Written questions by Khan.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the cost to Birmingham City Council of retendering contracts for highways services following the cancellation of the Birmingham Highways PFI contract.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the cancellation of the Birmingham Highways PFI contract on Birmingham City Council’s capital spending requirements.

Awaiting answer.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the cancellation of the Birmingham Highways PFI contract on Birmingham City Council’s financial sustainability.

Awaiting answer.

Whether her Department has conducted an assessment of the potential economic impact from (i) cancellation, (ii) delay, (iii) descoping, (iv) or reprofiling of energy and transport projects to fund increases in defen

Awaiting answer.

Whether she plans to publish her Department’s most recent decision letter regarding the Final Business Case for the Birmingham Highways PFI contract.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of ending the current exemption for Local Authorities from Financial Conduct Authority regulation for pre-need funeral and cremation services.

Awaiting answer.

Whether consumers that purchase pre-paid funeral services from a Local Authority are able to (i) access the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and (ii) make a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that people who purchase pre-paid funeral services from a Local Authority outside of current Financial Conduct Authority and Competitions and Markets Authority regulatio

Awaiting answer.

Whether her Department plans to review the current exemption for Local Authorities from Financial Conduct Authority regulation for pre-need funeral and cremation services.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment she has made of the potential cumulative impact of (a) proposed changes to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy thresholds, (b) the extended producer responsibility scheme and (c) the Deposit Return Scheme on the financial sustainability of the soft drink industry.

Implementing the Collection and Packaging Reforms is a critical step in the transition to a circular economy that delivers sustainable growth and produces less waste, rubbish and litter.The Government believes it is right that the costs of dealing with household packaging waste are moved away from taxpayers and onto the businesses that place packaging on the market.The extended producer responsibility (pEPR) scheme is designed to incentivise businesses to redesign and use more sustainable packaging materials, resulting in lower pEPR fees.An assessment of impacts – including economic impacts for businesses – has been conducted in relation to (i) the proposed changes to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, (ii) the extended producer responsibility scheme and (iii) the Deposit Return Scheme. These impact assessments are available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/strengthening-the-soft-drinks-industry-levyhttps://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/1332/impactshttps://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2024/167/pdfs/ukia_20240167_en.pdf If the Government decides to make changes to the Soft Drinks Industry levy, it will also publish a tax information and impact note (TIIN) to give account of the confirmed policy’s impacts.Following the 'Strengthening the Soft Drinks Industry Levy' consultation, the government expects to confirm the final policy at Autumn Budget 2025'.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of economic inequality on (a) Gross Domestic Product and (b) GDP growth.

While income and wealth are not always directly correlated, distributional analysis shows that Government decisions at Autumn Budget 2024 and Spending Review 2025, Phase 1 are progressive and benefit households in the lowest income deciles the most, on average as a percentage of income in 2025-26. 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 2025-26.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues, to help tackle child poverty in (a) Birmingham Perry Barr constituency and (b) the West Midlands.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. The Child Poverty Taskforce is developing the Government’s plan to bring about an enduring reduction in child poverty this Parliament, as part of a 10-year strategy for lasting change. The Minister for Employment visited the West Midlands in January 2025 and heard from key local stakeholders about challenges facing the area and how they think poverty can be better tackled. As a down payment on the child poverty strategy, the Government has already taken action at Autumn Budget 2024 which will benefit all constituencies. This action includes the Fair Repayment Rate which lowers the cap on deductions in Universal Credit to 15% of the standard allowance from April 2025. This will benefit 1.2m households by an average of £420 per year, including 700,000 of the poorest families with children benefiting as a result of this change. In addition, the Government will provide £1 billion (including Barnett impact) to extend the Household Support Fund in England and Discretionary Housing Payments in England and Wales in 2025-26. This will help individuals and families facing the greatest hardship, including supporting them with the cost of essentials such as food, energy and housing. This builds on the previous investment of £500 million (including Barnett impact) to extend the Household Support Fund to 31 March 2025.

What steps she is taking to reduce wealth inequality in the UK.

The Government is committed to making sure everyone pays their fair share of tax, which helps to fund our vital public services. The UK taxes wealth across many different economic activities, helping to ensure that the most well-off in our society make a ...

Whether her Department is taking steps to introduce a National Financial Inclusion strategy.

Ensuring all individuals have access to the appropriate financial services and products they need is a key priority for Government and is vital to supporting people’s financial resilience and wellbeing. It is also an essential part of achieving inclusive ...