Written questions by Bedford.

Whether his Department plans to expand its procurement activities to UK Small and Medium Sized Enterprises.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make a vital contribution to economic growth and are a valuable source of technical innovation in defence. This is recognised in the Defence Industrial Strategy Statement of Intent, and the governments National Procurement Policy Statement. As announced in the Spring Statement, with defence spending rising, we will spend a minimum of 10% of the Ministry of Defence’s equipment budget on novel technologies, including drones and AI enabled technology. We will establish a protected budget of £400 million within the Ministry of Defence, that will rise over time for UK Defence Innovation. This is in addition to the announcement the Prime Minister and Defence Secretary made on 3 March which included the launch of a new hub to provide SMEs with better access to the defence supply chain. We have committed to set a direct SME spending target for the Ministry of Defence by June this year, increasing our spend with them and ensuring that thousands of small businesses in the UK will benefit from the historic decision to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.

Innovation and Technology, what estimate he has made of the potential savings to the public purse of abolishing the Office of Communications.

The Office of Communications plays a key role as the regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries. Ofcom regulates the TV and radio sectors, spectrum, fixed line telecoms, mobiles, online safety, and postal services. There are no plans to abolish Ofcom, and the government has not made any assessment of the savings or costs that such a decision would entail.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed increase to employers National Insurance contributions on trends in the levels of unemployment benefit claims.

The potential impacts of the changes to employers National Insurance Contributions, have been assessed by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility. This assessment is publicly available and can be found here: Economic and fiscal outlook – March 2025 - Office for Budget Responsibility

What estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of abolishing the Sentencing Council for England and Wales.

The budget allocated to the Sentencing Council for 2024/25 is £1.92 million. The savings of abolishing any public body would though depend on a number of factors e.g. wind-up costs, and we do not have a detailed assessment of these factors in relation to the Sentencing Council.

With reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, what criteria she plans to use to assess the effectiveness of a reformed Access to Work scheme.

As set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published on 18 March 2025, we want to improve accessibility and support more disabled people into work. This includes helping employers increase productivity by supporting their employees with disabilities and health conditions. We want to do this through, in part, a reformed Access to Work. We are keen to ensure that, through future evaluation, we can demonstrate the value for money delivered through a new model as well as the positive impact it is having.We will determine the nature of the evaluation as part of further policy development, reflecting on consultation responses.

With reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, what discussions she has had with employers on mandatory reporting of the disability pay gap.

On 18 March 2025, the Government launched a consultation on mandatory pay gap reporting for both disability and ethnicity. Responses to the consultation will help to shape proposals which will be included in the upcoming Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, which was announced in the King’s Speech in July 2024.Our engagement with stakeholders has included discussions with employers and employer representative bodies, for example the CBI and the Institute of Directors. We will continue to engage with a wide range of stakeholders including businesses as we develop the legislation.

With reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, what estimate she has made of number of claimants receiving contributory Employment and Support Allowance who will be affected by the proposed replacement with Unemployment Insurance.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, with some information published here alongside the Spring Statement. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

If she will make a comparative assessment of the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, and the Chance to Work Guarantee.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, with some information published alongside the Spring Statement. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months alongside the consultation.

With reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, whether her Department plans to publish statistics on the number of claimants who lose their (a) Personal Independence Payment and b) Universal Credit health entitlement following these reforms.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, with some information published here alongside the Spring Statement.A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

What assessment she has made of the (a) safety and (b) accessibility of road networks in Mid Leicestershire constituency.

Local government is the main delivery agent of road safety. The responsibility to implement, fund, deliver, promote and enforce local road safety initiatives remains with the local authorities under the 1988 Road Traffic Act. They will decide what measures may be appropriate to “take steps both to reduce and prevent accidents” and they are also responsible for the management of local roads, within the rules set by Government, including setting local speed limits where the national limit would not be appropriate.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has plans to introduce legislation to enforce (a) developers and (b) local authorities to use section 106 contributions when local developments are being built.

It is the responsibility of local planning authorities to consider whether otherwise unacceptable development could be made acceptable through the use of conditions or planning obligations when determining applications.The government is committed to strengthening the developer contributions system and made progress through the new National Planning Policy Framework in December, including changes to support the increased provision of various types of public infrastructure, and social and affordable housing delivery.The government is also committed to updating the viability planning practice guidance to improve the operation of the developer contributions system. The government will set out further details in due course.

Whether she plans a review into pension adequacy.

The Government remains committed to shaping the pensions system to serve the interests of savers and pensioners to provide security in retirement. The State Pension is at the heart of that commitment, and it provides a sustainable foundation to support people’s individual savings for retirement. The Government has made a commitment to the Triple Lock for the entirety of this Parliament which means spending on people’s State Pensions is forecast to rise by over £31 billion, this will see pensioners’ yearly incomes being up to £1900 higher. Also crucially, Automatic Enrolment (AE) has succeeded in transforming retirement saving with over 11 million employees having been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension since 2012. However, we know we need to do even more to build on the success of AE in getting people in to saving by ensuring security in retirement for all. This is a key focus of our landmark pensions review. We must first start by boosting the returns members can get from their savings. The first phase of our review is focused on investment and growth with the twin objectives of increasing investment in the UK and delivering improved returns for savers. In November 2024 we published the interim report of this review with consultations on unlocking the UK pensions market for growth and reforming the Local Government Pension Scheme. These consultations closed in January, and we expect to provide our response in Spring 2025. We also acknowledge the importance of addressing the broader question of adequacy and how to build on the success of AE to ensure that people are saving enough for retirement. Therefore, the second phase of the review will in due course look at further steps to improve pension outcomes, and pension adequacy for all.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of a pensions adequacy review.

The Government remains committed to shaping the pensions system to serve the interests of savers and pensioners to provide security in retirement. The State Pension is at the heart of that commitment, and it provides a sustainable foundation to support people’s individual savings for retirement. The Government has made a commitment to the Triple Lock for the entirety of this Parliament which means spending on people’s State Pensions is forecast to rise by over £31 billion, this will see pensioners’ yearly incomes being up to £1900 higher. Also crucially, Automatic Enrolment (AE) has succeeded in transforming retirement saving with over 11 million employees having been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension since 2012. However, we know we need to do even more to build on the success of AE in getting people in to saving by ensuring security in retirement for all. This is a key focus of our landmark pensions review. We must first start by boosting the returns members can get from their savings. The first phase of our review is focused on investment and growth with the twin objectives of increasing investment in the UK and delivering improved returns for savers. In November 2024 we published the interim report of this review with consultations on unlocking the UK pensions market for growth and reforming the Local Government Pension Scheme. These consultations closed in January, and we expect to provide our response in Spring 2025. We also acknowledge the importance of addressing the broader question of adequacy and how to build on the success of AE to ensure that people are saving enough for retirement. Therefore, the second phase of the review will in due course look at further steps to improve pension outcomes, and pension adequacy for all.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Virgin Media v NTL Pension Trustees Ltd on the pension market.

While we recognise that the judgment could result in uncertainty for schemes and members, the impact on individual schemes and their members will vary. We are actively considering our next steps.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the Pension Protection Fund levy.

The Board of the Pension Protection Fund is responsible for setting the levy and consults on its levy rules annually. In view of the Pension Protection Fund’s strong financial position, the Board has announced that it expects to be able to significantly reduce the pension protection levy it charges in the coming years without risking its ability to pay its members’ compensation. The Government has announced that it will consider giving the Board of the Pension Protection Fund greater flexibility to adjust the annual pension protection levy it collects from private sector occupational DB pension schemes, when it is not required. We will set out more detail in due course.

Whether her Department plans to reform the Pension Protection Fund through the Pension Schemes Bill.

The Pension Protection Fund provides a safety net to members of eligible private sector defined benefit schemes in the event of their employer’s insolvency. The Government plans to introduce measures in the Pension Schemes Bill that amend the Special Rules for End of Life in the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme. These measures will extend the definition of terminal illness within both schemes, allowing eligible members to access payments sooner in their illness. We will continue to consider whether there are further opportunities for change in the pensions compensation system.

Whether he plans to establish national (a) testing and (b) screening for prostate cancer.

In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries.The UK NSC review for prostate cancer screening is currently underway. The evidence review is due to conclude later in 2025. After this, the UK NSC will make a recommendation. Ministers will then consider whether to accept the recommendation.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision for people discharged from mental health units.

The statutory guidance on discharge from mental health inpatient settings makes clear that National Health Service mental health trusts should have a clear plan in place for the ongoing care and support that a patient requires after discharge from a mental health inpatient setting. This should cover their pharmacological, psychological, social, cultural, and physical health, their education, housing, and finances, and any other individual needs or wishes.Alongside this, NHS England is also developing new core standards of care for community mental health services to support the continued improvement of care received by people with serious mental illness who require intensive community treatment and follow-up, but where engagement is a challenge.As part of our mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future and shift care from hospitals into the community by improving community and crisis services, NHS England is piloting new models of care in the community for those with the most serious mental illnesses. New mental health centres will open in six neighbourhood areas from this spring, and will provide people and their families with support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, if they are in crisis, without needing to book an appointment, as well as providing housing and employment advice to support them to stay well.The Mental Health Bill, currently before Parliament, also aims to strengthen discharge arrangements for people detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act.

What steps her Department is taking to help promote the uptake of hydrogen powered cars.

Government policy on the transition to zero emissions is technology neutral. The ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicles) Mandate credits hydrogen fuel cell cars and vans as fully zero emission. ZEVs benefit from favourable tax rates compared to the most polluting vehicles, such as the lowest first year rate of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) at £10. Company Car Tax rates continue to support the uptake of ZEVs, with preferential rates currently at 2%, rising to 3% in April 2025. 100% First Year Allowances (FYA) have also been extended into financial year 2025/26 for qualifying expenditure on zero emission cars.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the effectiveness of the NHS Triage system.

Triage is used across the National Health Service, for example in urgent and emergency care and mental health services, and is an effective way of prioritising patient need. The NHS pathways, a clinical decision support tool, used by NHS 111, is continuously reviewed to ensure it remains effective, safe, and that it adequately responds to patients’ clinical needs