Written questions by Anderson.

Representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Commissioners are taking to help churches in rural areas undertake renovations in (a) parish halls and (b) other assets that can serve the wider community.

Church buildings are community assets as well as places of worship and almost 80% of churches are involved in 35,000 social action projects annually. Church Halls are able to apply for support from our Net Zero Carbon programme’s Quick Wins Fund (currently £2.4 million total),which can help church halls become more sustainable and energy efficient. Through the Archbishops’ Council, the Church Commissioners funded the Buildings for Mission project, which has so far provided £6.2 million to all 41 dioceses across England for grants for repairs to churches. A further £3.2 million has funded over 30 Church Buildings Support Officers to help parishes most in need in rural and urban areas to keep their church buildings in good repair and extend their use by the wider community. St Michael and All Angels in Lydbury North, which is within the South Shropshire constituency, has received Buildings for Mission funding for urgent roof repairs and heritage at risk. St John the Evangelist in Newcastle on Clun has also received funding for urgent ceiling plastering work restoration, supported by the Buildings Support Officer in the Diocese of Hereford.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support sports development in rural communities.

The Government is committed to improving access to sport and physical activity for everybody. This is central to achieving the aims set out in the manifesto around the health and opportunity missions. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they are in the country, should have access to the best possible facilities and opportunities to get active.The Government has committed to continued funding for grassroots facilities. £123 million will be invested UK-wide via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme throughout 2024/25, working with our delivery partner the Football Foundation. Grassroots sport is also funded through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, who invest over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year.

What recent discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) the Northern Ireland Executive on protecting veterans who served in Northern Ireland from vexatious claims in relation to their service.

I regularly discuss the Government's approach to the legacy of the Troubles with Cabinet colleagues and with the Northern Ireland Executive, and I am consulting widely on the repeal and replacement of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act, including with the veterans community.The Government recognises the dedicated service of the vast majority of members of the Armed Forces, as well as police officers and members of the security services, who did so much to keep people in Northern Ireland safe during the Troubles. Any veteran who does go through legal proceedings will receive welfare and, where appropriate, legal support.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to encourage participation in UK Parliament Week.

The Commission fully supports UK Parliament Week, the largest single public engagement campaign delivered by the UK Parliament.This year, UK Parliament Week (18–24 November) will reach over two million people, who will take part in over 15,500 activities being organised by schools, youth organisations and community groups all over the UK, in British Overseas Territories, Crown Dependencies, and many countries around the world. Every parliamentary constituency will host some form of UK Parliament Week activity.UK Parliament Week activities are registered by the public via the UK Parliament Week website. Activities can take many forms. They have previously ranged from themed assemblies and meeting Members of Parliament to artistic and creative activities with a Parliament or democracy theme. All those who register activities are sent either a printed or digital resource to help participants learn about Parliament. The resources include board games and quizzes aimed at school-aged learners.The Commission invites all Members to participate in UK Parliament Week by encouraging constituents to sign up for events and activities that will help them learn more about the role of Members, the work that Members carry out both at Westminster and in their constituencies, and the importance of parliamentary democracy.UK Parliament Week is delivered by the Participation team, Parliament’s bicameral public engagement specialists.

What information her Department holds on the number of women impacted by changes to the State Pension Age in South Shropshire constituency; if she will take steps to establish a compensation scheme; and if she will make a statement.

All women born since 6 April 1950 have been affected by changes to State Pension age, through changes brought in by the Pensions Acts 1995, 2007, 2011 and 2014. As State Pension age is now the same for men and women, following equalisation, all men born since the 6 December 1953 have also been affected by changes to State Pension age, through the 2007, 2011 and 2014 Pensions Acts. The oldest of the women affected by changes to State Pension age would now be 74 years old, the oldest of the men affected by changes to State Pension age would now be 70 years old. ONS population estimates suggest that in 2021 there were 41,095 females aged 74 or below currently resident in the South Shropshire constituency. The Courts have considered the effect of the equalisation and increase of the State Pension age and found that there was no discrimination. Separately the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman investigated complaints into how the changes were communicated to 1950s born women. The Ombudsman published its final report: Women’s State Pension age: our findings on injustice and associated issues on 21 March this year, which we are now considering.

Whether she is taking steps to increase funding available for very light rail projects.

We are considering how best to support mass transit long-term as part of the Spending Review and we will work closely with local authorities to understand what is needed to improve and grow their networks by learning from their experiences and building on their successes.

Whether he plans to provide further funding to (a) voluntary community and (b) social enterprise organisations responding to local suicide rates.

The Government has committed to tackling suicide. We will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health workers, and these new staff will be specially trained to support people at risk of suicide.The Department continues to provide funding to a wide range of national and local voluntary and community organisations to support their work on suicide prevention through the £10 million Suicide Prevention Grant Fund, which runs to March 2025.

What steps she is taking to help Police and Crime Commissioners tackle (a) rural crime and (b) agricultural theft.

This Government is committed to reducing crime and disorder in rural areas, given the devastating impact rural crime can have on communities. Under our reforms, rural communities will be safeguarded, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping.We are also committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which aims to prevent the theft and re-sale of high-value equipment, particularly for use in an agricultural setting.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on decreasing the number of properties required to trigger the flooding recovery framework.

The Flood Recovery Framework provides swift, responsive financial support packages to communities, households and businesses suffering the impacts of severe flooding with schemes from MHCLG, DBT and Defra. A review of the Framework is currently underway and we expect this to report on progress later in the autumn.

What steps he is taking to increase the (a) availability and (b) affordability of Post Office services in rural areas.

To help ensure that there are affordable post office services in rural areas, the government provides an annual £50m network subsidy to support the delivery of both a minimum number of branches and strong geographical spread of branches in line with published access criteria.

What steps he is taking to increase energy efficiency in (a) hospitals, (b) schools and (c) other public sector buildings.

The Government continues to improve the energy efficiency of hospitals, schools and other public buildings primarily though the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which provides public sector organisations a funding stream to help them install low carbon heating and efficiency measures. The current application round for funding is open for applications until 25 November 2024. In addition over £80m has been made available through the Low Carbon Skills Fund for owners of public sector buildings to develop their decarbonisation plans.

When he expects the publication of the National Screening Committee’s review for prostate cancer.

The UK National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC) evidence review for prostate cancer screening is already underway, and plans to report within the UK NSC’s three-year work plan.

Whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential health impacts of means-testing the winter fuel payment.

No such discussions took place. The Government is committed to a preventative approach to public health. Keeping people warm and well at home and improving the quality of new and existing homes will play an essential part in enabling people to live longer, healthier lives and reducing pressures on the NHS. The UK Health Security Agency publishes the Adverse Weather and Health Plan for England, which sets out a framework for action to protect the population from harm to their health from adverse weather including excess cold and outlines the health risks of cold homes. Each year the NHS makes robust plans for expected winter pressures. It is important that NHS trusts and local authorities take a joined-up approach to winter planning across the health and care system. NHS England and DHSC wrote to local authorities and NHS trusts on 16 September to set out a national approach to 2024/25 winter planning, and the key steps to be taken to support the delivery of high-quality care for patients this winter.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help improve gigabit broadband connectivity in (a) South Shropshire constituency and (b) other rural areas.

According to the independent website ThinkBroadband.com, 99% of premises in the South Shropshire constituency have access to superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps) and 48% can access a gigabit-capable (>1000 Mbps) connection.Remaining premises that are not expected to receive a gigabit-capable connection through suppliers’ commercial rollout are being considered for support through Project Gigabit. This includes approximately 3,400 premises in the constituency that are currently in scope of Project Gigabit contracts across Shropshire.Overall, 36 Project Gigabit contracts, with a total value of over £1.9 billion, have been signed to date, to bring gigabit-capable broadband to over 1 million rural and hard-to-reach homes and businesses.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to increase engagement with public consultations undertaken by Forestry England.

Forestry England remains committed to ensuring the public has the opportunity to comment on its future plans, such as in cases of new woodland creation. Forestry England will continue to make sure that its consultation process supports its duty to balance and maximise the multiple benefits offered by forestry as a land use.

Whether he is taking steps to (a) increase funding available and (b) improve recruitment for community hospitals.

Departmental budgets for 2025/26 will be confirmed at my Rt Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s next Budget, on 30 October 2024. We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. There are a number of national recruitment programmes, aimed at increasing recruitment by widening access, supporting diversity, and attracting people new to care from local communities, as well as improving recruitment processes via the national Entry Careers programme and national Overhauling Recruitment programme. The Overhauling Recruitment programme seeks to support all National Health Service providers, including community hospitals. The national programme maintains a strong collaborative approach with regions as experts in their area, knowing their systems, geography, and demographics at a local employment level.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of resources to support the further education sector in (a) South Shropshire and (b) other rural areas.

Further education (FE) plays a critical role in delivering the government’s missions and ensuring that everyone has access to the opportunities they need, breaking down the barriers to their success and boosting economic growth.FE funding, including the adequacy of resources across the country including South Shropshire and other rural areas, will be considered as part of the Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to respond formally to the Electoral Commission's report entitled Voter ID at the 2024 UK general election.

Yes – the Government intends to respond to the Electoral Commission’s interim report on the UK Parliamentary General Election. We understand that the Commission will publish their full report later this year, and we intend to respond to both reports together in due course.

What discussions she has had with the (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) Minister for the Cabinet Office on establishing a compensation scheme for women affected by changes to the state pension age.

In the course of conducting the business of her Department, the Secretary of State has many discussions with Cabinet colleagues. As stated on 07 October (Women’s State Pension Age: Compensation - Hansard - UK Parliament), I am the first Minister in eight years to meet WASPI campaigners to hear their experiences directly. The Ombudsman’s report took five years to complete and deserves serious consideration. This Government respects the work of the Ombudsman and we are currently working through all aspects of the Ombudsman’s final report along with the evidence provided during the investigation.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing defence expenditure to 2.5% of GDP by 2030 for small businesses in supply chains.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in a vibrant and flexible UK defence industry, delivering innovation and supporting a wide variety of high quality jobs across the United Kingdom. The Strategic Defence Review and the Defence Industrial Strategy will both help make defence a more attractive market for SMEs by encouraging small businesses to contribute fully in Defence procurement and make the most of future growth within the Defence supply chain.