Alison Bennett

There is a robust regulatory framework that addresses the health and safety risks associated with grid-scale battery storage. Specifically, the Health and Safety at Work Act and secondary legislation places legal duties on employers to manage risks to employees and anyone else who may be affected. It is the policy of the Health and Safety Executive to continue to review its regulatory framework to make sure it works in a time of innovation.

The government is not responsible for setting or making recommendations about teacher pay in further education (FE) colleges, including sixth form colleges which unlike 16-19 academies are part of the statutory FE sector.

The Autumn Budget 2024 set out the government’s commitment to skills, by providing an additional £300 million revenue funding for FE to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs. The department recognises the vital role that FE teachers and providers play in equipping learners with the opportunities and skills they need to succeed in their education. The department will set out in due course how this funding will be distributed.

This builds on our investment to extend targeted retention incentive payments of up to £6,000 after tax to eligible early career FE teachers in key subject areas, including in sixth form colleges. The department is also delivering funding to support those young people who do not pass mathematics and English GCSE at 16, who are predominantly studying in FE.

The department has continued to offer financial incentives for those undertaking teacher training for the FE sector in priority subject areas. For the 2024/2025 academic year, training bursaries are worth up to £30,000 each, tax free, with further information about schemes for future years in due course. Additionally, we are supporting industry professionals to enter the teaching workforce through our Taking Teaching Further programme.

GB operates a pesticides regime based on assimilated EU law and continues to base decisions on the use of pesticides on careful scientific assessment. This includes maximum residue levels, which are set below, and usually well below, the level considered to be safe for people to eat.

Defra keeps the GB pesticides regulatory framework under continued review so that the regime is efficient and effective in ensuring pesticides will not harm human health or pose unacceptable risks to the environment.

The Pension Protection Fund rules on indexation have been the subject of much discussion. I will continue to consider this issue, and the valuable report of the Work and Pensions Select Committee report from March 2024. The Government will respond fully to its recommendations in the coming months.

The income taper in Housing Benefit ensures people in work are better off than someone wholly reliant on benefits. The Department acknowledges, however, there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those living in Supported Housing or Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit. The department will consider the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.

Notwithstanding these positive outcomes from work, the Department acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those residing in Supported Housing or Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit. The department will consider the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.

We want new mothers to be able to take time away from work in the later stages of their pregnancy and in the months following childbirth, in the interests of their own and their baby’s health and wellbeing. Maternity pay is paid for each pregnancy, not in respect of each child. For paternity pay, it is also paid at the statutory rate, even if you have more than one child, for example twins.

Parental pay is reviewed annually at the discretion of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. From April 2025, the rate will increase by September 2024's CPI figure of 1.7%, subject to parliamentary approval, from £184.03 to £187.18 per week.

Parental pay is only one element of the support available for parents. Depending on individual circumstances, additional financial support, for example, Universal Credit, Child Benefit and the Sure Start Maternity Grant (a lump sum payment of £500) may also be available.

The Sure Start Maternity Grant is a grant of £500 to provide help with the costs associated with the expenses of a baby (or babies in the event of a multiple birth) expected, born, adopted, or the subject of a parental or residence order or other similar arrangements if there are no other children under the age of 16 in the claimant’s family. You might be entitled to more than one payment in the event of a multiple birth.

We recognise that autistic people face particular barriers to employment, which is reflected in a poor overall employment rate. In our plan to make work pay, we committed to raising awareness of neurodiversity in the workplace.

Our forthcoming employment White Paper considers how to improve employment outcomes and experiences for disabled people and people with health conditions. We are exploring how we can build on the earlier, independent, Buckland Review which was focused more narrowly on autism and employment, to improve understanding and support for all neurodivergent people at work.

We also have a range of specialist initiatives which can provide support to neurodivergent people to get back into work and stay in work, including support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants.

Employers will also be a large part of our success in this work. Our current support to employers includes a digital information service for employers, and the Disability Confident scheme. We will be considering how to enhance our work with employers in the months ahead.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work is continuing on joint advice from the Department and NHS England about the offer around NHS-funded fertility services, including the issues for female same sex couples.

Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. We expect these organisations to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England. NICE is currently reviewing these guidelines.

No assessment has been made, as health is a devolved matter and decisions on the availability of medicines in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are a matter for their own administrations.

Decisions on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service in England are made on the basis of recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), following an evaluation of a treatment’s costs and benefits. These are very difficult decisions to make, and it is important that they are made independently and on the basis of the available evidence.

NICE published guidance in July 2024 on the use of Enhertu for the treatment of HER-2 low metastatic and unresectable breast cancer and was unfortunately unable to recommend it for routine NHS funding. I understand that NICE and NHS England have sought to apply as much flexibility as they can in their considerations of Enhertu for HER2-low breast cancer, and have made it clear to the companies that their pricing of the drug remains the only obstacle to access.

Ministers met with the manufacturers of Enhertu, AstraZeneca, and Daiichi Sankyo in November 2024, to encourage them to re-engage in commercial discussions with NHS England. Despite NICE and NHS England offering unprecedented flexibilities, the companies were unable to offer Enhertu at a cost-effective price. NICE’s guidance, published in July 2024, will therefore remain unchanged. Although the deadline for a rapid review has now passed, NICE has reassured me that the door remains open for the companies to enter into a new NICE appraisal if they are willing to offer Enhertu at a cost-effective price.

We are committed to improving care and support for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). We recognise how devastating the symptoms can be, and the significant impact they can have on patients and their families.

The Department has reconvened the ME/CFS Task and Finish Group, including senior Department and cross-Government officials, ME/CFS specialists and representatives from NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the devolved administrations, and ME/CFS charities and organisations. With stakeholder engagement via the ME/CFS Task and Finish Group, we are developing the final delivery plan for ME/CFS, which we aim to publish by the end of March. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.

The Department is also working with NHS England to develop an e-learning programme on ME/CFS for healthcare professionals, with the aim of supporting staff to be able to provide better care and improve patient outcomes. Sessions one and two of the e-learning programme are now available. The third session will become available later in 2025.

The Medical Schools Council will promote the NHS England e-learning programme on ME/CFS to all United Kingdom medical schools, and encourage those medical schools to provide undergraduates with direct patient experience of ME/CFS. The General Medical Council (GMC) is the regulator of medical schools, and it is important that education is reenforced at different stages of medical training. Royal colleges play an important role in this. The GMC has included ME/CFS in the content map for the new national exam, so all medical schools will need to teach it as a subject.

NHS England is currently undertaking a stocktake, commissioned in September 2024 and due at the end of January 2025, that will provide a more accurate, in-depth overview of the position of post-COVID-19 services across England. The scope of this commission has been extended to include ME/CFS services.

The Government and NHS England support the clinical case for services which help to prevent fragility fractures and support the patients who sustain them. According to the Fracture Liaison Service Database 2022, at least 60 trusts in England had access to a Fracture Liaison Service. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is committed to rolling out fracture liaison services across every part of the country by 2030.

We continue to condemn the Taliban's draconian restrictions on women and girls' rights. Those responsible for international crimes committed in Afghanistan should be held to account for their actions. We note the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor's application for arrest warrants against Taliban leaders in relation to the persecution of women and girls in Afghanistan. We welcome the progress being made in the investigation in Afghanistan. The UK Government respects the independence of the ICC. It is for the ICC Prosecutor to determine independently who should be prosecuted in accordance with his mandate under the Rome Statute.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is aware of calls for the inclusion of a new crime of gender apartheid in the draft Crimes Against Humanity Convention. We are assessing the merits and risks of such an approach by engaging closely with civil society and other partners to understand their views, and determine whether new international law is needed and would be beneficial.

The normal minimum pension age is the lowest age at which the majority of members can take benefits from a registered pension scheme without incurring tax charges, except in cases of ill-health. It will increase from age 55 to age 57 in April 2028.

The Government keeps all tax rules under review.

There are no plans to review the classification of mobility scooters. HMRC classify mobility scooters under the description of ‘Vehicles specially designed for travelling on snow, golf cars and similar vehicles’ under tariff heading 8703, which is in line with classification decisions issued in 2001 by the World Customs Organization.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to UIN 3433.

The Government is fully committed to the transition to electric vehicles and a strong second-hand market for EVs plays an important role in this.

The Company Car Tax regime helps support the used electric vehicle markets, where electric company cars are sold after the end of their lease. The majority of cars are bought in the UK’s second hand markets. At Autumn Budget the Government announced new Company Car Tax rates for 2028-29 and 2029-30 which will maintain very generous incentives to support electric vehicle take-up, and therefore the entry of electric vehicles into the second-hand market.

More widely, the UK has a range of measures to support people to transition to zero emission vehicles. At Autumn Budget we announced £2.3bn of funding for the automotive sector up to 2030 to support the transition. We also announced support including investment in the plug-in grant for vans, favourable taxation rates, and funding for charging infrastructure across all of England. The UK’s charging network continues to grow at pace – there are now over 73,000 public chargepoints - a year on year increase of over 37%.

A Tax Information and Impact Note that covers the Employer National Insurance changes was published by HMRC on 13 November.

The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer National Insurance costs. This does not include support for the private sector, including private sector firms contracted by central or local government.

This is the usual approach Government takes to supporting the public sector with additional Employer National Insurance contributions as was the case with the previous Government’s Health and Social Care Levy.

The government considered the cost pressures facing adult social care and wider local government spending as part of the Budget process in the usual way.

The government is providing a real-terms increase in core local government spending power of around 3.2% in 2025-26, including at least £600m of new grant funding provided to social care, which can be used to address the range of pressures facing the sector.

This exemption will apply until probate is granted (or letters of administration are signed) and while the dwelling remains unoccupied. A further 6-month exemption may apply following probate, so long as the dwelling remains unoccupied and has not been sold or transferred. The government does not have any plans to change this exemption.

The Government has no plans to make these bodies statutory consultees on applications for battery energy storage systems. I would encourage applicants to refer to the relevant Planning Practice Guidance, which details what applicants seeking planning permission for battery energy storage systems can do to ensure they consider any potential risks.