Written questions by Reynolds.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of Personal Independence Payments in covering additional costs associated with disability.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) provides a contribution to the extra costs that may arise from a long-term disability or health condition. PIP is a non-contributory, non-means-tested, additional cost benefit and can be worth over £9,500 a year, tax free. Individuals can choose how to use the benefit, in the light of their individual needs and preferences. The benefit can also be paid in addition to any other financial or practical support someone may be entitled to such as Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, NHS services, free prescriptions, help with travel costs to appointments. It can also act as a passport to additional support such as premiums and additional amounts paid within certain benefits, Carer’s Allowance for an informal carer or the Blue Badge scheme. The benefits have been consistently uprated in line with inflation since they were introduced and were, like other benefits, increased by 6.7% from 8 April 2024.

How many people HMRC has identified as being liable for the Loan Charge who have not yet (a) paid and (b) settled to avoid it (i) in total and (ii) by Parliamentary constituency.

HMRC has previously estimated that around 40,000 individuals and 5,000 employers were liable to the Loan Charge and were yet to settle with HMRC, including those who had settled some but not all of their liabilities. This information is not available at parliamentary constituency level. Between Budget 2016 and 31 March 2024, HMRC agreed just over 25,000 settlements with employers and individuals of their disguised remuneration schemes, bringing into charge around £4.2 billion in revenue.

If he will make it his policy to open one of the new seven day Community Diagnostic Centres at St Mark's Hospital in Maidenhead.

St Marks Hospital is currently hosting temporary activity for Slough Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) in Maidenhead whilst the permanent site at Upton Community Hospital in Slough is being completed. All diagnostic activity will move to Upton Hospital later in 2025 once the new CDC is constructed, where it is expected that Slough CDC will be open 12 hours per day, 7 days a week. The Elective Reform Plan, published on 6 January 2025, sets out that we will extend the minimum standards for all community diagnostic centres, to open 12 hours per day, 7 days a week as well as delivering additional CDC capacity in 2025/26 by expanding a number of existing CDCs and building up to five new ones. CDCs intend to provide a broad range of elective diagnostics in the community and closer to home, reducing pressure on hospitals and giving patients quicker and more convenient access to tests. Therefore, where feasible, the National Health Service has and will endeavour to locate CDCs in the community rather than in acute settings. This supports one of the Government’s key strategic shifts, namely moving care from the hospital to the community. Capital investment agreed at Spending Review 2025 and announced in the Autumn Statement will be allocated to local systems by NHS England, and details on this will be released as part of upcoming capital planning guidance. The investment will support a range of initiatives, including supporting systems to deliver against the Government's ambition to return to the 18-week constitutional standard. NHS England will work with local systems to identify the most appropriate locations for investments, including new CDCs, and expansions of existing CDCs. A key factor they will consider is that new CDCs are positioned in a location which addresses local need and will address health inequalities.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle disinformation through AI-generated deepfakes.

We have recently announced that we are delivering on our manifesto commitment to ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes through the Crime and Policing Bill.Deepfakes more broadly are captured by the Online Safety Act where they are shared on social media platforms and are considered illegal content or content which is harmful to children.For those who think that there are no repercussions for online activity, we saw convictions for illegal online activity following the summer riots, including under the new False Communications Offence.

If she will make it her policy to pay additional compensation to people impacted by the collapse of Equitable Life.

The Equitable Life Payment Scheme has been fully wound down and closed since 2016 and there are no plans to reopen any decisions relating to the Payment Scheme or review the £1.5 billion funding allocation previously made to it. Further guidance on the status of the Payment Scheme after closure is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equitable-life-payment-scheme#closure-of-the-scheme.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of zero emission domestic boilers on the transition to net zero.

Zero emission boilers, or heat batteries are a promising technology because they utilise time-of-use tariffs, do not require outside space, and can be cheaper to install than heat pumps in some circumstances. However, they are also less efficient than heat pumps and will therefore use more energy to meet the same heating demand. The Department is exploring, through studies like the Homes for Net Zero Trial, the role heat batteries could play in the future. We will continue to review our position on heat batteries, and other alternative electric heating technologies, as the supporting evidence base develops.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his definition is of progressive realism; and what steps he is taking to implement a progressive realist foreign policy.

In his article in Foreign Affairs (April 2024), the Foreign Secretary defined progressive realism as "using realist means to pursue progressive ends". He is clear that this approach will underpin FCDO policies and will require using all the tools at our disposal: economic, diplomatic and societal. In his Kew speech (September 2024), he set out what this means in the specific context of the climate crisis - engaging collaboratively to deliver an ambitious COP29 agreement as we did ensuring genuine partnerships are at the cornerstone of our foreign policy.

What steps her Department is taking to stop driving tests being bulk booked and re-sold at a higher cost.

To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests, very often at significant profit. It is not possible to block book car practical driving tests. A driving licence number can be assigned to only one car practical driving test at a time. A DVSA survey suggests only 10% of learner drivers use third parties to book their tests. Most either book appointments themselves or through their approved driving instructor. DVSA deploys enhanced bot protection on its public facing booking system to stop automated systems from buying up tests unfairly. These applications, however, are constantly evolving and changing and DVSA continues to take steps to block cancellation services from accessing the booking system.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking help tackle homelessness.

The Government recognises that homelessness levels are far too high and this can have a devastating impact on those affected, including young people. We will consider youth homelessness as we develop our long-term cross-government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country, to get us back on track to ending homelessness.We are already taking the first steps to get back on track to ending homelessness. As announced at the Budget, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year (2024/25). This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total spend to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring a company to confirm an address before registering it at Companies House.

Through the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 we have given the registrar more powers to ensure address (and other) information on the register of companies is as accurate and complete as reasonably possible. Additionally, next year will see the introduction of identity verification for company officers, beneficial owners and those who file information on companies’ behalf. We will assess the merits of these various improvements before considering what, if any, further measures might be appropriate to improve the quality and reliability of company information.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to employer National Insurance contributions on the number of available GP appointments.

Primary care providers, including general practices (GPs), are valued independent contractors who provide nearly £20 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with each sector both about what services they provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract. As in previous years, the issue of National Insurance contribution changes will be dealt with as part of that process. We will shortly begin discussions on the annual GP Contract.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help secure the financial sustainability of (a) the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead and (b) all local councils.

This Government recognises that council funding has been under pressure since 2010. Any council that has unmanageable pressures and is concerned about its financial position should approach the department.We will provide councils with more stability and certainty through moving towards multi-year funding settlements and by ending wasteful competitive bidding pots. This will ensure councils can plan their finances for the future properly, delivering better value for money for taxpayers. Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement in which we are engaged.Department officials continue to engage regularly with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead regarding its financial position.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting lists for heart care treatments, in the context of recent statistics published by the British Heart Foundation on trends in the number of premature deaths from heart and circulatory diseases.

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission. The waiting list at the end of July stood at 7.62 million patient pathways, with 417,864 incomplete pathways waiting for treatment for cardiology.We will deliver an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments per week, including in cardiology services, as a First Step in our commitment to ensuring patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks.We will be supporting NHS Trusts to deliver these through innovation, sharing best practice to increase productivity and efficiency, and ensuring the best value is delivered.This government is committed to putting patients first. This means making sure that patients across all specialities, including cardiology, are seen on time and ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care.

What steps he is taking to improve the water quality of rivers.

After 14 years of Conservative failure, we share the public’s fury at the levels of sewage being released into our rivers, lakes and seas.That is why this Government has introduced legislation to put the water companies under special measures to end their disgraceful behaviour. But this is not all we are doing.We will outline further legislation to fundamentally transform how the water industry is run and speed up the delivery of upgrades to our sewage infrastructure to clean up our waterways for good.