Written questions by Maguire.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the regulatory mandate under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to require (a) the Financial Conduct Authority and (b) LINK to assess the adequacy of (i) account opening, (ii) loan applications, (iii) personal financial advice and (iv) other face‑to‑face banking services.

The Government recognises that the ability to access cash and in-person banking support remains essential for many, which 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 160 are already open. Banking hubs already offer everyday counter services, allowing people and businesses to withdraw and deposit cash, pay bills and make balance enquiries. They also contain dedicated rooms where customers can see community bankers from their own bank to carry out wider banking services. The Government has been working closely with industry and significant progress has been made in enhancing baseline service standards, ensuring customers can access services without the need to bring their own devices and addressing service gaps. Some banks already offer account opening at hubs. Banking hubs are also currently piloting the use of printers, and some are experimenting with Saturday opening hours to better meet the demand for face-to-face banking services. 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 I have committed to publish a Financial Inclusion Strategy later this year which will examine the barriers consumers face in accessing the products they need. This includes a focus on measures to increase access to affordable credit and support financial capability. The Government is committed to ensuring that people can access high-quality, affordable, and suitable financial advice, as well as free-to-access financial guidance, when they need it. HM Treasury works closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the independent regulator of the financial advice market, to ensure that the market works well, competitively, and fairly for both firms and consumers, and that the advice being provided is of high-quality. The Government keeps the regulatory framework under review and works with the FCA to ensure it remains fit for purpose. The Government and the FCA are taking forward proposals for a transformational new regime, Targeted Support, to improve access to consumer support with financial decision-making. Targeted Support would enable financial services firms to suggest appropriate products or courses of action using limited information about a customer and their circumstances. Banking hubs are a voluntary initiative by banks as part of meeting their access to cash obligations, as legislated for in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023. The Government are not minded to review the legislation passed by the previous Government.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of high-density retirement housing schemes in rural areas that do not have corresponding funding for local healthcare infrastructure on demand for (a) GPs, (b) ambulances and (c) other NHS services.

The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and this means we require world class infrastructure across the NHS estate. We recognise the challenges that areas of significant housing and population growth can place on primary care infrastructure.Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning, planning, securing, and monitoring health services within their system boundaries through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The NHS has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including general practices, in each local area. It should take account of population growth and demographic changes associated with new retirement developments, alongside other housing growth.Integrated care systems’ estates infrastructure strategies have been developed to create a long-term plan for future estate requirements and investment for each local area and its needs. These strategies help manage existing estates and take any future requirements into account when considering how best to deliver local services.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with (a) NGOs, (b) non-profit organisations and (c) Surfers Against Sewage on levels of sewage in rivers and seas.

Ministers and officials have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including Surfers Against Sewage, on levels of sewage in rivers and seas. As part of our Plan for Change, we are putting water companies under special measures through our landmark Water (Special Measures) Act, introducing new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bring criminal charges against law breakers.Government is clear that water companies must take swift action to address storm overflow spills through reducing the number of spills from storm overflows by 45% (compared to 2021 levels) by spending £11bn to upgrade over 3,000 storm overflows in England and Wales. The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will recommend reforms to reset the water sector and is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. It is considering a wide range of areas, as set out in the Commission’s Call for Evidence(opens in a new tab). The Commission’s Interim Report was published on 03 June 2025; the report's findings can be found at Independent Water Commission publishes interim findings - GOV.UK. The final report and recommendations will be published later in the summer.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of rural transport infrastructure in North Cornwall constituency.

This Government continues to work at pace to address the transport challenges people face in rural areas like North Cornwall. We recently announced £2.3 billion of Local Transport Grant funding for local authorities over the four-year Spending Review period. This includes more than £24m for Cornwall Council for maintenance and enhancements, such as improving public transport, improving accessibility, and making our streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists. We also confirmed £900 million in annual resource funding for local authorities to maintain and improve vital bus services, such as those helping people to travel in rural areas, at the same time as extending our £3 national bus fare cap until March 2027, to continue supporting cost of living pressures. We look forward to presenting our Integrated National Transport Strategy later this year, which will present a place-based approach to empower local leaders to make appropriate decisions for their areas, including in rural communities.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, if her Department will publish their methodology for (a) calculating and (b) allocation of funding from her'10-year local growth fund to the 350 deprived communities.

On 11 June 2025, the government has announced communities funding for up to 350 places, including the 75 places named in the Plan for Neighbourhoods in March 2025. Within this, 25 trailblazer neighbourhoods will receive up to £20 million over the next decade. We will set out full place selection and methodology in due course.

Whether the Prison Education Service contracts have been agreed; for what reason there was a delay in signing the contracts; and what her planned timetable is for signing the contracts.

The Prisoner Education Service comprises of six different nationally contracted services, including Core Education and Careers Information and Guidance as the two most significant ones by total contract value. To provide some context, there are circa 70 contracts within the Prisoner Education Services at various stages of being launched.To date, the 11 new national Careers Information, Advice and Guidance contracts were successfully launched on 1 April 2025. Additionally, new services, enabling distance learning for Further and Higher Education and prison library services, delivered by Local Authorities and Social Enterprises, also commenced on 1 April 2025.Moreover, contracts have been formally executed for the new digital, web-based screening and assessment tools and for Common Awarding Organisations. Both services shall commence on 1 October 2025.The successful suppliers for Core Education contract will be announced in due course and all details associated with these contracts remain ‘In Commercial Confidence’ until further notice. The Ministry of Justice is satisfied with the timely progress made to date on the Prisoner Education Service as a whole.

Whether contracts agreed with the Prison Education Service will include provision for inflationary increases to budgets for each prison in each year.

The overall budget for the Prisoner Education Service is subject to the Ministry of Justice’s internal annual budget allocations process to set internal budgets following the Spending Review period, so it is not possible to comment on budgets at prison level for future years at present.The indexation provisions in the circa. 70 service contracts within the Prisoner Education Service vary between the services to ensure they are proportionate and relevant to the services being delivered. The most significant contracts by value Core Education and Careers Information, Advice & Guidance currently include provision for an annual indexation of contract prices. The two indices that are used to calculate inflationary increases are as follows:1) Average Weekly Earnings index for staff costs, and2) Consumer Price Index for all non-staff costs.

With reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, if she will publish the full list of the 350 deprived communities that will receive new investment.

The government is setting out a more targeted, long-term local growth funding model across the UK, completing the transition from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This is only one part of our wider regional growth strategy, including our support for devolution, local government funding reform, and significant investment in housing, transport and innovation, ensuring that benefits are felt across the country. The government is investing in up to 350 deprived communities across the UK, to fund interventions including community cohesion, regeneration and improving the public realm. MHCLG will set out more detail in due course.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an independent statutory regulator for High Court enforcement officers.

Whilst most High Court enforcement agencies have already signed up to the Enforcement Conduct Board’s independent voluntary accreditation scheme, the Government believes that it is necessary to take action so that all High Court Enforcement Officers, enforcement agents and agencies are regulated to the same standards and overseen by the same body when using the Taking Control of Goods procedure to enforce debts. A public consultation was launched on 9 June 2025 to explore how best to achieve this. Responses to the consultation will inform legislation to be brought forward as soon as parliamentary time allows.

What recent estimate she has made of the number of County Court Judgments entered by default as a result of claimants using incorrect addresses for service of court documents.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether fines received for environmental breaches are hypothecated back into environmental schemes.

Following the Spending Review, this Government has confirmed that water company fines and penalties will be allocated to projects and programmes across the country which contribute to water quality. Over £100 million in fines levied against water companies since October 2023, as well as future fines and penalties, will be reinvested into projects to clean up our waters which could include local environmental programmes to address pollution.

With reference to her correspondence to the Interim Chair of the Office for Students, dated 19 May 2025, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the reprioritisation of high-cost subject funding away from journalism courses.

We have made difficult decisions, driven by the challenging fiscal inheritance, regarding the allocation of Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) funding. We are protecting support for high-cost subjects that are essential to delivery of our Industrial Strategy and protecting core funding to support access to higher education for disadvantaged groups.Subjects that will no longer receive high-cost subject funding (media studies, journalism, publishing, and information services) are valued by the government, but they are not as expensive to deliver. We acknowledge their importance alongside numerous other subjects that do not attract SPG high-cost subject funding, which include mathematics, history and languages.

What assessment his Department has made of the challenges in the recruitment of (a) General Practitioners and (b) GP nurses in (i) North Cornwall constituency and (ii) rural areas.

We acknowledge the urgent challenge of ensuring that rural areas such as those in North Cornwall have the resources needed to service their patients, and to ensure that patients can access primary healthcare. To address this, we are increasing capacity in general practice by recruiting primary care workforce staff such as nurses and general practitioners through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, ensuring the necessary workforce is in place to provide integrated, patient-centred services.

Media and Sport, what progress her Department has made on the (a) development and (b) implementation of the registration scheme for short-term lets.

DCMS has commenced the second phase of digital development for the short-term lets registration scheme legislated for in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. During this phase, we will test the user interface with a small number of users to ensure our systems and processes are robust and effective, before publicly launching a first version of the scheme. Public testing is planned to start within the next 9 months, with secondary legislation required to enact the scheme.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a guest beer provision as part of the third statutory review and post-implementation review of the Pubs Code and Pubs Code Adjudicator.

The Pubs Code (the Code) applies to large pub-owning businesses with 500 or more tied pubs in England and Wales, covering around 8,000 pubs. The statutory review will consider the operation of the Code and performance of the Pubs Code Adjudicator over the review period and interested parties can submit their views to the call for inputs until 14 August 2025.The government is also currently completing a separate exercise to understand whether there are any barriers to market for small brewers. Interested parties can contact beermarketreview@businessandtrade.gov.uk.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of Water Commission's 2025 interim report findings on (a) dividends and (b) debts of water companies.

The Government is clear that transformative change is needed across the water sector, and will be carefully considering Sir Jon’s preliminary conclusions as outlined in the interim report published on 3 June. The Government will respond to the findings in full once the Commission has produced its final report later this summer. Our response will include a detailed transition plan for the water sector, which will form the basis of future legislation to reset the sector and attract the investment we need to ensure its resilience for decades to come.

If he will consider the potential merits of allocating funding for the (a) building of and (b) supplying of specialised equipment to new, purpose-built dental practices.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards across England.The NHS contracts with independent dental providers, to deliver NHS dental treatment in primary care settings.Dental practices can make decisions on the buildings and specialised equipment which suit their needs, providing they remain compliant with the relevant regulations.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the uptake of HPV vaccines.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Rotherham on 5 March 2025 to Question 31921.

If she will publish her Department's timeline for the (a) development and (b) implementation of the Rural Crime Strategy.

The Government is committed to tackling rural crime, safeguarding rural areas through tougher measures to clamp down on equipment theft, anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and action to prevent fly-tipping.We recognise that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime. That is why we are working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to deliver the next iteration of the Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy, to ensure the government’s Safer Streets Mission benefits every community no matter where they live, including rural communities. This will be published in due course.This joined up approach between government and policing will help ensure the weight of government is put behind tackling rural crimes such as the theft of high value farm equipment and livestock.In addition, we are providing funding of £800,000 in the current financial year to the National Rural and National Wildlife Crime Units. This will ensure these specialist units continue to help police forces tackle rural and wildlife crime, including helping tackle organised theft and disrupting the activities of serious and organised crime groups.Rural communities will also benefit from more local visible policing through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, helping to tackle crimes like anti-social behaviour and county lines which can have a devastating impact on rural life.

Communities and Local Government, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of low housing stock on young families in (a) North Cornwall and (b) other rural areas.

The government recognises the impact of low housing stock on young families in North Cornwall and other rural areas.We are taking decisive action to boost the supply of homes of all tenures and are giving further consideration to what more we can do to promote rural affordable housing and support local authorities to respond to the pressures caused by excessive concentrations of short-term lets and second homes.