Written questions by Wilson.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring builders to (a) have relevant qualifications and (b) demonstrate a certain competence level to undertake specific work.

The Building Safety Act requires that all those undertaking work in the built environment must be competent and have the right skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours.The Government is working with the construction industry to support the development and implementation of competence frameworks for built environment occupations that identify the core skills, qualifications and competence levels needed to undertake work. Engagement with DfE, Skills England and Standard Setting Bodies is a key part of developing the frameworks to align with and improve existing qualification routes to deliver the competence levels required.

With reference to Fairness Foundation and King's College's report Identifying and mitigating the risks of wealth inequality in the UK, published on 26 January 2025, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of the findings of that report.

While income and wealth are not always directly correlated, distributional analysis shows that Government decisions at Autumn Budget 2024 and Spending Review 2025, Phase 1 are progressive and benefit households in the lowest income deciles the most, on average as a percentage of income in 2025-26. The Government is committed to making sure the wealthiest in our society pay their fair share of tax. That is why the Chancellor announced a series of reforms at Autumn Budget 2024 to help fix the public finances in as fair a way as possible. The increases in tax are concentrated on the highest income households. Overall, on average, all but the richest 10% of households will benefit from policy decisions in 2025-26.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendations outlined in the Fairness Foundation's report entitled Wealth Gap Risk Register, published on 15 October 2024.

While income and wealth are not always directly correlated, distributional analysis shows that Government decisions at Autumn Budget 2024 and Spending Review 2025, Phase 1 are progressive and benefit households in the lowest income deciles the most, on average as a percentage of income in 2025-26. The Government is committed to making sure the wealthiest in our society pay their fair share of tax. That is why the Chancellor announced a series of reforms at Autumn Budget 2024 to help fix the public finances in as fair a way as possible. The increases in tax are concentrated on the highest income households. Overall, on average, all but the richest 10% of households will benefit from policy decisions in 2025-26.

How many e-bike riders were held responsible in an accident involving an e-bike in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not held by the Department.

How many accidents involving the police have involved e-bikes in the last five years.

The information requested is not held by the Department.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to his (a) French and (b) Spanish counterpart on long-stay visas for UK citizens who need to spend more than 90 days within a given 180-day period in those countries.

The Government recognises that our partnerships are strengthened when our citizens legally live in, work in, and visit our respective countries. My officials and I regularly engage our French and Spanish counterparts on a range of issues affecting UK nationals, including on visa matters. Whilst the Government recognises frustrations around accessing long-stay visas in some countries, this is ultimately a matter for national governments and parliaments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of negotiating a reciprocal agreement with his Spanish counterpart to allow British citizens with properties in Spain to spend up to six months in Spain each year.

The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement provides for visa-free travel for short-term visits for each other's nationals. British citizens can travel visa-free and stay for up to 90 days in a rolling 180-day period, in accordance with the Schengen Borders Code. This is the standard length of stay that the EU offers to third countries travelling visa-free. Whilst the UK government remains supportive of any Member State changes to their domestic visa system that benefits UK Nationals living in and traveling to EU Member States, it is for Member State governments to decide the rules.

If she will publish the (a) schedule for e-scooter trials and (b) data obtained from those trials.

There are currently 17 e-scooter trials running in England and they are currently due to run until May 2026. Guidance for the trials, including the requirements for users, operators and local authorities are published on gov.uk.Published findings from the first national evaluation of the e-scooter trials included trip data and e-scooter deployment numbers (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-evaluation-of-e-scooter-trials-report).A second evaluation of the e-scooter trials is due to start in Spring 2025. The evaluation will gather new evidence and build on findings from the first evaluation including: the journeys e-scooters are replacing; how they integrate with public transport; their safety for users and for others; and the accessibility impacts of e-scooters.The findings from this evaluation, including trip data, will be published once the second evaluation has concluded.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring e-bike owners to (a) have a driving license, (b) have vehicle insurance, (c) pay road tax and (d) take an annual MOT.

The Government has no plans to require e-cycle owners to do any of these things, provided that their e-cycles comply in full with the requirements of the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations. If their e-cycles do not comply with these requirements, they are in effect e-mopeds and must be registered, taxed and insured, with riders also required to have a valid driving licence and wear a motorcycle helmet that meets British safety standards. A national licensing scheme for people who ride e-cycles would be required to underpin all of the above. This would be expensive to design and administer, and the costs would be likely to outweigh the possible benefits. Requirements of this sort would also be likely to put people off cycling, with negative health and other impacts.

If her Department will make an estimate of the number of (a) universities and (b) higher education buildings where reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete is present.

The higher education (HE) sector is independent from government and it is therefore for individual providers to determine and address any estate issues. The Institution of Structural Engineers has published guidance that HE institutions can refer to on investigating and assessing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Departmental officials engaged with Universities UK and HE mission groups during 2023, to direct HE providers to RAAC guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers and to departmental RAAC guidance for state-funded education buildings.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 23432 on Prisons: Fires, how many cell fire alarms in the identified prisons were found to be (i) working and (ii) not working.

We undertake regular maintenance and inspection of cell fire detection devices to ensure that any potential issues are identified and addressed promptly. This is crucial to maintaining a safe environment within prisons.To obtain the information requested, it would be necessary to examine individually each of 2,931 fire investigations, to determine whether failure of a cell fire detection device had been reported. That could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.

Which schools that are awaiting refurbishment through the school rebuilding programme (a) have and (b) have not had those works brought forward due to the presence of RAAC.

The government has committed £1.4 billion to continue the current School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) in 2025/26, reconfirming our commitment to rebuild or refurbish 518 schools and sixth form colleges across England, prioritising delivery based on need.All schools within the programme, including those with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, are prioritised for delivery according to the condition of their buildings, readiness to proceed and efficiency of delivery. The department also takes into account the suitability and longevity of any temporary accommodation schools and sixth form colleges may have in place. Expected delivery timeframes have been communicated to all responsible bodies and specific start dates are communicated at least a month in advance of the project entering delivery. Since we communicated these timescales, we have not made any significant changes to them to move start dates around.Just under half of SRP projects have started various stages of delivery activity and the department plans to increase the number of existing school rebuilding projects to 100, of which delivery begins in the next financial year so work can start more quickly.Once a school enters delivery, a project team carries out a feasibility study which determines the scope of the works. SRP projects typically take 3 to 5 years to complete.

How many and what proportion of children under 18 that have received detention and training orders have had an identified SEND issue since 2023.

From 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2024, 429 children (under 18) were admitted into the Children and Young People Secure Estate under a detention and training order. Of these, 44% (where information is known) were identified as having special educational needs or disabilities. These figures are derived from responses gathered to inform placement decisions, and do not represent formal diagnoses.

If she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of practitioners in the (a) early years and (b) childcare sectors that have received training on SEND identification.

The department knows that children’s early years are crucial to their development, health and life chances. We recognise the importance of the early identification of needs to ensure the right support is put in place as early as possible to ensure children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and developmental differences and delays can get the best start in life.The department wants all early years educators to feel confident in identifying and supporting developmental differences and delays, including knowing how to access further support and advice when needed. To support this we have funded training for up to 7000 special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs), have published new resources, including a free online training module and SEND assessment guidance to help early educators to identify, assess and support children in their settings, and announced funding support for the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme for this academic year for children needing extra support with their speech and language development.When a child is between two and three-years-old, educators must review their progress and provide parents or carers with a brief written summary of their development in key areas. This summary highlights strengths, areas needing additional support, and strategies to address any concerns. Guidance is available to help educators accurately assess a child's development and work closely with parents and professionals to provide necessary support.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2025 to Question 22681 on Broadcasting, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact on the protection of children online of including podcasts in the broadcasting code.

Ofcom, the independent regulator, is responsible for drafting and maintaining the Broadcasting Code, which outlines standards for television and radio broadcasting in the United Kingdom. The Government has no plans to make an assessment of the potential impact on the protection of children by including online podcasts in the Broadcasting Code.

What steps her Department plans to take to support family owned small and medium sized enterprises with changes in the level of (a) the National Living Wage and (b) Business Property Relief.

At Autumn Budget, the Government took a number of difficult but necessary decisions on tax, welfare, and spending to restore economic stability, fix the public finances, and support public services. These were tough decisions given the situation we inherited from the previous administration, but the Government has done so in a way that makes the tax system fairer and more sustainable.Specifically to support small and medium businesses, including family businesses, the Budget announced generous tax reforms including more than doubling the employment allowance to £10,500, maintaining the Small Profits Rate and marginal relief at their current rates and thresholds, maintaining the Annual Investment Allowance, and freezing the small businesses multiplier for 2025-26.The government has protected smaller family businesses from BPR changes, providing a very significant level of relief with the first £1 million of business assets continuing to receive 100% relief and then 50% thereafter.Each year, the independent Low Pay Commission produces recommendations to the Government on the National Living Wage rates. At Autumn Budget, the Government accepted the LPC’s recommendations on the rates in full, meaning that NLW rate will rise to £12.21 per hour from April 2025.

If he will take steps to (a) scale up and (b) roll out the DISCOVER workshop programme led by the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

The Brief Educational Workshops in Secondary Schools Trial, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, was a large school-based study of a cognitive behavioural therapy-based intervention led by the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, using the DISCOVER intervention.The study found that the DISCOVER intervention was modestly clinically effective for reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms among 16 to 18 year olds. The study’s findings highlight that, given the importance of addressing mental health needs early in this adolescent population, additional research is warranted to explore this intervention.There are currently no national plans to scale up and roll out the DISCOVER workshop programme.We recognise the importance of early intervention. Nearly 500 National Health Service funded mental health support teams were operational in approximately 8,500, or 34% of, schools and colleges across England by the end of March 2024, covering 4.2 million, or 44% of, pupils or learners. These teams work with young people and parents to manage mild to moderate mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, while also assisting schools to develop a whole-school approach to positive mental health and wellbeing.Building on this, we will provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school so that mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, can be identified early on and prevented from developing into more serious conditions in later life. We will also roll out Young Futures hubs in every community.

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of results of the Brief Educational Workshops in Secondary Schools Trial, published in June 2024, by the National Institute for Health Research and King College London.

The Brief Educational Workshops in Secondary Schools Trial, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, was a large school-based study of a cognitive behavioural therapy-based intervention led by the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, using the DISCOVER intervention.The study found that the DISCOVER intervention was modestly clinically effective for reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms among 16 to 18 year olds. The study’s findings highlight that, given the importance of addressing mental health needs early in this adolescent population, additional research is warranted to explore this intervention.There are currently no national plans to scale up and roll out the DISCOVER workshop programme.We recognise the importance of early intervention. Nearly 500 National Health Service funded mental health support teams were operational in approximately 8,500, or 34% of, schools and colleges across England by the end of March 2024, covering 4.2 million, or 44% of, pupils or learners. These teams work with young people and parents to manage mild to moderate mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, while also assisting schools to develop a whole-school approach to positive mental health and wellbeing.Building on this, we will provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school so that mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, can be identified early on and prevented from developing into more serious conditions in later life. We will also roll out Young Futures hubs in every community.

If he will commission a survey of the mental health of children and young people in 2025.

Although there are no plans at present to commission further follow up waves to the 2017 Mental Health of Children and Young People in England survey, the Department recognises its importance. We will publish any such plans in due course.

How many families are eligible for the Adoption and Special Guardian Support Fund; and how many of these have accessed the fund since 7 February 2024.

Local authorities, Adoption England and Regional Adoption Agencies promote the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) to families throughout their adoption journey as a source of support should they need it.In December 2023, the department changed the name of the Fund from the Adoption Support Fund to the ASGSF, to reflect the eligibility of special guardianship order (SGO) families and encourage increased numbers of applications for therapy where these families might need support.The department does not hold definitive data on the number of families eligible for the ASGSF at any one time. During the period from 7 February to 31 December 2024, 18,030 individual children have accessed support through the ASGSF.