With additional capital to deploy against an expanded mandate, the National Wealth Fund stands ready to help the market invest with confidence in support of the Government's growth ambitions.

The National Wealth Fund will be empowered via new tools such as performance guarantees and blended finance solutions to make investments that maximise mobilisation of private finance. This includes investments in the critical minerals sector.

Since July 2024, no members of the Department have met with the vaping industry. This includes my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Details of ministerial meetings are updated quarterly in arrears, on the GOV.UK website.

The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) assesses the economic and fiscal outlook, including the impact of policy decisions made by the Government.

The OBR regularly publish reports which include explanations of their methodology. The 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook published alongside the Autumn Budget is published here: https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-october-2024/

In November 2023, the OBR published an article ‘Dynamic scoring of policy measures in OBR forecasts’ detailing how the fiscal multiplier framework is used to analyse the macroeconomic impacts of policy measures. Appropriate multipliers are applied to corporate tax reliefs and capital spending.

More recently, in August 2024, the OBR published a discussion paper ‘Public investment and potential output’ outlining further detail on how public investment, including capital spending, affects the macroeconomic forecast.

HMRC delivers proportionate and systematic monitoring and evaluation of tax reliefs to help provide evidence-based policy advice to Ministers.

Since 2020 HMRC have published 14 tax relief evaluations covering 19 different reliefs, and some of these evaluations cover economic impacts.

On 5^th December HMRC published statistics covering the costs of non-structural and structural reliefs, this includes 46 costings that cover corporation tax reliefs.

The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) assesses the economic and fiscal outlook, including the impact of policy decisions made by the Government.

The OBR regularly publish reports which include explanations of their methodology. The 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook published alongside the Autumn Budget is published here: https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-october-2024/

In November 2023, the OBR published an article ‘Dynamic scoring of policy measures in OBR forecasts’ detailing how the fiscal multiplier framework is used to analyse the macroeconomic impacts of policy measures. Appropriate multipliers are applied to corporate tax reliefs and capital spending.

More recently, in August 2024, the OBR published a discussion paper ‘Public investment and potential output’ outlining further detail on how public investment, including capital spending, affects the macroeconomic forecast.

HMRC delivers proportionate and systematic monitoring and evaluation of tax reliefs to help provide evidence-based policy advice to Ministers.

Since 2020 HMRC have published 14 tax relief evaluations covering 19 different reliefs, and some of these evaluations cover economic impacts.

On 5^th December HMRC published statistics covering the costs of non-structural and structural reliefs, this includes 46 costings that cover corporation tax reliefs.

The government has committed to maintaining a range of generous investment incentives, including full expensing, R&D reliefs, and the Audio Visual Expenditure Credit.

While the government does not maintain a ranking of economic impact, we seek to regularly monitor and assess economic impacts and the independent OBR also publishes their assessments.

For example, the OBR's paper on the economic effects of full expensing sets out that they expect to increase business investment by £14bn over next five years.

Since 2020 HMRC have published 14 tax relief evaluations covering 19 different reliefs, and some of these evaluations cover economic impacts.

On 5^th December HMRC published statistics covering the costs of non-structural and structural reliefs, this includes 46 costings that cover corporation tax reliefs.

The Government published the Interim Report of its Pensions Investment Review at the Mansion House event on 14 November. This Report puts forward ambitious proposals to reform the UK pension system which could unlock around £80 billion of productive investment while boosting savers’ pension pots.

The consultations on the proposed measures will close on 16 January. The review will use its next stage to consider whether further interventions may be needed by the government to ensure that these reforms are benefiting UK growth. The final Pensions Investment Review report, including the final proposals to be legislated for, will be published in the Spring ahead of the introduction of the Pension Schemes Bill.

The department is committed to helping children thrive and wants the best for every child and family. We know that a stable support network and loving relationships are crucial to supporting children in care and care leavers to thrive.

To support this, the department is currently funding 50 family finding, befriending and mentoring programmes, being delivered by 45 local authorities. These programmes will help children in care and care leavers to identify and connect with the important people in their lives and create safe, stable loving relationships. Of the 45 local authorities, 23 are delivering Lifelong Links as their family finding programme.

The family finding, befriending and mentoring programme is being evaluated and this will inform decisions about the future of the programme.

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.