Manuela Perteghella

We are absolutely committed to supporting pensioners and giving them the dignity and security they deserve in retirement.

It is not possible to make direct, like for like comparisons between State Pension amounts received under the pre 2016 State Pension system and the new State Pension. Under both systems, the amount people are entitled to varies according to their National Insurance record. It is not the case that everyone in the new system receives more than everyone in the pre 2016 system.

As not all new UC customers require the same level of immediate support, replacing every new customer’s advance with a UC grant would lead to significantly increased expenditure and the potential for increased fraud and error in the social security system.

We are committed to reviewing Universal Credit, to make sure it is doing the job we want it to. We will set out the details of this in due course.

The Secretary of State has an obligation to protect public funds and to ensure that, wherever possible, an overpayment is recovered. It is our policy to recover all debt where it is reasonable and cost effective to do so. Debts should be recovered as quickly and cost effectively as possible without causing undue financial hardship.

There are no plans to write off overpayments made in error.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates were restored to the 30th percentile of local market rents from April 2024 for one year.

Decisions on LHA for future years will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, housing priorities, and the fiscal context.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to her previous Question 6897 on 14 October.

We continue to keep under review awards, their durations and award review periods.

I have interpreted your question to refer to the adequacy of the input provided by the assessment supplier (AS) health professional (HP) during a PIP review. All decisions on entitlement to PIP, whether at initial claim or review, are made by DWP case managers (CM).

CMs, whilst not medically qualified, do receive extensive training to enable them to evaluate a claim and assess the individual’s needs. They have access to expert advice from HPs, if required, and can make requests for supplementary advice at any stage in the decision-making process. Advice should be clear, succinct, justified and in accordance with the consensus of medical opinion. Where a CM is then still unable to make a decision on the PIP review, the case will be referred to the AS for an assessment.

During the assessment stage the HP is able to source additional evidence from professionals such as the individuals GP, occupational therapist, community psychiatric nurse and/or any other health professionals involved in the individual’s care. They have access to guidance and support (such as Condition Insight Reports and Continuous Professional Development modules) on how certain conditions present and how they might affect function. The APs also have access to Mental Function Champions (MFC) who can provide advice and support to HPs on health conditions and disabilities affecting mental, cognitive, intellectual, and behavioural function.

The quality of any advice provided by the HP, whether via supplementary advice or the assessment report is a priority for all AS’s and the department. The department works extensively with ASs to make improvements to guidance, training, and audit procedures to ensure a quality service, supported by an independent audit function that continually monitors performance and provides feedback to its ASs.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why 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.

In the five years between 2018/19 and 2022/23, the NIHR spent over £11.3 million on research projects focussed on brain tumours. In addition, our wider investments in NIHR research infrastructure, including facilities, services, and the research workforce, further allows us to leverage research funding from other donors and organisations. These investments are estimated to be £31.5 million, between 2018/19 and 2022/23, and have enabled 227 brain cancer research studies to take place in the same period.

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 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 is available at the following link:

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

We are committed to furthering our investment and support for high-quality brain tumour research, ensuring that the funding is used in the most meaningful and impactful way.

We have committed to develop a 10-Year Health Plan to deliver an NHS fit for the future, by driving three shifts in the way health care is delivered, specifically: moving healthcare from hospital to the community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. We will carefully consider policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders, including those in the hospice sector, as we develop the plan.

Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing National Health Services.  The amount of funding charitable hospices receive varies by integrated care board (ICB) area, and will, in part, be dependent on the breadth of palliative and end of life care provision within each ICB catchment area.

I recently met with NHS England and discussions have begun on how to reduce inequalities and variation in access to, and the quality of, palliative and end of life care in England.  We will consider next steps on palliative and end of life care, including hospice funding, in the coming months.

Since 2020, the National Health Service in England has invested significantly in supporting people with long COVID. This includes setting up specialist post-COVID services nationwide for adults, and children and young people, as well as investing in ensuring general practice (GP) teams are equipped to support people affected by the condition.

As of 1 April 2024, there are over 90 adult post-COVID services across England, along with an additional 10 children and young people’s hubs. These services assess people with long COVID and direct them into care pathways which provide appropriate support and treatment. GPs will assess patients that have COVID-19 symptoms lasting longer than four weeks, and refer them into a long COVID service where appropriate. Referral should be via a single point of access, which is managed by clinician-led triage.

More widely, we are committed to moving to a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered in local communities, to spot problems earlier. This includes shifting resources to primary care and community services over time.

Having suffered from long COVID myself, improving services and outcomes for patients remains a priority.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for arranging healthcare services that meet the needs of their population, including those provided for by community hospitals in rural areas. ICBs are best placed to use local autonomy to determine the needs of their respective populations and how best to address them.

As part of the Government’s five missions, the Department will launch a 10-year plan for change and modernisation, to make the National Health Service fit for the future. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, sickness to prevention.

This Government stands firm on human rights, including China's repression of the people of Tibet. We will champion freedom of religion or belief for all abroad, and work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement.

The Foreign Secretary raised human rights in his first meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 26 July.

Both the UK and the EU allow for visa-free short-term travel in line with their arrangements for third country nationals. The UK allows EU citizens short-term visa-free travel for up to six months. Meanwhile, the Schengen Borders Code allows for third country nationals to travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; this is standard for third country nationals travelling to the EU. While we recognise that extending the 90-180 day period is a matter for Member States and the EU, the Government will continue to listen to and advocate for UK nationals abroad.

The Chancellor has now set out departmental budgets and the spending priorities for Phase 1 of the Spending Review. The outcome of individual programmes, such as the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, will now be assessed during the departmental Business Planning process.

The Government is working to improve living standards for everyone across the country. A new Ministerial Taskforce has been established to develop a comprehensive strategy to reduce child poverty. In addition, the government is introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on debt deductions in Universal Credit (UC), extending the Household Support Fund for another six months until 31 March 2025 – then extending this further for 2025-26, and continuing to make Discretionary Housing Payments in 2025-26. This package – which provides help on debt repayments, help during a crisis, and support for those struggling most with the cost of essentials – will improve economic security and resilience for those who need it most.

The Government has also put growth as its number one mission, which will help families by boosting wages and putting more money in people’s pockets. The approach of this government will centre on fostering good work. We will ensure the minimum wage is a true living wage and reform employment support to offer more people the dignity and purpose of meaningful employment.

In relation to small businesses, the government is committed to making it easier for start-ups and scale-ups to access external sources of financial support. This includes extending the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trust schemes to 2035; committing over £250 million in funding in 2025-26 for the British Business Bank’s small business loans programmes; ensuring small businesses can access UK Export Finance’s support and exploring the need for new products to support small exporters to access the insurance and finance they need; and publishing post implementation reviews of the Bank Referral Scheme and Commercial Credit Data Sharing Scheme. The government now intends to consult on enhancing both policies to better support SME access to finance.

Late payments can bring cash-flow challenges for small businesses. We have already taken action to tackle late payments through passing additional reporting requirements for large firms in August, and the announcement of a consultation on options to go further. At Budget, we also announced from 1 October 2025, companies bidding for government contracts over £5 million per annum will be excluded from the procurement process if they do not pay their own suppliers within an average of 45 days. The government also views increasing its procurement spend with small businesses as an important economic growth lever, with further details on implementing this to be set out in the National Procurement Policy Statement next year.

The government will maintain the Corporation Tax Small Profits Rate and marginal relief at their current rate and thresholds. This means 9 in 10 actively trading companies, including a majority of SMEs, will have a Corporation Tax rate lower than 25%. The £1 million Annual Investment Allowance will also be kept in place to provide the certainty businesses need to invest.

The Chancellor set out her plans on tax at the Budget. The Digital Services Tax (DST) is a 2% tax on digital services providers, and it was implemented in April 2020 as a temporary solution to widely held concerns with international corporate tax.

The UK remains committed to reaching a global solution on the taxation of the digital economy through Pillar 1 of the G20-OECD Inclusive Framework project. It is the UK’s intention to repeal the DST when this international solution is in place.

Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee's expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle.

Voluntary organisations reimbursing volunteers can either use the AMAP rates or reimburse the actual cost incurred. Actual costs above the AMAP rate can be reimbursed without incurring a tax liability, so long as drivers can provide evidence of their costs. It is ultimately up to the voluntary organisation to determine the amount they reimburse to volunteers.

The AMAP rate is intended to reflect both running costs (such as fuel) and a proportion of standing costs (such as insurance, MOT and depreciation). Therefore, in estimating typical motoring costs per business mile the Government must consider the weighting given to each component and how to apportion certain costs.

As with all taxes and allowances, the Government will continue to keeps the AMAP rate under review. Any changes to the AMAP rates will be announced by the Chancellor at fiscal events.

The Government remains of the view that the Lifetime ISA property price cap is set at an appropriate level to support most first-time buyers across the UK while targeting households that may find it most difficult to get onto the property ladder.

Data from the latest UK House Price Index demonstrates that the average price paid by first-time buyers remains below the LISA property price cap in all regions of the UK.

The Government keeps all aspects of savings tax policy under review and considers all representations made carefully, with any changes made as part of the Budget process.

This Government is taking action to prevent knife crime across the country. Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s mission to take back our streets. We are taking steps to realise this ambition and ensure all our community venues are kept safe. For example, we have banned Zombie style knives and zombie style machetes. The manufacture, supply, sale and possession of zombie-style knives and machetes was outlawed on 24 September 2024.

We will also create a new Young Futures programme - intervening earlier to stop young people being drawn into crime. It is vital we have a system that can identify and support those young people who need it most and we will be introducing Prevention Partnerships and Young Futures Hubs to help deliver this.

This new Government is committed to putting the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law as part of our drive to renew the nation’s contract with those who serve and who have served, and their families. We will work across Government to strengthen delivery of the Armed Forces covenant and improve the experience of our veterans when accessing public services.

Improving speed of service remains the top priority for HM Land Registry (HMLR). It has been making the improvements needed through hiring and training staff and enhancing the services its customers use. This has been undertaken alongside continuing to deliver the essential services required to enable property transactions to complete. Following these activities and a renewed focus on the oldest applications, HMLR has seen a reduction in the overall age of applications. It is committed to continuing this progress over the coming months.

HMLR acknowledges that some customers will not yet feel the positive impact of these improvements. Anyone who is concerned that a delay with their application may cause financial, legal or personal problems or put a property sale at risk, can apply to have their application expedited free of charge. HMLR processes nearly 1,300 expedited applications every day, with around 95% actioned within 10 working days.

HMLR publishes information each month about its latest processing times on GOV.UK here.

The government recently brought into force regulations that provide for the removal of ‘hope value’ from the assessment of compensation, where there is justification in the public interest. Guidance and a fact sheet on the measures was published on 3 October 2024 and can be found here. Further reform of compulsory purchase compensation rules will be included in the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Announcements on the timing of that Bill will be made in the normal way in due course.

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 5974 on 14 October 2024.