Written questions by Evans.

When Ministers in her Department last met representatives of the independent school sector to discuss issues facing that sector.

The last meeting was held on 22 July 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of his policies on the ability of farmers to diversify their income streams to support their farming business.

Agricultural permitted development rights were amended in April 2024 to expand the range of uses agricultural buildings and land within their curtilage can be used for under a ‘flexible commercial use’, incentivising development by providing certainty and removing the time and money needed to submit a planning application. As the Secretary of State announced earlier this year, we will ensure these permitted development rights work for farms to support all farmers to innovate and diversify their businesses. In June, we held three roundtables with agriculture stakeholders to discuss planning issues in depth. Government is consulting on national policies for decision making later this year to make the planning policy framework clearer and more accessible.

What definition the Government uses of a working class student, in the context of the new Internship Scheme.

The refocused Fast Stream Summer Internship scheme will give talented undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds the opportunity to see what a career in the Civil Service is like. We will assess eligibility for the summer internship scheme based on parental occupation at the age of 14. The Social Mobility Commission (SMC) identifies this as the most accurate measure of socio-economic background.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the grassroots ticket levy on the long term financial sustainability of small independent music festivals.

The Government supports the live music industry’s work to introduce a voluntary levy on tickets for stadium and arena shows. This will compliment the significant increase in government funding for the grassroots sector through our new Music Growth Package, of up to £30m over the next 3 years. This package will deliver concrete benefits for venues and emerging artists with touring, performance, mentoring and export opportunities.Funding from the grassroots ticket levy will be distributed by the LIVE Trust to existing industry-led initiatives that will support grassroots festivals, as well as artists, promoters and venues. This targeted support will not only benefit current small festivals, but also help secure the pipeline of talent to safeguard their future and create the right conditions for future growth.The Government is encouraged to see sector reporting showing that 44% of 2025 tickets on sale since July now include the levy, and 1.9 million levied tickets have been sold since January. Autumn ticket sales and the establishment of the LIVE Trust should mean even greater uptake by Winter. We want to see a voluntary levy be in place for as many concerts as possible in 2025 and 2026, and we will continue to convene the live music industry to drive progress. We would encourage all artists, promoters and venues to promote the levy.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the compliance by energy companies with their standard licence conditions in the context of ensuring people understand the costs that constitute their energy bills.

The Supplier Licence Conditions (SLCs) were put in place by the industry regulator Ofgem, so it is for them to make any assessment of supplier compliance to these rules. However, this Government does take the issue of clear, accurate billing very seriously. According to the SLCs set by Ofgem, suppliers must take all reasonable steps to reflect accurate meter readings in bills or statements sent to customers where these have been provided by a customer or obtained by the supplier.

What progress he has made on considering the transfer the investment reserve to the members of the British Coal Superannuation Scheme.

The then Minister for Industry (Sarah Jones) met the BCSSS Trustees on 22 April, 11 June and 22 July and confirmed the Government’s commitment to considering their proposals regarding the reserve and the future of the scheme. DESNZ will now engage HM Treasury with a view to agreeing a way forward on the transfer of the reserve to members. The Government is aiming to reach agreement on an outcome that can be implemented later this year which will benefit scheme members.

What assessment he has made of the feasibility of introducing solar canopies in public car parks.

Solar canopies on outdoor carparks provide clean electricity, the potential for electric vehicle charging and shelter for cars. A comprehensive assessment of the carbon savings, deployment feasibility, and cost-effectiveness of different intervention options, including mandates and incentives, in both the public and private sector, requires input from stakeholders, including local authorities and commercial owners. The Secretary of State published a call for evidence earlier this year to assess the potential to drive the construction of solar canopies on outdoor car parks. A government response will be published this year.

If he will (a) raise the progress of OFGEM's Consumer Confidence Review and (b) determine a clear timetable for the Review to conclude with published findings and recommendations at his next meeting with OFGEM.

Ofgem have kept the Government updated on the progress of the review and the timetable for publication, and the findings of the review are due to be published shortly. DESNZ Ministers regularly meet with Ofgem, including to discuss progress on key Ofgem initiatives such as its Consumer Confidence programme.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his policies on recycling rates in (a) England and (b) Leicestershire.

Simpler Recycling will ensure every household and workplace (businesses and relevant non-domestic premises like schools and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core waste streams: metal, glass, plastic (including cartons), paper and card, food waste, and garden waste (for households only). The Collection and Packaging Reforms, which also include a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) and Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR), are estimated to increase the municipal recycling rate from around 42% to over 55.9% by 2035, mostly driven by Simpler Recycling and DRS. pEPR achieves further increases in packaging recycling rates of 2%. We do not have projected recycling rate increases for individual local authorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of his Department's policies on reducing plastic pollution on levels of plastic pollution.

This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy for plastics – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer, waste is reduced, we accelerate the path to net zero, we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs, our economy prospers, and nature thrives. We have recently completed a Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the 2020 bans and restrictions on single-use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds. This review assesses the effectiveness of these measures in achieving their policy objectives, including reducing plastic pollution, and considers their environmental and economic impacts. The PIR is scheduled for publication in October 2025. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and/or materials to take a systematic approach, in line with circular economy principles, to reduce the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products and encourage reuse solutions.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 64429 on Hospices: Children, what his planned timetable is for confirming funding arrangements for children's hospices for 2026/27.

We want a society where every child receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations.The Together for Short Lives report, Overstretched and underfunded: The state of children’s hospice funding in 2025, highlights variation in the ‘per person’ funding of charitable children’s hospices but does not take into account funding spent via National Health Services, which also supports children with palliative care and end of life care needs. In England, while the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including children’s hospices, also play in providing support to children, and their loved ones, at the end of life.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant. We will confirm funding for 2026/27 in line with usual processes and timelines for Government finances.I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.The Government and the NHS will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required shifts in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.

If he will adopt the recommendations of the report by Together for Short Lives entitled Overstretched and underfunded: The state of children’s hospice funding in 2025.

We want a society where every child receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations.The Together for Short Lives report, Overstretched and underfunded: The state of children’s hospice funding in 2025, highlights variation in the ‘per person’ funding of charitable children’s hospices but does not take into account funding spent via National Health Services, which also supports children with palliative care and end of life care needs. In England, while the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including children’s hospices, also play in providing support to children, and their loved ones, at the end of life.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant. We will confirm funding for 2026/27 in line with usual processes and timelines for Government finances.I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.The Government and the NHS will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required shifts in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.

With reference to the report from Together for Short Lives entitled Overstretched and underfunded: The state of children’s hospice funding in 2025, if he will review the disparity in per person funding from integrated care boards for (a) children and (b) young people in hospice care.

We want a society where every child receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations.The Together for Short Lives report, Overstretched and underfunded: The state of children’s hospice funding in 2025, highlights variation in the ‘per person’ funding of charitable children’s hospices but does not take into account funding spent via National Health Services, which also supports children with palliative care and end of life care needs. In England, while the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including children’s hospices, also play in providing support to children, and their loved ones, at the end of life.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant. We will confirm funding for 2026/27 in line with usual processes and timelines for Government finances.I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.The Government and the NHS will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required shifts in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.

Whether he has had discussions with Health Education England on reducing overprescribing.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not had any discussions with these organisations related to reducing overprescribing.The National Health Service and partner organisations are responding to the challenge of overprescribing, as set out in the Government’s review of overprescribing, Good for you, good for us, good for everybody, in September 2021.Progress has been made to implement the recommendations of that review, for example:- implementing the National Medicines Optimisation Opportunities for integrated care boards;- addressing problematic polypharmacy, when there is potential harm associated with taking multiple medicines;- delivering Structured Medication Reviews; and- publication of a repeat prescribing toolkit and oversupply dashboard to support general practices to identify oversupply and improve repeat prescribing processes.Offering treatments that are not medicines is also key to addressing overprescribing. Many other initiatives delivered across the NHS contribute towards this. These include delivery of personalised care and shared decision-making, NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression, and social prescribing.We are continuing to address issues with the prescribing of medicines in line with the NHS’ 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance.

Whether he has had discussions with the General Pharmaceutical Council on reducing overprescribing.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not had any discussions with these organisations related to reducing overprescribing.The National Health Service and partner organisations are responding to the challenge of overprescribing, as set out in the Government’s review of overprescribing, Good for you, good for us, good for everybody, in September 2021.Progress has been made to implement the recommendations of that review, for example:- implementing the National Medicines Optimisation Opportunities for integrated care boards;- addressing problematic polypharmacy, when there is potential harm associated with taking multiple medicines;- delivering Structured Medication Reviews; and- publication of a repeat prescribing toolkit and oversupply dashboard to support general practices to identify oversupply and improve repeat prescribing processes.Offering treatments that are not medicines is also key to addressing overprescribing. Many other initiatives delivered across the NHS contribute towards this. These include delivery of personalised care and shared decision-making, NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression, and social prescribing.We are continuing to address issues with the prescribing of medicines in line with the NHS’ 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance.

Whether he has had discussions with the Royal College of General Practice on reducing overprescribing.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not had any discussions with these organisations related to reducing overprescribing.The National Health Service and partner organisations are responding to the challenge of overprescribing, as set out in the Government’s review of overprescribing, Good for you, good for us, good for everybody, in September 2021.Progress has been made to implement the recommendations of that review, for example:- implementing the National Medicines Optimisation Opportunities for integrated care boards;- addressing problematic polypharmacy, when there is potential harm associated with taking multiple medicines;- delivering Structured Medication Reviews; and- publication of a repeat prescribing toolkit and oversupply dashboard to support general practices to identify oversupply and improve repeat prescribing processes.Offering treatments that are not medicines is also key to addressing overprescribing. Many other initiatives delivered across the NHS contribute towards this. These include delivery of personalised care and shared decision-making, NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression, and social prescribing.We are continuing to address issues with the prescribing of medicines in line with the NHS’ 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance.

Whether he has had discussions with the National Institute for Health Research on reducing overprescribing.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not had any discussions with these organisations related to reducing overprescribing.The National Health Service and partner organisations are responding to the challenge of overprescribing, as set out in the Government’s review of overprescribing, Good for you, good for us, good for everybody, in September 2021.Progress has been made to implement the recommendations of that review, for example:- implementing the National Medicines Optimisation Opportunities for integrated care boards;- addressing problematic polypharmacy, when there is potential harm associated with taking multiple medicines;- delivering Structured Medication Reviews; and- publication of a repeat prescribing toolkit and oversupply dashboard to support general practices to identify oversupply and improve repeat prescribing processes.Offering treatments that are not medicines is also key to addressing overprescribing. Many other initiatives delivered across the NHS contribute towards this. These include delivery of personalised care and shared decision-making, NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression, and social prescribing.We are continuing to address issues with the prescribing of medicines in line with the NHS’ 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance.

Whether he has had discussions with NHS Digital on reducing overprescribing.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not had any discussions with these organisations related to reducing overprescribing.The National Health Service and partner organisations are responding to the challenge of overprescribing, as set out in the Government’s review of overprescribing, Good for you, good for us, good for everybody, in September 2021.Progress has been made to implement the recommendations of that review, for example:- implementing the National Medicines Optimisation Opportunities for integrated care boards;- addressing problematic polypharmacy, when there is potential harm associated with taking multiple medicines;- delivering Structured Medication Reviews; and- publication of a repeat prescribing toolkit and oversupply dashboard to support general practices to identify oversupply and improve repeat prescribing processes.Offering treatments that are not medicines is also key to addressing overprescribing. Many other initiatives delivered across the NHS contribute towards this. These include delivery of personalised care and shared decision-making, NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression, and social prescribing.We are continuing to address issues with the prescribing of medicines in line with the NHS’ 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance.

Whether he has had discussions with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry on reducing overprescribing.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not had any discussions with these organisations related to reducing overprescribing.The National Health Service and partner organisations are responding to the challenge of overprescribing, as set out in the Government’s review of overprescribing, Good for you, good for us, good for everybody, in September 2021.Progress has been made to implement the recommendations of that review, for example:- implementing the National Medicines Optimisation Opportunities for integrated care boards;- addressing problematic polypharmacy, when there is potential harm associated with taking multiple medicines;- delivering Structured Medication Reviews; and- publication of a repeat prescribing toolkit and oversupply dashboard to support general practices to identify oversupply and improve repeat prescribing processes.Offering treatments that are not medicines is also key to addressing overprescribing. Many other initiatives delivered across the NHS contribute towards this. These include delivery of personalised care and shared decision-making, NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression, and social prescribing.We are continuing to address issues with the prescribing of medicines in line with the NHS’ 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of NHS roles for newly-trained GPs.

The Government has invested £82 million in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), which has enabled the recruitment of more than 1,900 recently qualified general practitioners (GPs) in England since October. This will increase the number of available appointments, secure the future supply of GPs, and alleviate the pressure on those currently working in the system.Under recently announced changes to the GP contract in 2025/26, the ARRS will become more flexible to allow primary care networks to respond better to local workforce needs. The two ARRS pots have been combined to create a single pot for the reimbursement of patient-facing staff costs. There will be no restrictions on the number or type of staff covered, including GPs.On 27 February, the Government and the British Medical Association agreed to the changes to the GP contract to fix the ‘front door’ of the National Health Service and bring back the family doctor. We are investing an additional £889 million in GPs for 2025/26, bringing total spend on the GP contract to £13.2 billion. This is the largest uplift to GP funding since the beginning of the five-year framework, and means we are reversing recent trends by allocating a rising share of NHS resources to GPs.