Written questions by Campbell.

What recent discussions her Department has had with representatives of people affected by proposed changes to (a) Personal Independence Payments, (b) Work Capability Assessments and (b) the Disability Living Allowance.

We believe there is a strong case to change the system of health and disability benefits across Great Britain so that it better enables people to enter and remain in work, to respond to the complex and fluctuating nature of the health conditions many people live with today. This government is committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of all that we do, and with any reform, including the Health and Disability Green Paper we intend to publish in the Spring, we will consult with disabled people and representative organisations. Ahead of the formal consultation for the Green Paper, we have already started to explore ways of engaging with disabled people and their representatives, including through stakeholder roundtables and public visits, and look forward to progressing these initiatives over the coming months. About the PIP service specifically: the Health Transformation Programme is modernising health and disability benefit services, to improve people’s experience of applying for PIP. The Programme will transform the entire PIP service, from finding out about benefits through to decisions, eligibility, and paymentsThe Programme communicates and engages frequently with disabled people and external stakeholders – including national charities and other organisations that support people with disabilities – about proposed changes. Their opinions and suggestions are taken on board as we test new iterations of the transformed service.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 July 2024 to Question 1466 on Sport: Public Appointments, what recent progress she has made on appointing people based in (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales to the boards of public bodies.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport remains committed to drawing upon the wealth of talent and experience across the whole of the United Kingdom when making appointments to the Boards of its Public Bodies. The Department is taking forward a number of new approaches to increase the awareness of Public Appointment opportunities and supporting candidates throughout the process.All DCMS Public Appointments are advertised on the HM Government Public Appointments Website. We welcome applications from people across the country, including those based in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing bowel screening for people aged over 74.

In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee, an independent scientific advisory committee which advises ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries on all aspects of population and targeted screening, as well as supporting implementation.As screening programmes can cause harms as well as benefits, each of the adult screening programmes has both an upper and lower age range within which there is good scientific evidence that the benefits of screening outweigh the harms.The UK National Screening Committee does not currently recommend routine bowel screening over the age of 74 years old, as there is a lack of evidence regarding the harms and benefits of screening above this age. Once people are 75 years old or over, they can ask for a bowel screening kit every two years by phoning the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60.

If he will have discussions with representatives of the engineering sector on the impact of the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024.

The Department for Business and Trade works closely with businesses in a range of sectors, including manufacturing, construction, aerospace, and automotive sectors, and will continue to. Each Government department engages with relevant sectors where appropriate.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 20149 on Torpedoes: Procurement, how much of the cost is the through life management of the programme.

The total funds allocated for the Spearfish torpedo programme are approximately £1154 million which includes the approximate cost of £626 million for the through life management of the programme.

What estimate she has made of whether the first applications for UK passports under the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024 will be available before the summer recess in 2025.

We continue to work on the operational changes for implementation of the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024. The Home Office will notify interested Members once a prospective timeline for commencement has been agreed. Once the Act has commenced, applications for registration will be considered within normal processing times, and successful applicants will be able to apply for a British citizen passport.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16707 on Electric Vehicles, what assessment she has made of whether there will be sufficient charging points for the number of electric vehicles that are estimated to be on the road by 2027.

As of 1 January, there are over 73,000 public charging devices installed throughout the UK. In the past year, nearly 20,000 charging devices were added, making it a record-breaking year. This progress was recognised in a report published by the National Audit Office on 13th December 2024 which outlined that chargepoint roll out in the UK is on track to meet forecast demand out to 2030. The fast pace of rollout is set to continue, with the Government’s £381m Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund alone delivering over 100,000 public chargepoints across England over the next few years.

What steps he is taking to help young people with cerebral palsy.

We want a society where every person, including those with a long-term condition such as cerebral palsy, receives high-quality, compassionate continuity of care, with their families and carers also supported. We will change the National Health Service so that it becomes not just a sickness service, but able to prevent ill health in the first place. This will help us be better prepared for the change in the nature of disease and allow our services to focus more on the management of chronic, long-term conditions like cerebral palsy.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidance on care and support for children and young people with cerebral palsy, to support healthcare professionals and commissioners. The guidance recommends service providers develop clear pathways that allow patients with cerebral palsy access to multi-disciplinary teams, specialist neurology services, and regular reviews of their clinical and functional needs.  This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng62NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme aims to improve care for people with neurological conditions in England, including those with cerebral palsy, by reducing variation and delivering care more equitably across the country.  The GIRFT National Speciality Report provided the opportunity to share successful initiatives between trusts, to improve patient services nationally.In addition, the Neurology Transformation Programme has developed a model of integrated care for neurology services to support integrated care boards (ICBs) to deliver the right service, at the right time, for all neurology patients, including providing care closer to home.  A toolkit is being developed to support ICBs to understand and implement this new model.The majority of services for people with cerebral palsy are commissioned locally by ICBs, which are best placed to make decisions according to local need. Nevertheless, at a national level, the Government is working closely with NHS England to continue to improve services for people with neurological conditions, including those with cerebral palsy.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2025 to Question 23268 on State Retirement Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to advise people that they may be eligible for the additional pension payments.

Those who are ordinarily resident in Great Britain on their 80th birthday and who meet the required residency conditions will receive the increase automatically without having to make a claim if their basic State Pension is less than £101.55 a week (£105.70 from April 2025). Those who are getting no State Pension at age 80 or who get Graduated Retirement Benefit only, will need to make a claim. The Category D over 80 pension is not part of the new State Pension, but it continues to be available for people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016. Information about the over 80 pension is available on Gov.uk.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2025 to Question 23717 on Income Tax: Tax Allowances, if she will make an estimate of the number of full time employees not paying income tax due to their salary being below £13,000 in April 2028.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 January 2025 to Question 23717.

If she will have discussions with the credit union movement on expanding their role in offering financial services to individuals.

The Government has made clear its strong support for the credit union sector, recognising the value that credit unions bring to their members in local communities across the country in providing products and affordable credit. It continues to engage regularly with this sector to understand the current barriers they face and consider further opportunities for growth. The Chancellor announced new measures to support the growth of the credit union and mutuals sector in her Mansion House speech on 14 November. This included publishing a call for evidence on the potential to reform common bonds for credit unions in Great Britain, asking the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to produce a report on the mutuals landscape by the end of 2025, and welcoming the establishment of an industry-led Mutual and Co-operative Business Council. Responsibility for credit unions in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. Treasury officials engage with their counterparts in the Department for the Economy.

When he expects to receive the outcome of the Group B Streptococcus trial from the UK National Screening Committee.

Recruitment to the Group B Streptococcus trial undertaken by the University of Nottingham has ended. The researchers are analysing the data and will draft a report in due course.The UK National Screening Committee’s Secretariat is in close and regular contact with the researchers. The committee will review the evidence from the trial, once the report is available.

If she will have discussions with representatives of the travel industry on the potential impact of electronic travel authorisations on international visitors to Northern Ireland.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer provided on 14 January to Question UIN 23002.

What estimate she has made of how many full time employees will not be paying income tax when the freeze on personal tax thresholds ends in April 2028.

At the National Minimum Wage rates effective from April 2025 and working 35 hours per week a full-time employee over 21 would earn £22,222.22 –which is above the Personal Allowance of £12,570. Therefore, when the freeze on personal tax thresholds ends in April 2028 a full-time employee earning at least the minimum wage would have pay more than the personal allowance and thus would be expected to pay Income Tax. This government is committed to keeping taxes as low as possible for working people while ensuring fiscal responsibility, which is why it will not extend the freeze on personal tax thresholds, allowing them to rise with inflation the following year.

Whether she has plans for a comprehensive financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets in the UK.

On 21 November 2024, the Government confirmed that it will proceed with creating a new financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets. This regime will be in line with the proposals published by HM Treasury in October 2023.

What steps he is taking with (a) the Northern Ireland Executive and (b) Invest NI to help promote Northern Ireland as an inward investment opportunity during the forthcoming Open Golf Championship at Royal Portrush.

Royal Portrush will stage the 153rd Open Golf Championship in 2025, providing another outstanding showcase for golf in Northern Ireland. The 148th Open, held at Royal Portrush nine years ago, became the biggest sporting event ever held in Northern Ireland, delivering a combined economic and media benefit of more than £100 million to the region. I have asked my officials to contact Invest NI to discuss this. I would also encourage the Honourable Member to share any suggestions he has to enhance any existing investment promotion with the Department for Business and Trade. The Growth mission is the number one priority of the Government. That is why we are working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive to create a thriving, competitive and regionally balanced economy in Northern Ireland through increased investment, job creation, and higher living standards.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of supplies of Liquefied Natural Gas between January and April 2025.

We are confident that we will attract sufficient supplies of Liquified Natural Gas between January and April 2025. In their 2024/25 Winter Outlook, National Gas, the Gas System Operator, noted that they expect the market to deliver LNG supplies to the UK when needed, evidenced in previous years, as prices shift to attract necessary cargoes. We have seen this occur over the first half of winter 2024/25 and expect this to continue over the second half.

If she will make an estimate of the number of people on the National Living Wage who will become liable for income tax from 6 April 2025.

The department will publish a comprehensive impact assessment on the impacts of the 2025 National Minimum Wage uprating in line with the requirements of the Better Regulation Framework shortly. However, this will not provide an estimate of the number of National Living Wage earners who will become income taxpayers from April 2025.

How many people (a) made applications for Pension Credit and (b) were successful between 29 July 2024 and 21 December 2024.

Statistics on Pension Credit application volumes were published on 28 November 2024. This includes numbers of applications that were received, awarded and not awarded, from 1 April 2024 up to 17 November 2024. Pension Credit applications and awards: November 2024 - GOV.UK. Please note, the next publication of Pension Credit application statistics is due around the end of February 2025 and will cover the data up to week commencing 10 February 2025.

How many people aged 80 and over are eligible for the additional £260 per year pension.

At the quarter ending May 2024, there were 87,299 people in total claiming a Category D pension, those in the UK and overseas. This is a non-contributory State Pension that is paid to those aged over 80 who have no State Pension or who receive an amount that is less than the Category D rate of £101.55 a week (£105.70 after April 2025). There are also residency conditions that must be met in order to be eligible. Source: DWP Stat-Xplore.