Written questions by Morgan.

What the cost to the public purse of (a) the Airwave network and (b) the Emergency Services Network was in each of the last five financial years.

The cost to the taxpayers of Great Britain for Airwave is as follows:2021/22 £293.66m2022/23 £318.55m2023/24 £197.01m2024/25 £153.48mAs the financial accounts for 2025/26 have not been finalised or audited yet, we cannot provide expenditure for that period.The costing information relates to England, Scotland and Wales Police Core only, as Home Office does not have visibility of Airwave costs borne directly by other Funding Sponsor Bodies.As the Emergency Services Network is currently not operational, it is not possible to provide these costs.Leveraging EE’s Commercial Network of circa 20,000 masts, the main build of ESN masts to provide mobile coverage across Great Britain is largely complete. Of the additional 1047 ESN masts due to be built, 987 are completed and operationally live. Specifically, an additional 13 new sites have been built in Shropshire, with 1 of these sited in the constituency of North Shropshire.Across Great Britain, this is already providing a benefit to the public by enabling over one thousand additional 999 calls every month to be made in areas where previously there was no coverage. Work continues at pace to provide network access in areas where localised coverage is needed; these include densely populated communities, as well as sports stadiums, and shopping centres.ESMCP’s priority is to achieve the right balance between credible plans that ensures user confidence and the need to deliver ESN as quickly and safely as possible to enable the shutdown of Airwave.The Home Office’s Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) is responsible for managing the Emergency Services Network (ESN). ESN is a critical communications system and will replace the current Airwave service used by the emergency services in Great Britain.ESN is currently in the delivery phase, during which ESMCP will implement systems, platforms, processes, hardware and software to be ready and assured for deployment. Current delivery timelines are from January 2025 to 2027 with phased deployment planned to begin in 2027 to emergency services users. The target date for transition to be completed is 31 December 2029 after which Airwave will be safely shut down.ESN is a capability which is still under development and as such it is not operational. The products and services under development have been tested at several public events such as Notting Hill Carnival, Glastonbury and London New Year’s Eve Celebrations to validate progress and inform the next stages of the programme.This is not a data set held by the Home Office’s Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme centrally. Such Data is owned and managed by individual forces across the three emergency services and the devolved nations of Scotland and Wales.As in all Police force areas in Great Britain, the Home Office contract with Airwave provides for hand-portable coverage in built-up areas and vehicle coverage on all major and minor roads, including all rural areas.Police forces can then elect to further enhance coverage in their areas if deemed necessary to meet their own specific operational needs. West Mercia Police have contracted further areas of hand-portable coverage from Airwave using this option.Shropshire and North Shropshire are covered by West Mercia Police, together with Worcestershire and Herefordshire. Collectively, availability of the Airwave radio network across West Mercia throughout 2025 was strong.The contractual target for Airwave network availability for all police forces is 99.74% each month. In 2025 monthly network availability across the 89 Airwave sites in West Mercia varied between 99.79% and 100%, with an overall mean average across the 12 months of 99.94%.Each quarter a tri-party meeting is held between West Mercia Police, the Home Office, and Motorola to review the quality and availability of the Airwave network, along with any other Airwave related issues. During 2025 there were no major Airwave service issues raised by West Mercia Police.

How many new telecommunications masts have been built for the Emergency Services Network in (a) total (b) Shropshire and (c) North Shropshire constituency.

The cost to the taxpayers of Great Britain for Airwave is as follows:2021/22 £293.66m2022/23 £318.55m2023/24 £197.01m2024/25 £153.48mAs the financial accounts for 2025/26 have not been finalised or audited yet, we cannot provide expenditure for that period.The costing information relates to England, Scotland and Wales Police Core only, as Home Office does not have visibility of Airwave costs borne directly by other Funding Sponsor Bodies.As the Emergency Services Network is currently not operational, it is not possible to provide these costs.Leveraging EE’s Commercial Network of circa 20,000 masts, the main build of ESN masts to provide mobile coverage across Great Britain is largely complete. Of the additional 1047 ESN masts due to be built, 987 are completed and operationally live. Specifically, an additional 13 new sites have been built in Shropshire, with 1 of these sited in the constituency of North Shropshire.Across Great Britain, this is already providing a benefit to the public by enabling over one thousand additional 999 calls every month to be made in areas where previously there was no coverage. Work continues at pace to provide network access in areas where localised coverage is needed; these include densely populated communities, as well as sports stadiums, and shopping centres.ESMCP’s priority is to achieve the right balance between credible plans that ensures user confidence and the need to deliver ESN as quickly and safely as possible to enable the shutdown of Airwave.The Home Office’s Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) is responsible for managing the Emergency Services Network (ESN). ESN is a critical communications system and will replace the current Airwave service used by the emergency services in Great Britain.ESN is currently in the delivery phase, during which ESMCP will implement systems, platforms, processes, hardware and software to be ready and assured for deployment. Current delivery timelines are from January 2025 to 2027 with phased deployment planned to begin in 2027 to emergency services users. The target date for transition to be completed is 31 December 2029 after which Airwave will be safely shut down.ESN is a capability which is still under development and as such it is not operational. The products and services under development have been tested at several public events such as Notting Hill Carnival, Glastonbury and London New Year’s Eve Celebrations to validate progress and inform the next stages of the programme.This is not a data set held by the Home Office’s Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme centrally. Such Data is owned and managed by individual forces across the three emergency services and the devolved nations of Scotland and Wales.As in all Police force areas in Great Britain, the Home Office contract with Airwave provides for hand-portable coverage in built-up areas and vehicle coverage on all major and minor roads, including all rural areas.Police forces can then elect to further enhance coverage in their areas if deemed necessary to meet their own specific operational needs. West Mercia Police have contracted further areas of hand-portable coverage from Airwave using this option.Shropshire and North Shropshire are covered by West Mercia Police, together with Worcestershire and Herefordshire. Collectively, availability of the Airwave radio network across West Mercia throughout 2025 was strong.The contractual target for Airwave network availability for all police forces is 99.74% each month. In 2025 monthly network availability across the 89 Airwave sites in West Mercia varied between 99.79% and 100%, with an overall mean average across the 12 months of 99.94%.Each quarter a tri-party meeting is held between West Mercia Police, the Home Office, and Motorola to review the quality and availability of the Airwave network, along with any other Airwave related issues. During 2025 there were no major Airwave service issues raised by West Mercia Police.

If she will set out (a) when and (b) in which locations the Emergency Services Network has been used in an operational setting.

The cost to the taxpayers of Great Britain for Airwave is as follows:2021/22 £293.66m2022/23 £318.55m2023/24 £197.01m2024/25 £153.48mAs the financial accounts for 2025/26 have not been finalised or audited yet, we cannot provide expenditure for that period.The costing information relates to England, Scotland and Wales Police Core only, as Home Office does not have visibility of Airwave costs borne directly by other Funding Sponsor Bodies.As the Emergency Services Network is currently not operational, it is not possible to provide these costs.Leveraging EE’s Commercial Network of circa 20,000 masts, the main build of ESN masts to provide mobile coverage across Great Britain is largely complete. Of the additional 1047 ESN masts due to be built, 987 are completed and operationally live. Specifically, an additional 13 new sites have been built in Shropshire, with 1 of these sited in the constituency of North Shropshire.Across Great Britain, this is already providing a benefit to the public by enabling over one thousand additional 999 calls every month to be made in areas where previously there was no coverage. Work continues at pace to provide network access in areas where localised coverage is needed; these include densely populated communities, as well as sports stadiums, and shopping centres.ESMCP’s priority is to achieve the right balance between credible plans that ensures user confidence and the need to deliver ESN as quickly and safely as possible to enable the shutdown of Airwave.The Home Office’s Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) is responsible for managing the Emergency Services Network (ESN). ESN is a critical communications system and will replace the current Airwave service used by the emergency services in Great Britain.ESN is currently in the delivery phase, during which ESMCP will implement systems, platforms, processes, hardware and software to be ready and assured for deployment. Current delivery timelines are from January 2025 to 2027 with phased deployment planned to begin in 2027 to emergency services users. The target date for transition to be completed is 31 December 2029 after which Airwave will be safely shut down.ESN is a capability which is still under development and as such it is not operational. The products and services under development have been tested at several public events such as Notting Hill Carnival, Glastonbury and London New Year’s Eve Celebrations to validate progress and inform the next stages of the programme.This is not a data set held by the Home Office’s Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme centrally. Such Data is owned and managed by individual forces across the three emergency services and the devolved nations of Scotland and Wales.As in all Police force areas in Great Britain, the Home Office contract with Airwave provides for hand-portable coverage in built-up areas and vehicle coverage on all major and minor roads, including all rural areas.Police forces can then elect to further enhance coverage in their areas if deemed necessary to meet their own specific operational needs. West Mercia Police have contracted further areas of hand-portable coverage from Airwave using this option.Shropshire and North Shropshire are covered by West Mercia Police, together with Worcestershire and Herefordshire. Collectively, availability of the Airwave radio network across West Mercia throughout 2025 was strong.The contractual target for Airwave network availability for all police forces is 99.74% each month. In 2025 monthly network availability across the 89 Airwave sites in West Mercia varied between 99.79% and 100%, with an overall mean average across the 12 months of 99.94%.Each quarter a tri-party meeting is held between West Mercia Police, the Home Office, and Motorola to review the quality and availability of the Airwave network, along with any other Airwave related issues. During 2025 there were no major Airwave service issues raised by West Mercia Police.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of Airwave network coverage for emergency service delivery in rural areas.

The cost to the taxpayers of Great Britain for Airwave is as follows:2021/22 £293.66m2022/23 £318.55m2023/24 £197.01m2024/25 £153.48mAs the financial accounts for 2025/26 have not been finalised or audited yet, we cannot provide expenditure for that period.The costing information relates to England, Scotland and Wales Police Core only, as Home Office does not have visibility of Airwave costs borne directly by other Funding Sponsor Bodies.As the Emergency Services Network is currently not operational, it is not possible to provide these costs.Leveraging EE’s Commercial Network of circa 20,000 masts, the main build of ESN masts to provide mobile coverage across Great Britain is largely complete. Of the additional 1047 ESN masts due to be built, 987 are completed and operationally live. Specifically, an additional 13 new sites have been built in Shropshire, with 1 of these sited in the constituency of North Shropshire.Across Great Britain, this is already providing a benefit to the public by enabling over one thousand additional 999 calls every month to be made in areas where previously there was no coverage. Work continues at pace to provide network access in areas where localised coverage is needed; these include densely populated communities, as well as sports stadiums, and shopping centres.ESMCP’s priority is to achieve the right balance between credible plans that ensures user confidence and the need to deliver ESN as quickly and safely as possible to enable the shutdown of Airwave.The Home Office’s Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) is responsible for managing the Emergency Services Network (ESN). ESN is a critical communications system and will replace the current Airwave service used by the emergency services in Great Britain.ESN is currently in the delivery phase, during which ESMCP will implement systems, platforms, processes, hardware and software to be ready and assured for deployment. Current delivery timelines are from January 2025 to 2027 with phased deployment planned to begin in 2027 to emergency services users. The target date for transition to be completed is 31 December 2029 after which Airwave will be safely shut down.ESN is a capability which is still under development and as such it is not operational. The products and services under development have been tested at several public events such as Notting Hill Carnival, Glastonbury and London New Year’s Eve Celebrations to validate progress and inform the next stages of the programme.This is not a data set held by the Home Office’s Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme centrally. Such Data is owned and managed by individual forces across the three emergency services and the devolved nations of Scotland and Wales.As in all Police force areas in Great Britain, the Home Office contract with Airwave provides for hand-portable coverage in built-up areas and vehicle coverage on all major and minor roads, including all rural areas.Police forces can then elect to further enhance coverage in their areas if deemed necessary to meet their own specific operational needs. West Mercia Police have contracted further areas of hand-portable coverage from Airwave using this option.Shropshire and North Shropshire are covered by West Mercia Police, together with Worcestershire and Herefordshire. Collectively, availability of the Airwave radio network across West Mercia throughout 2025 was strong.The contractual target for Airwave network availability for all police forces is 99.74% each month. In 2025 monthly network availability across the 89 Airwave sites in West Mercia varied between 99.79% and 100%, with an overall mean average across the 12 months of 99.94%.Each quarter a tri-party meeting is held between West Mercia Police, the Home Office, and Motorola to review the quality and availability of the Airwave network, along with any other Airwave related issues. During 2025 there were no major Airwave service issues raised by West Mercia Police.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to encourage alternative providers to use the broadband infrastructure installed by Freedom Fibre in North Shropshire constituency.

As part of Project Gigabit, Freedom Fibre delivered gigabit-capable broadband to approximately 1,900 premises in North Shropshire constituency. All infrastructure assets deployed through Building Digital UK (BDUK) subsidy have to be made available to other providers, as this is a contract obligation. BDUK undertook a market consultation with suppliers across England and Wales on their interest and capability for further delivery and is now following up with suppliers on the potential for further projects through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, utilising existing available infrastructure wherever possible.

If he will publish guidance for members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme who are employed by civil service contractors on how they can access their pensions.

The process for all members wishing to access their Civil Service Pension is the same and can be viewed at https://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/memberhub/The guidance for members to claim their pension benefits is available on the Civil Service Pension website.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support British food producers facing competition from increased imports following the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal.

The UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD) protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK. Defra has always been clear that this Government will protect British farmers, secure our food security and uphold our high food, animal welfare and environmental standards in trade deals. That is exactly what we have done and will continue to do. Any agricultural imports coming into the UK will have to meet our high sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards. For the first time ever, this deal has also opened up exclusive access for UK beef farmers to the US market.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changing US to UK import levels of (a) wheat, (b) maize and (c) ethanol on (i) food security and (b) agricultural businesses.

We have always been clear that this Government will protect British farmers, our food security and uphold our high food, animal welfare and environmental standards in trade deals. That is exactly what we have done and will continue to do.For the first time ever, the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal has opened up exclusive access for UK beef farmers to the US market. The Government has been engaging closely with the bioethanol industry, and the Department of Business and Trade continue to work with the affected companies and wider industry. The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, including around 80% self-sufficiency for cereal crops. Strong domestic production supports food security alongside supply from diverse sources and imports through stable trade routes. As internationally traded commodities, cereal supply chains are dynamic and responsive to global market developments in price and availability.

Innovation and Technology, what date the last premises in North Shropshire was connected to full fibre under Project Gigabit; and the date on which the next connection is planned.

In North Shropshire constituency, the last premises connected by Freedom Fibre’s Project Gigabit contract covering North Shropshire was on the 30 June 2025, whilst the last premises connected under the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme was on the 28 July 2025.We are currently working with Openreach on a proposed contract change to include as many as possible of the remaining premises within the cross-regional contract that covers the rest of Shropshire and other regions. We expect this work to be completed within the next few weeks

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the development of tourism in Shropshire.

Tourism contributes to growth and jobs across all parts of the country particularly in rural areas such as Shropshire, home to the UNESCO-listed Ironbridge Gorge, the medieval Ludlow Castle and the scenic Shropshire Hills AONB.The Government is committed to supporting the sector through the forthcoming Visitor Economy Growth Strategy, which will set out a long term plan to increase visitor flows across the UK, boost value, and deliver sustainable growth. Central to this strategy is ensuring greater dispersal, so that the economic benefits of tourism are felt by all regions, including rural and coastal communities.

What steps he is taking to ensure members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme in North Shropshire constituency are able to access their pensions.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve. Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme. Capita prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. The same position was reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March. Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,979 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April. To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates

What estimate he has made of the level of overdiagnosis arising from opportunistic PSA testing in England in the latest period for which data is available; and whether this was modelled in the comparator arm of the UK National Screening Committee’s economic analysis.

Drawing on the available peer reviewed evidence, the Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR) has undertaken economic analysis on behalf of the UK National Screening Committee.In their modelling, in line with best practice and the standard academic approach to assessing a new screening proposal, the SCHARR team has included the best available information on current care and compared this to a number of possible scenarios for a new prostate cancer screening programme. This includes the best estimate of current opportunistic prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing.There is little published data available that can determine between PSAs sought by asymptomatic males at their general practices (GPs), opportunistic PSA testing, and other types of PSAs in use which can include testing for symptomatic males where this could support a diagnosis and for men who are on a range of treatment pathways for known prostate cancer.A prostate cancer screening programme would be most likely to add to the number of PSA tests because GPs have the right to offer a PSA test in line with their clinical judgement and this would continue outside of any screening programme. This is consistent with other screening programmes including, for example, access to the faecal immunochemical tests outside of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.The risk of overdiagnosis identified in the SCHARR model is in line with other international evidence-based prostate screening models which have been developed by academics in line with standard academic approaches and are underpinned by high quality published evidence.New data on PSA uptake was published after the completion of the modelling report and will be incorporated into further model iterations before the completion of the consultation period.

Whether the UK National Screening Committee’s modelling assumes that the introduction of a prostate cancer screening programme would be additional to, or would partially replace, existing opportunistic PSA testing in primary care.

Drawing on the available peer reviewed evidence, the Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR) has undertaken economic analysis on behalf of the UK National Screening Committee.In their modelling, in line with best practice and the standard academic approach to assessing a new screening proposal, the SCHARR team has included the best available information on current care and compared this to a number of possible scenarios for a new prostate cancer screening programme. This includes the best estimate of current opportunistic prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing.There is little published data available that can determine between PSAs sought by asymptomatic males at their general practices (GPs), opportunistic PSA testing, and other types of PSAs in use which can include testing for symptomatic males where this could support a diagnosis and for men who are on a range of treatment pathways for known prostate cancer.A prostate cancer screening programme would be most likely to add to the number of PSA tests because GPs have the right to offer a PSA test in line with their clinical judgement and this would continue outside of any screening programme. This is consistent with other screening programmes including, for example, access to the faecal immunochemical tests outside of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.The risk of overdiagnosis identified in the SCHARR model is in line with other international evidence-based prostate screening models which have been developed by academics in line with standard academic approaches and are underpinned by high quality published evidence.New data on PSA uptake was published after the completion of the modelling report and will be incorporated into further model iterations before the completion of the consultation period.

When he plans to publish proposals for increased product safety requirements under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025.

The powers in the Act enable the UK to maintain high product standards, supporting businesses and economic growth, by allowing the UK Parliament the power to update relevant laws. As stated in the budget announcement we plan to consult in early 2026 on major reforms to modernise and simplify the UK’s product safety framework, including to rebalance the playing field between online and physical retailers, improve consumer safety and streamline processes for enforcement.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on including retail businesses in the proposed business rates relief for pubs.

The Chancellor holds regular discussions with her Ministerial colleagues about a broad range of matters.

What assessment she has made of the cost of (a) the potential business rates relief for pubs and (b) the cost of extending this relief to (i) the hospitality sector and (ii) the retail sector.

From April, every pub and live music venue will get 15% off its new business rates bill on top of the support announced at Budget and then bills will be frozen in real terms for a further two years.Final costings will be confirmed at a fiscal event in the usual way.The retail and hospitality sectors will continue to benefit from the £4.3 billion support package announced at Budget. This support package means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

What assessment she has made of the levels of paid ad spoofing in the no win no fee sector.

It is not possible to identify where prosecutions of fraud are specifically related to paid ad spoofing in the no win no fee sector, as this would require manual checks at a cost disproportionate to the public interest.In the 12 months ending June 2025, the CPS prosecuted 7,446 defendants, where Fraud and Forgery was the principal offence. In the same period, the CPS charged 77.3% of all Fraud and Forgery category cases that were referred to it by law enforcement and maintained a consistent conviction rate of 86.5%.

What estimate she has made of the potential impact of paid ad spoofing on car insurance premiums.

The Government has made no specific estimate of the impact of paid advert spoofing on car insurance premiums. However, the Government takes the issue of fraud seriously and recognises the impact this has on motor insurance claims costs and the premiums that motorists pay. As set out in the final report of the cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce, published in December 2025, the Government, regulators and industry are taking a range of actions to combat insurance fraud. This includes the Financial Conduct Authority’s work to identify and remove fraudulent advertising; the Insurance Fraud Bureau and Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department’s work to detect, investigate and deter motor insurance fraud; and collective efforts to deliver on the commitments in the Home Office’s Insurance Fraud Charter. The Government’s forthcoming Fraud Strategy will introduce further measures designed to protect individuals and businesses from evolving fraud threats.

What estimate his Department has made of the total outgoings by the health service on additional medicine spending over the Spending Review period.

In relation to the recently announced plans to increase the standard cost-effectiveness threshold used by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), costs will start smaller but will increase over time as NICE approves more life improving and life-saving medicines. Total costs over the Spending Review period are expected to be approximately £1 billion. The final costs will depend on which medicines NICE recommends and the actual uptake of these.We have no plans to publish an impact assessment or details of the modelling which led to this estimated figure. This deal is a vital investment that builds on the strength of our National Health Service and world leading life sciences without taking essential funding from our frontline NHS services.

Whether (a) Chief Executive of NICE and (b) any other NICE official has had recent discussions with the United States Ambassador.

The former National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Chief Executive, Dr Sam Roberts, met with the United States’ ambassador in October 2025. NICE’s current Chief Executive is due to meet with the US ambassador soon. The Department was notified of these meetings.