Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to (a) tackle and (b) improve reporting rates of disability hate crime.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Disability hate crimes are completely unacceptable, and this Government is committed to tackling these appalling crimes.

We have a robust legislative framework in place in England and Wales to respond to hate crimes, including those which target disability, and we back the police in taking strong action against the perpetrators of these offences.

We are carefully considering next steps to tackle the full range of hate crime offences.

The Government funds an online hate crime reporting portal, True Vision, that was designed so that victims of all types of hate crime - including disability hate crime - do not have to visit a police station to report. The Government also funds the National Online Hate Crime Hub which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime. The Hub provides expert advice to police forces to support them in investigating these offences.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the threat posed to underwater cables by foreign states; and what steps are being taken across Government to protect this infrastructure.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office works closely on this issue across government, in particular with the Ministry of Defence, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, which is the lead department for developing policies for the security and resilience of underwater energy infrastructure and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, which is the lead government department for telecommunications and is responsible for developing policies to help ensure the security and resilience of underwater telecommunications cables.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions on transport companies who provide services for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance contributions (NICs).

The Government published a Tax Information and Impact Note on 13 November which sets out the impact of the employer NICs changes on employers.

At Autumn Budget 2024 and the recent provisional Local Government Finance Settlement, the Government announced £2 billion of new grant funding for local government in 2025-26. This includes £515m to support councils with the increase in employer National Insurance Contributions.

The £515m of additional funding made available to compensate local government for the impact of changes to employer NICs has been determined based on a national assessment of the costs for directly employed staff across the public sector. However, this funding is unringfenced and it is for LAs to determine how to use this funding across relevant services and responsibilities.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the level of support provided by employers to their employees with ADHD.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Neurodivergent people bring many positive benefits to businesses but face particular barriers to employment, which is reflected in a poor overall employment rate. As a government, we want to support all forms of neurodiversity in the workplace, including ADHD, by encouraging employers to adopt neuro-inclusive working practices so that everyone can thrive at work.

On 29^th January, the Government launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work.

In keeping with the Government’s pledge to bring disabled voices closer to decision-making, at least half of the panel are neurodiverse themselves.

The panel will consider the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate. They will make recommendations in the Summer which consider likely mechanisms for change.

In parallel, we are working with other areas of government to promote awareness of neurodiversity amongst employers, and we recently announced Keep Britain Working, a major independent review of the employer’s role in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces, led by the former Chair of John Lewis, Sir Charlie Mayfield.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure police training is updated so that victims of disability hate crime are appropriately supported.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

We have committed to ensuring parity of protection for disabled and LGBT+ people under the aggravated offences and will implement this change in an appropriate legislative vehicle in due course.

The College of Policing is responsible for police training in England and Wales and publishes operational guidance for police, known as ‘Authorised Professional Practice’ (APP), on how to deal with different types of crimes and incidents, including hate crimes. The College of Policing keeps its APP is under review.

The Government funds the National Online Hate Crime Hub which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime. The Hub provides expert advice to police forces to support them in investigating these offences.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's planned timetable is for bringing forward legislative proposals to make disability hate crime an aggravated offence.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

We have committed to ensuring parity of protection for disabled and LGBT+ people under the aggravated offences and will implement this change in an appropriate legislative vehicle in due course.

The College of Policing is responsible for police training in England and Wales and publishes operational guidance for police, known as ‘Authorised Professional Practice’ (APP), on how to deal with different types of crimes and incidents, including hate crimes. The College of Policing keeps its APP is under review.

The Government funds the National Online Hate Crime Hub which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime. The Hub provides expert advice to police forces to support them in investigating these offences.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to take steps to upgrade the Salisbury to Exeter railway line from a single track with passing points to a double-track system.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Future rail infrastructure investment will be considered as part of the current Spending Review, which will be concluded in June 2025.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department has taken to support the electrification of the Salisbury to Exeter railway line.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Future rail infrastructure investment will be considered as part of the current Spending Review, which will be concluded in June 2025.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the motor insurance sector on trends in the level of insurance prices for first-time drivers.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The cross-Government motor insurance taskforce, launched in October, is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The taskforce is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector.

The taskforce has been set up to support the Government’s missions to grow the economy and break down the barriers to opportunity for drivers of all ages, by acting on the cost pressures facing industry. We will provide updates on the taskforce’s work in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of car insurance costs on the ability of young people to access employment.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The cross-Government motor insurance taskforce, launched in October, is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The taskforce is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector.

The taskforce has been set up to support the Government’s missions to grow the economy and break down the barriers to opportunity for drivers of all ages, by acting on the cost pressures facing industry. We will provide updates on the taskforce’s work in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of untreated sewage discharges into the River Lim on the environment.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.

That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Bill. The Bill will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.

In October 2024, the Secretary of State and the Welsh Government launched an Independent Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, into the water sector and its regulation, in what is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. These wide-ranging recommendations will form the basis of further legislation to attract long-term investment and clean up our waters for good.

As part of Price Review 2024 (PR24), which runs from 2025–2030, water companies will be delivering record levels of investment: £104 billion over the next five years. This includes South West Water delivering £749 million of investment over the next five years in storm overflows, continuous water quality monitoring and event duration monitoring.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with South West Water on steps to upgrade the sewage processing facilities on the River Lim.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.

That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Bill. The Bill will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.

In October 2024, the Secretary of State and the Welsh Government launched an Independent Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, into the water sector and its regulation, in what is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. These wide-ranging recommendations will form the basis of further legislation to attract long-term investment and clean up our waters for good.

As part of Price Review 2024 (PR24), which runs from 2025–2030, water companies will be delivering record levels of investment: £104 billion over the next five years. This includes South West Water delivering £749 million of investment over the next five years in storm overflows, continuous water quality monitoring and event duration monitoring.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the level of support provided by the NHS to people with ADHD after they have left full-time education.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for the assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nationally or for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners.

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including ADHD assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and support across sectors, and their impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.

Alongside the work of the taskforce, NHS England will continue to develop a national ADHD data improvement plan, carry out more detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from local health systems which are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services to ensure best practice is captured and shared across the system.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the average waiting time for an ADHD assessment.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for the assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nationally or for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners.

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including ADHD assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and support across sectors, and their impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.

Alongside the work of the taskforce, NHS England will continue to develop a national ADHD data improvement plan, carry out more detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from local health systems which are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services to ensure best practice is captured and shared across the system.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of support for people with ADHD outside the school environment.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for the assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nationally or for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners.

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including ADHD assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and support across sectors, and their impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.

Alongside the work of the taskforce, NHS England will continue to develop a national ADHD data improvement plan, carry out more detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from local health systems which are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services to ensure best practice is captured and shared across the system.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for adult ADHD assessments in rural areas.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for the assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nationally or for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners.

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including ADHD assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and support across sectors, and their impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.

Alongside the work of the taskforce, NHS England will continue to develop a national ADHD data improvement plan, carry out more detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from local health systems which are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services to ensure best practice is captured and shared across the system.

Air Gunner Jim Squires

Changes to Overseas Development Assistance

Regional Inequalities in energy pricing

Citizenship for refugees

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide charity

Snares

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome

NHS targets

Female football boots

Mental health in farming

Proposals to forcibly displace and ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza