Written questions by Cooper.

With reference to the letter on UIN 11295 from the Minister for Veterans and People to the hon. Member for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, dated 19 November 2024, and pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024 to Question 11295 on Army Cadet Force: Costs, at what stage through the Annual Budget Cycle process his Department is as of 27 January 2025; and how much funding he plans to provide for Control Total for Army Cadet Force expenditure in 2025-26.

Autumn Budget 2024 set the Ministry of Defence budget for financial year 2025-26 as £59.8 billion, an increase of £2.9 billion from this year. The Department is currently conducting the budget-setting process for 2025-26, with final budgets to be set before the start of the financial year in the normal way.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing assistance for costs to unemployed jobseekers for travelling to in-person interviews for temporary jobs on minimum pay.

Our new Get Britain Working plan is designed to reform employment support and create a new jobs and careers service to help people into work. We know that travel costs can be a barrier to work for unemployed customers. Currently the Flexible Support Fund is a discretionary non-recoverable fund, that work coaches can use to remove barriers to work for eligible Universal Credit customers, such as assistance with travel costs. Furthermore, the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card is available to eligible customers to offer reduced rail fares supporting them into employment. The main aim of this support is to improve customers’ job and earnings progression prospects and can include travel to interviews.

If she will publish her planned timetable for rolling out the National Parking Platform across England.

The Government continues to support the concept of a National Parking Platform (NPP), recognising the depth of support for it across the parking sector and its many benefits. However, we are of the view that it could and should be delivered without the need to rely on public funding, particularly given the dire financial position the Government inherited. I am pleased to say that a consortium comprising the British Parking Association and the other key industry stakeholders has come together to develop a potential long term delivery model for the national rollout of the NPP. My officials are working at pace with them to explore how this could be achieved. The pilot project will continue to be funded to the 31 March 2025 while these discussions are on-going.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to re-open water testing Laboratories that are Regulation 31 certified.

The water industry must comply with Regulation 31 and they cannot purchase and install a product from a supplier without first assuring themselves that the product has been approved or meets the requirements of Regulation 31. The Government recognises that it is critically important that there are effective procedures and regulatory oversight and the Drinking Water Inspectorate has been pro-actively supporting the industry towards accessing additional laboratory facilities and services with respect to Regulation 31 testing.

What the average time to answer a customer telephone call was in each year since 2015.

Data on the number of complaints relating to telephony services is held in line with HMRC’s retention policy.Reporting yearNumber of complaints relating to telephony servicesNumber of telephony complaints as a proportion of all complaints received (%)2015-16Not heldNot held2016-17Not heldNot held2017-18Not heldNot held2018-191,2441.74%2019-201,3402.04%2020-212,1372.72%2021-222,0322.53%2022-232,6342.89%2023-248,0378.72%In March 2023, HMRC changed from only recording the primary cause of a complaint to recording all contributing causes and factors of a complaint.HMRC has previously faced challenges in delivering good customer service.In 2024-25 HMRC has increased its telephony ‘adviser attempts handled’ and decreased wait times. HMRC’s latest performance information is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports#reporting-year-2024-to-2025HMRC is encouraging more of its customers to use its online services to complete tasks quickly and easily online. Satisfaction with HMRC’s online services is consistently above 80%.HMRC operates a flexible resourcing model where staff are deployed across various types of customer service work throughout the year. This allows HMRC to allocate resources to support customers where and when they need it most across different channels, including helplines, post correspondence and webchat. Given the dynamic nature of HMRC’s workforce, their staffing records do not segregate helpline resources separately. Telephony services are funded from HMRC’s overall funding settlement.HMRC started reporting on disconnections after 70 minutes when they introduced a new telephony system. Information on the number of disconnections from March 2023 and for April 2023 to March 2024 is published in the HMRC Annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024The average time to answer a customer telephone call for each year since 2015 is published as part of HMRC’s annual reports and accounts: 2023 to 2024 – historical data series (see above link).

What HMRC's budget has been for a customer telephone service in each year since 2015.

Data on the number of complaints relating to telephony services is held in line with HMRC’s retention policy.Reporting yearNumber of complaints relating to telephony servicesNumber of telephony complaints as a proportion of all complaints received (%)2015-16Not heldNot held2016-17Not heldNot held2017-18Not heldNot held2018-191,2441.74%2019-201,3402.04%2020-212,1372.72%2021-222,0322.53%2022-232,6342.89%2023-248,0378.72%In March 2023, HMRC changed from only recording the primary cause of a complaint to recording all contributing causes and factors of a complaint.HMRC has previously faced challenges in delivering good customer service.In 2024-25 HMRC has increased its telephony ‘adviser attempts handled’ and decreased wait times. HMRC’s latest performance information is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports#reporting-year-2024-to-2025HMRC is encouraging more of its customers to use its online services to complete tasks quickly and easily online. Satisfaction with HMRC’s online services is consistently above 80%.HMRC operates a flexible resourcing model where staff are deployed across various types of customer service work throughout the year. This allows HMRC to allocate resources to support customers where and when they need it most across different channels, including helplines, post correspondence and webchat. Given the dynamic nature of HMRC’s workforce, their staffing records do not segregate helpline resources separately. Telephony services are funded from HMRC’s overall funding settlement.HMRC started reporting on disconnections after 70 minutes when they introduced a new telephony system. Information on the number of disconnections from March 2023 and for April 2023 to March 2024 is published in the HMRC Annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024The average time to answer a customer telephone call for each year since 2015 is published as part of HMRC’s annual reports and accounts: 2023 to 2024 – historical data series (see above link).

How many and what proportion of customers have made a complaint about the customer telephone service in each year since 2015.

Data on the number of complaints relating to telephony services is held in line with HMRC’s retention policy.Reporting yearNumber of complaints relating to telephony servicesNumber of telephony complaints as a proportion of all complaints received (%)2015-16Not heldNot held2016-17Not heldNot held2017-18Not heldNot held2018-191,2441.74%2019-201,3402.04%2020-212,1372.72%2021-222,0322.53%2022-232,6342.89%2023-248,0378.72%In March 2023, HMRC changed from only recording the primary cause of a complaint to recording all contributing causes and factors of a complaint.HMRC has previously faced challenges in delivering good customer service.In 2024-25 HMRC has increased its telephony ‘adviser attempts handled’ and decreased wait times. HMRC’s latest performance information is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports#reporting-year-2024-to-2025HMRC is encouraging more of its customers to use its online services to complete tasks quickly and easily online. Satisfaction with HMRC’s online services is consistently above 80%.HMRC operates a flexible resourcing model where staff are deployed across various types of customer service work throughout the year. This allows HMRC to allocate resources to support customers where and when they need it most across different channels, including helplines, post correspondence and webchat. Given the dynamic nature of HMRC’s workforce, their staffing records do not segregate helpline resources separately. Telephony services are funded from HMRC’s overall funding settlement.HMRC started reporting on disconnections after 70 minutes when they introduced a new telephony system. Information on the number of disconnections from March 2023 and for April 2023 to March 2024 is published in the HMRC Annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024The average time to answer a customer telephone call for each year since 2015 is published as part of HMRC’s annual reports and accounts: 2023 to 2024 – historical data series (see above link).

How many full time equivalent staff have been re-employed on HMRC’s customer telephone service in each year since 2015.

Data on the number of complaints relating to telephony services is held in line with HMRC’s retention policy.Reporting yearNumber of complaints relating to telephony servicesNumber of telephony complaints as a proportion of all complaints received (%)2015-16Not heldNot held2016-17Not heldNot held2017-18Not heldNot held2018-191,2441.74%2019-201,3402.04%2020-212,1372.72%2021-222,0322.53%2022-232,6342.89%2023-248,0378.72%In March 2023, HMRC changed from only recording the primary cause of a complaint to recording all contributing causes and factors of a complaint.HMRC has previously faced challenges in delivering good customer service.In 2024-25 HMRC has increased its telephony ‘adviser attempts handled’ and decreased wait times. HMRC’s latest performance information is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports#reporting-year-2024-to-2025HMRC is encouraging more of its customers to use its online services to complete tasks quickly and easily online. Satisfaction with HMRC’s online services is consistently above 80%.HMRC operates a flexible resourcing model where staff are deployed across various types of customer service work throughout the year. This allows HMRC to allocate resources to support customers where and when they need it most across different channels, including helplines, post correspondence and webchat. Given the dynamic nature of HMRC’s workforce, their staffing records do not segregate helpline resources separately. Telephony services are funded from HMRC’s overall funding settlement.HMRC started reporting on disconnections after 70 minutes when they introduced a new telephony system. Information on the number of disconnections from March 2023 and for April 2023 to March 2024 is published in the HMRC Annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024The average time to answer a customer telephone call for each year since 2015 is published as part of HMRC’s annual reports and accounts: 2023 to 2024 – historical data series (see above link).

How many times has HMRC disconnected a customer who has waited for longer than 70 minutes to speak to an advisor on their customer telephone service in each year since 2015.

Data on the number of complaints relating to telephony services is held in line with HMRC’s retention policy.Reporting yearNumber of complaints relating to telephony servicesNumber of telephony complaints as a proportion of all complaints received (%)2015-16Not heldNot held2016-17Not heldNot held2017-18Not heldNot held2018-191,2441.74%2019-201,3402.04%2020-212,1372.72%2021-222,0322.53%2022-232,6342.89%2023-248,0378.72%In March 2023, HMRC changed from only recording the primary cause of a complaint to recording all contributing causes and factors of a complaint.HMRC has previously faced challenges in delivering good customer service.In 2024-25 HMRC has increased its telephony ‘adviser attempts handled’ and decreased wait times. HMRC’s latest performance information is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports#reporting-year-2024-to-2025HMRC is encouraging more of its customers to use its online services to complete tasks quickly and easily online. Satisfaction with HMRC’s online services is consistently above 80%.HMRC operates a flexible resourcing model where staff are deployed across various types of customer service work throughout the year. This allows HMRC to allocate resources to support customers where and when they need it most across different channels, including helplines, post correspondence and webchat. Given the dynamic nature of HMRC’s workforce, their staffing records do not segregate helpline resources separately. Telephony services are funded from HMRC’s overall funding settlement.HMRC started reporting on disconnections after 70 minutes when they introduced a new telephony system. Information on the number of disconnections from March 2023 and for April 2023 to March 2024 is published in the HMRC Annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024The average time to answer a customer telephone call for each year since 2015 is published as part of HMRC’s annual reports and accounts: 2023 to 2024 – historical data series (see above link).

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 23431 on Local Government: Employers' Contributions, whether she made a comparative assessment of the potential impact of this approach to calculating National Insurance Contribution funding on compensation for increased payroll costs for (a) district councils and (b) county councils and unitary authorities.

The government has announced an additional £515 million of support for local government in England specifically to manage the impact of changes to employer NICs announced at the Autumn Budget.Final allocations to local authorities will be published alongside final positions on methodology as part of the final Local Government Finance Settlement in early February 2025.

With reference to Home Office case reference MPAM/1253692/25, what steps is taking to expedite the resolution of a technical error on her Department's systems which is preventing the processing of skilled workers visas.

The issue raised relates to an individual case and the enrolment of data to the Home Office. It does not relate to a systemic issue with our I.T systems. We are taking steps to resolve the issues surrounding the individual case and will respond with further details directly to the Honourable Member.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the (a) adequacy of adoption by (i) professional and (ii) grass roots sports organisations and (b) effectiveness of the UK-wide Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport, updated in November 2024.

National guidelines for concussion in grassroots sport were developed by international experts on concussion and acquired brain injury to better identify, manage and prevent the issue. We continue to encourage National Governing Bodies to adapt the guidance to their own sport where appropriate.The concussion guidelines’ impact is in the process of being evaluated by the Department for Health and Social Care, with DCMS involvement, and the evaluation is expected to be published in 2025.The Government will continue to discuss athlete safety with relevant stakeholders and the sports sector in the coming months to ensure that everyone can take part in sport as safely as possible.

Whether she has made an estimate of the cost to the public purse of social security benefits for people unable to work because of an acquired brain injury.

The Department does not hold the information requested.

What steps she has taken to encourage schools to adopt the recommendations on (a) preventing and (b) treating concussion in the UK-wide Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport, updated in November 2024.

Engaging in sports and physical activities, both within and outside the school environment, is crucial for a child’s wellbeing and personal development. There are various resources already available to assist schools and sports clubs in assessing and mitigating any risks associated with these activities.The department’s guidance, ‘Health and safety: responsibilities and duties for schools’, supports schools in evaluating the risks associated with their activities. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-safety-advice-for-schools/responsibilities-and-duties-for-schools. It signposts to the Health and Safety Executive’s guidance on promoting a balanced approach to children’s play and leisure.Additionally, health and safety advice is available from the Association of Physical Education and the National Governing Bodies of individual sports, who are responsible for the regulation of their sports, and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) continues to encourage National Governing Bodies to adapt the concussion guidance to their own sport where appropriate.Furthermore, on 24 November 2024, DCMS updated the 'Concussion Guidelines for Non-Elite (Grassroots) Sport’. These UK-wide guidelines aim to help players, coaches, parents, teachers, school staff, National Governing Bodies, and sports administrators effectively identify and manage brain injuries.The department and DCMS have been collaboratively disseminating the guidance to schools through various channels such a sector email and a school stakeholder bulletin.This guidance can be accessed here: uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf.

Whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities system in supporting children with acquired brain injuries.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special education needs and disabilities or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.Children who have had a brain injury can be affected in different ways. Some brain injuries will result in a special educational need (SEN) or a medical need, whilst others may affect a child in other ways.In whatever way a brain injury manifests, it is essential that the pupil’s individual needs are identified and supported appropriately. Support should be tailored to their own learning barriers, irrespective of their diagnosis. This is underpinned by the range of statutory duties on schools to support children with SEN, disabilities or medical conditions. Depending on the impact that an acquired brain injury has on the child accessing education, they may be entitled to support under any or all of these duties. For example:A mainstream school must use its ‘best endeavours’ to provide the right support for all its pupils with SEN.Schools must make arrangements to support their pupils with medical conditions.Schools must make reasonable adjustments to their practices, procedures and policies and not discriminate against disabled pupils.

Whether she plans to publish guidance on the risks to children of acquired brain injuries in (a) schools and (b) sports clubs.

Engaging in sports and physical activities, both within and outside the school environment, is crucial for a child’s wellbeing and personal development. There are various resources already available to assist schools and sports clubs in assessing and mitigating any risks associated with these activities.The department’s guidance, ‘Health and safety: responsibilities and duties for schools’, supports schools in evaluating the risks associated with their activities. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-safety-advice-for-schools/responsibilities-and-duties-for-schools. It signposts to the Health and Safety Executive’s guidance on promoting a balanced approach to children’s play and leisure.Additionally, health and safety advice is available from the Association of Physical Education and the National Governing Bodies of individual sports, who are responsible for the regulation of their sports, and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) continues to encourage National Governing Bodies to adapt the concussion guidance to their own sport where appropriate.Furthermore, on 24 November 2024, DCMS updated the 'Concussion Guidelines for Non-Elite (Grassroots) Sport’. These UK-wide guidelines aim to help players, coaches, parents, teachers, school staff, National Governing Bodies, and sports administrators effectively identify and manage brain injuries.The department and DCMS have been collaboratively disseminating the guidance to schools through various channels such a sector email and a school stakeholder bulletin.This guidance can be accessed here: uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an estimate of how many people with acquired brain injury are experiencing (a) homelessness and (b) rough sleeping.

According to the 2020 Rough Sleeping Questionnaire, 7% of respondents reported an acquired brain injury, with 82% reporting a mental health vulnerability and 83% of respondents reporting at least one physical health condition. More Rough Sleeping questionnaire information on the health and support needs of rough sleepers can be accessed here: Rough Sleeping Questionnaire: initial findings Chapter 3.5.MHCLG does not collect information about how many households with acquired brain injury are experiencing homelessness. There is information relating to support needs of households presenting as homeless available here: Tables on homelessness - GOV.UK Tab A3.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the publication entitled Explanatory note on the National Insurance Contribution compensation 2025 to 2026, published 18 December 2024, for what reason the allocation was not calculated using published local authority payroll data.

The government has announced an additional £515 million of support for local government, including Mayoral Combined Authorities and Fire and Rescue Authorities, specifically to manage the impact of changes to employer NICs announced at the Autumn Budget.Additional funding made available to compensate local government as a whole for the impact of changes to employer NICs has been determined based on a national assessment of the costs for directly employed staff across the public sector.We propose to allocate the £515 million between local authorities in England based on their shares of total relevant net current expenditure. We have published a methodology note, explaining the data this funding is based upon, to assist councils with their financial planning.The government will confirm final positions on methodology and approach to allocations as soon as possible now that the consultation on the provisional settlement has closed. We are continuing to engage with local government on their queries regarding the allocation of this additional funding.

How much funding his Department has allocated for the public consultation on a new NHS 10-year-plan.

The public and staff must be at the centre of developing the Plan to make the National Health Service fit for the future, so it makes a positive impact on their day-to-day lives. That is why we are running a series of in-depth deliberative events and have launched an open platform to hear from members of the public and those who work in health and care. The events are being delivered within the Department's budget as part of its responsibility to promote the health and wellbeing of everyone in England. We are determined to do this in a way that gives everyone the chance to get involved while also ensuring value for money. At this point in time, we are not able to provide accurate costs for the whole engagement exercise, because it is still ongoing.

With reference to the her Department's consultation entitled Transforming business rates, published 30 October 2024, whether she plans to meet with (a) British Business Improvement Districts, (b) The BID Foundation and (c) the Association of Town Centre Management as part of the engagement process.

At Autumn Budget, the Government published a Discussion Paper setting out priority areas for reform of the business rates system. This paper invites industry to help co-design a fairer system that supports investment and is fit for the 21st century. Treasury officials are engaging with stakeholders who registered interest by the 15 November deadline, and the Government is open to receiving further written evidence to transformingbusinessrates@hmtreasury.gov.uk until the end of March 2025.