Ashley Fox

Our Get Britain Working plan will support more disabled people and people with health conditions to enter work and stay in it. We will devolve power to local areas to join up work, health and skills support for local people.

Although standing charges are a commercial matter for suppliers, and are regulated by Ofgem, we know that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on them. The Government has worked constructively with the regulator on the issue of standing charges, and we are committed to lowering the cost of them.

Ofgem’s recently published discussion paper sets out the options for how standing charges could be reduced, including by moving some supplier operational costs off standing charges onto the unit rate, increasing the variety of tariffs available for consumer in the market, and in the longer term, reviewing how system costs are allocated. Ofgem's publication can be found here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/call-for-input/standing-charges-domestic-retail-options.

Although standing charges are a commercial matter for suppliers, and are regulated by Ofgem, we know that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on them. The Government has worked constructively with the regulator on the issue of standing charges, and we are committed to lowering the cost of them.

Ofgem’s recently published discussion paper sets out the options for how standing charges could be reduced, including by moving some supplier operational costs off standing charges onto the unit rate, increasing the variety of tariffs available for consumer in the market, and in the longer term, reviewing how system costs are allocated. Ofgem's publication can be found here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/call-for-input/standing-charges-domestic-retail-options.

The Solar Roadmap will be published after consultation with the relaunched Solar Taskforce, which will bring together Government and industry to discuss barriers to solar deployment. The nature of any targets included in the Roadmap will be for the Taskforce to consider.

At present, many smaller-scale commercial rooftop projects are covered by permitted development rights, which allow them to be installed without an application for planning consent. From next year, Future Buildings Standards will ensure that all newly-built commercial buildings are fit for a net zero future. Further measures to encourage rooftop installations will be considered by the Solar Taskforce.

Solar power is crucial to achieving net zero, providing an abundant source of cleaner, cheaper energy on the mission towards 2030. The total area used for solar farms is very small, and – even in the most ambitious scenarios – solar farms will occupy less than 1% of the UK’s agricultural land.

We intend to publish a National Action Plan in due course that reflects the Government’s priorities and ambitions to minimise the risks and impact of pesticides on human health and the environment, and to facilitate sustainable use.

The government is committed to reforming or replacing the Work Capability Assessment, alongside putting in place a proper plan to support disabled people into work. We will say more about this in due course.

We want people to avoid poverty, and for this to happen we must ensure that disabled people with health conditions have the opportunity to work and save for as long as they wish and are able to. We will continue to engage with stakeholders to keep the views of disabled people and people with health conditions at the heart of what we do, as we consider our next steps.

It is important that eligible individuals receive the aftercare they are entitled to under section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983, in order for them to stay well and to prevent readmission or detention.

The Discharge from Mental Health Inpatient Settings statutory guidance, published in January 2024, supports local authorities and integrated care boards to meet the requirements of section 117. It provides clarity in relation to how health and care systems can work together to support discharge from all mental health inpatient settings and ensure the right support in the community. It includes best practice on how patients and carers should be involved in discharge planning, and additional guidance on how budgets and responsibilities are shared to pay for aftercare under section 117. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/discharge-from-mental-health-inpatient-settings

This year the National Health Service and local authorities are receiving £1 billion through the Discharge Fund. Local authorities and NHS integrated care boards have the flexibility to spend this investment in ways they deem most appropriate for their local area.

More broadly, we are committed to building consensus on the long-term reform needed to create a National Care Service based on consistent national standards. We will set out next steps for a process that engages with adult social care stakeholders, including cross-party and people with lived experience of care.

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 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 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced guidance on the recognition and referral of suspected neurological conditions, which was last updated in October 2023. This guideline covers the initial assessment of symptoms and signs that might indicate a neurological condition, such as Chiari malformation. It helps non-specialist healthcare professionals to identify people who should be offered referral for specialist investigation.

The Royal College of General Practitioners has also produced an e-learning module on the recognition and referral of suspected neurological conditions, to raise awareness of these conditions and their associated symptoms amongst general practitioners.

At the national level, there are several initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with neurological conditions such as Chiari malformation, including the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology. NHS England has also established a Neurology Service Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically-led programme to develop a new model of integrated care for neurology services.

The UK oversees a portfolio of bilateral and multilateral development programmes that seek to improve access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). In 2022, the UK provided £124 million of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for programmes which help improve WASH access; this includes £45 million of bilateral ODA and £79 million of multilateral ODA. Official figures for 2023 will be published in Autumn 2024. These programmes include an £18.5 million WASH Systems for Health programme, which supports governments in developing countries to strengthen the systems that provide WASH services. This financial year we will continue to fund these programmes and work closely with our partners to ensure equitable access to WASH services.

The UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending is reported on a calendar year basis. In 2023, the UK's country specific bilateral ODA spend on India was £25.5m (focused mainly on tackling the climate crisis), on China was £7.2m (focused mainly on British Council spend), and on Iran was around £134,000 (focused on cultural exchange). We do not provide funding to the Governments of India, China or Iran. These countries have space agencies capable of launching and operating orbital satellites. The FCDO is reviewing its ODA spending plans for the financial year 2024/25 and will publish these in due course.

In the July Statement, the Chancellor set out that all departments will find a 2% saving against their administration budgets so that we can improve the efficiency of the public sector, and prioritise frontline services. This government is also committed to bringing down rates of fraud and error in the welfare system, ensuring support is targeted to those who need it.

As set out in the King’s Speech, the Government intend to publish draft legislation on leasehold and commonhold reform in this parliamentary session.