Written questions by Burgon.

What assessment he has made of trends in the regional variation of funding for charitable hospices.

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting and hospices will have a big role to play in that shift.Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding from the National Health Service. The amount of funding charitable hospices receive varies by integrated care board (ICB) area, and will, in part, be dependent on the local population need and a system-wide approach using a range of palliative and end of life care provision within their ICB footprint.We have committed to develop a 10-year plan to deliver an NHS fit for the future, by driving three shifts in the way health care is delivered. We will carefully be considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff and our stakeholders as we develop the plan.More information about how members of the public, patients, healthcare staff and stakeholder organisations can input into the 10-Year Health Plan is available at the following link:http://change.nhs.uk

Whether the Government plans to replace all radiotherapy machines older than ten years.

The Government announced last week that £70million will be spent on new radiotherapy machines, which will help ensure that the most advanced treatment is available to patients who need it.

How much her Department spends on publicity to increase the number of people registered for Pension Credit.

The Department’s current paid marketing activity to promote Pension Credit which includes radio, national and regional press, paid social media and GP and Post Office screens, has been live since 16th September and is ongoing. It is not possible to provide an accurate cost for this paid activity until it is concluded.

What recent estimate her Department has made of the number of additional people that will register for Pension Credit between 1 September and 31 December 2024.

No such estimate has been made. For Pension Credit claims received up to 22 September 2024, the following report contains weekly figures: Weekly Pension Credit claims received from 1 April 2024 to 22 September 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

What estimate her Department has made of the number of people who will be entitled to Pension Credit but will have not registered by (a) 31 December 2024 and (b) 1 April 2025.

No such estimate has been made. Estimates for pensioner households who are eligible for but not receiving Pension Credit in 2022/23 can be found at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Whether her Department plans to write to every person entitled to but not claiming Pension Credit.

Starting this month pensioners in England and Wales will receive a letter informing them of the change in eligibility to the Winter Fuel Payment and encouraging them to check their eligibility for Pension Credit. Similar letters to pensioners in Scotland and Northern Ireland will follow during November. In November we will also be writing to approximately 120,000 pensioners who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who may also be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit. We will be inviting these pensioners to claim Pension Credit by the 21 December, which is the latest date for making a successful backdated Pension Credit claim and still qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment.

When his Department plans to launch a consultation on its policy on not issuing new oil and gas licences to explore new fields.

We plan to consult later this year on the implementation of our manifesto position not to issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields.