Written questions by Collins.

What progress her Department has made towards establishing a ban on conversion practices.

I refer the Honourable member to my answer on 24 June (PQ 60396).

Whether her Department has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential merits of integrating health and social care services with access to welfare advice.

As announced in the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions’ statement on Welfare Reform on 30 June, we are investing an additional £300 million over the next 3 years, enabling us to go further and faster on our new planned investment in work, health and skills support offers. This means our Pathways to Work Guarantee is now backed by an investment of £2.2 billion by 2030. This brings our total investment in employment support for disabled people and those with health conditions to £3.8 billion over this Parliament. As part of our mission driven Government, regular cross-Government collaboration takes place at both Ministerial and official level. The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions and has a range of support available so individuals can stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Measures include joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care and WorkWell, as well as support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants. Building on our WorkWell, Employment Advisers in Talking Therapies and Connect to Work programmes, we will ensure people with a health condition have access to the holistic support they need. In the Government’s Pathways to Work green paper, we further committed to developing a support guarantee, so that disabled people and those with a health condition get the work, health and skills support they need to access and thrive in employment. We will further pilot the integration of employment advisers and work coaches into the neighbourhood health service, so that working age people with long term health conditions have an integrated public service offer. A patient’s employment goals will be part of care plans, to support more joined up service provision.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) a hub and spoke model and (b) the utilisation of detached youth work within Young Futures Hubs on (i) outreach and (ii) access for young people.

The government has committed to the creation of a new Young Futures Programme, which will establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships. Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive.Officials from across several departments are already working jointly, using evidence of what works to start to shape the Young Futures Hubs model. We are engaging with local areas, communities, statutory partners, charities, and other stakeholders, including assessing evidence they have supplied, to support the design of the Young Futures Hubs and explore options for their delivery. This includes considering how best to engage with those young people who would benefit most from support.Across Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships, the government is adopting a phased approach to learn from what works. To roll-out Young Futures Hubs, building on the success of existing infrastructure and provision, we will establish a number of early adopter hubs, the locations of which will be determined by where they will have the most impact. These early adopters and work in local areas and will inform the longer-term development of the programme, including how quickly we move to a greater number of hubs.Young Futures Hubs are just one part of delivering support within a much wider youth landscape and they will work closely with core services and wider initiatives spanning youth, education, employment, social care, mental health, youth justice and policing. The government is developing a National Youth Strategy to set out a new long-term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this.

How local areas will be supported to implement Young Futures Hubs.

The government has committed to the creation of a new Young Futures Programme, which will establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships. Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive.Officials from across several departments are already working jointly, using evidence of what works to start to shape the Young Futures Hubs model. We are engaging with local areas, communities, statutory partners, charities, and other stakeholders, including assessing evidence they have supplied, to support the design of the Young Futures Hubs and explore options for their delivery. This includes considering how best to engage with those young people who would benefit most from support.Across Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships, the government is adopting a phased approach to learn from what works. To roll-out Young Futures Hubs, building on the success of existing infrastructure and provision, we will establish a number of early adopter hubs, the locations of which will be determined by where they will have the most impact. These early adopters and work in local areas and will inform the longer-term development of the programme, including how quickly we move to a greater number of hubs.Young Futures Hubs are just one part of delivering support within a much wider youth landscape and they will work closely with core services and wider initiatives spanning youth, education, employment, social care, mental health, youth justice and policing. The government is developing a National Youth Strategy to set out a new long-term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the implementation of Grey Belt policy aligns with the settlement hierarchy set out in adopted local plans.

My Department published updated guidance on Green Belt policy on 27 February 2025 to assist local authorities and other decision-makers, including planning inspectors, in determining whether land is grey belt. It can be found on gov.uk here. It is for decision-makers to consider how best to apply the policy to particular local circumstances.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to issue planning practice guidance on the (a) use and (b) interpretation of Grey Belt policy.

My Department published updated guidance on Green Belt policy on 27 February 2025 to assist local authorities and other decision-makers, including planning inspectors, in determining whether land is grey belt. It can be found on gov.uk here. It is for decision-makers to consider how best to apply the policy to particular local circumstances.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the interpretation of the definition of Grey Belt by planning inspectors in (a) rural and (b) semi-rural areas.

My Department published updated guidance on Green Belt policy on 27 February 2025 to assist local authorities and other decision-makers, including planning inspectors, in determining whether land is grey belt. It can be found on gov.uk here. It is for decision-makers to consider how best to apply the policy to particular local circumstances.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that its fraud strategy provides consumers with protection from all types of fraudulent advertising.

As part of the requirements of the Online Safety Act (2023), large social media and search services will be required to use proactive systems and processes to prevent the public from encountering fraudulent adverts, and minimise the length of time any such content is present on their platforms.Ofcom is scheduled to consult on the Fraudulent Advertising Duty by early 2026. This consultation is part of the broader framework for ‘Additional Duties’ on the largest in-scope companies.This Government committed in our manifesto to introduce an expanded Fraud Strategy, and details of that strategy, including the approach to tackling fraudulent advertising, will be set out in due course.

Whether investment in family hubs will be included in the upcoming Child Poverty Strategy.

I refer the hon. Member for Harpenden and Berkhamsted to the answer of 03 July 2025 to Question 63139.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of bus services in rural areas in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) Hertfordshire.

The government recognises the importance of accessible, frequent and affordable bus services in keeping communities connected, including in rural areas. Buses in England outside London were deregulated by the Transport Act 1985 and at present are largely run on a commercial basis where the operator decides on routes and provision. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December 2024 as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them, including in Harpenden and Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire more widely, and rural areas right across England. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million to local authorities across the country, of which Hertfordshire County Council has been allocated £12.2 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities, including in rural areas. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to bus services in this Spending Review by confirming continued funding each year from 26/27 to maintain and improve vital bus services, including taking forward bus franchising pilots, and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.

Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of access to finance for creative SMEs in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

The new Creative Industries Sector Plan, published as part of the government’s Industrial Strategy, recognises that outside London and the South East, creative businesses find it harder to access finance. The £43 million DCMS Create Growth Programme supports thousands of creative SMEs to grow and access finance, including in Harpenden and Berkhamsted, providing grant funding, investor capacity building activities and investment readiness support.The Sector Plan sets out further support for creative SMEs, including significantly increased support for the sector from the British Business Bank and UKRI as well as a £380 million funding package over the Spending Review period.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Financial Conduct Authority's powers in preventing insurers from applying excessive premium increases to non-fault claimants.

Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover they offer based on their assessment of the relevant risks. This is usually informed by the insurer’s claims experience and other industry-wide statistics. However, the Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value (i.e. if the price a consumer pays for a product or service is reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive). The FCA have made clear they monitor firms to ensure they provide products that are fair value, and, where necessary, it has robust powers to take action against firms that fail to comply with its rules.

Innovation and Technology, what his planned timetable is for publishing the consultation on the proposed AI Bill.

The Government plans to publish a consultation later this year on AI legislation.

What steps she is taking to encourage investment in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

This government is committed to keeping Britain economically stable to spur investment. Investment that will increase the number of good, well-skilled jobs and improve productivity across the country. Last month the government released the Industrial and Infrastructure Strategies. These 10-year plans will create and connect people to good jobs, support new housing and neighborhoods, and ensuring people can depend on vital public services. They will also increase business investment in 8 growth-driving sectors, by making it quicker and easier for businesses to invest and providing them with the certainty and stability needed for long-term investment decisions. To support the success of our strategies the Department for Business and Trade has a dedicated investment function in the UK and overseas, including the new expanded Office for Investment (OfI) which is the UK’s investment promotion agency. This bolstered OfI redoubles UK efforts to secure investment to drive economic growth as part of Government’s Plan for Change and targets investors in high-growth and foundational sectors. Since taking office over 600 individual investments have been supported by this government, and we will continue to work hard on landing more. This government is also committed to supporting growth driving initiatives such as the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor. At the start of this year Science Minister Vallance was appointed as Oxford-Cambridge Innovation Champion. He will strengthen connections between OxCam and the wider UK, so this region is an economic engine for the entire nation. These measures will encourage investment into Harpenden and Berkhamsted, with local organisations like Rothamsted Research able to benefit from participation in OxCam-related research and innovation. The Industrial Strategy’s focus on frontier manufacturing sectors, including Agri-Tech, will further support this.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to encourage local government support for arts and culture in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

The Secretary of State has a range of discussions with Cabinet colleagues across the whole of her portfolio, and DCMS officials regularly discuss support for arts and culture with their counterparts across His Majesty’s Government.In last month’s spending review, the government committed to providing an additional £3.4 billion of grant funding to local government in 2028‑29 compared to 2024‑25. This equates to an average annual real terms increase in overall local authority core spending power of 3.1% across the spending review period. Whilst individual decisions on how to invest departmental resources will be determined in due course, there will be significant investment into Arts and Culture over the spending review period, including to Arts Council England (ACE) who will continue to support local arts programmes and projects across the country.In the 2024-25 financial year, ACE provided over £22k of funding to arts projects in the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency. Details of this funding can be found on the ACE website here https://culture.localinsight.org/#/map

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) tailored exemption and (b) alternative mechanism to the Renter’s Rights Bill for non-profit charitable landlords.

The Renters' Rights Bill delivers the government's manifesto commitment to overhaul the regulation of the private rented sector, including by abolishing Section 21 'no fault' evictions. Upon the commencement date, the new tenancy system provided for by the Bill will apply to all private tenancies - existing tenancies will become periodic, and any new tenancies will be governed by the new rules. We recognise that regaining possession is sometimes necessary to ensure supply of specialist types of accommodation. The Bill therefore introduces a limited number of possession grounds to ensure there is an adequate supply of properties in vital sectors such as supported accommodation, and for those offering 'stepping stone' accommodation. These grounds may be available to registered charities who provide relevant accommodation.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the British film industry, in the context of potential US tariffs.

The Creative Industries Sector Plan announced significant support for the UK film industry, including a new £75 million Screen Growth Package over three years. This includes a scaled-up £18 million per year UK Global Screen Fund; support for the London Film Festival; funding to attract inward investment; and an expansion of the BFI Film Academy to get more 16-25 year olds from underrepresented backgrounds into the industry.In addition to this package, we are devolving £150 million to six Mayoral Strategic Authorities through our Creative Places Growth Fund, which can be used by local leaders to boost their film and TV industries. We are investing £25 million to fund five new CoSTAR labs to develop innovative technologies like augmented reality and motion capture and two showcase spaces to demonstrate new innovations, working with partners including the BFI. And we are delivering £10 million to expand the world-leading National Film and Television School, unlocking £11 million of private investment.There are no tariffs on the UK’s film industry. The deep ties between the US and UK film industries provide mutual economic and cultural benefits to both countries and we are committed to maintaining our strong partnership. The government will continue to monitor the situation closely, and will continue to take a calm and balanced approach to our engagement with the US.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the autumn Budget 2024 on costs for small and medium-sized businesses in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) the rest of England.

The government’s priority mission is to deliver strong, secure and sustainable economic growth to boost living standards in every part of the UK. The Spending Review marked a key step in the growth mission, allocating substantial new capital investment to ensure growth is felt across the country. This investment will be further bolstered in the coming months by other reforms, building on the Industrial Strategy and the 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy announced last month. Hertfordshire will receive £38 million in Local Transport Grant funding enabling local authorities to deliver transport improvements including more zero emission buses, cycleways, accessibility and congestion improvement measures. This will deliver a four-fold increase in funding in 2029-30 compared to 2024-25. At Autumn Budget, the Government protected the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. The Government also froze the small businesses multiplier for 2025-26, and extended the retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) business rates relief for 1-year at 40% (up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business). The Government has accepted the Low Pay Commission’s recommendations to increase the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates, which balance the impacts on business, competitiveness of the labour market and wider economy, as well as taking into account the cost of living.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Renters’ Rights Bill on the ability of charitable landlords to offer flexible housing in areas lacking affordable private rentals.

The Renters' Rights Bill delivers the government's manifesto commitment to overhaul the regulation of the private rented sector, including by abolishing Section 21 'no fault' evictions. Upon the commencement date, the new tenancy system provided for by the Bill will apply to all private tenancies - existing tenancies will become periodic, and any new tenancies will be governed by the new rules. We recognise that regaining possession is sometimes necessary to ensure supply of specialist types of accommodation. The Bill therefore introduces a limited number of possession grounds to ensure there is an adequate supply of properties in vital sectors such as supported accommodation, and for those offering 'stepping stone' accommodation. These grounds may be available to registered charities who provide relevant accommodation.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support freelancers in the creative industries in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) the rest of England.

DCMS has committed in the recent Creative Industries Sector Plan to appoint a Freelance Champion, who will give freelancers a voice within government.DCMS will work with industry to develop Terms of Reference for this role. We envisage that it will represent the interests of creative freelancers in areas such as the development of the Plan to Make Work Pay, the Small Business Commissioner, the Fair Work Agency, and the Department for Business and Trade’s Small Business Growth Forum.Skills Bootcamps continue to support adults across England to build sector-specific skills, including those needed for the creative industries. The government is allocating up to £5.6 million for Skills Bootcamps in 25/26 for Hertfordshire County Council, to support training for local learners, including those that are freelance or self-employed. This includes production assistant training and training in content creation for the creative industry.