Written questions by Olney.

Communities and Local Government, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a searchable public database of political adverts to improve transparency for political (a) advertising, (b) donations and (c) spending.

Under UK law, those promoting eligible digital campaigning material targeted at the UK electorate are required to include an imprint with their name and address, supporting the transparency of political material online.Political parties, candidates and third party campaigners are subject to campaign spending limits at UK elections. For transparency, they are already required to report on their spending and donations and provide invoices for payments over a certain amount, including money spent on advertising. Following an election, the Electoral Commission publishes details of campaign spending and donations on their website, and details of candidate spending are available from the relevant local authority.We have no plans at this time to introduce a requirement for a public database of political adverts but welcome the steps taken by social media companies to create “advert libraries”. We will continue to keep political advertising transparency rules under review.The Government are committed to strengthening our democracy and upholding the integrity of elections and, as stated in our manifesto, we intend to strengthen the rules around donations to political parties to protect our democracy.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that eligible voters are on the electoral register.

The electoral register is the foundation of our democratic processes, showing who is eligible to vote in which elections. The Government is committed to improving how registration works, including the use of data and online services to help increase registration levels so that everyone who is eligible to vote can vote.

Whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on steps to increase democratic education.

For secondary schools, democracy is currently taught through the national curriculum for citizenship at key stages 3 and 4, which covers parliamentary democracy, the key elements of the constitution of the United Kingdom, the power of government and how citizens and Parliament hold it to account. Primary schools can choose to teach citizenship, using non-statutory programmes of study at key stages 1 and 2.Support for curriculum delivery is available through optional, free and adaptable resources from Oak National Academy (Oak). Oak launched its new curriculum sequences for secondary citizenship earlier this academic year, with the full package of curriculum resources expected to be available by autumn 2025. Oak resources are available here: https://www.thenational.academy/.The UK Parliament runs educational tours for pupils, youth and community groups to see how Parliament works in action and produces free resources.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport funds the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) to support young people to engage in the democratic process. Every two years, the UKYP runs ‘Make Your Mark,’ a youth vote open to all 11 to 18 year-olds in the UK, for them to be able to vote on what are the most important issues for young people.The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, conducted by a group of education leaders and chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The terms of reference were published last July and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/curriculum-and-assessment-review.The review group will publish an interim report in early spring setting out its interim findings and confirm key areas for further work. Its final report, with recommendations, will be published this autumn. The department will take decisions on what changes to make in light of these recommendations.

What steps he is taking to improve relations with the European Union.

The Government is resetting the relationship with our European friends to strengthen ties and tackle shared challenges. The Prime Minister and President of the European Commission have agreed to strengthen the relationship between the EU and UK, putting it on a more solid, positive and forward-looking relationship . I am taking forward discussions with my EU counterpart, Vice President Maroš Šefčovič.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce trade barriers with the EU.

The Government is committed to resetting our EU relationship, including by reducing barriers to trade. We will seek a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement to reduce unnecessary border checks and mutual recognition for professional qualifications, as well as helping our touring artists. We look forward to exploring these issues with our partners in the EU.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to increase participation in elections.

The Government is committed to increasing participation in elections by improving voter registration and addressing inconsistencies in voter ID rules that have prevented legitimate voters from voting.We are also reducing the voting age to give 16- and 17-year-olds the vote in all elections and acting to improve electoral registration.Firm proposals to deliver on these commitments will be outlined in due course. Progress has already been made with the inclusion of the HM Armed Forces Veteran Card to the list of documents accepted at polling stations.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on steps to improve public engagement with politics.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the Question UIN 901650 on 5 December 2024.

If he will work with the care sector to establish a (a) National Care Agency to (i) set minimum standards of care and (ii) act as a regulator and (b) Royal College of Careworkers to (A) improve recognition, (B) deliver training and development and (C) ensure the highest professional standards.

We are launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of delivering a National Care Service and adult social care reform. The Secretary of State has invited representatives of the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and the Green Party to take part in cross-party talks on this to build consensus regarding the commission and what it will achieve. This will start a national conversation about what care and support working age adults, older people, and their families should expect from adult social care. The Commission will look at all aspects of the adult social care system, identifying the biggest challenges in adult social care and recommending practical changes to best meet the current and future needs of the population over the coming decades.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the English Devolution White Paper, published 16 December 2024, whether it is her policy that mayors in Mayoral Strategic Authorities will be elected through pr

The Government has no plans at this time to change the voting system for mayoral elections.

What information her Department holds on the number of complaints that were submitted to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman about His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service in each year since 2015.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold the data requested.The number of complaints submitted to the Parliamentary and Heath Service Ombudsman will be information held by them.

How many stage (a) one and (b) two complaints were submitted to HM Courts and Tribunals Service in each year since 2015.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service holds the following data on how many stage (a) one and (b) two complaints were submitted in each year since 2015. For context the annual HMCTS report published for the period 2015/16 states HMCTS handled over 3.98 million c...

Whether it her policy that the proposed UKADS will assess the (a) environmental and (b) health impacts of new flight paths.

The proposed UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS) will be focused on delivering holistic and modernised airspace design for the UK. As is currently the case, the UKADS would still be required to follow the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA’s) CAP1616 Airspace...

If he will make an estimate of the number of uncompleted Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard applications per year since 2009.

The annual Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Assessments consist of data collected from local authorities in England, who are the supervisory bodies for authorising deprivations of liberty for adults in care homes and hospitals. The aim of this pub...

What the average waiting time was for a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard to be processed for standard authorisation per year since 2009.

The annual Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Assessments consist of data collected by NHS Digital from local authorities in England, who are the supervisory bodies for authorising deprivations of liberty for adults in care homes and hospitals. The ...

What steps she is taking to help tackle the practice of reselling driving test slots.

To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests. DVSA deploys enhanced bot protection on its public faci...

How many claims for pension credit there were from 28t October 2024 to 4 November 2024.

Data on how many Pension Credit applications made between 1 April 2024 and 22 September 2024 was recently published on gov.uk, Weekly Pension Credit claims received from 1 April 2024 to 22 September 2024 - GOV.UK. On 28 October 2024, The Department announ...

What estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of the Office for Value for Money on Government expenditure in each of the next three financial years.

The Office for Value for Money has two primary roles. First, to provide targeted interventions, working with Treasury and departments, so that value for money governs every decision government makes. Second, to recommend system reforms to ensure any chang...

Whether her Department has set a target for the impact of the Office for Value for Money on Government expenditure in each of the next three financial years.

The Office for Value for Money has two primary roles. First, to provide targeted interventions, working with Treasury and departments, so that value for money governs every decision government makes. Second, to recommend system reforms to ensure any chang...

How many staff in the Office for Value for Money have a salary over £100,000.

The Office for Value for Money has one member of staff with a salary of over £100,000. This is within the pay range for Senior Civil Service Directors across government.

How many claims for pension credit there were in each week from 23 September to 28 October 2024.

As per Gov.uk, the Department has announced it will publish updated Pension Credit application and award statistics on 28 November 2024. Releases will be quarterly, including Pension Credit application, clearance, and award/non-award volumes data from 1 A...