Written questions by Maguire.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, on (a) benefits advisory services and (b) charities.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months. There will be no immediate changes. Changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) eligibility and the rebalancing of Universal Credit (UC) are not coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from April 2026 for UC and November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval. We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment which I will lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing flexibility within Universal Credit to enable greater labour market engagement.

This Government committed in its manifesto to review Universal Credit, to reduce poverty and make work pay. We believe that work continues to be the best way out of poverty, and growing the economy and driving up living standards across the country is this Government’s number one mission in our Plan for Change. This requires as many people as possible to realise the benefits of good work, and Universal Credit has a critical role to play in achieving this goal. The review will consider changes to Universal Credit which could increase labour market engagement. We have already taken positive steps through the Get Britain Working White Paper which set out the biggest reforms to employment support for a generation and we are giving people on health benefits the opportunity to try work by legislating to guarantee that work in and of itself will never lead to a reassessment.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to require the Environment Agency to revise environmental permits to enforce compliance with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations 1994.

The Environment Agency (EA) enforces the Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations (UWWTR) through environmental permits. These set discharge limits, nutrient removal standards, and monitoring and reporting requirements, based on population size and receiving water sensitivity. Operators must regularly report data, which the EA assesses for compliance. Enforcement action is taken for breaches. Under the Environmental Permitting Regulations, the EA also reviews permits periodically to ensure they stay aligned with UWWTR, capturing changes in population, treatment standards, or sensitive area designations. This ensures permits remain current, effective, and protective of the environment.

Whether he has made an assessment of (a) the comparative efficiency and (b) cost-effectiveness of (i) improving the thermal efficiency of existing Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power stations and (ii) investing in small modular nuclear reactors.

No direct assessment has been made of the impact of more efficient CCGTs on wholesale electricity prices, nor of the efficiency of CCGTs versus small modular reactors. An efficient electricity system needs a range of technologies to ensure that we reach our carbon goals while ensuring cost-effective energy security. Increasing participation of renewables in the wholesale market means that, over time, those technologies will determine the price more often and gas will play a much more limited role in setting the market price. Improving efficiency of CCGTs is a commercial decision for plant operators. Great British Nuclear (GBN) is driving forward its small modular reactor (SMR) competition for UK deployment. As with any technology, the economic case for SMRs would be factored into any investment decision.

With reference to the publication entitled Working together in 2025/26 to lay the foundations for reform, published on 1 April 2025, if he will extend the time in which ICBs have to respond to the Model ICB once it is published.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a critical role to play as strategic commissioners, improving population health, reducing inequalities, and ensuring access to high quality care. NHS England has circulated a draft of The Model ICB - blueprint document to all ICBs, to assist them in shaping their future plans, including which functions they should focus on, as indicated in Sir James Mackey’s letter to the National Health Service trusts, foundation trusts, and ICBs, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/working-together-in-2025-26-to-lay-the-foundations-for-reform/#:~:text=When%20we%20met%20on%2013,the%20last%20few%20tricky%20weeks.We expect ICBs to adhere to the timelines set out by NHS England on 1 April 2025, to ensure that ICBs are acting as lead strategic commissioners of health and care services and to ensure that cost savings are directed to frontline NHS health and care services.

With reference to his Department's publication entitled Government's response to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme Regulations consultation, published in March 2024, whether the Boiler Upgrade Scheme budget will rise in line with the figures on page 21 for scheme years (a) 2026-27 and (b) 2027-28.

Following the conclusion of the first phase of the Spending Review on 30 October 2024, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme has a committed budget of £295 million for this financial year (2025/26). The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a critical element of the Government’s Warm Homes Plan. A decision on funding for 2026/27 onwards will be confirmed as part of the second phase of the multi-year Spending Review, which will conclude in June this year.

How much of the Claimant’s costs paid by the NHS in all clinical negligence claims under £25,000 in 2023-24 were (a) legal costs, (b) disbursements and (c) VAT.

NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the national Health Service in England. The following table shows the total legal costs paid for claimants due to clinical negligence claims closed in the financial year 2023/24, where damages were paid up to £25,000:Damages trancheClaimant legal costs paid by NHSR£1 to £1,500£2,422,432£1,501 to £25,000£94,364,395Total£96,786,827Claims closed in 2023/24 will often have been settled in previous years, as costs can take some time to finalise after an agreement on damages. NHSR does not record a breakdown of claimant legal costs between profit costs and disbursements in its claims management system. It also does not record a breakdown for expert fees.

Whether he plans to continue the Energy Company Obligation after April 2026.

We are committed to meeting fuel poverty and Net Zero targets, and we are currently considering what policy mix will best achieve that, including what role energy company obligations should play post-2026. We will ensure that lessons learned from the Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) and the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) form part of these considerations and that any successor schemes are confirmed once decisions have been made.

What proportion of energy efficiency measures were funded by the (a) Energy Company Obligation, (b) Great British Insulation Scheme, (c) Home Upgrade Grant, (d) Warm Homes: Local Grant and (e) Warm Homes: Social Grant in (i) 2023 and (ii) 2024.

The Department publishes Household Energy Efficiency Statistics reports which provide detailed breakdowns of measures installed under various government support schemes. Statistics for 2023 are available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/household-energy-efficiency-statistics-detailed-report-2023 Statistics for 2024 are available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/household-energy-efficiency-statistics-detailed-report-2024 The Warm Homes: Local Grant has started delivery this year.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of introducing fixed recoverable costs in lower-value clinical negligence cases on patients’ access to legal expertise.

Currently, the Government is considering the way forward on a wide range of matters relating to clinical negligence reform, and we will announce our position in due course.

What discussions he has had with energy companies on policy cost rebalancing on energy bills to incentivise the uptake of low-carbon technologies.

Details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

What progress his Department has made on developing an online consumer advice service for retrofit.

The Government is working to enhance our existing digital consumer advice offer on gov.uk by streamlining services into a single access point for all domestic consumers (homeowners, landlords and tenants. This will simplify the user experience and enable consumer to begin and progress their home upgrade and clean heat journeys. It will bring information, advice, sources of funding and links to trusted installers into one place and will consolidate existing services that enable consumers to create their own energy efficiency action plans and create direct referrals to grant scheme providers.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department monitors levels of furniture poverty.

My Department engages actively with a range of stakeholders on issues facing residents and has engaged with groups such as End Furniture Poverty to understand their research on this issue.People in need may be able to get support from their local authorities via the ‘Household Support Fund’ and other services available locally.The Deputy Prime Minister is also part of the ministerial Child Poverty Taskforce, which is considering the impacts of living in poor quality housing on children.The government will consult later this year on a reformed Decent Homes Standard for the social and private rented sectors.

What data is held by NHS Resolution on the breakdown of Claimant costs in clinical negligence claims under £25,000.

NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the national Health Service in England. The following table shows the total legal costs paid for claimants due to clinical negligence claims closed in the financial year 2023/24, where damages were paid up to £25,000:Damages trancheClaimant legal costs paid by NHSR£1 to £1,500£2,422,432£1,501 to £25,000£94,364,395Total£96,786,827Claims closed in 2023/24 will often have been settled in previous years, as costs can take some time to finalise after an agreement on damages. NHSR does not record a breakdown of claimant legal costs between profit costs and disbursements in its claims management system. It also does not record a breakdown for expert fees.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of his Department's implementation of the recommendations on stronger clinical leadership and management roles outlined in the paper entitled High Quality Care For All: NHS Next Stage Review Final Report, published in June 2008.

There are no current plans to assess implementation of the 2008 High Quality Care for All report.The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that the National Health Service has strong and effective leadership in place. As Lord Darzi stated in his recent independent report on the NHS in 2024, “the NHS has many strong and capable leaders”, although we know there is more work to do to strengthen NHS leadership. That is why there is a significant programme of work underway to improve NHS management and leadership, including our commitment to establish an NHS College of Executive and Clinical Leadership and to introduce professional standards for, and regulation of, NHS managers. This builds on a wider programme of work being led by NHS England to develop standards, a code of practice, and a curriculum for NHS managers and leaders.

How much of the Claimant’s legal costs paid by the NHS in all clinical negligence claims under £25,000 in 2023-24 were expert fees.

NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the national Health Service in England. The following table shows the total legal costs paid for claimants due to clinical negligence claims closed in the financial year 2023/24, where damages were paid up to £25,000:Damages trancheClaimant legal costs paid by NHSR£1 to £1,500£2,422,432£1,501 to £25,000£94,364,395Total£96,786,827Claims closed in 2023/24 will often have been settled in previous years, as costs can take some time to finalise after an agreement on damages. NHSR does not record a breakdown of claimant legal costs between profit costs and disbursements in its claims management system. It also does not record a breakdown for expert fees.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of untreated sewage overflows on levels of (a) microplastic, (b) nano plastic and (c) macro plastic pollution in rivers.

Tackling marine litter and plastic pollution is a priority for the UK Government, which is why we are working domestically and internationally to implement measures that will prevent plastic and other litter from reaching rivers and ocean in the first place. As part of Price Review 2024 (PR24), which runs from 2025–2030, water companies will be delivering record levels through the £22.1 billion Water Industry National Environment Programme. This includes over £11 billion to improve nearly 3000 storm overflows across England and Wales. This will help to reduce discharges of raw sewage which can contain organic pollutants, microplastics, pharmaceuticals, nutrients, and heavy metals, as well as visible litter that is flushed down toilets. We are also taking forward investigations through the Chemical Investigations Programme, to understand how we can reduce the levels of microplastics entering the water environment through wastewater. Microplastics have been recognised as a significant standalone issue and the water industry are funding six further investigations between 2025 and 2030. The technology for accurately measuring such small, nanometre-sized particles in complex samples such as river water is scientifically challenging. My officials are maintaining a close watch on emerging scientific evidence reporting the presence of nano plastics and the possible risks which they may pose in the water environment.

What steps he is taking improve training pathways for medical professionals.

In February this year, NHS England launched an extensive engagement and listening exercise to help shape the future of postgraduate medical training. The review will hear about best practice, listen to concerns, including issues around training pathways and the capacity, quality, and inclusivity of training, and will explore ideas and thoughts about how postgraduate medical training could evolve for the future. An engagement exercise will run through to June this year, with findings reported in the summer.To reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future, we have launched a 10-Year Health Plan as part of the Government’s five long-term missions. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.

Whether her Department has had discussions with the Office for Students on introducing greater flexibility for specialist conservatoire-style performing arts institutions.

All registered providers are expected to meet the same conditions of registration. It is important that all students benefit from the same level of protection, no matter where or how they choose to study. The Office for Students (OfS) takes a provider’s context into account when making its regulatory judgements.The OfS welcomes specific feedback from providers where they feel they are experiencing disproportionate regulatory burden to ensure they can find the right balance.

Whether the Level 6 Trinity Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre will be in scope of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement when it is introduced.

The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will transform the post-18 student finance system to create a single funding system.The LLE will replace higher education student finance loans and eventually replace the Advanced Learner Loan (ALL) scheme for levels 4 to 6. In the first instance, some courses will transfer from being ALL-funded to being LLE-funded upon the LLE’s introduction. This is the case for the Level 6 Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre, which will transfer and therefore be in scope for the LLE. For courses which are being transferred for LLE launch, the relevant providers, including the awarding organisation, Trinity College London, were notified of the transfer outcomes in March 2025.The ‘List of Qualifications approved for funding’ can be found at the following link by filtering by LLE: https://www.qualifications.education.gov.uk/.