Written questions by Naismith.

Whether proposed changes to PIP will include people of pensionable age.

We have committed to introduce a new requirement that, in addition to the existing eligibility criteria, claimants must score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment. Our intention is that – subject to parliamentary approval – the changes will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026, only if they score fewer than 4 points in one category in their reassessment by a trained assessor or healthcare professional. In keeping with existing policy, people over state pension age are not routinely fully reviewed and will not be affected by these changes.

What steps her Department is taking to support male victims of sexual abuse.

Supporting victims and survivors of sexual violence and abuse is an absolute priority for this Government. As you will be aware, this Government is faced with an incredibly challenging fiscal environment. Ensuring that the future service landscape meets the needs of different victim groups is important, whilst seeking to ensure we can support as many victims as possible within the current financial situation.The views of organisations are being considered as we think innovatively about the best way to deliver services for all victims, and shape future service design, in the current fiscal environment. The Victims Minister held a men and boys roundtable on 27 November as part of this process to feed into design considerations of the future service for victims of sexual violence and officials continue to lead extensive market engagement as part of this process.

What (a) support and (b) resources his Department are providing to help support medical facilities in Crewe and Nantwich constituency.

The Crewe and Nantwich constituency, like all constituencies, will benefit from a fair share of the £22.6 billion increase in day-to-day health spending and the £3.1 billion increase to the capital budget over the 2024/25 to 2025/26 period, as announced at the Autumn Budget 2024.The Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB) has been provisionally allocated £43.3 million from our Constitutional Standards Recovery Fund for 2025/26 to deliver new surgical hubs, diagnostic scanners, and beds to increase capacity for elective and emergency care. In addition, it has been provisionally allocated £5 million from our Primary Care Utilisation Fund to modernise and upgrade general practice surgeries, and £18.1 million from our Estates Safety Fund to address critical infrastructure and safety risks.The ICB has also been provisionally allocated £61.7 million for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) mitigation and eradication for trusts that are part of the National Health Service’s RAAC programme. This includes funding for the RAAC mitigation works at Leighton Hospital. Funding is subject to business case approval.Alongside national programme allocations, the ICB has been provisionally allocated £214.7 million in operational capital funding, including primary care business-as-usual capital, for 2025/26, to be prioritised according to local needs such as investing in hospital infrastructure.Leighton Hospital in Crewe is part of Wave 1 of the New Hospital Programme (NHP) with construction of the new hospital expected to commence in 2027/28. As an RAAC scheme, we are working at pace to ensure Leighton Hospital will be replaced as quickly as possible and my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has commissioned an updated site by site report, due in summer 2025, to inform decisions on the delivery of the replacement RAAC hospitals. The Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is also being supported by the NHP to develop their Strategic Outline Case as part of the business case process for their main hospital.

What steps his Department is taking to help protect workers on sponsored visas from mistreatment by unscrupulous employers.

The Government is committed to tackling serious labour abuse and exploitation. Workers on sponsored visas have the same protections and rights under employment law as British and settled workers. All employers are expected to comply with UK employment law. The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate and HM Revenue and Custom’s National Minimum Wage enforcement team work together to ensure that workers are aware of their rights. If anyone thinks they are not getting their employment rights, they should contact Acas on 0300 123 1100 for advice on next steps. Through the Employment Rights Bill and the Fair Work Agency we are delivering a much-needed upgrade to employment rights enforcement, including for workers on sponsored visas.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce (a) energy prices and (b) standing charge fees.

The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and reduce our reliance on volatile international energy markets as part of our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. Our Warm Homes Plan will transform homes across the country by making them cleaner and cheaper to run. We know that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges. We are committed to lowering the cost of standing charges and have worked constructively with the regulator, Ofgem, on this issue. In February, Ofgem launched a consultation ‘Introducing a zero standing charge energy price cap variant’ - https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consultation/introducing-zero-standing-charge-energy-price-cap-variant. Under these proposals, consumers would have the option of tariffs with a zero standing charge within the price cap. The consultation closed on 20 March and we stand ready to continue work with Ofgem on this matter.

What criteria her Department is using to allocate funding for school solar panel installation; and what steps she is taking to ensure that the most energy-inefficient school buildings are prioritised.

This £80 million partnership programme between the department and Great British Energy is targeting 200 schools and colleges in the 2025/26 academic year.There will be a cluster of around 45 schools in each of the North West, North East and West Midlands, selected based on deprivation levels and other factors such as roof capacity. Each cluster will also include a further education college which will work with the contractors appointed to promote careers in renewables to support growth in the construction and renewables workforce. There will also be a minimum of ten schools in each of the government office regions to ensure some regional spread.This is just one element of the department’s strategy to ensure that the school estate is sustainable. We are providing support for all schools and colleges to get started on their journey towards net zero via our new online ‘Sustainability Support for Education’ platform and our climate ambassador programme.

What steps he is taking to prevent companies fraudulently mis-selling (a) solar panels and (b) other energy generating equipment.

The sale of energy generation equipment is governed by consumer protection law. There are opt-in consumer codes such as the Renewable Energy Consumer Code and standards such as the Microgeneration Certification Scheme. These are adopted by many companies selling generation equipment. The Government is also undertaking a review of Ofgem’s role, to ensure that it has the appropriate powers to protect consumers. A recent call for evidence sought views on Ofgem’s remit in enforcing consumer protection law in respect of low carbon technologies.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the extended producer responsibility scheme on small food manufacturers.

The Government has worked closely with industry, including the food sector, throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging. Feedback from stakeholders has been factored into finalising the regulations, including consulting stakeholders on a draft of the pEPR regulations in 2023. Government recognises the importance of protecting small producers from direct cost obligations. This is why the regulations include a de-minimis threshold of £2 million turnover and 50 tonnes which exempts approximately 70% of the UK's smaller producers from paying scheme fees.

Whether her Department plans to review the overseas scale rates.

As with all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps flat rates expenses, including Overseas Scale Rates, under review. Any decisions on future changes in this area will be taken in the context of the wider public finances.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential contribution of cash ISAs to the economy.

The Government is committed to incentivising greater saving and investment. Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) help people save for their future goals and build greater financial resilience. The Government recognises the important role that cash savings play in helping households build a financial buffer for a rainy day. The Government also wants to see more consumers participate in capital markets and benefit from the long-term financial security and returns that investing can provide. The Government continues to keep all aspects of savings policy under review.

What steps his Department is taking to help raise awareness of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in (a) hospitals, (b) schools and (c) local authorities.

The Government is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including those with foetal alcohol spectrum disorders.The Government recognises that foetal alcohol spectrum disorders can have a significant impact on the early years development of children. As a result, schools must use their best endeavours to make sure a child or young person gets the special educational provision they need. This includes monitoring the progress of pupils regularly and putting support in place where needed, including arranging diagnostic tests where appropriate. To support all teachers, we are implementing a range of high-quality teacher development programmes, from initial teacher training and into early career teaching, through to the reformed suite of leadership and specialist national professional qualifications, to ensure that teachers have the skills to support all pupils to succeed.The Department asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to produce a Quality Standard in England for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) to help providers and commissioners improve both diagnosis and support for people affected by FASD. This includes guidance on individualised management plans, which help to coordinate care across a range of healthcare professionals, as well as education and social services, and improve outcomes. The Quality Standard also covers support during pregnancy to improve awareness and prevent the disorder. It was published in March 2022, and is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs204Healthcare providers advise pregnant women about the risks of alcohol consumption, document alcohol use, and refer children with probable prenatal alcohol exposure for assessment. In addition, healthcare professionals conduct thorough neurodevelopmental assessments and develop tailored management plans for diagnosed individuals, aiming to improve early identification and provide comprehensive support to help children achieve their full potential.

What steps the Government takes to help ensure that apprentices are well-supported by their employers.

Apprenticeships deliver great outcomes for young people and adults, and apprentice and employer satisfaction is high.High quality training is crucial and apprentices' success hinges on the commitment and collaboration of an employer, apprentice, and training provider.The department has published a range of guidance on GOV.UK to help employers support their apprentices to make the most of their apprenticeship. This includes tips on how to support apprentices with mentoring, networking opportunities and wellbeing. On behalf of the department, the Learning and Work Institute has also produced a number of guides to support apprentices’ on-programme experience, including a Line Manger Guide to apprenticeships.The Apprenticeship Service gives employers and learners the opportunity to provide feedback on their experiences which we use to improve the apprenticeship experience. To support effective partnerships between employers and providers, employers can also see online reviews of training providers from other employers and apprentices before they choose a training provider to deliver their training.In addition, the department’s Apprenticeship Ambassador Network of 1,700 volunteer employers and providers enables sharing of best practice from apprenticeship experts. Our ambassadors are supporting 3,000 small employers taking their first steps on their own apprenticeship journey.Apprentices who complete see the best outcomes from their experiences. The department’s focus on driving up quality is resulting in year on year increases in achievement rates and will continue to drive up standards to ensure every learner gets the greatest benefit from their apprenticeship.

What steps her Department is taking to increase the number of police community support officers in Crewe and Nantwich constituency.

In January 2025, the Government announced a total of £200 million in 2025/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel in communities across the country.Our approach to delivery in 2025/26, which will be year 1 of a 4-year programme, is designed to deliver an initial increase to the neighbourhood policing workforce in a manner that is flexible and can be adapted to the local context and varied crime demands.This means the precise workforce mix is a local decision. More information will be available in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the newly built homes her Department is planning will be smaller than (a) three and (b) four bedrooms in the next four years.

As set out in Chapter 5 of the National Planning Policy Framework, it is for each local authority to assess the size, types and tenures of new housing needed for different groups in the community, and reflect this in their Local Plans. As such, the size and type of new homes securing approval will depend on policies in the adopted Local Plan, and on the decisions the authority makes about individual planning proposals

Whether her Department plans to (a) help improve road infrastructure and (b) tackle traffic congestion around the Nantwich Bypass.

It is the responsibility of the local transport authority to determine investment priorities for its transport network. The Nantwich Bypass (A51/A500) is a local highway and therefore falls under the jurisdiction Cheshire East Council, the local highway authority. In 2025/26, Cheshire East Council will receive a share of the £1.6 billion in capital funding for local highways maintenance, amounting to £21 million (£15.5 million baseline funding and £5.5 million in new funding).Cheshire East Council will also receive a share of the £650 million-plus funding for local transport announced in the Autumn Budget 2024. This funding aims to support everyday journeys and improve transport connections in our towns, villages, and rural areas, as well as in our major cities.Future funding beyond 2025/26 will be considered as part of the multi-year spending review in the spring, aligned with the government's new Integrated Transport Strategy, ensuring we are taking decisions in the long-term interests of the country.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the Land Registry’s backlog.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to Question UIN 23772 on 27 January 2025.

What plans her Department has to ensure the Integrated Transport Strategy prioritises road safety.

The Integrated National Transport Strategy will be published this year and set the long-term vision for transport in England, recognising the key role transport must play in driving growth and opportunities. The exact scope of the Strategy is being developed through a series of engagement activities that include a Call for Ideas and Regional Roadshows, but we will look at all modes to understand how transport should be designed, built and operated to better serve its users.Improving road safety is one of my highest priorities. Too many people are killed and seriously injured in road traffic collisions, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users. The Department is developing a road safety strategy and will set out more details in due course.

What steps her Department is taking to inform members of the teachers pension scheme who are in (a) final salary and (b) career average schemes of their right to retire at 55.

The administrator for the Teachers’ Pension Scheme provides a new starter guide for all new members. The guide can be accessed here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/-/media/documents/member/guides/new-starter-guide-2024.ashx?rev=9c420691700a46cf9d6661890f310aa3&hash=C05F7D56649239746FC32D1E56A96E62.Page 7 of the guide explains that retirement benefits can be taken from age 55. The department is considering the impacts of the increase to Normal Minimum Pension Age from April 2028 and will communicate any resulting changes to those affected as soon as this is determined.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that research into long-COVID is adequately funded.

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR remains committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment for long COVID. We are actively exploring next steps for research in this area. We recently held a roundtable on long COVID research on 17 October 2025, led by the Minister responsible for long COVID and co-hosted with the Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Lucy Chappell.

What the consequences will be for landlords who do not raise their EPC rating to C when it is unfeasible to do so.

The Government is currently consulting on raising minimum energy efficiency standards to EPC C or equivalent. Current regulations already include a number of available exemptions and we are looking to ensure appropriate exemptions are in place for any new standards. The consultation also sets out proposals about maximum non-compliance fines where no valid exemption applies.