Written questions by Dewhirst.

What cross-Departmental research his Department has commissioned into the link between (a) debt, (b) benefit sanctions, (c) child maintenance arrears and (d) suicide risk; and what mental health interventions are in place for people in financial hardship.

We recognise the effect that financial pressures, such as debt collection practices, benefit sanctions, and child maintenance arrears, can have on some people’s mental health and their risk of developing suicidal thoughts.The cross-Government, cross-sector suicide prevention strategy for England includes financial difficulty as a priority area for action and sets out work Government departments are doing to address this. For example, the Department for Work and Pensions has committed both to strengthening its guidance for staff to better support customers who disclose that they are experiencing suicidal thoughts, and mandating mental health awareness training for all frontline staff.We have also worked with colleagues at HM Treasury and the Money and Pensions Service to promote the mental health Breathing Space scheme, which gives those with mental ill health facing financial difficulties space to receive debt advice, without pressure from creditors or mounting debts.This is in addition to the mental health support available through general practitioners, NHS Talking Therapies, and NHS 111.

What steps he is taking to ensure that (a) the fishing sector is consulted and (b) the views of that sector are reflected in the (i) planning and (ii) approval process for offshore wind developments.

The energy National Policy Statements (NPS) set out the consultation requirements for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). Developers are required by the Planning Act 2008 to conduct consultation with interested parties on their proposals. The NPS for renewable energy infrastructure (EN-3) provides specific guidance regarding offshore wind developments and consultation with the fishing sector, requiring applicants to undertake dialogue with the fishing industry during the planning and design of individual offshore wind farm and associated transmission proposals. Applicants are directed to guidance on best practice for fisheries liaison, which has been jointly agreed by the renewables industry and fishing community.

If she will publish an impact assessment on the (a) proposed abolition of NHS England and (b) planned 50% reduction in the combined workforce of (i) NHS England and (ii) the Department for Health and Social Care.

It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, as is due process. Evidence from these ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate. Furthermore, the Government is committed to transparency, and will consider how best to ensure the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcomes and impact of both the abolition of NHS England and the reduction in workforce.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the use of mediation and conflict resolution in CMS cases where parents are disputing care arrangements or financial responsibility.

The Child Maintenance Service operates on the principle that both parents have financial responsibility for their child, including their food and clothing, as well as contributing towards the associated costs of running the home that the child lives in. Reductions can be made for the extra cost of care where it is shared by the paying parent. The paying parent must have overnight care of any qualifying children for at least 52 nights a year, equivalent of 1 night per week. The amount payable is reduced by a maximum of fifty per cent within bands based on the number of nights overnight care is provided over a 12-month period. The bands are used to give greater stability to maintenance payments and as a result there is greater reliability of payments, which contributes towards the welfare of the children in the case. If evidence shows that both parties are providing equal day-to-day care of a qualifying child, in addition to sharing overnight care, there is no requirement for either parent to pay child maintenance. There is no statutory definition of day-to-day care, our definition is broadly aligned with that of Child Benefit, where an ‘overall care test’ is used. This provides consistency across government and receipt of Child Benefit is regarded as a good indicator of who is entitled to child maintenance payments. Where a dispute does arise, the CMS will seek to collect evidence from parents, for example a Court ordered arrangement, to establish the correct figure. The evidence acceptable in these circumstances isa current court order providing for contact between the paying parent and the childa formal written agreement, for example drawn up by a solicitor, oranother official document for example, Social Services or Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) reports. The Child Maintenance Service is committed to ensuring that it delivers a safe service that is sensitive to the needs of all the parents that use it. We recognise that some parents may face difficult circumstances, particularly at a time of separation. We are engaging with other DWP services, and with external stakeholders, who have a range of different models for providing additional support to work together in the interests of their children where necessary, to identify best practice and see what else we could usefully add.Child Maintenance on-line services promote the benefits of mediation to parents where this is appropriate and provide signposting to accredited mediation services.The CMS is well prepared to respond quickly and effectively if it becomes aware that the safety of any of its customers are at risk, and caseworkers receive extensive training and follow a well-managed process with clear steps to support vulnerable clients. Caseworkers have access to several tools and procedures to help support customers when they advise they cannot afford to pay child maintenance, or are struggling with the cost of living in general, and are in financial or emotional crisis. This includes the National District Provision Toolkit and Affordability Hub which provides invaluable information to allow caseworkers to signpost to national and local support organisations for debt help and mental health assistance across the UK.

What estimate she has made of the potential impact of increases in employers’ National Insurance contributions on early years settings.

It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life. This is key to the government’s Plan for Change, which starts with reaching the milestone of a record number of children being ready for school. In 2025/26 alone, this government plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements and we have increased the early years pupil premium by over 45%. On top of this we are providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the Early Years Expansion Grant to help providers meet their local demand.At the Spending Review 2025, the government announced that by 2028/29, it will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents, boosting children’s life chances and work choices for parents.This increase in funding reflects the expansion of childcare for eligible working parents to 30 hours and expected increases to funding rates across the spending review period.The hourly funding rate for entitlement hours is intended to cover the core costs of providing 15 or 30 hours of childcare to parents. In setting funding rates, we take account of cost pressures facing the sector, including forecasts of average earnings and inflation, and the National Living Wage. HM Treasury have announced an increase to the rate of Employer National Insurance contributions by 1.2 percentage points, to 15%, and a reduction in the Secondary Threshold from £9,100 to £5,000 per year. They are also increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500 and expanding this to all eligible employers.Employment Allowance is being increased to protect businesses by providing relief of up to £10,500 per annum on their employer Class 1 National Insurance contribution liabilities from 6 April 2025.Early Years childcare providers are entitled to claim the Employment Allowance if they are private businesses or charities and we expect the vast majority will be eligible to do so.Receiving over 50% of your income from government-funded childcare places won’t stop you from being eligible to claim, but you should check your individual circumstances against the HMRC guidance.

Food and Rural Affairs, what changes have been made to the style guide for answering written Parliamentary Questions since July 2024; and if he will publish that style guide.

As is normal, changes are made to take into account individual ministerial preferences. Defra continues to follow the guidance set out by the Cabinet Office on GOV.UK.

With reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Business and Trade of 31 October 2024, Official Report, column 927, what his Department's timetable is for publishing a Command Paper on support for small businesses.

The Government expects to publish the SME strategy later this year.This will set out the Government’s vision for SMEs, from encouraging entrepreneurship to boosting scale-ups, across key policy areas such as creating thriving high streets, making it easier to access finance, opening up overseas and domestic markets, building business capabilities, and providing a strong business environment.The paper will complement the Government’s forthcoming Industrial Strategy and Trade Strategy.

With reference to the press notice entitled Home Secretary to announce major policing reforms, published on 17 November 2024, what her Department's timetable is for establishing a unit to monitor police performance.

Since 19 November 2024, when My Rt Hon Friend, the Home Secretary, announced her plans for policing reform, we have been working closely with the sector to draw up a new Police Performance Framework to ensure standards are upheld across the country, and to establish a new Unit within the Home Office which will identify and support force-level improvements.Further details will be published in the forthcoming Police Reform White Paper.

What information her Department holds on the amount of funding that has been allocated for equality, diversity and inclusion roles in each police force in the (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27.

The requested information is not centrally collated by the Home Office.Decisions on how funding and resources are utilised are an operational matter for Chief Constables and locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners.

What information his Department holds on the amount of funding Departments plan to provide to organisations that engage in the lobbying of Government in the (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27 financial year.

This information is not centrally held by the Cabinet Office.

How many retailers with a retail value of under £51,000 are based on retail parks.

The Valuation Office Agency does not hold information specific to retail parks.

What budget her Department has allocated to public sector pay rises for 2025-26 and 2026-27.

Public Sector pay rises will be funded from Departmental Budgets across the Parliament – there is no centrally provided funding available for pay rises. Departments have set out in their evidence to the Pay Review Bodies (PRBs) what is affordable for 2025-26 pay awards for their workforces. Departmental budgets for 2026-27 onwards are subject to the ongoing Spending Review.

Media and Sport, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of charging overseas tourists £10 to visit museums on the public purse.

No.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of reducing business rates relief for retailers that choose to leave the high street and move their businesses to retail parks.

As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for all retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026-27. The Government intends to fund this by introducing a higher multiplier on all properties with a rateable value (RV) of £500,000 and above. The rates for any new business rate multipliers will be set at Budget 2025 so that the Government can take into account the upcoming revaluation outcomes as well as the economic and fiscal context.

Media and Sport, what budget her Department has allocated to local government arts financing for (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27.

Local authorities play a vital role in supporting arts and cultural institutions, but they operate independently of central government and make their own decisions about expenditure on the arts.The Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is not ringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.The Arts Council England, which is supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, also has multiple funding programmes where Local Authorities can apply on behalf of their cultural assets, including the National Portfolio Investment Programme, National Lottery Project Grants and the Museum Estate and Development Fund.Spending decisions beyond 2025-26 are a matter for the upcoming Spending Review.

How much funding her Department has allocated to Stonewall for (a) 2025/26 and (b) 2026/27.

HM Treasury has not allocated any funding for Stonewall for 2025/26 and does not anticipate allocating any funding for Stonewall in 2026/27.

What budget her Department has allocated to public sector equality, diversity and inclusion roles for (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27.

HM Treasury has fewer than 5 staff in equality, diversity and inclusion roles for 2025/26. As the total number of individuals is less than 5, HM Treasury is unable to release salary information as doing so would mean these individuals may be identifiable. This is in line with HM Treasury's data reporting policy.The Department's budget for 2026/27 has not yet been finalised.

What assessment she has made of the potential economic impact of the increase in employers’ National Insurance Contributions on (a) fish and chip shops and (b) other small businesses.

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.

Whether the Small Business Strategy will consider the cost of full electrification of commercial properties for SMEs.

We will launch the Small Business Strategy later this year complementing the Government’s forthcoming Industrial and Trade Strategies as part of our economic growth mission.The strategy will help drive small business growth and productivity, for example – from boosting scale-ups to supporting budding entrepreneurs. It will cover a number of key policy areas, including creating thriving high streets, making it easier to access finance, opening up overseas markets, building business capabilities and supporting entrepreneurship. Although the full electrification of commercial properties is not a policy proposal we expect to be covered in the Small Business Strategy, we remain committed to a Net Zero economy by 2050.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on businesses’ reliance on gas for profitable commercial operations.

The Secretary of State works closely with all of Cabinet, discussing a wide range of issues. He is committed to this Government's growth mission and ensuring the UK is a place where businesses can thrive.