Written questions by Ranger.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the areas expected to be at risk of major flooding by 2050; and whether her Department plans to introduce measures to restrict future (a) residential, (b) infrastructure and (c) transport development in those areas.

In January 2025, the Environment Agency published the updated National Flood Risk Assessment. With climate change, it is estimated that the number of properties in areas at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea will increase from 2.4 million to around 3.1 million between 2036 and 2069. The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk. Where development (be it residential, infrastructure of transport) is necessary, and where there are no suitable sites available in areas with a lower risk of flooding, local planning authorities and developers should ensure development is safe for its users for the development’s lifetime, will not increase flood risk overall and will provide wider sustainability benefits.

Whether her Department plans to simplify the process by which disabled motorists in receipt of Personal Independence Payment are able to (a) apply for and (b) receive a vehicle tax reduction; and whether the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency plans to introduce an online system enabling eligible disabled drivers to (i) claim the 50 per cent vehicle tax discount and (ii) pay by direct debit.

Customers who receive the enhanced rate mobility component of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and whose vehicles are already licensed in the disabled taxation class can renew their vehicle excise duty (VED) exemption online. Those customers who receive the standard rate mobility component of PIP which entitles them to a 50 per cent reduction in the rate of VED payable, must send their application to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). Facilitating online applications by disabled customers to claim reduced rates of VED requires the electronic exchange of data held by the Department for Work and Pensions with the DVLA. Officials are considering how to improve the ability for customers in receipt of PIP to transact with the DVLA.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that every young person has access to sporting facilities.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, including children and young people, should have access to, and benefit from, quality sport and physical activity opportunities.Sports facilities provide important community hubs for people of all ages to be active and connect people to the places in which they live. On 19 June 2025, the Culture Secretary announced that following the Spending Review, at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs, including for children and young people, and will then set out further plans.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to protect vulnerable individuals from the potential harms caused by frequent charity advertising.

The Government is clear that it is never acceptable to use undue pressure in order to solicit a donation and that the public should be treated with respect at all times. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is responsible for regulating advertising in the UK across traditional forms of media (print, radio, TV) and online and is independent of the Government. The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), sister organisations to the ASA, are responsible for codifying the standards for advertising to the marketing industry as part of their Broadcast Advertising Code (BCAP Code) and UK Non-Broadcast Advertising Code (CAP Code). The CAP and BCAP Codes contain specific rules specifying that advertising must not cause serious or widespread harm or offence. In addition, the BCAP Code has a dedicated section on charities, with rules intended to prevent the abuse of people’s charitable impulses. Charities must comply with all relevant sections of the Codes when advertising. A complaint can be made to the ASA if someone believes an advert breaks these rules. The public can also make a complaint to the charity and to the Fundraising Regulator if they believe a charity has made misleading or excessive requests for donations.

Whether the Government is considering proposals to replace Vehicle Excise Duty with a pay-per-mile road pricing system.

The Government has no plans to abolish Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). VED applies to vehicles used or kept on public roads, which does not vary by miles driven. However, fuel duty applies to the petrol or diesel used by motorists driving internal combustion engine vehicles; the greater the miles driven, the more fuel duty incurred.

Whether his Department plans to introduce a national screening programme for prostate cancer; and what steps his Department is taking to improve outcomes for people affected by the disease.

The Department is guided on screening policy by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC does not currently recommend a national screening programme for prostate cancer, as the current best test, the Prostate Specific Antigen test, lacks the necessary accuracy. It can lead to overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment, as well as false reassurance for some men. This is particularly important given that many prostate cancers are slow-growing and may not cause harm during a man's lifetime.However, the UK NSC has commissioned a university to carry out a high-quality review and cost effectiveness model of the evidence for a national prostate cancer screening programme. This includes targeted approaches to high-risk groups and an offer to all men defined by age. The UK NSC expects to receive the report later this year.In addition, the Government has invested £16 million in the £42 million United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, led by Prostate Cancer UK, which aims to identify new ways of detecting prostate cancer at an earlier stage, including in men without symptoms. The trial will ensure that at least 10% of participants are Black men, reflecting their higher risk and the importance of ensuring new tests are effective across all groups.The National Cancer Plan will include details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including for those living with prostate cancer.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve (a) safety and (b) regulation in the non-surgical cosmetics sector.

The Government is committed to taking action to address longstanding concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector, and is exploring options for further regulation in this area. We will set out the details of our approach in our response to the consultation on the licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, which we will publish as soon as possible.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of reducing the rate of VAT for the hospitality sector.

VAT is the UK’s third largest tax. It is forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26, which funds public services. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations. HMRC estimates that the cost of a 12.5 per cent reduced rate for accommodation, hospitality and tourist attractions would be around £6.5 billion this financial year, or £8 billion if it were to include alcoholic beverages.

What steps her Department is taking to support women affected by changes to the State Pension age.

This Government remains absolutely committed to supporting pensioners and giving them the dignity and security they deserve in retirement.The State Pension is the foundation of state support for older people. In 2025-26 we will spend £174.9 billion on benefits for pensioners in GB, 5.8% of GDP. This includes spending on the State Pension which is forecast to be £145.6 billion in 2025-26.Our commitment to the Triple Lock also means that the annual spend on State Pensions is forecast to rise by around £31 billion this Parliament.The basic and new State Pensions recently increased by 4.1%, benefitting 12 million pensioners by up to £470 this year. That’s up to £275 more than if pensions had been up rated by inflation.There is also supplementary support for those on low incomes. This includes direct financial help to low-income pensioners through Pension Credit, the Warm Home Discount and (in England & Wales) Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments.Finally, support is available through the welfare system to those who are unable to work or are on a low income but are not eligible to pensioner benefits because of their age.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the sale of (a) unlicensed band merchandise and (b) other counterfeit goods on (i) TikTok and (ii) other social media platforms.

The Government is committed to protecting IP rights for our businesses and protecting unsuspecting consumers from those who seek to profit from all forms of intellectual property infringement. Trading Standards are primarily responsible for enforcing Intellectual Property Rights and are working with platforms of all sizes to remove counterfeits from their online stores. The Intellectual Property Office also regularly meets many of the major social media and e-commerce trading platforms in the UK and overseas to help ensure they have policies in place to remove goods identified as counterfeit, advertisements of counterfeit goods, and persistent sellers of counterfeit goods.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure greater compatibility between electric vehicle (EV) chargers, EV models, and electricity providers’ smart tariffs; and whether the Government plans to introduce regulations to prevent anti-competitive practices in the EV charging market that limit consumer access to cheaper overnight electricity rates.

The Government is committed to ensuring consumers can access any electricity tariff for use with their smart electric vehicle (EV) charger, enabling all consumers to benefit from cheaper off-peak electricity. In April 2025, the Government confirmed that it will require electricity suppliers to share tariff data with the consumer’s load controller in a standardised format to facilitate this. In addition, the Government has committed to working with industry to develop and introduce interoperability standards that ensure that all EV chargepoints are operable by any load controller on behalf of the consumer Further detail can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/delivering-a-smart-and-secure-electricity-system-implementation.

Whether the Government is taking steps to mark Social Mobility Day on 12 June 2025.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people of all backgrounds can thrive, with breaking down barriers to opportunity as one of our driving missions. Our Opportunity Mission plays a vital role in helping to create a country where the circumstances of someone's birth do not determine their outcomes in life. We will mark relevant awareness moments in line with policy developments.

Media and Sport, when guidance will be released for cites wanting to bid for the 2029 city of culture competition.

The Government’s approach to a future UK City of Culture competition will be announced in due course.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of bank holiday weekend closures of Euston Station on passengers; and what steps she is taking to ensure the accessibility of major rail hubs during periods of high demand.

Network Rail advises that London Euston will be closed over the early May Bank Holiday over Sunday 4 and Monday 5 May and with a reduced service on Saturday 3 May whilst work takes place to upgrade track and drainage and carry out maintenance work to help improve performance for passengers and freight for future journeys. Bank Holidays are chosen to carry out work as it allows more time for work to take place whilst fewer passengers are travelling. Trains will start and finish at Milton Keynes where bus replacement services will run to and from Bedford for onward travel to London St Pancras. Passengers are being encouraged to check before they travel at National Rail Enquiries. An advertising campaign has taken place across ticket booking sites, a press release has been issued, stakeholders have been updated and there have been frequent social media posts to ensure passengers had awareness of the changes to journeys.

What progress he has made on achieving clean power by 2030.

Since the election, we have turbocharged progress towards a clean power system, changing the planning rules, reforming the grid, lifting the onshore wind ban and consenting 3 times more solar power in 10 months than the last government did in 14 years. Just this month we approved the Rampion offshore wind farm delivering power to 1.3 million homes as well as creating thousands of jobs. Our mission is all about jobs, growth and energy security, and that’s what we’re delivering.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure equal access to affordable housing for families from lower-income backgrounds.

Social housing goes to those who need it most. Where someone is eligible for social housing, they will have their housing needs considered in accordance with the relevant local authority’s housing allocation scheme.

What steps his Department is tacking to help tackle the socio-economic factors which contribute to ill health.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Poole on 5 March 2025, to Question 33818.

What steps she is taking to increase access to careers education in (a) schools and (b) further education.

High-quality careers provision is an essential part of the government’s missions to break down barriers to opportunity and to drive economic growth. The department is creating more opportunities for young people to develop skills and improve work readiness through our commitments to improve careers advice in schools and colleges and to guarantee two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person.The department will publish updated careers statutory guidance this spring that sets out our expectations of what schools, colleges and independent training providers should do to raise the quality of careers provision and work experience for young people. The Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance, a standard for world-class careers guidance for young people, are a cornerstone of our approach. Building on the widespread adoption and impact of the benchmarks in recent years, the framework has been updated following extensive research and consultation, for implementation from September 2025.Inclusion and impact for each and every young person is a prominent theme that emerged from evidence to the benchmark review. Updates to the benchmarks emphasise the importance of tailoring programmes to the needs of each young person. Particular attention is given to any additional or different support that may be needed by vulnerable or disadvantaged young people and those with special educational needs and disabilities.The department is continuing to fund The Careers and Enterprise Company to support schools and colleges to deliver careers programmes in line with the Gatsby Benchmarks and to plan towards the delivery of two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person. 95% of secondary schools and colleges are part of a local Careers Hub, connecting careers provision to the needs of local economies through strategic partnerships with mayoral combined authorities, local authorities and employers. A network of 400 leading employers and over 3,700 business volunteers inspire young people about a range of exciting career opportunities, including in priority growth sectors.The National Careers Service helps young people, aged 13 to 18, to discover their careers options. The website includes around 800 job profiles and young people can access information and advice via webchat and a telephone helpline which is supported by local community-based career advisers. The website can be found here: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/.In addition, the Skills for Life campaign, ‘It all starts with skills’, promotes a range of priority skills programmes to young people, including apprenticeships, T Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications.

What steps she is taking to (a) reduce income inequality and (b) improve social mobility for people from lower-income backgrounds.

Distributional analysis shows that the expected impacts of government decisions from Autumn Budget 2024 onwards are progressive and benefit households in the lowest income deciles the most, on average, as a percentage of income in 2028-29.The Government is committed to making sure the wealthiest in our society pay their fair share of tax. That is why the Chancellor announced a series of reforms at Autumn Budget 2024 to help fix the public finances in as fair a way as possible. The increases in tax are concentrated on the highest income households. Overall, on average, all but the richest 10% of households will benefit from policy decisions in 2028-29.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure equal access to digital skills training and technology.

The government is taking action in both these areas. The Digital Inclusion Action Plan sets out how we have, for example, launched a device donation pilot scheme in partnership with The Digital Poverty Alliance to refurbish end-of-life government laptops from three departments and get them to those that need them most.The government is also supporting digital upskilling, for example through Essential Digital Skills (EDS) provisions funded by the Department for Education’s Adult Skills Fund. We will also be enhancing support for the EDS framework, which supports businesses and individuals to get the digital skills they need.