Written questions by Asato.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the Winter Fuel Payment on the demand for health care.

This Government is committed to pensioners – everyone in our society, no matter their working history or savings deserves a comfortable and dignified retirement. Given the substantial pressures faced by the public finances this year and next, the government has had to make hard choices to bring the public finances back under control. Winter Fuel Payments will continue to be paid to pensioner households with someone receiving Pension Credit or certain other income-related benefits. They will continue to be worth £200 for eligible households, or £300 for eligible households with someone aged over 80. The Government is committed to a preventative approach to public health. Keeping people warm and well at home and improving the quality of new and existing homes will play an essential part in enabling people to live longer, healthier lives and reducing pressures on the NHS. We are also providing support through our Warm Homes Plan which pensioners will benefit from. This will support investment in insulation and low carbon heating – upgrading millions of homes over this Parliament. Our long-term plan will protect billpayers permanently, reduce fuel poverty, and get the UK back on track to meet our climate goals. In making a decision on Winter Fuel Payment eligibility, the Government had regard to the equality analysis in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty requirements.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department plans to spend on flood defences in each of the next three financial years.

This Government is committed to protecting communities across the country from the dangers of flooding. We will launch a Flood Resilience Taskforce to turbocharge the delivery of flood defences, drainage systems and natural flood management schemes. We have inherited a floods investment programme which is behind schedule. Since 2021, around 300 flood defence schemes have been completed, investing £2.3bn to protect more than 88,000 properties. In addition, an aging asset base, inflation and last winter’s storms have affected the condition of our existing flood defences. Where a flood defence is below the required condition, the Environment Agency take measures to ensure that communities are not put at risk of flooding. Moving forwards, we will be reviewing the programme with a view to ensuring flood risk management is fit for the challenges we face now and in the future within the constraints of an economically tight outlook.

What steps his Department plans to take to increase access to NHS dentists in (a) Lowestoft and (b) Beccles.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges patients face when trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments, and to recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and retention of NHS dentists.The Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board has been working with 23 dental practices to introduce a new Urgent Treatment Service, which is now treating 1,800 people per month, and will be investing in Child Focused Dental Practices to offer treatment to vulnerable children and young people.

What steps her Department is taking to allow county councils to take control of their local bus services.

Buses are the most commonly used mode of public transport in Britain, and good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. The Government is determined to deliver better bus services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions. We have set out our plan to achieve this, centred around supporting local transport authorities to take back control of local bus services. In order to give control back to local leaders, we will pass the Better Buses Bill and review existing guidance for local authorities. We want to make bus franchising quicker, easier and cheaper to deliver, for all types of local authority, as well as removing the existing ban on the creation of new municipal bus companies. We will refocus the Department to provide help and support to local authorities to make franchising – and other models where they are preferred locally – a success.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with the (a) hon. Member for Lowestoft and (b) Coastal Partnership East on flood protection at (i) Pakefield Cliffs and (ii) Lowestoft town.

I am replying as the Minister responsible for this policy area. I would be happy to meet and discuss these matters further. My office will be in touch to make suitable arrangements.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made a cost estimate of the potential economic damage of a future flooding event in Lowestoft.

Coastal Partnership East is partnership of three local authorities responsible for part of the Norfolk and Suffolk coastline (East Suffolk Council, North Norfolk District Council and Great Yarmouth Borough Council), including Lowestoft. Coastal Partnership East made an estimate of the potential economic damages from future flooding events in Lowestoft. This was completed as part of a business case for a new barrier at Lowestoft submitted in April 2023, prepared by Coastal Partnership East using standard Environment Agency guidance and methodologies. This estimated the future economic damages from tidal flooding, without the investment proposed in the business case, to be approximately £150m over the next 100 years. The economic damages from river and surface water flood risk was approximately £50m over 100 years.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of prescribing semiglutides on the NHS for patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.

While semaglutide is not licensed as a treatment option for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), clinicians can prescribe medicines outside their licensed indication, known as off-label prescribing, where they consider it to be the best treatment option for their patient, and subject to funding by the National Health Service locally. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been asked to develop a clinical guideline on PCOS which will make evidence-based recommendations for clinicians on best practice.No assessment has been made of the geographic disparities in the prescription of semaglutides for patients with PCOS as data on the reason for a prescription is not available, and semaglutide may be prescribed for a range of conditions.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the geographic disparities in the prescription of semiglutides for patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.

While semaglutide is not licensed as a treatment option for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), clinicians can prescribe medicines outside their licensed indication, known as off-label prescribing, where they consider it to be the best treatment option for their patient, and subject to funding by the National Health Service locally. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been asked to develop a clinical guideline on PCOS which will make evidence-based recommendations for clinicians on best practice.No assessment has been made of the geographic disparities in the prescription of semaglutides for patients with PCOS as data on the reason for a prescription is not available, and semaglutide may be prescribed for a range of conditions.

How many exemptions to the two-child benefit limit due to rape have been (a) requested and (b) granted since that exemption was introduced.

The requested information is not available. However, figures are published showing the number of households in receipt of an exception for children likely to have been born as a result of non-consensual conception, which for this purpose includes rape or where the claimant was in a controlling or coercive relationship with the child’s other biological parent at the time of conception. Table2, provides this information. The full statistics tables and supporting narrative are published here: Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit claimants: statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children, April 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)