Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is her policy to maintain the number of driving test centres in rural communities.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is committed to providing its customers, including those in rural areas, with the best service possible. DVSA continually reviews its estate to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department made local-level equality impact assessments on the changes in Winter Fuel Payment eligibility.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

In line with the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty, an Equality Analysis was produced and considered as part of the ministerial decision-making process. This was published on 13 September and is available online: Equality Impact Assessments produced for targeting Winter Fuel Payment - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the number and proportion of (a) cold and (b) energy-inefficient homes occupied by pensioners in Wiltshire.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) does not collect local-level data specifically on cold or energy-inefficient homes occupied by pensioners. The latest estimate of the fuel poverty rate in Wiltshire, based on the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) metric, was 9.5% of households in 2023 (Table 2 of the sub-regional fuel poverty statistics).

Statistics on fuel poverty in England in 2024 by age of the oldest person in the household can be found in Table 15 of the fuel poverty detailed tables.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to (a) support and (b) encourage the installation of more audio-visual real time information on (i) busses and (ii) trains for (A) visually-impaired and (B) hard of hearing passengers in Wiltshire.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The government is committed to improving transport services right across the country, including in Wiltshire, so they are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity.

On 1 October 2024, the first phase of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 came into force, meaning that newer vehicles providing local services must provide accessible audible and visible information on stops, destinations and diversions. The majority of services will need to comply by October 2026. Last year, the Department launched the £4.65 million Accessible Information Grant Scheme, to support the smallest bus and coach companies to provide audible and visible information onboard their services consistent with the Regulations.

With regard to rail, as of 1 January 2022, all passenger rolling stock is compliant with modern accessibility standards, including the requirement to have a dynamic audio-visual passenger information system for the benefit in particular of vision-impaired and hearing-impaired passengers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of (a) early morning and (b) late evening bus services in Wiltshire for (i) shift workers and (ii) NHS staff.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The government knows that a modern public transport network is vital to keeping communities connected, and ensuring people can get to education and work, including shift workers and NHS staff.

The government believes that local transport authorities, working with bus operators, are best placed to determine and design local bus networks in their area. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of communities that rely on them.

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 allocated to local authorities across the country, of which Wiltshire Council has been allocated £6.9 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce improvements to bus services and infrastructure to best meet the needs of passengers in their local area, which could include supporting off-peak bus services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a dedicated diagnostic pathway for brain tumours.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is working with NHS England to improve diagnostic processes in the National Health Service for all patients with cancer, including those with brain tumours.

To support faster and earlier diagnosis, the Department will address the challenges in diagnostic waiting times, providing the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests that are needed to reduce cancer waits. NHS England is delivering a range of interventions to support general practices in diagnosing brain cancer earlier, for example through the early cancer diagnosis service specification for primary care networks. This specification is designed to support improvements in rates of early cancer diagnosis by requiring primary care networks to review the quality of their general practices’ referrals for suspected cancer and take steps to improve this, where appropriate.

The Department also set out expectations for renewed focus on cancer targets in the Elective Reform plan, published on 6 January 2025. NHS providers have been asked to identify local opportunities in both community diagnostic centres (CDCs) and hospital based diagnostic services to improve performance against the Faster Diagnosis Standard, in order to reduce the number of patients waiting too long for a confirmed diagnosis of cancer. Any new CDC will be expected to include specific capacity for cancer testing as part of its CDC activity plans, enabled either through direct provision or via freeing up acute hospital capacity for more complex cancer tests.

Later this year, the Department will publish a National Cancer Plan, which will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, including diagnosis. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care, to improve the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer, including those with brain cancer.

Given this wider ongoing work, the Department has not made a specific assessment on the merits of implementing a dedicated diagnostics pathway for brain tumours.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish the average bus punctuality rates for Wiltshire for each year since 2015.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The average bus punctuality rates (specifically, the percentage of non-frequent bus services running on time) for Wiltshire are available for each year between the year ending March 2015 and the year ending March 2024 in the Department’s published Annual Bus Statistics. This data can be found in Table BUS09a: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus-statistics-data-tables#bus-reliability-and-punctuality-bus09.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment on (a) cold-related illness and (b) hospital admissions amongst older adults in Wiltshire.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

A specific assessment relating to older adults in Wilshire has not been produced. The Department for Work and Pensions published an equality analysis of the changes to eligibility for the winter fuel payment last summer, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/responses-to-freedom-of-information-requests-on-equality-impact-assessments-produced-for-targeting-winter-fuel-payment/dwp-freedom-of-information-response

The Government has continued to take action to support vulnerable households with cost-of-living pressures, including extending the Household Support Fund until March 2026, thereby providing local authorities with an additional £742 million of funding.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing compensation relating to pre-1997 pensionable service for Pension Protection Fund members to be indexed.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

We are committed to consider and reflect on what we have heard on the issue of Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme rules on the indexation of pre-1997 pension accruals.

Any change in this area has significant implications on public finances for both the taxpayer funded Financial Assistance Scheme and for the Pension Protection Fund which is levy-funded. These are complex matters requiring a balanced approach for those receiving compensation, levy payers and taxpayers. This is an important issue and one where we will continue to work with the Pension Protection Fund.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to consult stakeholders on (a) alignment with international reporting standards and (b) the potential impact on companies as part of the first two UK Sustainability Reporting Standards, expected in Q1 2025.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government will shortly publish a consultation covering the endorsement of International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) Standards. It will seek views on UK versions of the ISSB Standards, which will be known as UK Sustainability Reporting Standards, including on the costs and benefits of reporting against those Standards. The Government will take endorsement decisions later this year, following the consultation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many small and medium-sized enterprises (a) were trading and (b) ceased trading in each of the past 5 years.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 28th April is attached.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions on the VCSE sector.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance contributions (NICs).

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations as well as an overview of the equality impacts.

The Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, which means that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all this year and more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package.

More broadly, within the tax system, we provide support to charities through a range of reliefs and exemptions, including reliefs for charitable giving, with more than £6 billion in charitable reliefs provided to charities, CASCs and their donors in 2023 to 2024.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason accessible versions of the Pathways to Work Green Paper were not published at the same time as the original version; and if she will take steps to ensure that accessible versions of documents are published simultaneously in the future.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the eligibility criteria for Universal Credit on (a) young adults under 25 and (b) young adults under 25 who are (i) living independently and (ii) without family support in Wiltshire.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

There are currently no plans to make such an assessment.

To be eligible for Universal Credit a person is usually required to be at least 18 years old but there are circumstances where those aged 16 and 17 may be eligible to claim Universal Credit in their own right, including if they have no parent or cannot live with their parent(s). Young people under 25 who live independently may also be able to get help with their housing costs.

DWP currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners.

All jobcentres deliver the Youth Offer and have Youth Employability Coaches in post to support young people aged 18-24 years old. Youth Hubs are currently being explored and are in the planning phase by both Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Council.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of her Department's proposed changes to the eligibility for PIP on the number of people who qualify for (a) a Blue Badge, (b) Housing Benefit and (c) Carer’s Allowance in Wiltshire.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Changes to the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will not have an impact on Blue Badge holders as no changes are being made to the mobility component of PIP.

The assessment by the Office for Budget Responsibility of the impact of the proposed changes on carers was made for England and Wales as a whole.

The impacts can be found in table A4 here: Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts.

Notes:

• There will be no immediate changes. Changes to PIP eligibility and rebalancing of UC aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from April 2026 for UC and November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval.
• PIP changes will only apply at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years. At the award review, claimants will be seen by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstances.
• We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.
• We also intend to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment which I will lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief at the Autumn Budget on elderly farmers.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances in a fair way. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free.

The reforms announced by the Government are expected to result in up to around 520 estates claiming agricultural property relief paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of people with (a) musculoskeletal disorders and (b) learning disabilities who will be affected by changes to PIP eligibility in Wiltshire.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Estimates of the volumes of PIP claimants affected by the reform in the future are forecast for England and Wales only and are not broken down by Local Authority or any other geographic area, nor by specific primary health condition.

After taking account of behavioural changes, the OBR predicts that 370,000 people who will be receiving PIP at the point of implementation of the four point requirement in November 2026, will have lost their PIP Daily Living entitlement by 2029/30. Of all PIP recipients at the point of implementation, 9 in 10 will not lose PIP during the subsequent 3 years from this change.

The proportion of people in receipt of Personal Independence Payment daily living component who were awarded fewer than four points in all daily living activities, by local authority area, is available as part of the Pathways to Work Evidence Pack in Chapter 2, table 2.25, while data by primary health condition is in table 2.22.

Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK

Notes:

• There will be no immediate changes. Changes to PIP eligibility and rebalancing of UC aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from April 2026 for UC and November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval.
• PIP changes will only apply at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years. At the award review, claimants will be seen by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstances.
• We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.
• We also intend to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment which I will lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of people who (a) are currently eligible for PIP and (b) will not be eligible for PIP following her Department's proposed changes to the assessment criteria for that benefit in Wiltshire.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Estimates of the volumes of PIP claimants affected by the reform in the future are forecast for England and Wales only and therefore have not been broken down by Local Authority or any other geographic area.

After taking account of behavioural changes, OBR predicts that 370,000 people who will be receiving PIP at the point of implementation of the four point requirement in November 2026, will have lost their PIP Daily Living entitlement by 2029/30. Of all PIP recipients at the point of implementation, 9 in 10 will not lose PIP during the subsequent 3 years from this change.

The proportion of people in receipt of Personal Independence Payment daily living component who were awarded fewer than four points in all daily living activities, by local authority area, is available as part of the Pathways to Work Evidence Pack in Chapter 2, table 2.25.

Notes:

• There will be no immediate changes. Changes to PIP eligibility and rebalancing of UC aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from April 2026 for UC and November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval.
• PIP changes will only apply at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years. At the award review, claimants will be seen by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstances.
• We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.
• We also intend to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment which I will lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the need for improved access to mental health services for people experiencing bereavement following sudden or traumatic deaths.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made. It is important that anybody who wants to access bereavement support can do so. We encourage anybody that wants to access support to speak with their general practitioner in the first instance.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning the significant majority of health services in their areas, ensuring these services meet the reasonable needs of their local population. NHS England has developed guidance to support ICBs with their duty to commission palliative care services within integrated care systems. This statutory guidance states commissioners should ensure there is sufficient access to bereavement services available for families and carers, including children and young people. Additionally, every local authority now has a multi-agency suicide prevention plan in place to address the needs of people in their area, which should include suicide bereavement support services.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the £7 million allocated to Wiltshire Council under the bus service improvement plan 2025–26 in meeting the county's rural transport needs.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The government allocated £6.9 million to Wiltshire Council in 25/26 through the £712 million Local Authority Bus Grant to support and improve bus services. This includes £4 million to support the delivery of Wiltshire’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

The government used a formula to determine BSIP allocations in 25/26 based on need, including population, the distance that buses travel, and the levels of deprivation. Under the formula, Wiltshire Council have seen an increase in BSIP funding compared to 24/25, when they were allocated £2.1 million.

This funding can be used whichever way the local transport authority wishes to deliver better bus services for passengers, including supporting bus services in rural areas.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of placing a legal duty on all Government departments to give due regard to the Armed Forces Covenant in decision-making affecting military families in Wiltshire.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Following guidance from Ministers to “put the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law”, officials are currently developing plans to extend the scope of the Covenant Legal Duty, in line with our manifesto commitment, across a broad range of policy areas.

This broad, and maximalist approach will demonstrate and reinforce the Government’s steadfast commitment to improving the lives of the Armed Forces community and renewing the nation’s contract with those who serve.

Ministry of Defence officials anticipate that plans for the Duty extension will raise awareness of the Covenant, drive better outcomes for the Armed Forces community, including those in Wiltshire, and help mitigate and tackle disadvantage.

Further details will be brought forward in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to increase the number of British Army personnel.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North Down (Alex Easton) on 13 May 2025 to Question 50001.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Great Western Railway’s proposed reductions on ticket office staffing on access for disabled and elderly passengers in Wiltshire; and if she will publish that assessment.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Any changes to ticket office opening hours in relation to regulated stations covered by Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA) must be made following the TSA process and Secretary of State guidance. This includes a requirement to consider the impact the change will have on those with protected characteristics. No proposal has been submitted through the TSA Process.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of Great Western Railway’s proposals to reduce (a) ticket office windows and (b) station staffing levels on passenger (i) service and (ii) safety in Wiltshire.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

While ticket office opening hours are regulated through the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement process, the operation of ticket office windows and staffing levels is the responsibility of the train operator. We understand that Great Western Railway has no plans to reduce station staff in Wiltshire.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many full-time equivalent jobs there were in the low carbon and renewable energy economy in each year since 2015.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Questions of 13th May is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total turnover was of the UK's low carbon and renewable energy economy for each year since 2015.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Questions of 13th May is attached.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to regularly review the Government’s statutory guidance from 2017 in relation to supporting pupils with allergies at school.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The accompanying statutory guidance on ‘Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school’ makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions, including allergies. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.The department will keep the statutory guidance under review as we take forward our commitment to delivering an inclusive mainstream system.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children with an EHCP in Wiltshire are currently placed in educational provision outside of the local authority area.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department publishes local authority level information on cross border movement, which is where pupils attend school in a different local authority to the one where they live, in the following annual accredited official statistics publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2023-24.

As of January 2024, there were 245 pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan living in Wiltshire and attending a primary, secondary or special school outside the local authority. This information does not include cases where the pupil attends an independent, general hospital school or non-maintained special school.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of potential impact of surface water flooding on communities in Wiltshire; and what funding he has provided to help mitigate flooding risks in Wiltshire since 2015.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Lead local flood authorities are required to manage local flood risks from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses. Local flood risks should be identified and managed as part of a local flood risk management strategy. The two lead local flood authorities in Wiltshire are Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council.

In the area covered by Wiltshire Council, £38,597,000 of Capital Flood Defence Grant in Aid funding was invested between 2015/16 and 2024/25 by the Environment Agency and other Risk Management Authorities on flood related projects. The most significant of these was the Environment Agency led Salisbury River Park Scheme which spent £35,070,000 to better protect 1,062 properties. These totals exclude maintenance spending, property-level protection schemes, and some projects which cross county borders.

In the area covered by Swindon Borough Council, £2,615,993 was invested between 2015/16 and 2024/25 by the Environment Agency and other Risk Management Authorities on flood related projects.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many tribunal appeals were lodged against decisions made by Wiltshire Council relating to Education, Health and Care Plans in each of the last five years; and in how many cases the appeal was upheld.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Information about appeal outcomes to SEND is published at Tribunals statistics quarterly: October to December 2024 - GOV.UK, but is not broken down to the detail requested.

The data requested, academic years September to August, are set out in the table below:

⁽¹⁾ Is the total of cases where the appellant wins the majority of the appeal (i.e. the appellant may be successful in 2 out of the 3 sections they appeal against). It does not include those cases which were withdrawn or conceded before the hearing as the request was for the numbers upheld.

The information provided has been extracted from local management information.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of Bereavement Support Payments in covering the (a) immediate and (b) ongoing costs faced by bereaved families.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

There has been no recent assessment of the adequacy of Bereavement Support Payment covering (a) immediate and (b) on going costs to bereaved families. The Bereavement Support Payment qualitative research published in 2021 explored how the lump sum and the monthly payments were used.

Bereavement Support Payment is intended to help people through the immediate period following a bereavement. Where longer-term financial support is needed, benefits such as Universal Credit have been specifically designed to provide assistance with ongoing living costs. The rate of Bereavement Support Payment is reviewed on a discretionary basis as part of the annual uprating process, but there is no legal requirement to uprate it.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average dispensing time for a prescription in the NHS South West for each month between May 2015 and April 2025.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold data on average dispensing time, and it is not routinely collected. Pharmacies are independent businesses who follow their own individual standard operating procedures in dispensing medicines. How they order, receive, and label medicines will vary according to their business model and will depend on if a medicine is a repeat or an acute prescription.

Pharmacies are expected to maintain a reasonable stock holding to meet their legal obligations to dispense all prescriptions with reasonable promptness, recognising that it is not feasible for a pharmacy to maintain stock of every medicine.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria was used to assess the eligibility of schools for the Schools Rebuilding Progamme; and how many schools in Wilshire have been included since 2020. .

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Schools have been prioritised because they met one or more of the following criteria:

• They had buildings of specific construction types that require replacement.
• Their buildings had the highest condition need, identified in data collected in the Condition Data Collection and verified through collecting additional condition information, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-data-collection-programme-information-and-guidance.
• Their buildings had severe and urgent condition need that meant they were a high priority for replacement.
• Their buildings had risks that have the potential to cause significant harm to pupils or staff that meant they were a high priority for replacement.

More information about how the department prioritised schools can be found in the published methodology notes, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme.

The number of schools in Wiltshire that have been included in the School Rebuilding Programme is 3.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to use a proportion of the additional funding for defence to improve (a) accommodation and (b) facilities for (i) service personnel and (ii) their families in Wiltshire.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Defence Housing Strategy, planned for publication later this year, will set out a roadmap to deliver a generational renewal of military accommodation. The main objective is to raise the minimum standard of Armed Forces housing across the Ministry of Defence estate, including military housing in Wiltshire.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has reviewed the performance of housing maintenance contracts for military service accommodation in Wiltshire.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation continues to drive for improved performance from the Future Defence Infrastructure Services Accommodation Industry Partners in all regions, including Wiltshire.

Performance is monitored on a monthly basis, including oversight at Chief Executive level, to hold Industry Partners to account.

The performance of housing maintenance contracts for Service Family Accommodation in Wiltshire has not been specifically reviewed since it is part of the contract covering the wider South West accommodation region.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls to the Pension Service helpline (a) were not answered, (b) involved the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes and (c) were terminated by the Pension Service following the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes in (i) February, (ii) March, and (iii) April 2025.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

DWP does not have a specific enquiry line called the Pension Service Helpline, so I have provided the data from the State Pensions enquiries line.

Over the period 1 February to 30 April 2025 a total of 28,775 calls were not answered due to caller abandonment. A monthly breakdown shows February 6,696; March 16,960 and April 5,119. The percentage of calls answered over these 3 months on average shows Feb 92%, March 84% and April 94%, against an expectation of 90%. A total of 67,736 callers were on hold for more than 10 minutes with the monthly breakdown showing February 9,082, March 51,746, April 6,908. No calls were terminated by DWP.

We do not hold the data before June 2023 and therefore have based our answer on the period from 1st June 2023 to 31st January 2025. In this data, calls not answered were due to caller abandonment. No calls were terminated by DWP.

The information provided here is based on internal management information which is not intended for publication and has not been quality assured to official statistics standards.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls to the Pension Service helpline (a) were not answered, (b) involved the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes and (c) were terminated by the Pension Service following the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes in each month between January 2015 and January 2024.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

DWP does not have a specific enquiry line called the Pension Service Helpline, so I have provided the data from the State Pensions enquiries line.

Over the period 1 February to 30 April 2025 a total of 28,775 calls were not answered due to caller abandonment. A monthly breakdown shows February 6,696; March 16,960 and April 5,119. The percentage of calls answered over these 3 months on average shows Feb 92%, March 84% and April 94%, against an expectation of 90%. A total of 67,736 callers were on hold for more than 10 minutes with the monthly breakdown showing February 9,082, March 51,746, April 6,908. No calls were terminated by DWP.

We do not hold the data before June 2023 and therefore have based our answer on the period from 1st June 2023 to 31st January 2025. In this data, calls not answered were due to caller abandonment. No calls were terminated by DWP.

The information provided here is based on internal management information which is not intended for publication and has not been quality assured to official statistics standards.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department takes to monitor the effectiveness of (a) respite and (b) support services for young carers in Wiltshire; and what recent assessment she has made of that effectiveness.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not have data on the proportion of young carers in Wiltshire who have received an assessment of their needs in the last 12 months. However, being a young carer was identified as a factor at end of assessment in 253 episodes of need in Wiltshire in the year ending 31 March 2024.

Services for young carers are monitored through the inspection of local authorities. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how well local authorities in England are delivering their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including those relating to young carers. CQC has published their assessment of Wiltshire Council, rating them Good. It reports that there were no delays in wait times for young unpaid carers needs assessments and that the young unpaid carers offer was well established with robust oversight from senior leaders. Further, Ofsted’s inspection of Wiltshire’s Children’s Services in September 2023 found the overall service to be Outstanding.

The department is aiming to publish national key stage 2 and key stage 4 data for young carers for the first time later this year. Subject to data quality, this will allow comparison of young carers progress and attainment with their peers at local authority level.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a comparative assessment of the (a) educational attainment and (b) progression of young carers with their peers in Wiltshire.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not have data on the proportion of young carers in Wiltshire who have received an assessment of their needs in the last 12 months. However, being a young carer was identified as a factor at end of assessment in 253 episodes of need in Wiltshire in the year ending 31 March 2024.

Services for young carers are monitored through the inspection of local authorities. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how well local authorities in England are delivering their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including those relating to young carers. CQC has published their assessment of Wiltshire Council, rating them Good. It reports that there were no delays in wait times for young unpaid carers needs assessments and that the young unpaid carers offer was well established with robust oversight from senior leaders. Further, Ofsted’s inspection of Wiltshire’s Children’s Services in September 2023 found the overall service to be Outstanding.

The department is aiming to publish national key stage 2 and key stage 4 data for young carers for the first time later this year. Subject to data quality, this will allow comparison of young carers progress and attainment with their peers at local authority level.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of young carers in Wiltshire have received a formal assessment of their needs in the last 12 months.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not have data on the proportion of young carers in Wiltshire who have received an assessment of their needs in the last 12 months. However, being a young carer was identified as a factor at end of assessment in 253 episodes of need in Wiltshire in the year ending 31 March 2024.

Services for young carers are monitored through the inspection of local authorities. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how well local authorities in England are delivering their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including those relating to young carers. CQC has published their assessment of Wiltshire Council, rating them Good. It reports that there were no delays in wait times for young unpaid carers needs assessments and that the young unpaid carers offer was well established with robust oversight from senior leaders. Further, Ofsted’s inspection of Wiltshire’s Children’s Services in September 2023 found the overall service to be Outstanding.

The department is aiming to publish national key stage 2 and key stage 4 data for young carers for the first time later this year. Subject to data quality, this will allow comparison of young carers progress and attainment with their peers at local authority level.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of early release schemes on the safety of domestic abuse survivors in Wiltshire.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.

Eligibility under SDS40 is determined by law and we exempted a number of offences from the measure. Unlike the previous Government’s ECSL scheme, we excluded certain offences connected to domestic abuse. SDS40 offence exclusions include specified offences linked to domestic abuse irrespective of sentence length including stalking, coercive or controlling behaviour and non-fatal strangulation. Our exclusions send a very clear message about how seriously domestic abuse is taken by this Government, which was elected on a landmark pledge to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade. Tackling domestic abuse is a core part of this mission.

However, there is no one offence for domestic abuse, meaning it was not possible to exempt all domestic abusers.

To safeguard victims and their families, SDS40 was introduced with an eight-week implementation period, clear offence-based exclusions, and extensive coordination across the Criminal Justice System. Offenders released under SDS40 are subject to strict licence conditions and close supervision by probation services. Any breach of these conditions can result in immediate recall to custody. We will also recruit a further 1,300 trainee probation officers by March 2026 to ensure probation has the right resource to supervise high risk offenders and meet the growing demands of our justice system.

We have published SDS40 release data as part of the quarterly Offender Management Statistics, in line with the Lord Chancellor’s commitment to transparency: Standard Determinate Sentence (SDS40) release data - GOV.UK.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who (a) have been convicted of offences related to domestic abuse in Wiltshire and (b) may be eligible for early release; and what steps her Department is taking to safeguard (i) victims and (ii) victims' families when domestic abusers are released early.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.

Eligibility under SDS40 is determined by law and we exempted a number of offences from the measure. Unlike the previous Government’s ECSL scheme, we excluded certain offences connected to domestic abuse. SDS40 offence exclusions include specified offences linked to domestic abuse irrespective of sentence length including stalking, coercive or controlling behaviour and non-fatal strangulation. Our exclusions send a very clear message about how seriously domestic abuse is taken by this Government, which was elected on a landmark pledge to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade. Tackling domestic abuse is a core part of this mission.

However, there is no one offence for domestic abuse, meaning it was not possible to exempt all domestic abusers.

To safeguard victims and their families, SDS40 was introduced with an eight-week implementation period, clear offence-based exclusions, and extensive coordination across the Criminal Justice System. Offenders released under SDS40 are subject to strict licence conditions and close supervision by probation services. Any breach of these conditions can result in immediate recall to custody. We will also recruit a further 1,300 trainee probation officers by March 2026 to ensure probation has the right resource to supervise high risk offenders and meet the growing demands of our justice system.

We have published SDS40 release data as part of the quarterly Offender Management Statistics, in line with the Lord Chancellor’s commitment to transparency: Standard Determinate Sentence (SDS40) release data - GOV.UK.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what mechanisms are in place to monitor compliance with (a) licence conditions and (b) restraining orders for early-released offenders in Wiltshire; and what steps she takes to respond to breaches.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.

Eligibility under SDS40 is determined by law and we exempted a number of offences from the measure. Unlike the previous Government’s ECSL scheme, we excluded certain offences connected to domestic abuse. SDS40 offence exclusions include specified offences linked to domestic abuse irrespective of sentence length including stalking, coercive or controlling behaviour and non-fatal strangulation. Our exclusions send a very clear message about how seriously domestic abuse is taken by this Government, which was elected on a landmark pledge to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade. Tackling domestic abuse is a core part of this mission.

However, there is no one offence for domestic abuse, meaning it was not possible to exempt all domestic abusers.

To safeguard victims and their families, SDS40 was introduced with an eight-week implementation period, clear offence-based exclusions, and extensive coordination across the Criminal Justice System. Offenders released under SDS40 are subject to strict licence conditions and close supervision by probation services. Any breach of these conditions can result in immediate recall to custody. We will also recruit a further 1,300 trainee probation officers by March 2026 to ensure probation has the right resource to supervise high risk offenders and meet the growing demands of our justice system.

We have published SDS40 release data as part of the quarterly Offender Management Statistics, in line with the Lord Chancellor’s commitment to transparency: Standard Determinate Sentence (SDS40) release data - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representations she has received from disability and passenger rights organisations in Wiltshire on Great Western Railway’s proposed staffing reductions; and if she will publish a summary of those representations.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Great Western Railway (GWR) are not proposing any staffing reductions in Wiltshire and we have not had any representations from disability and passenger rights organisations on this subject. GWR have confirmed that they will not be bringing forward any changes to ticket office opening hours at the current time.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's timetable is for publishing (a) a full timeline and (b) funding pathway for achieving the target of spending 2.5% of GDP on defence; and what plans he has for infrastructure upgrades at bases in Wiltshire.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The pathway to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence was set out in the Spring Statement earlier this year and will be reflected in the outcome of the second phase of the Spending Review that is due to be finalised on 11 June 2025.

The Defence Housing Strategy, planned for publication later this year, will set out a roadmap to deliver a generational renewal of military accommodation. The main objective is to raise the minimum standard of Armed Forces housing across the MOD estate, including military housing in Wiltshire.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the proposals in Law Commission’s report entitled Modernising Wills Law, published on 15 May 2025.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government has welcomed the Law Commission’s comprehensive report on the law of making a will and will be giving the report careful consideration.

This is the first major review of the law on making wills since the Wills Act 1837, and the reforms proposed by the Law Commission are significant and wide ranging. They deserve detailed consideration. The Government recognises that the current law is outdated, and we must embrace change, but the guiding principle in doing so will be to ensure that reform does not compromise existing freedoms or protecting the elderly and vulnerable in society from undue influence.

The Government will make further announcements in due course, once it has given the report the detailed consideration it deserves.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken with police forces to ensure the accurate collection of data on the abuse of older people; and if she will publish the most recent data held by her Department for Wiltshire.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS), who are responsible for the publication of crime statistics in England and Wales has explored the feasibility of extending the Crime Survey for England and Wales, to cover the population resident in care homes and the use of other sources to improve coverage of elder abuse in its crime statistics. A report on this work has been published and can be found here:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/incorporatingdataoncrimesexperiencedbycarehomeresidentsintocrimestatistics/2023-12-01

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the abuse of older people in included in the upcoming violence against women and girls strategy.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

This Government recognises the devastating impact domestic abuse can have on victims and is committed to tackling abuse in all its forms. We know that whilst anyone can experience domestic abuse, for older victims, abuse may be more hidden or compounded by other age-related issues such as mental or physical ill health. The upcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy will reflect the varied experiences and needs of different victim cohorts.

We are providing Hourglass, a charity dedicated to addressing the neglect and abuse of older people, with £532,121 in 2025-26. This funding represents a 23% uplift to the previous financial year and will provide helpline and advocacy support for older victims across England and Wales.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the regional differences in the potential impact of reductions to the adoption and special guardian support fund; and what steps she is taking to help tackle any identified disparities.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will enable as many children and families as possible to access funding, including in Wiltshire. The department always assesses the impact of changes on vulnerable children. This includes reviewing the equalities impact assessment, which will be made available in the Libraries of both Houses in due course.

Since December 2023, ASGSF applications have required the use of outcomes measurement tools to monitor the impact of ASGSF-funded therapies. Over time, these tools will enable the department and local areas to monitor the long-term impacts of the ASGSF.

The department expects the ASGSF to remain an important source of support for adoptive families across the country, with no regional differences. However, it is not the only source of support. We are funding Adoption England with £8.8 million this year, including to improve adoption support. This includes the establishment of Centres of Excellence as multidisciplinary teams in various regions to provide specialist and therapeutic support to families. We are also making £500 million available to local authorities to roll out Family Help nationally to transform services and transition towards earlier intervention. This will nearly double direct investment in preventative services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing the therapy funding per adopted child in Wiltshire on the mental health and well-being of these children.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will enable as many children and families as possible to access funding, including in Wiltshire. The department always assesses the impact of changes on vulnerable children. This includes reviewing the equalities impact assessment, which will be made available in the Libraries of both Houses in due course.

Since December 2023, ASGSF applications have required the use of outcomes measurement tools to monitor the impact of ASGSF-funded therapies. Over time, these tools will enable the department and local areas to monitor the long-term impacts of the ASGSF.

The department expects the ASGSF to remain an important source of support for adoptive families across the country, with no regional differences. However, it is not the only source of support. We are funding Adoption England with £8.8 million this year, including to improve adoption support. This includes the establishment of Centres of Excellence as multidisciplinary teams in various regions to provide specialist and therapeutic support to families. We are also making £500 million available to local authorities to roll out Family Help nationally to transform services and transition towards earlier intervention. This will nearly double direct investment in preventative services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) evaluate the long-term outcomes of adopted children impacted by the reduction in therapy funding.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will enable as many children and families as possible to access funding, including in Wiltshire. The department always assesses the impact of changes on vulnerable children. This includes reviewing the equalities impact assessment, which will be made available in the Libraries of both Houses in due course.

Since December 2023, ASGSF applications have required the use of outcomes measurement tools to monitor the impact of ASGSF-funded therapies. Over time, these tools will enable the department and local areas to monitor the long-term impacts of the ASGSF.

The department expects the ASGSF to remain an important source of support for adoptive families across the country, with no regional differences. However, it is not the only source of support. We are funding Adoption England with £8.8 million this year, including to improve adoption support. This includes the establishment of Centres of Excellence as multidisciplinary teams in various regions to provide specialist and therapeutic support to families. We are also making £500 million available to local authorities to roll out Family Help nationally to transform services and transition towards earlier intervention. This will nearly double direct investment in preventative services.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made on the Government’s progress in implementing the recommendations of the House of Commons Defence Committee's report entitled Protecting those who protect us: Women in the Armed Forces from Recruitment to Civilian Life, published on 25 July 2021.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 March 2025 to Question 34425 to the hon. Member for Newton Abbot (Martin Wrigley).

Regarding outstanding recommendations from the Report, the new Armed Forces Sexual Harassment Survey has been launched, and the Veterans’ Strategy, to be published later this year, will include a dedicated section on female veterans.

In March I briefed the House of Commons Defence Committee on additional commitments Defence has made: We are improving how the most serious Service Complaints are dealt with quickly, fairly and in a standardised way across the Armed Forces via the establishment of an independent tri-Service team, and we have begun work to develop a Violence Against Women and Girls Taskforce to support the broader government agenda on this important subject.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of an increase in staffing costs in voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations on their ability to provide services for the NHS through integrated care systems.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Within integrated care systems, integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to arrange and provide healthcare services that meet the needs of their populations. Additionally, ICBs work closely with the voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VSCE) sector, which includes the commissioning and delivery of services and, in some cases, by appointing representatives from the VSCE sector to their boards.

The Department has not made an assessment of the potential impact of an increase in staffing costs in VSCE organisations. VCSE organisations, as independent organisations such as charities and social enterprises, are free to develop and adapt their own terms and conditions of employment, which includes pay scales.

It is for those organisations to determine what is affordable within the financial model they operate, and how to recoup any additional costs they face if they choose to utilise the terms and conditions of National Health Service staff on the Agenda for Change contract.

NHS England has issued guidance on the implementation of the 2024/25 pay awards, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/revenue-finance-and-contracting-guidance-for-2024-25/

The Government has also more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that more than half of businesses, including charities, with National Insurance contribution (NIC) liabilities will either gain or see no change next year. The Government is also expanding the eligibility of the Employment Allowance by removing the £100,000 eligibility threshold, to simplify and reform employer NICs so that all eligible employers now benefit. Employers will also continue to benefit from employer NIC reliefs, including for hiring those that are under 21 years old and apprentices under 25 years old, where eligible.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of capital spending since 2015 on the (a) condition and (b) safety of school buildings in Wiltshire.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Since 2015, the department has spent approximately £50 billion on capital investment across England.

£19 billion of that total has supported responsible bodies to invest in the condition of the estate. This is in addition to major rebuilding programmes, including the Priority School Building Programme (532 schools across England, including five in Wiltshire) and the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) (518 schools, including three in Wiltshire).

Since 2010, previous governments have taken capital decisions which have allowed the condition of the school estate to decline significantly. This government is tackling that inheritance, which is why for 2025/26, we have increased condition allocations to £2.1 billion, up from £1.8 billion in 2024/25. More information on these allocations can be found on GOV.UK. We have also committed £1.4 billion for 2025/26 to continue the current SRP. The number of schools in the SRP released for delivery will increase to 100 this financial year. This means work on these schools can begin sooner.

Local authorities in England have been allocated £10.3 billion of basic need funding between 2015/16 and 2027/28, of which Wiltshire Council has been allocated £62.2 million, to provide mainstream school places.

Of the £3.8 billion high needs capital investment since 2018, Wiltshire has been allocated £29 million to create or improve provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Since 2015, over 450 new free schools have opened (not including studio schools or University Technical Colleges (UTC)), and of those, four schools and one UTC have opened in Wiltshire. The UTC has subsequently closed.

From 2021 to 2026, the department’s Condition Data Collection 2 is providing updated data on the condition of schools in England. Findings from Condition Data Collection 1 can be accessed here: https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2285521/details.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much capital funding her Department has provided to schools in (a) Wiltshire and (b) the UK in each year since 2015.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Since 2015, the department has spent approximately £50 billion on capital investment across England.

£19 billion of that total has supported responsible bodies to invest in the condition of the estate. This is in addition to major rebuilding programmes, including the Priority School Building Programme (532 schools across England, including five in Wiltshire) and the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) (518 schools, including three in Wiltshire).

Since 2010, previous governments have taken capital decisions which have allowed the condition of the school estate to decline significantly. This government is tackling that inheritance, which is why for 2025/26, we have increased condition allocations to £2.1 billion, up from £1.8 billion in 2024/25. More information on these allocations can be found on GOV.UK. We have also committed £1.4 billion for 2025/26 to continue the current SRP. The number of schools in the SRP released for delivery will increase to 100 this financial year. This means work on these schools can begin sooner.

Local authorities in England have been allocated £10.3 billion of basic need funding between 2015/16 and 2027/28, of which Wiltshire Council has been allocated £62.2 million, to provide mainstream school places.

Of the £3.8 billion high needs capital investment since 2018, Wiltshire has been allocated £29 million to create or improve provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Since 2015, over 450 new free schools have opened (not including studio schools or University Technical Colleges (UTC)), and of those, four schools and one UTC have opened in Wiltshire. The UTC has subsequently closed.

From 2021 to 2026, the department’s Condition Data Collection 2 is providing updated data on the condition of schools in England. Findings from Condition Data Collection 1 can be accessed here: https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2285521/details.

Celebrating and supporting young carers in Wiltshire

Supporting young Carers in Wiltshire

Reform of NHS dentistry services

Unpaid Care Dashboard

Snares

UK Government recognition of the state of Palestine

Reinstatement of the Winter Fuel Payment

Carers Week 2025

Long covid in children and young people

World Cider Day 2025

Volunteers Week 2025

Dental provision in the South West

Devon Day 2025

Surrey Search and Rescue

Chinese Embassy

Wheelchair-accessible taxis

Opening of Pittyvaich Care Home

Access to Electric Vehicle charging for social housing residents

20th anniversary of Midsomer Norton and Radstock Dial-a-Ride

National leadership and action on vascular and venous disease

Gaza (No. 2)

Protecting children from sexual abuse

Overseas-qualified dentists

Small and medium-sized enterprises in defence procurement

Sanctioning of UK Parliamentarians by Russia

ANZAC Day 2025

Congratulating Prime Minister Mark Carney

Trans+ History Week

UK role in peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Improving equestrian road safety awareness

UK-EU Summit

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