Written questions by Olney.

What steps she is taking to increase (a) translation and (b) levels of information support on the benefits system for disabled refugees.

Under the Equality Act 2010, DWP must make suitable provision to communicate with claimants where English is not their first language or who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired. DWP provide Telephone Interpreting, Face-to-face interpreting, BSL interpreting service, Video Remote Services, and written translation to meet this requirement. The Language Service Provision is on-demand, and our supplier is suitably resourced to meet our various language demands against our Performance Expectations. We have a designated Language Services team that work closely with our supplier to ensure current service delivery is met and accounted for, and to ensure future demand is anticipated and planned for accordingly.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that Jobcentre Plus services meet the needs of disabled refugees.

DWP works with partners and services to meet the needs of disabled refugees. This includes working with Migrant Help, the Refugee Employment Network; Home Office refugee liaison officers; referring to alternative provisions including English language provision; and sign posting to the Home Office Refugee Employability Programme. The Department is committed to promoting a just, equal, and inclusive society, ensuring independence and control for all customers, including disabled individuals and those with complex needs. DWP provides a range of support to help refugees and those on Afghan and Ukraine Schemes to settle in the community and find work, including access to mainstream Jobcentre services which provide individually tailored benefit and work support. Jobcentres also work locally with partners and employers to support this group into work. Connect to Work, part of the Government’s Get Britain Working strategy, will provide support to disabled people, people with health conditions and those with complex barriers to employment, including refugees and those on resettlement schemes, to get into work. The Government is dedicated to championing the rights of disabled people and involving them in designing our reforms. All new Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisors receive training to support all claimants, with specialist support available from Disability Employment Advisers to tailor assistance for disabled customers. These advisers also offer direct support to those with long-term health conditions needing bespoke assistance In addition, the Department will launch a new coaching academy to enhance the skills of Work Coaches and provide further support to customers, including those with disabilities. This initiative will be evaluated and reviewed regularly to ensure training remains relevant and effective. Additional Work Coach Support provides disabled people and people with health conditions, with increased one-to-one personalised support from their work coach to help them move towards, and into work. Support is now available in all Jobcentres across England, Scotland and Wales. This personalised support from Work Coaches aims to enable disabled people to access employment, wider support including our employment programmes earlier.

Whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of redundancy plans for civil servants working at grades (a) AA/AO, (b) EO, (c) HEO/SEO, (d) G6/G7 and (e) SCS in each Government department.

Each department will take a decision on its individual size and shape as per the financial settlements that have now been agreed with HMT in the Spending Review.

Innovation and Technology, how many households in the UK do not have access to broadband.

According to Ofcom, as of January 2025, 48,000 UK premises were unable to access decent broadband (defined as 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload speed) from a fixed line or fixed wireless connection. Ofcom estimates that after rollout of publicly funded schemes, by May 2026 this number would be 41,000, falling to 19,000 by January 2028. In addition, even where broadband is available, many households choose not to sign up for a variety of financial, personal and social reasons.Through Project Gigabit, we are delivering future-proof, gigabit-capable connections to premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. According to independent website Thinkbroadband, over 88% of UK premises can now access a gigabit-capable connection.

Whether her Department has had discussions with Heathrow Airport on flights being held in a holding pattern over residents' houses between 5:30 and 6:00am.

NATS is responsible for providing air traffic services at Heathrow Airport. There are defined flight routes and procedures for aircraft landing at Heathrow but for operational and safety reasons aircraft may be held in a holding pattern prior to landing. These reasons can include the need to ensure safe separation between aircraft as well as weather conditions.

If she will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of increasing the Trading Allowance to £3,000.

The Trading Allowance allows individuals to earn up to £1,000 a year in trading or miscellaneous income tax-free, and this has not changed. The Government is increasing the Income Tax Self-Assessment reporting threshold from £1,000 to £3,000 gross within this parliament. Individuals will still owe tax on anything above £1,000, but if below £3,000 they will be able to report their income through a new HMRC online service rather than Self-Assessment. This will reduce administrative burdens for up to 300,000 traders. The Government must ensure the tax system supports strong public finances whilst targeting support where it is most needed. As with all aspects of the tax system, the Government keeps the taxation of trading income under review. Any decisions on future changes will be taken by the Chancellor in the context of the wider public finances.

Innovation and Technology, when he plans to publish a consultation on the regulation of frontier AI systems.

Artificial intelligence is the defining opportunity of our generation, and the Government is taking action to harness its economic benefits for UK citizens. As set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, we believe most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use, with our expert regulators best placed to do so. Departments are working proactively with regulators to provide clear strategic direction and support them on their AI capability needs. Through well-designed and implemented regulation, we can fuel fast, wide and safe development and adoption of AI.

Whether he plans to provide additional funding for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

The Government is neutral on the passing of this Bill and the principle of assisted dying. Should it be the will of Parliament for this legislation to pass, the Government would address the issue of funding at the appropriate time.In the meantime, I refer the hon. Member to the published impact assessment, which provides a range of potential cost estimates.

What discussions he has had with the (a) Financial Conduct Authority and (b) Prudential Regulation Authority on (i) monitoring and (ii) supporting equitable outcomes for ethnic minority businesses.

The government’s approach to support equitable outcomes for businesses led by ethnic minorities and other underserved groups is to work with the financial services sector, building on a shared commitment to fairness and equality and exchanging knowledge of good practice.Earlier this year the government published a Call for Evidence on small business access to finance, which included the experiences of ethnic minority-led businesses and other underserved groups, and will be publishing our response to this in the Autumn and the further steps we will take.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in the bus fare cap on (a) small businesses and (b) workers in rural areas.

The government recognises the importance of affordable public transport in keeping people connected and ensuring they can access their local towns.On 1 January, the government introduced a £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London until 31 December 2025. As part of the Spending Review, the government announced further funding to extend the £3 cap to March 2027. This will ensure millions of people, including those in rural areas, can continue to access affordable bus fares and better opportunities all over the country.If the government had not taken action, the bus fare cap would have ended and fares would have jumped back up to their previous levels on 1 January which could have meant fares soaring above £10 on the most expensive routes.The final monitoring and evaluation report into the impact of the £2 bus fare cap was published on 12 February. An evaluation of the £3 fare cap is due to be commissioned shortly.

Whether he has considered convening a cross-agency taskforce with the (a) Financial Conduct Authority, (b) Prudential Regulation Authority, (c) British Business Bank, (d) HM Treasury and (e) Lending Standards Board to develop a joined-up strategy to embed the ethnicity code across the financial system.

The government’s approach to support equitable outcomes for businesses led by ethnic minorities and other underserved groups is to work with the financial services sector, building on a shared commitment to fairness and equality and exchanging knowledge of good practice.Earlier this year the government published a Call for Evidence on small business access to finance, which included the experiences of ethnic minority-led businesses and other underserved groups, and will be publishing our response to this in the Autumn and the further steps we will take.

When he expects the UK will be ready to enter the carbon market linking the UK’s emissions trading scheme with that of the EU.

The UK and the EU have agreed to work towards linking the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) and EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) as announced at the Sumit on 19 May. To that end the UK and the EU have agreed the parameters for linking agreement, which will be subject to upcoming negotiations. The UK is now working closely with the EU to agree a timetable for negotiations.

If she will make it his policy to reconstitute Skills England as an independent body.

Skills England has been established as an executive agency of the Department for Education, a model of arm’s length body with a clearly defined status, established and governed in line with Cabinet Office guidance. As an executive agency, Skills England will be sufficiently independent so that it can focus on the delivery of its functions, at arm’s length from the department, while also ensuring sufficient proximity to inform decisions on skills policy and delivery quickly and efficiently. In carrying out its functions, Skills England will be scrutinised and supported by its independent chair and board.In line with good practice for new arm’s length bodies, the government has committed to review Skills England between 18 and 24 months after it is set up. This review will include an assessment of whether the executive agency model is enabling Skills England to deliver its objectives.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to fund (a) rural and (b) coastal (i) infrastructure and (ii) services.

This Government is committed to improving the quality of life for people living and working in coastal and rural areas, so that we can realise the full potential of rural business and communities. In addition to funding for sustainable farming and nature recovery, the Government has confirmed investment of over £1.9 billion over four years into broadband and 4G connectivity, and £2.3 billion of Local Transport Grant funding for smaller cities, towns and rural area. This funding addresses the key blockers to growth in rural areas. On 19 May, we launched the “Fishing & Coastal Growth Fund” that will invest £360 million over the next 12 years to support the next generation of fishermen and breathe new life into our coastal communities.

What steps he is taking to ensure effective (a) collaboration and (b) transparency across (i) Government strategies and (ii) public bodies.

I have regular meetings and discussions with Cabinet colleagues to ensure close collaboration and transparency on strategy development, most recently on the Industrial and Trade Strategies, which were the result of close working across government departments and public bodies.

What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the introduction of lifelong learning grants.

The government recognises that lifelong learning is a core part of a sustainable higher education system which provides opportunities for all and offers learners greater flexibility in an ever-evolving economy. We are committed to supporting lifelong learning as part of our wider commitment to skills.The lifelong learning entitlement (LLE) will transform the post-18 student finance system to create a single post-18 student funding system. From September 2026, learners will be able to apply for LLE funding for the first time for courses and modules starting from January 2027 onwards.The department has worked with Ministers and officials in other government departments to ensure that its approach to lifelong learning will be as effective as possible, enabling people to gain the skills they need to support their careers.Further information on the LLE can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lifelong-learning-entitlement-lle-overview.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of night flights on the health of people living underneath airport flight paths.

My Department seeks to minimise the impact of aviation on people’s health, in the context of other government priorities. My officials are in regular contact on this issue with other government departments and their agencies, including the Department of Health and Social Care sponsored UK Health Security Agency.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that a proportion of new build homes are adapted to be accessible to people with physical disabilities.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 53184 on 27 May 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether she is taking steps to ensure that a proportion of shared ownership homes are adapted to be accessible to those with physical disabilities.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 53184 on 27 May 2025.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposed welfare reforms on people with bipolar disorder.

As I made clear in my statement to the House, Hansard, 1 July, col 219, any changes to PIP eligibility will come after a comprehensive review of the benefit, which I am leading, and which will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard. This review aims to ensure that the PIP assessment is fair and fit for the future. The review is expected to conclude in autumn 2026. In relation to Universal Credit changes, existing claimants at the point of change in April 2026 will continue to receive at least the same amount of benefit as under the current rules, if there are no changes in their circumstances. For future claimants we are not able to assess the impact of the changes at this level as the readily available data on health conditions is not sufficiently detailed.