Written questions by Maguire.

How many non-resident parents who have repeatedly failed to meet their child maintenance payment obligations have been sent to prison in each of the last five years.

The 2012 child maintenance reforms are designed to increase cooperation between separated parents and to ensure that children receive appropriate financial support. Where family-based arrangements are not suitable, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates a statutory scheme and applies a Payment Compliance strategy to address nonpayment. The CMS uses firm enforcement measures - such as liability orders, deductions from earnings, account deductions, passport and driving licence removal, and, in the most serious cases, imprisonment - when parents who have the means to pay choose not to. These powers are applied proportionately and in the best interests of children, and their deterrent effect ensures that their use remains low. The Department regularly publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics, with the latest statistics available to September 2025. Table 6.2 of the accompanying National tables provides the outcome information where the CMS applied to courts to sanction Paying Parents for non-compliance. The table shows quarterly statistics for both suspended and immediate prison sentences and driving disqualifications for England & Wales and for Scotland, between July 2019 and September 2025.

Whether NHS pension forfeiture provisions apply in cases where a former NHS employee has been convicted of serious criminal offences.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has the power to forfeit some or all NHS Pension Scheme benefits where an individual is convicted of certain offences. This includes individuals who have left National Health Service employment or are retired, provided the offences were committed before pension benefits became payable. The offences are:- an offence in connection with employment that entitled them to be a member of the scheme, which is certified by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care either to have been gravely injurious to the State or to be liable to lead to serious loss of confidence in the public service;- an offence of treason; and/or- one or more offences under the Official Secrets Acts 1911 to 1989 for which the member has been sentenced on the same occasion to a term of imprisonment of, or to two or more consecutive terms amounting in the aggregate to, at least 10 years.NHS pension benefits payable to a surviving partner and/or dependants may be subject to forfeiture if the survivor or dependant has been convicted of the murder, manslaughter, or of any other offence of which unlawful killing of the scheme member is an element.

What guidance he has issued to ICBs on the level of expenditure per capita for dental services.

There is no guidance issued to integrated care boards (ICBs) on the level of expenditure per capita for dental services.ICBs are responsible for commissioning primary care dentistry and receive an annual allocation of funding to secure services to meet the needs of their population.The Government invests approximately £3 billion on primary care dentistry every year. We want 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.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that cost recovery mechanisms within the electricity system do not adversely impact small businesses.

The Department is working closely with Ofgem, who are undertaking a review of how energy system costs are recovered which began with a Call for Input published in July 2025. This review will consider options that make cost recovery fairer and more efficient.

If his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of capacity charges on (a) small and (b) medium sized enterprises.

By law, energy network charging arrangements are a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator. Ofgem has identified the need for significant investment in new electricity network capacity to transform Great Britain’s electricity networks to enable clean power and economic growth. As part of its work to determine the next set of price controls for the electricity transmission and gas transmission and distribution sectors on 4 December, Ofgem conducted analysis of the overall economic impact, which includes an assessment of the direct effects on network charges for both domestic and non-domestic customers. The full impact assessment can be found here: RIIO-3 Final Determinations – Impact Assessment The Government and Ofgem are committed to ensuring that energy costs are recovered fairly, including considering the ongoing role of standing charges.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of increases in electricity capacity charges on (a) consumers and (b) businesses.

By law, energy network charging arrangements are a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator. Ofgem has identified the need for significant investment in new electricity network capacity to transform Great Britain’s electricity networks to enable clean power and economic growth. As part of its work to determine the next set of price controls for the electricity transmission and gas transmission and distribution sectors on 4 December, Ofgem conducted analysis of the overall economic impact, which includes an assessment of the direct effects on network charges for both domestic and non-domestic customers. The full impact assessment can be found here: RIIO-3 Final Determinations – Impact Assessment The Government and Ofgem are committed to ensuring that energy costs are recovered fairly, including considering the ongoing role of standing charges.

Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will consider the potential merits of a financial (a) redress or (b) scheme, for those affected by the Lowermoor Water Poisoning incident.

The Lowermoor incident has previously been investigated, and the most recent report by the Committee on Toxicity was published in 2013. Subsequent legislative changes have created an independent regulator for drinking water quality, which must, by law, be notified of any failures of drinking water quality. Operational changes have also been made to prevent this kind of contamination happening in future.

Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will launch an independent public inquiry into the Lowermoor Water Poisoning with scope to cover (a) the role water privatisation played in the events, (b) the handling of the incident by Government and (c) reports of pressure applied to those affected by the poisoning to settle.

The Lowermoor incident has previously been investigated, and the most recent report by the Committee on Toxicity was published in 2013. Subsequent legislative changes have created an independent regulator for drinking water quality, which must, by law, be notified of any failures of drinking water quality. Operational changes have also been made to prevent this kind of contamination happening in future.

If his Department will consider the potential merits of developing a national roadmap with targets for the development of geothermal energy for (a) heat and (b) power generation.

The Government knows that to achieve net zero, we must look at how we can accelerate the potential of all low carbon technologies including geothermal. However, the UK Geothermal industry is nascent when compared to other heat and power renewable technologies such as heat pumps and offshore wind. While it seems too soon to assign a target, we will keep this under review. We will continue to gather evidence to inform any future decisions on geothermal and the role it can play in decarbonising heat and power.

If his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a ring-fenced budget specifically for geothermal projects in the next round of Contract for Difference funding allocations (AR8).

Auction parameters and budget are set based on a wide range of factors, including an assessment of the potential project pipeline and progress towards decarbonisation targets. The Government will confirm the details of Allocation Round 8 budget and parameters closer to the time.

What steps his Department is taking to improve regulatory support for geothermal energy.

We know there is promising potential for geothermal energy in the UK and particularly as a low carbon source of heat. However, it is too soon to regulate such a small and nascent sector. Therefore there are no immediate plans to make any changes in the regulatory space.

How much funding per capita her Department provided for NHS dentistry in the last financial year.

NHS England is responsible for determining allocations of financial resources to integrated care boards. The dental ringfenced budget is set net of patient charge revenue. It is the total spend for dental, with less expected revenue from patients, and includes primary, secondary, and community dentistry.In 2024/25, the National Health Service dental ringfenced budget was £3.97 billion, and the population of England was assumed to be 62.1 million as per published NHS Technical Guidance. Therefore, the spend per capita was £63.93.In 2025/26, the NHS dental ringfenced budget increased to £4.13 billion. The population of England is assumed to be 63.8 million, as per published NHS Technical Guidance. Therefore, the spend per capita is £64.78.

How much funding per capita her Department provided for NHS dentistry in the 2025-26 financial year.

NHS England is responsible for determining allocations of financial resources to integrated care boards. The dental ringfenced budget is set net of patient charge revenue. It is the total spend for dental, with less expected revenue from patients, and includes primary, secondary, and community dentistry.In 2024/25, the National Health Service dental ringfenced budget was £3.97 billion, and the population of England was assumed to be 62.1 million as per published NHS Technical Guidance. Therefore, the spend per capita was £63.93.In 2025/26, the NHS dental ringfenced budget increased to £4.13 billion. The population of England is assumed to be 63.8 million, as per published NHS Technical Guidance. Therefore, the spend per capita is £64.78.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of high energy costs on households in rural areas that are not connected to the mains gas grid.

The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. This, combined with our Warm Homes Plan to upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run is how we will drive down energy bills and make cold homes a thing of the past. We recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030, including those in rural communities. We are currently supporting rural and off gas grid homes through schemes including the Warm Homes: Local Grant, which is aimed at low income and vulnerable consumers. Support is also available through the Warm Home Discount which has been expanded for this winter, – increasing the total number of households that will receive the discount from 3.2 million to around 6 million.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the taxation of inherited pensions before transfer into trusts on the long-term financial security of disabled beneficiaries.

Certain types of trusts for vulnerable people, including disabled persons trusts, are exempt from inheritance charges which normally apply to other types of trusts. No inheritance tax is charged on payments made to a beneficiary from a disabled persons trust. These are longstanding rules and are not changing. From 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and death benefits payable from a pension will form part of a person’s estate for inheritance tax purposes. This removes distortions resulting from changes that have been made to pensions tax policy over the last decade, which have led to pensions being openly used and marketed as a tax planning vehicle to transfer wealth, rather than as a way to fund retirement. Following these changes, any unused pension funds or death benefits left to a disabled persons trust on the settlor’s death, will therefore be in scope for inheritance tax in the same way as other assets in the settlor’s estate, such as cash or property. This is the longstanding position for assets settled into a disabled persons trust following the settlor’s death. The government estimates that more than 90% of estates will continue to have no inheritance tax liability following these changes and the transferable tax-free nil-rate bands mean that estates can continue to pass on up to £1 million without an inheritance tax liability.

Whether his Department will assess the potential merits of providing funding to upgrade local energy networks to support at-home renewable energy generation in (a) North Cornwall constituency and (b) rural areas.

Government works with Ofgem to ensure grid investment supports all communities, including rural areas. The current electricity distribution price control (RIIO-ED2, 2023-2028) has allowed £22.2bn for upfront investment in low voltage networks, including £3.1bn for network upgrades. For the next price control ED3 (2028 to 2033), Ofgem will use Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs) to inform investment ahead of need and ensure a reliable local power grid fit for the net zero transition. These measures will enable timely upgrades and connections for rural communities, supporting renewable generation and other low-carbon technologies, while maintaining affordability for consumers.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that households in (a) North Cornwall and (b) other rural areas can connect to (i) solar panels and (ii) other renewable energy systems without having to directly fund local grid upgrades where needed.

Under connection charging rules set by Ofgem, domestic connection customers are not liable for any network upgrade costs to accommodate renewable generation up to 3.68kW per phase. For larger systems, the customer may be liable for a proportion of the upgrade costs. The Government works with Ofgem to ensure grid investment supports all communities, including rural areas. In the current electricity distribution network price control, RIIO ED2, Ofgem has allowed £22.2bn for upfront network investment, including £3.1bn for upgrades. The next price control (2028–2033) will require distribution network operators to produce long-term regional network plans.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled Government steps in to save historic rights of way from being lost to the nation, published on 26 December 2024, what her Department's planned timeline is for the (a) planning stages and (b) implementation of the nine new river walks.

The Government has repealed the 2031 cut-off date, safeguarding hundreds of miles of historic rights of way so they remain available for public enjoyment. This change will be formally enacted when parliamentary time allows. The Department plans to designate nine National River Walks across England are progressing. Defra is working with stakeholders to identify suitable locations and develop a delivery mechanism. Several delivery options are under consideration, and further details on planning and implementation will be provided in due course.

If she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of implementing a pilot scheme for banks to provide standardised anti-money laundering checks for use in property transactions.

The requirements for anti-money laundering checks in property transactions are set out in the Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs). The MLRs are not prescriptive in setting out precisely how banks and other regulated firms should undertake anti-money laundering checks, but instead require firms to take a proportionate approach commensurate with their assessment of the risk. Each bank will therefore have its own policies and procedures within this broader framework. The Government keeps the MLRs under periodic review to ensure that requirements remain effective and proportionate for all regulated sectors.

Communities and Local Government, if he will hold discussions with representatives of the legal sector in Cornwall on the consultation entitled Home buying and selling reform, published on 20 October 2025.

On 6 October 2025, the government published two consultations outlining reform proposals to transform home buying and selling. They can be found on gov.uk here and here. Officials in my Department are actively engaging with stakeholders as part of the consultation process, and they would welcome discussions with representatives of the legal sector in Cornwall.