Written questions by Maguire.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the total amount received from water companies in (a) fines and (b) penalties since the Spending Review 2023; and what steps she has taken to ensure that the funds have been allocated to projects to improve water standards.

£109 million in fines and penalties has been applied against water companies since October 2023. This includes the £104.5 million fine issued by Ofwat to Thames Water for breaches of rules relating to the company’s wastewater operations. In June this Government announced that fines and penalties levied against water companies since October 2023, as well as future fines and penalties, will be reinvested into future local environmental projects across the country to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. Further details about the projects and programmes to be funded by these water company fines onwards will be announced in due course.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of allowing incidental off-sales of beer and cider from draught duty paid containers on pubs in rural communities.

Draught beer and cider now pay 13.9% less in duty than their packaged equivalents – an increase of over 50% on the previous draught discount of 9.2%. This took a penny of duty off a typical strength pint. The core objective of this relief is to recognise the cultural importance of pubs and other on-trade venues as community hubs and to encourage responsible drinking in supervised settings. To ensure this relief is targeted at the on-trade, it is prohibited to repackage products that have received Draught Relief for off-site consumption. It is the intention that beverages that are sold to be consumed off site should pay the full rate of duty like their equivalents sold in off-trade venues.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a list of schemes where fines levied against water companies (a) have been reinvested to clean up UK waters and (b) are programmed to be reinvested to clean up UK waters, since the spending review in October 2023.

In June this Government announced that fines and penalties levied against water companies for environmental breaches, will be reinvested into future local environmental projects across the country to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. These could include local environmental programmes to address pollution and improve water quality. Further details about the projects and programmes to be funded will be confirmed in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to issue guidance for homeowners who discover bats in their property.

All bats, including their breeding sites and resting places, are protected under UK and international law. This strict legal protection makes it an offence to deliberately capture, injure, or kill bats; to damage or destroy a breeding or resting place; or to obstruct access to a resting or sheltering place. Guidance on what steps to take if you find bats in your home can be found at Bats: protection and licences - GOV.UK. Natural England are currently reviewing their existing guidance around bats to ensure it is up-to-date, accessible and easy to navigate - supporting both homeowners and bats.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the number of specialty training posts for UK-trained doctors.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan published in July, over the next three years we will create 1,000 new speciality training posts with a focus on specialities where there is greatest need.The 10-Year Health Plan also set out that we will work across government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training.We will set out next steps in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that homeowners with bats on their property can conduct (a) urgent structural and (b) safety repairs while respecting bat conservation rules.

Defra is committed to ensuring that homeowners can maintain safe living environments while upholding England’s strong legal protections for bats. We continue to work with Natural England and conservation organisations to streamline licensing processes and provide clear guidance for property owners. In cases of genuine emergency - such as urgent structural issues or immediate safety risks - Natural England may expedite licence applications or provide urgent advice. We would therefore encourage homeowners in England to contact Natural England’s Wildlife Licensing Team directly to discuss the situation whilst ensuring legal compliance.

What recent estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) doctors completing GP training and (b) available GP posts.

NHS England produces regular forecasts of the numbers of doctors due to complete General Practitioner (GP) training. Latest data show that for 2025/26, 1,964 doctors completed GP training between 1 April and 21 August 2025 with a further 2,733 doctors forecast to complete GP training by 31 March 2026. Estimated completion dates are produced by GP educators based on doctors’ individual progress so are subject to change.As practices do not have fixed establishment positions against which they report vacancies, we do not collect and publish data on vacancies in general practice.The Government committed to recruiting over 1,000 recently qualified GPs in primary care networks (PCNs) through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to secure the future pipeline of GPs, with over 1,000 doctors otherwise likely to have graduated into unemployment in 2024/25. This funding has been continued into 2025/26.Data on the number of recently qualified GPs for which PCNs are claiming reimbursement via the ARRS show that, since 1 October 2024, over 2,000 GPs were recruited through the scheme. Several changes have been made to increase the flexibility of ARRS in 2025/26. This includes GPs and practice nurses included in the main ARRS funding pot, an uplift of the maximum reimbursable rate for GPs in the scheme, and no caps on the number of GPs that can be employed through the scheme.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that cancer early diagnosis targets are appropriate for blood cancers.

The Department remains committed to the early diagnosis of cancer and to improving outcomes for patients. However, we recognise that there is more to be done to ensure that patients with harder to stage cancers, such as blood cancer, receive fast and early diagnoses.There are no current plans to introduce a specific proxy staging measure or a corresponding national target to support the earlier diagnosis of blood cancers. However, to tackle late, emergency setting diagnoses of blood cancers, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England, with blood cancers being one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

Whether her Department plans to maintain the Financial Ombudsman Service’s remit when considering complaints.

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) plays an important role in providing consumers with a cost-free and quick route to resolve disputes with financial services firms. My recent review of the FOS concluded that the framework in which it operates has resulted in it acting as a quasi-regulator in a small but significant minority of cases. That is why, as part of the Leeds Reforms, the Chancellor announced the most significant package of reforms to the FOS since its inception. The review concluded that the ‘fair and reasonable’ test should be retained and adapted, to align it with the overall regulatory approach for financial services and provide greater predictability and consistency to consumers and firms. The government is currently consulting on proposed legislation to adapt the ‘fair and reasonable’ test to make clear that, where conduct complained of is in scope of FCA rules, compliance with those rules will mean that a firm has acted fairly and reasonably. It also proposes a mechanism for the FOS to refer a case to the FCA where there is ambiguity about FCA rules, to request a view on how its rules are intended to be applied, to ensure consistent application of regulatory standards by the FOS. Regarding fraud, victims of fraud who wish to make a complaint about their financial services provider will continue to be able to bring complaints to the FOS, and the proposed changes to the legislative framework under which the FOS operates will not affect the FOS’s role in handling these complaints.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the impact of domestic bonfire smoke on (a) rural air quality and (b) wider environmental health.

Smoke from domestic bonfires can negatively affect both rural air quality and broader environmental health. Current legislation prohibits the burning of household waste where it may lead to pollution or pose a risk to public health. In addition, local authorities have the power to issue abatement notices should bonfire smoke constitute a statutory nuisance. Further guidance for the public is available at Reducing air pollution from outdoor burning.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of availability of independent (a) advice and (b) support to consumers who have problems with their water company.

The Government has already committed to a number of Sir Jon Cunliffe’s recommendations as set out in the Independent Water Commission’s final report. As announced by the Environment Secretary on 21 July 2025, water customers will have more support than ever before. The Government will create a new statutory water ombudsman with the power to protect customers in disputes with their water company - a single, free service to help customers resolve complaints. It will build on the Consumer Council for Water’s current role and bring dispute resolution processes for water in line with other sectors. These new measures will build on our reforms to more than double automatic payments to customers when water companies fail to deliver adequate standards of service, and to ensure customers are at the heart of water company purpose and regulation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that water customers have access to (a) impartial and (b) independent avenues of redress.

The Government has already committed to a number of Sir Jon Cunliffe’s recommendations as set out in the Independent Water Commission’s final report. As announced by the Environment Secretary on 21 July 2025, water customers will have more support than ever before. The Government will create a new statutory water ombudsman with the power to protect customers in disputes with their water company - a single, free service to help customers resolve complaints. It will build on the Consumer Council for Water’s current role and bring dispute resolution processes for water in line with other sectors. These new measures will build on our reforms to more than double automatic payments to customers when water companies fail to deliver adequate standards of service, and to ensure customers are at the heart of water company purpose and regulation.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered using external bodies with (a) forensic accounting and (b) corporate fraud expertise to support investigations into alleged (i) deliberate misreporting and (ii) illegal pollution by water companies.

The Environment Agency (EA) is the enforcement body responsible for investigating illegal pollution and misreporting by water companies.The EA has concluded 83 prosecutions since 2015, securing record fines of over £150 million against water companies. Furthermore, the EA have increased water company inspections to 10,000 per year from April 2025 as part of the government’s wider focus to hold companies to account and improve our water environment.The Water (Special Measures) Act provides the most significant increase in enforcement powers to the regulators in a decade. This includes powers for the Environment Agency to recover costs for a much greater range of enforcement activities.Additionally, all water companies in England and Wales are now under a statutory duty to publish annual Pollution Incident Reduction Plans. Chief Executives will be required to approve both the plan and the report and will be personally liable for their publication.

What estimate his Department has made of the cost to the NHS of treating health conditions linked to exposure to domestic bonfire smoke in areas with high rates of respiratory illness.

Local authorities have a duty to monitor and review air quality in their areas. The Environment Agency manages the United Kingdom's national monitoring sites on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.No specific assessment of the cost has been made. It is not possible to determine the specific impact of domestic bonfire smoke from other similar pollutant sources.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that the proposed transfer of Bodmin Keep from his Department to its Trustees is accompanied by sufficient funding to (a) enable the museum to remain financially sustainable, (b) continue to deliver youth engagement and (c) support the Keeping the Army in the Public Eye policy.

The Department is in regular communication with the Military Museum at Bodmin Keep about how they will transition from their current supported status in 2030, and what this will mean. The Department is also exploring a number of long-term options with the Museum regarding their lease agreement for the Keep. Until then, the Museum will continue to receive a Grant-in-Aid from the Department. I am happy to meet with the hon. Gentleman to discuss further if that would be useful.

Food and Rural Affairs, what mechanisms exist for his Department to engage directly with SMEs providing patented technology to address (a) illegal sewage discharges and (b) freshwater shortages.

The Government is supporting innovation through Ofwat’s Innovation Fund, which has doubled in size to £400 million for 2025-2030. Since 2020, it has awarded funding to 109 projects - ranging from trialling artificial intelligence to detect algae in reservoirs, to robots that patrol wastewater pipes to pinpoint cracks. Ministers and officials have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including charities and NGOs, on many issues related to the water sector including on sewage pollution and water resources. We have begun rebuilding the water network to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. In one of the largest infrastructure programmes in this country’s history, £104 billion is being invested to upgrade crumbling pipes, sewage treatment works and water resources infrastructure across the country.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ensure that a proportion of all new build homes are disability-ready.

Housing is one of this Government’s top priorities. Everyone deserves to live in a decent home that is suitable for them and meets their needs. The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, requires local planning authorities to assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including those of older and disabled people, and to reflect this in planning policies. Where an identified need exists, plans are expected to help bring forward an adequate supply of accessible housing. The Government will shortly set out its policies on accessible new build housing, reinforcing our commitment to ensuring everyone has access to a safe, suitable home.

What discussions his Department has had with the Department for Transport on support for care workers with the costs of travel.

Most care workers are employed by private sector providers who set their pay and terms and conditions, independent of central Government.The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth, and to improve the retention of the domestic workforce. We want it to be regarded as a profession, and for the people who work in care to be respected as professionals.There are no current plans to introduce a social leasing scheme for electric vehicles for care workers. We are introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care, where an agreement for the adult social care sector can be negotiated and reached by employer representatives, worker representatives, and others in partnership. This negotiation will focus on pay, and terms and conditions, but wider employment matters could be considered, which could include support for care workers’ travel. As we work towards a Fair Pay Agreement, the Government will engage all those who draw upon care, as well as those that work to provide care and support. We will also consult local authorities, unions, and others from across the sector.The Department is also supporting career development and progression by implementing the first ever career structure, investing up to £12 million in training and qualifications, and developing a digital skills record to provide a transferable record of skills.

If his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a social leasing scheme for electric vehicles for care workers.

Most care workers are employed by private sector providers who set their pay and terms and conditions, independent of central Government.The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth, and to improve the retention of the domestic workforce. We want it to be regarded as a profession, and for the people who work in care to be respected as professionals.There are no current plans to introduce a social leasing scheme for electric vehicles for care workers. We are introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care, where an agreement for the adult social care sector can be negotiated and reached by employer representatives, worker representatives, and others in partnership. This negotiation will focus on pay, and terms and conditions, but wider employment matters could be considered, which could include support for care workers’ travel. As we work towards a Fair Pay Agreement, the Government will engage all those who draw upon care, as well as those that work to provide care and support. We will also consult local authorities, unions, and others from across the sector.The Department is also supporting career development and progression by implementing the first ever career structure, investing up to £12 million in training and qualifications, and developing a digital skills record to provide a transferable record of skills.

Innovation and Technology, what funding streams are available for SMEs offering (a) patented and (b) environmentally beneficial technologies in the water sector.

There are a number of funding schemes available to innovative companies and SMEs in the water sector. Since 2020, Ofwat’s £600m Innovation Fund has supported 109 projects and facilitated almost 300 collaborations between companies, universities, charities, and other organisations. The Government is also supporting innovation through Ofwat’s £100m Water Efficiency Fund, which seeks to stimulate a reduction in water demand across England and Wales. Furthermore, UKRI runs a range of competitions open to SMEs in the water sector. For example, Innovate UK’s Growth Catalyst supports innovative start-ups, particularly those in the clean energy and climate technology sectors. There are also opportunities for firms developing water innovations within Horizon Europe programmes.