Written questions by Cooper.

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.

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.

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.

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.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing duty relief to brewers of cask conditioned beers.

Draught Relief provides a duty discount for eligible draught beer and cider. Cask conditioned beers will be able to benefit from Draught Relief if they are sold in a container of 20 litres or more, connected to a dispense system and are below 8.5 per cent alcohol by volume (ABV). At the Budget, the Chancellor increased the relief available on draught products to 13.9%. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and is equivalent to a 1p duty reduction on a typical pint. Cask conditioned beer producers will also be eligible for Small Producer Relief if they make 4,500 hectolitres or fewer of alcohol per year on all products below 8.5 per cent ABV. This is an additional duty discount to support small producers.

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.

Whether his Department’s cancer strategy will include (a) a prostate cancer screening programme and (b) alternative measures to improve prostate cancer diagnosis for people at higher risk.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those living with prostate cancer. The Plan will aim to speed up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bringing this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world. Updates will be provided in due course.The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) does not recommend screening for prostate cancer, because the current best test is inaccurate, offering insufficient benefits in relation to harms caused by misdiagnosis and overdiagnosis, such as invasive investigative procedures and unnecessary treatment. The UK NSC is now undertaking an evidence review into prostate cancer screening which is due to be completed this year.The Department is also investing £16 million into the Prostate Cancer UK led Transform screening trial, which seeks to find better ways to detect prostate cancer. This trial will compare the most promising tests that look for prostate cancer in men that do not have symptoms and aims to address disparities in detection rates across different groups.

Whether it is her Department’s policy to notify successful applicants that they have been issued with an eVisa.

All applicants issued with an eVisa as evidence of their immigration status receive a written notification, either via email or post, once their immigration application has been successful, and their immigration permission granted. This notification confirms that the person has been issued an eVisa as evidence of their immigration status. It also includes information on what an eVisa is, and how to access and use it.Immigration status holders who are not making an application but who take action to create a UKVI account to access their existing eVisa receive a notification via email once they complete the UKVI account creation process, confirming they can access their eVisa.

Communities and Local Government, whether the (a) Rough Sleeping Initiative, (b) Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme and (c) Night Shelter Transformation Fund will continue in 2025-26.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced funding allocations for homelessness and rough sleeping on gov.uk in December 2024.This includes funding for sector support to strengthen the capacity of the voluntary sector, the Homelessness Prevention Grant, the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme and the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant, which consolidated the previous Rough Sleeping Initiative and Accommodation for Ex Offenders grants.

Communities and Local Government, when her Department will publish a breakdown of planned spending on homelessness (a) support and (b) prevention for 2025-26.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced funding allocations for homelessness and rough sleeping on gov.uk in December 2024.This includes funding for sector support to strengthen the capacity of the voluntary sector, the Homelessness Prevention Grant, the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme and the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant, which consolidated the previous Rough Sleeping Initiative and Accommodation for Ex Offenders grants.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2024 to Question 4279 on Housing: Bricks, what steps she plans to take to increase rates of swift brick installation in new build properties.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework we published on 12 December 2024 expects developments to provide net gains for biodiversity, including through incorporating features which support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats and hedgehogs.The National Model Design Code and Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework set out how development can incorporate a range of nature friendly features including swift bricks.We will continue to consider what action may be appropriate to drive up rates of swift brick installation in new build properties.

When her Department plans to publish a decision on which apprenticeships will be impacted by cuts to Level 7 apprenticeship funding.

This government is committed to spreading opportunities and economic growth supported by a strong skills system.This government has an extremely challenging fiscal inheritance. There are tough choices that need to be taken on how funding should be prioritised in order to generate opportunities for young people that enable them to make a start in good, fulfilling careers. The department will therefore be asking more employers to step forward and fund a significant number of level 7 apprenticeships themselves outside of the levy-funded growth and skills offer.The department is taking advice from Skills England, who engaged with employers on funding for level 7 apprenticeships over the autumn, and the department expects to make a final decision on affected apprenticeships shortly.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reclaiming any portion of the subsidies provided to Drax Power Limited, in the context of the finding by Ofgem that Drax had misreported data in relation to their annual profiling submission between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022, published on 29 August 2024.

Compliance with biomass sustainability criteria is a priority and Ofgem as the independent regulator is responsible for ensuring generators’ compliance. Ofgem’s recent investigation found that whilst Drax complied with sustainability standards, it had failed to report data accurately. This is a serious matter and Government expects full compliance with all regulatory obligations. Ofgem did not find any evidence to suggest that Drax had been issued with subsidies incorrectly. Drax’s subsequent £25 million redress payment underscores the robustness of the regulatory system.

Whether he has made representations to Drax on the increase in whistleblower reports recorded by the organisation between 2022 and 2023.

The Government takes reports of complaints very seriously. Compliance with biomass sustainability criteria is a priority and Ofgem as the independent regulator is responsible for ensuring generators’ compliance. Ofgem’s recent investigation found that whilst Drax complied with sustainability standards, it had failed to report data accurately. This is a serious matter and Government expects full compliance with all regulatory obligations. Drax’s subsequent £25 million redress payment underscores the robustness of the regulatory system.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the private medical insurance industry's coverage of treatment for patients with rare cancers.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is an independent body responsible for regulating and supervising the conduct of the financial services industry, including firms that provide private medical insurance. The Government is determined that all insurers should treat consumers fairly and provide products that offer fair value, and firms are required to do so under FCA rules. Fair value means that the price a consumer pays for a product or service must be reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive. The FCA has robust powers to act against firms that fail to comply with its rules. Consumers who do not feel they have been treated fairly may be able to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service, an independent body set up to provide arbitration in such cases.

Whether she has received representations from the Solicitor Regulation Authority on the adequacy of the level of financial penalties for those solicitors found to be in breach of money laundering regulations.

The legal profession in England and Wales operates independently of government. The responsibility for regulating the sector sits with the approved regulators, overseen by the Legal Services Board.The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors, as well as most law firms in England and Wales. The SRA’s role involves protecting clients and the public, which means they have powers to issue fines and prevent solicitors in breach of their standards and regulations from practising. While the Government does not generally play a direct role in setting fining powers, the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) facilitated the introduction of measures to increase the SRA’s fining capabilities in relation to economic crime. However, the responsibility to consult and propose new fining levels for economic crime related matters still sits with the SRA.The LSB is currently reviewing regulators' enforcement powers as part of its wider efforts to improve the legal services sector. This review focuses on assessing whether the enforcement powers of the regulators are sufficient, effective, and proportionate. Any changes to regulator fining powers are made by an application (under s69 of the Legal Services Act 2007) from the Legal Services Board to the Lord Chancellor. The Government has not received an application for such a change.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2024 to Question 403 on Health Professions: Regulation, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of expediting the removal of the five-year rule in relation to regulators being able to consider fitness to practise concerns where these involve allegations of historic sexual abuse.

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

If he will take steps to ensure the weekly personal expense allowance for those living in care homes is increased by the rate of inflation each financial year.

The social care allowance rates, which include the Personal Expenses Allowance (PEA), are reviewed each year. The PEA rates have been uprated in line with inflation every year since 2022, and the rates for the 2025/26 financial year will be published in early 2025.

Whether he plans to issue statutory guidance on the provision of absorbent products for adult incontinence products.

There are no plans to issue statutory guidance on the provision of absorbent products for adult incontinence, as there is already existing guidance to which the National Health Service must have regard.NHS England published Excellence in Continence Care on 23 July 2018, bringing together evidence-based resources and research for guidance for commissioners, providers, and health and social care staff, and which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/excellence-in-continence-care/NHS England will consider next steps on Excellence in Continence Care through its National Bladder and Bowel Health Project, which aims to improve continence care across the whole public health and care system.In addition, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on the management of faecal incontinence in adults, which healthcare professionals and commissioners are expected to take fully into account when delivering services for people with bowel incontinence.