Written questions by Stephenson.

With reference to the press notice entitled Nearly fifty thousand extra pensioners receiving vital Pension Credit support following surge in claims processed, published on 27 February 2025, if she will make an estimate of the number of people who were (a) eligible for and (b) not in receipt of Pension Credit on 24 March 2025.

The Department does not have this data for the period up to March 2025. The latest available Pension Credit take-up statistics cover the financial year 2022 to 2023 and are available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2023 - GOV.UK.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2025 to Question 30412 on Sick Leave: Productivity, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of workplace sickness on productivity.

The Department published an estimate of the overall cost to the economy due to sickness absence in The cost of working age ill-health and disability that prevents work on 18 March 2025. The analyses do not estimate the specific impact of workplace sickness on productivity at work, but do consider the overall economic output lost as a result of sickness absence. This found that lost output due to sickness absence cost the economy between £38 billion to £56 billion in 2022. The Department currently has no plans to specifically assess the potential impact of levels of workplace sickness on productivity.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of East West Rail on Thameslink services (a) from London to Bedford, (b) from Bedford to London, (c) northbound on the East Coast Main Line and (d) southbound on the East Coast Main Line.

EWR Co’s proposals to use six tracking north of Bedford have been designed to mitigate impact on Thameslink services from Bedford to London. EWR trains will provide an interchange at Tempsford with East Coast Main Line services but will not run on the East Coast Main Line. There may be a slightly additional dwell time on some East Coast Main Line Thameslink services to accommodate the new stop at Tempsford.

How many and what proportion of pensioners will pay income tax in each of the next five years.

The Government is committed to ensuring that older people are able to live with the dignity and respect they deserve, and the State Pension is the foundation of state support for older people. The Government is committed to the Triple Lock for the duration of this parliament, and in April 2025, the basic and new State Pension will increase by 4.1%. This means that pensioners on a full new State Pension will get a boost of £470 to their incomes from April this year. Over the course of this Parliament, as per the forecast at Autumn Budget 2024, the yearly amount of the full new State Pension is currently forecast to go up by around £1,900, based on the Office for Budget Responsibility’s latest forecast. The previous Government made the decision to freeze the income tax Personal Allowance at its current level of £12,570 until April 2028. At our first Budget, we decided not to extend the freeze on personal tax thresholds and, as a result, they will rise with inflation from April 2028, meaning people will keep more of their income.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of running East-West Rail to Stansted Airport.

There are currently no plans to extend the EWR service outside of its core scope, but through services may be an option in the future.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the level of geographic detail available on the number of (a) A&E and (b) Urgent Care Centre admissions.

NHS England publishes accident and emergency admission data for a range of different geographical footprints. This includes at an integrated care board, regional, and provider level. We will continue to keep the range of data available to support the improvement of National Health Services under review. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2025 to Question 30410 on Govia Thameslink Railway and London Northwestern Railway: Nationalisation, what the relevant circumstances considered are.

A range of factors will be taken into consideration as Ministers go through a process of decision-making on further transfers into public ownership, following the transfers of SWR’s services in May, c2c’s in July and Greater Anglia’s in autumn 2025. We expect further transfers to follow the order in which operators’ current contractual minimum terms expire, unless an operator defaults on its contract to the extent that there is a contractual right to terminate, or other extenuating circumstances arise. Other factors for Ministers to consider could include, but are not limited to, operational factors and relevant circumstances prevailing at the time.

With reference to her Department's press release entitled Nearly fifty thousand extra pensioners receiving vital Pension Credit support following surge in claims processed, published on 27 February 2025, how much her Department spent on promoting Pension Credit uptake.

The Pension Credit campaign budget is £5m for the 2024/25 financial year. This supported the development of an expanded Pension Credit campaign encouraging all eligible pensioners to claim. Activity has included TV and video on demand; radio; national and regional press; paid social media and website adverts; GP and Post Office screens; train panels; digital street displays; podcasts; and a partnership with ITV regional weather.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of AXA UK's report entitled Extreme weather risks: An analysis of England’s vulnerability to flooding and heat, published on 27 November 2024.

The UK has a legal framework for managing climate risks under the Climate Change Act 2008. This includes preparing a UK Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years, followed by a National Adaptation Programme, setting out actions by government to address the risks identified. While Defra coordinates this work, this is a whole of government effort. Each department is responsible for managing the risks that apply to their sectors and responsibilities. Defra has a Minister responsible for the cross-government coordination of climate change adaptation, who works with Ministers across Government to build the UK’s climate resilience. Defra also has overall national responsibility for policy on flooding and coastal erosion. The Environment Agency recently published its updated National Assessment of Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk. It shows that 6.3 million homes and businesses in England are at risk of flooding, which could increase to 8 million by the middle of the century. Combined with the fact that this Government inherited flood defences in their worst condition on record, it is vital we invest in protecting our communities. That is why we have committed £2.65 billion over the next two years to maintain, repair and build flood defences.

If she will make an estimate of the cost to the (a) housebuilding and (b) construction industry of her proposed changes to the level of employer National Insurance contributions.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer; the economic impacts of the policy; and the impacts on individuals, businesses and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Government's Flood Resilience Taskforce has made on improving flood resilience in high-risk areas.

The Floods Resilience Taskforce is a new approach to preparing for flooding which brings together representatives from national, regional and local government, the devolved Governments emergency services, businesses and environmental interest groups. The first meeting on 5 September provided all organisations with a shared understanding of the flood risk for the autumn and winter, to inform preparatory action. The second taskforce meeting on 5 February looked at lessons from the winter flooding and informed the forthcoming consultation on long-term investment reform. The Taskforce is developing Action Groups on flood warnings, flood recovery and insurance services to drive work on these issues. This Government inherited flood assets in their poorest condition on record, as years of underinvestment and damaging storms left just 92% of the Environment Agency’s 38,000 high-consequence assets at required condition, meaning approximately 60,000 properties are at a higher risk. As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, a record £2.65 billion will be invested over two years in building, maintaining and repairing flood defences, better protecting 52,000 properties by March 2026. Around 1,000 projects will receive funding in 24/25 and 25/26.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Wild release and management of beavers in England, published on 28 February 2025, whether he has plans to take steps to release beavers in Bedfordshire.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. On 28 February 2025, Defra announced its new approach to beavers, including opening a licensing scheme for beaver wild release. A licence is needed to release any beavers into the wild. Applications will be considered against comprehensive wild release criteria. These criteria have been designed to ensure only high-benefit, low-risk projects are licenced, and that beavers are reintroduced at a measured pace in a well-managed way. Any project proposing wild beaver reintroductions in Bedfordshire must therefore meet the criteria.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 29563 on General Practitioners: Finance, what projects he has discussed with the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board.

The Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund was announced during the 2024 Spending Review, and provides new capital funding of £102 million for the 2025/26 financial year to support improvements in the primary care estate.The Department and NHS England have worked with the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board to prioritise high-impact projects where investment can unlock significant productivity gains and additional usable space from existing buildings. We are unable to publish the details while the assessment of those schemes is still ongoing, to ensure each project is judged on its own merit.

Communities and Local Government, if she will provide guidance to councils on balancing the needs for (a) new housing and (b) nature recovery.

As set out in Paragraph 7 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of homes, commercial development and supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner. Sustainable development should be pursued both through the preparation and implementation of local development plans, and the application of policies in the framework. Paragraph 187 of the Framework also makes clear that planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment. The revised NPPF published on 12 December 2024 included several changes designed to enhance and protect the environment. For example, it expects developments to provide net gains for biodiversity, including through incorporating features which support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats, and hedgehogs. Local Nature Recovery Strategies are being prepared across England to set out priorities for nature recovery, map important habitats and identify opportunities for improvements. The government recently updated its Planning Practice Guidance to explain the role of Local Nature Recovery Strategies in the planning system and made clear as part of that update that these strategies will form an evidence base which may be a material consideration when making planning decisions. When it comes to development and the environment, we know we can do better than the status quo, which too often sees both sustainable housebuilding and nature recovery stall. Instead of environmental protections being seen as a barrier to growth, we want to unlock a win-win for the economy and for nature. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will introduce a new Nature Restoration Fund that will unlock and accelerate development while going beyond simply offsetting harm to unlock the positive impact development can have in driving nature recovery.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of comments made by Georges Pierre Lesjongard on 15 February 2025.

The UK's position is clear - we do not and will not pay reparations.

What recent discussions his Department has had with the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board on the proposed Wixams GP surgery.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, general practice (GP) services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB has advised that they updated the Central Bedfordshire Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee about the ICB’s intention to deliver a permanent healthcare facility in Wixams, with a further update to follow in the spring. The ICB has committed to undertaking further analysis with the new developers of Wixams town centre, to understand the dependencies, such as roads and power connections, and to assess the facility's delivery timeline against the likely costs and affordability. Further information about the Central Bedfordshire Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee is available at the following link:https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/info/31/meetings/231/social_care_health_and_housing_overview_and_scrutiny_committee_-_meetings_and_agendasWe know that there is pressure on primary care estates and service provision in areas of high population growth. At a national level, we continue to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure that all new and existing developments have an adequate level of healthcare infrastructure for the community.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to increase the number of new homes built to high standards of environmental resilience by 2030; and what proportion of existing housebuilding projects are meeting these standards.

MHCLG has already taken a number of steps to deliver climate resilient homes, including:Revising the National Planning Policy Framework (published on 12 December 2024) to set out that the planning system should take full account of all climate impacts, including overheating, storm and flood risk. Planning should help to shape places in a way that minimises vulnerability and improves resilience to the effects of climate change though suitable adaptation measures, including through incorporating green infrastructure and sustainable drainagesystems.Building regulations are intended to protect people’s safety, health and welfare through setting a minimum acceptable standard for the design and construction of properties. Introducing Part O of the Building Regulations, which came into force in June 2022, to require that new homes are built to mitigate the risk of overheating. Whilst Approved Document C promotes the use of flood resilient and resistant construction in flood prone areas.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a clawback option for agricultural property relief and business property relief where 100% relief is reinstated but inheritance tax is applied where assets are disposed of and the resulting wealth is not re-invested in the business.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to UIN 32918.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the Institute for Public Policy Research's report entitled Strategic planning for green prosperity, published on 14 February 2025.

The government has not made an assessment of the potential implications of the Institute for Public Policy Research’s report in question.

Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Government partners with young people to help develop new national youth strategy, published on 5 March 2025, whether any Democracy Cafes will take place in Bedfordshire.

As part of the development of the National Youth Strategy, we have conducted nine Democracy Cafes, one in every region of the country, as well as online focus groups. No Democracy Cafe was held in Bedfordshire, but one was delivered in Cambridge. There are no plans to conduct further Democracy Cafes, but we are planning larger in-person events called ‘Hacks’. Details of these will be on our website for the Strategy in due course. We also encourage as many young people across the country as possible to respond to the National Youth Strategy survey or to complete the ‘digital postcards’.