Written questions by McMurdock.

If he will make an estimate of the potential impact of GB Energy on the cost of energy bills paid by farmers.

Great British Energy is a key part of the government's mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower by achieving clean power by 2030. This is part of a sustainable, long-term plan to protect all UK billpayers, including farmers, from volatile international gas markets. In an unstable world, the only way to guarantee our energy security and protect billpayers permanently is to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels and towards homegrown clean energy.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2025 to Question 21166 on Fraud: Compensation, what discussions her Department has had with HMRC on victims of fraud being taxed on the money taken from them.

HMT has ongoing discussions with HMRC on all aspects of the tax system.

What discussions her Department has had with (a) parents and (b) teachers about home-to-school transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure that no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local authorities must arrange free home-to-school travel for children of compulsory school age, 5 to 16, who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or mobility problem, or because the nature of the route means it would be unsafe for them to do so.Officials work closely with local authorities to understand the challenges they face and support the delivery of home-to-school travel. The department knows it is challenging for authorities to arrange free travel for all eligible children largely due to challenges within the wider SEND system, where more children and young people need to travel a long way to a school that can meet their needs. The government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools so more children can have their needs met in their local community.The delivery of home-to-school travel is governed by statutory guidance for local authorities. The department revised this guidance in 2023. The insight and experiences of a wide range of partners, including individual parents and schools as well as bodies that represent them, were valuable in revising the guidance. Officials continue to engage with a wide range partners to understand how the current arrangements are operating.

If she will take steps to ensure that cases involving members of the House of Lords convicted of serious crimes do not adversely impact public confidence in the criminal justice system.

All individuals, including members of the House of Lords, are held to be equal before the law. Decisions on bringing forward charges and prosecutions are for the police and Crown Prosecution Service, and the management of cases through the courts and sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary. Prosecutors have an overriding responsibility to act without fear, favour or prejudice. Therefore, any member of the House of Lords who commits a crime will face the appropriate consequences for their actions in our open and fair criminal justice system, just like any other member of the public.

How many advisers in HMRC have been accused of (a) behaving dishonestly and (b) committing tax fraud in each of the last three years.

HMRC’s conduct and behaviour policy is explained to all new recruits as part of their induction and is accessible on the internal intranet site for all HMRC employees. Information for the last three years regarding HMRC employees who have been found to have acted contrary to HMRC internal policies on “Conduct and Behaviour” are listed in the table below. Details regarding “tax fraud” are not available as HMRC do not hold specific records that relate to that element of the question. HMRC categorise ‘dishonest” behaviour under the following areas: - Fraud and TheftBribery and CorruptionMisuse of Computer and data breachesConditions of Service Our HR systems capture the first two (Fraud and Theft & Bribery and Corruption) under the same category for recording purposes. Category202220232024Fraud, Theft, Bribery & Corruption12179Misuse of Computer and data breaches12811084Conditions of Service9287123 HMRC headcount was 65,781 as of 31 December 2024.

What steps her Department is taking to help reduce the number of children who need to travel long distances to a school with SEND provision.

This government is aware that many children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) struggle to find a suitable school placement that is close to their home and meets their needs. This government committed to addressing this by improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.We want more children and young people to receive the support they need to thrive in their local mainstream school, reducing the need for pupils to travel a long way to access a specialist placement. Many mainstream settings are already delivering specialist provision locally, including through resourced provision and special education needs units but we need to go much further to ensure this support is available to far more children across the country.This government is also committed to ensuring special schools play a vital role in supporting pupils with the most complex needs. The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including children and young people with SEND. If a local authority identifies a shortage of special school places, resulting in a significant number of pupils needing to travel a long way to access a placement, they could consider creating or expanding provision.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has announced £740 million for high needs capital in the 2025/26 financial year to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. This new funding can be used to adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children and young people with SEND, create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs, alongside continuing to provide places to support pupils in special schools with the most complex needs. The department will confirm local authority allocations for this funding in the spring.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure schools with SEND provision are accessible for low-income families.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision (AP) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. ​The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.By strengthening support in the early years, children’s needs can be identified earlier ensuring that support is put in place which can prevent needs escalating and ensure children are able to thrive when they arrive at school.The department will also strengthen accountability on mainstream settings to be inclusive including through Ofsted, support the mainstream workforce to increase their SEND expertise and encourage schools to set up resourced provision or special educational needs units to increase capacity in mainstream schools.The department is providing almost £1 billion more for high needs budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND. The department has also announced £740 million of high needs capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year to invest in places for children and young people with SEND or who require AP.

How many individuals suspected of being victims of pension fraud have been investigated for tax penalties by HMRC in the last 12 months.

Registered pension schemes in the UK benefit from generous tax reliefs, estimated to be £70.6 billion in 2022-23. HMRC’s role is to administer these reliefs as well as undertake compliance checks to ensure that taxpayers are paying the correct amount of tax at the right time. HMRC charges penalties to encourage compliance with tax obligations and does not open investigations with a view to charging penalties. Where inaccuracies are identified as part of a compliance check, penalties may be charged under Schedule 24 of Finance Act 2007. HMRC does not hold the data requested, HMRC consider the correct response for each taxpayer’s case based on the unique set of facts they present.

What recent discussions her Department has had with HMRC on taking steps to ensure that advisers who behave dishonestly are removed from their positions.

HMRC has robust processes and controls for investigating any concerns of potential dishonesty and deciding on appropriate action where conduct issues are proven. Possible breaches of our conduct policies are always investigated. This involves considering whether the case is misconduct, or whether it meets the criteria for gross misconduct, which can lead to dismissal for the first offence. In the latter cases, independent and specialist trained investigators from our Internal Investigations team normally investigate the case and make recommendations on whether there is a case to answer based on the evidence. For potential gross misconduct allegations an independent trained Decision Manager determines the disciplinary outcome, following HMRC policy which aligns with ACAS Code of Practice assisted by expert advice and support from specialist HR caseworkers. Proven fraud and other serious dishonest activity that results in a breach of trust would normally be gross misconduct and result in dismissal.

What support her Department is providing for victims of pension fraud schemes.

Where fraud does occur, the Fraud Compensation Fund (FCF) compensates occupational pension schemes where there has been a loss in the value of the scheme assets due to fraud or dishonesty. Following payment of compensation to schemes, independently appointed trustees can then provide compensation to individual victims. In addition, the Pensions Regulator (TPR) has robust powers to target mishandling of pension schemes and protect pension savers from losing out to fraud. MoneyHelper has guidance on its website to help identify, avoid, and report pension scams.

What discussions his Department has had with public health officials on adverse side effects to the Covid-19 vaccine.

Each COVID-19 vaccine candidate is assessed by teams of scientists and clinicians on a case-by-case basis, and only authorised once it has met robust standards of effectiveness, safety, and quality set by the United Kingdom’s independent medicines’ regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). No medicine or vaccine is completely risk-free, but the MHRA 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. Should any information indicate a possible new safety concern, the system will rapidly and thoroughly investigate, with advice for healthcare professionals and patients updated where appropriate.

Communities and Local Government, what progress her Department has made on setting up the Inter-Ministerial Group on ending homelessness.

The Government is committed to deliver long term solutions to end homelessness and will develop a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country.The Deputy Prime Minister chaired the first Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness in November to bring together ministerial colleagues across government to help get us back on track to ending homelessness.The Group will continue to meet as required.

If he will bring forward legislative proposals to expand the grounds under which a peerage can be revoked to include crimes involving (a) sexual offences and (b) abuse of power.

Currently, a member of the House of Lords automatically ceases to be a member if they are convicted of a criminal offence and given a custodial sentence of more than one year. Additionally, the House may expel members who have breached the Code of Conduct by approving such a sanction as may be recommended by the House of Lords Conduct Committee. Revoking peerages requires bespoke primary legislation. The Government is focused on delivering its manifesto commitments on House of Lords reform, including strengthening the circumstances in which disgraced members can be removed from the House. The manifesto was clear that, as an immediate reform, it would introduce legislation to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill has now completed its passage through the House of Commons and will soon enter Committee stage in the House of Lords.

Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with the BBC on the potential merits of introducing an alternative funding scheme to the licence fee.

The Government remains committed to the licence fee for the remainder of the current Charter period.Ministers and officials in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have regular discussions with the BBC, and the Secretary of State had her first formal meeting on the Charter Review process with the Director General in November 2024. As part of the next Charter Review, discussions with the BBC will continue to focus on how to ensure the BBC thrives well into the next decade and beyond. This will include ongoing discussions on a range of important issues, including future funding models. Funding the BBC through general taxation is not being considered.We will work closely with the BBC, and engage with other broadcasters, stakeholders across the creative industries as well as the British public to inform our thinking. This will include the opportunity for stakeholders and audiences across the country to respond to the Charter Review public consultation before the new Charter comes into effect in 2028.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of requesting the Sentencing Council for England and Wales produce guidelines on the sentencing of grooming gangs.

Child sexual abuse and exploitation are the most horrific of crimes and the Government is determined to act to strengthen the law in this area. This is why we have committed to legislate to make grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences, to ensure that this behaviour is reflected in the sentencing of perpetrators.  We will also make it a mandatory duty for those working with children to report child sexual abuse – a key recommendation of Professor Alexis Jay’s report – and this will go into the Crime and Policing Bill due to be introduced to Parliament this spring.As set out in previous responses, the Sentencing Council for England and Wales is independent of Parliament and Government. It therefore decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing and reviewing sentencing guidelines. Sentencing guidelines for child sex offences, including for the offence of meeting a child following sexual grooming, were first published by the Council in 2013. Following consultation, revised guidelines for some child sex offences were published and came into force in May 2022.

What discussions her Department has had with the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales on the adequacy of sentencing guidelines for child sexual offences in (a) reflecting the severity of the crime and (b) preventing reoffending.

Child sexual abuse and exploitation are the most horrific of crimes and the Government is determined to act to strengthen the law in this area. This is why we have committed to legislate to make grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences, to ensure that this behaviour is reflected in the sentencing of perpetrators.  We will also make it a mandatory duty for those working with children to report child sexual abuse – a key recommendation of Professor Alexis Jay’s report – and this will go into the Crime and Policing Bill due to be introduced to Parliament this spring.As set out in previous responses, the Sentencing Council for England and Wales is independent of Parliament and Government. It therefore decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing and reviewing sentencing guidelines. Sentencing guidelines for child sex offences, including for the offence of meeting a child following sexual grooming, were first published by the Council in 2013. Following consultation, revised guidelines for some child sex offences were published and came into force in May 2022.

If he will bring forward legislative proposals to reform the process for the forfeiture of peerages where a peer has been convicted of serious crimes.

Currently, a member of the House of Lords automatically ceases to be a member if they are convicted of a criminal offence and given a custodial sentence of more than one year. Additionally, the House may expel members who have breached the Code of Conduct by approving such a sanction as may be recommended by the House of Lords Conduct Committee. Revoking peerages requires bespoke primary legislation. The Government is focused on delivering its manifesto commitments on House of Lords reform, including strengthening the circumstances in which disgraced members can be removed from the House. The manifesto was clear that, as an immediate reform, it would introduce legislation to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill has now completed its passage through the House of Commons and will soon enter Committee stage in the House of Lords.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of legislation for revoking peerages in cases involving serious criminal convictions.

Currently, a member of the House of Lords automatically ceases to be a member if they are convicted of a criminal offence and given a custodial sentence of more than one year. Additionally, the House may expel members who have breached the Code of Conduct by approving such a sanction as may be recommended by the House of Lords Conduct Committee. Revoking peerages requires bespoke primary legislation. The Government is focused on delivering its manifesto commitments on House of Lords reform, including strengthening the circumstances in which disgraced members can be removed from the House. The manifesto was clear that, as an immediate reform, it would introduce legislation to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill has now completed its passage through the House of Commons and will soon enter Committee stage in the House of Lords.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of custodial sentences for child sexual offences in preventing reoffending.

Child sexual abuse and exploitation are the most horrific of crimes and the Government is determined to act to strengthen the law in this area. This is why we have committed to legislate to make grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences, to ensure that this behaviour is reflected in the sentencing of perpetrators.  We will also make it a mandatory duty for those working with children to report child sexual abuse – a key recommendation of Professor Alexis Jay’s report – and this will go into the Crime and Policing Bill due to be introduced to Parliament this spring.As set out in previous responses, the Sentencing Council for England and Wales is independent of Parliament and Government. It therefore decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing and reviewing sentencing guidelines. Sentencing guidelines for child sex offences, including for the offence of meeting a child following sexual grooming, were first published by the Council in 2013. Following consultation, revised guidelines for some child sex offences were published and came into force in May 2022.

If she will take steps to ensure that interim Serious Crime Prevention Orders are not used to target individuals engaging in lawful political dissent.

Serious Crime Prevention Orders are a powerful tool for preventing and disrupting the activities of the highest-harm criminals involved in serious crime. SCPOs are not intended to target individuals who conduct themselves lawfully, including lawful political dissent.SCPOs were established in the Serious Crime Act 2007. Schedule 1 of the Act sets out the serious offences for which an SCPO can be imposed. This includes a range of serious offences including drug trafficking, slavery, people trafficking, terrorism and firearms offences. Under section 2(2)(b) of the Act the court can impose an SCPO to prevent offences not in schedule 1 where the court considers the offence is sufficiently serious it should be treated as if it were set out in that list.