Written questions by Forster.

Whether the Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the length of time for which a driving theory test certificate is valid.

It is important road safety knowledge and hazard perception skills are up to date at the critical point a person drives unsupervised for the first time. The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is in place to ensure a customer’s road safety knowledge and ability to identify developing hazards is current. This validity period is set in legislation, and the Government has no current plans to lay further legislation to extend it. Ensuring learner drivers have current relevant knowledge and skills is a vital part of the learning to drive process as new drivers are disproportionately casualties on our roads. Learners therefore need to pass another theory test if their two-year theory test certificate expires.

What (a) support, (b) benefits and (c) resources her Department provides to (i) humanitarian and (ii) healthcare workers with PTSD who have worked in warzones and are unable to return to work.

For all Universal Credit (UC) customers with health conditions and disabilities additional support is based on the outcome of a Work Capability Assessment (WCA). The outcome may be that they are found to have Limited Capability for Work (LCW), Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) or be found fit for work. An extra amount of UC is awarded if a customer is found to have LCWRA. Government is committed to reforming the system of health and disability benefits so that it promotes and enables employment among as many people as possible. The system must also work to reduce poverty for disabled people and those with health conditions and support disabled people to live independently. It is also vital to ensure that the system is financially sustainable in the long term. The Pathways to Work Green Paper, published in March 2025, set out our plans to reform benefits and support for disabled people and people with health conditions. The reforms will ensure the most vulnerable and severely disabled people are protected, so they can live with dignity and security, while supporting those who can work to do so. This Government is committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of all that we do, so we will consult on these proposals with disabled people and representative organisations.

How many renewable energy projects are waiting to be connected to the National Grid.

Data from the National Energy System Operator (NESO) shows there were 1759 renewable energy projects in the transmission queue at the end of March 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to prevent leaseholders from absorbing the cost of increases in insurance premiums for buildings undergoing remediation works for flammable cladding.

Leaseholders are usually responsible for paying for buildings insurance, according to the terms of their lease. Buildings insurance premiums for all buildings have risen considerably since the Grenfell tragedy; some leaseholders in buildings with fire safety defects are facing extremely high premiums. A Financial Conduct Authority report stated that premiums have risen by 94% for buildings without flammable cladding between 2016 and 2021, and by 187% for buildings with identified flammable cladding. My officials are working with the insurance industry, as announced in the Remediation Acceleration Plan, to consider whether, for the duration of remediation programmes, government might support industry to reduce fire related liabilities, in order to reduce the high insurance bills some leaseholders are facing. In addition to this, my Department has consulted on how to best ensure that landlords, freeholders and property managing agents do not receive excessive and opaque buildings insurance commissions at leaseholders’ expense as part of implementing the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act. We will publish our response to this consultation in due course.

Whether his Department plans to extend Ofgem’s regulatory powers to include heat networks.

DESNZ is introducing heat network regulation which aims to provide consumers with comparable protections to existing gas and electricity regulations. This new regulatory framework was signed into law earlier this year, establishing Ofgem as the market regulator with consumer interests as its highest priority. When Ofgem formally commence this role in January 2026, they will require suppliers to institute protections for vulnerable consumers and will have powers to collect pricing data, conduct investigations into instances of disproportionately high prices, and intervene when there is sufficient evidence. They will also establish guaranteed standards of performance to ensure that a minimum quality of service is provided.

Whether he has considered providing dedicated capital funding for new (a) MRI and (b) CT scanners for radiotherapy departments.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the reforms needed to return to the 18-week Referral to Treatment (RTT) constitutional standard by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. This will include ensuring the diagnostic capacity, such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners, required to deliver on the standard.As announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, capital spending is set to increase to £13.6 billion in 2025/26, representing record levels of capital investment into healthcare.This settlement includes a £1.65 billion capital investment to fund new surgical hubs, diagnostic scanners, and beds, supporting National Health Service performance across secondary and emergency care in 2025/26. Of this, £70 million will fund new radiotherapy machines to improve cancer treatment.In addition, the Government is backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital in 2025/26, enabling systems to allocate funding to local priorities such as replacement diagnostic and radiotherapy equipment.All future spending commitments beyond 2025/26 will be determined through the next phase of the Spending Review process.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of (a) clinical oncologists, (b) therapeutic radiographers, (c) medical physicists and (d) engineers as part of the NHS 10 year plan.

A central part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and those who support our workforce, and how we ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.Getting the NHS back to working for patients means ending the workforce crisis across the health service. We intend to take a fresh look at the Long Term Workforce Plan, to ensure it fully aligns with the level of ambition and reforms required following the 10-Year Health Plan. Decisions about recruitment are matters for individual NHS trusts.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support people affected by political persecution in the India- Pakistan conflict.

The agreement to cease further military action reached on 10 May is a hugely welcome development. The UK's long-standing position is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution on Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.The UK Government recognises that there are human rights concerns in both India-administered Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. We continue to encourage all states to ensure domestic laws are in line with international standards.

Whether he plans to review the use of block contracts for radiotherapy services, in the context of (a) recent trends in levels of patient numbers and (b) Lord Darzi's Independent Investigation of the National Health Service in England, published in September 2024.

NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring that the healthcare needs of local communities are met. These responsibilities include ensuring adequate healthcare provision, care, and wider support for local populations, including in remote and rural areas. This includes radiotherapy treatment. The Government will work to ensure that the best standard of healthcare is available no matter where people live.Since April 2022, the responsibility for investing in new radiotherapy machines has been with local systems. However, the Government is investing £70 million of central funding to replace outdated radiotherapy machines, to ensure the most advanced treatment is available to patients who need it. There are no current plans to review the use of block contracts for radiotherapy services.All future spending commitments beyond 2025/26, including this one, will be determined through the next phase of the Spending Review process, which will conclude in June.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with (a) water companies and (b) local authorities on building new reservoirs to ensure water security.

Ministers and officials have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including water companies and local authorities, on many issues related to the water sector. Water companies have a statutory duty to provide a secure supply of water for customers set out in their Water Resource Management Plans (WRMPs). These plans are statutory and will set out how each company will continue to meet this duty and manage water supply and demand, including system leakages for at least the next 25 years. Within their plans, water companies must consider all options, including demand management and new water resources including reservoirs water transfers. They must also consult on their plans, including with local authorities. The most recent WRMPs contain proposals for delivery of multiple new schemes by 2050, including 9 new reservoirs. Water companies continue to develop their reservoir proposals with relevant stakeholders including local authorities to ensure long-term water security.

If he will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on ensuring the provision of community pharmacies in new housing developments.

Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served by local pharmacies. Legislation requires PNAs to include consideration of the future need for pharmaceutical services in the area. The Department has published an information pack to support local authorities in preparation of PNAs, which is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/617bdc31d3bf7f5601cf3168/pharmaceutical-needs-assessment-information-pack.pdfChapter 6 of the information pack provides advice on how future needs, improvement, or better access should be articulated in the PNA, including following any new housing developments. These assessments inform commissioning decisions by integrated care boards.

What comparative assessment his Department has made of pharmacy provision in (a) England and (b) Scotland.

As is custom and practice when considering policy development for England, we regularly examine and consider the services that are commissioned from pharmacies in a range of other jurisdictions. This includes regular liaison with Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland about their experiences and planned developments.

What steps he plans to take to support community pharmacies.

For 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework has been increased to £3.073 billion. This represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26.There is also additional funding available, for example for pharmacies delivering Pharmacy First consultations and flu and COVID-19 vaccinations. The Pharmacy Access Scheme provides additional funding to support pharmacies in areas where there are fewer.This year, legislation will also be laid to enable all pharmacies to benefit from the efficiencies of hub and spoke dispensing, and/or using pharmacy technicians to undertake more of the work in pharmacies, enabling pharmacists to spend more time with patients.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of waiting times for cases to be allocated to a Resolution Specialist at The Pensions Ombudsman.

The Pension Ombudsman (TPO) has experienced a significant increase in complaints over the past several years, and this trend is continuing. This has impacted on waiting times for cases to be allocated to a resolution specialist. In response to this pressure, TPO has implemented an Operating Model Review (OMR) programme. DWP are working closely with TPO to rigorously monitor the impact the OMR is having on waiting times and case allocation to resolution specialists.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the potential impact of Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging on local authorities in the (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27 and (c) 2027-28 financial years.

In October 2024, this Government published an updated impact assessment for the introduction of Extended Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR), which includes an assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on Local Authorities at an aggregate level. The impact assessment can be found here: The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to seize Russian oligarchs’ UK homes to house Ukrainian refugees.

Since the launch of the UK's Ukraine schemes, 219,400 Ukrainians have arrived in the UK as of December 2024, in part thanks to the immense generosity of the British public.Designated individuals and entities do not forfeit ownership of assets frozen in the UK. However, the UK has legislation in place allowing us to keep sanctions in place.Russia's obligations are clear: it must end its illegal war of aggression and pay for the damage it has caused Ukraine. We continue to work with our allies to pursue all lawful ways to ensure that Russia does so.The UK has now disbursed over half of the UK's £2.26 billion contribution to the G7's Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration scheme. That contribution will be repaid by the profits generated on sanctioned Russian sovereign assets.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme on meeting the Government’s circular economy goals.

Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) is the first step in realising the Government’s circular economy manifesto commitment. This forms part of a set of interconnected reforms, including Simpler Recycling in England, the Plastic Packaging Tax, the expansion of the Emissions Trading Scheme and the Deposit Return Scheme for drink containers, which will provide the basis for system wide change.

Whether his Department monitors the fee levels charged by higher education providers to (a) Ukrainian students and (b) other students.

The government sets the maximum fees that higher education (HE) providers can charge home fee students on undergraduate courses. HE providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees up to the maximum caps provided for in legislation. The department does not formally monitor the fee levels charged for home students, such as those with Ukraine scheme leave, or other students who may be subject to international fees.The term ‘generally’ used in the context of the answer to Question 42205, means that persons with Ukraine scheme leave must also meet other eligibility requirements to be eligible for home fee status and student finance, such as the requirement to be ordinarily resident in England on the course start date for student support, or in the UK for home fee status. They must also show they have remained ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channels Islands and Isle of Man) since being granted Ukraine scheme leave.

What steps her Department is taking with local authorities to ensure that homeless children receive additional (a) educational and (b) pastoral support in schools.

Too often, opportunity for children and young people is defined by their background. Children whose families are experiencing homelessness face barriers to education and this is not acceptable. The Opportunity Mission will break the link between young people’s background and their future success.As part of this mission, work is progressing urgently to publish the Child Poverty Strategy. The Strategy will tackle overall child poverty, including a focus on those children in deepest poverty lacking essentials.Alongside this, homeless children are included in the Fair Access Protocol, a mandatory mechanism developed by local authorities in partnership with all schools in their area. This aims to ensure vulnerable children, and those having difficulty in securing a school place in-year, are allocated a school place as quickly as possible.From April 2025, the department started to roll out Family Help reforms to children’s social care. These reforms prioritise supporting the whole family. Lead practitioners will undertake assessments of all the needs of the family, including families experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness. Practitioners will intervene at the earliest opportunity to prevent challenges escalating.This financial year, over £500 million is available to local authorities to roll out the Families First Partnership programme which includes Family Help.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 42205 on Overseas Students: Ukraine, what is meant by the term generally in relation to Ukrainian refugees qualifying for (a) home fee status and (b) student support.

The government sets the maximum fees that higher education (HE) providers can charge home fee students on undergraduate courses. HE providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees up to the maximum caps provided for in legislation. The department does not formally monitor the fee levels charged for home students, such as those with Ukraine scheme leave, or other students who may be subject to international fees.The term ‘generally’ used in the context of the answer to Question 42205, means that persons with Ukraine scheme leave must also meet other eligibility requirements to be eligible for home fee status and student finance, such as the requirement to be ordinarily resident in England on the course start date for student support, or in the UK for home fee status. They must also show they have remained ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channels Islands and Isle of Man) since being granted Ukraine scheme leave.