Carla Denyer

This Government remains determined to restore order to the asylum system and clear the backlog of claims as quickly as possible.

Asylum seekers can apply for permission to work if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own. Those granted permission, can seek employment in roles on the Immigration Salary List.

We are also committed to delivering an asylum process that is gender sensitive – building on the Government’s wider strategy to tackle violence against women and girls.

The Government has committed that it will not revoke existing licences and will partner with business and workers to manage our existing fields for the entirety of their lifespan.

We have already consulted on revised environmental guidance for development consents to take into account emissions from burning extracted oil and gas to provide stability for industry.

This consultation closed in January, and we are working to have guidance in place as soon as possible.

The Department has paid a total of £26,773 in legal fees relating to the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields since 4 July 2024.

The UK is committed to transitioning away from fossil fuels and meeting global climate targets.

The Government supports action on decarbonising oil and gas production and is consulting on new guidance to ensure the impact of burning oil and gas is considered in the Environmental Impact Assessment for new projects. The Government will consult on its commitment to not issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields, in due course.

The Government will consult on its commitment to not issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields in due course.

At COP28, the UK and others agreed to transition away from fossil fuels in an orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade. This is essential to keep the global temperature limit of 1.5°C within reach. The Government has acted swiftly to consult on new environmental guidance for oil and gas firms to ensure that the impact of burning oil and gas is considered in the Environmental Impact Assessment for new projects.

The Government will consult on the implementation of its manifesto position, not to issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields, in due course.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential. The Government remains committed to meeting legal targets for air quality and continues to review the policy measures needed to achieve them. The NO₂ programme is working closely with local authorities to deliver air quality measures, including Clean Air Zones, to meet legal limits for NO₂ and improve the health of their residents.

The Air Quality Standards Regulations (2010) set a limit of 40µg/m³ for the annual average concentration of NO₂ (a component of NOx). This threshold, determined with consideration of pertinent health guidelines, aims to safeguard human health.

NOx is extensively monitored across the UK, and monitoring data is made available to the public in near real-time on Defra’s UK-AIR website. Defra annually publishes Air Quality Accredited Official Statistics, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/air-quality-and-emissions-statistics.

Through the NO₂ programme, Defra is working closely with local authorities to deliver air quality measures to meet legal limits for NO₂ and improve the health of their residents.

Further to this, in 2022, Defra updated the statutory policy and technical guidance for local authorities on their responsibilities for Local Air Quality Management, including achievement of legal air quality limits for local communities.

There are no current plans for the Department for Transport to publish an assessment of the differences in cost of public and home vehicle charging. A number of assessments are already publicly available such as this analysis by the RAC: Electric car public charging costs | RAC Charge Watch | RAC Drive

As set out in the Manifesto, the Government is committed to delivering an equitable transition to zero emission vehicles which works for all drivers. The Government regularly monitors the cost of public and home electric vehicle charging.

The Department agrees that the design and maintenance of footways has a major impact on how useable they are for different people, particularly disabled people. The report raises a number of important issues which the Department is considering carefully.

In 2020, the Department undertook a public consultation on options for changing the way pavement parking is managed outside London. We are considering the views received to inform the Government’s next steps for pavement parking policy. The formal consultation response will be available to view at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/managing-pavement-parking

Bereavement Support Payment is intended to help people through the immediate period following a bereavement. It is not a cost-of-living benefit like Universal Credit, which is generally increased in line with inflation. The rate of Bereavement Support Payment is reviewed on a discretionary basis as part of the annual uprating process, but there is no legal requirement to uprate it.

Whilst we have no plans to uprate BSP from April, the Government keeps all benefits including Bereavement Support Payments, under review.

Bereavement Support Payment is intended to help people through the immediate period following a bereavement. It is not a cost-of-living benefit like Universal Credit, which is generally increased in line with inflation. The rate of Bereavement Support Payment is reviewed on a discretionary basis as part of the annual uprating process, but there is no legal requirement to uprate it.

Whilst we have no plans to uprate BSP from April, the Government keeps all benefits including Bereavement Support Payments, under review.

102 pensioner households were targeted in the Bristol Central constituency as part of the Invitation to Claim initiative. The letters sent to these households encourage them to claim Pension Credit by 21 December which is the latest date for making a successful backdated claim and still receive a Winter Fuel payment.

Data on the number of claims received from the households targeted as part of the initiative, and the number of awards made will be established once the Department has completed processing all those applications and the necessary analysis is completed.

We know that waits for mental health services are far too long, including for children and young people.

That is why we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across children and adult mental health services, and introduce a specialist mental health professional in every school

We are not considering counsellors trained to Level 4 Diploma of Higher Education in counselling for these roles, however children and young people can be referred to higher qualified professionals if needs identified.

Following on from my answer to the question raised at health oral topical questions by the Hon. Member of Parliament for Gravesham, Dr Lauren Sullivan about the shortages of medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), I would like to confirm that the Department has been working hard with industry and NHS England to help resolve supply issues with some ADHD medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. As a result of intensive work, some issues have been resolved and all strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available.

We are continuing to work to resolve supply issues, where they remain, for methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets. We are engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. We expect the supply to improve in the UK throughout the rest of 2024. However, we anticipate supply to be limited for some strengths and we continue to work with all suppliers to ensure the remaining issues are resolved as soon as possible. To improve supply chain resiliency, we are also working with prospective new suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to expand the UK supplier base.

We are supporting an ADHD taskforce that NHS England is establishing to examine ADHD service provision. The taskforce will bring together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the National Health Service, education, and justice, to help provide a joined-up approach in response to concerns around rising demand. In collaboration with NHS England’s national ADHD data improvement plan, we plan to combine modelling for future growth forecasts, which will be shared with industry to improve demand forecasting for ADHD medicines.

To minimise the impact of the shortages on patients, the Department has worked with specialist clinicians, including those within the NHS, to develop management advice for NHS clinicians to consider prescribing available alternative brands of methylphenidate prolonged release tablets or available alternative ADHD medicines. We would expect ADHD service providers and specialists to follow our guidance, which includes offering rapid response to primary care teams seeking urgent advice or opinion for the management of patients, including those known to be at a higher risk of adverse impact because of these shortages.

To aid ADHD service providers and prescribers further we have widely disseminated our communications, and continually update a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website, helping ensure that those involved in the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medications can make informed decisions with patients.

NHS England, via the regional health and justice teams, has regular meetings with prison healthcare providers to ensure the quality of the services that are provided. These are also supplemented with local partnership boards where governors, commissioners, and providers meet to discuss any issues, risks, and areas of concern. This could include the number of prisoners who are currently under an Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork approach where there is a risk of self-harm, and the overall healthcare provision, including any issues around enablement.

The Dying Well in Custody Framework and supporting self-assessment framework describes a set of national standards for local adoption, and provides a tool for a local multi-disciplinary approach to providing agreed standards of palliative and end of life care to people in prison.

A study into the potential benefits and harms of puberty suppressing hormones as one of the treatment options for children and young people with gender incongruence is being developed through a joint programme between NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the research arm of the Department. The research will be co-sponsored by King’s College London and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. The study team has submitted its research application, and this is currently undergoing scientific review. In August, NHS England stated that the study protocol should be complete by December 2024 and, subject to academic approval, recruitment to the trial would commence in early 2025. Subject to the study achieving the necessary approvals, the NIHR will publish details of the award, including the planned trial duration and study completion date, on its website.

The Government's objective remans a negotiated two-state solution, with a sovereign Palestinian state, which includes the West Bank and Gaza, alongside a safe and secure Israel. In order to deliver this, it is clear that Palestinian civilians must be permitted to return to their communities in Gaza and rebuild and that there can be no forcible transfer of Gazans from or within Gaza, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. The new US administration played an integral role in negotiating the ceasefire agreement, alongside Qatar and Egypt. The UK will continue to work closely with the US to sustain the fragile ceasefire, ensure that all the hostages are released, increase the supply of aid, and break the ongoing cycle of violence in pursuit of a permanent, sustainable peace.

We will continue to engage with the US Administration on all our priorities, including the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We look forward to working with the incoming US Ambassador to London, once confirmed by the Senate. We have no plans to summon the Chargé d'Affaires.

We would oppose any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will. There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian civilians should be able to return to, and rebuild, their homes and their lives. That is a right guaranteed under international law.

The UK has taken extensive action to limit energy revenues that fund Russia's war. UK persons are prohibited from importing Russian Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) and acquiring Russian LNG with the intention of entering the UK. This prohibition also covers the provision of certain services relating to the import or acquisition of goods with the intention of entering the UK. The categories of services include financial services and funds which includes insurance-related services, brokering services and technical assistance.

The UK has taken extensive action to limit energy revenues that fund Russia's war in Ukraine. This includes Russian Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). UK persons are prohibited from importing Russian LNG and acquiring Russian LNG with the intention of entering the UK. This prohibition also covers the provision of certain services relating to the import or acquisition of LNG with the intention of entering the UK. In September 2024 we used new powers to specify carriers transporting Russian LNG, followed by a second set of vessels in October. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future sanctions.

The UK has taken extensive action to limit energy revenues that fund Russia's war. The UK prohibited the import of Russian LNG in January 2023 and banned the export of energy related goods, including those that support LNG production. We continue to consider all lawful and practical options to limit Russian energy revenues.

It is a long-standing convention that the government does not discuss individual taxpayers, and so the government cannot discuss the amount of tax relief available to individual companies in relation to the oil and gas fields they may have a commercial interest in.

The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) most recent forecast of tax revenues from the oil and gas sector was published at Autumn Budget 2024 in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook October 2024 (https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-october-2024/), which also includes other economic projections. The OBR’s tax revenue forecast does not give a breakdown by field or company to protect taxpayer confidentiality but takes into account the impact of relevant, available tax reliefs.

Where data is available, estimates of the cost of tax reliefs available to oil and gas companies are published on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-relief-statistics). This publication contains non-disclosive estimates of the number of claimants for each relief.

It is a long-standing convention that the government does not discuss individual taxpayers, and so the government cannot discuss the amount of tax relief available to individual companies in relation to the oil and gas fields they may have a commercial interest in.

The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) most recent forecast of tax revenues from the oil and gas sector was published at Autumn Budget 2024 in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook October 2024 (https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-october-2024/), which also includes other economic projections. The OBR’s tax revenue forecast does not give a breakdown by field or company to protect taxpayer confidentiality but takes into account the impact of relevant, available tax reliefs.

Where data is available, estimates of the cost of tax reliefs available to oil and gas companies are published on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-relief-statistics). This publication contains non-disclosive estimates of the number of claimants for each relief.

It is a long-standing convention that the government does not discuss individual taxpayers, and so the government cannot discuss the amount of tax relief available to individual companies in relation to the oil and gas fields they may have a commercial interest in.

The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) most recent forecast of tax revenues from the oil and gas sector was published at Autumn Budget 2024 in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook October 2024 (https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-october-2024/), which also includes other economic projections. The OBR’s tax revenue forecast does not give a breakdown by field or company to protect taxpayer confidentiality but takes into account the impact of relevant, available tax reliefs.

Where data is available, estimates of the cost of tax reliefs available to oil and gas companies are published on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-relief-statistics). This publication contains non-disclosive estimates of the number of claimants for each relief.

We are committed to delivering an asylum process that is gender sensitive, building on the Government’s wider strategy to tackle violence against women and girls. All decision-makers receive mandatory training on considering asylum claims and must follow published Home Office policy guidance, including guidance on gender issues, which covers specific forms of gender-based persecution.

The Home Office also continues to invest in a programme of transformation to speed up decision making and therefore reduce the time people spend in the asylum system. This approach will ensure that genuine asylum seekers can be accepted quickly and gain access to the labour market, and those who are not can be removed to their home country.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum claims by applicant type and sex is published in table Asy_D01 of the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to the year ending September 2024.

The requested data is not part of published statistics, and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

The requested data is not part of published statistics, and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

The work of the Independent Adviser on Political Violence and Disruption, including any engagement undertaken, is conducted independently from the Home Office.

The Home Office has no current plans to publish details of meetings held by the independent adviser on political violence and disruption.

The US is our closest security ally and, as you would expect, we maintain an open and ongoing dialogue on a range of defence issues. The intelligence we share bilaterally and through alliances such as the Five Eyes is fundamental to our own national security.

The government’s Planning Practice Guidance on Climate Change, its National Design Guide and National Model Design Code provide general guidance on how carbon impacts can be taken into account in the town and country planning process.

For Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, National Policy Statements set out not only the need case for the infrastructure, but also the principles and types of impact against which they will be assessed (including air quality and carbon impacts).

The Government has no current plans to reinstate Council Tax Benefit.

Local authorities have powers to tackle hazardous conditions in private rented housing, including being able to issue landlords with improvement notices. Non-compliance with local authority enforcement action is a criminal offence.

The Renters’ Rights Bill, currently before Parliament, will strengthen these powers and support local authorities to enforce effectively. The Bill will introduce a new civil penalty of up to £7,000 where private landlords have failed to keep their properties free of dangerous hazards and applies a Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector for the first time. The Bill also introduces a new Private Rented Sector Database which will enable local authorities to quickly identify landlords and better target enforcement.