Written questions by Brewer.

What steps she plans to take to support people with Family Court cases who are unable to afford legal representation but are not eligible for legal aid.

The Government is already taking steps to ensure that financial hardship does not prevent parents from engaging with the family court system. To support access to justice, the Help with Fees scheme provides full or partial remission of court and tribunal fees for those on low incomes or in receipt of certain benefits. This includes applications made in the family courts such as applications for child arrangement orders.The Ministry of Justice also provides funding to support the delivery of wider legal support services, which provide advice and support to individuals facing social welfare legal problems, including family matters. In 2025-26, the Ministry of Justice will provide over £6 million of grant funding to 60 frontline organisations to improve access to free legal support and information, both in-person and online, and to help people resolve their problems as early as possible. This includes funding for organisations including some local Citizens Advice and Law Centres, as well as AdviceNow, which provides online support on their website across a range of civil, family and tribunal issues.The Government recognises the importance of supporting separating families, where appropriate, to resolve their issues without the need to come to court. The Mediation Voucher Scheme provides up to £500 towards the cost of mediation to help families resolve their child arrangement disputes outside of court, where this is safe and appropriate. The voucher is non-means tested and is available to anyone with a private law dispute relating to children. The scheme will be in place until at least March 2026 and has helped over 44,000 families to date.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward regulations for estate agents to help improve accountability for people who breach ethical standards.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN PQ 49125 on 7 May 2025

What steps his Department is taking to support community energy initiatives in North East Hampshire constituency.

Great British Energy (GBE) will deliver a step change in investment in local and community energy projects, putting communities at the heart of the energy transition as owners and partners in clean energy projects across the UK. In 2025/26, we have made £5 million available in grant funding through the GBE Community Fund to support community energy groups in helping communities develop their own clean energy projects, delivered through the Greater Southeast Local Net Zero Hub for initiatives in Northeast Hampshire. The latest application round closed on the 7th July.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of making misogyny a hate crime.

Tackling misogyny, both online and offline, is central to our mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade. We will address the drivers and root causes of VAWG as part of our upcoming cross-Government Strategy, due to be published in September.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that survivors of (a) domestic violence and (b) stalking are given (i) regular and (ii) timely updates on their case to equip them to safeguard themselves from further risk.

Tackling violence against women and girls is a top priority for this Government and our manifesto set out an unprecedented mission to halve it in a decade.The Victims' Code is statutory guidance that sets out the minimum level of service that victims of crime should receive from the criminal justice system. The Victim's Code includes the Right for a victim to be provided with updates on their case and to be told when important decisions are taken. If their case goes to court, the victim also has the Right to be told the time, date and location of any hearing and the outcome of those hearings in a timely way. Furthermore, the Victim's Code includes the Right to be told the outcome of the case and, if the defendant is convicted, to be given an explanation of the sentence.The Government will consult on a new Victims' Code in due course to ensure that we get the foundations for victims right. We will also spend time developing the right framework for oversight of the delivery of the Code this year, making sure we make the most effective use of data and get the metrics right.Additionally, through the Crime and Policing Bill, the Government is introducing provisions to issue multi-agency statutory guidance on stalking. This will set out, for the first time, a robust framework for how agencies such as the police, local authorities and healthcare should work together to pursue perpetrators and support victims. The Government is also introducing statutory guidance to set out the process by which the police should release identifying information about online stalking perpetrators to victims so appropriate safeguards can be put in place.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the annual investment in partnership projects to improve chalk catchments will support the National Chalk Stream Restoration Strategy.

Over the next five years water companies will spend more than £2 billion to deliver over 1,000 actions for chalk stream restoration and reduce their abstraction from chalk streams by 126 million litres per day. The Government is investing £1.8 million through the Water Restoration Fund and Water Environment Improvement Fund into chalk stream projects for locally-led chalk stream clean-up projects across affected regions. This funding is going to essential local project, to deliver real improvements to chalk streams. In 2025/26, South East Rivers Trust are receiving £25,000 from the Environment Agency’s Chalk Partnership Fund for the ‘Fish Recovery on the Whitewater’ project. This will enable the development of a fish recovery plan, focusing on improved fish passage and resilience to low flows. At Basingstoke Wastewater Treatment Works on the River Loddon, a reduction in phosphorous discharge to 0.25mg/l is planned for delivery by 2030, with storm overflow improvements following in future AMP cycles to meet government targets.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to implement the recommendations in the Chalk Stream Recovery Pack for the (a) Loddon, (b) Whitewater and (c) Lyde rivers in North East Hampshire constituency.

Over the next five years water companies will spend more than £2 billion to deliver over 1,000 actions for chalk stream restoration and reduce their abstraction from chalk streams by 126 million litres per day. The Government is investing £1.8 million through the Water Restoration Fund and Water Environment Improvement Fund into chalk stream projects for locally-led chalk stream clean-up projects across affected regions. This funding is going to essential local project, to deliver real improvements to chalk streams. In 2025/26, South East Rivers Trust are receiving £25,000 from the Environment Agency’s Chalk Partnership Fund for the ‘Fish Recovery on the Whitewater’ project. This will enable the development of a fish recovery plan, focusing on improved fish passage and resilience to low flows. At Basingstoke Wastewater Treatment Works on the River Loddon, a reduction in phosphorous discharge to 0.25mg/l is planned for delivery by 2030, with storm overflow improvements following in future AMP cycles to meet government targets.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to (a) understand and (b) help tackle the threats posed by artificial intelligence to young people through social media platforms.

Protecting children is at the heart of the Online Safety Act.The Act’s duties apply to AI generated content in the same way as to ‘real’ content - AI generated content is regulated where it is shared on an in-scope service and is either illegal content or content which is harmful to children. In-scope services will be required to assess the risk of harm to users from this content and implement measures to manage and mitigate this risk.Government is clear that we will not hesitate to build on the Act where necessary when it comes to keeping children safe.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the reduction of face to face banking options for all customers who find digital and telephone banking difficult to access.

Although digital banking is now widely used, with 93% of people making use of mobile or online services last year, the Government recognises that the ability to access cash and in-person banking support remains essential for many. This is why we have secured the industry’s commitment to roll out 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament, ensuring that access to face-to-face banking is protected. Over 230 hubs have been announced so far, and over 170 are already open. An alternative option to access in-person banking services is via the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK. The Government protects the Post Office network by setting minimum access criteria. These include ensuring that 99% of the UK population lives within three miles of a Post Office and 90% of the population within one mile. More widely, ensuring individuals have access to the appropriate financial products and services they need is a key priority for the Government. That is why we have committed to publish a Financial Inclusion Strategy later this year which will examine the barriers consumers face in accessing the products they need.

Whether he is taking steps to support the re-opening of Basingstoke Post Office.

The Government is committed to strengthening the post office network, in consultation with postmasters, trade unions and customers. It provides critical services that are valued by communities across the whole of the UK.Although there will be variations in the number of branches open at any one time, the Post Office works to restore service to the community when a branch closes. The time this can take will vary depending on the individual local circumstances in each case.Regarding Basingstoke Post Office, we understand that the Post Office plans to reopen the branch on 11 August.

With reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, whether she plans to allocate more funding to police forces to help them reduce the time taken to allocate police officers to investigate reported crimes.

Chief Constables are responsible for determining the allocation of resources for operational policing and managing their response times, in line with the priorities set out by their Police and Crime Commissioner.His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services regularly reports on the effectiveness of forces’ investigations as a part of its Police Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy inspections.

What discussions she has had with police forces on the adequacy of the time taken for police officers to be allocated to investigate reported crimes.

Chief Constables are responsible for determining the allocation of resources for operational policing and managing their response times, in line with the priorities set out by their Police and Crime Commissioner.His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services regularly reports on the effectiveness of forces’ investigations as a part of its Police Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy inspections.

What steps she is taking to increase awareness of (a) coercive control. (b) financial abuse and (c) other forms of non physical domestic abuse.

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 introduced a statutory definition of domestic abuse, encompassing not only physical violence but also emotional, coercive, and controlling behaviour, and economic abuse. The statutory guidance on controlling or coercive behaviour (CCB), issued to police forces and other statutory agencies, recognises economic abuse as a type of CCB.We have taken strong action against those who commit CCB. Offenders sentenced to a minimum of 12 months for coercive behaviour are now managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), ensuring coordinated information sharing among enforcement agencies to prevent reoffending.This year, the Government has provided £200,000 of funding for Surviving Economic Abuse to develop resources and training for businesses and charities to identify and support victims of economic abuse.These measures are part of our ambitious mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, details of which will be set out in the VAWG Strategy later this year.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Building Safety Act on the (a) qualified and non-qualified status of flats, (b) the length of remediation projects and (c) the level of cost associated with the need to apply for deeds of certificates.

The Building Safety Act 2022 (the Act) provided protections for certain leaseholders from the costs of remedying certain historical safety defects which might otherwise be recovered from leaseholders via the service charge. The definition of “qualifying lease” is in Section 119 of the Act and defined protection from 14 February 2022. The department keeps under review the impact of the Act on leaseholders, regardless of the status of their leases (qualifying or non-qualifying). The Act put in place a statutory framework to protect residents and ensure buildings were remediated. Where remediation is needed and not progressing, remediation orders, defined in Section 123 of the Act, can be applied for. They provide a route against a relevant landlord for interested persons (e.g. leaseholders) to obtain remediation of a building with a relevant defect. The leaseholder protections under the Act prevent internal defect remediation costs from falling disproportionately on leaseholders, which might otherwise slow remediation. We are confident that the Act is not delaying progress with regards to the length of time remediation takes to be completed. Under regulations following the Act, the leaseholder deed of certificate (LDC) is used to confirm whether a leaseholder qualifies for protections under the Act. Leaseholders cannot be charged to complete the deed of certificate by the landlord. A deed of certificate can be completed by the leaseholder without professional support. There might be, however, a small charge to access the necessary HM Land Registry documents that may be required as evidence.

What steps his Department is taking to help tackle medicine shortages in (a) North East Hampshire constituency and (b) other rural areas for (i) Parkinson's, (ii) epilepsy and (iii) other chronic conditions.

The Department is working with industry to help resolve intermittent supply issues with some epilepsy and Parkinson’s Disease medications. As a result of ongoing activity and intensive work, including directing suppliers to expedite deliveries, most issues have been resolved.We are currently aware of an ongoing supply issue with all strengths of topiramate tablets, used to manage epilepsy, from one manufacturer. This supply issue is expected to resolve by the end of August 2025. Alternative suppliers have sufficient supply to support patients. We have issued management guidance to the National Health Service.We are also aware of a shortage of phenobarbital 15 milligram tablets and phenobarbital 15 milligram/5 millilitre elixir from two different manufacturers; these are also used to manage epilepsy. Resupply dates are yet to be confirmed for phenobarbital 15 milligram tablets, and the elixir issue is expected to resolve by late June 2025. Management guidance has been issued to the NHS for both formulations. In both cases, alternative suppliers are in stock with sufficient supply to support patients.The Department is aware of supply constraints with amantadine 100 milligram capsules used in the management of Parkinson’s Disease, however stocks remain available from alternative suppliers to cover demand. The Department have also been notified of a discontinuation of Apomorphine (APO-go PFS) 50 milligram/10 millilitre pre-filled syringes from April 2025. Alternative formulations of apomorphine remain available for patients and management guidance has been issued to the NHS. The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within North East Hampshire and other rural areas is not held centrally.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department has taken to (a) implement the recommendations made by the Leveson Inquiry and (b) support victims of press misinformation.

The Leveson Inquiry led to the establishment of a strengthened, self-regulatory system for the press, this includes the creation of the Press Recognition Panel, by Royal Charter. There are also two press regulators, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and the Independent Monitor of the Press (Impress), while other publishers, including the Financial Times and the Guardian, have chosen to stay outside either regulator with their own detailed self-regulatory arrangements.This self-regulatory system is important for press freedom, but with this freedom comes responsibility. Newspapers must operate ethically and within the bounds of the law. This includes ensuring that members of the public are able to raise concerns about inaccurate reporting through clear, timely and effective routes to redress. If the public wishes to raise concerns about press reporting, they can do so via the relevant regulator. These regulators enforce codes of conduct which provide guidelines on a range of areas, including discrimination, accuracy, privacy, and harassment. If they find that a newspaper has broken the code of conduct, they can order corrections.The news and media landscape has moved on significantly since the Leveson Inquiry and we need to address the wider challenges in the digital age, including mis and disinformation. The Government’s priority is seeing an independent, thriving and plural press, where journalists are safe and able to report on stories in the public interest and that matter to communities, so that traditional news sources continue to be rated high on trust, accuracy, and impartiality.

What steps he is taking to ensure that (a) scans, (b) medical records and (c) treatment plans are transferred effectively between medical centres in (i) Hampshire and (ii) Surrey.

Ensuring that information on diagnoses and treatment can be shared between services is vital to the provision of safe and effective health care. Improving this will enable enhanced quality of care and safety for patients, and better informed clinical and care decision-making empowered by access to precise and comprehensive information.The Connecting Care Records programme joins up information based on the individual, rather than through a single organisation. Through targeted investment, local Connecting Care Record systems have been established in all integrated commissioning board areas. 97% of trusts and 92% of primary care networks are now connected. Across the Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care System there is extensive sharing to support care between acute providers and general practitioners through the patient record systems. Local transformation activities are underway that will support local ambulance providers in being able to access shared records in the coming weeks, and which will support more comprehensive sharing of care plans over the coming months.As you may also be aware, NHS England has been supporting National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts in acquiring and developing the effectiveness of their electronic patient records, and support is available to bring trusts to an optimum level of digital maturity, which will further reduce barriers to the sharing of information needed to treat patients. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/data-and-clinical-record-sharing/My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has announced the development of a single patient record to provide a comprehensive patient record and to end the need for patients repeating their medical history when interacting with the NHS.

How many applications for war pensions which were denied were subsequently overturned on appeal in each of the last three years.

The number of overturned War Pension entitlement appeals from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2024: Financial Year2021-222022-232023-24Allowed130125110 Sources: War Pensions Computer System (WPCS)Figures include both first claims to pension and further condition claims.By financial year the tribunal decision was made.Numbers rounded to the nearest 5 in line with the WPS Accredited Official Statistic.Data for financial year 2024/25 is scheduled for release on 3 July 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make his policy to direct bilateral Official Development Assistance spending in Pakistan towards marginalised groups.

In Financial Year 24/25, the UK delivered over £100 million of bilateral ODA in Pakistan in different sectors including Health, Education, Climate, Human Rights and Economic growth. All our development programmes are well aligned with the sustainable development goals (SDGs), which expressly seeks to address the needs of marginalised groups, emphasising inclusivity and aiming to leave no one behind.

If she will make an assessment of the accuracy of the Child Maintenance Service system for assessing payments for (a) paying and (b) receiving parents.

Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the latest tax year available. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Any income subject to income tax, including bonuses and overtime received by an employed paying parent, is included within their gross weekly income when calculating a child maintenance liability.For self-employed paying parents, the gross income used in a maintenance calculation is provided by HMRC in the first instance. HMRC will provide details of the gross taxable profit of the paying parent's business, for the most recent complete tax year.The scheme relies on HMRC to provide accurate income information that aligns with tax legislation in order to make a child maintenance calculation, according to generally applicable rules.In the event a receiving parent believes a paying parent’s earnings are not captured in the standard calculation using HMRC gross income data, they can apply for a variation, under which certain other categories of income can be considered.Cases involving complex income can be investigated by the Financial Investigation Unit. This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions (such as banks, investment companies and mortgage companies) to check the accuracy of information that the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is given. If any discrepancies are found, then they can implement a correct maintenance liability that is supported by CMS legislation.