Written questions by Maynard.

What assessment she has made of cost pressures for the haulage industry, ahead of the Budget.

The Government recognises the key role the haulage sector plays in the UK economy and regularly engages with its representatives. At Budget 2025, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut until the end of August 2026. Rates will then gradually return to previous levels. The planned increase in line with inflation for 2026-27 will not take place, with the government uprating fuel duty rates by RPI from April 2027. This will save the average HGV driver £843 next year compared to previous plans. From 1 April 2026, Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) standard rates for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) and HGV levy rates will be uprated by RPI for 2026-27. Hauliers will not see a real-terms increase in VED or HGV levy liabilities, as rates have increased to keep pace with inflation only. The Government considers the impact of motoring taxes on the economy, including households and businesses, with decisions on rates made at fiscal events.

How many Pharmacy First consultations were recorded for (a) April, (b) May and (c) June 2025.

As part of delivering the Pharmacy First service, pharmacy contractors receive a monthly fixed payment if they meet specific requirements, which include minimum activity levels. From June 2025, pharmacies delivering 20 to 29 consultations receive £500, while those with at least 30 consultations continued to receive £1,000 monthly. To make this change and facilitate more timely payments, the claim window for Pharmacy First was reduced from three months to one. The new tier of payment supports pharmacies with lower potential for delivery and will increase the number of pharmacies qualifying for Pharmacy First fixed payments. This adjustment was agreed with the sector representative body, Community Pharmacy England, as part of negotiations for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2025/26. An article was published in May 2025 by NHS Business Services Authority providing advanced notice. For the clinical pathway element of the Pharmacy First service, 241,340 consultations were delivered in April, 242,077 consultations were delivered in May, and 254,692 consultations were delivered in June. In April, 3,996 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment, in May 3,979 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment, and in June 4,051 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment while 1,565 contractors received the £500 fixed payment.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of lowering the drug tariff claim window on the number of pharmacies qualifying for Pharmacy First bonus payments.

As part of delivering the Pharmacy First service, pharmacy contractors receive a monthly fixed payment if they meet specific requirements, which include minimum activity levels. From June 2025, pharmacies delivering 20 to 29 consultations receive £500, while those with at least 30 consultations continued to receive £1,000 monthly. To make this change and facilitate more timely payments, the claim window for Pharmacy First was reduced from three months to one. The new tier of payment supports pharmacies with lower potential for delivery and will increase the number of pharmacies qualifying for Pharmacy First fixed payments. This adjustment was agreed with the sector representative body, Community Pharmacy England, as part of negotiations for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2025/26. An article was published in May 2025 by NHS Business Services Authority providing advanced notice. For the clinical pathway element of the Pharmacy First service, 241,340 consultations were delivered in April, 242,077 consultations were delivered in May, and 254,692 consultations were delivered in June. In April, 3,996 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment, in May 3,979 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment, and in June 4,051 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment while 1,565 contractors received the £500 fixed payment.

If he will publish an impact assessment for the decision to change the payment claim window for Pharmacy First services.

As part of delivering the Pharmacy First service, pharmacy contractors receive a monthly fixed payment if they meet specific requirements, which include minimum activity levels. From June 2025, pharmacies delivering 20 to 29 consultations receive £500, while those with at least 30 consultations continued to receive £1,000 monthly. To make this change and facilitate more timely payments, the claim window for Pharmacy First was reduced from three months to one. The new tier of payment supports pharmacies with lower potential for delivery and will increase the number of pharmacies qualifying for Pharmacy First fixed payments. This adjustment was agreed with the sector representative body, Community Pharmacy England, as part of negotiations for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2025/26. An article was published in May 2025 by NHS Business Services Authority providing advanced notice. For the clinical pathway element of the Pharmacy First service, 241,340 consultations were delivered in April, 242,077 consultations were delivered in May, and 254,692 consultations were delivered in June. In April, 3,996 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment, in May 3,979 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment, and in June 4,051 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment while 1,565 contractors received the £500 fixed payment.

How many bonus payments were made to community pharmacies under the Pharmacy First scheme for reaching (a) 20-29 and (b) 30 or more clinical pathway consultations in (i) April, (ii) May and (iii) June 2025.

As part of delivering the Pharmacy First service, pharmacy contractors receive a monthly fixed payment if they meet specific requirements, which include minimum activity levels. From June 2025, pharmacies delivering 20 to 29 consultations receive £500, while those with at least 30 consultations continued to receive £1,000 monthly. To make this change and facilitate more timely payments, the claim window for Pharmacy First was reduced from three months to one. The new tier of payment supports pharmacies with lower potential for delivery and will increase the number of pharmacies qualifying for Pharmacy First fixed payments. This adjustment was agreed with the sector representative body, Community Pharmacy England, as part of negotiations for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2025/26. An article was published in May 2025 by NHS Business Services Authority providing advanced notice. For the clinical pathway element of the Pharmacy First service, 241,340 consultations were delivered in April, 242,077 consultations were delivered in May, and 254,692 consultations were delivered in June. In April, 3,996 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment, in May 3,979 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment, and in June 4,051 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment while 1,565 contractors received the £500 fixed payment.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has assessed Thames Water’s current financial position against the statutory criteria for applying to the High Court for a special administration order.

The law states that Special Administration can only be initiated if the company becomes insolvent or they are in such serious breach of their principal statutory duties or an enforcement order that it is inappropriate for the company to retain its licence. For a company to be considered insolvent means that it is either unable to or is likely to be unable to pay its debts. Thames Water has ongoing liquidity. We stand ready for all eventualities – including being ready to apply for a Special Administration Regime if necessary.

If he will extend intervention programmes aimed at preventing reoffending to people held in prisons on remand, pre-sentencing.

We are focused on expanding appropriate rehabilitative provision for remand prisoners to ensure consistency across the country. Probation Pre-Release Teams (PRTs) support probation practitioners in the community with pre-release planning and coordinate specialist resettlement services within the prison. PRTs support all people in prison including those who are on remand or those who are held outside of their local area.The scope of the Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) accommodation (men's) and CRS Women’s Services contracts have been extended to include those on remand. CRS does not offer intervention programmes but does offer practical support in relation to key offence related needs.This includes the provision of accommodation support for all individuals, and, for women, additional services which address Finance Benefit and Debt (FBD), Family and Significant Others and Social Inclusion. HMPPS is also preparing to recommission its rehabilitative services and we intend that future combined-pathway contracts for both men and women will continue to support both sentenced and unsentenced prisoners. These next generation of services for men in custody, including those on remand, will also include the Community Links and FBD.Accredited offending behaviour programmes are generally reserved for sentenced individuals, as remand periods and uncertain outcomes make it impractical to deliver these interventions before sentencing.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of removing prison officer roles from the Skilled Worker visa route on staffing levels in prisons.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to Parliamentary Question 76286.

What steps he is taking to increase (a) recruitment and (b) retention of prison officers.

We know that sufficient and skilled frontline staffing is fundamental to delivering safe, secure, and rehabilitative prisons. We remain committed to ensuring prisons are sufficiently resourced and that we retain and build levels of experience.Substantive recruitment efforts will continue at all prisons where vacancies exist or are projected, with targeted interventions applied to those prisons with the most need. We closely monitor staffing levels across the estate and look to provide short-term support where needed. All prison expansion projects, whether new prisons or smaller builds, are factored into our staffing forecasts to ensure we recruit on time and build up the experience needed to continue to deliver safe and secure regimes.To help increase retention, HMPPS has a retention strategy in place which is linked to wider activities around employee experience, employee lifecycle, and staff engagement at work. Alongside the strategy a retention toolkit has been introduced which identifies local, regional, and national interventions against the drivers of attrition, which are utilised by establishments to ensure that they are embedding individual Retention Plans.

What steps he is taking to foster international cooperation towards the aims of (a) increasing the use of renewable energy and (b) reducing global reliance on fossil fuels.

Building on our ambition to make Britain a clean energy superpower, the UK is working closely with international partners through the UNFCCC process, multilateral organisations and UK-led initiatives such as the Global Clean Power Alliance (GCPA), Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP) and Green Grids Initiative (GGI) to enable a global, just clean energy transition that delivers on the Paris Agreement and energy security.

What steps he is taking to tackle the problem of illegal deliveries of (a) phones, (b) drugs and (c) other contraband items into prisons via drones.

We are working hard to deter, detect and disrupt the illegal use of drones around prisons in England and Wales. Whilst we cannot share our full range of countermeasures, our approach is multi-faceted and continually evolving. This includes strengthening physical security countermeasures, exploring technological developments, exploiting intelligence, bolstering legislation and working across Government and with international partners on this global issue. HMPPS uses targeted countermeasures such as improvements to windows, specialist netting and grilles to stop drones successfully delivering contraband. This year, we are investing over £40 million in physical security across 34 prisons. This includes £10 million on anti-drone measures including windows and secure netting across 15 prisons.

What assessment he has made of the efficacy of the offending behaviour (a) programmes and (b) interventions offered in prisons.

HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) expects that all programmes and interventions meet the evidenced standards for what works to reduce reoffending and promote desistance. This includes being able to evaluate them. We expect our programmes and interventions to be either accredited or centrally approved to ensure they meet those evidenced standards.The Correctional Services Accreditation and Advice Panel (CSAAP), an independent group of experts, provides HMPPS with accreditation recommendations to inform their accreditation for use across prisons and probation. CSAAP expects programmes to be designed and delivered based on the best international evidence and requires evaluations to be conducted before they can recommend accreditation.The Ministry of Justice and HMPPS have developed a comprehensive research and evaluation strategy for accredited offending behaviour programmes. This strategy aims to assess the implementation of these programmes, along with their short-term and long-term outcomes, in an iterative manner. The objective is to establish a thorough understanding of programme delivery and its impact on reoffending and other outcome measures among various participant groups.HMPPS also has a National Framework for Interventions (NFI) Policy Framework which provides a mechanism for ensuring that those interventions delivered regionally and in lower volumes than our accredited programme offer, including those delivered in collaboration with our third sector partner organisations, also meet the evidenced standards for effectiveness. These standards are consistent with those applied by CSAAP when making accreditation recommendations for offending behaviour programmes across HMPPS. Where interventions are reviewed under the NFI policy framework, it is expected that providers are responsible for the evaluation of their intervention products. Providers do, however, have the option to engage with the Ministry of Justice Justice Data Lab to complete evaluations.In recent years, several studies and evaluations of HMPPS offending behaviour programmes and interventions have been published in line with the research and evaluation strategy. These are outlined below.Reoffending impact evaluation of the prison-based Resolve offending behaviour programme (2021) - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/957855/RESOLVE_report.pdfAn impact evaluation of the prison-based Thinking Skills Programme (TSP) on prison misconduct (2023) - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1174194/TSP_Prison_Misconduct_Report.pdfAn impact evaluation of the prison-based Thinking Skills Programme (TSP) on reoffending (2023) - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1173986/TSP_Reoffending_Report.pdfThe Healthy Identity Intervention (HII): Findings from an interim outcome evaluation (2023) - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/648833bcb32b9e000ca96609/healthy-identity-intervention-interim-findings.pdfEvaluating the Building Better Relationships (BBR) programme: Feasibility study for an impact evaluation of proven reoffending (2023) - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1149864/evaluating-the-building-better-relationships-programme.pdfThe Healthy Sex Programme: An exploration of pre-to-post psychological test change. (2023) - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1137873/healthy-sex-programme.pdfPost-release reoffending outcomes for individuals with offence-related sexual paraphilias: An exploratory risk-band analysis. (2023) - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1137663/sexual-paraphilias.pdfHorizon and iHorizon: Psychometric analyses of the Success Wheel Measure (2023) - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1137660/horizon-iorizon-psychometric-analyses.pdfHorizon and iHorizon: An uncontrolled before-after study of clinical outcomes (2023) - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1137650/horizon-iHorizon-uncontrolled-study.pdfThe Learning Disabilities and Challenges (LDC) suite of accredited offending behaviour programmes: An uncontrolled before-after evaluation of clinical outcomes (2024) - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/676ada7b3229e84d9bbdea66/LDC_suite_study.pdfKaizen: An uncontrolled before-after evaluation of clinical outcomes. (2024) - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/676ad8c3cdb5e64b69e30a46/Kaizen_analysis.pdfA Review of General Cognitive-Behavioural Programs in English and Welsh Prisons and Probation Services: Three Decades of Quasi-Experimental Evaluations (2024) - https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001405A Multi-Site Qualitative Evaluation of the Accredited Thinking Skills Programme (TSP) (2025) - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6821cd14d9c9bb76078f7f07/A_Multi-Site_Qualitative_Evaluation_of_the_Accredited_Thinking_Skills_Programme__web_.pdfStepwise Driving: A structured intervention for impaired driving – Exploring the views of facilitators and programme attendees (2025) - https://doi.org/10.1177/02645505251350077Building Choices: Process evaluation of the design test of the new accredited Offending Behaviour Programme (2025): Building Choices: Process evaluation of the design test of a new accredited Offending Behaviour Programme - GOV.UK

What steps his Department is taking to improve the welfare of staff working in the prisons system.

By the nature of their roles, staff working in the prison system can come into contact with some of the most challenging and dangerous people in society and it is essential that they are supported to carry out their important roles. Given these challenges, we provide extensive mental health support, including a 24-hour helpline, confidential counselling, and online wellbeing services. Our Trauma Risk Management practitioners and Care Teams provide further support following any incidents while on duty.The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) offers confidential 24/7 telephone helpline for counselling and provides a range of wellbeing and health promotion workshops. EAP also delivers reflective sessions which are a proactive mental ill health preventative intervention. The sessions focus on the impact of traumatic events at work, helping employees to develop coping strategies and preventing an adverse impact on their professional and private life.Within prisons, we are in early stages of implementing the Enable Programme, which aims to transform prisons over the medium term, through a series of workforce and regime changes that will change how HMPPS trains, develops, leads and supports prison staff to ensure that they feel safe, supported, valued and confident in their skills and their ability to make a difference.We are investing around £15 million in protective equipment to help keep frontline staff working in prisons safe, including expanding the use of tasers and providing more protective body armour. This investment will include provision of up to 10,000 more units of protective body armour (known as stab-proof vests) to staff for use when it is deemed as necessary, and training up to 500 more officers to use Conductive Energy Devices (known as Tasers). This means that they will be able to provide immediate intervention during certain high-threat, serious incidents.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to ensure that (a) public, (b) environmental and (c) customer interests are prioritised in the special administration regime for utility providers.

The purposes of a Special Administration Regime are set out in legislation. In the event of a SAR, it is for the special administrator to manage the affairs of the company so that the company continues to carry out its statutory duties pending rescue (via e.g. debt restructuring) or transfer (via a sale) to new owners.  The Government will always act in the national interest.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Ofwat on Thames Water’s compliance with its (a) environmental and (b) financial obligations under its (i) Infrastructure provider project, (ii) water supply and (iii) sewerage licence.

The Secretary of State meets regularly with stakeholders including Ofwat to discuss a range of issues.

What research has been carried out on the safety of small modular nuclear reactors.

The UK has a goal setting, non-prescriptive nuclear regulatory framework operated by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the UK’s independent nuclear safety and security regulator.. Within this, the onus is on companies to set out claims, arguments and evidence to demonstrate that prescribed nuclear activities can be carried out safely, securely, and in ways that manage nuclear safeguards. The Government has funded the regulator to build their capability and capacity to assess SMR safety cases anticipating the growing demand from the advanced nuclear sector.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce delays in the escorting of defendants to Court which can result in a trial being (a) deferred or (b) cancelled.

The HMPPS Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) Contract Management Team continues to work collaboratively with criminal justice system partners through Strategic Partnership Boards to review performance and agree strategies to drive and sustain improvements.PECS provides quarterly reports to Ministers, detailing supplier performance against journey-time targets and the timeliness of prison vehicle turnaround.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of publishing the (a) criteria, (b) thresholds and (c) circumstances for making an application to the High Court for a water industry special administration order.

The law states that Special Administration can only be initiated if the company becomes insolvent or they are in such serious breach of their principal statutory duties or an enforcement order that it is inappropriate for the company to retain its licence. In determining whether to apply to the court for a Special Administration Regime, the Secretary of State would have regard to all the relevant facts and matters pertaining at the time, acting in accordance with applicable statutory duties.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she will publish guidance on how (a) environmental performance, (b) repeated regulatory breaches and (c) other non-financial factors will be considered when determining to apply to the High Court for a water company special administration order.

The law states that Special Administration can only be initiated if the company becomes insolvent or they are in such serious breach of their principal statutory duties or an enforcement order that it is inappropriate for the company to retain its licence. In determining whether to apply to the court for a Special Administration Regime, the Secretary of State would have regard to all the relevant facts and matters pertaining at the time, acting in accordance with applicable statutory duties.

What steps his Department is taking to resolve delays in the court system.

The Government is committed to bearing down on the outstanding caseload and delivering swifter justice for victims, but the challenge facing the Crown Court is significant.Courts are sitting at, or close to, maximum judicial capacity in almost every jurisdiction, including family and civil, with record investment this year. We are also continuing to invest in the recruitment of c.1,000 judges and tribunal members annually across all jurisdictions.In the criminal courts, we have announced funding for a record 111,250 Crown Court sitting days for this financial year. This is 5,000 higher than the previous Government funded for the last financial year. There are a range of initiatives underway across the criminal justice system to enhance efficiency within different parts of the system.But we need to go further and deliver sustainable longer-term reform to make the system fit for the future. This is why we have launched an independent review into the efficiency of the criminal courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to deliver once-in-a-generation reform. We welcome the publication of the first part of the Review. We are considering the recommendations and will respond in due course, ahead of legislating, where necessary, when Parliamentary time allows.In the civil courts, we are seeing a reduction in the time taken between claims being made and trials.The Family Justice Board has agreed system-wide targets for 2025/26, focused on further reducing delay and outstanding caseloads. Areas delivering the Pathfinder model in private family law have made significant progress addressing delays.