Written questions by Rosindell.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of Carer’s Allowance rates.

I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave on 6 February 2025 to question UIN 28443.

What progress her Department has made on reducing waiting times of (a) Indefinite Leave to Remain applications and (b) visa applications for cases already over the time limit.

The overwhelming majority of applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain and visas are processed within service standard. Processing times are published on the UKVI website at Visa processing times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK and Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK.Applications that fall outside of these processing times, due to the specifics of the case, are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they can be decided at the earliest opportunity.

What steps she is taking to support those accused of serious offences and unable to afford private representation.

Criminal legal aid, where needed, is essential for those accused of a crime to defend themselves and to uphold their right to a fair trial.The scope of legal aid is set out under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO). For criminal proceedings at the magistrates’ court, legal aid is available, subject to the 'interests of justice' test and the financial eligibility means test. Nearly all defendants appearing before the Crown Court are eligible for legal aid, although some may be required to pay an income contribution towards their legal aid costs. If convicted, a defendant may be liable to pay any outstanding legal aid costs through capital contributions.In December 2024, this Government announced that criminal legal aid solicitors will receive up to £92 million more a year to help address the ongoing challenges in the criminal justice system. This is in addition to the £24 million increase we announced in November 2024 for criminal solicitors, in response to the Crime Lower consultation.This is a significant investment to reflect the valuable and tough work that is undertaken by those who work in the criminal justice system, helping them to make sure justice is served.

What steps his Department is taking to promote renewable energy opportunities on the Isle of Sark.

Sark, a self-governing jurisdiction within the Crown Dependency of Bailiwick of Guernsey, is responsible for its own domestic affairs, including energy policy. The Government recognises the role of local energy initiatives in Sark and the need to improve and modernise their electricity grid. While there have been discussions between Sark and the UK Government regarding their investment needs, as Sark is outside of the UK, there is limited scope for direct support from DESNZ.

What steps she is taking to promote the economic diversification of the Sark economy.

Sark, a self-governing jurisdiction within the Crown Dependency of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, is responsible for its own domestic affairs, including economic policy. While HM Treasury recognises the importance of the UK-Crown Dependency economic relationship to our jurisdictions, including Sark, the UK Government is not directly responsible for promoting economic diversification on Sark, and HM Treasury has not been approached to discuss this topic by the Sark Government.

What steps she is taking to reduce absenteeism in secondary schools.

Tackling absence is at the heart of the government’s mission is to break down barriers to opportunity. If children aren’t in school, it doesn’t matter how effective or well-supported teaching and learning is, they will not benefit. Thanks to the hard work of parents and teachers, there has been progress, but levels of absenteeism remain higher than they were prior to the pandemic.The department has set out clear expectations of local authorities and schools in the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which was made statutory on 19 August 2024. This guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdfThe guidance promotes a 'support first' approach and sets out clear expectations on how schools, trusts, local authorities and wider services should work together and with families to address attendance barriers and provide the right support, including where a pupil is not attending due to special educational needs.The department has also established 31 attendance hubs that have offered their support to around 2000 other schools, including secondaries. Hubs are established and led by senior leaders in schools with strong attendance practice. The meetings led by hubs are intended to give senior leaders in other schools a forum to discuss and share effective attendance practice.Last year, the department published an attendance toolkit, bringing together effective practice from across the hubs. The toolkit gives schools practical advice on how to diagnose and target their attendance problem and how to effectively implement great practice.We are also strengthening our tools for faster and more effective school improvement by launching the new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams. Supported by over £20 million, these teams will offer both mandatory targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve and a universal service, acting as a catalyst for a self-improving system for all schools. The RISE teams are now beginning work with the first group of schools eligible for the targeted, bespoke service, including support for attendance as necessary. Improving school attendance is a national priority for RISE teams.This term, alongside hub lead schools and RISE advisers, the department is also delivering a programme of regional attendance conferences across England, giving secondary school leaders and senior attendance champions the chance to hear directly from hubs and other practitioners on improving attendance.Every state school in England is now required to share their attendance data with the department. Schools can access this data through a secure, interactive dashboard, allowing them to target attendance interventions more effectively.We are also improving support for children, working across government on plans to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, new Young Futures Hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.The department recently announced an additional investment of £15 million to expand the work of secondary focused attendance mentors into ten new areas over the next three years. This expansion will see at least 10,800 secondary school pupils in Blackpool, Hartlepool, Hastings, West Somerset, Norwich, Portsmouth, Ipswich, Nottingham, Rochdale and Walsall supported to improve their attendance.This pilot will also be externally evaluated to improve the existing evidence base on effective one-to-one attendance interventions. The information from this pilot will be published to help inform secondary school practice nationally.

How many people are using mental health facilities in Romford constituency.

The number of people accessing all mental health facilities is not available for Romford, although data is available on referrals to specific services, such as Talking Therapies and secondary mental health services, for North East London Integrated Care Board (ICB).During December 2024, there were 5,150 referrals received for Talking Therapies for the first time in the ICB, while in the same month, there were 12,175 referrals received by secondary mental health services in the same ICB.

What steps he is taking to promote energy self sufficiency on Sark.

Sark, a self-governing jurisdiction within the Crown Dependency of Bailiwick of Guernsey, is responsible for its own domestic affairs, including energy policy. The Government recognises the role of local energy initiatives in Sark and the need to improve and modernise their electricity grid. While there have been discussions between Sark and the UK Government regarding their investment needs, as Sark is outside of the UK, there is limited scope for direct support from DESNZ.

What steps he is taking to improve mental health support for active military personnel.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to the health and wellbeing of our Armed Forces personnel. All Service personnel have access to mental health support throughout their career, including medical and non-medical services. For Armed Forces personnel requiring dedicated mental healthcare, the Defence Medical Services (DMS) provides a responsive, flexible, accessible, and comprehensive treatment service. The majority of patients who seek mental health care are managed by their GP; however, some with more complex needs will receive treatment from specialist mental health care services. The DMS is reshaping mental health provision to reduce waiting lists, improve timelines for patient recovery and refocus on earlier intervention. There will be a single point of access for specialist mental health networks allowing quicker access to initial assessment and earlier allocation to the right treatment pathway. DMS is increasing access to resources and online therapy to improve the care offered by GPs. Several non-medical interventions across Defence complement medical services, including key MOD initiatives such as the Defence Senior Leaders Mental Fitness and Resilience course (SLMFR), HeadFIT and the Annual Mental Fitness Brief (AMFB). Additionally, each of the single Services provide through career mental health and stress management training.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help promote tourism within the Channel Islands.

DCMS is responsible for tourism within England, however the UK Government continues to consult and engage with the self-governing Crown Dependencies within the Channel Islands and their respective tourism boards (Visit Jersey and Visit Guernsey).These tourism boards for the Channel Islands are accountable to their respective Governments and the UK works in collaboration with the Crown Dependencies on tourism policy issues as part of the Common Travel Area.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to tackle unsafe living conditions in privately rented properties.

The government is committed to ensuring that privately rented properties are safe, decent and warm. The Renters’ Rights Bill will apply ‘Awaab’s Law’ to the private rented sector, allowing us to set clear legal expectations about the timeframes within which landlords must take action to make homes safe where they contain significant hazards, such as damp and mould. This will ensure that all renters in England are empowered to challenge dangerous conditions. The Bill will also allow us to apply a Decent Homes Standard - a technical standard setting out minimum decency requirements - to the private rented sector for the first time. It provides local authorities with powers to enforce this standard, as well as strengthening their existing powers in relation to hazards. This includes introducing new financial penalties of up to £7,000 for landlords who have failed to take reasonably practicable steps to keep their properties free of serious hazards.

What steps she is taking to reduce congestion on the (a) A12 and (b) A127.

A12The A12 (Chelmsford to A120) widening scheme is designed to ease congestion and cope with increasing traffic demands. The Development Consent Order (DCO) was granted in January 2024 and the scheme is being considered alongside other road projects as part of Phase 2 of the Spending Review which is due to conclude in late spring 2025. Also on the A12, Suffolk County Council is developing a Full Business Case for a scheme to improve junctions between the A12 / A14 Seven Hills and the A12 Woods Lane and provide dualling between the B1438 and the B1079. The Council plans to submit this to the Department in autumn 2025. A127 Essex County Council has submitted a Strategic Outline Case proposing a package of improvements on the A127 between M25 Junction 29 and Noak Bridge, Essex. Officials in the Department are currently working with Council officials to resolve points of clarification on the business case before advice is put to Ministers. These business cases from Suffolk and Essex County Councils will also be considered in the light of the current Spending Review.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to provide funding for local sports clubs in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

This Government recognises that grassroots sports clubs are central to communities up and down the country.The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year.The Government has also committed to continued funding for grassroots facilities, investing £123 million UK-wide via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme throughout 2024/25, working with our delivery partner the Football Foundation. In this year, Romford has had one funded project in Raphael Park.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to strengthen diplomatic relations with the republic of San Marino.

The UK has a good relationship with San Marino. On 11-12 February, our Ambassador to Italy and San Marino led a senior Embassy delegation to San Marino to launch a new UK-San Marino structured bilateral dialogue with the Sammarinese Foreign Minister and key Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials. This dialogue focussed on important areas of co-operation such as foreign and security policy and growth, and built on our existing Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Cooperation to further strengthen diplomatic relations.

Whether she is taking steps to promote cooperation within the tertiary education sector with the Republic of San Marino.

This government is resetting the relationship with our European friends to strengthen ties, secure a broad-based security pact and tackle barriers to trade.We are working with the higher education (HE) sector to ensure our world leading universities continue to attract the best and brightest and support the UK’s economy.The UK is outward looking and welcomes international students, including those from San Marino, who make a positive impact on the UK’s HE sector, our economy and society as a whole.

If she will make an assessment of the merits of lowering Air Passenger Duty rates.

Air Passenger Duty (APD) applies to airlines and is the principal tax on the aviation sector. It is expected to raise £4.2 billion in 2024-25 and it aims to ensure that airlines make a fair contribution to the public finances, particularly given that tickets are VAT free and aviation fuel incurs no duty. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced APD rates for 2026-27, including a partial adjustment to help compensate for two recent years of inflation that was higher than expected. As with all taxes, APD is kept under review and the Chancellor makes decisions on rates at fiscal events in the context of public finances.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to promote Morris dancing in England.

The UK ratified the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in March 2024.Intangible Cultural Heritage, also known as living heritage, includes the folklore, performance, customs and crafts that play an important role in the identity, pride, and cohesion of communities across the UK, and includes traditions such as Morris dancing.The Government is committed to ensure the safeguarding of living heritage and as a first step of implementing the Convention will be creating, with the Devolved Governments, an inventory of living heritage in the UK later this year.We would expect this to include Morris dancing.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will amend the law on dangerous dogs attacking cats to hold owners responsible.

It is an offence under section 3(1) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to allow a dog to be dangerously out of control. Any dog that is dangerously out of control can be euthanised and their owners put in prison for up to 14 years and be banned from ever owning a dog.  The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance indicates dog attacks on other animals may amount to a dog being dangerously out of control, not least because of the risk to its owner should they seek to intervene in the attack on their animal.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for banning the trade of primates as pets in the UK.

The Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2024 was signed into law on 5 March 2024 and will prohibit the keeping of primates as pets in England without a specialist license, improving the welfare of potentially thousands of animals. The legislation sets strict rules to ensure that only private keepers who can provide zoo-level welfare standards will be able to keep primates and will come into force on 6 April 2026.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing labelling on animal products that will inform consumers of (a) how that animal was kept and (b) how that animal was killed.

The Government recognises the strong public interest in clearer animal welfare information on the food they buy. A consultation on proposals to improve and extend current mandatory method of production labelling, was undertaken by the previous Government. We are now carefully considering all responses before deciding on next steps and will respond to this consultation in due course.