Written questions by Morello.

If his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ensure that unpaid carers are guaranteed respite breaks.

The Government is determined to recognise the crucial role that unpaid carers play in caring for family and friends and helping people to remain at home. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers.The Better Care Fund includes funding that can be used for carer support, including short breaks and respite services. Local areas determine how the money is best used to support carers, depending on local need and with reference to their statutory responsibilities.We have launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission will start a national conversation about what care and support working age adults, older people, and their families expect from adult social care, including exploring the needs of unpaid carers, who provide vital care and support.In addition, through measures in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are equipping and supporting carers by making them more visible, empowering their voices in care planning, joining up services, and streamlining their caring tasks by introducing a new ‘MyCarer’ section to the NHS App.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has held recent discussions with (a) Bridport Arts Centre and (b) Dorchester Arts on access to capital funding (i) to tackle maintenance backlogs and (ii) for modernisation.

Our arms-length body Arts Council England (ACE) is investing £176,345 over three years in Bridport Arts Centre as part of their National Portfolio 2023-26 (NPO). In 2024/25 ACE granted a further £20,000 to Bridport Arts Centre from their Area Funds to explore the lease/ownership of the building which will have a direct impact on their ability to address energy efficiency and accessibility.In 2024/25 ACE invested £12,650 in Dorchester Arts through their open-access National Lottery Project Grants to deliver a festival of scriptwriting. All recipients of ACE funding remain fully responsible for their operations, artistic programme, and the day-to-day management of their activities.The Spending Review sets out DCMS’s high-level funding settlement, and individual decisions on how to invest departmental resources will be determined in due course. The Spending Review does, however, commit to significant investment into Arts, Culture, and Heritage infrastructure. Across the spending review period DCMS will be delivering funding across its major capital programmes, supporting local institutions and leveraging economic growth across the regions.DCMS has not had any recent discussions with Bridport Arts Centre or Dorchester Arts directly, however, in September 2024, ACE held discussions with Bridport Arts Centre about their lease on their Grade II listed building as the contract end approaches.On 23 June, an ACE Annual Progress Review took place to assess Bridport Arts Centre’s progress against the objectives set out in their ACE funding agreement over 12 months. This included consideration of their contribution to ACE’s Environmental Responsibility Investment Principle which includes energy efficiency.Both organisations are eligible to apply to ACE’s current round of capital funding, and more information can be found on their website here: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/developing-creativity-and-culture/capital

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to provide financial support to help (a) Bridport Arts Centre and (b) Dorchester Arts to help meet (i) energy efficiency and (ii) accessibility standards; and what capital funding she has allocated to regional arts centres over the period of the Spending Review 2025.

Our arms-length body Arts Council England (ACE) is investing £176,345 over three years in Bridport Arts Centre as part of their National Portfolio 2023-26 (NPO). In 2024/25 ACE granted a further £20,000 to Bridport Arts Centre from their Area Funds to explore the lease/ownership of the building which will have a direct impact on their ability to address energy efficiency and accessibility.In 2024/25 ACE invested £12,650 in Dorchester Arts through their open-access National Lottery Project Grants to deliver a festival of scriptwriting. All recipients of ACE funding remain fully responsible for their operations, artistic programme, and the day-to-day management of their activities.The Spending Review sets out DCMS’s high-level funding settlement, and individual decisions on how to invest departmental resources will be determined in due course. The Spending Review does, however, commit to significant investment into Arts, Culture, and Heritage infrastructure. Across the spending review period DCMS will be delivering funding across its major capital programmes, supporting local institutions and leveraging economic growth across the regions.DCMS has not had any recent discussions with Bridport Arts Centre or Dorchester Arts directly, however, in September 2024, ACE held discussions with Bridport Arts Centre about their lease on their Grade II listed building as the contract end approaches.On 23 June, an ACE Annual Progress Review took place to assess Bridport Arts Centre’s progress against the objectives set out in their ACE funding agreement over 12 months. This included consideration of their contribution to ACE’s Environmental Responsibility Investment Principle which includes energy efficiency.Both organisations are eligible to apply to ACE’s current round of capital funding, and more information can be found on their website here: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/developing-creativity-and-culture/capital

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to introduce transitional protection for people who are no longer eligible for full Council Tax support following changes to the assessment of legacy benefit recipients in West Dorset constituency.

Councils are required to provide a Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) scheme to support low-income households. Support for working age households, including the treatment of benefits, is designed by councils in consultation with their residents, taking into account the needs and circumstances of their local communities. Each year, councils must consider whether to revise or replace their scheme.For pension age households, councils administer a centrally prescribed LCTS scheme.

Whether his Department is developing a digital strategy for social care users.

The Government recognises the transformative potential of digital technology for people who draw on adult social care. While the Department is not developing a digital strategy for social care users at this time, we are taking forward immediate reforms to ensure that people who draw on care benefit from digital transformation. These reforms build on progress to drive adoption of digital social care records, which now benefit 85% of people who draw on adult social care, as well as Government-funded testing, scaling, and evaluation of care technologies to help people live independently for longer.We are developing new standards and guidance for care technologies to improve the confidence of people who draw on care, their loved ones, and care providers, to purchase effective and compatible products.We are also developing new national data infrastructure for social care, which will lay the foundations for staff to access real-time information from health and care services. This will enable the right people to access the right information at the right time, which is key to ensuring people receive safe, personalised care, without having to repeat themselves multiple times to different health and care professionals. We aim for all care providers to be fully digitised by the end of the Parliament.To support the digitisation of adult social care, we have produced a digital skills learning offer. By developing the digital skills, confidence, and capabilities of the adult social care workforce, we can empower them to support the people drawing on care to choose the care technology that is right for them.We are continuing our work with delivery partners to support local authorities in digitising adult social care assessments. This support is helping local authorities improve the timeliness and efficiency of assessments. Where digital tools have been trialled, evaluations have shown that people drawing on care and support have experienced quicker assessments, leading to reduced waiting times.

Whether his Department plans to establish a Royal College of care workers.

The Government is committed to a well-supported adult social care workforce who are recognised as the professionals they are. Enhancing the skills of staff working in adult social care is vital to ensure that the care provided is of good quality, fair, personalised, and accessible. Promoting opportunities to develop skills and knowledge is essential to raise the status of adult social care as a career. We have expanded the first ever national career structure for adult social care, the Care Workforce Pathway, adding new roles and clear career pathways. Backed by £12 million for training through the Learning and Development Support Scheme, this supports staff development and recognises the vital work care professionals do.The Department has no current plans to introduce a Royal College of care. The Government is committed to transforming adult social care to create a National Care Service and to improving the lives of people drawing on care, unpaid carers, and the social care workforce. We have also launched an independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Casey, as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission's Terms of Reference are sufficiently broad to enable Baroness Casey to define its remit to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a personal care allowance for people who are assessed as needing personal care.

Local authorities are required to undertake a needs assessment for any individual who requests it, which will consider all of the adult’s care and support needs. As part of this process, the local authority will provide the person with a personal budget, which is an amount sufficient to cover the cost of the local authority meeting their eligible needs.Direct payments are one of the ways adults receiving local authority support with their social care costs can choose to receive their personal budget. Direct payments provide people with greater independence, choice, and control by enabling them or their nominated representative or representatives to commission their own care in order to meet their eligible personal care and support needs.

If he will hold discussions with the Independent Commission into Adult Social Care on bringing forward the deadline for reporting on each phase of the commission's work.

The Independent Commission, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, launched in April, and has already begun its work on how to build an adult social care system fit for the future.The commission is independent and Baroness Casey has the autonomy to decide when it reports within the timelines set out in the published terms of reference. The first report will be published next year, with the second due by 2028 at the latest.

What discussions his Department has had with South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust on its decision to end support for fire service co-responders attending Category 1 cardiac emergencies.

No discussions have been held. Operational decisions on how best to improve services for patients and deliver value for money are taken at a local level by the relevant ambulance trust.

What guidance his Department has issued on the use of volunteer Community First Responders to respond to Category 1 medical emergencies.

No guidance has been issued. Each ambulance trust has responsibility for the arrangements and publishing of guidance on their Community First Responder schemes.

What discussions his Department has had with South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust on the potential impact of replacing fire service co-responders with volunteer Community First Responders on ambulance response times to Category 1 calls in (a) rural and (b) West Dorset consitutency.

No discussions have been held. Operational decisions on how best to improve services for patients and deliver value for money are taken at a local level by the relevant ambulance trust.

What discussions his Department has had with fire and rescue services in the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust area on phasing out co-responder schemes for Category 1 cardiac incidents.

No discussions have been held. Operational decisions on how best to improve services for patients and deliver value for money are taken at a local level by the relevant ambulance trust.

Whether his Department had discussions with the South West Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust on the potential impact of replacing fire and rescue co-responders with volunteer community first responders on (a) response times and (b) the effectiveness of the service.

No discussions have been held. Operational decisions on how best to improve services for patients and deliver value for money are taken at a local level by the relevant ambulance trust.

What recent discussions he has had with South West Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust on the potential impact of the level of funding on its capacity to deliver fire service co-responder support for Category 1 cardiac emergencies.

No discussions have been held. Operational decisions on how best to improve services for patients and deliver value for money are taken at a local level by the relevant ambulance trust.

Whether he plans to include policies on supporting mental healthcare as part of the 10 year health plan in (a) West Dorset constituency and (b) other rural areas.

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver more care locally, including in rural areas like West Dorset, supporting people to stay healthier including with their mental health.A neighbourhood mental health model, providing open access to specialist services and holistic support in community locations 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is already being piloted in six locations and we plan to go further. There will be 85 new dedicated mental health emergency departments and people will get better access to mental health support directly through the NHS App.We will also expand mental health support teams to cover all schools in England by 2029/30 and new Young Future Hubs will provide additional support for children and young people's mental health.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of downsizing support schemes on the availability of larger family homes.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 61360 on 30 June 2025 and UIN 59968 on 23 June 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to encourage developers to build more adaptable homes for older people in (a) West Dorset constituency and (b) other rural areas.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 61360 on 30 June 2025, UIN 59953 on 23 June 2025, UIN 61666 on 30 June 2025, and UIN 40972 on 1 April 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions she has had with housing associations on supporting downsizing for older tenants.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 61360 on 30 June 2025 and UIN 59968 on 23 June 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps her Department has taken to promote early-stage retirement housing in national planning guidance.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 61360 on 30 June 2025, UIN 59953 on 23 June 2025, UIN 61666 on 30 June 2025, and UIN 40972 on 1 April 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to increase the supply of specialist supported housing for vulnerable older residents in West Dorset constituency.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 61360 on 30 June 2025 and UIN 59968 on 23 June 2025.