Written questions by Stafford.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing structured military service as an alternative sentence for non-violent offenders serving sentences of less than 25 years.

We have no current plans to introduce military service as an alternative to custody. Therefore, no comparative cost analysis has been undertaken.Research indicates that sentences with a military focus do not reduce re-offending. The evidence shows that it is the intervention to address offending behaviour which makes a difference, not the military regime and physical toughness.

How many unoccupied places there were in prison wings for transgender prisoners only on 5 June 2025.

The separate unit for transgender prisoners, E Wing at HMP Downview, has 16 cells. There are currently seven prisoners being held in the unit.

What criteria his Department is using to calculate compensation offers made to Sub-Postmasters impacted by the Horizon scandal.

Claims for Horizon redress are assessed by applying the specific facts of the individual cases to established legal principles and any other factors which support reaching a fair outcome. Assessment criteria for the individual redress schemes are published by the Department for Business and Trade and the Post Office.Across each scheme, claimants have the option of accepting a fixed-sum offer or requesting a detailed assessment.Where a claimant is not satisfied with an offer for redress, the offer may be appealed. On the Group Litigation Order (GLO) scheme, disputed offers would be assessed by an independent panel and in some circumstances, an independent reviewer.As of 2 June 2025, over £1 billion has been paid to over 7,300 claimants across the 4 horizon schemes.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the (a) fairness and (b) efficiency of the Horizon compensation schemes.

As of 2 June 2025, over £1 billion has been paid to over 7,300 claimants across the 4 horizon schemes. This represents a fourfold increase since July 2024, with more than 4,500 victims receiving compensation for the first time.Claims for Horizon redress are assessed by applying the specific facts of the individual cases to established legal principles and any other factors which support reaching a fair outcome. Across each scheme, claimants have the option of accepting a fixed-sum offer or requesting a detailed assessment. Where a claimant is not satisfied with an offer for redress, the offer may be appealed. On the Group Litigation Order scheme, disputed offers would be assessed by an independent panel and in some circumstances, an independent reviewer.We continue to seek options to speed up redress, in discussion with the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board.

Whether he plans to provide funding for legal advice for Sub-Postmasters pursuing compensation claims.

The Department for Business and Trade meets the reasonable legal costs of postmasters in applying to its Horizon redress schemes, and encourages claimants to take up this offer. Legal cost frameworks and tariffs for each scheme delivered by the Department have been agreed and published following discussions with claimants’ legal representatives. Post Office provides funding for reasonable legal fees to help claimants on the Horizon Shortfall Scheme to consider offers made by the independent panel, with further legal support available should they choose to dispute or appeal their offer.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that employers are financially able to support level 7 apprenticeships in the context of the proposed funding changes from January 2026.

This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity.From January 2026 the government will no longer fund level 7 apprenticeships, equivalent to master’s degree level, except for young apprentices under the age of 22. This will enable apprenticeships opportunities to be rebalanced towards young people and create more opportunities for those entering the labour market, who need skills and training to get on in their careers.This decision was informed by a wide range of evidence, including Skills England’s analysis of official apprenticeship statistics and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders. Skills England’s evidence suggested there was unlikely to be a significant or unavoidable fall in the supply of these skills in the long term, post-defunding.We are encouraging more employers to invest in upskilling their staff over 22 to level 7 where it delivers a benefit to the business and the individual. It will be for employers to determine the most appropriate training. There are alternative training options available to employers at level 7 including non-apprenticeship routes.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of poor mobile signal on police capacity to (a) respond to and (b) manage rural crime.

This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas. Our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver 13,000 more neighbourhood police by the end of the Parliament, whilst also ensuring each community, including rural communities, has a named, contactable officer to turn to. Rural communities can be assured that visible, neighbourhood policing is returning to our communities.The Emergency Services Network (ESN) has been planned to provide coverage to the whole of the UK providing effective mobile services for all of the emergency services. EE’s Network is being upgraded to support the ESN radio infrastructure across the country. Supplementary to this the Home Office are managing and deploying an extra 292 sites filling in the coverage not spots within the most rural parts of Great Britain, ensuring these areas have coverage levels that support effective communications for the Emergency Services.Additionally, the core Airwave network service, funded by the Home Office, provides vehicle levels of radio coverage across the entirety of Great Britain and this is well understood by all Police forces. Several forces have elected to enhance this coverage to provide hand-held contractual coverage depending on their own operational need and practices.The delivery of ESN has estimated total economic benefits of £2.4 billion (present values) most of which are from ESN 999-calls. Additional identified benefits of connecting ESN 999-calls to police in England and all emergency services in Scotland and Wales, are currently being assessed and will add considerably to the programme’s future monetisable benefits. The strategic case around providing a prompt and high quality 999 service, the obsolescence risk of TETRA and other significant non-monetised benefits, further enhance the value for money assessment.

Whether her Department plans to introduce a national alternative to the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme.

The government is committed to ensuring every young person can develop the skills they need to succeed in work and life. We want them to have access to good quality careers advice as part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity, under our Plan for Change.Nationally, schools and colleges can access a range of digital and in-person support to help them inform their students about technical routes, such as apprenticeships. This support includes T Levels Ambassador Networks, the Skills for Apprenticeships support page (part of the government’s Skills for Life – ‘It All Starts With Skills’ communications campaign), and The Careers and Enterprise Company’s (CEC) resource directory.Locally, through careers hubs, data and front-line insights support conversations about what is preventing take-up of technical and vocational pathways at the local level, enabling local partners to devise solutions. The government will continue to invest in high-quality careers education for young people, including boosting skills pathways such as apprenticeships and other technical education routes.We will continue investing in wider careers infrastructure, including careers hubs, to ensure successful implementation of our careers programme.Careers hubs, supported by CEC, will continue locally to address barriers relating to apprenticeships and technical education awareness and uptake.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of withdrawing funding for level 7 apprenticeships for people aged 22 and over on workforce planning in critical public services.

This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity.From January 2026 the government will no longer fund level 7 apprenticeships, equivalent to master’s degree level, except for young apprentices under the age of 22. This will enable apprenticeships opportunities to be rebalanced towards young people and create more opportunities for those entering the labour market, who need skills and training to get on in their careers.This decision was informed by a wide range of evidence, including Skills England’s analysis of official apprenticeship statistics and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders. Skills England’s evidence suggested there was unlikely to be a significant or unavoidable fall in the supply of these skills in the long term, post-defunding.We are encouraging more employers to invest in upskilling their staff over 22 to level 7 where it delivers a benefit to the business and the individual. It will be for employers to determine the most appropriate training. There are alternative training options available to employers at level 7 including non-apprenticeship routes.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of ending the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme on regional equality of access to apprenticeship (a) information and (b) advice.

Enabling access to apprenticeships and technical education remains a key part of this government’s education policy. The decision not to continue the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme was based on:Growth in awareness of apprenticeships amongst secondary pupils, which is now on a par with awareness of A Levels.Apprenticeships programme development since ASK was introduced, with emphasis now moving towards supporting successful participation and completion than awareness-raising.Tight fiscal climate requires tough decisions about activity that can be extended. Schools and colleges seeking support to raise awareness of apprenticeships and technical education can continue to access the following support:The Skills for Careers Apprenticeships support page, accessible at: https://www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/pages/training-choice/apprenticeships.The Careers and Enterprise Company’s (CEC) resource directory.Amazing Apprenticeships which offers a wide range of resources and support for schools and colleges. This is accessible at: https://resources.careersandenterprise.co.uk/.CEC’s network of Careers Hubs, covering 95% of schools and colleges, works with schools and colleges to support their careers education programmes.CEC also supports enhanced Provider Access Legislation which specifies schools must provide at least six encounters with approved providers of apprenticeships and technical education.The Apprenticeship Ambassador Network of around 2000 volunteers which visits institutions sharing compelling experiences about apprenticeships.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to prevent unitary authorities formed through the Local Government Reorganisation requiring exception financial support.

On 5 February, the Government issued invitations to councils in two-tier areas in England and neighbouring unitary councils to prepare proposals for local government reorganisation. The invitation sets out the criteria against which proposals will be assessed, including that unitary local government must be the right size to achieve efficiencies improve capacity and withstand financial shocks. It is for councils to develop robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of their whole area.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to take legislative steps to regulate bonfires.

At this present time, we are not planning any new measures restricting bonfires. Government guidance on the rules about garden bonfires is available at: https://www.gov.uk/garden-bonfires-rules.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of capping the cost of care homes.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care market and to commission a range of high-quality, sustainable care support services to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes encouraging a wide range of service provision to ensure that people have a choice of appropriate services.Fee rates are set by providers of adult social care, the majority of which are in the independent sector. The Department does not have powers to set or recommend the level of fees that private care homes can charge. However, all businesses are required to comply with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 by ensuring that they use fair and clear terms in their standard agreements with customers.The Government is supporting local authorities by making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26. This includes over £1 billion for the Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund (MSIF), with one of the three target areas local authorities can spend their allocations on being to improve fee rates to providers.In a letter I sent out to Council Leaders in January 2025, I set out the expectation that in 2025/26, when commissioning services, local authorities should ensure fee levels for care and support services take account of the actual costs of care in their area, including inflationary and all other pressures, such as the rise in National Living Wage and the changes to employers National Insurance Contributions.As part of our monitoring of the MSIF grant conditions and to understand fee rates more generally, local authorities are required to provide an annual return to the Department including data on the fee rates they pay care providers. The Government publishes this data annually, with the latest being available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/market-sustainability-and-improvement-fund-2024-to-2025-care-provider-fees/market-sustainability-and-improvement-fund-msif-provider-fee-reporting-2024-to-2025

What steps his Department is taking to increase the provision of dentistry services in Farnham and Bordon constituency.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Farnham and Bordon constituency, this is the NHS Frimley ICB. ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The NHS Frimley ICB is expected to deliver 6,626 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.ICBs have started to advertise posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

What discussions she has had with representatives of the Council for Disabled Children on the potential impact of SEND reforms on (a) special needs children and (b) EHCP allocation.

The department regularly works with a range of stakeholders, including the Council for Disabled Children (CDC), on a number of areas relating to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) policy. We regularly meet the CDC to discuss the development of SEND reforms and their impact on children and young people with SEND and their families. We have appointed Dame Christine Lenehan, former director of the CDC, as SEND adviser to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2025 to Question 52818 on Slaughterhouses: Closures, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of access to slaughter facilities for livestock producers in Farnham and Bordon constituency.

The provision of and access to abattoir facilities is a matter for individual business. However, Defra recognises the importance to livestock producers across England of having access to smaller abattoirs who provide local slaughter facilities particularly for rare and native breeds while also supporting local food production and rural economies. Defra continues to engage regularly with abattoir and livestock sector stakeholders, particularly through the Small Abattoirs Working Group and the Small Abattoirs Task and Finish Group. These established forums provide a platform for the industry to raise and address both national and local concerns with the Department.

Whether she has had discussions with Hampshire County Council on pavement parking; and whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to support local authorities in tackling concerns related to pavement parking.

The Secretary of State has not had discussions with Hampshire County Council about pavement parking. The Department held a consultation in 2020 and has been considering the responses to the consultation and working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. As soon as the Government has decided its preferred way forward, we will announce the next steps and publish our formal response.  In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to restrict and enforce pavement parking.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to (a) allow the establishment of new precepting (i) parish, (ii) town and (iii) community councils and (b) (A) retain and (B) improve the Community Governance Review process.

The ability to establish new parish, town and community councils is devolved to principal local authorities through the community governance review process. This remains the case. Areas considering new parish councils should think carefully about how they might be funded, to avoid putting further pressure on local authority finances and/or new burdens on the taxpayer Decisions over whether to raise a precept, and over the level of this precept, are taken independently of central government by the parish council in question. The government views the current process for undertaking community governance reviews as sufficient. We are in regular contact with the sector to understand what improvements would be helpful.

If she will meet with (a) the hon. Member for Farnham and Bordon and (b) farmers from that constituency to discuss reforms to (i) Agricultural Property Relief and (ii) Business Property Relief.

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. As the Minister responsible for the UK tax system, I have received representations on this subject from a number of Hon Members and I have participated in several debates in this House since Autumn Budget 2024. I have also met with Hon Members and several agricultural organisations to listen to their views. The Government has been listening to the different views on this subject and continues to believe the approach we have set out is appropriate.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to incorporate the needs of small-scale meat (a) producers and (b) processors into his Department's (i) food strategy and (ii) future rural support programmes.

Developing a food strategy is not a job for the Government alone. We are forming a coalition with the food sector, academics and charities, citizens, and key thinkers to pool our collective ideas, influence, and effort. As part of our engagement, we are holding sectoral and thematic conversations through May and June, utilising existing Defra forums. This includes the Livestock Chain Advisory Group, in which small-scale meat producers and processors are represented by sector bodies and associations. This is just the start of the conversation, and all stakeholders across the food supply chain will be engaged. Defra plans to simplify and rationalise grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and nature. We are currently working to agree our capital settlement as part of the Spending Review. Once agreed, we will consider how best to use capital to achieve outcomes and will confirm any future grant rounds in due course.