Written questions by Heylings.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with local authorities to maximise the recycling of household waste.

Waste is a devolved policy area. The upcoming Simpler Recycling reforms in England will ensure that people will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school - to make recycling easier and improve recycling rates. Defra has previously consulted local authorities and other key stakeholders on these reforms, and we continue to engage through regular forums and newsletters. Defra has established a joint sounding board with the Local Government Association to support policy development and implementation for local authorities. Furthermore, the Minister for Nature recently held a roundtable with local authorities to discuss our work on the Circular Economy including Simpler Recycling.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the resources of the Planning Inspectorate in dealing with (a) local and (b) national planning appeals within target timeframes.

The Inspectorate is performing well across a number of key areas such as local plan examinations, nationally significant infrastructure project applications, s62a applications, and planning appeals proceeding by hearings and inquiries. It is, for example:meeting all statutory timeframes for national infrastructure applications;increasingly deciding planning appeals by hearing and inquiry in around 26 weeks (the Ministerial measure), having already cleared a backlog of casework; andbeginning to decide enforcement appeals by hearing and inquiry in around 26 weeks (the ministerial measure) for the first time in many years, as it clears a long-standing backlog of casework.The Inspectorate is implementing actions to maintain performance in these areas and to improve end-to-end times for other casework including by:Focusing available capacity of both salaried and contract (non-salaried inspectors) on reducing the amount of open appeals. The number of open planning appeals by written representations has reduced significantly during 2024 and continues to reduce.Using contract (non-salaried) inspectors to the full extent of their availability and expanding the range of casework they determine.Moving more inspectors onto enforcement written representations casework in Spring 2025 once the work on improving hearings performance has progressed further.In addition, the Inspectorate has designed and developed a new digital Appeals Service currently in Beta phase. This new service improves the process for submitting appeals, including reducing the number of invalid appeals submitted. In turn, this reduces the number of validation checks required and is speeding up the time taken to validate appeals. The new service has been expanded to cover all local planning authority areas.In five pilot local authority areas the digital Appeals Service is now being used to progress the appeal from receipt through to decision. This provides an interface for Local Planning Authorities and appellants to manage appeals and automate notifications which are expected to save time for participants, improve their experience of the appeals service and be a foundation for further improvements.The Planning Inspectorate is an Arm's Length Government Body with responsibility for allocation of resources, prioritisation and overall operational performance. The Inspectorate publishes updates on its performance on its website regularly.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the level of leukaemia cases diagnosed in an emergency setting on (a) patient outcomes and (b) NHS resources.

We recognise the importance of earlier diagnosis of cancer to survival, and we know that patients with cancer who are diagnosed via an emergency route are most likely to have poor survival. Whilst a specific assessment on leukaemia has not been made, we are determined to take all the necessary steps to improve early diagnosis for all cancers, including blood cancers such as leukaemia. To accomplish this, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

What steps he is taking to help improve the level of participation in clinical trials for (a) leukaemia patients diagnosed with acute subtypes and (b) all leukaemia patients.

The Department is committed to maximising our potential to lead the world in clinical trials and ensuring that clinical trials are more accessible.The Department funded National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including clinical research on leukaemia. NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority. These investments are pivotal to informing efforts to improve cancer prevention, treatment, and outcomes, including leukaemia research.The NIHR provides an online service called Be Part of Research which promotes participation in health and social care research, including research into leukaemia and the acute subtypes of leukaemia, by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve equity of access to CAR-T therapy; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making it available as a first-line treatment for eligible leukaemia patients.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the body responsible for developing independent, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS, based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. The NICE only makes recommendations on medicines within their licensed indications through its technology appraisals programme. There are currently no CAR-T therapies licensed as first-line treatments for leukaemia, and the NICE has therefore not made recommendations on their use at that stage in the treatment pathway.The NICE has evaluated and recommended several CAR-T therapies for blood cancers, including leukaemia, within their licensed indications. CAR-T therapy is available in line with the NICE’s recommendations.

Innovation and Technology, if he will meet with Silver Voices to discuss their safety concerns in relation to the digital switchover.

This is an issue that the new Government takes especially seriously, which is why my officials have been in regular contact with Silver Voices and met them on two occasions.I will write separately with further detail on the Public Switched Telephone Network to Voice over Internet Protocol migration and the actions we have taken to ensure people transition safely.

If she will formally apologise to Ali Kololo about the Metropolitan Police’s involvement in his overturned conviction.

The Metropolitan Police are operationally independent.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of specialist training opportunities for young doctors; and whether he has plans to increase the availability of these opportunities.

We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it.  We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest. We have launched the 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to reform and repair the NHS. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. In summer 2025, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to build the transformed health service we will deliver over the next decade.

What discussions she has had with (a) the Country Land and Business Association and (b) other industry bodies to support working farms, in the context of her proposed changes to (i) agricultural property relief and (b) business property relief.

As the Minister responsible for the UK tax system, I have participated in several meetings with agricultural organisations since Autumn Budget 2024 to listen to views. Similarly, ministers from other Departments, such as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, have also held meetings with these organisations to listen to their views. Most recently, on 18 February 2025, the Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs and I met with representatives from various agricultural organisations, including the President of the Country Land and Business Association.

If he will take steps with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to encourage occupational pension schemes to invest in clean energy (a) projects and (b) infrastructure.

The Government is committed to working with the pensions sector to transition to net zero. DESNZ collaborates with DWP and others in Government on this. Pension schemes in scope of DWP’s requirements must produce an annual Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures report. In the manifesto, we committed to mandate listed companies, financial institutions and pension funds to develop and implement credible transition plans that align with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. The Government will consult in the first half of this year on how best to take this forward. The Government is also exploring ways to unlock the investment potential of the Local Government Pensions Scheme, through asset pooling for investment into climate-related projects.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing a clawback mechanism into the proposed changes to APR and BPR.

The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. A “clawback” would mean inheritance tax would only be due if the relevant assets are sold within a specified time period after a death. Introducing this mechanism, as some have suggested, could mean some of the wealthiest estates pay less inheritance tax compared to the proposed reforms. The Government disagrees with suggestions that a clawback would raise the same revenue as the reforms being introduced from 6 April 2026; it would raise much less, which would mean raising taxes elsewhere or lowering public spending. It would also add complexity to the tax system and continue to attract the very wealthiest to tax plan since beneficiaries could hold onto the assets over the specified clawback period just to escape the tax.

How the NHS England Consultation on changes to Right to Choose under the NHS Payment Scheme Policy will take into account the views of patients and their families.

NHS England has followed standard procedure in its consultation on the NHS Payment Scheme. A consultation on changes to the payment scheme takes place every year as required to by law. While the legal requirement is to consult commissioners and providers, the views of patients and their families are important and responses are therefore accepted from other interested parties and members of the public. Responses will inform further decisions on the final scheme design.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of NHS England in upholding (a) article 5 and (b) article 6 of the UK's General Data Protection Regulation.

The Department requires all health and care organisations, including NHS England, to annually assess themselves against the standards set out in the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT). The DSPT measures health and care organisations’ data protection and security capability and preparedness. The requirement to comply with Articles 5 and 6 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are embedded in the standards required by the DSPT.NHS England has consistently met the requirements of the DSPT, including its most recent assessment in June 2024.In addition, NHS England provides a safe haven for National Health Service data in accordance with the Department’s statutory guidance, NHS England’s protection of patient data. The guidance ensures that NHS England acts as a safe and effective guardian of information collected from the NHS and adult social care services.As part of its compliance with Article 5 of the UK GDPR, NHS England ensures transparency in its use of personal data by publishing data protection impact assessments and a monthly data uses register that details all external data sharing agreements.

What steps his Department is taking to help increase the supply of prescription medicines in (a) rural and (b) other areas.

Integrated care boards are responsible for understanding the health needs of their areas and commissioning services to meet those needs. Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment every three years, to assess whether their population is adequately served, and must keep these assessments under review. These assessments inform integrated care boards when they are reviewing applications for National Health Service pharmacies. The Pharmacy Access Scheme provides additional funding to pharmacies in areas where there are fewer pharmacies. In rural areas where there are no pharmacies, general practices are permitted to dispense medicines. Patients can also choose to access medicines and pharmacy services through any of the nearly 400 NHS online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver prescription medicines free of charge to patients.Medicine supply chains are complex, global, and highly regulated, and there are a number of reasons why supply can be disrupted, many of which are not specific to the United Kingdom and outside of Government control, including manufacturing difficulties, difficulties in access to raw materials, sudden demand spikes or distribution issues, and regulatory issues. We have drawn on up-to-date intelligence and data on the root causes of medicine supply issues, with manufacturing problems being the most dominant root cause.Most supply issues can be managed to avoid shortages, and while we can’t always prevent supply issues from occurring, we have a range of well-established processes and tools to manage them when they arise and mitigate the risks to patients.The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within individual pharmacies is not held centrally.The resilience of UK’s supply chains is a key priority, and the Department and NHS England are committed to helping to build long term supply chain resilience for medicines. We are continually learning and seeking to improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues and avoid shortages. The Department, working closely with NHS England, is taking forward a range of actions to improve our ability to mitigate and manage shortages and strengthen our resilience. As part of that work, we continue to engage with industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and other colleagues across the supply chain as we progress work to co-design and deliver solutions.

What steps she plans to take to ensure that reform of regulations for accessing surplus in defined benefit pension schemes help improve economic growth.

Trustees will continue to be at the heart of decision making. Working with employers, they will consider how best to use DB scheme surplus to benefit members and employers. More flexibility can fuel growth, provide benefits for the economy and ensure members remain protected. The Government will set out further details in its response to the Options for Defined Benefit schemes consultation this Spring.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the capacity of electricity distribution networks, in the context of meeting the Government's net zero targets.

The National Infrastructure Commission published recommendations on 21 February1 on making the electricity distribution network fit for net zero. Their modelling demonstrates that nationally, £37-50 billion of investment in the distribution network could be needed to meet net zero targets by 2050, taking into account expected increases in electricity demand. We are reviewing the study with our key delivery partners and will publish a formal response this spring. 1 https://nic.org.uk/app/uploads/Electricity-Distribution-Networks-report-21-Feb-2025.pdf

What steps he is taking to increase the capacity of electricity distribution networks.

The Government is committed to expanding the electricity network to support its Clean Energy Superpower mission and is working closely with Ofgem and industry to mobilise the required investment. Under the most recent price control for electricity distribution, covering 2023-2028, Ofgem has allowed £22.2bn for upfront network investment, of which £3.1bn is set aside for network upgrades to ready the grid for low carbon technologies. The National Infrastructure Commission published recommendations on 21 February [1] on making the electricity distribution network fit for net zero. We will review the study with our key delivery partners and will publish a formal response this spring. [1] https://nic.org.uk/app/uploads/Electricity-Distribution-Networks-report-21-Feb-2025.pdf

What steps she is taking to improve road safety for vulnerable road users.

The Government treats road safety with the utmost seriousness, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing our road safety strategy and will set out more details in due course.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the rollout of offshore wind is not detrimental to halting species decline by 2030.

The Government is committed to delivering clean power by 2030, to accelerating to net zero and to restoring nature. New energy infrastructure should be built in a way that protects the natural environment and supports nature recovery, by following a “mitigation hierarchy” to avoid damage to marine protected areas, and minimising, restoring and delivering compensation when damage cannot be avoided. On 29 January 2025, the Government announced reforms in infrastructure consenting to unlock up to thirteen major offshore wind infrastructure projects while protecting the marine environment and the Government’s commitment to protect 30% of our seas for nature by 2030.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of increases to employers National Insurance contributions on home to school transport for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

I refer the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire to the answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 26397.