Written questions by Shannon.

What discussions he has had with his Northern Irish counterpart on the expansion of Northern Ireland's defence workforce.

Northern Ireland plays a vital role in the defence of the UK, as demonstrated by the £1.6 billion deal with Thales that the Prime Minister announced on 2 March 2025. The deal will see 200 new jobs created at Thales in Belfast, and hundreds more supported in the Thales supply chain across the UK. The Ministry of Defence has consulted with a wide range of stakeholders in Northern Ireland on the Government’s new Defence Industrial Strategy, which will seek to create high quality jobs across all the nations and regions of the UK.

Whether her Department holds data on the percentage change in uptake levels of pension credit between 2024 and 2025.

The latest Pension Credit take-up figures were published in October 2024. They showed that in financial year 2022/23, 65% of those entitled to Pension Credit claimed the benefit. This represents a 2 percentage point increase from financial year 2021/22, when the take-up rate was 63%. This data is available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2023 - GOV.UK and Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2022 - GOV.UK. Data on the percentage change between financial years 2023/24 and 2024/25 will not be available until the end of 2026 when the 2024/25 publication is expected (release date to be confirmed).

What discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the proposed energy link between Northern Ireland and Scotland.

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

How many carers have received a Carer’s Allowance overpayment since (a) 16 October and (b) 9 December 2024.

We do not have the in-year estimates for the time frame suggested however last year’s statistics are a guide to the overall overpayment levels.Levels of Carer’s Allowance overpayments for the year 23/24 can be found here:Fraud and error in the benefit system, Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2024 - GOV.UK For ease, here are the latest statistics: Expenditure (£m)Total Rate (%)Total Value (£m)Fraud Rate (%)Fraud Value (£m)Claimant Error Rate (%)Claimant Error Value (£m)Official Error Rate (%)Official Error Value (£m)3,7005.21903.01102.0800.110

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help reduce sewage in rivers.

For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas. That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Act, which will strengthen regulation, including delivering new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bringing criminal charges against persistent law breakers. We are also carrying out a full review of the water sector. The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will make recommendations to shape further legislation to transform how our water system works and clean up our waterways for good. A public Call for Evidence went live on 27 February for 8 weeks, with all interested parties invited to share their views. This Call for Evidence will play a key role in shaping the Commission’s thinking going forward and into the review's final recommendations to the UK and Welsh Governments. This forms the next stage in the Government’s approach to ensuring we have a sufficiently robust and stable regulatory framework to attract the investment needed to clean up our waterways, speed up infrastructure delivery to support house building and restore public confidence in the sector. As part of Price Review 24, Water companies are investing £12 billion, a record amount, to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales, with OfWat requiring them to reduce spills by 45% compared to 2021 levels. The regulators will continue to take action if any illegality is identified. They have launched the largest criminal and civil investigations into water company sewage discharges ever. As part of their investigations, Ofwat has proposed fines of £168 million against three water companies. This investigation is a priority for Ofwat, and it will continue to work as quickly as possible on their investigations into all remaining companies.

How many carers have received an earnings-related Carer’s Allowance overpayment since (a) 16 October and (b) 9 December 2024.

We do not have the in-year estimates for the time frame suggested however last year’s statistics are a guide to the overall overpayment levels.Levels of Carer’s Allowance overpayments for the year 23/24 can be found here:Fraud and error in the benefit system, Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2024 - GOV.UK For ease, here are the latest statistics: Expenditure (£m)Total Rate (%)Total Value (£m)Fraud Rate (%)Fraud Value (£m)Claimant Error Rate (%)Claimant Error Value (£m)Official Error Rate (%)Official Error Value (£m)3,7005.21903.01102.0800.110

What estimate her Department has made of the amount of Russian assets in bank accounts in the UK.

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of HM Treasury, announced in December 2023 that £22.7 billion of Russian Assets had been reported as frozen since February 2022 as of October 2023. This figure is collated from a cumulation of various asset types, of which bank accounts form part, and is a cumulative total of assets reported.

What steps she has taken to reduce frequent absences of children from school.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Tackling absence is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. If children aren’t in school, it doesn’t matter how effective or well-supported teaching and learning is, they will not benefit. Thanks to the hard work of parents and teachers there has been progress, but levels of absenteeism remain far too high.The department has set out clear expectations of local authorities and schools in the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which was made statutory on 19 August 2024. This guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdfThe guidance promotes a 'support first' approach and sets out clear expectations on how schools, trusts, local authorities and wider services should work together and with families to address attendance barriers and provide the right support, including where a pupil is not attending due to special educational needs.The department has also established 31 attendance hubs that have offered their support to around 2000 other schools. Hubs are established and led by senior leaders in schools with strong attendance practice. The meetings led by hubs are intended to give senior leaders in other schools a forum to discuss and share effective attendance practice.Last year, the department published an attendance toolkit, bringing together effective practice from across the hubs. The toolkit gives schools practical advice on how to diagnose and target their attendance problem and how to effectively implement great practice.We are also strengthening our tools for faster and more effective school improvement by launching the new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams. Supported by over £20 million, these teams will offer both mandatory targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve and a universal service, acting as a catalyst for a self-improving system for all schools. The RISE teams have begun work with the first group of schools eligible for the targeted, bespoke service, including support for attendance as necessary. Improving school attendance is a national priority for RISE teams.

How many people have been sanctioned for claiming unemployment or sickness benefits whilst working and not declaring hours.

The department does not typically issue sanctions in these circumstances and a fraud or error penalty would instead be considered, where appropriate. We always encourage individuals to notify the department when a change of circumstances occurs, to avoid incurring a penalty. Instructions on how to inform us of any changes can be found here: Benefits: report a change in your circumstances - GOV.UK

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of recent increases to TV license fees.

The obligations placed on the BBC, and the public service it provides to the country, show the need for continued, sustainable public funding to support its vital work.The government has committed to retaining the licence fee for the remainder of the Charter Period. The level of the fee will increase by £5 per household to £174.50 in April 2025, rising in line with inflation as required by the 2022 Licence Fee Settlement. This uplift provides certainty and stability for the BBC and S4C, and supports them in delivering their essential public services remits and world-class educational and engaging programming, while also ensuring we deliver the best outcomes for licence fee payers.Reflecting our understanding of the pressures on households, this government has taken action to expand the Simple Payment Plan to help more households facing financial hardship pay their TV licence.

What steps she is taking to allow flexible working patterns for those that suffer with (a) autism, (b) ADHD and (c) other behavioural disorders.

ADHD and Autism are neurodevelopmental conditions which are often disabilities considered under the Equality Act 2010. The Equality Act 2010 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 require employers to make reasonable adjustments and to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees. If an employee would be substantially disadvantaged without flexible working patterns on grounds of their disability, they would be entitled to reasonable adjustments. Additionally, the Employment Rights Bill contains measures to make flexible working the default for all employees, except where it is not reasonably feasible. As a government, we want to support all forms of neurodiversity in the workplace, and we are looking to build on the findings of the Buckland Review of Autism Employment by gathering expert advice in line with this expanded focus. Our support to employers includes the online Support with Employee Health and Disability service, to support employers managing health and disability in the workplace. This includes questions of disclosure and equipping employers to feel confident having conversations about health and disability. The Disability Confident scheme also signposts employers to expert resources which support the employment of disabled people, including those with autism and ADHD.We recently announced Keep Britain Working, a major independent review of the employer’s role in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces, led by Sir Charlie Mayfield.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the elected care framework.

We are committed to working closely with the Northern Irish and other devolved administrations to tackle the shared challenges faced by our health systems. Health is predominantly a devolved issue. However, the Department works collaboratively with the devolved administrations to drive forward our objective of supporting people to lead more independent, healthier lives for longer.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of poverty on access to (a) health and (b) dental care.

Whilst there has been no formal assessment made, it is recognised that people living in the most deprived areas can face challenges accessing health and dental care.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for arranging health services that are accessible and that meet the health needs of their populations, and in doing so must also have regard to the need to reduce inequalities in access to health services.In guidance on the preparation of integrated care strategies, updated in 2024, the Department has also explicitly outlined the need for integrated care partnerships to consider groups which may have the greatest need for services and the greatest difficulty in accessing them, and take steps to remove barriers and improve provision for these populations.Free National Health Service dental care is available to people who meet a certain criterion, such as receiving low-income benefits. Support is also available through the NHS Low Income Scheme for those patients who are not eligible for exemption or full remission of dental charges. In line with the Government’s Health Mission, the Department’s goal is to create a more equitable healthcare system that leaves no person or community behind.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on tackling poor mental health in schools.

The Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with the Department for Education to deliver the commitment to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school through rolling out NHS Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support the dairy farming industry in Northern Ireland.

Dairy farming policy is a devolved matter and is therefore the responsibility of the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland. However, the UK Government is committed to tackling unfairness in the supply chain wherever it exists and works with DAERA to ensure there is a coordinated approach and farmers receive a fair price for their products. Central to this is the Government’s commitment to improving contractual practices across the agriculture industry, using the Fair Dealings powers in the Agriculture Act 2020 to increase transparency and protect farmers from unfair practices. The Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024, which came into force last year, introduced key reforms. These include mandatory written contracts outlining key terms such as termination conditions and agreed supply volumes. They also require greater transparency in milk pricing and establish robust dispute resolution procedures, strengthening trust and cooperation between buyers and sellers. The regulations are enforced by the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator, who can investigate complaints from farmers who believe they have not been provided with a contract that is compliant with the Regulations, on behalf of the Secretary of State. We will continue to work with DAERA in monitoring the dairy industry to ensure these reforms deliver their intended impact, including through a future review of the effectiveness of the dairy regulations.

What discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive on lowering the threshold for bowel screening to 50.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises ministers and the National Health Service in the four United Kingdom nations about all aspects of screening. As screening is a devolved matter, it is then for each individual Government to decide on how and whether to implement the UK NSC’s recommendations.

What steps his Department is taking to help tackle ophthalmic workforce shortages.

We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service, which will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed, to move healthcare from hospitals to the community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention.A central part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities.We will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan, which will deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, to ensure that the NHS has the right people, including those who work in ophthalmology, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.

What steps his Department is taking to help delay the progression of glaucoma in people aged over 50.

Free National Health Service sight tests are available for many, including all individuals aged 40 years old and over with a close family history of glaucoma, and all individuals aged 60 years old and over. Regular sight tests play an important role in the early detection of glaucoma, which is often symptomless in the early stages. Patients with suspected glaucoma will be referred for further investigation, treatment, and monitoring, which can delay its progression. NHS England has been testing how integrating primary and secondary eye care services, through IT connectivity and the development of a single point of access, could improve the referral, triage, and management of patients with eye care needs and reduce the time from diagnosis to treatment.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Minister of Infrastructure in the Northern Ireland Executive on improving the (a) frequency and (b) accessibility of (i) domestic and (ii) international flights from all Belfast airports.

I have not had recent discussions about Belfast Airports specifically.  However, the question of whether to operate an air service is a commercial matter for industry.  To maximise airlines’ and airports’ commercial and operational flexibility when making such decisions, my officials negotiate international treaties - “Air Services Agreements” – that ensure a wide range of options for operations from/to all UK airports. Furthermore, aviation must be accessible so that everyone can travel with dignity and ease. The Department launched the Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group in November 2024.  It brings together industry and consumer representatives, including from the Consumer Council of Northern Ireland, to identify practical and achievable actions to improve aviation accessibility.  The Group is engaging widely with industry across the UK.

Innovation and Technology, how many people are currently employed in the AI technology sector across the UK.

We are committed to building an AI sector that can scale and win globally, ensuring AI companies want to call the UK home. Our 2024 AI Sector Study found that the UK AI sector employs over 64,000 people in the UK, up from just over 50,000 people in 2022, an increase of 29%.