Bayo Alaba

This Government is co-producing a National Youth Strategy with young people and the youth sector to set out a new vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this. We expect this work to cover the current needs of young people, access to safe spaces, preferences for activities to access local areas outside of school, and much more. We plan to publish the strategy in the summer.

In 2025/26, we will launch the Local Youth Transformation pilot to support local authorities and their partners to improve their capability to improve local youth offers.

We are also allocating over £85m of capital funding to create welcoming spaces for young people through the new Better Youth Spaces fund and completing the Youth Investment Fund projects.

The main pollutants affecting air quality from bunker fuels are nitrous oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SOx) and particulate matter (PM). These pollutants are well understood and international regulations have been in place for several years. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) introduced regulation limiting the sulphur content of fuel in 2020, which led to an immediate 70% reduction in sulphur oxide emissions.

The IMO also has strict controls on nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions, with global limits on NOx emissions from marine engines and additional Emissions Control Areas subject to even more stringent controls. The production of particulate matter is not currently regulated by the IMO, but domestic targets were introduced under the Environment Act 2021.

Air quality is expected to improve with the switch to future fuels as part of the transition to net zero and my department will continue to develop the evidence base to understand any air quality impacts.

The Department supports people nearing the end of life through special benefit rules – called the Special Rules for End of Life (‘Special Rules’). For many years, the Special Rules applied to people who have 6 months or less to live, they now apply to people who have 12 months or less to live.

This definition is set out in the Social Security (Special Rules for End of Life) Bill 2022 passed under the last Government.

This Government has no current plans to extend the Special Rules eligibility criteria beyond 12 months. The 12-month criteria aligns with the definition of end of life used across the NHS

The Department recognises that determining an end-of-life prognosis is challenging. The current definition in legislation is clear; it applies where there is a reasonable expectation that death in consequence of a progressive disease is expected in the next 12-months. We support this in our guidance for clinicians, where we ask clinicians to consider: “their patient’s ‘estimated prognosis’ and whether it would not come as a surprise if their patient were to die in the next 12 months.”

In the first and fourth years of an undergraduate medical course, and in the first year of a graduate-entry course, domestic students can access support from Student Finance England (SFE). This includes a partially means-tested loan for living costs. In addition, this group of students can apply to SFE for a fully means tested grant for travel to attend a hospital or other premises in the United Kingdom at which facilities for clinical training are provided.

During these years, the Education and Training Tariff also provides support for travel and dual accommodation costs incurred as a result of practice placements.

From the fifth year of an undergraduate course, and from the second year of a graduate-entry course, medical students can access the NHS Bursary. This is non-repayable and comprises of payment towards tuition fees and, where eligible, further grants and allowances. During practice placements, medical students can also claim reimbursement towards travel and accommodation via the NHS Bursary. Students eligible for the NHS Bursary can also apply for a reduced rate loan for living costs from SFE.

Funding arrangements are reviewed annually ahead of the start of each academic year.

Following the call for evidence on strengthening controls on crossbows on public safety grounds, which was held between 14 February to 9 April this year, and tested ideas for different approaches to licensing and registration around the ownership and sale of crossbows and asked for evidence to understand the potential impacts, we have reviewed the responses and we are considering whether further controls on crossbows need to be introduced.

We will publish the Government’s response to the call for evidence shortly and this will set out the next steps on whether to introduce further new controls.

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).