Written questions by Maguire.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing capacity for Scottish onshore wind by 700MW between 2030 and 2035 on net zero targets.

We don't consider the increase in capacity planned for Scotland between 2030 and 2035 to have an impact on our ability to reach our net zero targets. The 2035 capacity number for Scotland is based on the National Energy System Operator’s Future Energy Scenarios, which present credible pathways to decarbonise our energy system as we strive towards the 2050 target.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the University of Manchester research entitled The right prescription: Young people, mental health and social prescribing, published on 19 March 2025.

This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity, and helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education. That is why the department has committed to expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. As of April 2024, NHS-funded MHSTs covered 44% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England, and are expected to cover at least 50% by the end of March 2025.NHS England has recognised that social prescribing is an early intervention approach that can work particularly well for people with low level mental health needs. It has set out a framework for social prescribing link workers operating within or alongside primary care networks. The University of Manchester’s article highlights findings of a pilot on how social prescribing link workers can work effectively to support young people in colleges.It is for schools and colleges to choose the most appropriate support for their students based on their understanding of needs, making links to primary care services in their area and the support they provide to children and young people. We will look at the lessons of the pilot and evidence on social prescribing in exploring future practical resources for schools and colleges, helping them to provide effective early support.Regarding Young Futures Hubs, the staffing of each hub will be co-designed with local stakeholders to meet the needs of their local community and the three overriding objectives of improving opportunities, improving mental health and wellbeing, and reducing crime. Such designs may include a variety of different staffing arrangements including social prescribers and other related professionals.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that pubs are not charged twice for recycling glass bottles under Extended Producer Responsibility rules.

Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) obligates brands and packaging producers to pay the costs of managing household packaging waste. In most cases, this will not be individual pubs but the business supplying the pub with packaged goods. It is up to individual producers whether to pass these costs on to their customers. The pEPR fees are intended to incentivise producers to use less packaging and to ensure the packaging they do use is environmentally sustainable. For example, where producers use reusable packaging, they will only pay a pEPR fee the first time it is used. Reuse will therefore provide a significant decrease in fees and customers, such as pubs, will see a decrease in waste management costs. Industry is already making progress in this area, the British Beer and Pub Association and ABInbev recently hosted a well-attended glass bottle reuse workshop where UK glass reuse trials were showcased. This included a Greene King trial which started with 25 pubs last year and which will soon be expanded to several hundred pubs, and the multi-retailer glass reuse trial that is due to start in Newport later this year.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the number of anaesthetists on maternity care.

There has been no such assessment. Decisions about recruitment are matters for individual National Health Service employers. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.We are committed to training the staff we need, including anaesthetists and all other medical specialities, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it.We have launched the 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to reform and repair the NHS. A central part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities.We will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.

What steps his Department is taking to prevent (a) stalled and (b) speculative schemes from preventing viable renewable energy projects from progressing.

The government is working closely with Ofgem, National Energy System Operator (NESO) and network companies to reform the connections process and enable advanced projects, that align with our strategic needs, to connect faster. Ofgem is currently considering connection reform proposals from NESO, which include requirements for projects to demonstrate sufficient progress to obtain, and retain, a connection agreement.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a target for at least 75% of children and young people to be (a) diagnosed and (b) have cancer ruled out within 10 days of their first symptom presentation to a clinician.

We are committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more patients survive, including children and young people. The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will outline our approach to delivering this.In the meantime, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has set out detailed guidance for general practitioners on the symptoms of cancer in children and young people, recommending referral within 48 hours for those presenting with a range of potential cancer symptoms.The Department is also taking steps to improve waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment across all cancer patient groups, including children and young people. This will be achieved by delivering an extra 40,000 scans, appointments, and operations each week to ensure that patients are seen and treated as quickly as possible.To further support timely investigation after referral, we are working with the NHS to maximise the pace of the roll-out of additional diagnostic capacity, delivering the final year of the three-year investment plan for establishing community diagnostic centres, with capacity prioritised for cancer.On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce. The taskforce will explore a range of issues, including early detection and diagnosis, in order to identify areas of improvement for this patient group.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming mathematical education to emphasise (a) data, (b) technology and (c) computing.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review is looking at all curriculum subjects, including mathematics. It is committed to ensuring the curriculum sufficiently prepares children and young people for future life and work, building the knowledge, skills and attributes to thrive. The Review Group has now published an interim report, which sets out its findings and confirms the key areas for further work. The report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-interim-report. The report highlights the need for the curriculum to “respond to social and technological change”. The Review Group’s next steps include considering how best to equip young people with “the essential knowledge and skills which will enable them to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled world”. The government will respond to the final recommendations in autumn.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of Government funding for Local Welfare Assistance.

Local welfare assistance funding is delivered through the Local Government Finance Settlement. The majority of funding in the local government finance settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Institute of Cancer Research's report entitled Cost-utility analysis of adding abiraterone acetate plus prednisone/prednisolone to long-term hormone therapy in newly diagnosed advanced prostate cancer in England: Lifetime decision model based on STAMPEDE trial data, published on 2 June 2022.

Abiraterone has a United Kingdom marketing authorisation for the treatment of metastatic hormone-relapsed prostate cancer before chemotherapy is indicated, and for castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer previously treated with a docetaxel-containing regimen. It has been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for use within these licensed indications. It is currently routinely funded by the National Health Service in England for its NICE-recommended indications, in line with the legal requirement.Abiraterone does not have a UK marketing authorisation for use in the treatment of hormone sensitive, non-metastatic prostate cancer. Decisions on routine NHS funding for cancer medicines outside of their licensed indications, or “off-label”, are taken by NHS England through its specialised commissioning function, taking into account the available evidence and affordability.NHS England considered abiraterone as an off-label treatment for hormone sensitive, non-metastatic prostate cancer through its clinical policy development process in 2024/25. Through this process, NHS England confirmed that there was sufficient supporting evidence to support the routine commissioning of abiraterone in this indication, and it was ranked in the highest priority level. However, NHS England could not identify the necessary recurrent funding to support commissioning of abiraterone, or any other treatments within the prioritisation round.

What steps he is taking to increase awareness that military compensation should not be treated as income in means tests for statutory support.

The Ministry of Defence and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) collaborate closely to ensure the current practice of how their respective schemes and benefits work together, and any proposed changes, are communicated and considered. Advice is available on gov.uk for those seeking further guidance - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/veterans-uk-contact-us The DWP already applies different treatment for Armed Forces compensation payments across the benefit system in comparison to other groups. This reflects the nature of the payments to compensate those who have made significant sacrifices for our country. For example, Universal Credit fully disregards War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation payments. This means that payments under these Schemes do not impact the eligibility or amount of benefit to which individuals might be entitled. Other social security benefits may partially or fully disregard Armed Forces-related compensation payments. This will be dependent on the type of benefit being considered, as different benefits have different criteria.

What support his Department provides to (a) service personnel and their families and (b) people leaving the services to improve financial resilience.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works in close partnership with several financial institutions including three not-for-profit Credit Unions which make up the MOD’s Joining Forces Credit Union initiative. Joining Forces Credit Union provides Service personnel, their partners, families, and dependants, with access face-to-face and online financial awareness briefings to help improve financial resilience with an emphasis on encouraging a savings culture and deterring the use of ‘pay day loan companies’. All Service leavers are entitled to support from the Career Transition Partnership (CTP). Service leavers are encouraged to attend The Financial Aspects of Resettlement (FAR) brief which is a single day course designed to help them access financial awareness and long-term planning information, tax, pensions, and benefits advice. There are 11 resettlement hubs around the UK, located in areas where the majority of Service personnel choose to settle.

What steps his Department is taking to improve accessibility to NHS dental services for disabled users without access to transport.

The Government’s ambition is to make sure that everyone who needs a dentist can get one, and we are tackling 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 by recruiting new dentists to areas that need them most. Community dental services are available to people whose additional needs may mean they are not able to be treated at high street dental practices. Under the Equality Act 2010, health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contentsThe NHS contracts with independent dental providers to deliver NHS dental treatment in primary care settings. Dental practices are businesses and are therefore able to decide how they operate, providing they remain compliant with the appropriate regulations.Integrated care boards are responsible for undertaking special care oral health needs assessments, to identify areas of oral health need, to inform local commissioning intentions, and to determine the local priorities for investment.

Whether her Department has considered removing the exemption for both parties being within the dwelling in section 31 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1988.

The Government regularly reviews legislation to ensure it safeguards the public and adequately reflects challenges that are likely to be faced today. Where we identify gaps in the legislation, we will seek to address them.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to NHS dental services for people in wheelchairs.

The Government’s ambition is to make sure that everyone who needs a dentist can get one, and we are tackling 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 by recruiting new dentists to areas that need them most. Community dental services are available to people whose additional needs may mean they are not able to be treated at high street dental practices. Under the Equality Act 2010, health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contentsThe NHS contracts with independent dental providers to deliver NHS dental treatment in primary care settings. Dental practices are businesses and are therefore able to decide how they operate, providing they remain compliant with the appropriate regulations.Integrated care boards are responsible for undertaking special care oral health needs assessments, to identify areas of oral health need, to inform local commissioning intentions, and to determine the local priorities for investment.

What measures her Department is taking to protect people living in the UK against (a) harassment (b) abuse (c) intimidation and (d) other forms of harm carried out by other states engaged in transnational repression in the UK.

The first duty of the Government is to keep the country safe and we are committed to responding to foreign interference, including those actions which amount to transnational repression. We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously. Any attempt by any foreign state to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK will not be tolerated.We have a broad suite of powers available to counter transnational repression, and we continue to implement measures in the National Security Act 2023, which make the UK a harder target for those states which seek to conduct hostile acts. On 4 March, I announced a new package of training for frontline police officers and staff to increase their understanding of foreign state threats. This training will improve law enforcement’s ability to detect and investigate incidents which may be state-directed.The Defending Democracy Taskforce is reviewing the UK’s existing response to transnational repression to ensure it is robust and joined across government and law enforcement. In the interim, anyone who thinks they might be at risk should report incidents or suspicious activity to the Police via 101, a local police station, or 999 in emergencies.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of removing the (a) two-child cap and (b) benefit cap for families in receipt of Universal Credit.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child. The Child Poverty Taskforce is exploring how we can harness all available levers to reduce child poverty, including considering social security reforms, before publishing a strategy that will deliver lasting change.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle nursery staff recruitment and retention shortages.

The government is committed to giving children the best start in life and has set the ambition through the government’s Plan for Change for a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn in the classroom. The department will measure our progress through 75% of children at the end of reception reaching a good level of development in the early years foundation stage by 2028. A high quality and sufficient workforce is fundamental to this.The department is supporting early years providers to attract talented staff by creating conditions for improved recruitment. Our national recruitment campaign is encouraging the public to ‘Do something Big’ and start a career working with small children. A dedicated campaign website is also helping people find out more about gaining qualifications and search existing job vacancies. We are also piloting whether £1,000 financial incentives may boost recruitment and running Skills Bootcamps for early years which can lead to accelerated apprenticeships.The department recently announced the experience-based route, which enables early years providers to maximise the potential of staff who have the right skills and experience but do not hold an approved qualification. We have also taken steps to increase the graduate workforce via the early years teacher degree apprenticeship, providing a new undergraduate route to gaining early years teacher status.

What steps her Department is taking to help close the education attainment gap.

All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they are from. However, this government knows that too many children and young people face barriers to learning. This is not acceptable, which is why the Opportunity Mission will break the unfair link between background and success, helping all children achieve and thrive.High and rising standards across education are at the heart of this mission and the key to unlocking stronger outcomes and a better future for children and young people. The department aims to deliver these improvements through excellent teaching and leadership, a high quality curriculum and a system that removes barriers to learning, all of which will be underpinned by strong and clear accountability.The quality of teaching is the single most important in-school factor in improving outcomes for children, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is why the department is committed to recruiting 6,500 new expert teachers.The department has also launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which is closely examining the key challenges to attainment for young people and the barriers that hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve.To strengthen school improvement, the new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will provide both mandatory targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve and a universal service, acting as a catalyst for a self-improving system for all schools.Recognising the importance of supporting children’s attendance and attainment, the government is committed to delivering on its pledge to provide free breakfast clubs in every state funded school with primary-aged children.The pupil premium grant also provides funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools in England. Pupil premium funding will rise to over £3 billion in 2025/26, an increase of almost 5% from 2024/25.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of establishing a legal right to consular assistance for British nationals.

The Government is committed to strengthening consular services, including the introduction of a right in cases of human rights violations. Ministers are currently considering options to achieve this, which we will announce in due course.

What steps her Department is taking to safeguard students from (a) Hong Kong, (b) Tibet, (c) Taiwan and (d) Xinjiang, who are persecuted by the Chinese authorities on UK campuses.

The first duty of the government is to keep the country safe and this government is committed to responding to foreign interference, including those actions which amount to transnational repression. The government takes protection of individuals' rights, freedoms and safety very seriously, and any attempt by any foreign state to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK will not be tolerated. Anyone who thinks they might be a victim should report incidents or suspicious activity to the Police via 101, a local police station or 999 in emergencies. As autonomous institutions, the department also expects universities to have robust processes in place to prevent and tackle incidents of harassment and abuse on campuses.The department is taking specific steps to ensure our world-leading universities remain free from foreign interference. This includes the implementation of the new complaints scheme in the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, which will offer a focussed route for concerns, including relating to foreign interference in academic freedom and free speech, to be escalated. The government is also working at pace on the implementation of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, which will require registration of foreign directed activity involving specific governments and entities where it is necessary to protect the safety or interests of the UK. The department expects the scheme to commence summer this year.The department continues to work closely with the sector to increase their understanding of the risks and their ability to respond. We are conducting an internal review, informed by engagement with the regulator, sector, academics impacted by foreign interference, as well as international partners, to assess existing approaches to managing the risk of foreign interference and what more support they might need.