Written questions by Collins.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the interpretation of the definition of Grey Belt by planning inspectors in (a) rural and (b) semi-rural areas.

My Department published updated guidance on Green Belt policy on 27 February 2025 to assist local authorities and other decision-makers, including planning inspectors, in determining whether land is grey belt. It can be found on gov.uk here. It is for decision-makers to consider how best to apply the policy to particular local circumstances.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of bus services in rural areas in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) Hertfordshire.

The government recognises the importance of accessible, frequent and affordable bus services in keeping communities connected, including in rural areas. Buses in England outside London were deregulated by the Transport Act 1985 and at present are largely run on a commercial basis where the operator decides on routes and provision. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December 2024 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 and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them, including in Harpenden and Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire more widely, and rural areas right across England. 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 to local authorities across the country, of which Hertfordshire County Council has been allocated £12.2 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities, including in rural areas. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to bus services in this Spending Review by confirming continued funding each year from 26/27 to maintain and improve vital bus services, including taking forward bus franchising pilots, and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.

What steps she is taking to encourage investment in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

This government is committed to keeping Britain economically stable to spur investment. Investment that will increase the number of good, well-skilled jobs and improve productivity across the country. Last month the government released the Industrial and Infrastructure Strategies. These 10-year plans will create and connect people to good jobs, support new housing and neighborhoods, and ensuring people can depend on vital public services. They will also increase business investment in 8 growth-driving sectors, by making it quicker and easier for businesses to invest and providing them with the certainty and stability needed for long-term investment decisions. To support the success of our strategies the Department for Business and Trade has a dedicated investment function in the UK and overseas, including the new expanded Office for Investment (OfI) which is the UK’s investment promotion agency. This bolstered OfI redoubles UK efforts to secure investment to drive economic growth as part of Government’s Plan for Change and targets investors in high-growth and foundational sectors. Since taking office over 600 individual investments have been supported by this government, and we will continue to work hard on landing more. This government is also committed to supporting growth driving initiatives such as the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor. At the start of this year Science Minister Vallance was appointed as Oxford-Cambridge Innovation Champion. He will strengthen connections between OxCam and the wider UK, so this region is an economic engine for the entire nation. These measures will encourage investment into Harpenden and Berkhamsted, with local organisations like Rothamsted Research able to benefit from participation in OxCam-related research and innovation. The Industrial Strategy’s focus on frontier manufacturing sectors, including Agri-Tech, will further support this.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to encourage local government support for arts and culture in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

The Secretary of State has a range of discussions with Cabinet colleagues across the whole of her portfolio, and DCMS officials regularly discuss support for arts and culture with their counterparts across His Majesty’s Government.In last month’s spending review, the government committed to providing an additional £3.4 billion of grant funding to local government in 2028‑29 compared to 2024‑25. This equates to an average annual real terms increase in overall local authority core spending power of 3.1% across the spending review period. Whilst individual decisions on how to invest departmental resources will be determined in due course, there will be significant investment into Arts and Culture over the spending review period, including to Arts Council England (ACE) who will continue to support local arts programmes and projects across the country.In the 2024-25 financial year, ACE provided over £22k of funding to arts projects in the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency. Details of this funding can be found on the ACE website here https://culture.localinsight.org/#/map

Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of access to finance for creative SMEs in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

The new Creative Industries Sector Plan, published as part of the government’s Industrial Strategy, recognises that outside London and the South East, creative businesses find it harder to access finance. The £43 million DCMS Create Growth Programme supports thousands of creative SMEs to grow and access finance, including in Harpenden and Berkhamsted, providing grant funding, investor capacity building activities and investment readiness support.The Sector Plan sets out further support for creative SMEs, including significantly increased support for the sector from the British Business Bank and UKRI as well as a £380 million funding package over the Spending Review period.

Innovation and Technology, what his planned timetable is for publishing the consultation on the proposed AI Bill.

The Government plans to publish a consultation later this year on AI legislation.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Financial Conduct Authority's powers in preventing insurers from applying excessive premium increases to non-fault claimants.

Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover they offer based on their assessment of the relevant risks. This is usually informed by the insurer’s claims experience and other industry-wide statistics. However, the Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value (i.e. if the price a consumer pays for a product or service is reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive). The FCA have made clear they monitor firms to ensure they provide products that are fair value, and, where necessary, it has robust powers to take action against firms that fail to comply with its rules.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of passenger rail performance in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and b) Hertfordshire.

Department officials continuously monitor the performance of train operating companies across a range of measures and meet regularly with senior management to scrutinise and challenge their companies’ performance. The Department will continue to engage with the operators serving the constituency to ensure that they deliver their contractual commitments.

What steps her Department is taking to increase railway capacity in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) Hertfordshire.

Rail services in the Hertfordshire region are supported by requirements on train operators to plan services and design timetables to meet both current and future passenger demand, while also ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. Operators must continually reassess their services to ensure they provide rail timetables that provide sufficient capacity, are fit for the future, and carefully balance cost and performance.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the Digital Services Tax.

The DST is an interim solution to widely held concerns with international corporate tax, and the UK remains committed to remove it once a global solution on the taxation of the digital economy through Pillar 1 of the G20-OECD Inclusive Framework project is in place.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support freelancers in the creative industries in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) the rest of England.

DCMS has committed in the recent Creative Industries Sector Plan to appoint a Freelance Champion, who will give freelancers a voice within government.DCMS will work with industry to develop Terms of Reference for this role. We envisage that it will represent the interests of creative freelancers in areas such as the development of the Plan to Make Work Pay, the Small Business Commissioner, the Fair Work Agency, and the Department for Business and Trade’s Small Business Growth Forum.Skills Bootcamps continue to support adults across England to build sector-specific skills, including those needed for the creative industries. The government is allocating up to £5.6 million for Skills Bootcamps in 25/26 for Hertfordshire County Council, to support training for local learners, including those that are freelance or self-employed. This includes production assistant training and training in content creation for the creative industry.

What assessment she has made of the potential of state pension integration practices on (a) lower-paid and (b) female pensioners; and if she will take steps to review (i) guidance and (ii) legislation to help ensure (A) fairness and (B) transparency.

The aim of “integrated” pension schemes is to provide a more predictable and stable pension income over time where a person’s occupational pension comes into payment before their State Pension. This is achieved by paying a higher pension before the person reaches State Pension age, which is subsequently reduced when their State Pension comes into payment. The Government is aware of the concerns raised by members of these schemes, especially in terms of the possible disproportionate impact on women. The reduction applied to lower-paid and female pensioners in an integrated scheme may be a greater proportion of the overall entitlement than it is for higher-paid and male pensioners. This is due to societal and labour market issues during their working lives, which has resulted in these groups having, on average, lower earnings and therefore receiving a lower pension from the scheme. It is extremely important that people have good, clear information about their occupational pension scheme, so that they can make informed decisions about their retirement. Trustees are required to provide relevant information to members of a pension scheme, including information about how integration will affect their pension benefits. If someone does not think that their scheme has been sufficiently clear about the way integration will affect their pension, they should use the scheme’s internal dispute resolution service, which every scheme is required to have. If they are not satisfied with the outcome, they can take the matter to the Pensions Ombudsman. The precise design of pension benefits is a matter for employers and trustees and is not covered in Department for Work and Pensions legislation. Pension scheme rules on the calculation of benefits are many and varied and are a matter for employers and scheme trustees to decide.; however, these pensions have been paid in accordance with the scheme rules and within the law.

What steps her Department is taking to help increase economic growth in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

The government’s priority mission is to deliver strong, secure and sustainable economic growth to boost living standards in every part of the UK. The Spending Review marked a key step in the growth mission, allocating substantial new capital investment to ensure growth is felt across the country. This investment will be further bolstered in the coming months by other reforms, building on the Industrial Strategy and the 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy announced last month. Hertfordshire will receive £38 million in Local Transport Grant funding enabling local authorities to deliver transport improvements including more zero emission buses, cycleways, accessibility and congestion improvement measures. This will deliver a four-fold increase in funding in 2029-30 compared to 2024-25. At Autumn Budget, the Government protected the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. The Government also froze the small businesses multiplier for 2025-26, and extended the retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) business rates relief for 1-year at 40% (up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business). The Government has accepted the Low Pay Commission’s recommendations to increase the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates, which balance the impacts on business, competitiveness of the labour market and wider economy, as well as taking into account the cost of living.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of excess sewage sludge on river pollution in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) Hertfordshire.

Sewage sludge is a by-product of the wastewater treatment process which can be spread on fields as a fertiliser. Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989 (SUiAR) supported by the Sewage Sludge Code of Practice provide environmental and health protections from sludge spreading. The Government is continuing to work with the Environment Agency to assess the regulatory framework for spreading sludge. We recognise that effective and proportionate regulations are an essential tool to improve the water environment.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Renters’ Rights Bill on the ability of charitable landlords to offer flexible housing in areas lacking affordable private rentals.

The Renters' Rights Bill delivers the government's manifesto commitment to overhaul the regulation of the private rented sector, including by abolishing Section 21 'no fault' evictions. Upon the commencement date, the new tenancy system provided for by the Bill will apply to all private tenancies - existing tenancies will become periodic, and any new tenancies will be governed by the new rules. We recognise that regaining possession is sometimes necessary to ensure supply of specialist types of accommodation. The Bill therefore introduces a limited number of possession grounds to ensure there is an adequate supply of properties in vital sectors such as supported accommodation, and for those offering 'stepping stone' accommodation. These grounds may be available to registered charities who provide relevant accommodation.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the autumn Budget 2024 on costs for small and medium-sized businesses in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) the rest of England.

The government’s priority mission is to deliver strong, secure and sustainable economic growth to boost living standards in every part of the UK. The Spending Review marked a key step in the growth mission, allocating substantial new capital investment to ensure growth is felt across the country. This investment will be further bolstered in the coming months by other reforms, building on the Industrial Strategy and the 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy announced last month. Hertfordshire will receive £38 million in Local Transport Grant funding enabling local authorities to deliver transport improvements including more zero emission buses, cycleways, accessibility and congestion improvement measures. This will deliver a four-fold increase in funding in 2029-30 compared to 2024-25. At Autumn Budget, the Government protected the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. The Government also froze the small businesses multiplier for 2025-26, and extended the retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) business rates relief for 1-year at 40% (up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business). The Government has accepted the Low Pay Commission’s recommendations to increase the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates, which balance the impacts on business, competitiveness of the labour market and wider economy, as well as taking into account the cost of living.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the British film industry, in the context of potential US tariffs.

The Creative Industries Sector Plan announced significant support for the UK film industry, including a new £75 million Screen Growth Package over three years. This includes a scaled-up £18 million per year UK Global Screen Fund; support for the London Film Festival; funding to attract inward investment; and an expansion of the BFI Film Academy to get more 16-25 year olds from underrepresented backgrounds into the industry.In addition to this package, we are devolving £150 million to six Mayoral Strategic Authorities through our Creative Places Growth Fund, which can be used by local leaders to boost their film and TV industries. We are investing £25 million to fund five new CoSTAR labs to develop innovative technologies like augmented reality and motion capture and two showcase spaces to demonstrate new innovations, working with partners including the BFI. And we are delivering £10 million to expand the world-leading National Film and Television School, unlocking £11 million of private investment.There are no tariffs on the UK’s film industry. The deep ties between the US and UK film industries provide mutual economic and cultural benefits to both countries and we are committed to maintaining our strong partnership. The government will continue to monitor the situation closely, and will continue to take a calm and balanced approach to our engagement with the US.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) tailored exemption and (b) alternative mechanism to the Renter’s Rights Bill for non-profit charitable landlords.

The Renters' Rights Bill delivers the government's manifesto commitment to overhaul the regulation of the private rented sector, including by abolishing Section 21 'no fault' evictions. Upon the commencement date, the new tenancy system provided for by the Bill will apply to all private tenancies - existing tenancies will become periodic, and any new tenancies will be governed by the new rules. We recognise that regaining possession is sometimes necessary to ensure supply of specialist types of accommodation. The Bill therefore introduces a limited number of possession grounds to ensure there is an adequate supply of properties in vital sectors such as supported accommodation, and for those offering 'stepping stone' accommodation. These grounds may be available to registered charities who provide relevant accommodation.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an international AI safety agency headquartered in the UK.

AI is the technology driving the next global industrial revolution - creating the economic growth which is central to our Plan for Change. Through the AI opportunities action plan, we are cementing Britain's position as a world leader on AI.The UK is committed to international cooperation on AI safety and security. The AI Security Institute is a central example of our leadership.The Institute has one of the world's largest teams dedicated to AI security.Technical talent is drawn from the best AI labs in the world, including: Anthropic, OpenAI and Google DeepMind. It is the first state-backed body of its kind, and its work sets the global gold standard for AI security.It partners internationally, with the US, Canada and many others to develop best practices on secure AI development.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of permitting GPs to prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products; and what plans he has to ensure NHS access to full-spectrum cannabinoid treatments for treatment-resistant epilepsy.

The conditions attached to a medicine’s marketing authorisation determine who it can be prescribed by. This may include restricting the initiation of treatments to specialist doctors, as is the case for the licensed cannabis-based medicines Sativex and Epidyolex. These are not first line treatments, and patients will be at a stage in their treatment pathway where they will be under the care of a specialist doctor before accessing these medicines.General practitioners (GPs) cannot independently prescribe unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use. The law allows GPs to prescribe these products under the direction of a specialist as part of a shared care arrangement. A GP can accept ongoing shared care responsibilities once a specialist has initiated a prescription, and a patient’s clinical condition is stable. In doing so, they must accept the enhanced legal and professional responsibilities associated with prescribing an unlicensed product, and this includes accountability for the quality of the product prescribed.This restriction forms part of the checks and balances that the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recommended the Government put in place when rescheduling cannabis-based products for medicinal use, to minimise the risk of misuse and diversion.Clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) state that there is insufficient evidence to make population level recommendations for the use of unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use in the treatment of patients with refractory epilepsy. NICE recommends that further research is carried out to inform future commissioning decisions in the National Health Service.Like any medicine, manufacturers of unlicensed cannabinoid treatments need to invest in research and clinical trials to prove that their products are safe and effective. In the absence of action from manufacturers, NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Research have agreed to over £8.5 million in funding for two world first clinical trials relating to the use of cannabis-based products for medicinal use for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsies and neuropathic pain due to chemotherapy. Further information on the trial of medicinal cannabis for refractory epilepsies, and the trial of oral cannabinoids for the treatment of chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathic pain is available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR131309https://www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR151052