The UK Health Security Agency’s Vaccine Development and Evaluation Centre (VDEC) has been supporting the creation of a safe and effective maternal vaccine for Group B Streptococcus (GBS).

A maternal vaccine for GBS, which protects infants from both the early and late onset of the disease, will have a positive impact on infant mortality and morbidity. It will also lead to a sharp reduction in the use of antibiotics in neonatal units worldwide. By focusing on effectiveness, through advanced immune response evaluations, these efforts are accelerating the development of a reliable GBS vaccine that can protect vulnerable populations worldwide. Further information on how VDEC is supporting a GBS vaccine to prevent newborn deaths is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/vdec-is-supporting-a-gbs-vaccine-to-prevent-newborn-deaths.

The Government publishes an Impact Assessment each year alongside the legislation that implements the increases to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates. The legislation for the 2025 rates is expected to be laid in Parliament early in the new year, with debates in both Houses expected in February or March, subject to Parliamentary timetable.

Reoffending costs society over £22 billion a year and we know that access to valulable rehabilitation is an important tool in reducing that reoffending.

The overall Prisoner Rehabilitation Service budget for FY 24/25 is £360 million.

• Family Services - £12 million

• Employment Training - £25 million

• Education including Prisoner Education contracts - £191 million

• Other itemised rehabilitation activities - £132 million

The fifth carbon budget was set in 2016, when the UK’s legal target was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% on 1990 levels. The Climate Change Act 2008 was amended in 2019 to strengthen the 2050 target to net zero. The UK's 2030 nationally determined contribution to reduce emissions by at least 68% on 1990 levels was set in 2020 to align with the trajectory to achieve net zero by 2050.

The Government will publish a report setting out its plan to meet carbon budgets in due course. This will set out the policies and proposals needed to meet Carbon Budgets 4-6 and the 2030 and 2035 NDC targets.

The UK’s 2030 and 2035 nationally determined contributions are fair and ambitious contributions to global action on climate change, in line with the Paris Agreement temperature goal. NDCs are international communications of ambition required to be communicated under the Paris Agreement, a treaty under international law. Alongside our international commitments, the UK was the first country to introduce a legally binding, long-term emissions reduction target under the Climate Change Act 2008. This framework includes the UK’s legislated 2050 net zero target, which the Climate Change Committee has confirmed is consistent with the trajectories of the UK’s 2030 and 2035 NDCs.

The security of firearms is taken very seriously within the Ministry of Defence (MOD), and we have robust procedures in place to deter and prevent loss and theft. All losses and thefts of firearms and ammunition are fully and rigorously investigated.

The below table details firearm losses and thefts from MOD Facilities in 2023 under the previous Government. This includes military establishments, ranges, training areas and on operations.

2023

[1] Weapon subsequently found.

[2] Weapon subsequently found.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is the lead Department for the international and community engagements in regards to the sovereignty negotiations. The Foreign Secretary met Maldives Foreign Minister Khaleel at the Commonwealth Heads of Government on 25 October. They discussed a range of issues, including matters relating to the British Indian Ocean Territory. Minister West also spoke with Foreign Minister Khaleel virtually on 14 October and met with the Maldivian High Commissioner on 30 September.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary remains essential in supporting operations alongside the Royal Navy and our global allies. They continue to meet their operational commitments, and we are dedicated to resolving this dispute through ongoing dialogue with their trade unions.

In 2020, the Department undertook a public consultation on options for changing the way pavement parking is managed outside London. The consultation asked specific questions about impacts on people with protected characteristics and we will use the information to undertake an equality analysis of the chosen policy option, in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty. Our plan is to publish a formal response to the consultation, summarising the views received and announcing the Government’s next steps for pavement parking policy.

The formal consultation response will be available to view at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/managing-pavement-parking.

On Monday 21 October, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This is available at:http://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.

The majority of employees will benefit from new protections in the Bill and our assessment finds that workers in the low-paying sectors including retail, infrastructure sectors such as transport and storage, and some consumer goods manufacturing (e.g. food-items) will benefit the most from the Bill. Our assessment suggests that the Professional Services sector is unlikely to be disproportionately impacted by the Bill.

The Bill will also deliver wider benefits for the business environment by improving wellbeing, incentivising higher productivity, and creating a more level playing field for good employers. This could have a positive knock-on impact on productivity and growth.

On Monday 21 October, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This is available at:http://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.

The majority of employees will benefit from new protections in the Bill and our assessment finds that workers in the low-paying sectors including retail, infrastructure sectors such as transport and storage, and some consumer goods manufacturing (e.g. food-items) will benefit the most from the Bill. Our assessment suggests that the Professional Services sector is unlikely to be disproportionately impacted by the Bill.

The Bill will also deliver wider benefits for the business environment by improving wellbeing, incentivising higher productivity, and creating a more level playing field for good employers. This could have a positive knock-on impact on productivity and growth.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is the lead Department for the international and community engagements in regards to the sovereignty negotiations. The Minister for Europe, North America and the Overseas Territories has met with members of the Chagossian community twice since 4 July 2024. We always endeavour to invite all Chagossian groups and representatives with an interest to these meetings. Officials also routinely speak to Chagossians. Discussions covered a range of issues, including implementation of the agreement. There are a large number of Chagossian groups with a spectrum of views. We will continue efforts to engage the community.

The Government has committed to supporting the National Health Service to improve performance and achieve the standards set out in the NHS Constitution, including for ambulance response times.

As a first step, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, appointed Professor Lord Darzi to lead an independent investigation of the NHS’ performance. The investigation’s findings were published on 12 September and will feed into the Government’s work on a 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.

Ahead of this winter, NHS England has set out the priorities for the NHS to maintain and improve patient safety and experience, including actions to support patient flow and ensure that ambulances are released in a timely way. NHS England’s winter letter, sent to all integrated care boards, including those in the East Midlands, is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/winter-and-h2-priorities

The Department is working hard with industry to help resolve intermittent supply issues with some epilepsy medications. As a result of ongoing activity and intensive work, including directing suppliers to expedite deliveries, some issues, including with some carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine presentations, have been resolved.

There was a supply issue with all strengths of lamotrigine tablets, used to manage epilepsy, due to manufacturing issues. The supply issue has recently resolved, and supply is expected to return to normal levels through early December 2024.

We are aware of an ongoing supply issue with all strengths of topiramate tablets with the resupply date to be confirmed. Other manufacturers of topiramate tablets can meet the increased demand during this time. We have confirmed with the supplier of Epilim Chronosphere that there are currently no issues with supply.

The Department continues to work closely with industry, the National Health Service, and others to help ensure patients continue to have access to an alternative treatment until their usual product is back in stock.

There is no central requirement on what information is captured in local clinical or Patient Administration Systems about people’s housing status and whether they are in temporary accommodation.

The NHS Data Model and Dictionary, however, provides a reference point for approved Information Standards Notices to support health and care activities within the National Health Service in England. It is used for secondary use purposes and supports secondary use statistical reporting. The Model and Dictionary has codes for accommodation types that include temporary housing. This is used in the Improving Access to Psychology Therapies Data set and the Mental Health Services Data set. The Community Services Data Set also records the accommodation status code. It includes codes for: night shelter; emergency hostel or direct access hostel; and placed in temporary accommodation by a local authority.

There is no plan to assess the merits of tracking people in temporary accommodation accessing health services, using coded or other recorded information. However, the Department recognises the importance of reducing barriers to services for those experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping, and has supported the development of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline, Integrated health and social care for people experiencing homelessness. This provides recommendations on ways to improve access to, and engagement with, health and social care services for people experiencing homelessness, including those staying in temporary accommodation.

Medicine wastage can be reduced by ensuring that medicines are not overprescribed and those that are prescribed are taken as intended, resulting in the best outcomes for patients.

Overprescribing can be addressed by taking a shared decision-making approach and optimising a person's medicines, ensuring that patients are prescribed the right medicines, at the right time, in the right doses. The National Health Service is driving changes in this area by:

• improving the repeat prescription processes, as this will reduce the oversupply of medicines which contributes to waste;
• implementing the National Medicines Optimisation Opportunities for integrated care boards, with further information available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-medicines-optimisation-opportunities-2023-24/;
• addressing problematic polypharmacy; and
• delivering Structured Medication Reviews, with further information available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/primary-care/pharmacy/smr/.

In addition, the New Medicines Service in Community Pharmacy supports patients with newly prescribed medication for long term conditions in understanding how to take the medication effectively, and improves adherence and health gains.

Building inspectors working on National Health Service estate repairs or maintenance projects may be employed by NHS trusts, local councils, private companies, or contractors working on behalf of the NHS. Their work ensures that buildings are safe for use, accessible, and in good condition.

While the Department has not made any specific assessment of the potential impact of shortages of building inspectors, NHS England is taking forward implementation of the Estates and Facilities Workforce Action Plan, which aims to strengthen the NHS estates workforce and its governance.

The Solar Roadmap will set out the Government’s solar deployment ambitions as part of its mission to achieve Clean Power by 2030. It will outline the actions required to develop resilient, sustainable, innovative, and free from forced labour supply chains.

The UK’s main solar industry trade association – Solar Energy UK, who co-chair the Solar Taskforce - is leading the industry’s response on this matter by developing and launching the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI), in partnership with Solar Power Europe. Members of the SSI have committed to applying its traceability standards and audits, while encouraging its adoption throughout their supply chain.

The information requested can be found in the table attached.

DESNZ was formed on the 7^th of February 2023. In the last year – 2023-24 – there was one settlement agreement of the type outlined. We are unable to disclose the amount given this is a single case.

All incoming prisoners must be medically examined to determine whether they have any physical or mental health needs, in order to identify any follow-up action that is needed and to ensure it is taken. This includes making sure that anyone who needs to know about an individual prisoner’s healthcare requirements is properly informed.

To improve support for neurodivergent prisoners, a new role, the Neurodiversity Support Manager (NSM), has been created and implemented across the Prison Service. NSMs are responsible for implementing a whole-prisons approach to neurodiversity, including Acquired Brain Injury. Their responsibilities include improving processes to identify and support prisoner needs, and ensuring neurodivergent prisoners can access education, skills, and work opportunities within the prison. They also provide training and guidance for prison staff to equip them better to support neurodivergent individuals in their prison.

The Clean Energy Mission will create hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country. The UK has a highly skilled oil and gas workforce, with high transferability of skills to these new roles.

The Office for Clean Energy Jobs (OCEJ) has been created to ensure that clean energy jobs are abundant, high quality, paid fairly, and have favourable terms and good working conditions.

The OCEJ will also set out targeted interventions to support specific skills needs in the clean energy workforce. It recently announced support for the Energy Skills Passport to support oil and gas workers into new roles in the clean energy sector.

A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Minister cannot enter into a discussion on this area. This will be a quasi-judicial decision to be taken by a DESNZ Minister under the Planning Act 2008, based only on the facts, evidence and arguments made in the case as presented to us once it has been through the formal planning process.

Great British Energy is a key part of the government's mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. This is a sustainable, long-term plan to protect billpayers. In an unstable world, the only way to guarantee our energy security and protect billpayers permanently is to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels and towards homegrown clean energy.

We are progressing the Great British Energy Bill through Parliament. By putting the company on a statutory footing and using the £100 million of capital funding announced at Autumn Budget, Great British Energy will be able to hit the ground running next year.

The allocation of National Health Service funding, including local staffing budgets, is set by NHS England.

Information on ambulance service demand is published by NHS England, including, as of April 2018, the monthly total number of cardiac arrests responded to by ambulance services. The following table shows the total number of cardiac arrests each month from April 2018 to June 2024:

Source: the data is published by NHS England, and is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

The increasing aging population and complexity that comes with more patients with multiple comorbidities may be reflected in the trend of rising in category 1 incidents.