Written questions by Shannon.

If she will make an assessment of the sustainability of job centres in rural areas.

We have interpreted ‘sustainability’ to mean the viability of Jobcentres in rural areas. DWP has a network of 634 established Jobcentres across the UK. The location of Jobcentres needs to balance customer demand, the range of services it needs to offer and operational efficiency. If a Jobcentre is relocated, the Department fully assesses the likely impact, including completion of an Equality Assessment. We will be looking to work with a range of partners, including local areas to further develop and deliver our manifesto commitments which will inform wider thinking on the delivery of employment support.

How many people under the age of 21 were convicted of sexual abuse in the last 12 months.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a wide range of offences, including sexual offences and various ages of defendants/offenders in the Outcomes by Offence tool: December 2023. This can be accessed by navigating to the ‘Prosecutions and convictions’ tab and using the Age Range filter and the Offence Group filter to select relevant offences in the Outcomes by Offence data tool.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of instances of fly tipping in the last six months.

Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement actions to Defra, which are published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/env24-fly-tipping-incidents-and-actions-taken-in-england. This excludes the majority of private-land incidents. Data for the 2023/24 reporting year will be published later this year.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle fraud in online travel bookings.

The Government takes the issue of online fraud very seriously and is dedicated to protecting the public from this devastating crime.The Online Safety Act (OSA) will make tech companies responsible for blocking fraud and fraudulent adverts on their platforms. The OSA final Codes of Practice on illegal harms are expected by end of 2024 with tech firms liable a year after (2025), and fraudulent advertising duties set to follow in 2026.

What steps his Department is taking to provide (a) enhanced diagnostics and (b) treatment for people under the age of 16 who have allergies.

The Government is committed to ensuring that all people with allergies, including those under 16, have access to the services they need to manage their condition. The majority of those with allergies can be supported by locally commissioned services, with specialist allergy clinics available for those with more severe or complex allergic conditions.Specialist allergy services are commissioned by NHS England Specialised Commissioning in line with the published Service Specification. This sets out that providers should deliver a diagnostic package for the investigation of suspected allergic diseases, including initial consultation and follow-up in a dedicated allergy clinic and specialised allergy tests. There are regular review meetings between the regional commissioning teams and providers to ensure compliance with service standards.To support healthcare professionals, including those in primary care settings, in the implementation of clear care pathways, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of drug and food allergy in people aged under 19 years old. The guidance aims to improve diagnosis by offering advice on how to identify allergies and when to refer to secondary or specialist care.The Royal College of General Practitioners have added allergy training to the new General Practitioner (GP) curriculum (2019) and, to support existing GPs, it has developed an allergy e-learning resource. Both resources aim to educate GPs about the various symptoms of allergic disease and to ensure that people with allergies can be effectively supported at primary care level.While there are no specific treatments for allergies for those under 16 years old, the National Health Service website recommends the below treatments for allergies: medicines for mild allergic reactions like antihistamines, steroid tablets and steroid creams; emergency medicines called adrenaline auto-injectors, such as an EpiPen, for severe allergic reactions; and desensitisation, or immunotherapy, for severe allergic reactions, involving carefully exposing an individual to the thing they are allergic to over time, so that their body gradually gets used to it and does not react so badly. This should only be done by a medical professional.

Whether officials in his Department have had discussions with representatives of the aerospace industry on guaranteeing jobs during the completion of the sale of Spirit AeroSystems’ operations to Airbus.

Under terms agreed between Airbus and Spirit, Airbus will acquire the elements of Spirit’s Belfast site responsible for the A220 airliner. This includes the wing and mid-fuselage sections. The Government is working with the Northern Ireland Executive to help ensure the best outcome for Short Brothers and all its incredibly skilled, hard working, staff. My Department is in touch with Spirit, Airbus, Boeing and other potential buyers. We have a keen interest in seeing that any acquisition includes a commitment to develop Short Brothers and its supply chain, and to provide the best possible opportunity for growth in Northern Ireland.

If he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the volume of salt in processed meat.

Processed meats are generally high in salt and, on average, meat and meat products contribute approximately 27% of salt intakes. A high intake of salt increases the risk of high blood pressure which, in turn, increases the risk of heart disease or a stroke. Reducing salt in foods by 1 gram per day, for example, could prevent 1,500 premature deaths each year, saving the National Health Service over £140 million.To reduce salt levels in foods, the voluntary salt reduction programme sets targets for different food and drink product categories that contribute to salt intakes, including processed meats such as ham, bacon, and sausages. Businesses across all sectors of the food industry are required to work towards these targets. Separate targets on a meal basis have been set for the out of home sector, which includes processed meats where appropriate.The targets were first set in 2006 and have been revised downwards five times to continually reduce salt content, with the most recent targets published in 2020. Businesses are expected to achieve the latest levels set by the end of 2024.The most recent assessment of industry progress suggests that small reductions in salt content were seen in some meat products between 2017 and 2018. Salt intakes decreased from 9.38 grams to 8.4 grams a day between 2000 and 2018/19.

What steps she plans to take to encourage self-employed tradesmen to take on apprentices.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only. Small businesses are important to the economy and to apprenticeships. This government will transform the skills system by developing a Growth and Skills Levy so that opportunities, including apprenticeships, are available across the country and businesses of all sizes can meet their ambitions, fill their skills gaps and stimulate the economic growth that this country needs.

Whether the Government has plans to review the higher education funding model; and if she will take steps to ensure the sustainability of university funding through a model that balances the (a) needs of students and (b) constraints on public finances.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only. It is important for universities, their students and staff, that there is a sustainable higher education (HE) funding system that provides opportunities, supports students and maintains the world-leading status of our universities. The government is committed to a sustainable funding model, which supports high value provision, thereby powering opportunity and growth and meeting the skills needs of the country. The government keeps the HE funding system under continuous review. The department will work with universities to support students and deliver for the economy. An announcement on student finance arrangements for the 2025/26 academic year will be made in due course.

How many and what proportion of people were medically treated for severe nerve pain in the last 12 months.

The following table shows a breakdown of the Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) in England with a primary diagnosis relevant to nerve pain, as well as the total number and proportion of FAEs with a primary diagnosis relevant to nerve pain, for 2023/24:DiagnosisAdmissionsDisorders of trigeminal nerve3,005Facial nerve disorders5,405Disorders of other cranial nerves210Cranial nerve disorders in diseases classified elsewhere285Nerve root and plexus disorders1,660Nerve root and plexus compressions in diseases classified elsewhere10,510Mononeuropathies of upper limb47,290Mononeuropathies of lower limb4,225Other mononeuropathies1,770Total FAEs with primary diagnosis relevant to nerve pain74,365Total 2023/24 FAEs17,540,975Proportion of admissions with primary diagnosis relevant to nerve pain0.42%Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), published by NHS EnglandNotes:- FAEs refer to the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, and are generally counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes, so do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period;- the primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital;- the data is provisional and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have been made, as counts produced from provisional data are likely to be lower than those generated for the same period in the final data set; and- all counts have been rounded to the nearest five and values less than 10 have been supressed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent deep sea mining.

This Government supports a moratorium on the granting of exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects by the International Seabed Authority (ISA). The UK recognises the impacts of deep sea mining are not fully understood and supports a moratorium on the granting of mining licences by the ISA until sufficient scientific evidence is available to assess the potential impact of deep-sea mining activities on marine ecosystems, and strong, enforceable environmental regulations, standards and guidelines are adopted by the ISA.