Written questions by Turner.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 43306, on Birmingham City Council: Finance, how many officials in her Department provide support to that intervention on a (a) headcount and (b) full-time equivalent basis; and if she will make an estimate of the cost of departmental support to the intervention since October 2023.

It is established practice for MHCLG to provide a Chief of Staff function to support Commissioners appointed to local authorities in statutory intervention. There are currently two full-time equivalent roles attached to the intervention in Birmingham City Council. These costs are contained within existing departmental budgets, and in line with standard practice. No separate estimate of exact costs has been made.As is standard practice for Councils under intervention, Birmingham City Council has not reimbursed the department for any costs associated with the Chief of Staff function, but does cover the Commissioners’ fees.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 April to Question 40395 on Further Education: Special Educational Needs, whether any ringfenced capital grants have been made to the SEND-specialist further education sector in the last ten years; and what information her Department holds on capital expenditure by SEND-specialist further education providers.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision sits with local authorities.The department provides funding to local authorities to support them to meet this duty. Local authorities can spend their funding across the 0 to 25 age range, including in special post-16 institutions or other further education settings. The need for investment across this age range will differ between different local authorities, dependent on local circumstances, and it is therefore for local authorities to determine how best to prioritise available funding to address their local priorities.The department has published £740 million of local authority high needs capital allocations for the 2025/26 financial year. Although this funding is not ringfenced and local authorities have discretion over how they spend their funding, we do ask local authorities to complete and return a grant assurance data return each year to provide details on the projects they intend to fund using their high needs provision capital allocation funding.Whilst local authorities are not required to publish these returns, the department does encourage them to consider doing so to aid local transparency.

How many employers have had Disability Confident status rescinded in each of the last five years.

To date the Department has not suspended any employer from the scheme. We have worked with several employers who have been the subject of a complaint to improve their compliance with the scheme criteria.There is a Disability Confident complaints process in place that sets out the steps that should be taken to address and resolve any concerns raised that an employer is failing to comply with Disability Confident criteria. More information is available here: Disability Confident complaints process.If an employer has failed to take adequate steps to resolve an issue, and there is unambiguous evidence the employer is not adhering to the principles and criteria of the Disability Confident scheme, DWP has the right to suspend the Disability Confident status of the employer until they have taken the necessary action.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of prescribing medical cannabis to treat Charcot-Marie-Tooth Syndrome.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) does not recommend the use of any cannabis-based medicines to manage chronic or neuropathic pain in adults and that cannabidiol (CBD) only be offered as part of a clinical trial.NICE recognises the lack of evidence to support the use of these medicines and recommends that further research is carried out on the clinical and cost effectiveness of CBD as an add-on treatment for adults with fibromyalgia or for persistent treatment resistant neuropathic pain.The National Institute for Health Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health. As for all other medicines, it is the responsibility of the manufacturers to generate the evidence required for assessment by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and NICE.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 42342 on Railways: Public Expenditure, if her Department will make the calculations for each of the last five years for which figures are available.

It is possible to reproduce English regional railway expenditure excluding HS2 for the last five years using the Country and Regional Analysis (CRA) dataset. The table below shows the impact for the most recent CRA publication from November 2024:Railway spending for English regions in £s per capita, excluding HS2ITL Region2019-202020-212021-222022-232023-24North East118224188239255North West171222206203202Yorkshire and the Humber124239197196214East Midlands102197160156159West Midlands160238226216221East of England215423342308325London528687633683665South East235433333301299South West142222165149168England226353301298302

What recent progress she has made on the appointment of a new Chair of Network Rail.

The Department plans to launch an open and fair recruitment to appoint a new permanent Chair of Network Rail and has appointed an Executive Search Agency to run the recruitment.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of her Department's intervention at Birmingham City Council since October 2023.

The Commissioners’ fees and expenses are published on Birmingham City Council’s website at regular three-month intervals. There are additional costs associated with the admin support team provided by Birmingham City Council. Commissioners’ fees and expenses for one year were just over £1.3m.

With reference to table 10.10 of her Department's publication entitled Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2024, published on 30 July 2024, if she will publish a version of the regional breakdown of per capita railway expenditure that excludes HS2's contribution.

The country and region tables shown in chapters 9 and 10 of PESA including table 10.10, were originally published the previous December as part of the Country and Regional Analysis (CRA) dataset. It is possible to reproduce railway expenditure excluding HS2 using the data published alongside each CRA release. Provided below is a link to collected editions of the Country and Regional Analysis publications on GOV.UK:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-and-regional-analysis

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the report entitled Impact of Changes to the Ukraine Visa Schemes on Ukrainians in the UK, published by the University of Birmingham in March 2025.

The Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, referenced by the report, continues to provide certainty and security for Ukrainians, allowing those with permission under one of the Ukraine schemes to apply for a further 18 months to stay in the UK. This will allow a continuation of rights to work, live and study as well as access to healthcare and welfare support in the UK.We continue to engage with a wide range of stakeholders and keep the schemes under review in line with the ongoing conflict.

What steps her Department is taking to increase capacity on the West Coast Main Line north of Birmingham.

The Department recognises concerns about capacity on the West Coast Main Line north of Birmingham and are considering advice before setting out detailed plans in due course. The Department is evaluating possible interventions to improve capacity north of Birmingham, such as changes to timetabling and service patterns, as well as incremental improvements to infrastructure and rolling stock that could help to alleviate capacity shortfalls.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of NHS staff being taxed as a second job for working overtime.

All income earned through employment is taxable, including income from further employment, such as from overtime or through additional employment. Tax is paid on individual’s overall income, regardless of the source of that income. Not all individuals who receive an income are formally employed, as many earn through self-employment or receive other sources of income. By paying tax on overall income, rather than solely through income from a single source of employment, the income tax system is highly progressive, with different rates of tax sitting above an internationally high Personal Allowance. When an individual moves from one tax band to another because of an increase in their income, they will only pay additional tax on the portion of their income that falls within the new tax band.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish a public consultation this year that would enable the Government to provide the best support to farmers to end the use of pig farrowing crates.

We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The use of farrowing crates for pigs is an issue we are currently considering very carefully.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to make Animal Health and Welfare Pathway grants available to pig farmers to install free farrowing systems.

We will simplify and rationalise our grant funding, ensuring that grants are targeted towards those who need them most and where they can deliver the most benefit for food security and nature.

What proportion of children in state-funded schools were educated in special schools in each year from 2010-11.

The department publishes data on the number of children in special schools and the total number of pupils in state-funded schools in the following publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england. Data since 2015/16 can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9e7bff83-c9e9-4503-9355-08dd6ba01329. The same data for years 2010/11 to 2014/15 can be accessed at:: https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F5a80340040f0b62305b89c8b%2FSFR25-2015_TABLES_NATIONAL.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK.

What steps her Department has taken to support the SEND-specialist Further Education sector; and what central capital grants have been provided to that sector during the last ten years.

The department has now published allocations for £740 million of high needs capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year. Of this funding, Birmingham has been allocated a total of just under £15 million which can be used to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings including early years, post-16 settings and alternative provision. It can also be used to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings.This is in addition to over £3 billion of high needs capital funding allocated to local authorities since 2018.The department has also announced allocations of high needs revenue funding, which will be allocated as part of the dedicated schools grant to local authorities, and which they can use to support specialist further education provision for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), particularly those with education, health and care plans, as well as children with SEND in the schools sector. High needs funding will total over £12 billion in the 2025/26 financial year.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Colombia on the potential renewal of the UK-Colombia Bilateral Investment Treaty.

The Government has not been formally approached by the Colombian government about proposals to amend the UK-Colombia Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). The Government regards the UK-Colombia BIT as playing an important role in the investment relationship between our two countries. The stock of total investment between the UK and Colombia was £6.8 billion in 2023. Following the UK-Colombia BIT's initial ten-year term, in accordance with the treaty's provisions, it shall remain in force indefinitely unless it is terminated by either Party.

When Transport Focus last published minutes of meetings of its Board.

Transport Focus is currently in the process of updating numerous sections of its website. This includes records such as the board minutes, and the board committee terms of reference. Transport Focus is committed to upholding the principles of transparency and accountability and will prioritise the publication of historic minutes as soon as possible. The most current iteration of board meeting minutes available on the Transport Focus website are those from the November 2021 board meeting. Recordings of public board meetings are available on the website, with the most recent being from May 2024: https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/about/transparency-and-accountability/board-meetings/ In the interim, if there are any minutes/events of particular interest, Transport Focus will be more than happy to make these available upon request: https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/contact-form.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on the 2025-26 NHS Payment Scheme consultation.

Ministers will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by James Mackey, to lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job, we will empower staff to focus on delivering better care for patients, driving productivity up and getting waiting times down.

With reference to the Office of Rail and Road's letter to Network Rail of 11 February 2025, entitled Management of structures – structures examination and assessment noncompliance, what recent assessment she has made of Network Rail's capability to (a) identify and (b) remedy infrastructure failings; and when the Independent Reporter commission that is referred to in that letter will conclude.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), in its capacity as the independent rail safety regulator for Great Britain, is responsible for assessing the adequacy of the measures taken by Network Rail to examine, assess and evaluate the safety of the structural assets it owns, and for deciding on any appropriate regulatory action. ORR expects the Independent Reporter commission to conclude in approximately 9-12 months. Safety remains our top priority for the railways, and it is important the independent rail regulator can act proactively to ensure high standards are maintained. We will look to Network Rail to work closely with the ORR to agree a plan for prioritising delivery of its planned structures examinations and assessments.

What steps his Department is taking to develop weightings for trade union (a) access and (b) recognition when (i) awarding public contracts and (ii) determining strategic suppliers.

The Social Value Model has been updated to ensure that in-scope organisations can implement the government’s new National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS). Procurement Policy Note 002: The Social Value Model sets out the government’s approach to social value. Strategic suppliers are selected based on the scale, scope and criticality of the services they provide.