Written questions by McMurdock.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Prime Minister has received an invitation to the US President's inauguration.

The Prime Minister congratulates President Trump on his inauguration and looks forward to working with him. The US is a dependable ally.The precedent is that only Ambassadors based in Washington DC are invited to attend the inauguration ceremony as representatives of foreign governments. Individual MPs or notable figures from the UK and other countries may attend at the invitation of individual members of congress, or Party officials, but they will be attending in a personal capacity.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of Great British Energy on the cost of energy bills paid by farmers.

I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave him to Question UIN 22545.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of her Department's steps to enforce pension provision by private companies.

Enabling people to achieve security in retirement is a key priority for this Government.Automatic Enrolment has seen 88% of eligible employees saving into a workplace pension, with participation remaining high throughout the Cost of Living challenges of recent years.The Pensions Regulator is responsible for maximising compliance with the Automatic Enrolment duties, with over 2.5 million employers doing so to date.

What trading schemes are (a) operational and (b) planned under the terms of Part 3 of the Climate Change Act 2008.

The operational trading schemes under Part 3 of the Climate Change Act 2008 (CCA) are the UK Emissions Trading Scheme, launched in 2021, and the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes, launched in 2024. A review of the UK ETS was published in December 2023. A consultation on the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes was published in December 2024. The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (formerly the Carbon Reduction Commitment) was previously established under Part 3 of the CCA, but there have been no CRC surrender obligations since October 2019 and all legal requirements for the scheme regulator end on 31 March 2025.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of (a) the NHS and (b) MHRA's response to women suffering as a result of vaginal mesh implants.

In response to the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review (IMMDS Review) the National Health Service and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have worked to improve support for women who have experienced complications from pelvic mesh, and to improve patient involvement and system responsiveness to patient safety issues.NHS England established nine specialist mesh centres across England, ensuring that women in every region with complications of mesh inserted for urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse gets the right support. NHS England is working with the mesh centres to review and gain feedback on their outcomes and patient experience, to ensure they are supporting patients as planned.The Medical Devices Outcomes Registry was established by NHS England in April 2024 to fulfil recommendation seven of the IMMDS Review. The Pelvic Organ Prolapse and Stress Urinary Incontinence registry will be launched this year. This will ensure that appropriate clinical vigilance data is collected, surgical outliers can be identified, and comparative performance and outcomes across centres is routinely available.In response to recommendation six of the IMMDS Review, the MHRA underwent an organisation-wide transformation to become a more progressive and responsive patient-focussed regulator of medical products, including pelvic mesh. This included the creation of a publicly accessible registration system for medical devices, putting a new SafetyConnect vigilance service in place, and improving the responsiveness and awareness of the Yellow Card reporting system. The MHRA continues to work across the health sector and with international regulators, to monitor and examine evidence as it becomes available to continue to improve patient safety.

What estimate he has made of the cost to (a) consumers and (b) the public purse of the Sustainable Industry Reward scheme in each of the next five years.

The Clean Industry Bonus (CIB) has superseded Sustainable Industry Rewards. Like the rest of the Contracts for Difference scheme, it will be funded by the existing levy on consumer bills. It will drive much needed investment in supply chains, including into new factories. For the first round of CIBs (starting in 2025), aggregate consumer bill impact is estimated to be in the region of c.£1-2 per year for two years, giving rise to a total bill impact of around £2-4 for the round. Impact for future rounds will depend on the timing and scale of those rounds which has yet to be decided.

Whether the position of Head of Mission Control, Net Zero is a full-time role.

The Head of Mission Control is a full-time role.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to review the (a) effectiveness of the means testing process for and (b) maximum level of grant available through the Disabled Facilities Grant.

Government recognises how important home adaptations are in enabling disabled people to live as independently as possible in a safe and suitable environment. Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding helps adapt around 55,000 homes annually, helping disabled people and their families to live independently and well in their own homes for longer.Local authorities already have powers to waive the means test in line with a locally agreed Housing Assistance Policy. To ensure the DFG is as effective as possible, we will continue to keep different aspects of the grant under consideration, including the effectiveness of the means test process.This Government is reviewing the suitability of the current grant upper limit. We expect the review to conclude later in 2025. Given that any rise in the upper limit will require additional funding, the Government will say more about its future approach after the Spending Review. In the meanwhile, local authorities have considerable discretion and may fund adaptations above the current £30,000 upper limit in line with a local policy or in exceptional circumstances.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on (a) the prevention of and (b) the number of instances of online bullying.

Government is committed to working with Ofcom to ensure the Online Safety Act is implemented quickly and effectively. Under the Act, platforms will need to remove illegal abusive content and, if children can access their site, protect children from harmful content, including abusive content. Where anonymous abuse does not meet the criminal threshold, adult users of Category 1 services can choose to use user empowerment tools, which, when applied, will reduce the likelihood that they are exposed to certain legal content, including abusive content. Adults will also have the choice to filter out content from non-verified users.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will end aid spending to countries which have a space programme.

We are committed to taking a modern approach to international development and to using our Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending to achieve better development outcomes as part of a coherent international approach, with a strong focus on poverty reduction and accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Over the coming months, Ministers will decide 2025/26 ODA allocations to lay the foundations for our ODA spending in future years. These will be published in the next Annual Report and Accounts.The next phase of the Spending Review will set departmental budgets from 2026/27 to 2029/30.

With reference to paragraph 3.52 of the Autumn Budget 2024, what the aggregate capital cost before subsidy is of the 11 projects.

Approximately £413 million of capital will be invested in these projects, across the UK, between 2024-2026, in addition to over £90m of grant funding from the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund. This information is available on gov.uk via the following link:Hydrogen Production Business Model / Net Zero Hydrogen Fund: HAR1 successful projects (published December 2023) - GOV.UK The LCCC register includes details of every project which has signed a Low Carbon Hydrogen Agreement and can be found here: https://register.lowcarboncontracts.uk/?allocation_round=%7B%22operator%22%3A%22is%22%2C%22value%22%3A%22Hydrogen+Allocation+Round+1%22%7D

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on steps to tackle Islamic extremism in Europe.

Reducing the risk to the UK and its interests overseas from terrorism, violent extremism and extremism is a high UK Government priority. These threats are global challenges and international co-operation is essential. We already work closely with our European partners on all three topics, both bilaterally and through our close security relationship with the EU. We held our first dedicated UK-EU Counter Terrorism Dialogue in February 2024 and will host the next iteration in February this year. I regularly discuss joint-working with European counterparts to tackle terrorism, violent extremism and extremism in all their forms. I work closely with my counterpart, the Home Office Security Minister and other Ministerial colleagues, on these issues.

What recent discussions his Department has had with women experiencing (a) pain and (b) complications from transvaginal mesh implants.

The Government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and the resulting Hughes Report. The report sets out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. The Government will be providing an update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s Report at the earliest opportunity.As part of this work, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health had an introductory meeting with individuals and stakeholders representing those harmed by Pelvic mesh on 17 December 2024.

What discussions she has had with the Serious Fraud Office's Victim and Witness Care Unit on HMRC treatment of victims of fraud.

HMRC liaises with a number of organisations in carrying out its functions. HMRC has a range of options to support those who require extra help, including victims of fraud and has guidance and training in place for all advisors on how to identify customers who need extra help and provide reasonable adjustments to meet their needs. Where appropriate, HMRC will also signpost taxpayers to voluntary and community organisations.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions on SEND transport to educational institutions.

I refer the hon. Member for South Basildon and East Thurrock to the answer of 16 December 2024 to Question 19397.

How many children with SEND use provided travel to and from educational facilities (a) nationally, (b) in Essex and (c) in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

The department does not currently routinely collect data about the number of children who have their home-to-school travel arranged by local authorities. We intend to improve our data in this area so that local authorities can benchmark themselves against similar authorities and learn from one another, and so that central and local government have the robust evidence required to inform decision making. In February 2025, the department will start collecting data about home-to-school travel from local authorities. This will be a voluntary data collection at first, with the intention to make it mandatory once it is established.

What discussions he has had with stakeholders on the potential side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Government takes the safety of all vaccinations and medicinal products used in the United Kingdom extremely seriously. No medicine or vaccine is completely risk-free, but the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency continually monitors the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines through its comprehensive COVID-19 vaccine surveillance strategy, to ensure that the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines continue to outweigh the risks. Following widespread use of these vaccines across the UK, the vast majority of suspected adverse reaction reports relate to injection-site reactions and generalised symptoms such as a headache or fatigue.The Government knows, however, that there are some extremely rare circumstances where individuals have sadly experienced significant harm following COVID-19 vaccination. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and I have recently met with the families of some of those who have suffered serious adverse effects following COVID-19 vaccination, to listen to their concerns and to discuss the support available.

Whether she plans to introduce a standardised complaints process for academy schools.

​​All academies are required to have a complaints process which adheres to Part 7 of the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014. This sets out that it is the academy’s responsibility to handle and resolve any complaints. If a complainant has concerns that an academy did not handle a complaint in line with the regulations, they can then escalate to the department, whose role it is to consider whether the academy followed the correct process. The department’s ‘Best practice guidance for academies complaints procedures’ can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-up-an-academies-complaints-procedure/best-practice-guidance-for-academies-complaints-procedures.​

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a national safeguarding framework for all educational institutions including academies.

The department already has an established and robust safeguarding framework in place for educational institutions in the form of ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE). This is statutory safeguarding guidance which sets out the legal duties and responsibilities that schools and colleges, including academies, must follow to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.KCSIE is regularly reviewed to see where it needs strengthening and to ensure it is reflective of emerging risks in safeguarding.

What steps her Department is taking to promote alternatives to university to young people.

The government is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills, to break down barriers to opportunity, support the development of a skilled workforce, and drive economic growth through our Industrial Strategy. We have established Skills England to ensure we have the highly trained workforce needed to deliver the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade. It will ensure that the skills system is clear and navigable for individuals, for both young people and older adults, strengthening careers pathways into jobs across the economy. The department will support the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university, regardless of their background, where they live and their personal circumstances. However, all young people must have a genuine choice of high-quality further or higher education pathways, or in-work training including apprenticeships, so that young people can follow that pathway that is right for them. Firstly, the department is promoting apprenticeships which offer a range of high-quality options for young people, with over 700 apprenticeship standards approved for delivery. We actively promote apprenticeships in schools and colleges through our Apprenticeships Support and Knowledge Programme (ASK). Through it, we increase awareness of apprenticeships and Higher Technical Qualifications amongst students in years 10-13, parents, carers, teachers and careers advisers. During the 2023/24 academic year, ASK engaged with 2,366 schools and colleges. The ASK sessions reached over 575,000 students. In addition, the department is developing new foundation apprenticeships to give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working lives whilst supporting the pipeline of new talent that employers will need to drive economic growth. Secondly, the department is introducing a Youth Guarantee, as part of the measures set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper. This will ensure that all young people aged 18-21 in England can access quality training, educational opportunities or help to find work. The Youth Guarantee will involve working closely with Mayoral Authorities, and building on existing provision and entitlements, to test new ways of supporting young people into employment or training. To do this we will mobilise eight place-based Youth Guarantee trailblazers with £45 million of funding in 2025/26. Thirdly, the department continues to raise awareness amongst young people of alternative options to university, starting from a young age. Secondary schools have legal requirements to provide independent careers guidance and to provide at least six opportunities for providers of technical education or apprenticeships to speak to all pupils. Our government-funded network of Careers Hubs, coordinated by The Careers and Enterprise Company, supports schools and colleges to maximise these opportunities. The Skills for Life website also sets out the wide range of education and training options available for young people. Together, these steps ensure that we continue to support all young people to either go to university, or to access high-quality apprenticeships, further education opportunities, and support to find work, depending on the path that is right for them.