Written questions by Maguire.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed introduction of (a) digital property logbooks and (b) open property data on (i) cyber-security and (ii) fraud.

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. We recognise that robust security and privacy standards will be essential in an increasingly digitalised market. Subject to the outcome of the consultations, we will work with industry to establish and maintain security protocols and approval criteria for providers.

How many trials have been delayed and court days lost because a prisoner has failed to be delivered to the Court by the Prisoner Escort and Custody Services.

The question has been interpreted to mean ineffective trials that do not start on their intended start date and need rescheduling. Trials can become ineffective for many reasons, owing to the action or inaction of stakeholders responsible for producing prisoners to court, or of the courts themselves. Delays or failures to bring prisoners to court are one such reason.Data on trial effectiveness at the criminal courts, by reason for ineffectiveness, is published as part of the Criminal court statistics quarterly series. Applying the “reason” filter in the pivot table in Trial Effectiveness at Criminal Courts document enables the reader to select reasons why trials have been ineffective. Tab 14 shows instances where the defendant’s not having been produced by Prisoner Escort and Custody Services led to an ineffective trial. This includes all instances where a prisoner was not produced on time, regardless of whether the contractor was at fault. The most recent publication can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2025.

Innovation and Technology, what plans her Department has to undertake a Data Protection Impact Assessment on the integration of the digital Veteran Card with GOV.UK One Login.

The Department has undertaken a full Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) for the digital Veteran Card service, which has been signed off by the One Login Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Data Protection Officer (DPO). Further to this, the DPIA has been reviewed by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

If her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of mechanisms for homeowners to seek recourse when land held by the Duchy of Cornwall reverts to Duchy ownership following the insolvency of housing developers.

Homeowners will have such rights of recourse against insolvent corporate developers as exist under the corporate insolvency regime. The Duchy’s policy is to give an appropriate person or body the opportunity to purchase the property formerly owned by insolvent housing developers. Interested parties may also have the right to apply to Court for a vesting order under a variety of routes (the Trustee Act, Law of Property Act or Companies Act for example). For communal or shared land, the Duchy co-operates to see the land is disposed of to interested parties directly or via a vesting order.

How many cases were waiting to be heard in Crown Courts in each circuit in England and Wales on 11 November 2025.

The Ministry of Justice publish quarterly data concerning the open caseload at the Crown Court by geographic breakdown including region and individual courthouse. That data can be found in the ‘Receipts, disposals and open cases in the Crown Court’ tool which is available at the following link: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2025 - GOV.UK. Quarterly caseload data is published at the end of the following quarter, following a process of data validation and analysis. Therefore, the data for July – September will be published at the end of December, and data for November (as requested) will be published at the end of March 2026.While over two-thirds of trials currently listed in the Crown Court have hearing dates set within the coming 12 months, a relatively small proportion have allocated dates further out. This can be for many reasons, but is always allocated under independent judicial direction and supervision. The furthest future trial dates by Region are set out as follows:London: December 2029Midlands: August 2028North East: August 2028North West: August 2028South East: April 2029South West: May 2028Wales: February 2027To improve timeliness in the courts and bring swifter justice for victims, the previous Lord Chancellor asked Sir Brian Leveson to chair an Independent Review of Criminal Courts, to propose once-in-a-generation reform. The first part of the Review has now been published. We will carefully consider Sir Brian’s proposals before setting out the Government’s full response.The information requested around courtroom usage could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The Crown Court operates from 84 buildings across England and Wales, with a core estate of over 500 courtrooms. Most are jury-enabled and suitable for trials, with the remainder supporting other judicial work, such as interlocutory hearings. The wider HMCTS estate — including magistrates’, civil, family, and tribunal rooms — can also be used for Crown Court business when required. As a result, the precise number of rooms available for Crown Court use at any given time is variable.HMCTS’s priority is to ensure all funded sitting days are fully utilised each financial year through active courtroom management. Estate capacity is not a limiting factor: last year, we sat 107,771, representing over 99% of our allocation, and we remain on track to deliver all allocated days this year.Temporary unavailability may arise due to maintenance, but also due to overspill from other trials, alternative judicial activities (such as, box work, civil, family and tribunals hearings, or coroner’s court work), or other legitimate uses (including meetings and video-link sessions). However, these factors do not prevent the Crown Courts from sitting at their funded allocation.

How many Crown Courts in each of the six circuits in England and Wales are not used for five days per week.

The Ministry of Justice publish quarterly data concerning the open caseload at the Crown Court by geographic breakdown including region and individual courthouse. That data can be found in the ‘Receipts, disposals and open cases in the Crown Court’ tool which is available at the following link: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2025 - GOV.UK. Quarterly caseload data is published at the end of the following quarter, following a process of data validation and analysis. Therefore, the data for July – September will be published at the end of December, and data for November (as requested) will be published at the end of March 2026.While over two-thirds of trials currently listed in the Crown Court have hearing dates set within the coming 12 months, a relatively small proportion have allocated dates further out. This can be for many reasons, but is always allocated under independent judicial direction and supervision. The furthest future trial dates by Region are set out as follows:London: December 2029Midlands: August 2028North East: August 2028North West: August 2028South East: April 2029South West: May 2028Wales: February 2027To improve timeliness in the courts and bring swifter justice for victims, the previous Lord Chancellor asked Sir Brian Leveson to chair an Independent Review of Criminal Courts, to propose once-in-a-generation reform. The first part of the Review has now been published. We will carefully consider Sir Brian’s proposals before setting out the Government’s full response.The information requested around courtroom usage could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The Crown Court operates from 84 buildings across England and Wales, with a core estate of over 500 courtrooms. Most are jury-enabled and suitable for trials, with the remainder supporting other judicial work, such as interlocutory hearings. The wider HMCTS estate — including magistrates’, civil, family, and tribunal rooms — can also be used for Crown Court business when required. As a result, the precise number of rooms available for Crown Court use at any given time is variable.HMCTS’s priority is to ensure all funded sitting days are fully utilised each financial year through active courtroom management. Estate capacity is not a limiting factor: last year, we sat 107,771, representing over 99% of our allocation, and we remain on track to deliver all allocated days this year.Temporary unavailability may arise due to maintenance, but also due to overspill from other trials, alternative judicial activities (such as, box work, civil, family and tribunals hearings, or coroner’s court work), or other legitimate uses (including meetings and video-link sessions). However, these factors do not prevent the Crown Courts from sitting at their funded allocation.

How far in advance Crown Court trial dates are being set for each of the six circuits in England and Wales.

The Ministry of Justice publish quarterly data concerning the open caseload at the Crown Court by geographic breakdown including region and individual courthouse. That data can be found in the ‘Receipts, disposals and open cases in the Crown Court’ tool which is available at the following link: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2025 - GOV.UK. Quarterly caseload data is published at the end of the following quarter, following a process of data validation and analysis. Therefore, the data for July – September will be published at the end of December, and data for November (as requested) will be published at the end of March 2026.While over two-thirds of trials currently listed in the Crown Court have hearing dates set within the coming 12 months, a relatively small proportion have allocated dates further out. This can be for many reasons, but is always allocated under independent judicial direction and supervision. The furthest future trial dates by Region are set out as follows:London: December 2029Midlands: August 2028North East: August 2028North West: August 2028South East: April 2029South West: May 2028Wales: February 2027To improve timeliness in the courts and bring swifter justice for victims, the previous Lord Chancellor asked Sir Brian Leveson to chair an Independent Review of Criminal Courts, to propose once-in-a-generation reform. The first part of the Review has now been published. We will carefully consider Sir Brian’s proposals before setting out the Government’s full response.The information requested around courtroom usage could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The Crown Court operates from 84 buildings across England and Wales, with a core estate of over 500 courtrooms. Most are jury-enabled and suitable for trials, with the remainder supporting other judicial work, such as interlocutory hearings. The wider HMCTS estate — including magistrates’, civil, family, and tribunal rooms — can also be used for Crown Court business when required. As a result, the precise number of rooms available for Crown Court use at any given time is variable.HMCTS’s priority is to ensure all funded sitting days are fully utilised each financial year through active courtroom management. Estate capacity is not a limiting factor: last year, we sat 107,771, representing over 99% of our allocation, and we remain on track to deliver all allocated days this year.Temporary unavailability may arise due to maintenance, but also due to overspill from other trials, alternative judicial activities (such as, box work, civil, family and tribunals hearings, or coroner’s court work), or other legitimate uses (including meetings and video-link sessions). However, these factors do not prevent the Crown Courts from sitting at their funded allocation.

Innovation and Technology, whether her Department will assess the potential merits of allowing non-digital verification routes for veterans who do not wish to use GOV.UK One Login in order to obtain a digital Veteran Card.

Individuals must prove their identity through GOV.UK One Login if they would like a digital Veteran Card. They can do this by verifying their identity via the GOV.UK One Login app, web, or at the Post Office. There are currently no plans to introduce a fully non-digital verification route for obtaining a digital Veteran Card because this is designed to be a digital service. For those who do not wish to use or are unable to verify their identity with GOV.UK One Login, it remains possible to apply for a physical Veteran Card by completing a paper application form and submitting it by post.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Data Protection Act 2018 and Article 5 of the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the safeguards to ensure that personal data gathered through the digital Veteran Card service is not shared across Government departments without the explicit consent of the veteran.

The Department has conducted a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) for the digital Veteran Card, approved by the One Login Senior Responsible Officer and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Data Protection Officer, in consultation with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). A Data Sharing Agreement governs processing between the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and ensures that data is only used for its intended and agreed purpose.Personal data is stored locally on the veteran’s mobile device and is only shared when the veteran actively chooses to present their digital card. There is no automatic cross-government data sharing. Veterans retain full control of their data and can delete their card at any time.