Gregory Campbell

The Department has made no recent assessment of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 target of a 50% reduction of food waste by 2030.

Latest data from the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) showed that between 2007, the baseline used for reporting food waste progress, and 2021, UK per capita food waste fell by 26kg per person per year, representing an 18.3% reduction. To meet the Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 target of a 50% reduction by 2030, a further 45kg per person reduction or 32% of the baseline will be required.

Further measures to support young and novice drivers are being considered. More information will be set out in due course.

While it is our ambition through public ownership to deliver a more affordable railway, any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.

Through legislation, we will set out the role GBR will have in fares, ticketing, and other operational aspects of the railway. Fares and ticketing will continue to be the responsibility of train operators until Great British Railways is established.

Maritime has a key role to play in supporting the Governments missions, from clean energy, to growth, and supporting public health through tackling air pollution. We will shortly set out our next steps for reducing shipping emissions in a forthcoming maritime decarbonisation plan, which will include a package of policy and regulatory measures.

The 2022 EV Charging Infrastructure Strategy (UK electric vehicle infrastructure strategy - GOV.UK) set out forecasts of consumer demand for public chargepoints. These projections indicated that between 280,000 and 720,000 might be needed by 2030.

As of the 1 November there were over 71,000 public charging devices in the UK (Developing faster indicators of transport activity - GOV.UK). Between October 2023 and October 2024 the number of public charging devices grew by 42%.

We recognise the importance of technology working to support our road users and that is why the Department commissioned the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to undertake an independent review of the effectiveness of technology on smart motorways, including stopped vehicle detection (SVD) technology.

In 2023 the ORR confirmed that SVD is meeting performance requirements for detection rate, detection time, and false detection. The ORR will continue to monitor stopped vehicle detection performance closely and will report next in Spring 2025.

No estimate has been made as the department is unable to quantify the value of all passported benefits.

In addition to the Winter Fuel Payment, Pension Credit provides access to a number of other benefits and support including:

o help with rent via Housing Benefit;

o a Council Tax reduction;

o Cold Weather Payments and other help from the Social Fund including help with funeral costs;

o help with NHS dental treatment, glasses and transport costs;

o help with heating costs through the Warm Home Discount Scheme; and

o a free TV licence for those over 75.

We are urging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit by 21 December 2024, which is the latest date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment (or the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in Scotland).

Pension Credit in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities who are undertaking their own take-up activities targeting pensioners.

The Department’s campaign to promote Pension Credit has been running across Great Britain since September. The latest phase of the campaign, which launched on 8 November, is aimed at friends and family - especially adult children of eligible pensioners - asking them to tell people they know about Pension Credit, encourage them to check their eligibility, as well as help them make a claim. It is running on TV, radio, social media such as Facebook and Instagram, on YouTube and on advertising screens, including on GP and Post Office screens.

We are urging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit by 21 December 2024, which is the latest date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment (or the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in Scotland).

Pension Credit in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities who are undertaking their own take-up activities targeting pensioners.

Fraud and error in the social security system currently costs the taxpayer almost £10 billion a year and, since the pandemic, a total of £35 billion of taxpayers’ money has been incorrectly paid to those not entitled. The DWP is determined to reduce those levels.

The Eligibility Verification Measure (EVM) in the proposed Fraud, Error and Debt Bill will not give DWP access to any bank accounts, nor any information on how claimants spend their money. The proposed new power instead helps verify benefit eligibility, using very limited information from banks and financial institutions. As set out by the National Audit Office, access to data is key to prevention and detection of incorrect payments.

EVM will require banks and financial institutions to look within their own data to highlight where someone may not be eligible for the benefits they are receiving. The data will only be sent to DWP if there is a possible conflict with the benefit eligibility rules, such as the £16,000 capital limit in Universal Credit or individuals living abroad without notifying the Department.

The information gathered will help DWP identify incorrect payments, prevent debts from accruing for the claimant and help identify where there may be fraudulent activity. No benefit entitlement decision will be made solely because of the data obtained under EVM and a final decision on benefit entitlement will always involve a human agent.

Further details will be set out when the Bill is introduced to Parliament.

At Autumn Budget, the OBR updated their forecasts. This shows the impact of the Department’s plans to reduce fraud and error levels across the scorecard period. In addition to this, the Department provides annual updates on the effectiveness of their plans through the publication of the Annual Report and Accounts, where the latest UC forecast and outturn position for the financial year is published. DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 (HTML) - GOV.UK.

Whilst we have published forecasts in the past, they have been superseded and the latest forecast is not in the public domain.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community, including helping patients get a final diagnosis faster. We remain committed to delivering under the framework and will publish an England action plan in 2025.

People living with rare diseases often face long diagnostic odysseys, the time between symptoms first presenting and people receiving a definitive diagnosis. This can seriously affect patients’ mental and physical health, and has significant cost implications for the National Health Service. Under action 17, in 2023 we worked with National Institute for Health and Care Research to commission research to measure the diagnostic odyssey. The research project is expected run for two years, concluding in 2026. This research is a crucial step in establishing a baseline time to diagnosis. This baseline will enable us to better understand the impact of interventions designed to help patients get a final diagnosis faster.

Additionally, Genomics England has been allocated Department funding to explore the feasibility of using whole genome sequencing to screen for a defined set of genetic conditions in newborns, through an ethically approved research study. The Generation Study is evaluating the feasibility of using whole genome sequencing to screen up to 100,000 babies for over 200 rare conditions. The Generation Study will explore whether whole genome sequencing can diagnose rare diseases earlier and improve outcomes for newborn babies.

A national pause was introduced in 2018 for the use of vaginally inserted mesh to treat prolapse and the use of a retropubic sub-urethral mesh sling to treat stress urinary incontinence. Conditions were put in place for this pause, and NHS England continues to monitor the progress on meeting these conditions.

In response to the recommendations from the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety review, the Department and the National Health Service have taken steps to improve the collection and monitoring of outcome data. The Pelvic Organ Prolapse and Stress Urinary Incontinence registry will be launched in early 2025. NHS England is extending the registry to be United Kingdom-wide and improving the recording of patient outcomes and experience. The Department has also commissioned, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, a £1.56 million study to develop a patient reported outcome measures for prolapse, incontinence, and mesh complication surgery. This will improve collection of short- and long-term data on patient outcomes.

To provide support for women who have experienced complications from pelvic mesh implants, NHS England has established nine specialist mesh centres across England. These ensure that women in every region of England with complications of mesh inserted for urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse get the right support. Each mesh centre is led by a multi-disciplinary team to ensure patients get access to the specialist care and treatment that they need, including pain management and psychological support. As health is a devolved matter, these centres do not cover Northern Ireland.

NHS England is responsible for delivering the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening programme, including planning for the age extension in the programme from 60 down to 50 years old.

The age extension for bowel screening is already underway. NHS England started in April 2021 with the 56-year-old cohort and, based on modelling and clinical advice, has planned to gradually reduce to the age of 50 years old by 2025. This has been done to ensure that screening centres could manage any required increase in colonoscopy capacity.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer. The Department spends £1.5 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer being the largest area of spend at over £121.8 million in 2022/23. The NIHR spends more on cancer than any other disease group, reflecting its high priority.

Brain cancer remains one of the hardest to treat cancers in both adults and children and we urgently need more research to inform our efforts, which is why in September, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure that the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation. Further information on the new research funding opportunities is available at the following link:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/new-funding-opportunities-novel-brain-tumour-research-launched

The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health, including brain tumours. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.