Written questions by Morello.

What the average per-patient spend is per hospital (a) in England and (b) within the top quarter of most efficient hospitals.

NHS England collects information on the costs of NHS trusts delivering services to patients, the detail of which is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/costing-in-the-nhs/national-cost-collection/.Comparing the average cost per patient per hospital is not meaningful, because to ensure fair comparisons, differences in service mix and patient complexity must be taken into account and this varies significantly across hospitals. The costing data does however enable comparisons of the costs of certain activities, or episodes of care, across different providers.The National Cost Collection Index (NCCI) compares a trust’s average cost with the national average cost for that service across all the services it delivers. An NCCI value of 110, for example, means that the trust has costs that are 10% more expensive than the national average (adjusted for its mix of services and patient complexity).

What the difference is between per-patient spend in (a) each hospital, (b) the average per-patient spend of hospitals in the top quarter of efficiency and (c) the average per-patient spend of hospitals in the bottom quarter of efficiency.

NHS England collects information on the costs of NHS trusts delivering services to patients, the detail of which is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/costing-in-the-nhs/national-cost-collection/.Comparing the average cost per patient per hospital is not meaningful, because to ensure fair comparisons, differences in service mix and patient complexity must be taken into account and this varies significantly across hospitals. The costing data does however enable comparisons of the costs of certain activities, or episodes of care, across different providers.The National Cost Collection Index (NCCI) compares a trust’s average cost with the national average cost for that service across all the services it delivers. An NCCI value of 110, for example, means that the trust has costs that are 10% more expensive than the national average (adjusted for its mix of services and patient complexity).

How many students from Gaza that were awarded UK scholarships in the 2024-25 academic year are unable to take up their places due to lack of access to biometric enrolment facilities.

The Home Office does not currently publish information on the number of Gaza students with UK scholarships for 2024-25 who are unable to enrol due to the absence of biometric facilities.The Home Office has put in place systems to issue expedited visas, with biometric checks conducted prior to arrival in the UK for all Chevening scholars from Gaza.  We are in the process of doing the same for a group of students in Gaza who have been awarded fully funded scholarships covering course fees and living costs at UK universities so they can start their studies in Autumn 2025. The Government is doing everything it can to support their safe exit and onward travel to the UK. The situation on the ground in Gaza makes this extremely challenging.

Whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on biometric processing for students from Gaza seeking to take up scholarships in the UK.

The Home Office has put in place systems to issue expedited visas, with biometric checks conducted prior to arrival for all Chevening Scholars from Gaza.We are in the process of doing the same for a group of students who have been awarded fully funded scholarships covering course fees and living costs at UK universities so they can start their studies in Autumn 2025.The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is doing everything it can to support their safe exit and onward travel to the UK, while accepting that the situation on the ground in Gaza makes this extremely challenging.

What estimate he has made of the potential financial impact of aligning funding to the average per-patient spend of the top quarter most efficient hospitals on rural hospitals.

The basis of the funding allocated to providers is set out in the National Payment Scheme, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/pay-syst/nhs-payment-scheme/This includes setting out the prices paid where funding varies with activity, and these prices are the same for all providers. They are based on average costs across National Health Service providers rather than top quarter performance. We have not directly assessed the impact of changing the payment scheme to set prices based on the top quarter of the most efficient providers. However, NHS England sends packs to all NHS providers quantifying productivity and efficiency opportunities based on metrics in the Model Health System dataset. This allows individual providers, including those in rural areas, to benchmark themselves against others, and measure the financial impact of improving performance.

How his Department is increasing the integration of artificial intelligence into unmanned ground vehicles to counteract signal blocking.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2025 recommended a shift towards greater use of autonomy and Artificial Intelligence within the UK’s conventional force.It stated a common digital foundation of data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), synthetic environments, and networks should connect people and platforms across all domains, and with allies and partners. This gives the Integrated Force agility, speed of manoeuvre, and effective targeting to outmatch adversaries. The merits of military use of AI assisted drones are widely acknowledged in several roles and environments, most notably in Ukraine. The availability of extensive suites of sensors designed to operate across the electromagnetic spectrum have removed many of the traditional barriers associated with operations at night or in restricted visibility. Furthermore, the utility for AI enabled drones to exploit these sensors, including during periods of rest for, or absence of, human surveillance teams, is a fundamental consideration for UK Defence’s capability development. Consequently, the SDR stated that uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the Integrated Force in high numbers over the next five years. They will be networked with crewed fifth- and sixth-generation assets as part of a ‘high-low’ mix of capabilities, while these systems’ design will be tailored to the conditions in which they will operate, day or night; whether undersea, at sea, on land, or in the air. The development of UGV and drone capabilities remains a dynamic and evolving area. While specific projects are underway, detailed information cannot be provided whilst the projects are in their Concept Phase.

What progress he has made on the development of unmanned ground vehicles for (a) logistics and (b) casualty evacuation.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2025 recommended a shift towards greater use of autonomy and Artificial Intelligence within the UK’s conventional force.It stated a common digital foundation of data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), synthetic environments, and networks should connect people and platforms across all domains, and with allies and partners. This gives the Integrated Force agility, speed of manoeuvre, and effective targeting to outmatch adversaries. The merits of military use of AI assisted drones are widely acknowledged in several roles and environments, most notably in Ukraine. The availability of extensive suites of sensors designed to operate across the electromagnetic spectrum have removed many of the traditional barriers associated with operations at night or in restricted visibility. Furthermore, the utility for AI enabled drones to exploit these sensors, including during periods of rest for, or absence of, human surveillance teams, is a fundamental consideration for UK Defence’s capability development. Consequently, the SDR stated that uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the Integrated Force in high numbers over the next five years. They will be networked with crewed fifth- and sixth-generation assets as part of a ‘high-low’ mix of capabilities, while these systems’ design will be tailored to the conditions in which they will operate, day or night; whether undersea, at sea, on land, or in the air. The development of UGV and drone capabilities remains a dynamic and evolving area. While specific projects are underway, detailed information cannot be provided whilst the projects are in their Concept Phase.

What progress he has made on the development of unmanned ground vehicles for engineering support.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2025 recommended a shift towards greater use of autonomy and Artificial Intelligence within the UK’s conventional force.It stated a common digital foundation of data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), synthetic environments, and networks should connect people and platforms across all domains, and with allies and partners. This gives the Integrated Force agility, speed of manoeuvre, and effective targeting to outmatch adversaries. The merits of military use of AI assisted drones are widely acknowledged in several roles and environments, most notably in Ukraine. The availability of extensive suites of sensors designed to operate across the electromagnetic spectrum have removed many of the traditional barriers associated with operations at night or in restricted visibility. Furthermore, the utility for AI enabled drones to exploit these sensors, including during periods of rest for, or absence of, human surveillance teams, is a fundamental consideration for UK Defence’s capability development. Consequently, the SDR stated that uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the Integrated Force in high numbers over the next five years. They will be networked with crewed fifth- and sixth-generation assets as part of a ‘high-low’ mix of capabilities, while these systems’ design will be tailored to the conditions in which they will operate, day or night; whether undersea, at sea, on land, or in the air. The development of UGV and drone capabilities remains a dynamic and evolving area. While specific projects are underway, detailed information cannot be provided whilst the projects are in their Concept Phase.

How his Department is increasing the integration of artificial intelligence into flying drones to help counteract signal blocking.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2025 recommended a shift towards greater use of autonomy and Artificial Intelligence within the UK’s conventional force.It stated a common digital foundation of data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), synthetic environments, and networks should connect people and platforms across all domains, and with allies and partners. This gives the Integrated Force agility, speed of manoeuvre, and effective targeting to outmatch adversaries. The merits of military use of AI assisted drones are widely acknowledged in several roles and environments, most notably in Ukraine. The availability of extensive suites of sensors designed to operate across the electromagnetic spectrum have removed many of the traditional barriers associated with operations at night or in restricted visibility. Furthermore, the utility for AI enabled drones to exploit these sensors, including during periods of rest for, or absence of, human surveillance teams, is a fundamental consideration for UK Defence’s capability development. Consequently, the SDR stated that uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the Integrated Force in high numbers over the next five years. They will be networked with crewed fifth- and sixth-generation assets as part of a ‘high-low’ mix of capabilities, while these systems’ design will be tailored to the conditions in which they will operate, day or night; whether undersea, at sea, on land, or in the air. The development of UGV and drone capabilities remains a dynamic and evolving area. While specific projects are underway, detailed information cannot be provided whilst the projects are in their Concept Phase.

What progress he has made on the development of unmanned ground vehicles for combat support.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2025 recommended a shift towards greater use of autonomy and Artificial Intelligence within the UK’s conventional force.It stated a common digital foundation of data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), synthetic environments, and networks should connect people and platforms across all domains, and with allies and partners. This gives the Integrated Force agility, speed of manoeuvre, and effective targeting to outmatch adversaries. The merits of military use of AI assisted drones are widely acknowledged in several roles and environments, most notably in Ukraine. The availability of extensive suites of sensors designed to operate across the electromagnetic spectrum have removed many of the traditional barriers associated with operations at night or in restricted visibility. Furthermore, the utility for AI enabled drones to exploit these sensors, including during periods of rest for, or absence of, human surveillance teams, is a fundamental consideration for UK Defence’s capability development. Consequently, the SDR stated that uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the Integrated Force in high numbers over the next five years. They will be networked with crewed fifth- and sixth-generation assets as part of a ‘high-low’ mix of capabilities, while these systems’ design will be tailored to the conditions in which they will operate, day or night; whether undersea, at sea, on land, or in the air. The development of UGV and drone capabilities remains a dynamic and evolving area. While specific projects are underway, detailed information cannot be provided whilst the projects are in their Concept Phase.

How much funding his Department is providing for the development of unmanned ground vehicles.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2025 recommended a shift towards greater use of autonomy and Artificial Intelligence within the UK’s conventional force.It stated a common digital foundation of data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), synthetic environments, and networks should connect people and platforms across all domains, and with allies and partners. This gives the Integrated Force agility, speed of manoeuvre, and effective targeting to outmatch adversaries. The merits of military use of AI assisted drones are widely acknowledged in several roles and environments, most notably in Ukraine. The availability of extensive suites of sensors designed to operate across the electromagnetic spectrum have removed many of the traditional barriers associated with operations at night or in restricted visibility. Furthermore, the utility for AI enabled drones to exploit these sensors, including during periods of rest for, or absence of, human surveillance teams, is a fundamental consideration for UK Defence’s capability development. Consequently, the SDR stated that uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the Integrated Force in high numbers over the next five years. They will be networked with crewed fifth- and sixth-generation assets as part of a ‘high-low’ mix of capabilities, while these systems’ design will be tailored to the conditions in which they will operate, day or night; whether undersea, at sea, on land, or in the air. The development of UGV and drone capabilities remains a dynamic and evolving area. While specific projects are underway, detailed information cannot be provided whilst the projects are in their Concept Phase.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the communications capabilities of unmanned ground vehicles.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2025 recommended a shift towards greater use of autonomy and Artificial Intelligence within the UK’s conventional force.It stated a common digital foundation of data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), synthetic environments, and networks should connect people and platforms across all domains, and with allies and partners. This gives the Integrated Force agility, speed of manoeuvre, and effective targeting to outmatch adversaries. The merits of military use of AI assisted drones are widely acknowledged in several roles and environments, most notably in Ukraine. The availability of extensive suites of sensors designed to operate across the electromagnetic spectrum have removed many of the traditional barriers associated with operations at night or in restricted visibility. Furthermore, the utility for AI enabled drones to exploit these sensors, including during periods of rest for, or absence of, human surveillance teams, is a fundamental consideration for UK Defence’s capability development. Consequently, the SDR stated that uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the Integrated Force in high numbers over the next five years. They will be networked with crewed fifth- and sixth-generation assets as part of a ‘high-low’ mix of capabilities, while these systems’ design will be tailored to the conditions in which they will operate, day or night; whether undersea, at sea, on land, or in the air. The development of UGV and drone capabilities remains a dynamic and evolving area. While specific projects are underway, detailed information cannot be provided whilst the projects are in their Concept Phase.

What comparative assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) unmanned ground vehicles and (b) quadcopter drones.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2025 recommended a shift towards greater use of autonomy and Artificial Intelligence within the UK’s conventional force.It stated a common digital foundation of data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), synthetic environments, and networks should connect people and platforms across all domains, and with allies and partners. This gives the Integrated Force agility, speed of manoeuvre, and effective targeting to outmatch adversaries. The merits of military use of AI assisted drones are widely acknowledged in several roles and environments, most notably in Ukraine. The availability of extensive suites of sensors designed to operate across the electromagnetic spectrum have removed many of the traditional barriers associated with operations at night or in restricted visibility. Furthermore, the utility for AI enabled drones to exploit these sensors, including during periods of rest for, or absence of, human surveillance teams, is a fundamental consideration for UK Defence’s capability development. Consequently, the SDR stated that uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the Integrated Force in high numbers over the next five years. They will be networked with crewed fifth- and sixth-generation assets as part of a ‘high-low’ mix of capabilities, while these systems’ design will be tailored to the conditions in which they will operate, day or night; whether undersea, at sea, on land, or in the air. The development of UGV and drone capabilities remains a dynamic and evolving area. While specific projects are underway, detailed information cannot be provided whilst the projects are in their Concept Phase.

What comparative assessment he has made of the efficiency (a) rural and (b) urban hospitals; and how many hospitals in each of those categories are within the top quarter most efficient hospitals.

As part of the 2025/26 planning process, all National Health Service organisations were required to set efficiency and savings targets necessary to achieve a balanced financial position. These targets are publicly available in hospital board reports. The Department and NHS England do not assess hospital performance based solely on efficiency. Instead, the NHS Oversight Framework (NOF) measures NHS trust and foundation trust performance across a range of metrics. These reflect the delivery of NHS priorities, including performance against targets like reducing wait times for electives and accident and emergency, and improving ambulance response times.The NOF assigns trusts to four equal-sized performance categories called ‘segments’. NHS England has also recently published newly developed league tables to bring greater transparency to NHS performance at a provider level.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to provide alternative financial support to communities in West Dorset constituency following reductions in Government funding for neighbourhood plans.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 59114 on the 19 June 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reductions in Government funding for neighbourhood plans on rural communities in West Dorset constituency.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 59114 on the 19 June 2025.

What estimate she has made of the loss of tax revenue from non-VAT registered companies with turnover above the VAT threshold in the next five years.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates the size of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. The tax gap statistics and details of the estimate methodologies are published annually and are available at: Measuring tax gaps 2025 edition: tax gap estimates for 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK. The latest estimate of the tax gap for VAT is 5.0% of theoretical VAT liability, or £8.9 billion in absolute terms, for tax year 2023 to 2024. This figure implicitly captures, alongside other sources of non-compliance, companies failing to register for VAT, however a separate breakdown is not separately published due to the methodological approach used to calculate it and the associated uncertainties. HMRC does not make projections of the future loss of tax revenue due to companies failing to register for VAT. ‘Measuring tax gaps 2026 edition: tax gaps estimates for 2024 to 2025’ is scheduled for June 2026.

What steps she plans to take to ensure transparency in the modelling of the proposed Inheritance Tax changes.

The Government published information in the normal way at Autumn Budget 2024 about the assumptions and methodologies for the costing of reforms. These costings, including those relating to inheritance tax, were all certified by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The policy costings document is available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6721d2c54da1c0d41942a8d2/Policy_Costing_Document_-_Autumn_Budget_2024.pdf. The OBR published more information in January 2025 on the modelling for the forthcoming reforms to inheritance tax. Information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief is available at https://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/IHT-APR-and-BPR-supplementary-release-Jan-2025.pdf. Information about the reforms to the inheritance tax treatment of pensions is available at https://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/IHT-on-pensions-supplementary-release-Jan-2025.pdf.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that existing hospital helipads are protected from (a) planning and (b) operational restrictions.

Air ambulances form a vital part of the emergency response to patients in critical need. The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with NHS England and the Department for Transport to ensure that there is appropriate helipad accessibility available for air ambulances across the country. However, there are no plans to make it national policy that all major trauma hospitals have access to 24-hour helipad facilities.The Department of Health and Social Care is working with the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government to support and promote the interests of the health and care system throughout the planning process, including improving the participation of all relevant health stakeholders in the creation of local plans to ensure that necessary service provision is maintained. Information on the proportion of major trauma hospitals that operate 24-hour hospital helipads in England is not held centrally.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed Inheritance Tax changes on family (a) businesses and (b) farms.

The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free. The Government has set out the reforms are expected to result in up to 520 estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those also claiming business property relief, paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data. The Government has also set out that around 1,500 estates across the UK only claiming business property relief are expected to pay more inheritance tax in 2026-27, with around 1,000 of these expected to only hold shares designated as “not listed” on the markets of recognised stock exchanges, such as the Alternative Investment Market. The remaining 500 estates will include business assets from sectors across the economy that are eligible for business property relief. These reforms mean that around three-quarters of estates claiming business property relief in 2026-27 (excluding those estates only holding shares designated as “not listed”) will not pay any more inheritance tax in 2026-27. The reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief are forecast to raise a combined £520 million in 2029-30. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility certified this costing at Autumn Budget 2024 and it does not expect the reforms to have a significant macroeconomic impact. The Government published a tax information and impact note on 21 July 2025 alongside the draft legislation. This is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/reforms-to-agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.