Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown

The Governance Code on Public Appointments sets out the process and principles that underpin all public appointments made to bodies listed in the Public Appointments Order in Council. It sets out that, in exceptional cases, Ministers may decide to appoint a candidate without a competition, although they must make this decision public and must consult the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Ministers across government departments are responsible for ensuring that their appointments are made in accordance with the Governance Code or the appropriate framework.

The Government is committed to strengthening protection from harmful gambling. We are acutely aware of the impact harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families. We are committed to reviewing the best available evidence from a wide range of sources and working with all stakeholders in order to support the industry and ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk. We will provide further updates to the House soon.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport wrote to Gordon Lyons MLA, the Northern Ireland Minister for Communities, on Friday 13 September to update him on the funding of Casement Park for EURO 2028. The letter (which is published on gov.uk and a copy of which I will place in the Library of both Houses) states that they have, regrettably, decided that it is not appropriate for the UK Government to provide funding to seek to build Casement Park in time to host matches at EURO 2028 based on unreasonable cost and high delivery risk.

The Government will seek engagement with Northern Ireland partners, including the Gaelic Athletic Association, in the coming weeks, to discuss this decision in more detail as well as seeking views on the appropriate way forward for Casement Park.

This government is committed to ending the VAT exemption that private schools enjoy. While the impact of this policy is being fully considered, projections by the Institute for Fiscal Studies indicate that the number of pupils who may switch schools as a result of these changes is likely to represent a very small proportion of overall pupil numbers in the state sector, less than 0.5%, with any displacement expected to take place over several years. This research is available here and as attached: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/tax-private-school-fees-and-state-school-spending.

The number of children in private schools has remained steady despite a 20% real terms increase in average private school fees since 2010 and a 55% rise since 2003, illustrating the sector’s adaptability. While the department cannot predict closures, the department will use indicators such as occupancy to monitor this.

The Government is honouring our commitment to the Triple Lock with a 4.1 per cent increase to the basic State Pension, the new State Pension, and to the standard minimum guarantee in Pension Credit. As such, according to the latest OBR projections, the full yearly rate of the new State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,900 over the course of this parliament whilst the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,500.

We know there are low-income pensioners who aren’t claiming Pension Credit, and we are urging pensioners to come forward and check their eligibility for Pension Credit to ensure as many people in need as possible have access to this support. This will passport them to receive Winter Fuel Payment alongside other benefits – hundreds of pounds that could really help them.

Low-income pensioners and others struggling with the cost of living should contact their local council to see what support may be available to them, as they may be able to receive support from the Household Support Fund, Council Tax Reduction, or through energy support programmes such as the Homes Upgrade Grant and Energy Company Obligation.

The Department publishes quarterly statistics on benefit combinations on Stat-Xplore, which include those claiming incapacity benefits, where an individual claims one or more of Universal Credit (Health Journey), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Incapacity Benefit (IB), Severe Disablement Allowance (DSA), and Income Support (Incapacity Based) (IS(IB)).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes mid-year population estimates for England and Wales, and Scotland.

The administration of Incapacity benefits in Northern Ireland is devolved to the Department for Communities.

The extracted statistics and the calculated estimated percentage of the total population on incapacity benefits in February 2024 are shown in the following table.

Number of individuals claiming incapacity benefits, February 2024, mid-year population estimates for England and Wales mid-2023 and Scotland mid-2022, estimated percentage of the population on incapacity benefits, February 2024.

Source: Stat-Xplore, ONS Population Estimates

Note:

1. Statistical disclosure control has been applied to this table to avoid the release of confidential data. Percentages are given to 1 decimal place.
2. ‘Claimants on incapacity benefits’ includes where an individual claims one or more of Universal Credit (Health Journey), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Incapacity Benefit (IB), Severe Disablement Allowance (DSA), and Income Support (Incapacity Based) (IS(IB)), at the end of February 2024 and is taken from the ‘Benefit Combinations - Data from May 2019 for England and Wales’ dataset and the ‘Benefit Combinations – Data from May 2019 for Scotland’ dataset on Stat-Xplore.
3. ‘Mid-year Population Estimates’ are produced by the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales to mid-2023 and for Scotland to mid-2022.

Winter Fuel Payments will continue to be paid to pensioner households with someone receiving Pension Credit or certain other income-related benefits. They will continue to be worth £200 for eligible households, or £300 for eligible households with someone aged 80 and over.

Immediate support for pensioners includes our commitment to the Triple Lock, with over 12 million pensioners set to benefit through the course of this parliament, with the full yearly rate of the new State Pensions forecast to increase by around £1700.

We know there are low-income pensioners who aren’t claiming Pension Credit, and we urge those people to apply. This will passport them to receive Winter Fuel Payment alongside other benefits – hundreds of pounds that could really help them. The government will work with external partners and local authorities to boost the uptake of Pension Credit and to target additional support to the poorest pensioners. We will ensure that the poorest pensioners get the support they need.

We are also providing support for pensioners through our Warm Homes Plan which will support investment in insulation and low carbon heating – upgrading millions of homes over this Parliament. Our long-term plan will protect billpayers permanently, reduce fuel poverty, and get the UK back on track to meet our climate goals.

The Household Support Fund is also being extended for a further six months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025.   An additional £421 million will be provided to enable the extension of the HSF in England, plus funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual.

The Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate on their electricity bill. This winter, we expect over three million households, including over one million pensioners, to benefit under the scheme.

Over the past two years, energy bills have fallen. Between 1 October to 31 December 2024 Ofgem’s energy price cap is set at £1717 per year for a typical household. This means the price cap for October to December 2024 will be more than 5% lower (£117 less) than for October to December 2023.

Our other steps include cutting waiting times in the NHS which will help many pensioners currently waiting in pain and discomfort for treatment, and delivering the economic stability which is so crucial for pensioners.

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at Autumn Budget, and this enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The employer National Insurance rise will be implemented in April 2025, and the Department will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year at the earliest opportunity, including through NHS Planning Guidance, and the usual consultations.

As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, we will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, which will also help ease pressure on busy mental health services. We will also introduce access to a specialist mental health professional in every school in England, and roll out Young Futures hubs in every community.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has made clear his commitment to ongoing engagement and collaboration with the devolved governments. The next Health and Social Care Interministerial Group is scheduled for 11 December 2024.

In addition, officials have established a regular Four Nations Meeting on mental health reform, in which the Mental Health Bill’s measures and potential implications for the devolved administrations are discussed.

Ministers meet regularly with NHS England’s Chief Executive and other senior representatives to discuss a wide range of issues. The communication circulated by the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust requesting that staff did not attend the antisemitism awareness training does not represent the corporate view of the trust. The communication has been rescinded and an apology issued by the trust’s Chief Executive.

NHS England provides funding for antisemitism training, alongside training on islamophobia, across the National Health Service. Employers are expected to encourage their staff to attend these training events.

Information on how many estates in Northern Ireland will be affected by the changes is not centrally held.

The Government has published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief(opens in a new tab).

In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

The Government takes into account all representations made ahead of the Budget, and meets with stakeholders on a regular basis.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) each year are expected to be unaffected by these reforms.

The government will provide further information on its plans for the British ISA in due course.

From 5 July 2024 until 17 October 2024, a total of 13,983 migrants arrived in the UK having crossed the Channel in small boats. Between 5 February 2024 (five months before the election) and 4 July, the total was 12,239.

It has been the normal pattern since the start of the small boat crossing in 2018 for arrivals in the summer months to exceed those in the earlier part of the year.

The table below provides the equivalent figures for the same time periods in prior years.

The accommodation estate is under constant review, as the Home Office continues to identify a range of options to minimise the use of hotels and ensure better use of public money, whilst maintaining sufficient accommodation to meet demand.

The Government believe it is right that those social tenants who have lived in their homes for many years retain the right to purchase their property at a reasonable discount. As such, we will not be ending the Right to Buy scheme.

We are, however, committed to better protecting our existing stock of social rented homes and are currently reviewing the increased right to buy discounts introduced in 2012. We will bring forward secondary legislation to implement changes in the Autumn.

We also intend to review Right to Buy more widely, including looking at eligibility criteria and protections for newly-built social housing. A consultation of these wider changes will be brought forward in the Autumn.

The Government is committed to the Windsor Framework and to protecting the UK internal market. In accordance with the law, the Government last month initiated the consent vote process in the Northern Ireland Assembly so that it may make its democratic decision on the continued application of Articles 5-10 of the Windsor Framework. The outcome of that vote is a matter for MLAs to decide.