Written questions by Maguire.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing transitional financial support for people to train as paramedics under the Plan 2 university-only model, in the context of the availability of apprenticeship pathways for paramedics.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications (a) her department has received to the Slurry Infrastructure Grant Scheme Rounds 1 and 2; (b) have been approved to progress; (c) have been submitted, and; (d) have had grant funding agreements offered.

As of 24 April, the Rural Payments Agency has received: 2,087 applications received (a) to the Slurry Infrastructure Grant Scheme Rounds 1 and 2 – Stage 1 1,175 have been approved (b) to progress to Stage 2 441 applications submitted (c) to the 2nd stage Once these checks are passed the applicant is then invited to submit a Full Application – ‘Stage Three’. 259 Full Applications received to date of which 186 have had (d) grant funding agreements offered.

Food and Rural Affairs, when she intends to launch the third round of the Slurry Infrastructure Grant Scheme.

The Slurry Infrastructure Grant first opened in 2022 and has run for two rounds. The grant supports farmers to build 6-month slurry storage and to cover stores with impermeable covers to reduce ammonia emissions. The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund 2026 grant supports farmers, growers, foresters and contractors to buy equipment and technology that improves productivity, animal health and welfare, and slurry management. Through the Environmental Improvement Plan, published last year, the Government has committed to work with stakeholders to reduce water pollution and ammonia emissions from farming through streamlined regulation and develop detailed proposals on the extension of environmental permitting for dairy and intensive beef farms for consultation. Improved slurry infrastructure, with appropriate capacity and emission reducing features like covers, is one of the mitigation measures that will be considered as we develop these regulatory proposals, as well as the potential for further financial support.

Food and Rural Affairs, what measures she is taking to support farmers with their applications to the Slurry Infrastructure Grant Scheme.

The Slurry Infrastructure Grant Scheme is supported through a range of measures provided by Defra and the Rural Payments Agency. These include cross-department working with Environment Agency (EA) colleagues to address any issues and proactively working with customers to enable the grant funding agreement to be offered. Further contact is due to commence with all customers who have outstanding applications, to provide an update on progress and discuss any concerns they may have.

What assessment his Department has made of (a) the prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) the number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in North Cornwall constituency compared with national averages.

Data is available for emergency finished admission episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the number of FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ for North Cornwall and England, for activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS-commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and provisionally for 2025/26:Westminster Parliamentary Constituency of Residence2024/25 (August 2024 to March 2025)2025/26 (April 2025 to February 2026)North Cornwall810945England612,876676,170Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England. Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s Fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Cornwall is available at the following link:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E06000052/iid/90933/age/314/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

What steps HMRC is taking to help ensure that businesses awaiting VAT repayment(s) receive their funds within an adequate timeframe.

HMRC aims to ensure that businesses receive VAT repayments promptly by applying automated checks when returns are received and undertaking further enquiries only where required. This approach balances the need for timely repayment with appropriate safeguards. HMRC keeps these processes under regular review and actively seeks opportunities to increase efficiency, and cases are handled as a priority to minimise delay and inconvenience for businesses

How many business VAT repayment claims have been outstanding for more than 30 days as of 20/04/2026.

HMRC does not publish figures on VAT repayment claims that are outstanding for more than 30 days or any specific time period, as this could risk providing insight into repayment controls and may be exploited for fraudulent purposes. Such figures would also not reflect the dynamic nature of VAT repayment processing, with cases opening, progressing and resolving on a daily basis.

If she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the processing of VAT repayments to businesses.

Between 1 June to 30 November 2025, HMRC processed around 1.4 million VAT repayment returns, with around 93% paid promptly, within 5 days. As part of its responsibilities for the collection and management of the VAT system, HMRC will select cases where necessary to undertake further enquiries to verify that the repayment is due and correct. These checks are treated as a high priority, and HMRC seeks to resolve any checks as quickly as possible while minimising involvement or inconvenience for businesses.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Housing Ombudsman Service's (a) funding, (b) staffing levels and (c) case management capacity for its caseload and adherence to published timescales.

The Housing Ombudsman is an independent, impartial and free service for social housing residents.My Department remains committed to ensuring it meets its strategic objectives and is delivering value for money.Since 2021 to this year, demand for the Housing Ombudsman’s services will have increased by 500%. We have been working closely with the Ombudsman to ensure it has the resources and capacity need to meet this increasing demand.Following consultation, the Housing Ombudsman published its 2026-27 Business Plan on 15 April. Both the final Business Plan and a consultation response summary can be found on the Housing Ombudsman’s website here.Fees will be increased to £9.64 per home in 2026-27 to deal with ongoing increases in demand. This increase will support the Ombudsman in meeting its KPIs on determination times (90% of high risk cases resolved within four months and 50% of other cases resolved in six months) and will help to reduce the number of their older cases.The Business Plan also makes clear that in 2026-27 the Housing Ombudsman will undertake a discovery exercise on alternative fee models that recognise positive complaint handling to potentially replace the per home charge and will work with my Department to support an earlier consultation.

Whether the Government is working with regulators and professional bodies to strengthen endometriosis education.

The Government acknowledges the importance of ensuring healthcare professionals are adequately trained and educated on women’s health conditions, including endometriosis, and we have taken action to address this.The standard of undergraduate medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), the independent regulator of the medical profession, which set the outcomes and standards expected at undergraduate level. Medical schools are responsible for their curricula. The delivery of these undergraduate curricula must meet the standards set by the GMC, who then monitor and check to make sure that these standards are maintained.The curriculum for specialty training is set by individual royal colleges and faculties. The GMC approves curricula and assessment systems for each training programme. Curricula emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is responsible for publishing the postgraduate curriculum for general practitioners (GPs) and ensuring it remains up to date. The RCGP curriculum covers endometriosis as part of its gynaecology and breast health module.GPs are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. The RCGP has worked with partners, including Endometriosis UK, to develop educational resources relating to endometriosis to support GPs and other healthcare professionals to deliver the best possible care for women, based on the latest evidence.

If she will take legislative steps to ensure kinship carers receive an allowance equivalent to that provided to foster carers.

Kinship carers play a vital role in providing stable, loving homes for children who cannot live with their parents, and the government recognises the significant contribution they make.The department is testing the impact of financial support through the Kinship Zones pilot, including an allowance set at the fostering National Minimum Allowance. This pilot is designed to support up to 5,000 families over the life of the pilot, with over £126 million confirmed for the first two years while we test and learn.The pilot is exploring how this can improve outcomes for children in kinship care and provide greater stability for families. An independent evaluation will track outcomes for carers and children and will inform any future policy decisions.The department is also investing in wider support for kinship families, including ensuring all local authorities publish a kinship local offer and that all kinship carers have access to free information, support and peer group services nationally.

What steps his Department has taken to ensure that endometriosis is consistently and adequately covered in the education and training of healthcare practitioners.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What steps his Department will take to address gaps in endometriosis training in order to reduce delays in diagnosis and improve outcomes.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle increases in the level of kidney disease.

NHS England is delivering a comprehensive programme to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of people with kidney disease. Eight commissioned regional renal clinical networks are implementing the renal service transformation toolkit in collaboration with providers, with a clear focus on improving early diagnosis, slowing disease progression, and reducing the number of patients reaching advanced stages of kidney disease. This work is supported nationally by the Renal Clinical Reference Group.Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease are closely linked, with shared risk factors, as well as being risk factors for each other. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework. As part of its development, officials are also considering opportunities for earlier identification and diagnosis of CKD and are engaging widely to identify the best evidenced interventions.

If he will list the integrated care boards that returned money for unfulfilled NHS dental care.

The Government wants to ensure that every penny we allocate for dentistry is spent on dentistry, and that the ringfenced dental budget is spent on the patients who need it most.Changes to the contract already mean that commissioners can more easily redistribute ringfenced dentistry funding to ensure delivery of dental care, in scenarios where contractors are persistently unable to deliver their National Health Service commitments.We have reduced the NHS dentistry underspend from £392 million in 2023/24 to £36 million in 2024/25. The following table shows the integrated care boards (ICBs) that returned dental allocation to NHS England in 2024/25:RegionICBEast of EnglandBedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICBEast of EnglandNorfolk And Waveney ICBEast of EnglandCambridgeshire And Peterborough ICBMidlandsHerefordshire And Worcestershire ICBMidlandsLincolnshire ICBMidlandsShropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICBMidlandsNorthamptonshire ICBNorth East and YorkshireNorth East and North Cumbria ICBNorth WestCheshire And Merseyside ICBSouth EastKent And Medway ICBSouth EastFrimley Integrated Care ICBSouth EastSussex ICBSouth EastSurrey Heartlands ICBSouth WestSomerset ICBSouth WestCornwall and the Isles of Scilly ICB

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2024 to Question 244 on Dental Services: North Cornwall, what discussions he has had with the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ICB on the proposed innovative access pilot project in Cornwall to support the most vulnerable to see an NHS dentist.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for assessing the needs of their population and ensuring that the relevant dental services are available. The ICB has confirmed a range of measures to increase appointment availability for local residents, including a dental van launched in 2025 that is providing treatment to vulnerable patients, those in rural communities, and those who have been waiting a long time to see a National Health Service dentist.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to Motability mileage allowances on disabled people living in rural areas.

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors. The changes to the leasing package were announced on 26 March and include reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year. Changes only apply to new leases and there are no changes to the mileage allowance of existing leases. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already use less miles than the proposed new mileage allowance. They have acknowledged that there will be an impact on some customers and are considering if the impact can be mitigated in some limited circumstances.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of including Water Hyacinth in the list of Species of Special Concern.

Water hyacinth, along with 65 other non-native species, has been risk assessed and is listed as an invasive non-native species of special concern. The risk assessment for water hyacinth can be found here: https://www.nonnativespecies.org/assets/Uploads/RA_Eichhornia_crassipes_Water_Hyacinthpoc.pdf

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current regulation of property agents in relation to (a) court-ordered property sales, and (b) vulnerable individuals.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 77534 on 17 October 2025 and UIN 113165 on 2 March 2026.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the consultation undertaken on proposed changes to Motability mileage allowances.

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors. The changes to the leasing package were announced on 26 March and include reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year. Changes only apply to new leases and there are no changes to the mileage allowance of existing leases. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already use less miles than the proposed new mileage allowance. They have acknowledged that there will be an impact on some customers and are considering if the impact can be mitigated in some limited circumstances.