Written questions by Coyle.

How many people are waiting for a decision on their Access to Work scheme claim.

As of October 2025, there are 62,000 applications outstanding. We recognise the importance of reducing waiting times, which is why we have increased the number of staff working in this area by 27% in the last financial year.

Whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of linking Unique Property Reference Numbers to Universal Credit claims to help tackle fraud.

The Department is considering external data sources, including Unique Property Reference Numbers, that could be used to help address fraud and error that occurs in Universal Credit.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy and accessibility of advice and support available for employers of people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

No assessment has been made. All employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 not to unlawfully discriminate against disabled people and people with long term health conditions, including people with multiple sclerosis. This includes making reasonable adjustments where employees would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act and provides guidance to businesses and individuals, including the statutory Code of Practice on Employment. The Government also offers guidance to employers on supporting disabled people and people with health conditions in the workplace, through its Support with Employee Health and Disability service. The service was developed with input from smaller businesses and disability organisations and provides a step by step guide to supporting employees in workplace scenarios involving health and disability. This includes guidance on having conversations about health and disability, supporting employers to understand and respond to an employee’s individual needs, circumstances and capacities. This service is fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making unique property reference numbers a requisite field in the private rented sector database.

My government already intends to record unique property reference numbers on the Private Rented Sector Database in all instances where they are available.

Communities and Local Government, how many properties with EPC ratings of (a) F and (b) G rating are let by (i) Local Authorities and (ii) Housing Associations

Information on the EPC ratings of social housing let by local authorities and housing associations, as well as other tenures, can be found in the latest English Housing Survey on gov.uk here. In the 2023-24 survey, 0.3% of homes let by local authorities and 0.4% of homes let by housing associations have an EPC rating of band F or G.

What estimate his department makes of the number of retrofits underway.

In 2025-2026 alone, we will be upgrading up to 300,000 homes, using around £1 billion of Warm Homes Plan money, and further support through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS). This is more than double the number of home upgrades delivered in 2023/24.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure flexibility in the workplace for people living with fluctuating conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS).

Employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments, including workplace flexibilities, where a disabled person or person with a long-term health condition would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage. This includes chronic and fluctuating health conditions and disabilities, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The Equality and Human Rights Commission provides statutory guidance to employers covering this. DWP also provides tailored guidance through its Support with Employee Health and Disability online service and the Disability Confident Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces including guidance on flexible working. All employees have the existing right to request flexible working arrangements. The Employment Rights Bill is designed to make it more likely that flexible working requests are accepted and would require employers to explain the basis for their decision where rejecting a request. The Keep Britain Working Review is currently establishing vanguards to explore innovative ways to support more disabled employees to stay in work.

What steps he is taking to (a) maintain and (b) bolster the effectiveness of the Access to Work scheme.

We recognise the importance of clearing the backlog, which is why last year we increased the number of staff working in this area by 27% and we have continued to streamline delivery practises. We remain committed to reducing waiting times for claims, prioritising customers starting a job within the next four weeks. In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people in work. We are reviewing all aspects of Access to Work as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that Integrated Care Boards are implementing NICE guidance on intermediate care for patients experiencing homelessness.

The Department recognises the importance of ensuring that people experiencing homelessness have access to appropriate intermediate care. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline NG214 on integrated health and social care for people experiencing homelessness sets out clear expectations for services to be accessible and tailored to the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng214/chapter/Recommendations#intermediate-careThe intermediate care framework, published in 2023, stipulates that intermediate care services should be available to all eligible individuals, including those experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The intermediate care framework is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/intermediate-care-framework-for-rehabilitation-reablement-and-recovery-following-hospital-discharge/ Guidance on discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, published in 2024, further states that specialist and bespoke homeless intermediate care services should be developed in response to needs and should be integrated so that ‘mainstream’ and ‘specialist’ services work seamlessly together. The guidance on discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/discharging-people-at-risk-of-or-experiencing-homelessness/discharging-people-at-risk-of-or-experiencing-homelessness The Better Care Fund supports local systems to integrate health, housing, and social care in ways that deliver person-centred care. One of the conditions is that Health and Wellbeing Boards are required to submit plans showing projected demand and planned capacity for intermediate care services with due regard to the need to reduce inequalities in access to and outcomes achieved by National Health Services.

If she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of introducing Sectioning Support Officers to the NHS to reduce police officer time spent in hospitals.

Any decisions relating to staffing in the NHS is a matter for the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England.The Right Care Right Person approach is an approach designed to end inappropriate and avoidable police involvement in cases where people have health and/or social care needs and help ensure that people receive support from the right person, with the right skills, training, and experience to best meet their needs.The National Partnership Agreement (NPA), signed in July 2023 by Government, NHS England and national policing bodies, sets out the principles of Right Care Right Person and how they can jointly deliver the best care to communities. The NPA sets out that local areas should work towards handovers of care between the police and mental health services taking place within one hour as specified in local plans. This one hour handover will reduce the amount of time spent by police officers with mental health patients in hospital.

If she will take steps with the Metropolitan Police to move officers and staff out of the capital whose responsibilities are (a) national and (b) not wholly London-focused.

Decisions on the location of officers and staff in the Metropolitan Police Service are an operational matter for the Commissioner. This includes resources that support existing national units.Any future proposals on structural reform to policing in England and Wales will be set out in the upcoming white paper on police reform.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing mandatory training for opticians and GPs to recognise Charles Bonnet Syndrome.

There are no plans to implement mandatory training for opticians and general practitioners to recognise Charles Bonnet Syndrome. Healthcare professionals are responsible for ensuring their clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. The College of Optometrists has also published a number of resources providing information about Charles Bonnet Syndrome for optometrists and patients.

With reference to her Department's press notice entitled £740 million allocated for 10,000 new places for pupils with SEND, published on 27 March 2025, what data she holds on how the additional funding was spent by Local Education Authorities.

The £740 million high needs capital investment in 2025/26 is on track to create around 10,000 new specialist places, in both special and mainstream schools.Local authorities share plans for their HNPCA with the department as part of grant assurance checks. We do not publish these due to the potential commercial sensitivities, but we encourage local authorities to publish where possible to aid transparency.

What assessment his Department has made of (a) the causes of the reduction in foodbank use in this calendar year and (b) how this trend can be built upon.

The Government is committed to tackling poverty and ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels. We have already introduced the Fair Repayment Rate, reducing the Universal Credit overall deductions cap from 25% to 15% of a customer’s standard allowance, giving 1.2m households an average of £420 per year. In addition, we have also uprated benefit rates for 2025/26 in line with inflation, with 5.7 million Universal Credit households forecast to gain by an average of £150 annually. The Government has also taken further action to support low-income households including through the increase in the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour from April 2025, boosting the pay of 3 million workers. Ahead of Child Poverty Strategy publication in the autumn, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of this Parliament and a new £1 billion package to reform crisis support, including funding to ensure the poorest children do not go hungry outside of term time. We have also announced £600 million to extend the Holiday Activity and Food Programme.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of lowering VAT on restaurant customers.

The Government recognises the significant contribution made by hospitality businesses to economic growth and social life in the UK. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK's second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Where restaurants incur VAT in producing the food they sell, this can be claimed back in the normal way, provided that they are registered for VAT. Businesses with a turnover below the £90,000 per year threshold may choose not to register for VAT, in which case they do not charge VAT on their sales and cannot reclaim it on their input costs. HMRC estimate that the cost of a 5 per cent reduced rate for accommodation, hospitality and tourist attractions would be around £13 billion this financial year. If the scope were also to include alcoholic beverages, the cost would be approximately £3 billion greater. More broadly, as announced at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026/27. This permanent tax cut will ensure they benefit from much-needed certainty and support.

What steps his Department plans to take to (a) monitor and (b) report on the operational impact of drones supplied to the Ukrainian armed forces; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the steps taken by his Department to help the Ukrainian armed forces prepare for (i) future requirements for drone systems and (ii) its defence of critical infrastructure during winter.

The UK has worked closely with the Ukrainian Armed Forces to provide military capabilities that meet their needs. This process includes feedback from the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the operational impact of drones supplied, to inform decisions on which drone systems to procure in the future and to focus research and development investment to address the most pressing challenges. The UK continues to provide air defence capabilities to protect Ukrainian critical infrastructure over the winter. This includes further air defence systems (RAVEN, GRAVEHAWK) and missiles (Lightweight Multi-role Missiles (LMMs), ASRAAM), as well as the work developing the advanced OCTOPUS air defence interceptor drone as part of the UK and Ukraine technology sharing agreement. Most recently, on 24 October, the Prime Minister announced the accelerated delivery of 140 LMM missiles.

If he will take legislative steps to provide for an excluded contract waiver for charitable memberships in proposed secondary legislation on subscription contracts under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 to protect not-for-profit organisations from (a) undue administrative costs and (b) potential loss of fundraising revenue.

The government consulted on the implementation of the new subscriptions contract regime and are analysing the responses, including submissions from the charity and not-for profit sector. Officials have met with relevant representatives and individual organisations to hear their views and we continue to engage with the sector.The government is committed to ensuring that charities can comply with consumer law and claim Gift Aid on eligible payments. HMRC are working through the technical details and will continue to engage with the sector.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department plans to take to help reduce the number of children living in temporary accommodation.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 83747 on 27 October 2025.

Whether the Timms Review into Personal Independence Payments will include assessments of the potential impact of proposed changes on levels of homelessness.

The Timms Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, carers, clinicians, experts, parliamentarians and other stakeholders to ensure a wide range of views and voices are heard. I have announced that the Review will be co-chaired by myself alongside Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE. We will oversee a steering group made up of a majority of disabled people or representatives of disabled people’s organisations and recruited through an open and transparent Expression of Interest process. It will be for the Review’s steering group to determine how it runs and what it recommends. The Terms of Reference give the group a broad remit to set out its strategic direction, priorities and workplan.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to increase flood resilience in (a) Bermondsey and Old Southwark constituency and (b) other flood-prone areas.

The Government, through the Environment Agency (EA), is investing £2.65 billion between 2024/25 and 2025/26 to build and maintain flood and coastal defences, better protecting around 52,000 properties from flooding. The Thames Barrier and tidal wall defences provide significant protection from tidal flood risk to Bermondsey and Old Southwark constituency. The EA is managing tidal flood risk through this century by implementing the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan. This will require defences to be raised by 0.5m by 2050 to keep pace with climate change on top of ongoing maintenance of these assets. Last year London Borough of Southwark completed the Lost Peck Flood Alleviation scheme supported by £1.39 million of EA capital grant. This improved surface water flood risk to 207 residential properties in neighbouring constituencies. The Borough and the EA continue to work together to develop a pipeline of surface water flood alleviation schemes throughout London Borough of Southwark.