Written questions by Carden.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made to meet the commitment to protect 30% of (a) land and (b) seas by 2030.

In July, the Secretary of State confirmed the Government’s intention to launch a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP). Our review will make sure that the EIP is fit for purpose to deliver on our ambitious targets, including 30by30, and...

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the recommendations of Blood Cancer UK's Action Plan.

The Department has not made a formal assessment of the potential implications of its policies based on the recommendations of Blood Cancer UK’s Action Plan.However, we will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster. ...

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the report by Kinship entitled Forgotten:?Support for kinship children’s education and mental health, published August

The government is determined to give every child the opportunities they deserve. It knows that many children in kinship care need extra support, including in school. The department is working to ensure their needs are met, and that they have the best poss...

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the Institute of Alcohol Studies' article entitled £27.4 billion cost of alcohol harm in England every year, published on 20 May 2024.

Following the recent alcohol duty reforms, all alcoholic products are now taxed by strength. This reflects public health priorities and helps to address potentially harmful products like ‘white’ ciders and strong fortified wines, which are often cited by health groups as being abused. The Chancellor has confirmed that she will set out plans for tax – as well as spending and borrowing – in the usual way at the Budget on 30 October. HM Treasury welcomes representations as part of this policy making process and Budget submissions will be received through the online portal until 10 September.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of Ofgem’s decision to increase the energy price cap from October 2024.

Ofgem’s price cap increased for the period 1 October 2024 to 31 December 2024 due to the increase in global wholesale energy prices. The Government believes that the only way to protect billpayers permanently from price shocks, is to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels and towards homegrown clean energy. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on foreign, volatile energy markets, and help in our commitment to produce all of the UK's energy from clean power sources by 2030.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of potential implications for his policies of the human rights situation in Bangladesh.

The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights. In July, the UK government expressed concern about the situation in Bangladesh and called for all sides to work together to end the violence. We were clear that a full and independent UN-led investigation is important. The Interim Government in Bangladesh has the UK's full support as it works to restore peace and order including investigating alleged human rights violations. The UK supports the work of the UN as it works to conduct an impartial and independent fact-finding mission to identify human rights violations.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to tackle online (a) disinformation and (b) misinformation.

The Online Safety Act (OSA) will be the Governments key tool in combatting online mis- and disinformation. It sets out a clear regulatory framework to tackle both mis- and disinformation where it constitutes illegal content or harmful content to children. In addition, we are educating and empowering users through our work on media literacy to increase society’s resilience to mis- and disinformation. Officials also regularly meet with major platforms, about disinformation activity, emerging risks and platforms’ responses.

Whether her Department plans to extend contracts for Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs in (a) the Liverpool City Region and (b) across England.

The department is committed to ensuring that every child in an early years setting receives high quality education and care. Evidence shows that this has a positive impact on outcomes in both the short and long term, particularly for the most disadvantaged children.The Stronger Practice Hubs Programme was launched in 2022 to address the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the youngest children, with a focus on the most disadvantaged areas. The Hubs support early years settings and childminders by sharing effective practice, learning from the best available evidence, and building lasting local networks.The department is pleased to confirm that all Stronger Practice Hubs in England, including the Hub in the Liverpool City Region, have been offered the opportunity to extend their grants until 31 March 2025.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve pancreatic cancer outcomes.

The Department is working with NHS England to deliver interventions to improve outcomes for those with pancreatic cancer across England. Early diagnosis is imperative to improving outcomes for all types of cancer, especially pancreatic due to the non-specific nature of its symptoms. As the first step to ensuring faster diagnosis and treatment, we will deliver an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week.For pancreatic cancer specifically, NHS England is providing a route into pancreatic cancer surveillance for those at inherited high-risk, to identify lesions before they develop into cancer. NHS England is additionally creating pathways to support faster referral routes for people with non-specific symptoms, and is increasing direct access for general practitioners to diagnostic tests.Additionally, the Getting it Right First-Time team in NHS England is undertaking a deep dive into pancreatic cancer, which will highlight good practice and actions National Health Service providers need to take to improve services. NHS England is also funding a new audit into pancreatic cancer, aiming to provide regular and timely evidence to cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, to increase the consistency of access to treatments and to stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the amount of time teachers are allocated to undertake (a) planning, (b) preparation and (c) assessment.

All teachers who participate in the teaching of pupils are entitled to reasonable periods of planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time, which is a minimum of 10% of their timetable. This government is committed to resetting the relationship between the government and education profession in order to improve the experience of being a teacher. In July, alongside delivering a fully-funded 5.5% pay award, we clarified that teachers can use PPA time at home, to provide greater flexibility for teachers. The department knows that improving workload will play a key role in recruiting and retaining excellent teachers and leaders, which will support the government’s mission to transform the education system so that all children and young people get the skills, care and opportunities they deserve. The department is now considering all options for future policy interventions to improve teacher workload and wellbeing to help deliver on the government’s ambition to recruit 6,500 additional new teachers, and is working with partners across the sector to achieve this.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the proposals in the document entitled, The Firefighters’ Manifesto - Our Service, Our Future, published on 1 November 2023 by the Fire Brigades Union.

The Government values the role of the Fire Brigades Union and is determined to bring about meaningful improvement to fire and rescue services across the country.We will formally work with all sector stakeholders to inform policy and establish national standards.

Whether he has had recent discussions with NHS England on the workload of pathology services staff.

My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had no recent discussions with NHS England on this subject. However, the Department will continue to engage with NHS England on a variety of issues, including staff workload.We recognise that staff across the National Health Service have been under considerable pressure. We are committed to tackling staff shortages, and want to improve organisational culture and working conditions so that we can keep staff healthy and motivated, and retain vital skills and experience in the NHS.

What steps she plans to take to help tackle violence in prisons.

Reducing violence in prisons is a key priority, and we are working hard to make prisons as safe as possible.A range of security measures are in place to clamp down on illicit items such as weapons and drugs, that can fuel prison violence. This includes X-ray body scanners at every closed adult male prison, and enhanced gate security at 42 high-risk prisons. In addition, Body Worn Video Cameras are provided to all band 3-5 prison officers on shift to prevent violence and provide valuable evidence for prosecution when it does occur.To ensure our staff are equipped with the right tools to protect themselves and prisoners from serious assaults, PAVA – a synthetic pepper spray – has been rolled out for use by prison officers in the adult male estate alongside SPEAR, a personal safety training package.We continue to support those at risk of violence through an estate-wide case management approach and we are providing targeted support to a number of adult male prisons with the highest rates of assaults.

If she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of prison officer retention.

Despite the efforts of hard-working staff, prisons are in crisis. Band 3-5 Prison Officer leaving rates peaked in 2023 and we are experiencing the impact of that now, with significant numbers of prison officers who have recently been recruited and lack experience. Although leaving rates have now lowered, we must focus our attention on retaining our dedicated staff in order to maintain a sufficiently resourced and skilled workforce to deliver quality outcomes in prisons. It takes time to build confidence, capability and the jailcraft skills that are essential to improve the system, and for prisons to successfully carry out their vital role of protecting the public and reducing reoffending.

What criteria she plans to use to identify potential locations for new banking hubs.

The Government recognises the importance of banking to communities and high streets. The Government has therefore committed to work closely with banks to roll out at least 350 banking hubs, which provide individuals and businesses up and down the country with critical cash and banking services. Currently, when a branch closes or a community makes a request, LINK (the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network) is responsible for assessing whether a banking hub would be a suitable recommendation for a community. The criteria that LINK uses to assess the needs of a local community can be found on LINK’s website. In December last year, the Financial Conduct Authority consulted on its regulatory approach to access to cash, including the criteria it proposes designated entities should use when assessing the needs of local communities. This can be found here. The FCA intends to publish its final rules in the third quarter of this year.

What steps her Department plans to take to support co-operatives.

The Government recognises the important contribution that co-operatives make to the economy, serving local communities around the UK and ensuring the UK has a diverse business sector with their model of shared ownership. Co-operatives, alongside other mutuals in the UK, had combined annual revenues of £87.9 billion in 2022, equating to 3.5% of UK GDP. The Government is committed to supporting the UK’s co-operative and mutuals sector and will be working closely with the sector to address any barriers that it currently faces.

What steps his Department is taking to support community pharmacies in (a) Liverpool Walton constituency and (b) England.

Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, including by cutting red tape.The Department and NHS England are currently consulting Community Pharmacy England on the contractual arrangements for community pharmacies in England including Liverpool Walton for 2024/25.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to return landlord licensing powers to local authorities.

Local housing authorities are able to introduce selective licensing of landlords in targeted areas to tackle specific problems, if the statutory requirements are met.Since 2015, new or renewed schemes which cover more than 20% of a local authority’s private rented stock or geographical area require approval from the Secretary of State.We will keep this 20% threshold under review in light of our proposals for devolution and supporting improving rented sector standards.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has plans to reform council tax.

Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement in which we are engaged.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has plans to reform local government finance to ensure funding allocations take greater account of local need.

Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement in which we are engaged. The department will work with local government leaders to ensure they are better able to fulfil their statutory duties. We want to hear from councils about the financial challenges they are facing and we are committed to stabilising the local government finance landscape in this Parliament.