Max Wilkinson

This Government has set out an unprecedented mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade and we are determined to deliver on that ambition.

We will keep all legislation under review as we develop our approach to tackle sexual exploitation and violence against women and girls. We currently have no plans to change the law but will consider licensing regulations to make sure that they are protecting the vulnerable and tackling sexual crime, as well as public nuisance.

The Cabinet Office operates spend control on behalf of HMT on an annual basis. During this process departments and ALBs submit an overview of any spend (including marketing and advertising) planned for the next financial year.

Historical data on advertising spend is listed by department on the Government efficiency, transparency and accountability page on GOV.uk.

The Cabinet Office operates spend control on behalf of HMT on an annual basis. During this process departments and ALBs submit an overview of any spend (including marketing and advertising) planned for the next financial year.

Historical data on advertising spend is listed by department on the Government efficiency, transparency and accountability page on GOV.uk.

Information provided by employers to HMRC show the number of individuals in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP). This data provides a broad indication of SPL take-up but does not include anyone taking unpaid Shared Parental Leave.

Table 1: Individuals in receipt of ShPP by gender, 2019/20 to 2023/24 (the latest year for which full year data is available)

1. Data is collected using HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) and is subject to revision.
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
3. Figures are based on the total number of individuals in a given year, irrespective of when the payment first started. Some individuals will be counted across two years.

We have various schemes already delivering improvements to home energy efficiency through the Energy Company Obligation, the Great British Insulation Scheme, the Home Upgrade Grant, the Warm Homes: Social Housing Decarbonisation, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Customers can also use the tool ‘Find Ways to Save Energy in your Home’ (www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency), which provides users with tailored recommendations for home improvements to increase energy efficiency and clean heat.

As the first step towards the Warm Homes Plan, the Government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency.

Domestic solar will play an essential role. Through the Solar Taskforce and the forthcoming Solar Roadmap, we will set out recommendations on how Government and industry can work together to significantly increase rooftop solar capacity.

Since 2019, 89 Health and Fitness facilities owned by Local Authorities have closed. Over the same period, 83 Health and Fitness facilities have opened.

The breakdown for closures per year is as follows:

2019: 23

2020: 16

2021: 15

2022: 16

2023: 11

2024: 2 (as of end of August 2024)

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has met with the Deputy Chair of the Local Government Association and a range of Local Government leaders since her appointment.

As part of the department’s transparency data, a register of decisions to dispose of school playing field land is published on GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-land-decisions-about-disposals.

Playing field land is defined as land in the open air which is provided for the purposes of physical education or recreation.

85 applications were given consent to dispose of playing field land between 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2023 (12 in 2019, 21 in 2020, 14 in 2021, 20 in 2022 and 18 in 2023). The majority of those were disposals by way of freehold sale, but the figures also include appropriation of playing field land to another local authority use, such as, social housing or highways, or the grant or surrender of a lease of more than 30 years.

18 applications were given consent to dispose of playing field land between 1 January and 31 October 2024. The department anticipates the cases will be added to the published list on GOV.UK by the end of January 2025.

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions, including allergies.

The statutory guidance ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’ makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed.

The department included a reminder to schools of these duties in its regular schools’ email bulletin in both March and September 2024. In the same communication, the department also alerted schools to the newly created Schools Allergy Code. The Code was developed by the Allergy Team, the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association and the Benedict Blythe Foundation, who are all trusted voices on the matter of allergies. The department has now also added a link to the Code to its online allergy guidance on GOV.UK.

The department will keep the statutory guidance under review as it takes forward its commitment to delivering an inclusive mainstream system.

The department continues to work closely with HS2, Network Rail, GWR, TfL and Heathrow Express to mitigate the impacts of Old Oak Common construction. This aims to minimise disruption to passengers on the Great Western Main Line during the construction of the new station and during its operation, including through investing £30m to ensure that passenger services can continue to operate.

“The Plan for Drivers” was published by the previous government. The Department is considering the measures within it in the light of this Government’s priorities.

The Rail Minister recently met with Great Western Railway and Network Rail Western route to review recent performance and made it clear that both organisations must address issues contributing to cancellations. Officials continue to monitor both organisations’ performance against targets and when performance falls below these, appropriate action will be taken to address this.

CrossCountry has recently been placed on a formal Remedial Plan to ensure it takes action to address performance issues across its network and increases essential driver training. This is expected to result in a more reliable service following the implementation of the plan. The Department will closely monitor the progress of the plan and if CrossCountry fails to deliver, further action will be taken in line with its contractual terms.

The Department has not directly discussed land access with Network Rail for this route but is supporting and providing funding to Sustrans and Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) to deliver a route between Cheltenham Spa Station and Lansdown Road as part of the Cycle Rail Programme. We understand that Great Western Railway, Network Rail and GCC are working closely together to progress this project. GCC is responsible for securing appropriate land access agreements with Network Rail.

People in receipt of Housing Benefit are always better off in work than someone wholly reliant on benefits. In addition to any financial advantage, there are important non-financial benefits of working. These benefits include learning new skills, improved confidence and independence as well as a positive effect on an individual's mental and physical health.

The Department acknowledges the challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those residing in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation and will consider the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.

Dental Statistics - England 2023/24, published by the NHS Business Services Authority on 22 August 2024, is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324

The data for the Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, which includes the Cheltenham constituency, shows that 29% of adults were seen by a National Health Service dentist in the previous 24 months, compared to 40% in England, and 51% of children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months, compared to 56% in England.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The Government is committed to tackling the retention and recruitment challenges that face the National Health Service. NHS England is leading a range of initiatives to boost retention of existing staff and ensure that the NHS remains an attractive career choice for new recruits. This includes building a compassionate and inclusive culture, supporting staff wellbeing, and promoting flexible working opportunities.

Targeted retention work for midwives is being undertaken by NHS England and led by the Chief Nursing Officer. This includes a midwifery and nursing retention self-assessment tool, mentoring schemes, strengthened advice and support on pensions and flexible retirement options, and the publication of menopause policies and guidance. NHS England has also invested in unit-based retention leads who focus on retention and provide pastoral support to midwives. This initiative, alongside investment in workforce capacity, has seen a reduction in vacancy, leavers, and turnover rates.

Local winter resilience plans and resourcing are operational matters for the National Health Service. The national approach on priorities for winter planning was issued by NHS England on 16 September, setting out the key steps to be taken to support the delivery of high-quality care for patients this winter.

The NHS is managing extra demand over the winter period, by strengthening same day emergency care, offering more fall services for older people, and with upgraded 24-hour live data centres. I also made a statement on winter preparedness in the House of Commons on 18 December 2024.

Information on local plans is not collected centrally by the Department. National Health Service organisations are responsible for their own recruitment, and for developing their own workforce plans based on local service needs. At a national level, we are committed to training the staff the NHS needs, and will work closely with partners in education to do this.

NHS England continues to lead on a range of initiatives to boost retention of existing staff and ensure that the NHS remains an attractive career choice for new recruits. This includes a strong focus on improving organisational culture, supporting staff health and wellbeing, and promoting flexible working opportunities. It is continually reviewing the effectiveness of these and their impact on the workforce.

Information on accident and emergency waiting times is published at a provider level, and is also disaggregated by the type of accident and emergency department, for instance type 1, 2, or 3.

The off-payroll working reforms have proved effective in reducing non-compliance. As well as preventing tax non-compliance, keeping the reforms in place also protects around £1.5 billion a year of government revenue, which supports strong public finances and helps fund our vital public services.

The Government has no plans to propose legislation requiring insurance companies to set industry-wide definitions for claims classifications.

The Government currently provides VAT reliefs to aid the purchase of defibrillators. This means that charities pay no VAT if they purchase a defibrillator and then donate it to an eligible body.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations. Following the spending audit, the Chancellor has been clear that difficult decisions lie ahead on spending, welfare and tax to fix the foundations of our economy and address the £22 billion hole in the public finances left by the last government.

The government keeps all taxes under review.

Firearms licensing fees have not been increased since 2015 and are now significantly less than the cost of the service provided by the police.

The Government’s Manifesto includes a commitment to move to full cost recovery for firearms licensing fees, and moving to full cost recovery will help protect the public by providing police forces with the funding they need to properly resource and train their firearms licensing teams, and to carry out thorough checks and continuous assessment of the suitability of someone to possess a lethal firearm.

Every asylum claim admitted to the UK asylum system is carefully considered on its individual merits by assessing all the evidence provided by the claimant against a background of published country information.

No one who is at risk of persecution or serious harm in their home country is expected to return there.

Refugee status is normally granted when someone has a well-founded fear of persecution under the Refugee Convention.

Those found not to need protection are refused. However, it is only when any appeal rights are exhausted that failed asylum seekers are expected to leave the UK.

A refusal of a protection or a human rights claim can, in some circumstances, be certified under Section 94 and Section 96 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. This process removes the right of appeal against the decision.

Failed asylum seekers may be eligible for help to go home under the Voluntary Returns Service (VRS). Where a failed asylum seeker fails to leave voluntarily, we will seek to enforce their removal.

Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) offer a vital opportunity for national and local agencies, local communities and society as a whole to learn lessons from domestic abuse related deaths and treat every death as preventable.

The funding for DHRs is provided through the local government funding settlement and the Home Office is unable to provide specific guidance on how funding should be allocated locally.

However, whilst the Government is committed to the fundamental principle of the DHR process, we recognise that there is room for improvement in the way these reviews are currently conducted and the lessons applied.

The department recently ran a public consultation seeking views on a revised version of the statutory guidance which underpins DHRs and we will be carefully considering the findings to ensure that improvements are made.

The 1982 Act gives local authorities who adopt the legislation the ability to regulate lap dancing clubs as sexual entertainment venues. Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 (legislation.gov.uk)

Leaseholders living in retirement housing who pay variable service charges will benefit from measures contained in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.

The measures in question will ensure all leaseholders receive minimum key financial and non-financial information on a regular basis, including introducing a standardised service charge demand form and an annual report, so that leaseholders can scrutinise and better challenge costs if they are considered unreasonable.

The government is committed to acting quickly to implement the provisions of the Act. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on Thursday 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November (HCWS244) which sets out further detail on implementation of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. It also clarifies government's plans to reform leasehold and commonhold.

Members of the local government pension scheme should be able to expect that their pensions are paid in a timely manner. I am aware of some delays to the pension payments at the West Midlands Penson Fund, which is responsible for the administration of the scheme in the area. I have written to the Fund and met with them to ask for a thorough explanation, and to understand the steps are being taken to resolve the unacceptable delays. We will continue to engage with the Fund as they work to improve the service to Members.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 6686 on 14 October 2024.

The Government will set out proposed changes to national planning policy in the forthcoming National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) update. We remain committed to conserving and enhancing areas of special architectural or historic interest and buildings of the highest significance.