Written questions by Forster.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Turkey.

The Government is closely monitoring the situation in Turkey. The UK expects Turkey to uphold its international commitments and the rule of law, including swift and transparent judicial processes. We have been engaging with the Turkish government and there has been Ministerial contact with counterparts in recent days to raise these issues. The UK supports democracy, human rights and the rule of law across the world and will always support the fundamental rights to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly and media freedom. Travel advice for British nationals has been updated to include reference to the recent protests.

What steps his Department plans to take to work with volunteers to (a) add resilience to the NHS workforce, (b) reduce waiting lists and (c) move care out-of-hospital and into the community.

The National Health Service has always benefitted from the generous support of volunteers. Volunteers will continue to play an important and complementary role in the NHS and care system, supporting patients, families, and staff.NHS England invested £10 million last year to support programmes across 15 integrated care systems to improve volunteering infrastructure. NHS England is also continuing to invest in the NHS volunteer recruitment portal and deliver on recommendations from the NHS Volunteer Taskforce Report from 2023.A central part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and those who support our workforce, so we can ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the right care to patients when they need it.

If he will take steps with NHS England to improve the provision of respite homes for mums and babies post traumatic birth.

The Department recognises the significant physical and psychological consequences of birth trauma and the devastating impact this can have on some women. We are fully committed to improving the quality and consistency of care for women throughout pregnancy, birth, and the critical months that follow, and to ensuring that when a woman experiences a traumatic birth, there is a broad range of support availableIn relation to the psychological impact, bespoke mental health pathways support women who experience mental health difficulties as a result of labour. These services are provided through specialist perinatal mental health services, maternal mental health services, and mother and baby units. Mother and baby units are specialist, in-patient units for some women with mental health problems, designed to keep mothers and their babies together. Specialist staff nurture and support the mother infant relationship on the ward, while at the same time the mother receives treatment and care. 165 mother and baby unit beds have now been commissioned, and maternal mental health services have been set up in 41 out of the 42 local areas across England to provide care for women with moderate to severe or complex mental health difficulties, arising from birth trauma or loss in the maternity/neonatal context.With regards to physical health, NHS England’s national service specification for perinatal pelvic health services sets out the expected standards of care to improve the prevention and identification of pelvic health issues, and to increase access to physiotherapy for pelvic health issues during pregnancy and for at least one year after birth. These services work with maternity services across England to implement the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injuries care bundle, to reduce rates of anal sphincter, or perineal, injuries resulting from labour and vaginal birth.All women are now offered a general practitioner (GP) check six to eight weeks after birth that should focus on the mothers physical and mental health needs. This is an opportunity for GPs to listen to women in a discrete, supportive environment, in order to provide personalised postnatal care for their physical and mental health, and includes an explicit reference to birth trauma for the first time.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen diplomatic cooperation with European allies in the context of US foreign policy.

In March, the Prime Minister convened international leaders to shape our support for Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary met EU High Representative Kallas, spoke to his Polish and French counterparts, and attended a Weimar+ meeting in Madrid. We are setting up structures to ensure our partnerships deliver in the long-term, including through summits with Ireland, France and the EU, and groups like the European Political Community, Calais Group and Joint Expeditionary Force. We look forward to re-starting negotiations on a UK-Germany treaty once the new German government forms. We continue to work closely with European partners in multilateral fora such as the Council of Europe and OSCE.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the brewing industry of extended producer responsibility fees on glass beer bottles.

It is the responsibility of producers to estimate the cost of their fees. Producers are required to submit the next round of 2024 data by 1 April 2025. Following this and pending satisfactory regulatory checks, Defra intend to use these data to publish pEPR base fees by June 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to provide funding to help (a) track and (b) return children kidnapped following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The UK has supported 'Save Ukraine', an NGO which helps to return Ukrainian children, and 'Bring Kids Back UA' through The Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine. We were pleased to see another group of children returned via Qatari mediation in September 2024, and are grateful for Qatar's continued engagement. UK efforts also focus on communications, sanctions, and accountability. The UK is a member of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, and in November 2024 we announced a third round of sanctions targeting those attempting to forcibly deport and indoctrinate Ukrainian children.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of charging Council Tax on properties which have received planning permission but where no construction has commenced after a year.

Council tax is a tax on domestic properties based on their capital value in 1991. The Valuation Office Agency is responsible for allocating council tax bands in England, and upon completion will assign a band to newly constructed properties. The government has no plans to change this.

Communities and Local Government, how new unitary authorities will be required to (a) merge their existing local plans and (b) set new local plans following reorganisation.

The legal status of local plans is not impacted by local government reorganisation. Where reorganisation occurs new unitary authorities are expected to promptly prepare a local plan covering the whole of their area. Until that new plan is adopted, existing constituent local plans remain in force as part of the development plan for their area. New unitary authorities have the discretion to progress emerging constituent local plans.

What steps she is taking to improve her Department's customer service.

We are modernising our services, enabling customers to self-serve online, while retaining non-digital channels for those that need them, avoiding digital inclusion and ensuring everyone gets the level of support they need.For example, we are starting to use conversational platform in some service lines, which provides an automated conversational experience and reduces avoidable contact by signposting customers to more appropriate routeways.

If she will take steps to review her Department's decision to reduce the maximum weight limits for volumetric concrete mobile plants; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of this policy on (a) the number of skilled jobs in the construction industry, (b) the size of the construction sector and (c) the environment.

The outcome of my Department’s review into volumetric concrete mixers was published on 18 March. This can be accessed at the following link:gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review.

Whether Ukrainian students will be eligible for home fee status from the 2025-26 academic year.

In the 2022/23 academic year, the Student Support Regulations were amended so that persons granted leave under one of the Ukraine schemes (Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine family scheme and Ukraine extension scheme) would qualify for student support and home fee status in England without requiring them to meet the three-year ordinary residence requirement.Following the recent launch of the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (UPES), the regulations have been further updated from the 2024/25 academic year, so that those who have been granted leave under UPES will also qualify for student finance and home fee status in line with those granted leave under one of the other Ukraine schemes.This ensures that Ukrainians who have been affected by the war in Ukraine can access support on the same basis as those within other protection-based categories, such as refugees.

Whether his Department is taking steps to support British businesses that lawfully traded with now-sanctioned Russian (a) businesses and (b) people to help them to recover funds lawfully owed to them.

Our sanctions are designed to minimise impact on the UK and avoid unintended consequences. The Department for Business and Trade has sought to minimise the impact on businesses through implementing appropriate exceptions, specific licences where appropriate, and wind-down periods when some sanctions are introduced. We have also published impact assessments alongside all Russia sanctions legislation. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation has also issued General Licences to address a range of issues affecting stakeholders, including permitting activities related to recovering funds, under specific circumstances and conditions.

What steps he is taking to ensure community pharmacies receive support to stay open.

The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities, as an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.The Government is committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.We are now working at pace with Community Pharmacy England to ensure that the funding we have available is used to support community pharmacy in the best way possible. We will announce the outcome of the consultation in the usual manner, by letter to contractors, when the consultation has concluded.

If she will take steps to ensure drug education is delivered effectively in private schools.

Independent schools have a statutory duty to teach personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, under the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.Independent schools have discretion over how they teach health education, but they are encouraged to read the statutory curriculum for health education, which is part of the statutory guidance on relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). The guidance sets out that pupils should be taught the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and the associated risks to physical and mental wellbeing, including smoking, alcohol use and drug-taking.Independent schools are subject to the relationships and sex education aspects of the RSHE statutory guidance, which is clear that pupils in secondary schools should understand how the use of alcohol and drugs can lead to risky sexual behaviour. The guidance also sets out that pupils should understand the law on criminal exploitation, including through involvement with gangs or ‘county lines’ drugs operations.

What steps NHS England is taking to support people with (a) ME and (b) long Covid; what funding has been allocated to Surrey for treatment of such conditions; and what the waiting times are for (i) diagnosis and (ii) care in Surrey.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for determining the level of long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), services locally, and are responsible for ensuring that the services they commission meet the needs of their local populations.I have been advised by NHS England that NHS Surrey Heartlands has taken the decision to no longer operate dedicated long COVID services following the publication of updated guidance by NHS England, in April 2024, on the provision of long COVID services.As of 8 July 2024, patients presenting with symptoms that may be linked to long COVID will be referred to other available services depending on their symptoms, including chronic fatigue services, physiotherapy and rehabilitation services, and mental health services such as psychotherapy.Every effort will be made to ensure that the patients who are currently accessing these services complete their therapy and, if appropriate, are transferred to other services specific to their needs.NHS Surrey Heartlands recognises that this decision may cause concern for people receiving care within current long COVID services, however, patients will continue to receive support and advice. We are working with the current providers of long COVID services, First Community Health and Care and Surrey Downs Health and Care, to ensure that patients are transferred into alternative pathways safely.NHS England has recently completed a long COVID stocktake, aiming to provide a national overview of the service delivery of commissioning and contracting, assessing access, activity, and outcomes. Executive NHS England board members were updated on the current provision of long COVID services, noting the challenges and significant variation. NHS England will continue to support the ICBs to enhance service quality and ensure equitable access to care and consistency across the system.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department (a) monitors and (b) reviews the granting of visa applications to British citizens by the Government of India.

The UK government does not monitor or review individual visa applications made by British citizens to the Government of India.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing permanent weight limits of (a) 38.4 tonnes for four-axle rigid Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs) and (b) 44 tonnes for five-axle rigid VCMs, in the context of the expiration of the derogation agreement in 2028.

The Department ran a call for evidence from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). Evidence was provided to the Department on both the pros and cons of allowing VCMs to continue to operate at higher weights. The Department has reviewed the evidence provided and will publish its findings shortly. Any potential changes to the current policy position on VCM weight limits will need to consider the implications for road safety, infrastructure, the environment, and maintaining fair competition in the market.

What steps her Department is taking to support claimants of disability allowance who (a) have difficulties with oral communication, (b) have deafness, (c) have learning difficulties and (d) do not own a telephone.

For hearing and speech impaired customers:DWP utilise the Video Relay Service (VRS) which enables customers to communicate in real time via a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter using a video connection on an electronic device. There is no need to be in the same location or for the customer to make an appointment. This service is available across DWP and Department for Communities Northern Ireland (DfCNI) service lines. DWP also use Relay UK, previously known as Next Generation Text. The ‘app’ enables customer to contact a BT agent and type a message to them. The BT agent then calls DWP and verbally passes on the typed message. It works in reverse for a three-way conversation ie the DWP telephony agent speaks, and the BT Relay agent types the message back to the customer. For customers with learning difficulties: PIPCustomers with learning difficulties will often be represented by a third party or appointee who can support them to make a claim to disability related benefits, however we are aware that this does not apply in all cases.When an application for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is made by someone with learning difficulties or cognitive impairments, who is acting on their own behalf, we apply a marker to the case which indicates to colleagues in DWP (and colleagues who are involved in the assessment) that the customer requires additional support. The system marker also prevents the case being closed if the customer fails to engage or is not able to meet requirements to complete or return forms. Work Capability AssessmentCustomers requiring a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) are sent a clerical WCA50. The WCA50 will also gather details of any Reasonable Adjustment (RA) or Alternative Format (AF) requirements. If a RA/AF requirement is established, we would update the availability constraints within Medical Services Referral System (MSRS) to advise the healthcare providers that a face-to-face assessment is required. All WCA appointment letters are sent out clerically too. In cases where customers are vulnerable, and require more intensive support, home visits can be arranged through the Visiting Service, who can help with form completion for example. Disability Living AllowanceFor someone who we need to speak to eg: Parent/Guardian (PG) where they have identified/requested a reasonable adjustment, any business with DLA Adult/DLA Child will be conducted in that manner, including if needed BSL. (Same service as PIP).For learning difficulties, DLACS system(s) does not have a marker, however if the PG has an appointee DLA Child would need to make enquiries and potentially refer for a visiting officer to establish the child’s wellbeing and the PG support requirements. For customers who do not have a telephone: PIP:Support can be provided by third parties, but a clerical process is available, which means applications for disability benefits can be made in writing. Where the disability benefit is subject to an assessment with a healthcare provider, appointments can be made for face-to-face appointments for those unable to participate in telephony assessments. DLA Child/Adult:Primarily DLA Child/Adult operate on a postal notification service, DLA uses a freephone number and where a customer does not have a telephone, DWP JCP resources would be available to initiate contact. From mid-March 2025 enhanced functionality will allow customers using the online option to advise DWP of any Reasonable Adjustment (RA) or Alternative Format (AF) requirements.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle (a) discrepancies between contribution amounts on pension statements and payslips, (b) lack of online access to manage pensions and (c) other common issues with workplace pensions.

The independent Pensions Regulator (TPR) is responsible for providing detailed guidance to employers on how to meet their automatic enrolment duties. This includes guidance on avoiding common errors, such as incorrect pension contributions, failing to enrol employees correctly and missing or late payments. Pension scheme managers and trustees also have a responsibility to ensure the correct management of schemes including monitoring the payment of contributions.If an employee has concerns regarding their workplace pension such as unpaid contributions, they should raise this with their employer in the first instance. An individual can report their employer to TPR if it is not complying with the law and/or make a complaint to The Pensions Ombudsman (TPO) who can investigate the complaint and provide a remedy if the employer is found to be at fault. TPO, in collaboration with MoneyHelper and TPR, has published a factsheet for customers about this: Workplace pensions – unpaid pension contributions | The Pensions Ombudsman.Accessible information and good communications are important in enabling savers to better understand their pensions. Some schemes already offer online access to help members easily and securely view their pension details. The government is also supporting the delivery of pensions dashboards, which will allow people to view their whole pensions picture, including their State Pension, securely and in one place. This will help reunite people with their lost pension pots and support better engagement – empowering individuals to better prepare for retirement.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the classification of (a) non-statutory and (b) statutory services provided by councils, in the context of the closure of (i) public toilets and (ii) other non-statutory services following council bankruptcies.

Good provision of non-statutory services, such as public toilets, is an important issue which local leaders are best placed to make decisions on based on the needs of their communities. The English Devolution White Paper, as well as the recently published Local Government finance settlement, set our plans to give councils more autonomy and financial stability to plan and make these decisions.