Written questions by Opher.

Whether he has plans to increase the funding available for research into children cancers.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.5 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24. Cancer is a major area of NIHR spend, reflecting its high priority.Research is a vital part of improving diagnosis and treatment for children and young people with cancer. The NIHR spent approximately £9.9 million over the last five financial years, from 2019/20 to 2023/24, on directly funded research to improve outcomes for children and young people with cancer.The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health, including childhood cancer. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients, and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.On 4 February 2024 my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced that the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce will be relaunched in 2025, alongside the national cancer plan, to identify ways to improve outcomes and patient experience for children and young people with cancer. Dame Caroline Dinenage and Professor Darren Hargrave have been appointed as co-chairs with Dr Sharna Shanmugavadivel as vice-chair. The taskforce will bring together the country’s top experts to set out support for the development of the National Cancer Plan, which will improve treatment, detection, and research for cancer in children.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on the review of the Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority funding formula; and if he will set a timeline for completion.

Defra is aware of the complex funding challenges in Devon and Severn IFCA and is working with all local authorities within its membership to review the funding formula and how the IFCA can operate on a more sustainable basis. Engagement with local authorities is concluding and we expect to receive advice on the proposed way forward later this year. Any changes will require consultation and an amendment to the Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Order (2010). We have recently published the third IFCA Conduct and Operations Report (covering the period 2018 to 2022) from which we have requested a wider look at the IFCA funding model.

What steps he is taking to increase the availability of hospital beds for teenagers and young adults undergoing cancer treatment.

Cancer treatment for teenagers and young adults is complex and intensive, with many patients requiring a high level of support. As a result, and as set out in NHS England's service specifications, hospitals providing specialist cancer services for teenagers and young adults must ensure that there are sufficient dedicated facilities for teenagers and young adults with cancer, including for inpatient and day care.The Department and NHS England are taking action to increase capacity for all elective and cancer services, including those for teenagers and young adults.In 2025/26, the Department will invest an extra £22.6 billion in day-to-day spending compared to 2023/24. The investment will support the National Health Service to deliver the elective target and to deliver capacity for 30,000 more procedures and over £1.25 million diagnostics tests as they come online, alongside additional beds to help bring waiting lists down, reduce waiting times, and shift more care into the community.

What steps his Department plans to take to contribute to the target of halving violence against women and girls in ten years.

The Government is committed to halving violence against women and girls in a decade. My Department is working closely with NHS England, the Home Office, and others on a coordinated approach to achieve this goal and improve the health response to victims and perpetrators.NHS England has launched a national campaign to raise awareness of sexual assault referral centres and encourage survivors of sexual assault and abuse to seek help. These specialist services offer dedicated care and support to anyone who has been raped, sexually assaulted, or abused.All integrated care boards have now appointed Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence leads to review their policies, training, and support systems for patients and staff. NHS England has also introduced a comprehensive package of measures to tackle sexual misconduct in the workplace.

If he will make it his policy to enable community-owned small-scale energy generators to sell electricity directly to local consumers.

The Government recognises the role that access to local energy will play in achieving net zero. The Government’s licence exemption regimes already allow small scale suppliers, including many community energy groups, to come to market to supply local customers. One general exemption is the Class A Small Supplier exemption, under which a producer of energy who produces no more than 5MW of energy, of which no more than 2.5MW is provided to domestic consumers, does not need a licence to supply. In addition. Ofgem has flexibility to award supply licenses to generation sites that are above the exemptions threshold when they are restricted to specified local area.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of enabling community-owned small-scale energy generators to sell electricity directly to local consumers on (a) energy prices, (b) grid stability and (c) the transition to net zero.

Small-scale generation sites, including many community energy groups, can benefit from an exemption, which means that they do not require a licence from Ofgem to generate electricity or to supply to local customers.Local energy is unlikely to impact national energy prices, because these are driven by wholesale markets. In addition, given the scale of generation, local energy is unlikely to have a significant impact on grid efficiency overall. The Government recognises that local energy will play an important role in achieving the Government’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. To help deliver this, Great British Energy will support the development of up to 8GW of local and community energy projects.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the reported decision by the US government to pause foreign aid.

This is a matter for the US. Progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals requires collective action, and the UK will continue to work with all international partners toward that vision. The UK's commitment to supporting both humanitarian aid and development across the world remains steadfast.

Media and Sport, what progress she has made on delivering a mandatory short term let registration scheme.

The Government is keen to introduce the registration scheme for short-term lets in England as soon as possible; the initial phase of digital development is now complete, and public testing is planned to start in the next 12 months. During the next phase of work, we will test the user interface of the scheme with a small number of users to ensure our systems and processes are robust and effective, before publicly launching a voluntary pilot of the service. The registration scheme will enable us to reap the benefits of a thriving tourist economy whilst protecting the spirit and fabric of communities, including by giving local authorities valuable data on short-term lets in their area to help address housing impacts.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on the negotiations for a global plastics treaty.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to support the introduction of a binding global target to cut all forms of primary plastic polymer production.

The UK supports a global target on the sustainable production of primary plastic polymers. Last year, at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on a treaty to end plastic pollution, the UK endorsed a statement calling for all countries to commit to achieving sustainable levels of primary plastic production and for a global target.

Whether his Department has received representations from fossil fuel companies on the Global Plastics Treaty.

Details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had discussions with the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries on the UN Global Plastics Treaty.

The UK Government, at all stages of the INC process, has made it a priority to engage with a broad range of stakeholders across the plastics value chain, including trade associations representing fossil fuel and petrochemical industries. We partnered with the Ocean Plastics Leadership Network to run the UK Treaty Dialogues ahead of each round of negotiations, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders to help us understand the variety of views on the draft treaty.

What the (a) structure and (b) scope is of the cross-Government Health Mission Board.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care chairs a cross-Government Health Mission Board to oversee and drive delivery of the Health Mission to build a health and social care system fit for the future. Mission Boards are Cabinet Committees.The current membership of the Health Mission Board includes the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster as the Deputy Chair. Other ministers will be invited to meetings according to the agenda.The Terms of Reference of the Health Mission Board are to oversee and drive delivery of the Health Mission.

If he will take steps to deliver a fully funded cross-government strategy to reduce health inequalities which (a) takes into account the wider determinants of health and (b) includes measurable goals.

Our Health Mission in England focuses on addressing the social determinants of health, with the goal of halving the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.We will work across Government and with a wide range of healthcare stakeholders to address the root causes of health inequalities. We will prioritise prevention, shift more care into the community, and intervene earlier in life to raise the healthiest generation of children in our history.As part of the Government’s five long-term missions, and informed by the Darzi Review, the Government has launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future.Existing initiatives to reduce inequalities in relation to health services, in England, include NHS England’s Core20PLUS5, which focuses on improving the five clinical areas at most need of accelerated improvement in the poorest 20% of the population, along with other underserved population groups identified at a local level, including groups that share protected characteristics, and socially excluded groups such as people experiencing homelessness.Future spending will be subject to the outcome of the Spending Review announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Whether his Department plans to engage with (a) parliamentarians and (b) healthcare stakeholders on steps to improve health inequalities.

Our Health Mission in England focuses on addressing the social determinants of health, with the goal of halving the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.We will work across Government and with a wide range of healthcare stakeholders to address the root causes of health inequalities. We will prioritise prevention, shift more care into the community, and intervene earlier in life to raise the healthiest generation of children in our history.As part of the Government’s five long-term missions, and informed by the Darzi Review, the Government has launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future.Existing initiatives to reduce inequalities in relation to health services, in England, include NHS England’s Core20PLUS5, which focuses on improving the five clinical areas at most need of accelerated improvement in the poorest 20% of the population, along with other underserved population groups identified at a local level, including groups that share protected characteristics, and socially excluded groups such as people experiencing homelessness.Future spending will be subject to the outcome of the Spending Review announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

What criteria is used to determine funding allocations from Active Travel England to local authorities.

Active Travel England sets out allocations based on population level and capability level, with funding weighted to areas with higher levels of capability to maximise delivery. Local authorities with lower ratings receive support to increase their capability rating through revenue funding and engagement with Active Travel England. In previous rounds of the Active Travel Fund, funding allocations were based on a competitive bidding round with final allocations based on assessed schemes submitted by local authorities.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of differences in levels of funding between 14-16-year-old students who undertake their Key Stage 4 education at a (a) mainstream school and (b) further education college.

Further education (FE) and sixth form colleges are able to enrol students aged 14 to 16 on a full time study programme and receive funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). If they wish to do so, colleges need to meet specific criteria, including Ofsted rating, and have to put in place necessary requirements. It is up to localities to judge the need for this provision and colleges are expected to have discussed their intent to directly enrol 14 to 16 year-olds with relevant local authorities before making the necessary arrangements to be able to offer this provision. Currently there are 14 colleges across England which offer full time education for 14 to 16-year-olds. The department’s published guidance on the full time enrolment of 14 to 16 year-olds in FE and sixth form colleges in the 2024/25 academic year can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/full-time-enrolment-of-14-to-16-year-olds-in-further-education-and-sixth-form-colleges/full-time-enrolment-of-14-to-16-year-olds-in-further-education-and-sixth-form-colleges-2023-to-2024-academic-year.Colleges are also funded where they make part time provision for children aged 14 years or older who are currently electively home educated. They can also receive funding for the education of those aged 14-16 who have achieved qualifications at least equivalent to a full level 2, and who want to enrol on a level 3 course.Funding for 14 to 16 year-olds in FE colleges is based on the same approach as for 16 to 19 year-olds. A modified version of the 16 to 19 funding formula is used to calculate allocations for directly recruited, full time 14 to 16 year-olds to reflect their circumstances. This includes provision of pupil premium funding where these young people qualify. This year, 2024/25, there will be a significant increase of £750 per full time 14 to 16 student that has not yet achieved GCSE English and mathematics. This is as a result of extending to programmes at all levels the English and mathematics funding only previously available for those on level 3 programmes without grade 4 in the subjects.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of 14-16 year old provision in further education colleges.

Further education (FE) and sixth form colleges are able to enrol students aged 14 to 16 on a full time study programme and receive funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). If they wish to do so, colleges need to meet specific criteria, including Ofsted rating, and have to put in place necessary requirements. It is up to localities to judge the need for this provision and colleges are expected to have discussed their intent to directly enrol 14 to 16 year-olds with relevant local authorities before making the necessary arrangements to be able to offer this provision. Currently there are 14 colleges across England which offer full time education for 14 to 16-year-olds. The department’s published guidance on the full time enrolment of 14 to 16 year-olds in FE and sixth form colleges in the 2024/25 academic year can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/full-time-enrolment-of-14-to-16-year-olds-in-further-education-and-sixth-form-colleges/full-time-enrolment-of-14-to-16-year-olds-in-further-education-and-sixth-form-colleges-2023-to-2024-academic-year.Colleges are also funded where they make part time provision for children aged 14 years or older who are currently electively home educated. They can also receive funding for the education of those aged 14-16 who have achieved qualifications at least equivalent to a full level 2, and who want to enrol on a level 3 course.Funding for 14 to 16 year-olds in FE colleges is based on the same approach as for 16 to 19 year-olds. A modified version of the 16 to 19 funding formula is used to calculate allocations for directly recruited, full time 14 to 16 year-olds to reflect their circumstances. This includes provision of pupil premium funding where these young people qualify. This year, 2024/25, there will be a significant increase of £750 per full time 14 to 16 student that has not yet achieved GCSE English and mathematics. This is as a result of extending to programmes at all levels the English and mathematics funding only previously available for those on level 3 programmes without grade 4 in the subjects.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to include a specific requirement to support community-led housing in commissioning the next phases of funds for Homes England.

The government will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to include a specific requirement to provide rural affordable housing in commissioning the next phases of funds for Homes England.

The government will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review.