Written questions by Hayes.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a scheme to help consumers repay energy debt.

The Government recognises consumer energy debt is a large and increasing issue, and it expects energy suppliers to do everything they can to support customers who are struggling with bills, especially vulnerable customers. Many energy suppliers provide schemes to help consumers to repay their energy debt. It is important that anyone who is struggling to pay their energy bills contact their supplier. In August, I met with suppliers and encouraged them to build on the Voluntary Debt Commitment from last year and go further in supporting vulnerable customers this winter.

What steps she is taking to promote Black History Month.

This Government is clear: someone’s race or ethnicity should never be a barrier to opportunity. For Black History Month, we are celebrating Black British changemakers, past and present, and encouraging others to do the same. We are also engaging with grassroots activists and community leaders, and showcasing their work on Government channels. We stand in solidarity with those affected by racism and are committed to understanding and addressing the causes of racial inequality.

What steps she is taking to help tackle discrimination against single parents looking for work.

We are clear that the Equality Act 2010, which provides protection against direct and indirect discrimination across a range of fields, including employment, service provision and housing, already offers some protection for single parents. Significantly more women than men, and disproportionately more members of particular ethnic groups, have single parent responsibilities. Accordingly, employers in particular must ensure that their rules and practices which may affect single parents do not indirectly discriminate on grounds of sex or race. We continue to keep the effectiveness of the Act under review and are committed to supporting every woman to thrive in her working life.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding eligibility to the Warm Home Discount to people in receipt of Personal Independence Payment and Disabled Living Allowance.

The Warm Home Discount Scheme is currently focused to support towards those on lowest incomes who receive means-tested benefits and live in a property estimated to be relatively high cost to heat.This winter’s scheme was launched today, 14 October, and we expect it again to support over three million households. We are exploring options to improve the design of the scheme beyond the current regulations which expire in 2026.

Whether his Department plans to fund research on mental health patient (a) homicide and (b) suicide.

The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds a range of research in mental health, including research relating to homicide and suicide. This includes a study which aims to understand whether and how a ‘Distress Brief Intervention’ can reduce suicidal ideation, suicidal behaviour and self-harm among those presenting to front line services in distress and a study to understand the extent of suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation, and self-harm in parent carers.The NIHR welcomes high quality funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including mental health patient homicide and suicide.

Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to support the visual effects industry in the context of the competitive international market.

The government is committed to supporting the UK’s visual effects (VFX) industry, ensuring that they remain competitive and with international reach.The government will continue to ensure tax incentives are modern, agile, competitive and attractive.We will also continue to focus on maintaining a strong and globally competitive film and tv industry by supporting investment in infrastructure; fostering innovation; working with industry on skills development; and promoting independent content.The government will continue to engage with sector organisations such as the UK Screen Alliance to support and champion our award winning VFX talent and make the UK an attractive and competitive place to do business.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support emerging artists in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area.

We are in the early stages of the new Government and we are considering the full range of policy options to support the arts and creative industries, and help the cultural sectors to thrive.This government is committed to supporting culture, and making sure the arts and cultural activities will no longer be the preserve of a privileged few. We are working with Arts Council England and others to understand what the challenges and opportunities are for our sectors. As part of the Government’s “Creating Growth” plan, DCMS is undertaking a review documenting current and past funding for the arts, culture, and heritage sectors.Arts Council England’s open funding programme, National Lottery Project Grants, is accessible to organisations and individuals across the country, including those in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area. This programme provides over £100 million of support annually, and is open to new and emerging artists.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing a discounted energy social tariff for disabled households.

The Government has no plans to introduce an energy social tariff this winter. However, we are committed to ensuring vulnerable households are supported with their energy bills and we are looking at all options on how to support these households. The Government is continuing to deliver the Warm Home Discount which provides a £150 rebate off energy bills to over 3 million eligible low-income households. We are also working with energy suppliers to ensure they are providing additional support to vulnerable customers. The Government has also extended the Household Support Fund for an additional 6 months until 31 March 2025 with an extra £500 million in funding, and I encourage any individual who is struggling to pay their bills contacts their local authority to see if they are eligible for this support.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the 30-hour work requirements introduced in October 2023 on the standard of living of single parents.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of the 30-hour work requirements, introduced in October 2023, on the standard of living of single parents. However, we promised concrete actions in our manifesto to support children and families which is why we announced our ministerial taskforce on the 17th July, jointly chaired by the Work and Pensions and Education Secretaries, to begin work on an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy. The Taskforce will publish the Child Poverty Strategy in Spring 2025 and will explore all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty.

With reference to page 36 of the report entitled Universal Credit Conditionality Changes & the Impact on Single Parent Families, published by Single Parents Rights, in March 2024, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that work coach meetings meet the needs of single parents.

Work Coaches work with all customers, including lead carers to provide tailored advice on a range of opportunities to improve their likelihood of entering or re-entering the labour market, including training for skilled jobs in specific sectors. As previously announced, we are planning fundamental reforms to the employment system to support more people to get into and to get on in work. Proposed reforms include:A new public employment and careers service to help get more people into work and to progress in work.Working with local areas to tackle economic inactivity including the development of joined-up work, health and skills plans for the economically inactive, with input from mayors, local councils, the NHS, businesses, colleges and the voluntary sector to address barriers and deliver employment opportunities for local people.A youth guarantee for all people aged 18 to 21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or employment support.

Whether his Department will take steps to fund new research into (a) prevention and (b) treatment of cardiovascular disease.

The Government, through the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR), is committed to funding high quality, timely research that leads to improved outcomes for patients and the public, and that makes the health and social care system more efficient, effective, and safe. Research evidence is vital for improving treatments and outcomes for people, including those with cardiovascular disease. The Department is proud to invest £1.5 billion per year on health research through the NIHR.Over the past five financial years, from 2019/20 to 2023/24, the NIHR has invested £145.4 million on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke research directly through NIHR research programmes. Our wider investments in NIHR infrastructure, strengthening specialist facilities, the workforce, and support services to enable research in the health and care system, have enabled significant CVD and stroke research funded by other funders to take place.The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including CVD. As with other Government funders of health research, the NIHR does not allocate funding for specific disease areas.

What steps he is taking to ensure utilities are affordable for disabled households.

The Government believes that the only way to permanently protect billpayers, including disabled households, is to speed up the transition towards homegrown clean energy and reduce our reliance on volatile international fossil fuel markets.Whilst we make this transition, the Government is committed to ensuring vulnerable households are supported with their energy bills and we are looking at all options on how to support these households.In the short-term, we are continuing to deliver the Warm Home Discount which provides a £150 annual rebate on energy bills for eligible low-income households. We are also working with energy suppliers to ensure they are providing additional support to vulnerable customers that are struggling with bills.

Innovation and Technology, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to give parents the right to access a deceased child's social media accounts without a court order.

The Government is committed to protecting children online and supporting families who have endured unimaginable losses. The Online Safety Act contains measures that seek to address challenges faced by bereaved parents when engaging with online services following the death of a child, including provisions to ensure that online services are transparent to bereaved parents about data disclosure, and have a dedicated helpline for bereaved parents relating to requests for information relevant to the death of a child.

What training work coaches receive on domestic abuse; and how often.

All Work Coaches new to DWP receive mandatory learning to support vulnerable customers and complex needs as part of their induction and onboarding. This includes completion of 30-minutes of self-paced learning on domestic abuse. The Work Coach learning journey includes an additional 90-minutes of facilitated learning on domestic abuse. The aim of this learning is to explain what support we can offer to a victim, or survivor, of domestic abuse. After completing their facilitated learning Work Coaches have access to self-paced learning to enable them to continue to build their knowledge and understanding in their day-to-day role.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure NHS mental health trusts are putting into practice lessons learned from patient homicides.

Under the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework, mental health-related homicides are required to be referred to the NHS England Regional Independent Investigation Team for consideration for an independent or locally-led patient safety incident investigation, to understand what happened and how. Organisations are then expected to respond to incidents through a patient safety incident response plan in a way that maximises learning and improvement.Following the publication of the Care Quality Commission’s review of the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust under section 48 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in March and August 2024, NHS England accepted all of the review’s recommendations and is working with providers to implement them. The Department expects that the review’s findings and recommendations will be considered and applied throughout the country with regular progress updates from NHS England.As part of this work, NHS England has published national guidance around providing intensive support to people with a serious mental illness and has tasked every mental health provider in England to review the policies and practices in place. NHS England will also develop guidance on what good quality and safe care looks like for community mental health services and share best practice. This will include a review of public and patient safety and the fundamentals of good quality care, such as care coordination, patient and family engagement, risk and safety management, treatment, and effective discharge.In addition, the forthcoming Mental Health Bill will modernise mental health legislation to make it fit for the 21st Century.

Innovation and Technology, when he will present the Digital Information and Smart Data Bill to Parliament.

We will present a new Data Bill soon.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the (a) affordability and (b) availability of childcare on the ability of single parents to look for (i) work and (ii) increased hours.

I am pleased to announce on 7 October we published Universal Credit childcare costs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and Childcare choices for parents working atypical hours - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) , which provides some insight into the question. Parents claiming Universal Credit can be reimbursed up to 85% of their eligible childcare costs each month and we provide financial support with upfront childcare costs when parents move into paid work or increase their working hours. They are also able to access the early education entitlements, as long as they meet the eligibility criteria for each offer.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the accessibility of information (a) provided by the NHS and (b) on adult social care.

Under the Equality Act (2010), health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged. Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers are required to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), in order to meet the communication needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss.NHS England is responsible for the AIS, and has completed a review as part of the revision of the AIS. The review considered the effectiveness of the current AIS, how the standard is implemented and enforced in practice, and identified recommendations for improvement.Once the revised standard receives publishing approval, NHS England will support implementation of it to ensure NHS staff are better aware of the standard and their roles and responsibilities.The Department is working to ensure that data and information about adult social care is collected, shared, and used more effectively. This will help people access the right care, allow for better planning of how care is organised, and join up health and care services to ensure good outcomes for people who receive care and support.

Whether her Department plans to provide (a) tax relief and (b) other fiscal support for the visual effects sector.

Qualifying visual effects costs in film and TV are already eligible for the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit, which provides a tax credit worth 34% of a film or TV company’s production costs. The previous Government announced that from 1 April 2025, UK visual effects costs in film and high-end TV will receive a 5% increase in Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC). The previous Government also announced that the AVEC’s 80% cap on costs that may receive tax relief will be removed for UK visual effects costs. The policy has not been legislated. The Government will provide an update as soon as it is able to do so.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department to support the UK as a major location for the visual effects industry.

The government is committed to supporting the UK’s visual effects and Animation industries, ensuring that they are able to remain competitive and with international reach. We will continue to focus on maintaining a strong and globally competitive sector by keeping tax incentives modern, agile and attractive; investing in infrastructure; supporting innovation; working with industry on skills development; and promoting independent content.The audio-visual tax reliefs - administered by the BFI - play a key role in boosting competitiveness, incentivising the production of culturally British content, and contributing to the industry’s - and the nation’s - economic growth.