David Chadwick

The House of Commons is committed to engaging and informing the public about its work. We currently use a range of social media platforms and channels to reach a diverse range of audiences. We continuously review all social media platforms used by the House, and emerging channels.

The number of members of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme in the constituencies and in Wales is as follows:

(a) Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe constituency - 151

(b) Neath and Swansea East constituency – 172

(c) Aberafan Maesteg constituency – 131

(d) Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare constituency - 376, and

(e) Wales – 4,048.

This information is from the scheme trustees and correct as at 30 October 2024. Some of these scheme members will not yet be in receipt of their pension, but we do not have a breakdown of that information at constituency level.

The Government’s clean energy superpower and growth missions will be enabled by a significant reinforcement of our electricity network, at all levels across the high voltage transmission and lower-voltage distribution networks. This is underway and includes working with Ofgem, the National Energy System Operator and industry to halve the development time for new transmission infrastructure and to reform the grid connections process.

Noise from onshore wind turbines is limited and in most instances well sited onshore wind turbines will not be built in close proximity to dwellings and will therefore have minimal noise impacts. Nevertheless, we recognise that there can be exceptions to the rule, and that noise can be a concern for communities when this is the case. That is why we work closely with acoustic experts and leading scientists to ensure that planning authorities from across the UK have access to the best guidance, so that they can measure and take account of noise emissions when making decisions on onshore wind infrastructure.

In the UK, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) authorises veterinary medicinal products under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 (as amended), with the aim of protecting public health, animal health, the environment, and to promote animal welfare. The VMD carefully balances the benefits of these medicines, including protection of companion animals and humans from parasitic and zoonotic diseases, against potential risks, including environmental impacts, and only authorises products if the benefits outweigh the risks.

We are aware of concerns about flea and tick treatments, particularly fipronil and imidacloprid, contributing to pollution in UK surface waters. Addressing this is a priority, and we have established the cross-government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment Group to develop strategies to reduce the environmental impact, focusing on reducing the exposure of these substances to watercourses.

The Midlife MOT is designed to help individuals in their 40s and 50s to stay in and return to work. Midlife MOT sessions are delivered through Jobcentre Plus for Universal Credit claimants aged 50+. The research on these sessions is currently ongoing and will be published upon completion.

The Private Sector Midlife MOT pilots were delivered through providers, direct to employees, in three pilot areas (the North East of England; Cornwall and Devon; and East Anglia). These pilots have now ended. Evaluation of the pilots was the responsibility of the programme providers individually. DWP also conducted in-house research as part of a wider evaluation strategy.

The Digital Midlife MOT website, providing access to financial, health and career guidance, is open to all and website analytics are continuously monitored. Further research into the Digital MOT website is ongoing and will be published upon completion.

The Midlife MOT is designed to help individuals in their 40s and 50s to stay in and return to work. Midlife MOT sessions are delivered through Jobcentre Plus for Universal Credit claimants aged 50+. The research on these sessions is currently ongoing and will be published upon completion.

The Private Sector Midlife MOT pilots were delivered through providers, direct to employees, in three pilot areas (the North East of England; Cornwall and Devon; and East Anglia). These pilots have now ended. Evaluation of the pilots was the responsibility of the programme providers individually. DWP also conducted in-house research as part of a wider evaluation strategy.

The Digital Midlife MOT website, providing access to financial, health and career guidance, is open to all and website analytics are continuously monitored. Further research into the Digital MOT website is ongoing and will be published upon completion.

Since June 2023, the pathway for COVID-19 treatments has been delegated from the former national pandemic-specific arrangements to more routine local arrangements for assessment and treatment. Integrated care boards are now responsible for ensuring that local health systems understand local pathways and how to refer patients for assessment and treatment. Information on treatments for COVID-19 is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/covid-19/treatments-for-covid-19/

This autumn, individuals who are immunocompromised or otherwise at high risk will receive booster vaccinations, following the recommendations of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. The UK Health Security Agency supports engagement within its remit with the voluntary and community sector, including through the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise Health and Wellbeing Alliance, the Immunocompromised Coalition, and organisations representing inclusion health groups.

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, and further explanatory information at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief. Around 500 estates across the UK are expected to be affected each year from 2026-27.

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

Estimates of the number of businesses in Wales that will benefit from changes to the Employment Allowance announced at Autumn Budget 2024 are not available.

My response to Parliamentary Question 11127 provides more details on the rules around trivial commutation.

The purpose of these rules is to provide individuals with flexibility, while also helping to reduce the administrative burden on pension schemes of paying small pensions. In the case of trivial commutation, the £30,000 limit applies to the aggregate value of an individual’s pensions, rather than to each pension pot. This is to prevent the commutation of much larger – non-trivial - pensions by splitting them into multiple smaller pots just before retirement.

The Government has no current plans to extend this limit.

For defined benefit (DB) pensions, trivial commutation continues to exist. If an individual’s total pension wealth across all DB pension schemes (excluding their state pension) is no more than £30,000, they may be able to surrender their pension for a taxable one-off payment (though usually up to 25% is available tax-free as with other kinds of pension withdrawal). Alternatively, if an individual’s pension within a scheme is valued at no more than £10,000, it may be possible to surrender this for a taxable one-off payment without any assessment against their total pension wealth.

For defined contribution pensions, trivial commutation was removed because Pension Freedoms reforms meant that trivial commutation was no longer needed.

Where medications are provided as part of the NHS’s statutory obligation of medical care, they are exempt from VAT. This means that medications are VAT-free for patients when provided to an in-patient in hospital. Furthermore, medications for out-patients prescribed by most hospital pharmacies are zero-rated for VAT, meaning that these pharmacies can recover their VAT costs and the medication is also VAT-free for patients.

While the NHS is unable to reclaim its VAT costs, due to the exemption, this irrecoverable VAT is taken into account in NHS funding.