Written questions by Eccles.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Pathways to Work Green Paper on (a) local government and (b) the voluntary sector.

No assessment has yet been made. Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here: ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.Notes:There will be no immediate changes. Changes to PIP eligibility and rebalancing of UC aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from April 2026 for UC and November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval.PIP changes will only apply at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years. At the award review, claimants will be seen by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstances.We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.We also intend to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment which I will lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.After taking account of behavioural changes, the OBR predicts that 370,000 PIP claimants, equating to 1 in 10 of the PIP caseload in November 2026 at the point of implementation of the four point requirement, will have lost their PIP entitlement by 2029/30.

What steps he is taking to improve dementia care.

The Government is committed to improving dementia care and is empowering local leaders with the autonomy they need to provide the best services to their local community, including for those with dementia. That is why we have recently published the Dementia 100 Pathway Assessment Tool, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for busy system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia. The Dementia 100 Pathway Assessment Tool has now been launched, and is available at the following link:https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/nccmh/service-design-and-development/dementia-100-pathway-assessment-toolTo improve care for patients with dementia, we have refreshed the RightCare Dementia Scenario. The scenario works through the dementia well pathway journey, from diagnosing well through to dying well, detailing optimal and sub optimal approaches, with associated costings for each. They have developed a dementia model pathway based on data for each component of the dementia well pathway, to provide a high-level view of what dementia care activity looks like for local areas and to aid targeted support where appropriate. To aid dementia diagnosis and the provision of support in care homes, we funded an evidence-based improvement project to fund two trusts in each region, 14 sites, to pilot the Diagnosing Advanced Dementia Mandate protocol. Learning is currently being shared and promoted with regional and local partners, following an impact assessment of the pilots.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of fluoridisation of water for dental health.

Water fluoridation is an evidence based, effective public health intervention for improving the oral health of children and adults. The 2022 Health Monitoring Report showed that five-year-olds were less likely to experience dental caries, and less likely to experience caries of high severity, in areas with a fluoridation scheme. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-fluoridation-health-monitoring-report-for-england-2022The UK Chief Medical Officer also concluded that water fluoridation is effective and should complement, not substitute, other effective methods of fluoride use. The UK Chief Medical Officer’s statement on water fluoridation is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-fluoridation-statement-from-the-uk-chief-medical-officers/statement-on-water-fluoridation-from-the-uk-chief-medical-officers

When she plans to provide parliamentary time for the House to debate the Pathways to Work Green Paper.

The House has had a number of opportunities to discuss the Pathways to Work Green Paper, including:An Oral Statement by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 18th March following its publication, lasting around 2 hours;An Urgent Question on 27th March regarding PIP Changes: Impact on Carer’s Allowance; andA Westminster Hall Debate on 7th May regarding Personal Independence Payment: Disabled People.I am committed to providing time in the Chamber to the Backbench Business Committee and I would encourage the Hon. Member to apply for a debate through the Committee if they so wish. In addition, Members will have the opportunity to debate reform of the health and disability benefits system when measures are brought forward in due course.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits increasing duties on additional (a) food and (b) drink products that cause tooth decay.

The Soft Drinks Industry Levy is recognised as a transformative health tax intervention. Following the announcement of the Levy, the average sugar content of soft drinks in scope fell 46% between 2015 and 2020. Further, the policy has been linked to 5,000 fewer cases of obesity in year 6 girls, and a 28.6% and 5.5% fall in sugar-related tooth extractions in those aged 0-4 years and 5-9 years respectively.The ‘Strengthening the Soft Drinks Industry Levy’ consultation, published last month, seeks ways to further encourage producers to remove added sugar from soft drinks. Specifically, it sets out proposals to reduce the minimum sugar threshold at which the levy applies from 5g to 4g sugar per 100ml, and to remove the current exemptions for milk-based and milk substitute drinks with added sugar. These changes would be estimated to reduce calorie consumption by 15 million kcal per day in children and 46 million kcal per day in adults, achieving health and economic benefits of around £4.2 billion over 25 years.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-US trade agreement on the UK (a) steel and (b) aluminium sectors.

This government is determined to look after the country's national interest. That's why we have concluded a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump. For steel and aluminium, the US has committed to remove the 25% Section 232 tariffs currently faced by UK exporters, by applying a quota system.UK Steel and ALFED, who represent the UK steel and aluminium industries respectively, have both publicly welcomed the deal.

If she will make an assessment of the merits of increasing the six year period for claims allowed under s.32(1)(c) of the Limitation Act from the consequences of a mistake.

The effect of the legislation is that for civil claims which involve the consequences of a mistake, the relevant limitation period only starts when the claimant discovers the mistake or could have discovered it with reasonable due diligence (subject to certain exceptions). As such it enables a normal statutory time limit to be postponed if a court is satisfied the conditions are met in an individual case.It is important that the law of limitation achieves a balance between the competing interests of claimants and defendants. The Government has no plans to review this section.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Pathways to Work Green Paper on the number of people in poverty in each of the next five years.

An assessment of the potential impact of the Pathways to Work Green Paper on the number of people in poverty in each of the next five years is not yet available.The government's impact assessment regarding the Pathways to Work Green Paper is available here: Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts. The Office for Budget Responsibility will publish its assessment of the labour market impacts of the Green Paper proposals at the time of the Autumn Budget.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to his Israeli counterpart on its military strategy in Gaza.

The Foreign Secretary continues to engage regularly with his Israeli counterparts. Following the release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander on 12 May, the Foreign Secretary urged Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar of the need for an end to the aid blockade and for all parties to push towards an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages who remain in Gaza. The UK Government totally opposes an expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza and have consistently urged the Israeli Government that a permanent ceasefire remains the only way to return all the remaining hostages and ensure Hamas has no future role in Gaza. On 20 May, the Foreign Secretary announced that we have suspended negotiations with the Israeli government on a new free trade agreement, decided to review cooperation with them under the 2030 Bilateral Roadmap, and imposed further sanctions on settlers.

What assessment she has made of the merits of writing off debt payments for Child Support Agency payments valued below £500.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has the ability to write off Child Support Agency (CSA) debt that is £500 and under in circumstances where no payment has been made within the last 90 days and where administrative powers have been considered but were deemed inappropriate or ineffective.Writing off is not a quick or easy decision and involves exhausting other approaches to deal with the debt. All Child Support Agency debt is now at least 11 years old.In the year ending March 2024 £17.8m of CSA debt was collected and £13.5m was written off.

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of differences in funding per child between SEN children educated in state schools and those educated in privately owned institutions.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.From the 2018/19 financial year to 2023/24, the most recent year for which information is available, the average per-pupil expenditure on pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan in maintained special schools and special academies on the one hand, and non-maintained and independent special schools on the other, are set out in the tables below:Per-pupil expenditure: Cash values (rounded) as at the time, not adjusted for inflation 2018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24Maintained special schools and special academies£20,000£21,000£22,000£23,000£24,000£26,000Non-maintained and independent special schools£52,000£54,000£54,000£57,000£62,000£63,000 To note:1. Per-pupil expenditure is the average calculated from the national expenditure on place and top-up funding for the school types, per pupil with an EHC plan.2. For maintained special schools and special academies the calculation uses the place funding rate of £10,000 per place plus the average top-up funding expenditure. by local authorities on those schools as recorded in their section 251 outturn data, per pupil as recorded in the January schools census.3. For non-maintained and independent special schools the department has calculated the total expenditure from the £10,000 per-place funding allocated to non-maintained special schools and the total top-up funding expenditure by local authorities on those schools as recorded in their section 251 outturn data, per pupil with an EHC plan as recorded in our SEN2 data collection.4. From 2023, the data collection for SEN2 changed from aggregated figures at local authority level, to a person-level collection. This has been a major change in approach and care should be taken with comparisons across this period because expenditure per pupil changes between 2021/22 and 2022/23 may include an effect from the EHC plan data collection methodology change.The per-pupil expenditure amounts for children with EHC plans as set out in the table above are averages of a wide range of per-pupil funding levels that are different depending on the needs of the child and school they attend. It is the relevant local authority’s responsibility to decide how to allocate that funding and how much to allocate to each school.Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to over £12 billion. Of that total, Dudley Council is being allocated over £62 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £5.4 million on their 2024/25 DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle settler violence in the West Bank.

Settler violence is unacceptable, and settlements are illegal under international law. The Foreign Secretary has been clear with Israeli ministers that they must clamp down on settler violence and end settler expansion and has previously met with Palestinian communities in the West Bank to hear how they are affected. On 15 October 2024, the Foreign Secretary announced sanctions targeting three illegal settler outposts and four organisations that have supported and sponsored violence against communities in the West Bank. These measures will help bring accountability to those who have supported and perpetrated such heinous abuses of human rights. As I reiterated in the House on 29 April, we call for an end to settlement expansion and settler violence.

Whether she has made an assessment of the merits of increasing the funding per-pupil for children with an Education, Health and Care Plan.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.From the 2018/19 financial year to 2023/24, the most recent year for which information is available, the average per-pupil expenditure on pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan in maintained special schools and special academies on the one hand, and non-maintained and independent special schools on the other, are set out in the tables below:Per-pupil expenditure: Cash values (rounded) as at the time, not adjusted for inflation 2018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24Maintained special schools and special academies£20,000£21,000£22,000£23,000£24,000£26,000Non-maintained and independent special schools£52,000£54,000£54,000£57,000£62,000£63,000 To note:1. Per-pupil expenditure is the average calculated from the national expenditure on place and top-up funding for the school types, per pupil with an EHC plan.2. For maintained special schools and special academies the calculation uses the place funding rate of £10,000 per place plus the average top-up funding expenditure. by local authorities on those schools as recorded in their section 251 outturn data, per pupil as recorded in the January schools census.3. For non-maintained and independent special schools the department has calculated the total expenditure from the £10,000 per-place funding allocated to non-maintained special schools and the total top-up funding expenditure by local authorities on those schools as recorded in their section 251 outturn data, per pupil with an EHC plan as recorded in our SEN2 data collection.4. From 2023, the data collection for SEN2 changed from aggregated figures at local authority level, to a person-level collection. This has been a major change in approach and care should be taken with comparisons across this period because expenditure per pupil changes between 2021/22 and 2022/23 may include an effect from the EHC plan data collection methodology change.The per-pupil expenditure amounts for children with EHC plans as set out in the table above are averages of a wide range of per-pupil funding levels that are different depending on the needs of the child and school they attend. It is the relevant local authority’s responsibility to decide how to allocate that funding and how much to allocate to each school.Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to over £12 billion. Of that total, Dudley Council is being allocated over £62 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £5.4 million on their 2024/25 DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula.

What guidance she is issuing to public buildings on the facilities post operation trans women should use.

The Government has set out our expectation that organisations follow the clarity the ruling provides. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is developing its updated statutory Code of Practice to support organisations. Ministers will consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it following further work in light of this ruling.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered adopting a phased introduction of the extended producer responsibility fees to allow businesses time to adapt.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I provided on 7 April 2025 to PQ 42929.

What steps he is taking to help increase the provision of Givinostat free at the point of use for people with Duchene Muscular Dystrophy.

The Department understands the impact that Duchenne muscular dystrophy has on those living with it and their families, and the urgent need for new treatment options. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS independently, based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by the NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance. The NICE is currently evaluating givinostat for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and its independent Appraisal Committee will meet to consider the evidence in July 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that green spaces are adequately designed to (a) tackle climate challenges, (b) support water availability and (c) increase flood resilience.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 makes clear that the planning system should take full account of all climate impacts, including water scarcity 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 drainage systems. The government provides design guidance through the National Design Guide (NDG) and National Model Design Code (NDMC) which support the National Planning Policy Framework. The department intends to update this guidance in Spring 2025. Natural England have also published The Green Infrastructure Framework and accompanying Design Guide in February 2023. This can be used to support local planning authorities and developers to design and create more nature-rich urban greenspaces.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for reviewing the recommendations of the Animal Welfare Committee Opinion on the welfare implications of current and emergent feline breeding practices, published in December 2024.

The Government welcomes the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on the welfare implications of current and emergent feline breeding practices. We are carefully considering the Committee’s recommendations.

Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will conduct a review of the statutory framework for biodiversity net gain; and if he will take steps with environmental horticulture experts to include cultivated plant diversity in its metrics.

The Government is working with stakeholders, including the horticulture sector, to monitor the implementation of biodiversity net gain to make sure it is working as intended.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to increase funding for social housing in the next Spending Review in the context of levels of homelessness.

The government is committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 30393 on 24 February 2025 for more detail on the steps we have already taken to increase social and affordable housebuilding.We will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for Social Rent.