Written questions by Maguire.

(a) what percentage of NHS dental appointments for people with disabilities were (i) missed, (ii) cancelled and (iii) delayed in the year 2024 and (b) if he will provide comparative figures for the same year on these metrics for non-disabled people that used NHS dental services.

Data is not held on the percentage of National Health Service dental appointments that were missed, cancelled or delayed. The Government recognises that certain groups of patients such as people with disabilities may find it difficult to access dental care. We are committed to ensuring NHS dental services are available to all who need them.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access to NHS community dental services for people with disabilities.

We are committed to ensuring National Health Service dental services are available to all who need them. The January 2025 Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) report on community dental services (CDS) highlighted several known challenges in the operation and monitoring of CDS. NHS England and the Department have taken the recommendations on board and are working to improve the data reporting process to increase oversight of CDS activity, including current waiting lists and performance reporting.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for undertaking special care oral health needs assessments, to identify areas of oral health need, to inform local commissioning intentions, and determine the local priorities for investment.On 5 October 2024, NHS England announced a new dental check-up service for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. The dental check-ups will be offered to all special residential schools and colleges across England from next year and will reach around 18,000 children and young people. More information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/2024/10/nhs-rolls-out-free-eyesight-hearing-and-dental-checks-for-children-at-residential-special-schools/

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to specialist NHS dental services for people with disabilities.

We are committed to ensuring National Health Service dental services are available to all who need them. The January 2025 Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) report on community dental services (CDS) highlighted several known challenges in the operation and monitoring of CDS. NHS England and the Department have taken the recommendations on board and are working to improve the data reporting process to increase oversight of CDS activity, including current waiting lists and performance reporting.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for undertaking special care oral health needs assessments, to identify areas of oral health need, to inform local commissioning intentions, and determine the local priorities for investment.On 5 October 2024, NHS England announced a new dental check-up service for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. The dental check-ups will be offered to all special residential schools and colleges across England from next year and will reach around 18,000 children and young people. More information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/2024/10/nhs-rolls-out-free-eyesight-hearing-and-dental-checks-for-children-at-residential-special-schools/

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that fuel poverty interventions are (a) sufficient and (b) well targeted.

The Government believes the only way to protect consumers permanently is to speed up the transition towards homegrown clean energy. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. We continue to monitor energy prices and the price cap and are working to ensure bills are affordable for consumers in the long-term, including through our work with Ofgem to reform standing charges, and through our Warm Homes Plan which will upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run. The Government's review of the 2021 fuel poverty strategy reveals progress towards the statutory target has stalled. A new strategy is required, with a consultation open until 4 April.

How many and what proportion of households are (a) eligible for and (b) in receipt of the Warm Homes Discount in Epsom and Ewell constituency.

The latest published Warm Home Discount statistics are for 2023/4 and use the constituency boundaries operating prior to the 2024 General Election. Most (87%) of the residential premises in Epsom and Ewell constituency come from Epsom and Ewell constituency under the previous boundaries, in which 2,369 households received the Warm Home Discount rebate in 2023-24. The statistics only cover receipt of the Warm Home Discount and not eligibility.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the salary level for Armed Forces reservists.

Reserves enable our Armed Forces to meet the threats we face at home and overseas, by providing the scale, skills, agility and connection to society needed, in a cost-effective way. Defence believes that the pension and salary offered to today’s Reservists represents fair and competitive remuneration. A pension has been part of the offer to all Reservists since 2015 who are enrolled in the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 (AFPS 15). This is the same scheme in which Regular members of the Armed Forces are enrolled. AFPS 15 is a non-contributory scheme and is calculated according to average earnings over a Service person’s career. All Armed Forces salaries up to 1* rank, including those for Reservists, are reviewed by the independent Armed Forces Pay Review body (AFPRB). On 29 July 2024, the Government accepted the AFPRB’s recommendations in full for the 2024/25 Pay Round, which was paid in September salaries, backdated to 1 April 2024. Most personnel up to and including 1* rank received an overall 6% increase. This was the largest headline percentage uplift in 22 years for our Armed Forces.

What discussions he has had with NICE on expanding the list of weight-related comorbidities on their tirzepatide guidance to include polycystic ovarian syndrome.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published technology appraisal guidance that recommends tirzepatide to treat obesity, alongside a reduced calorie-diet and increased physical activity, in adults with a body mass index of 35 or over and at least one weight-related comorbidity.The NICE’s recommendation itself, once fully implemented, does not specify the weight-related comorbidity needed to be eligible. Under the recommendation, if polycystic ovarian syndrome is considered to be weight-related for an individual, they would be eligible if they met the other criteria in the recommendation.NHS England submitted a funding variation request, on behalf of National Health Service providers and integrated care boards, to extend the time needed to comply with the recommendations. NHS England will now publish an interim commissioning policy outlining how patient cohorts should be prioritised and the service models that are recommended during the initial three-year implementation period. During this time, evidence will be generated, which will inform a NICE re-evaluation of the remaining roll out period to the wider group of eligible patients.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of pension entitlements for Armed Forces reservists.

Reserves enable our Armed Forces to meet the threats we face at home and overseas, by providing the scale, skills, agility and connection to society needed, in a cost-effective way. Defence believes that the pension and salary offered to today’s Reservists represents fair and competitive remuneration. A pension has been part of the offer to all Reservists since 2015 who are enrolled in the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 (AFPS 15). This is the same scheme in which Regular members of the Armed Forces are enrolled. AFPS 15 is a non-contributory scheme and is calculated according to average earnings over a Service person’s career. All Armed Forces salaries up to 1* rank, including those for Reservists, are reviewed by the independent Armed Forces Pay Review body (AFPRB). On 29 July 2024, the Government accepted the AFPRB’s recommendations in full for the 2024/25 Pay Round, which was paid in September salaries, backdated to 1 April 2024. Most personnel up to and including 1* rank received an overall 6% increase. This was the largest headline percentage uplift in 22 years for our Armed Forces.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) improve response times and (b) ensure mandatory reconsiderations are adequately assessed.

Whilst we aim to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey, Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) is a key element of the Department’s decision-making process. MR offers customers an opportunity to challenge decisions and provide any additional information which may be relevant to their claim. In law there is no time limit within which a MR decision must be made. This reflects the overarching policy that the focus should be on making the right decision and not on the speed of response. Decisions should always be made without delay, but if the Decision Maker believes more time is needed to gather or consider evidence, they must give themselves that time to ensure they are confident that the decision made is correct. However, for PIP we are recruiting MR decision makers and making overtime available to increase productivity. We have a multi-tiered Quality Assurance Framework to ensure MR decisions are legal and payments are accurate, and Decision Makers receive thorough training on all aspects of decision-making.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the cost of living on future levels of disposable household income.

The Government’s Plan for Change outlines our goals to raise living standards across the UK and ensure that working people have more money in their pockets. Specific actions already taken by the Government include increasing to the National Living Wage from April 2025; extending the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments in England and Wales in 2025-26; and introduction of a new Fair Repayment Rate from April 2025 to cap debt repayments made through Universal Credit. In the OBR’s October 2024 forecast, living standards, as measured by Real Household Disposable Income per capita, were forecast to rise by an annual average of 0.5% over the course of this parliament (Q2 2024 – Q2 2029).

What steps his Department is taking to increase funding for research into (a) neuroblastoma and (b) other childhood cancers.

The Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.Research is a vital part of improving diagnosis and treatment for children and young people with cancer. The NIHR spent approximately £9.9 million over the last five financial years, from 2019/20 to 2023/24, on directly funded research to improve outcomes for children and young people with cancer, including for neuroblastoma.These investments are pivotal to informing efforts to improve cancer prevention, treatment, and outcomes. An example of a recent award is the RElapse Decision MAking Parent Process trial, for the development of a treatment decision aid for parents of a child with neuroblastoma which has relapsed. The total award value was £308,000.The NIHR funds research in response to proposals received from scientists rather than allocating funding to specific disease areas. The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including neuroblastoma research and other childhood cancers. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.The Department relaunched the Children and Young People’s Cancer Taskforce, which met on 4 March 2025. Caroline Dinenage and Professor Darren Hargrave have been appointed as co-chairs. The taskforce will examine clinical and non-clinical ways to improve outcomes and patient experience for children and young people with cancer, including neuroblastoma research. The taskforce will feed into wider Department work on the National Cancer Plan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department is providing for Ukrainian rehabilitation organisations.

The UK supports the strengthening of Ukrainian rehabilitation systems in various ways, including training and capacity building of Ukrainian healthcare staff; provision of rehabilitation equipment to facilities across Ukraine; and support on health and social policy. We support home-based care and rehabilitation services through our assistance to the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and funding via the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine for the Superhumans clinic, which provides innovative rehabilitation services to people who have been impacted by war.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of enabling people over 60 to travel for free on public transport in England.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as lowering the age of eligibility, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. Local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations such as lowering the age of eligibility. Additional local concessions are provided and funded by local authorities from local resources. The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available in the local area.

When his Department will publish the 2024 update to Parliament on the United Kingdom’s future nuclear deterrent.

The scheduled annual update to Parliament on the United Kingdom’s future nuclear deterrent is undergoing final clearance procedures and will be published in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of environmental contamination caused by sewage discharges by water companies in Epsom and Ewell constituency.

For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas. That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Act. The Act will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector. To further support understanding of the impact that sewage discharges have on the receiving watercourse, a programme to rollout Continuous Water Quality Monitors is beginning in Price Review period (PR24), which runs from 2025-2030. Monitors will be installed near 25% of storm overflows and sewage treatment works in scope for the programme in this period. Sites prioritised for monitoring will be based on Defra’s priority areas. During PR24, Thames Water will invest £784 million to reduce the use of storm overflows, including in the Epsom and Ewell constituency. Additional improvement actions also include increasing treatment capacity at sewage works, providing storage for high flows, reducing flows entering the system and provision of treatment for storm overflows which are separate from the main treatment route. There are no sewage treatment works in the Epsom and Ewell constituency.

What safeguarding training is provided to new instructors at the Army Foundation College before working with recruits.

The following safeguarding training is provided to new instructors at the Army Foundation College (AFC) before working with recruits: · Permanent Staff Development Course Part 1. This is a Defence Learning Environment Course covering the Basic Care of Trainees which includes Level 1 Safeguarding Training. · Permanent Staff Development Course Part 2. This delivers the Advanced Care of Trainees (ACoT) course, a safeguarding brief at level 2 and a review of the Supervisory Care Directive. This training is contextualised for the under 18 audience at AFC. Instructors are not able to conduct duties until they have completed ACoT. · AFC(H) staff do refresher training prior to each new intake which includes training on safeguarding and the Supervisory Care Directive. · The Commanding Officer, Designated Safeguard Lead, Chief Instructor, All Training Company Officer's Commanding, Adjutant and Unit Welfare Officer will complete the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Designated Safeguard Lead course.

With reference to the Answer of 9 May 2024 to Question 24728 on Army Foundation College: Sexual Offences, how many (a) perpetrators were involved and (b) of the victims were recruits for each category of offence listed.

Due to the small number of offences, victims and perpetrators, it would be inappropriate to release any further breakdown of the figures provided in Question 24728. I am sure you will understand that I am unable to release any details which could lead to the identification of victims of sexual offences. This is because of statutory restrictions and also to ensure that victims of sexual offences are not deterred from coming forward. Court Martial results are published online, including the Rank, charges outcome and sentence and unit at the time of Court Martial.

With reference to his Department's statistics entitled Murder, manslaughter and sexual offences in the Service Justice System: 2023, published on 28 March 2024, how many victims of sexual crimes under the age of 18 were based at the Army Foundation College.

I am sure you will understand that I am unable to release any details concerning alleged victims of sexual offences which could lead to their identification. This is because of statutory restrictions and also to ensure that victims of sexual offences are not deterred from coming forward.Therefore, in the interests of protecting the anonymity of the victims I will not be releasing information confirming whether or not any of the victims of sexual offences referred to in your question were based at the Army Foundation College at the time of the offence.I can however advise you that the published figures for victims of sexual offences aged under 18 are based on investigations opened (including referral and non-referral to the Service Prosecuting Authority), and not based on conviction.

With reference to the Answer of 9 May 2024 to Question 24727 on Army Foundation College: Staff, how many Army Foundation College staff found to have started sexual relationships with recruits since 2014 were allowed to continue working there.

At the point of notification, the personnel were no longer working at the Army Foundation College. The cases subsequently went to Court Martial and the sentences all included Dismissal from HM Forces.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) repair hospitals and (b) improve patient safety.

The safety of National Health Service staff and patients is a top priority for the Government.The NHS was provided with £4.1 billion in operational capital in 2024/25, enabling systems to allocate funding according to local priorities, including hospital repairs and estate safety. In 2025/26, the Government is again backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital, which will continue to be allocated to local system priorities.The Government is also providing significant support through ongoing estates safety programmes delivering vital upgrades, eradicating reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), and tackling backlog maintenance and critical infrastructure risk. The 2024 Autumn Budget confirmed over £1 billion of additional investment in 2025/26 for these programmes, including £750 million for an estates safety fund to help ensure hospitals are safe and sustainable, and £440 million for RAAC mitigation and eradication.Alongside 2025/26 funding to address hospital repairs, the Government is taking a fresh look at how to make the current system effective and efficient to protect quality of care and improve patient safety. Following last year’s review by Dr Penny Dash into the operational effectiveness of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the CQC is rebuilding its approach and trust in its regulation. Dr Dash is conducting a second review of patient safety across the health and care landscape. The conclusions of the review are due to be published shortly and will inform our 10-Year Health Plan to transform the NHS and social care system.Our commitment to patient safety is further demonstrated by other key measures that include the introduction of death certification reform and medical examiners, our commitment to introduce professional standards for and regulate NHS managers and reviewing the statutory duty of candour.