, are also trialling replacement of customer supply pipes made of lead.

Whether she plans to take steps to help reduce the skills gap in rural areas.

The government is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills, to break down barriers to opportunity, support the development of a skilled workforce and drive economic growth through our Industrial Strategy across all areas of the country, including rural areas.The department has established Skills England to ensure we have the highly trained workforce needed to deliver the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade. It will work together with regional and local governments, employers, education providers, trade unions and regional organisations to ensure that regional and national skills needs are met.This builds on the work of Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), which provide an agreed set of actionable priorities that help to better align provision of post-16 technical education and training with local labour market needs. LSIPs cover all areas of England, supporting local innovation and growth so that every part of the country is able to succeed in its own unique way. In rural areas, plans recognise the importance of developing skilled workforces and expertise in priority local industries that can support these areas' growth and sustainability. For example, the Cumbria LSIP highlights the need for specific skills relevant to land-based industries, as well as addressing immediate skills challenges in the visitor economy and care sectors.The Greater Lincolnshire LSIP identifies priority actions to help develop a localised workforce that can sustain infrastructure projects and technological and environmental opportunities across the area. LSIPs are also helping to support rural areas and communities through the removal of local barriers, such as poor digital connectivity, deprivation and economic inactivity. For example, the Heart of the South West LSIP reviewed ways that local and regional stakeholders can collaborate to leverage funding to help resolve how a lack of accommodation and transport in rural areas impacts on recruitment, development and retention of employees, tutors and students.The Norfolk and Suffolk LSIP, which is led by Norfolk Chambers of Commerce and includes the constituency of South West Norfolk, is designed to help ensure investors and businesses in rural areas across Norfolk and Suffolk have access to a competitive and diverse pool of highly skilled employees, especially in key local industries such as agri-food tech and low carbon energy.Specifically, the Norfolk and Suffolk LSIP has helped to develop various training programmes and prioritises continuous training opportunities, including vocational training in specific industries, staff training programmes in green technologies and sustainability curriculum integration. The LSIP also plays a key role in upskilling and reskilling the local workforce in the cross-cutting needs employers have said they need most, such as digital skills and soft skills.The department is committed to making a success of T Levels and extending the opportunity they provide to as many young people as possible. 21 T Levels are now being delivered in providers across the country, many of which are in rural locations, creating opportunities for young people to develop skills for work and life.The department funds the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) to support schools and colleges to deliver modern, high quality careers education through a national network of 44 careers hubs and over 3,800 business volunteers. Almost 400 leading employers, including the National Trust, National Farmers Union and Worldwide Fruit, provide local leadership in Careers Hubs to increase opportunities for meaningful employer encounters and workplace experiences. The CEC collaborates with the Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture, ensuring that careers information is promoted to schools via its digital platform and Careers Hub Networks.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) help improve the safety of (i) horses and (ii) horse riders on roads and (b) increase driver awareness of horse safety.

In 2022 The Highway Code was updated to improve the safety of all road users, particularly the most vulnerable. Key changes included the introduction of a Hierarchy of Road Users, which ensures that those who do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat that they pose to others, along with the strengthening of guidance on safe passing distances and speeds when overtaking horse-riders.The Government's flagship road safety campaign, THINK!, ran campaigns to alert road users of the changes as they came into effect and broader behaviour campaigns to encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance. Results from the last campaign showed that by September 2023 93% of drivers agreed it was their responsibility to give space to vulnerable road users. We will continue to promote The Highway Code changes on THINK! and DfT social media channels and via our partner organisations.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to remove toxic lead pipes in housing in (a) England, (b) East Anglia and (c) South West Norfolk constituency.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Questions UIN 27855 on 6 February 2025.

What steps her Department is taking to improve bus services in remote rural areas.

The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them, including in rural areas. The government has committed to increasing accountability by including a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities. The Department has funded 16 innovative demand responsive transport (DRT) pilots through the Rural Mobility Fund, including the Flexibus+ scheme around Swaffham. Each scheme is taking part in a detailed monitoring and evaluation process. This will provide a strong base of evidence and good practice for DRT and a better understanding of both the role it can play in rural areas and the challenges associated with introducing it.

Whether his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to increase access to bereavement leave.

The Employment Rights Bill establishes a new day one statutory right to bereavement leave for employees who have experienced the loss of a loved one. The measures in the bill set a framework for the entitlement, including providing for a minimum of one week leave, with details to be set out in secondary legislation.Due to the sensitive and personal nature of bereavement, we will be consulting stakeholders on the specifics of the entitlement to ensure that Bereavement Leave properly reflects the needs of employees and employers.