Written questions by Maguire.

What steps her Department is taking to improve transparency for homeowners on the terms under which (a) communal and (b) shared land may revert to the Duchy of Cornwall in the event of developers' insolvency.

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.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of reducing cheque deposit services at post offices on people in rural areas.

The Government recognises the important role the Post Office plays in providing essential banking services, particularly in rural areas. The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance and pay bills at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK. Furthermore, the Post Office is required by the Department for Business & Trade to ensure that 95% of the total rural population across the UK is within 3 miles of their nearest Post Office. Decisions about what services are available at the Post Office, such as cheque deposits, are made by the banks as part of their commercial arrangements. Customers continue to have other options for paying in cheques, whether at local bank branches, by post, or digitally via mobile apps using cheque imaging technology.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of communities in rural areas providing (a) subsidised premises and (b) other local incentives to support the establishment of new NHS dental practices in areas of extremely low NHS dentist availability.

We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist particularly in more rural areas such as North Cornwall.The NHS contracts with independent dental providers to deliver NHS dental treatment in primary care settings. Dental practices are businesses and can decide how they operate, providing they remain compliant with the appropriate regulations. Providers are able to make choices about how they operate within the terms of the contract, including choice over the dental laboratory suppliers and premises they use providing they remain compliant.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to commission primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local populations and to determine the priorities for investment including local incentives. NHS England has published guidance to support commissioners to take advantage of the opportunities offered to commission further and additional services through flexible commissioning which enables the responsible commissioner to tailor services to meet local population oral health needs. Further information can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/opportunities-for-flexible-commissioning-in-primary-care-dentistry-a-framework-for-commissioners/ICBs are recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

If he will publish guidance for (a) town and (b) parish councils on the steps they can take to encourage NHS dental providers to open new practices in areas with (i) limited and (ii) no access to NHS dentistry.

We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist particularly in more rural areas such as North Cornwall.The NHS contracts with independent dental providers to deliver NHS dental treatment in primary care settings. Dental practices are businesses and can decide how they operate, providing they remain compliant with the appropriate regulations. Providers are able to make choices about how they operate within the terms of the contract, including choice over the dental laboratory suppliers and premises they use providing they remain compliant.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to commission primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local populations and to determine the priorities for investment including local incentives. NHS England has published guidance to support commissioners to take advantage of the opportunities offered to commission further and additional services through flexible commissioning which enables the responsible commissioner to tailor services to meet local population oral health needs. Further information can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/opportunities-for-flexible-commissioning-in-primary-care-dentistry-a-framework-for-commissioners/ICBs are recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of recent (a) Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and (b) other fisheries support schemes funding rounds on the equitableness of allocations between fishing business of different sizes including (a) larger, (b) smaller and (c) independent fishing businesses; and whether she will incorporate the lessons learned into future such funding rounds.

Defra carries out independent evaluation of all fishing and seafood sector grant schemes to ensure lessons are learned, including on the suitability of application processes. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) administered the Seafood Innovation Fund (SIF) under the UK Seafood Fund (UKSF). Evaluation of the UKSF is ongoing and Cefas are currently supporting this. To improve access to the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme for all businesses, an annual cap was introduced to try to distribute support more equitably and enable more applicants to secure funding. Looking ahead, we will look to incorporate lessons learned into the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, and Defra officials are now in the process of engaging with industry to help with the design of the fund and to make the application process as fair for all stakeholders, including small inshore fishing businesses. We are aware that small inshore fishing businesses can require more time and support with funding applications, so these are factors we will take into consideration when setting up the fund.

What steps his Department is taking to strengthen enforcement against non-resident parents who repeatedly fail to meet their child maintenance payment obligations.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is estimated to keep around 120,000 children out of poverty each year. CMS acknowledges the significant impact that missed or partial child maintenance payments can have on both children and resident parents. Changes have been implemented to systems to identify at-risk cases allowing caseworkers to intervene at the earliest opportunity where a partial payment is made and before payments stop. The CMS has taken steps to strengthen enforcement against non-resident parents who repeatedly fail to meet their child maintenance obligations. These powers allow the CMS to instruct an employer to deduct maintenance directly from the paying parent's wages, take money directly from a paying parent’s bank or building society account. If the paying parent is on certain benefits, deductions can be made at source. CMS can also apply to the courts for a Liability Order which legally means the debt is legally recognised, allowing CMS to take further enforcement actions such as:Bailiff actionCharging orders on propertyDisqualification from holding a driving licence.Committal to prison in extreme cases.As part of a broader strategy, to ensure consistent financial support for children, the government is reforming the system to eliminate Direct Pay and expand the Collect and Pay service to improve compliance and reduce financial hardship for resident parents and children.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of quota allocations for (a) bass, (b) horse mackerel and (c) other species for inshore fishers in (i) Cornwall and (ii) the South West.

The UK's allocations of quota stocks (including horse mackerel) are derived from fixed shares of total allowable catches (TACs), which the UK sets via negotiation with other coastal States. Our approach to setting TACs is based on the best available scientific advice and informed by close engagement with industry. The needs of inshore fishers in Cornwall and the wider South West, as well as other sectors of the fishing industry across the UK, are carefully considered when UK positions are developed for fisheries negotiations. Bass is a non-quota stock and not subject to quota allocations. The catching of bass is subject to ICES advice on what can be sustainably removed, management measures and gear restrictions. Hook and line is the only authorised targeted fishery, within specific catch limits. Bass may also be landed as bycatch when caught in fixed gillnets or trawls and seines, also within specific catch limits. Other non-quota species are not subject to quota allocations.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the suitability of the application process for (a) Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science funding and (b) other fisheries support schemes to small inshore fishing businesses including due to (i) time availability and (ii) other capacity constraints.

Defra carries out independent evaluation of all fishing and seafood sector grant schemes to ensure lessons are learned, including on the suitability of application processes. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) administered the Seafood Innovation Fund (SIF) under the UK Seafood Fund (UKSF). Evaluation of the UKSF is ongoing and Cefas are currently supporting this. To improve access to the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme for all businesses, an annual cap was introduced to try to distribute support more equitably and enable more applicants to secure funding. Looking ahead, we will look to incorporate lessons learned into the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, and Defra officials are now in the process of engaging with industry to help with the design of the fund and to make the application process as fair for all stakeholders, including small inshore fishing businesses. We are aware that small inshore fishing businesses can require more time and support with funding applications, so these are factors we will take into consideration when setting up the fund.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) missed or (b) partial child maintenance payments on (i) children and (ii) resident parents.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is estimated to keep around 120,000 children out of poverty each year. CMS acknowledges the significant impact that missed or partial child maintenance payments can have on both children and resident parents. Changes have been implemented to systems to identify at-risk cases allowing caseworkers to intervene at the earliest opportunity where a partial payment is made and before payments stop. The CMS has taken steps to strengthen enforcement against non-resident parents who repeatedly fail to meet their child maintenance obligations. These powers allow the CMS to instruct an employer to deduct maintenance directly from the paying parent's wages, take money directly from a paying parent’s bank or building society account. If the paying parent is on certain benefits, deductions can be made at source. CMS can also apply to the courts for a Liability Order which legally means the debt is legally recognised, allowing CMS to take further enforcement actions such as:Bailiff actionCharging orders on propertyDisqualification from holding a driving licence.Committal to prison in extreme cases.As part of a broader strategy, to ensure consistent financial support for children, the government is reforming the system to eliminate Direct Pay and expand the Collect and Pay service to improve compliance and reduce financial hardship for resident parents and children.

How many prisoners have been wrongly released from HM Prisons since July 2024 were still at large on 1 November 2025.

As the Deputy Prime Minister set out in his statement on 11 November, on that day we were aware of three releases in error from prison where the offenders were at large. We were also investigating a further case of a potential release in error on 3 November of a person who may have still been at large.Lord Timpson in his statement on 13 November confirmed that the potential case was indeed a release in error and the individual was swiftly returned to policy custody on the same day and returned to prison the following morning and that one of the three releases in error has now been classified as a lawful release.These are operational matters; the position changes quickly. We will not offer further running commentary on Releases in Error; further breakdowns will be published in the normal way through our regular statistics and Dame Lynne Owens will be looking at data and transparency as part of her independent investigation.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of abolishing the Vehicle Excise Duty exemption for classic cars on owners of (a) classic and (b) heritage vehicles.

The Government annually reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the application of Vehicle Excise Duty on (a) new and (b) existing electric vehicles from 1 April 2025 on the (i) affordability and (ii) trends in the level of ownership of (A) electric and (B) zero emission vehicles.

Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is a tax on vehicles used or kept on public roads. As announced by the Government at Autumn Statement 2022, from April 2025, zero emission and hybrid cars, vans and motorcycles now pay VED in a similar way to petrol and diesel vehicles. Revenue from motoring taxes helps ensure we can continue to fund the vital public services and infrastructure that people and families across the UK expect. The Tax Information and Impact Note published alongside Autumn Finance Bill 2022 estimated the impact on zero emission vehicle take-up of the measure to be ‘minimal’. It can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-vehicle-excise-duty-for-zero-emission-cars-vans-and-motorcycles-from-2025/introduction-of-vehicle-excise-duty-for-zero-emission-cars-vans-and-motorcycles-from-2025 The Government is committed to supporting the transition to zero emission vehicles. On 15 July the Government announced a major boost to the electric vehicle transition with the introduction of the £650m Electric Car Grant, supporting drivers purchasing zero emission vehicles with grants of up to £3,750.

How many prisoners have been wrongly released from prison since July 2024.

Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government.While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those releases in error that do occur – including through improved staff training and establishing a new specialist unit. A joint protocol between HMPPS and NPCC is in place, to ensure effective and timely communication between partner agencies when an individual is released in error to rearrest them as quickly as possible.We have gripped this chaos – by building more prison places, ending the last Government’s early release scheme, being transparent with the public, immediately making changes to sentences to ease pressure on the system and now, taking landmark reforms through our Sentencing Bill to make sure that prisons never run out of places again.Totals for releases in error are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via Prison and Probation Performance Statistics - GOV.UK, and provide data up to March 2025.The number of people who have been released in error since April 2025 cannot be provided because it would form a subset of releases in error data which underpins future versions of these Official Statistics.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of delaying the full implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme to review its impact on small producers of glass-packaged beverages to ensure the scheme does not undermine the (a) environmental and (b) economic sustainability of the sector.

Packaging extended producer responsibility is an important part of government’s wider commitment to transition to a circular economy. It is the cornerstone of the packaging reforms and delivers a £1.4 billion investment to local councils to deliver better recycling services to households across the UK. Together, the leaders of the UK’s largest waste management companies have said that these reforms unlock a £10 billion investment in the UK’s recycling capacity, creating 25,000 jobs. pEPR in the UK has some of the most generous support measures for small businesses across any packaging scheme globally. These are exemptions from disposal fee and recycling (PRN) obligations for producers with an annual turnover below £2 million and packaging tonnage below 50 tonnes; and an exemption from data collection and reporting obligations for small businesses with turnover below £1 million and packaging tonnage below 25 tonnes. These exemptions apply to approximately 70% of businesses supplying packaging in the UK. The Government is committed to the delivery of these important reforms.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme’s glass packaging fees on the competitiveness of small and medium-sized beverage producers that rely predominantly on glass.

In autumn last year my department published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme on packaging producers as a whole, when the regulations were laid in parliament. This impact assessment includes an analysis of the impact of pEPR on competition but does not include an assessment of the impact on specific materials or sectors. pEPR in the UK has some of the most generous support measures for small businesses across any packaging scheme globally. These are exemptions from disposal fee and recycling (PRN) obligations for producers with an annual turnover below £2 million and packaging tonnage below 50 tonnes; and an exemption from data collection and reporting obligations for small businesses with turnover below £1 million and packaging tonnage below 25 tonnes. These exemptions apply to approximately 70% of businesses supplying packaging in the UK.

What the agreed timescale is for HMRC to (a) process and (b) refund PAYE payments; and whether HMRC is meeting that timescale.

There are several triggers that result in PAYE repayments. Where a customer submits a PAYE repayment claim, these are treated as priority post. HMRC have an agreed and published service standard to respond to 80% of priority post within 15 working days. HMRC’s performance has improved from 68.6% in April 2025 to 81% in August 2025. Repayments can also be generated by the provision of updated information from third parties, including employers, and following the tax year end reconciliation of customer accounts. At the tax year end, HMRC proactively check customers have paid the correct amount of tax and this can result in repayments. HMRC aim to complete this reconciliation by the end of the tax year and did this for over 99% of customers last year. Where a PAYE repayment is due, HMRC provides the customer with the calculation of repayment (form P800) and, where eligible, invites them to go online to receive the payment electronically. Where customers claim PAYE repayments online direct to their bank account, HMRC aim to process these within 5 working days. In 2024/25, 99.2% were processed within this timeframe. In more complex cases, for example where the calculation involves multiple tax years, HMRC will automatically send the customer their refund as a payable order within 14 days.

Whether his Department plans to legislate to protect the rights of children to communicate with (a) grandparents and (b) others members of extended family in cases where (i) one and (ii) both parents seek to prevent such contact.

I acknowledge and respect that grandparents and other extended family members often play an important role in children’s lives and can provide stability in families, particularly where parents are separating.Any contact with the child should always be in their child's best interests. This is why there is no statutory right for any adult to have contact with a child. It is already possible for extended family members to seek leave of the court to apply for ‘spending time with’ or ‘living with’ arrangements through a Child Arrangements Order under Section 8 of the Children Act 1989 (‘the Act’). The requirement for grandparents or others to seek the leave of the court first is to ensure that their application is in the child's best interests; but in certain circumstances, applicants may be entitled to apply without the leave of the court under section 10 (5) of the Act. These circumstances include where the child has lived with them for a period of at least three years. Therefore, the Government has no current plans to legislate further on this issue.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of standardising complaint procedures for (a) schools and (b) trusts to ensure that (i) parents and (ii) guardians have the same opportunity to access those procedures.

The department is working closely with the Improving Education Together group to improve the complaints system. We are exploring how to reset the relationship between schools and parents through encouraging informal resolution, reducing duplication, and clarifying roles and responsibilities. Where schools cannot resolve complaints, they should be passed quickly to the right body. We expect to provide more detail in the Schools White Paper.The department has published best practice guidance for maintained schools and academies, including model complaints policies, and this can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-complaints-procedures and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-up-an-academies-complaints-procedure/best-practice-guidance-for-academies-complaints-procedures.Complaints can be escalated to the department once a school’s process has been exhausted, unless the complainant has been obstructed. Once received, officials check whether the school’s complaints policy complies with relevant guidance and regulations.The department values the dedication and expertise of the school workforce and is committed to working with them to re-establish teaching as an attractive, expert profession.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of assessing (a) schools' and (b) trusts' complaint procedures to ensure that the complaint process is adequately (i) accessible and (ii) understandable.

The department is working closely with the Improving Education Together group to improve the complaints system. We are exploring how to reset the relationship between schools and parents through encouraging informal resolution, reducing duplication, and clarifying roles and responsibilities. Where schools cannot resolve complaints, they should be passed quickly to the right body. We expect to provide more detail in the Schools White Paper.The department has published best practice guidance for maintained schools and academies, including model complaints policies, and this can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-complaints-procedures and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-up-an-academies-complaints-procedure/best-practice-guidance-for-academies-complaints-procedures.Complaints can be escalated to the department once a school’s process has been exhausted, unless the complainant has been obstructed. Once received, officials check whether the school’s complaints policy complies with relevant guidance and regulations.The department values the dedication and expertise of the school workforce and is committed to working with them to re-establish teaching as an attractive, expert profession.

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the costs of hospital parking for NHS bank staff working shifts at NHS Trusts.

Decisions on the provision of car parking are made locally by National Health Service organisations, including considering how they affect local recruitment and the retention of their staff. These decisions will need to reflect the local geography and environment, including travel distances.All NHS staff, regardless of their type of employment, are expected to be similarly treated by their employing NHS organisation. This includes where free parking is provided to staff working nights shifts.All NHS trusts are expected to follow the published NHS Car Parking Guidance. This states that car parking charges, where they exist, should be reasonable for the local area. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles