Written questions by Maguire.

What steps he is taking to support parents whose child is diagnosed with a serious or life-limiting illness.

As per Section 97 (3b) of the Children’s and Families Act 2014, parent carers have the right to request an assessment of their need for support from the local authority. Having been assessed, Section 17 (10b) of the Children’s Acts 1989 makes provision for a child whose physical or mental health is impaired, as well as his or her family, to receive the appropriate support services from the local authority. Local authorities have a statutory duty to assess the social care needs of children and young people with serious or life-limiting illness, and to provide respite care where necessary. Local authorities and integrated care boards regularly liaise to plan and commission the most appropriate package of short breaks for the children and young people with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition in their area.The statutory guidance on palliative and end of life care produced by NHS England states that the core responsibility for commissioners is to commission high-quality, safe services that are tailored to the needs of the individual. The duty is intended to ensure that those of all ages with palliative and end of life care needs, with progressive illness or those nearing the end of their lives, as well as their loved ones and carers, receive the care and support they need to live and to die well.I am pleased to confirm the continuation of children’s hospice funding for the next three financial years, 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive. This funding will see circa £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children’s hospices in England each year, via their local integrated care boards on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential long-term impacts of the conflict in Gaza on children in Gaza's (a) health and (b) education.

Israeli restrictions on aid have created a man-made humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Since 1 July, around 400 people have died from malnutrition, including at least 119 children. More than 132,000 children under the age of five are estimated to be at risk of dying from hunger by June of next year. Israel must urgently lift restrictions and facilitate a surge of aid into Gaza to prevent further hunger and malnutrition related deaths. On 21 July, the UK announced £60 million in humanitarian aid, with a further £15 million announced on 1 September, to support healthcare, food and water which includes vital funding to the The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and to treat patients at UK-Med field hospitals in Gaza. It is estimated that over 650,000 school-age children have lost two years of in person formal education. UNRWA is continuing to provide learning services in Gaza in Temporary Learning Spaces and through its distance learning initiative. To date, more than 59,000 children, have benefited from learning and recreational activities, established across 67 UNRWA schools-turned-shelters.

Whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the Financial Conduct Authority’s regulatory framework in relation to insurance companies’ use of loss adjusters; and whether she plans to regulate the conduct of loss adjusters.

Whilst loss adjusters acting on behalf of insurers are not directly regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), they are typically members of professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (CILA). CILA sets standards for ethical conduct, technical competence, and professional integrity through its Guide to Professional Conduct. Insurers are ultimately responsible for ensuring that all aspects of their claims process meet the FCA’s regulatory standards. These include requirements to handle claims promptly and fairly, provide reasonable guidance to policyholders, and avoid unreasonable claim rejections. The FCA’s Consumer Duty also requires insurers to deliver good outcomes for customers throughout the claims journey. At present, there are no plans to introduce additional regulation specifically targeting the conduct of loss adjusters. However, the FCA continues to monitor practices across the insurance sector and has robust powers to take action against regulated firms that fail to comply with its rules.

How many UK-trained junior doctors were unable to secure NHS training placements in 2024.

In 2024, 14,620 graduates from United Kingdom medical schools applied for medical specialty training posts. Of these 1,299 were unsuccessful and deemed unappointable in any of their applications. A further 1,476 UK graduates were deemed appointable at interview but did not receive any offers due to post availability.

What steps he is taking to ensure clearer support pathways for women experiencing the menopause.

The Government recognises that women suffering from symptoms of menopause have been failed for far too long, and we acknowledge the impact it has on women’s lives, relationships and participation in the workplace.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published their updated guideline on 7 November 2024 and recommended more treatment choices for menopause symptoms.Women’s health hubs are an effective model for improving access to and experiences of care for women and include menopause as an essential service. That is why the hub in Tower Hamlets was included in the 10 Year Health Plan as a best practice example to guide the shift to neighbourhood health. As of March 2025, 41 of the 42 integrated care boards in England reported to NHS England that they had a women’s health hub.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the use of AI assisted drones during (a) night time operations and (b) periods of rest for human surveillance teams.

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.

What steps he is taking to improve career progression pathways for NHS nursing staff.

The Government has accepted 36 non-pay recommendations from workstreams committed to in the 2023 Agenda for Change (AfC) pay deal. Some of these recommendations include specific measures to improve career progression for nurses, such as reviewing Annex 20 of the AfC contract to ensure nurses are not inadvertently excluded from the development of professional roles and developing guidance to help employers support the career progression of ethnic minority and internationally educated nurses. Implementation of these measures will take place over the next two years.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled Roadmap to rebuild trust in water sector unveiled in major new report, published on 21 July 2025, what proportion of the £104 billion water infrastructure investment will be funded by (a) water companies, (b) the public purse and (c) private third-party investors.

Over the next five years water companies will spend £104 billion on investment and operation combined. This is more spending than at any previous price review. Ofwat set out in its final determinations that £44 billion of this spending would be on new infrastructure and resources. In the first instance, this will be provided by private investors. Ofwat has estimated that investors will provide £12.7 billion in new equity during the spending period. The remainder will be funded by water companies, in part through debt in order to spread the costs of investment over the lifetime of the new assets. In line with the funding model for the water industry, debt and equity investors will be repaid over time through customer bills. Business plans for all water companies have been published by Ofwat. Water company investment plans will require no contributions from general taxation.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing specialist menopause training for at least one GP in every surgery.

General practitioners (GPs) are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge, including on menopause, remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.All United Kingdom registered doctors are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council’s (GMC’s) Good Medical Practice. The training curriculum for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners, and must meet the standards set by the GMC.The GMC has introduced the Medical Licensing Assessment to encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers in the UK. The content map for this assessment includes several topics relating to women’s health including menstrual problems, endometriosis, menopause and urinary incontinence. This will encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers in the UK.

When she plans to make an announcement on pavement parking.

The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible. The new research announced last week will not delay this; my officials are finalising its terms now. The Department will aim to publish within 12 weeks of agreeing final outputs, per Government Social Research protocols. Local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to mitigate risks to delivery of proposed water infrastructure upgrades arising from the financial instability of water companies.

Water companies’ delivery of infrastructure and improved water demand management to secure our water supplies is a top priority and will be supported by our reforms of the sector. Defra work with regulators to closely monitor delivery through annual reviews of how companies against their targets. If they are not meeting their targets, they will receive a joint regulators letter setting out what they are failing on and when they must rectify these issues. We have established a ministerial Water Delivery Taskforce to monitor and intervene in projects that are essential for growth. This will also work alongside the regulators to hold the water companies to account to deliver their PR24 plans and scrutinising the costs of major projects in PR24.

What steps he is taking to ensure integrated care boards publish data on funding for children’s hospices.

Palliative care services, including for children, are included in the list of services that integrated care boards (ICBs) must commission. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including children’s hospices, also play in providing support to children who require palliative care and end of life care, and their loved ones.Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between ICB areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative care and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area. It is for ICBs to determine whether they publish their funding data.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. The allocations for 2024/25 are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hospices-receive-multi-million-pound-boost-to-improve-facilitiesThe allocations for 2025/26 are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/75-million-boost-for-hospices-to-transform-end-of-life-careWe are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the Children and Young People’s Hospice Grant.In 2024/25 and 2025/26, this funding was administered via ICBs in line with NHS devolution.

What her planned timeline is for publishing the new research on the extent and impact of pavement parking.

The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible. The new research announced last week will not delay this; my officials are finalising its terms now. The Department will aim to publish within 12 weeks of agreeing final outputs, per Government Social Research protocols. Local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of extending the settlement pathway to ten plus one years on the cost of visa renewal fees for families of British National (Overseas) visa holders.

The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future.I welcomed the opportunity to listen to the views of Members around these subjects in the recent 8th September Westminster Hall Debate on Indefinite Leave to Remain.We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year. All will be welcome to participate. We will provide details of how the scheme will work after that consultation.We regularly engage with representatives of the Hong Kong diaspora in the UK on issues related to the BN(O) visa and will continue to do so.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of prolonged temporary immigration status on British National (Overseas) visa holders’ access to (a) employment, (b) housing and (c) credit.

The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future.I welcomed the opportunity to listen to the views of Members around these subjects in the recent 8th September Westminster Hall Debate on Indefinite Leave to Remain.We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year. All will be welcome to participate. We will provide details of how the scheme will work after that consultation.We regularly engage with representatives of the Hong Kong diaspora in the UK on issues related to the BN(O) visa and will continue to do so.

With reference to his Department's Formal Response to the Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces 2024 Annual Report published on 1 September 2025, what further steps he is taking to protect service personnel against (a) bullying, (b) harassment and (c) discrimination.

There is no place for bullying, harassment and discrimination within the Armed Forces, and we are committed to preventing these types of behaviours and taking appropriate action when faced with issues or concerns raised by our people. It is vital everyone feels empowered to speak up, knows how to take action, and is confident in doing so. Through the Raising Our Standards programme, Defence seeks to tackle unacceptable behaviours across Defence, strengthen complaints processes, and promote a culture of respect, accountability, and zero tolerance for bullying, harassment, and discrimination. Furthermore, the single Services continue to develop interventions aimed at tackling unacceptable behaviours and providing a supportive environment for those that are affected. In March 2025 the Ministry of Defence also announced its intention to create a new specialist Tri-Service Complaints team, outside of the single Service chains of command, to handle the most serious complaints, such as bullying, harassment and discrimination.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed reforms to PIP on demand for (a) local authority services, (b) food banks, and (c) mental health support.

Any changes to PIP eligibility will come after a comprehensive review of the benefit, led by myself and co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard. This review aims to ensure that the PIP assessment is fair and fit for the future.

What steps he is taking to ensure the consistent availability of menopause medications.

There are over 70 hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products, and the vast majority are in good supply. We are aware of supply issues affecting Estradot (estradiol) patches until early October 2025. We have issued comprehensive management guidance to healthcare professionals and Serious Shortage Protocols to enable community pharmacists to supply specified alternative estradiol patches, with the patient’s consent and without needing to seek authorisation from the prescriber. We work closely with suppliers and other stakeholders such as the National Health Service and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to maintain overall HRT supply to patients across the United Kingdom during any shortages, including working to expedite resupply dates of the disrupted HRT products to resolve issues as soon as possible and to help fill supply gaps and prevent future shortages. We have added estradiol to the list of products that cannot be exported from, or hoarded in, the UK to protect supply of this hormone replacement therapy for UK patients.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) drought, (b) flooding and (c) rising temperatures on the UK’s top 10 fruit and vegetable supplier countries.

The UK has a resilient food supply chain and is equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Our food security is built on supply from diverse sources, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. Defra has commissioned research to gather evidence which explores how climate change could affect the production of fruit and vegetables in regions across the Mediterranean.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her international partners on taking steps to help support the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement on the Middle East made in the House by the Prime Minister on 14th October.