Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2024 to Question 19379 on Marginal Tax Rates, for what reason there are lower marginal rates of taxation for higher earners than in some lower earning brackets; and what assessment she has made on the potential impact of marginal tax rates on economic growth.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to a fair tax system in which those who have more contribute more. The income tax system is highly progressive, with different rates of tax sitting above an internationally high Personal Allowance.

Within the personal tax system, withdrawal of the Personal Allowance affects those with income over £100,000 a year. It was introduced in 2010-11 and occurs gradually, with £1 of allowance lost for every £2 of income above the income limit of £100,000, implying an effective marginal income tax rate of 60 per cent. This reduction continues until the Personal Allowance is completely withdrawn for those with incomes above £125,140.

The Government recognises that because of this, taxpayers with incomes within the taper band face a higher a marginal tax rate and that it introduces some complexity into the tax system. However, removing this would be expensive and regressive.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether driving licences available through the gov.uk app will have integration with (a) Apple Wallet, (b) Google Wallet, (c) Samsung Wallet and (d) other common on-device wallets.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We recognise there may be value in government documents, such as the digital driving licence, being available through private sector wallets that have been certified as part of the government's Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework. There are no current plans but we are open to exploring this in the future. Currently, Apple, Google and Samsung Wallets are not certified, but may choose to become so in the future.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the prevalence of perfluoroalkyl substances in (a) bottled and (b) tap water.

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

The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has provided guidance on PFAS to water companies since 2007. In 2021 a guideline value of 0.1 micrograms per litre was adopted for drinking water which, since August 2024 when DWI’s guidance was updated, now applies to a combined PFAS sum for 48 PFAS. These were agreed with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to be robust levels with an appropriate margin to ensure our drinking water is safe to drink. There is no evidence of PFAS concentrations above this value in drinking water supplies.

Controlling the sale and marketing of bottled waters do not include any specific requirements relating to PFAS. We will monitor any new or emerging evidence to ensure the regulations remain robust and fit for purpose.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to monitor levels of perfluoroalkyl substances in tap water.

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

The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has provided guidance on PFAS to water companies since 2007. In 2021 a guideline value of 0.1 micrograms per litre was adopted for drinking water which, since August 2024 when DWI’s guidance was updated, now applies to a combined PFAS sum for 48 PFAS. These were agreed with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to be robust levels with an appropriate margin to ensure our drinking water is safe to drink. There is no evidence of PFAS concentrations above this value in drinking water supplies.

Controlling the sale and marketing of bottled waters do not include any specific requirements relating to PFAS. We will monitor any new or emerging evidence to ensure the regulations remain robust and fit for purpose.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the quality of temporary accommodation provided in (a) Slough and (b) the South East.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected. We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Government is developing a new cross-government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness.

As announced at the Budget, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year (2024/25). This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total spend to nearly £1 billion in 25/26.

More widely, we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness, including delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and building 1.5 million new homes over the next parliament. We are also abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, preventing private renters being exploited and discriminated against, and empowering people to challenge unreasonable rent increases.

The Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG) is allocated to councils across England based on local homelessness pressures and is used to meet local needs. Slough will receive £2,538,151 for 2025-26 through the HPG.

The legislation is clear that all temporary accommodation must be suitable, and local authorities should keep the suitability of accommodation under review. Where an individual feels that the council has applied their statutory duties incorrectly, they can take action in the courts or bring their concerns to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

The £1.2 billion Local Authority Housing Fund will provide capital funding directly to English councils and is expected to provide up to 7,000 homes by 2026. It will create a lasting asset for UK nationals by building a sustainable stock of affordable housing for local communities. The Local Authority Housing Fund will ease local homelessness pressures, reduce spending on unsuitable B&B accommodation, and provide safe and sustainable housing for those on Afghan resettlement and Ukrainian sponsorship schemes.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking with Slough Borough Council to tackle homelessness.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected. We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Government is developing a new cross-government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness.

As announced at the Budget, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year (2024/25). This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total spend to nearly £1 billion in 25/26.

More widely, we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness, including delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and building 1.5 million new homes over the next parliament. We are also abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, preventing private renters being exploited and discriminated against, and empowering people to challenge unreasonable rent increases.

The Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG) is allocated to councils across England based on local homelessness pressures and is used to meet local needs. Slough will receive £2,538,151 for 2025-26 through the HPG.

The legislation is clear that all temporary accommodation must be suitable, and local authorities should keep the suitability of accommodation under review. Where an individual feels that the council has applied their statutory duties incorrectly, they can take action in the courts or bring their concerns to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

The £1.2 billion Local Authority Housing Fund will provide capital funding directly to English councils and is expected to provide up to 7,000 homes by 2026. It will create a lasting asset for UK nationals by building a sustainable stock of affordable housing for local communities. The Local Authority Housing Fund will ease local homelessness pressures, reduce spending on unsuitable B&B accommodation, and provide safe and sustainable housing for those on Afghan resettlement and Ukrainian sponsorship schemes.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department's target response time is for correspondence from Rt hon. and hon. Members.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Work and Pensions follows the Cabinet Office Guide to Handling Correspondence which is published on Gov.uk. This guide sets out how departments should respond to correspondence from elected officials. The department aims to respond within 20 working days of receipt.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to help tackle antisocial behaviour in (a) Slough and (b) Thames Valley.

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

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, committed to a zero-tolerance approach to ASB. This will include a dedicated ASB lead officer in every police force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan. We will also put 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

This Government will strengthen the powers available to relevant agencies to tackle ASB. We recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders will be applied for by police and local councils and issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and act quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to provide support to victims of antisocial behaviour.

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

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, committed to a zero-tolerance approach to ASB. This will include a dedicated ASB lead officer in every police force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan. We will also put 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

This Government will strengthen the powers available to relevant agencies to tackle ASB. We recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders will be applied for by police and local councils and issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and act quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions she has had with property management companies which manage property in Slough with cladding that requires remediation.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Speeding up the remediation of buildings throughout England is essential. More than seven years have passed since the Grenfell tragedy, yet progress remains unacceptably slow. In the Slough area, there are five live applications to the Cladding Safety Scheme - two from social sector organisations and three from private sector applicants. Of the remaining three, one began its application at the end of January and remains in the early stages of the process. Two projects are in the initial tender stage, planning their works, and we are monitoring monthly progress updates to ensure they are on track. We remain committed to driving timely progress for every building with unsafe cladding. As set out in our Remediation Acceleration plan, by intensifying efforts to identify at-risk buildings and accelerate pace of remediation for buildings, including by fully utilising the efficiencies of the Cladding Safety Scheme, we are mitigating the ongoing threat posed by unsafe cladding in the Slough area, and across the country.

The Cladding Safety Scheme interacts with all applicants. It is a data-led programme designed with key performance indicators to ensure we can monitor and track progress and escalate applications as required. The system allows RAG ratings for all buildings to ensure that we are able to support and engage buildings experiencing delays or blockers. A key tenant of the programme is ensuring leaseholders and residents receive regular communications from the applicant so that they are aware of progress. In the Slough area, there are five live applications to the Cladding Safety Scheme of which two are experiencing delays. One is still within the design phase, while the other building is more complex having discovered potential additional works required. We are engaging these buildings to receive regular updates on their progress and are closely monitoring their performance. Our key focus is to support these applications to ensure progress at pace resumes to provide leaseholders and residents with the necessary comfort to know that their buildings will be remediated without further delay.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of progress of remediation works by property management companies on properties approved for the Cladding Safety Scheme in Slough.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Speeding up the remediation of buildings throughout England is essential. More than seven years have passed since the Grenfell tragedy, yet progress remains unacceptably slow. In the Slough area, there are five live applications to the Cladding Safety Scheme - two from social sector organisations and three from private sector applicants. Of the remaining three, one began its application at the end of January and remains in the early stages of the process. Two projects are in the initial tender stage, planning their works, and we are monitoring monthly progress updates to ensure they are on track. We remain committed to driving timely progress for every building with unsafe cladding. As set out in our Remediation Acceleration plan, by intensifying efforts to identify at-risk buildings and accelerate pace of remediation for buildings, including by fully utilising the efficiencies of the Cladding Safety Scheme, we are mitigating the ongoing threat posed by unsafe cladding in the Slough area, and across the country.

The Cladding Safety Scheme interacts with all applicants. It is a data-led programme designed with key performance indicators to ensure we can monitor and track progress and escalate applications as required. The system allows RAG ratings for all buildings to ensure that we are able to support and engage buildings experiencing delays or blockers. A key tenant of the programme is ensuring leaseholders and residents receive regular communications from the applicant so that they are aware of progress. In the Slough area, there are five live applications to the Cladding Safety Scheme of which two are experiencing delays. One is still within the design phase, while the other building is more complex having discovered potential additional works required. We are engaging these buildings to receive regular updates on their progress and are closely monitoring their performance. Our key focus is to support these applications to ensure progress at pace resumes to provide leaseholders and residents with the necessary comfort to know that their buildings will be remediated without further delay.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to increase awareness of the symptoms of heart valve disease.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes heart valve disease, is one of the key priorities for the Health Innovation Network, comprising of 15 organisations across England that operate as the innovation arm of the National Health Service. The network is committed to supporting the development of innovations across CVD clinical pathways to make high impact changes to population health.

An ambition of NHS England’s Long Term Plan (LTP) is to raise awareness of the symptoms of heart failure and to ensure early and rapid access to diagnostic tests and treatment, setting out that by 2023/24, 54,000 additional people with heart failure and heart vascular disease will be detected and diagnosed in the community. The LTP also sets out that people with heart failure and heart vascular disease will be better supported by multi-disciplinary teams as part of Primary Care Networks, and that from July 2019, all patients in England have been covered by a Primary Care Network.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that freedom of religion or belief is (a) protected and (b) maintained internationally.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding, including the FCDO John Bunyan Fund, a designated programme for FoRB-focused overseas projects. The appointment of David Smith MP as the Special Envoy for FoRB is a clear signal of the UK's ongoing commitment to these efforts.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of funding levels for research into the (a) detection and (b) treatment of heart valve disease.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR continues to welcome high quality applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including the detection and treatment of heart valve disease.

The NIHR invested a total award value of £3.4 million of funding for six research studies that focus on heart valve disease, active in the five years from April 2019 to March 2024, directly through its research programmes.

The NIHR also works closely with other Government funders, including UK Research and Innovation, which is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and includes the Medical Research Council, to fund research into a range of conditions, including heart valve disease, to improve detection and treatments and prevent poor health outcomes for patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the public purse was of sending letters on the GP Patient Survey in the last 12 months; how many letters were sent to recipients; and whether any patients were contacted by e-mail.

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

The GP Patient Survey (GPPS) has been carried out in England for nineteen years. It is currently conducted by Ipsos on behalf of NHS England. In total for the 2024 survey, Ipsos sent 2.56 million invite letters and 2.28 million reminder letters asking people to complete the survey, incurring a cost of £2.16 million for paper, printing and postage.

In 2024, costs dropped by £0.9 million (from £4.7 million in 2023 to £3.8 million in 2024) after NHS England introduced a push-to-web methodology. People were sent initial invite letters asking them to complete the survey online, reminded by e-letters where possible and only at the final reminder stage sent a paper questionnaire to complete.

NHS England is exploring additional opportunities for cost savings, including by adding extra contact by email or the NHS App.

However, postal contact remains vital for representation, inclusivity and data quality. Because we have incomplete coverage of email addresses and mobile telephone numbers, an online-only methodology would exclude many people. Additionally, online-only survey approaches tend to yield lower response rates, potentially compromising the quality and representativeness of the data.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a national plan for religious education.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Religious education (RE) is an important subject that should provide pupils with an opportunity to learn about a wide range of religious and non-religious beliefs. RE should help pupils to better understand the values and traditions of different religious communities, which is why it remains a compulsory subject in all state-funded schools in England for each pupil up to the age of 18.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review led by Professor Becky Francis. It will publish an interim report in the early spring and a final report with recommendations later this year.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of recent trends in the level of fraud in the welfare system.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Fraud and error in the welfare system has reduced in recent years, from 4.0% in 2021/22 to 3.7% in 2023/24. This is still not good enough, so we are not resting. We agreed £8.6bn of savings at the Autumn Budget 2024, which is the biggest fraud and error package on record, which led the OBR to forecast that we will reduce fraud and error to pre-pandemic levels

The Department assesses the potential implications of fraud trends firstly by dedicating ongoing resource to understand the current fraud landscape, via annual sampling exercises to measure the level of fraud currently in the welfare system*, as well as a range of analysis into current and potential future fraud trends.

Secondly, the Department uses this insight to design strategies to reduce fraud currently in the welfare system and prevent new fraud from entering.

Finally, the Department analyses the potential interactions between fraud and any new policies before they are implemented, to allow for any risks to be identified and mitigated.

*Fraud and error in the benefit system - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps she has taken to help end discrimination against disabled people.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This Government is committed to creating a more inclusive society, ensuring disabled people receive the support they need and working with them so that their views and voices are at the heart of everything we do.

Our Equality (Race and Disability) Bill will enshrine in law the full right to equal pay for disabled people, introducing disability pay gap reporting for large employers on ethnicity and disability, and extending equal pay rights to protect workers suffering discrimination on the basis of race or disability. We are taking action to support British businesses in making workplaces more inclusive and supportive of disabled people.

We have also recently announced the creation of the new Lead Ministers for Disability network, who will represent the interests of disabled people and champion disability inclusion and accessibility across each government department, as they drive forward progress on the government’s manifesto commitments and 5 missions.

These recent steps work alongside the Equality Act 2010, which is the principal means through which disabled people are protected from discrimination in Great Britain. The Equality Act 2010 provides protection against discrimination, harassment and victimisation in the workplace and in wider society. It also requires employers and service providers to make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled people are not placed at a substantial disadvantage and the failure to do so could amount to unlawful discrimination.

Found: In my Written Evidence, I would like to offer the Select Committee Chairman – Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Chair); Mr Calvin Bailey; Alex Baker;

Found: Commons Defence Committee The Labour chair of the House of Commons Defence Committee, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Found: Commons Defence Committee The Labour chair of the House of Commons Defence Committee, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi