Written questions by Heylings.

If he will publish a new dementia strategy which references the use of music to support people living with dementia.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Quality Standard on Dementia, published in June 2019, recommends that therapeutic use of music be considered as a means of non-pharmacological intervention for people with dementia. Localities should take account of this guidance.The Department funds research on the use of musical techniques for people living with dementia via the National Institute for Health and Care Research. This includes a major study investigating how music therapy can reduce patient distress and physical assaults on National Health Service inpatient wards for people with dementia. The study is called MELODIC, and will create a programme of music therapy which will be piloted on two NHS mental health wards at the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.

If she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the support provided by her Department in helping disabled people (a) find and (b) maintain employment.

As part of the get Britain working plan, more disabled people and those with health conditions will be supported to enter and stay in work, by devolving more power to local areas so they can shape a joined-up work, health, and skills offer that suits the needs of the people they serve. Good quality work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. We want people to avoid poverty, and for this to happen we must ensure that disabled people and people with health conditions have the opportunity to work and save for as long as they wish and are able to. The DWP delivers a range of interventions to help disabled people and people with long-term health conditions to find and stay in work. We have already published several evaluations of the effectiveness of some of these programmes. These include the JOBS II evaluation, Employment Advisors in Improved Access to Psychological Therapies and the Health Led Trials. For future interventions, the DWP is committed to adhering to HMT and Government Social Research guidelines, which includes proportionate evaluation and assessment of the effectiveness of any support in finding and staying in work, alongside wellbeing outcomes. All planned and live evaluations and evaluation reports will be registered on an Evaluation Registry from early 2025. “Evaluation” refers to impact, process, and value for money evaluation studies conducted in line with the Magenta Book.

What discussions he has had with Ofgem on the adequacy of local supply rights for small-scale renewable energy providers.

Ministers have not held meetings on this specific matter with Ofgem. The Department is aware that Ofgem’s licensing regime already enables small-scale generators to apply for a supply licence that is restricted to a specific geographic area.The Government’s Local Power Plan aims to support local energy generation projects through working with local authorities, combined authorities and communities. Officials within the department are in discussions with Ofgem to understand the current regulatory landscape in more detail.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward his planned implementation of the (a) packaging and (b) other aspects of the Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme.

This Government is committed to creating a circular economy that: uses our resources as efficiently and productively as possible, minimises environmental impacts, accelerates our progress on Net Zero, supports economic growth, and creates new jobs. The draft Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 were recently laid before Parliament and, subject to Parliamentary processes, will be coming into force from 2025. The Secretary of State has asked his department to convene a taskforce of experts to develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. The Taskforce will consider the evidence for action right across the economy, and as such will evaluate what interventions may be needed, including other Extended Producer Responsibility Schemes.

What steps he plans to take to improve the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of Lyme disease.

There are several studies and projects being undertaken in the United Kingdom looking at the prevalence and distribution of Lyme disease. Examples include two studies undertaken in association with National Institute of Health Research. One is focussing on studying the evolution of the disease in patients, and the second is examining the evidence of exposure to the Lyme disease bacteria in the English population.Clinical advice for general practitioners (GPs) and hospital physicians on Lyme disease is available from the National Health Service. Most cases are diagnosed based on clinical signs by GPs, and laboratory testing is widely available for more complicated cases.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) provides Lyme disease laboratory testing services for England and Wales and issues detailed advice on sample testing.Lyme disease is treatable with a course of antibiotics in accordance with national guidelines. However, if left untreated, the infection can spread to affect the nervous system, joints, or the heart. More information on the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/lyme-disease-guidance-data-and-analysis#laboratory-diagnosisThe UKHSA’s Be Tick Aware toolkit provides information resources to enable local stakeholders to deliver public health information on ticks and tick-borne disease prevention directly to their population and visitors. The toolkit is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/642e966bfbe620000f17ddbe/Be_tick_aware_toolkit.pdf

Whether her Department plans to introduce Bikeability training to the national curriculum.

Schools have the flexibility and discretion to decide on the activities they provide to deliver a rounded and enriching education, which includes programmes such as Bikeability. In 2023/24, £20 million in funding from Active Travel England supported nearly 500,000 training places, reaching 55% of year 6 students across 67% of primary schools. An additional £30 million has been committed for 2024/25.The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18. The review will seek to deliver a curriculum that ensures children and young people leave compulsory education ready for life and ready for work, building the knowledge, skills and attributes young people need to thrive.

What plans her Department has to continue funding for the Access for All programme.

The Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities. Since its launch in 2006, the Access for All (AfA) programme has delivered step free access at more than 250 stations across Great Britain. Since April 2024, AfA projects have entered into passenger service at nine stations, with a further 25 stations scheduled to enter into passenger service by April 2025. We remain committed to further increasing the number of step free stations and are carefully considering our approach to identifying new AfA projects. I will of course ensure MPs and other stakeholders are kept informed about next steps.

Whether she has made a recent assessment with the Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport of the potential merits of making the Listed Places of Worship Scheme (a permanent grant to help support (a) historic buildings central to local communities and (b) the livelihoods of skilled crafts people.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport continues to closely monitor the implementation and impact of the grant scheme through the regular reporting of the grant administrator, EMB. Since 2010, the Government has returned over £350 million to listed places of worship such as churches, synagogues, mosques and temples through the grant scheme. This has helped protect our listed places of worship and enabled them to continue their work as centers of worship and community assets. The Chancellor has now set departmental budgets for 2025-26, further decisions around individual schemes such as these will be considered by standard departmental allocation processes later this financial year. Funding beyond 25-26 will be set at Phase 2 of the Spending Review.