Written questions by Roome.

How many cases of sexual violence were referred to the NHS by (a) charities and (b) local support organisations in 2024.

The National Health Service provides support for victims and survivors of sexual violence through a range of services which can be accessed via self-referral or referral from other organisations. This includes mental health services and sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) which provide crisis care, medical and forensic examinations and onward referral to other support services. SARCs had a total of 27,738 referrals in the year 2024/25 and of those, 65 came via the voluntary sector.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on small and medium sized businesses of the suspension of the $800 minimum threshold for imports into the United States which is due to come into force on 29 August 2025; and what steps his Department is taking to support (i) sole traders and (ii) other businesses.

My department is engaging with industry to monitor impacts on small and medium-sized Businesses (SMEs).We have published information to inform UK businesses and remain in close contact with our US counterparts to seek further clarity as needed. We remain fully committed to empowering SMEs to thrive in international markets through our wide-ranging export support – brought together through the Business Growth Service. Royal Mail’s new service allows SMEs to continue trading with the US, whilst most counterparts have suspended services.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on developing a new Pet Passport scheme between the UK and the European Union.

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will be easier and cheaper. Instead of getting an animal health certificate each time you travel, you will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU. The European Commission has published a draft SPS mandate for negotiations pending approval through the Council of the European Union.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Compassionate Clinical Care Kits distributed by the Dignity Care Network.

No assessment has been made of the potential implications of the Compassionate Clinical Care Kits.One of the 20 recommendations taken forward by the Government in response to the Pregnancy Loss Review of 2023 recommended that the NHS, in partnership with the Pregnancy Loss Review leads, should develop and deliver an appropriate and sensitive receptacle to collect baby loss remains when a person miscarries.We recognise that an appropriate receptacle for baby loss remains is a basic requirement. The Department of Health and Social Care chaired a working group which created a draft product specification for a bespoke receptacle to ensure foetal remains can be collected and stored with dignity. The Department is currently exploring next steps for implementing this recommendation with NHS England.

What discussions he has had with the National Energy System Operator on the proposed publication date for the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan.

The methodology for the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) was formally approved in May 2025 by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, together with Ofgem. It establishes a publication timeframe of Q4 2026 for the SSEP.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of claiming both Universal Credit and Housing Benefit on working young people in supported accommodation; and what steps she is taking to ensure that young people in supported accommodation are financially incentivised to work.

It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment. The Department acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those living in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit. The department will consider the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.Like Universal Credit, Housing Benefit has an income taper. As Housing Benefit may be claimed by those both in work and out of work, there are no rules around the number of hours that someone may work; instead, there are income tapers which apply. The income taper in Housing Benefit ensures people in work are better off than someone wholly reliant on benefits. In addition to any financial advantage, there are important non-financial benefits of working. These benefits include learning new skills, improved confidence and independence as well as a positive effect on an individual's mental and physical health. However, the treatment of earnings in Housing Benefit is less generous than that of Universal Credit. Therefore, although customers living in Supported Housing are better off working than doing no work at all, they can be financially better off limiting the hours they work to ensure they retain a small amount of Universal Credit entitlement.Changing the current rules would require a fiscal event and funding at a Budget. As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.

With reference to page 13 of the Report by the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee entitled Gridlock or growth? Avoiding energy planning chaos HC868, published on 7 July 2025, whether he plans to ensure that grid connection status for renewable energy projects should be treated as a material planning consideration.

The government is currently developing its response to the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee’s Report, including this recommendation. We intend to publish this, and the revised Energy National Policy Statements to which the Report relates, later this year.

Whether her Department plans to issue guidance to pension funds on reducing the proportion of their funds invested in the fossil fuel industry.

Pension funds have a duty to manage investments in the best long-term interests of their members, which includes decisions concerning investments in fossil fuels. Occupational pension schemes are required to make climate-related disclosures aligned with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations. Schemes should also set out their stewardship approaches to voting and engagement in the Statement of Investment Principles and Implementation Statement. Schemes voluntarily signed up to the Financial Conduct Authority’s Stewardship Code can also publish an additional Stewardship Report. TCFD reports and information about stewardship increasingly provide evidence of how schemes are managing climate risks and actively engaging with companies to reduce exposure to fossil fuels. Trustees may decide to divest from fossil fuel companies, or funds with high carbon exposure, particularly where sustained engagement efforts do not achieve satisfactory outcomes. My Department has issued statutory guidance for trust-based schemes, which trustees must have regard to. The guidance aims to support trustees in their efforts to meet their climate reporting and governance duties. The Pensions Regulator (TPR) also provides detailed guidance to support trustees address climate-related risks and provides feedback to the industry on areas for improvement. Information from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is available to support FCA-regulated pension providers.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to regulate levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water.

Defra continues to work closely with other Government departments, regulators and devolved administrations to assess PFAS levels, sources and risks to inform future policy and regulatory approaches. Action has already been taken to ban or restrict specific PFAS domestically and internationally. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has provided PFAS guidance to water companies since 2007, with the latest update in August 2024 and a consolidated version in March 2025. Defra and the DWI are considering regulatory updates, including making this guidance statutory.

Innovation and Technology, whether the Government plans to publish (a) Keeling Schedules and (b) implementation dates for the changes that have not had immediate effect made by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 to the Data Protection Act 2018, UK GDPR and PECR.

The Government does not plan to publish Keeling Schedules illustrating how measures in the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 amend the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. However, we have published information about each measure, which legislative provisions they amend, and plans for commencement dates, on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/data-use-and-access-act-2025

What assessment his Department has made of the rates of re-use or recycling of crutches, frames and other walking aids issued by NHS Trusts in England.

The Department for Health and Social Care does not hold this data centrally. However, NHS England has confirmed that its data from 2025 show that 85% of Trusts who issue walking aids report having a walking aid refurbishment and reuse scheme in place, up from 77% in March 2024. Information on rates of re-use or recycling may be held locally by NHS trusts.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the policy paper entitled Planning Reform Working paper: Reforming Site Thresholds, published on 28 May 2025, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Medium site threshold category's requirement for (a) an area of between 0.5 and 1 hectares and (b) between 10-49 dwellings on developers.

On 28 May 2025, the government published the Planning Reform Working Paper: Reforming Site Thresholds which can be found on gov.uk here. We are currently considering the responses received and will set out next steps in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of abolishing fixed-term assured tenancies in England on the housing market.

The government published an Impact Assessment for the Renters' Rights Bill on 22 November 2024. It received a 'Green' rating from the Regulatory Policy Committee, indicating that it is 'fit for purpose'. My Department has also engaged with a wide range of stakeholders during the development and passage of the Bill, and will continue to do so, as it is implemented.

Whether her Department plans to include the Skilled Worker Visa occupation code SOC 9119 under the Temporary Shortage Occupation List.

On 2 July the Government commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee to review the long term composition of the Temporary Shortage List (TSL).In future, as the Immigration White Paper sets out, for occupations with a skills requirement of RQF 3-5 (below degree level) where there have been long term shortages, we will only permit use of the Points-Based immigration system on a time limited basis where the MAC has advised it is justified, where there is a workforce strategy in place, and where employers seeking to recruit from abroad are committed to playing their part in increasing recruitment from the domestic workforce. Sectors will only be potentially added to the Temporary Shortage list if they are key to the industrial strategy or delivering critical infrastructure and following advice from the MAC.I would encourage you to write to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on workforce matters for the fishing sector.

Whether her Department plans to include the Skilled Worker Visa occupation code SOC 5433 under the Temporary Shortage Occupation List.

On 2 July the Government commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee to review the long term composition of the Temporary Shortage List (TSL).In future, as the Immigration White Paper sets out, for occupations with a skills requirement of RQF 3-5 (below degree level) where there have been long term shortages, we will only permit use of the Points-Based immigration system on a time limited basis where the MAC has advised it is justified, where there is a workforce strategy in place, and where employers seeking to recruit from abroad are committed to playing their part in increasing recruitment from the domestic workforce. Sectors will only be potentially added to the Temporary Shortage list if they are key to the industrial strategy or delivering critical infrastructure and following advice from the MAC.I would encourage you to write to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on workforce matters for the fishing sector.

Who has been commissioned to develop the business case for the proposed public private partnerships for neighbourhood health centres in the NHS 10 year plan; which (a) companies and (b) other organisations expressed an interest; and whether (i) patients, (ii) other members of the public and (iii) NHS staff will be part of the decision-making process.

The business case is being co-developed with the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority and the Department. A preliminary market engagement notice was issued on 1 July 2025, which is available at the following link:https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036389-2025Responses from companies who are interested in this opportunity are commercially sensitive and so cannot be shared.The business case will set out the potential for a public private partnerships model and an assessment of value for money so that a final decision on the approach can be taken by the time of the 2025 Budget in the autumn. If a decision is taken to proceed then further market engagement will take place on the model and approach. The location of, and services provided through, Neighbourhood Health Centres will be decided at a local level by the National Health Service and other stakeholders, based on the local needs of patients.

Whether his Department plans to (a) increase dental student training places (i) at Peninsula Dental School and (ii) in the South West and (b) ensure that dental workforce planning includes recruitment and retention in (A) rural and (B) coastal areas.

Peninsula Dental School would be considered for any possible future allocated dental training places, as would other dental schools in the same position, including in the South West.For the allocation of additional training places to begin, a guidance letter confirming the maximum fundable limit for training places must be sent to the Office for Students. A guidance letter has not yet been sent for 2026/27.Later this year, we will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. Our workforce plan will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural and coastal areas. Integrated care boards are recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the ratio between revenue raised by the Building Safety Levy, and building remediation expenditure, in rural areas.

The building safety levy has built in measures to minimise impact on housing while balancing the need to raise the revenue required to make homes safe. Measures to achieve this include:Variable levy rates at local authority level.A 50% discount on developments on previously developed land reflecting the often additional costs of building on these sites.Exemptions from the levy including Affordable Housing.The Building Safety Levy is an industry contribution towards building safety remediation. Revenue is raised from new, non-exempt, residential development which principally occurs in and around urban areas. Expenditure is directed at buildings over 11m in height which are principally located in urban areas.

When dental contracts will be uplifted in England; and what that uplift will be in percentage terms.

The Department accepted the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB) recommendation of a 4% increase in the pay element of the dental contract. The Department will be engaging with the British Dental Association on the implementation of this uplift in due course.The Department published its response to 2025/26 pay recommendations earlier than it has for several years. This paves the way for staff getting their pay rises earlier, including general dental practitioners, via uplifts to NHS dental contracts.

What assessment his Department has made of the merits of procuring additional E-7A Wedgetail AEW Mk1 aircraft beyond those specified in the 2021 Integrated Defence Review.

The Ministry of Defence is continuing with its procurement of E-7 Wedgetail in order to meet the national and NATO requirements for an Airborne Early Warning and Control capability which is interoperable with its allies.