Written questions by Perteghella.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make her policy to bring forward legislative proposals for compulsory purchase powers for local authorities so that they are able to compulsory purchase at current use value rather than at hope value.

The government recently brought into force regulations that provide for the removal of ‘hope value’ from the assessment of compensation, where there is justification in the public interest. Guidance and a fact sheet on the measures was published on 3 October 2024 and can be found here. Further reform of compulsory purchase compensation rules will be included in the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Announcements on the timing of that Bill will be made in the normal way in due course.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the system used to elect Members of Parliament.

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 5974 on 14 October 2024.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support freelancers in the creative industries.

We are committed to giving British creators increased security at work and providing the creative industries with a regulatory and fiscal environment where their imagination and innovation can flourish.A significant proportion (28%) of the creative industries workforce is self-employed. As outlined in the Plan to Make Work Pay, we will support and champion self-employed workers by strengthening rights and protections to help them thrive. This includes the right to a written contract; action to tackle late payments; and extending health and safety and blacklisting protections to self-employed workers. Self-employed workers will also benefit from our plans to strengthen trade union rights. We will also explore how to implement the targeted and specific manifesto commitments to enhance protections for self-employed workers through consultation.We are working with creative industry stakeholders to consider the recommendations of the Good Work Review, a sectoral deep dive funded by DCMS into job quality and working practice. This sets out a number of priorities, including developing dedicated support and guidance for self-employed creators. We are working closely with the sector as it responds to these recommendations.DCMS and its public bodies, including Arts Council England and the British Film Institute, are taking proactive steps to support self-employed workers in the creative industries with Arts Council England supporting more than 1,200 individual practitioners through National Lottery Project Grants totalling almost £30 million, and more than 1,200 individuals through the £14.5 million Developing Your Creative Practice Programme.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to support research and innovation campuses in the West Midlands.

The government remains committed to delivering economic growth across all regions of the UK. We are working with local leaders in the West Midlands to develop their local growth plans, through which we will seek to make research and innovation the foundation of future growth in the region.DSIT’s Innovation Accelerator programme is empowering local businesses, universities, and civic leaders in the West Midlands to work together to catalyse innovation-led local growth, supported by around £33 million of public funding that is supporting projects in health and clean technology such as the Biochar Clean Tech Accelerator.

Media and Sport, what support her Department provides to UK artists touring in the EU.

This Government is working collaboratively across departments to look at how best to help touring artists, and improve arrangements for musicians, performing artists and their support staff being able to tour across the EU.The Government provides support for UK artists through initiatives such as the Music Export Growth Scheme, co-funded by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and the International Showcase Fund, which is funded by the DBT. These schemes are designed to help artists access international markets, expand their reach, and promote the UK’s creative talent globally.We will engage with the new European Commission and EU Member States, seeking improved arrangements across the European continent without a return to free movement. Our priority remains ensuring that UK artists can continue to thrive on the global stage.

Whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of specialist input in PIP Reviews.

I have interpreted your question to refer to the adequacy of the input provided by the assessment supplier (AS) health professional (HP) during a PIP review. All decisions on entitlement to PIP, whether at initial claim or review, are made by DWP case managers (CM). CMs, whilst not medically qualified, do receive extensive training to enable them to evaluate a claim and assess the individual’s needs. They have access to expert advice from HPs, if required, and can make requests for supplementary advice at any stage in the decision-making process. Advice should be clear, succinct, justified and in accordance with the consensus of medical opinion. Where a CM is then still unable to make a decision on the PIP review, the case will be referred to the AS for an assessment. During the assessment stage the HP is able to source additional evidence from professionals such as the individuals GP, occupational therapist, community psychiatric nurse and/or any other health professionals involved in the individual’s care. They have access to guidance and support (such as Condition Insight Reports and Continuous Professional Development modules) on how certain conditions present and how they might affect function. The APs also have access to Mental Function Champions (MFC) who can provide advice and support to HPs on health conditions and disabilities affecting mental, cognitive, intellectual, and behavioural function. The quality of any advice provided by the HP, whether via supplementary advice or the assessment report is a priority for all AS’s and the department. The department works extensively with ASs to make improvements to guidance, training, and audit procedures to ensure a quality service, supported by an independent audit function that continually monitors performance and provides feedback to its ASs.

If she will make it her policy to reduce the frequency of PIP Reviews.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to her previous Question 6897 on 14 October. We continue to keep under review awards, their durations and award review periods.

Whether he plans to reform the funding model for charitable hospices as part of the 10 year plan for health and social care.

We have committed to develop a 10-Year Health Plan to deliver an NHS fit for the future, by driving three shifts in the way health care is delivered, specifically: moving healthcare from hospital to the community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. We will carefully consider policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders, including those in the hospice sector, as we develop the plan.Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing National Health Services.  The amount of funding charitable hospices receive varies by integrated care board (ICB) area, and will, in part, be dependent on the breadth of palliative and end of life care provision within each ICB catchment area.I recently met with NHS England and discussions have begun on how to reduce inequalities and variation in access to, and the quality of, palliative and end of life care in England.  We will consider next steps on palliative and end of life care, including hospice funding, in the coming months.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle sewage dumping in the (a) rivers and (b) brooks of Stratford-on-Avon constituency.

The Government has taken immediate and substantial action to address water companies who are not performing for the environment or their customers. In July, we announced swift action to begin resetting the water sector, including ringfencing vital funding for infrastructure investment and placing customers and the environment at the heart of water company objectives. In September, the Government introduced the Water (Special Measures) Bill to give regulators new powers to take tougher and faster action to crack down on water companies damaging the environment and failing their customers. These are the first critical steps in enabling a long-term and transformative reset of the entire water sector.I would also refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement made by the Secretary of State on 18 July, HCWS3.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to introduce a national minimum requirement for developers to build social rent homes as part of medium and large developments.

The government is committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and we recently consulted on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework to support this objective. Specifically, the consultation proposed setting an expectation that local housing needs assessments explicitly consider the needs of those requiring Social Rent, and that local planning authorities specify their expectations on Social Rent delivery as part of broader affordable housing policies.The consultation closed on the 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses with a view to publishing a government response before the end of the year. We have also committed to strengthening the existing developer contributions system and further details will be set out in due course.

Whether she is taking steps with Chiltern Railways to reinstate direct rail travel between London and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Chiltern’s current timetable offers a service between London and Stratford Upon Avon with one change. Whilst noting that this is not a direct service, timetable decisions are for operators to make, balancing passenger demand, track availability, infrastructure constraints, and operational considerations. With these considerations in place, the operator has no current plans to offer a direct service from London Marylebone.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to bring almhouses into the definition of affordable housing.

Our consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework sought views on whether changes are needed to the definition of ‘affordable housing for rent’ to make it easier for organisations that are not Registered Providers, including almshouses, to develop new affordable homes.The consultation closed on the 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses with a view to publishing a government response before the end of the year.

If she will make it her policy to extend the length of time within which bereaved families can claim Bereavement Support Payments.

The 3-month time limit to claim the full amount of Bereavement Support Payment is consistent with most other benefits. An individual would need to be 21 months late in claiming Bereavement Support Payment to forfeit the entire benefit.

What steps she is taking to reduce the cost of court transcripts for victims.

We currently offer free transcripts of the judge’s sentencing remarks in some circumstances and are piloting extending this to victims of rape and serious sexual offences.I understand transcripts may help individuals obtain closure on traumatic events.Transcripts must be 100% accurate. Anyone who has used voice dictation technology will know mistakes can be made. I will continue to keep this under review but have to balance costs against many other competing priorities within the court budget.