Written questions by Glen.

How many times the new Chair of the Office for Value for Money has formally met with (a) the Chancellor and (b) the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

David Goldstone CBE was appointed as the independent Chair of the Office of Value for Money on 30 October 2024. His published terms of reference state that he will have monthly regular check-ins with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and that he will provide a regular update to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Since his appointment, the Chair has provided regular updates to the Chancellor and me on his progress. As part of this, the Chair has had three meetings with me; and one meeting with the Chancellor.

Whether the Spending Review Phase 2 is zero-based.

Phase 2 of the Spending Review launched on the 10th December 2024. At launch, I asked every department to conduct a zero-based review of government spending to assess whether it is a priority for this government and represents value for money. This is the first time that a line-by-line review of government spending has taken place in 17 years, offering the opportunity to undertake a more thorough review of spending.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2025 to Question 22929 on Treasury: Employers' Contributions, which Strategic Suppliers to the Department have contractual terms and conditions that require a pricing review as a consequence of the higher National Insurance contributions to employers.

No such terms and conditions are included in HM Treasury’s contracts with strategic suppliers.

What steps he (a) is taking with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to encourage (i) growth and (ii) investment in food and drink manufacturing and (b) plans to take to support food and drink manufacturing through the forthcoming Industrial Strategy.

Growth is the number one mission of the government. The UK's agriculture food and drink sector plays a significant role in the UK economy, contributing £146.7bn to GVA. The UK presents many opportunities for investment right across the food and drink supply chain stages of product development. All sectors can shape and will benefit from policy reform through the Industrial Strategy’s cross-cutting policies alongside the broader Growth Mission. This will create the pro-business environment for all businesses to invest and employ, with growth that supports high-quality jobs and ensures that the benefits are shared across people, places, and generations.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of his Department's support for advanced manufacturing within the industrial strategy on food and drink manufacturers.

The Industrial Strategy Green Paper identified eight growth-driving sectors, including advanced manufacturing. All sectors can shape and benefit from policy reform through the Industrial Strategy’s cross-cutting policies alongside the broader Growth Mission. This will create the pro-business environment for all businesses to invest and employ, with growth that supports high-quality jobs and ensures that the benefits are shared across people, places, and generations.The UK’s food and drink sector plays a significant part in the UK economy, with £146.7bn contribution to GVA. The government is engaging with the food and drink industry regularly to explore all avenues for growth.

How his Department intends to define the subsectors within Advanced Manufacturing in the forthcoming Industrial Strategy.

The Government committed in the Industrial Strategy Green Paper – Invest 2035 to identify subsectors within Advanced Manufacturing that meet our objectives and for which there is evidence that policy can address barriers to growth. This includes consideration of the contribution to Net Zero, regional growth, and economic security and resilience. Input from the Sector roundtable’s and industry feedback from responses to this Green Paper to inform this programme of analysis. The industrial strategy, alongside sector plans for the growth-driving sectors, will be published in spring 2025, aligned with the multi-year spending review.

What steps he is taking to tackle ADHD medication shortages.

The Department has worked intensively with industry and some supply issues with ADHD medicines have been resolved. We continue to engage with suppliers and also the NHS to resolve the remaining issues as quickly as possible, and improve the planning of future demand. I understand concerns in this area and would be happy to give my time to MPs, to sit down with the experts, to explain this further.

When he plans to provide a substantive response to the Freedom of Information Act of 26 September 2024 from the Rt Hon Member for Salisbury, reference RFOI2024/13851.

A response to FOI2024/13851 was sent on 31 January.

When he plans to publish the call for evidence on implementing a ban on unpaid internships.

The Make Work Pay plan is a core part of the mission to grow the economy, raise living standards across the country and create opportunities. It aims to tackle low pay, poor working conditions and poor job security.The government is committed to banning unpaid internships except when they are part of an educational or training course. A call for evidence on this will be published in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the land use strategy will include policies on managing (a) farm pastures, (b) road verges, (c) urban parks and (d) other grasslands.

The Government plans to publish work in this area in the first year of its time in power. A broad range of views will be under consideration.

If she will publish the internal equality impact assessment under the Equality Act 2010 for changes to (a) agricultural and (b) business property relief.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms. It is expected that up to around 2,000 estates will be affected by the changes to APR and BPR in 2026-27, with around half of those being claims that involve AIM shares. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) are expected to be unaffected by these reforms. In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2024 to Question HL1343 on Prime Minister's Chief of Staff: Pay, what the annual salary amount that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury approved in the senior approvals pay

Salaries of special advisers of equivalent standing to the Senior Civil Service are published in the relevant year’s Annual Report on Special Advisers.

If she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's equality (a) impact assessment and (b) screening in relation to the changes to employers' National Insurance contributions in the Autumn Budget 2024.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer; the economic impacts of the policy; and the impacts on individu...

Pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2024 to Question 16761 on Employers’ Contributions: Public Sector, what the assumed unit cost per (a) headcount and (b) FTE employee of the estimated increase in National Insuran

The Government plans to update Parliament on the allocations of support by department in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2024 to Question 16761 on Employers’ Contributions: Public Sector, if she will publish the methodology used to draw up the estimates of support.

The Government plans to update Parliament on the allocations of support by department in due course.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2024 to Question 8809 on 11 Downing Street: Art Works, what was the cost to the public purse of removing the artworks.

It is standard practice, as followed by the previous government, of which he was a member, for new ministers to select works from the Government Art Collection for their ministerial offices. All such changes of displays of works from the Government Art Co...

Pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2024 to Question 10442 on Government departments: communication and public consultation, what non-essential spending in each Department has been stopped to deliver the £50 millio

To identify savings in Communications spending for 2024-25 and 2025-26, the UK Government conducted a comprehensive review of communications campaigns through the Spending Review. This review looked at the strategic logic, join-up, role for communications...

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 November 2024 to Question 12389 on Pensions: Inheritance Tax, whether the (a) partner and (b) dependent's scheme pension for the (i) Civil Service Alpha scheme and (ii) Ministerial Pensi

Dependant scheme pensions, including partner pensions, are not subject to Inheritance Tax. This is the same for registered and unregistered UK schemes, and will not be impacted by the changes announced at Autumn Budget 2024.

With reference to the Autumn Budget 2024, whether the (a) pension and (b) associated pension benefits under the tax-unregistered Judicial Pension Scheme will be liable for inheritance tax.

There are three different types of UK statutory defined benefit judicial pension schemes. As defined benefit schemes, none of these have a dedicated fund which can be inherited as defined contribution schemes do.Schemes established under the Judicial Pens...

With reference to page 21 of the Plan for Change document, CP1210, published on 5 December 2024, what estimate she has been made of the potential impact of (a) changes to the level of employer National Insurance con

The Office for Budget Responsibility's October 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) contains forecasts and assessments of government policy. The OBR’s forecast does not decompose policy impacts on Real Household Disposable Income (RHDI) per capita by in...