Written questions by Cooper.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that (a) heat pumps and (b) other renewable heating solutions are (i) accessible and (ii) affordable.

Under the Government’s Warm Homes Plan, policies including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Local Grant and Energy Company Obligation are delivering financial support for low carbon heating. Heat pump installations are also zero-rated for VAT. The Government will also amend Permitted Development Rights, removing the 1m rule for air source heat pump installations in England. We expect most properties will ultimately switch to heat pumps, with evidence showing they are widely suitable across UK housing archetypes. The Government will keep this position under review as the evidence base on possible alternatives develops.

What steps his Department is taking through the Warm Homes Plan to help ensure that (a) homes occupied by low-income families and (b) all homes meet high energy efficiency standards.

The Government has pledged to take action to stand with tenants and deliver the safety and security of warmer, cheaper homes, and has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency, with £1bn of this allocated to 2025/2026. We have published our consultation on improving energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector in England and Wales, containing proposals that could lift up to half a million households in England out of fuel poverty by 2030. Further details on the Warm Homes Plan will be set out in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) local authorities and (b) community groups that provide energy efficiency improvements receive adequate funding to implement his Department's policies as set out in the Warm Homes Plan.

The Warm Homes Plan will help people find ways to save money on energy bills and transform our ageing building stock into comfortable, low-carbon homes that are fit for the future. We will partner with combined authorities and local and devolved governments to roll out this plan. We will set out full details of our Warm Homes Plan in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February to Question 28158 on Public Lavatories: Men, whether he will produce guidance for local authorities on he provision of sanitary waste bins in men's bathrooms.

The maintenance of public toilets is a matter for local authorities. The Government has no plans to produce guidance for local authorities on the provision of sanitary waste bins in men's bathrooms.

If she will make an estimate of the number of sick days taken by (a) teachers and (b) other school staff due to mental ill health in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not held centrally.The department collects absence data for teachers and teaching assistants employed directly by state-funded schools via the school workforce census. This includes absences due to sickness but does not include the reason for the sickness absence. Each census collects data for absences from the previous academic year. The latest data available covers the 2022 /23 academic year and is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme to provide free anytime bus travel to all disabled bus pass holders.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the times of use, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. Local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as extending the travel time criteria for the ENCTS. The Department for Transport’s concessionary travel statistics for the year ending March 2025, report that 60% of travel concession authorities provide discretionary concessions for disabled concessionary passholders to travel before 9:30am and after 11pm.

Media and Sport, with reference to the speech by the Minister for Gambling at the GambleAware conference of 4 December 2024, what discussions (a) she and (b) other Ministers have had with the Betting and Gaming Council on future action on advertising since that speech.

The Gambling Minister has met with the Betting and Gaming Council since her speech at the GambleAware conference on 4 December 2024 and the Department continues to work with the BGC on the issue of advertising. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards in this area to ensure that levels of gambling advertising does not exacerbate harm and this work will be monitored closely.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2024 to Question 14690 on Fire and Rescue Services: Standards, what progress was made in establishing national standards for Fire and Rescue services at the first meeting of the Ministerial Advisory Group held in December.

The inaugural meeting of the ministerial advisory group for fire and rescue service reform was the first in a series of meetings that will take place quarterly. One of the group’s key aims is delivery of the manifesto commitment to work with all stakeholders in the fire and rescue sector to inform policy, including the establishment of national standards. This will form a core part of our work programme, alongside the Government’s other priorities for meaningful reform of the sector.This will build on the work that the Fire Standards Board has already taken forward in publishing 19 different standards for the sector. These cover a range of topics relating to operational management, leadership and ethics.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of treating savings in lifetime ISAs in the same way as pension funds when calculating savings limits for means tested benefits.

There are no plans to change the way savings held in a Lifetime ISA are treated in the assessment of means-tested benefits including Universal Credit. The value of the pension fund that someone and their employer pays into protects that person for retirement, and it is right whilst they remain below state pension credit age, that the value of that fund is disregarded when assessing entitlement to means-tested benefits.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending free school meal provision to include children enrolled in maintained nursery schools.

Under current programmes, 2.1 million disadvantaged pupils are registered to receive benefits-based free school meals (FSM). This includes pupils attending a local authority maintained, academy or free school nursery who are entitled to FSM, as long as they either are in full-time education or receive education both before and after lunch and meet the benefits-based FSM eligibility criteria.Further information on the number of pupils registered to receive FSM is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2024 to Question 19779 on Health Professions: Regulation, what his timetable is for announcing his priorities in relation to the applicability of the five year rule by professional regulators on fitness to practise in cases which involve allegations of historic sexual abuse.

The Government has been considering its priorities for professional regulation and will be setting these out shortly.

Whether UK Government Investments has made a request to Post Office Limited to (a) proceed with moving all directly managed branches to a fully franchised model and (b) expedite the shift of directly managed branches that have previously been earmarked to be moved to a fully franchised model since 5 July 2024.

Nigel Railton, the Post Office Chair, has set out his ambitions for the future of the Post Office, which involves a reduction in central costs and other ways to deliver efficiencies, plus steps to improve the commercial future of the business in order to enable real term increases in postmaster pay. No decisions have yet been taken on the future of any individual Directly Managed Branches (DMBs) as part of this plan. The Government will continue to work closely with Post Office as they develop their transformation plan. In the meantime, we expect the Post Office to fully engage and consult with the Unions and postmaster representative bodies about future options for the DMBs. Decisions about franchising are an operational matter for Post Office Limited. The Government is broadly supportive of POL’s transformation plan, including the aim of increasing postmaster pay, however neither the Department nor UKGI, acting as the Shareholder representative on the Board of Post Office Limited, have made the requests referred to in the question. The Post Office will continue to deliver on the 11,500 minimum branch requirement set by Government.

Whether his Department has made representations with the Post Office to (a) proceed with moving all directly managed branches to a fully franchised model and (b) expedite the shift of directly managed branches that have previously been earmarked to be moved to a fully franchised model since 5 July 2024.

Nigel Railton, the Post Office Chair, has set out his ambitions for the future of the Post Office, which involves a reduction in central costs and other ways to deliver efficiencies, plus steps to improve the commercial future of the business in order to enable real term increases in postmaster pay. No decisions have yet been taken on the future of any individual Directly Managed Branches (DMBs) as part of this plan. The Government will continue to work closely with Post Office as they develop their transformation plan. In the meantime, we expect the Post Office to fully engage and consult with the Unions and postmaster representative bodies about future options for the DMBs.Decisions about franchising are an operational matter for Post Office Limited. The Government is broadly supportive of POL’s transformation plan, including the aim of increasing postmaster pay, however neither the Department nor UKGI, acting as the Shareholder representative on the Board of Post Office Limited, have made the requests referred to in the question.The Post Office will continue to deliver on the 11,500 minimum branch requirement set by Government.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 26600 on Parking: Databases, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) retaining the National Parking Platform in the public sector and (b) allowing it to recoup its operating costs by charging fees to car park operators.

This Government has had to make many difficult decisions about public spending. We recognise the merits of the National Parking Platform and are continuing to support this by working with the parking industry, who we believe are best placed to take the initiative forward, as set out in my previous reply.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) mortgage lenders and (b) insurers on their approach to (i) mortgages and (ii) building insurance policies relating to buildings that hold an EWS1 certificate issued by (A) Tri Fire and (B) Adam Kiziak.

EWS1s are not a legal or regulatory requirement. They are a mortgage valuation tool and the use of EWS1s is a commercial decision by industry.The Department engages regularly with the mortgage lending and insurance industries. Officials are working closely with industry representatives to ensure they take a proportional approach to buildings with an EWS1 issued by Adam Kiziak and Tri Fire. Where a mortgage lender will not accept one of these EWS1s, we would expect them to consider alternative evidence.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to require the provision of sanitary waste bins in men's bathrooms.

The Government oversees policy and legislation with respect to the safe management of waste and litter as well as the protection of drains and sewers. It does not, however, have powers to compel the provision of sanitary bins in public toilets. The maintenance of public toilets is a matter for local authorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2024 to Question 10820 on Trapping, what his timetable is for banning the use of snares.

As stated in the reply to Question 10820, Defra is considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course. As outlined in our manifesto, we will bring an end to the use of snare traps in England.

How many funding applications the National Institute of Health and Care Research received for brain tumour research on (a) diagnosis and screening and (b) drugs and treatment therapies in each of the last ten years; and how many of those applications secured funding.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.5 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24. Cancer is a major area of NIHR spend, reflecting its high priority.Over the ten financial years from 2013/14 to 2023/24, the NIHR received 179 applications for brain tumour research in total. Of these:54 were for research on diagnosis and screening, five of which were funded;80 were for research on drugs and treatment, 11 of which were funded and one of which is still under consideration;12 were for a combination of both categories of research, six of which were funded; and32 were for other categories of research, five of which were funded. The NIHR funds research in response to proposals received from scientists rather than allocating funding to specific disease areas. The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including brain cancer. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.In September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation. Further information on these new research funding opportunities is available at the following link:https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/new-funding-opportunities-novel-brain-tumour-research-launched

Whether he has made an assessment of the (a) adequacy of access to and (b) reliability of the supply of Sustanon in the UK.

The Government is not aware of any current supply issues regarding the provision of Sustanon. Decisions about which medicines to prescribe are made by the doctor or healthcare professional responsible for that part of the patient’s care. Prescribers are accountable for their prescribing decisions.It is for the responsible clinician to work with their patient and decide on the best course of treatment, with the provision of the most clinically appropriate care for the patient always being the primary consideration. Prescribers must always satisfy themselves that the medicines they consider appropriate for their patients can be safely prescribed and that they take account of the appropriate national guidance on clinical effectiveness, as well as the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care boards.

Whether the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority will retain independent commissioners.

The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) will combine the functions of the National Infrastructure Commission and Infrastructure and Projects Authority. NISTA will bring oversight of strategy and delivery into one organisation, driving more effective delivery of infrastructure across the country.On 17 January 2025, the Prime Minister announced in a Written Ministerial Statement that NISTA will be a joint unit of HM Treasury and Cabinet Office, effective from 1 April 2025. Further detail on the work and governance of NISTA will be announced in due course.