Written questions by Cartlidge.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of epilepsy drugs.

The Department is working hard with industry to help resolve intermittent supply issues with some epilepsy medications. As a result of ongoing activity and intensive work, including directing suppliers to expedite deliveries, most issues have been resolved.We are currently aware of an ongoing supply issue with all strengths of topiramate tablets from one manufacturer. This supply issue is expected to resolve by the end of August 2025. Alternative suppliers have sufficient supply to support patients. We have issued management guidance to the National Health Service.We are also aware of a shortage of phenobarbital 15 milligram tablets and phenobarbital 15 milligram/5 millilitre elixir from two different manufacturers. Resupply dates are yet to be confirmed for phenobarbital 15 milligram tablets, and the elixir issue is expected to resolve by late June 2025. Management guidance has been issued to the NHS for both formulations. In both cases, alternative suppliers are in stock with sufficient supply to support patients.

With reference to paragraph 25 of his Department's policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of regular exchanges with the EU on the development of (a) UK defence readiness and (b) the UK defence industry on national security.

The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) agreed with the EU will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence. It will complement our core European bilateral partnerships – particularly France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Norway. The SDP will enable dialogue and cooperation on key issues like Ukraine, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exchanges will be flexible and scalable according to need. For example, we are working to ensure that our personnel and assets can more easily move across the European continent in times of both peace and crisis, including exploring participation in PESCO projects that bolster our NATO warfighting plans. Implementation will be overseen jointly by the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The detail of the terms and the modalities for implementation are under discussion, including any exploration of an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, UK participation in additional EU crisis management activity and attendance at working level policy and information exchanges or secondments. Any commitment– whether financial or non-financial – will provide value to the UK taxpayer and deliver the UK’s defence.

What steps his Department is taking to provide long-term support for people living with epilepsy.

At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with epilepsy in England.NHS England, in collaboration with stakeholders and patient groups, has developed a National Bundle of Care for children and young people with epilepsy. This bundle outlines key standards for epilepsy services, with the goal of ensuring consistent, high-quality care across all English regions.The NHS Right Care programme has provided a toolkit designed to help healthcare professionals understand priorities in epilepsy care and identify areas for improvement. The programme emphasises the importance of patient-centred care and support coordination of care between different healthcare professionals. The program also promotes the use of epilepsy specialist nurses and the importance of mental health support for individuals with epilepsy.The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) neurology programme aims to improve epilepsy services by addressing inequities in access, standardising care pathways, and promoting workforce development. By analysing and sharing data, GIRFT identifies areas for improvement and helps hospitals implement evidence-based practices, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes.NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme, which has developed a new model of integrated care to support integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time, for all neurology patients, including those with epilepsy. Specifically, the programme aims to optimise patient pathways, integrate care across different settings, and improve the overall experience of people with epilepsy.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on epilepsy provides evidence-based guidance for the diagnosis and management of epilepsy in both adults and children and young people. Whilst this guidance is advisory and is intended to support and intended to best practice, adherence will ensure that that patients receive the most appropriate and effective treatment. NICE provides tools to help healthcare professionals and service commissioners effectively implement and adopt the recommendations within NICE guidance.The Government has recently established the Neuro Forum, a United Kingdom-wide Government-led forum focusing on services and support for people affected by neurological conditions. The Forum brings together the Department, NHS England, devolved governments and health services, and Neurological Alliances across the UK to address gaps in treatment and care, and to drive improvements in neurological health across the four UK countries.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the five-point plan set out in the report entitled Securing the Future of Council Housing, published in September 2024.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 27397 on 7 February 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to make changes to the (a) Housing Revenue Account model and (b) Right to Buy scheme.

The government recognises that changes in rent policy, inflationary pressures, and increased costs associated with investing in existing stock since 2012 have led to increasing strain on Housing Revenue Accounts. The principle of self-financing remains the right one but we are committed to working with councils to overcome the pressures on their Housing Revenue Accounts and to supporting them to make a greater contribution to social and affordable housing supply.This government is also committed to the Right to Buy. We want to ensure that council tenants who have lived in, and paid rent on, their social homes for many years can retain the opportunity to own their home. However, reform of Right to Buy is essential to better protect much-needed social housing stock, boost council capacity and build more social homes than we lose, supporting the government’s commitment to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.We have returned the maximum cash discounts to between £16,000 and £38,000 and we are allowing councils to keep 100% of the receipts from sales so that they are better able to build and buy new homes. We consulted last autumn on further reforms to the Right to Buy, including increased protections for new builds and changes to eligibility requirements. The consultation is now closed, and the government will set out next steps shortly.We will also set out more detail of our future investment in social and affordable housing at the Spending Review next week.

With reference to paragraph 23 of the policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, whether the EU and UK dialogues on maritime security will involve the creation of new UK initiatives in the maritime domain.

The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) agreed with the EU will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence. It will complement our core European bilateral partnerships – particularly France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Norway. The SDP will enable dialogue and cooperation on key issues like Ukraine, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exchanges will be flexible and scalable according to need. For example, we are working to ensure that our personnel and assets can more easily move across the European continent in times of both peace and crisis, including exploring participation in PESCO projects that bolster our NATO warfighting plans. Implementation will be overseen jointly by the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The detail of the terms and the modalities for implementation are under discussion, including any exploration of an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, UK participation in additional EU crisis management activity and attendance at working level policy and information exchanges or secondments. Any commitment– whether financial or non-financial – will provide value to the UK taxpayer and deliver the UK’s defence.

With reference to paragraph 48 of his Department's policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, if he will list the groups that UK posts in third countries will cooperate with.

The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) agreed with the EU will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence. It will complement our core European bilateral partnerships – particularly France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Norway. The SDP will enable dialogue and cooperation on key issues like Ukraine, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exchanges will be flexible and scalable according to need. For example, we are working to ensure that our personnel and assets can more easily move across the European continent in times of both peace and crisis, including exploring participation in PESCO projects that bolster our NATO warfighting plans. Implementation will be overseen jointly by the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The detail of the terms and the modalities for implementation are under discussion, including any exploration of an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, UK participation in additional EU crisis management activity and attendance at working level policy and information exchanges or secondments. Any commitment– whether financial or non-financial – will provide value to the UK taxpayer and deliver the UK’s defence.

With reference to paragraph 44 of his Department's policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, under what circumstances the EU will allow the UK to increase participation in European Security and Defence College activities.

The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) agreed with the EU will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence. It will complement our core European bilateral partnerships – particularly France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Norway. The SDP will enable dialogue and cooperation on key issues like Ukraine, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exchanges will be flexible and scalable according to need. For example, we are working to ensure that our personnel and assets can more easily move across the European continent in times of both peace and crisis, including exploring participation in PESCO projects that bolster our NATO warfighting plans. Implementation will be overseen jointly by the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The detail of the terms and the modalities for implementation are under discussion, including any exploration of an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, UK participation in additional EU crisis management activity and attendance at working level policy and information exchanges or secondments. Any commitment– whether financial or non-financial – will provide value to the UK taxpayer and deliver the UK’s defence.

With reference to paragraph 33 of his Department's policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of levels of UK-EU cooperation on (a) research and (b) analysis of hybrid threats.

The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) agreed with the EU will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence. It will complement our core European bilateral partnerships – particularly France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Norway. The SDP will enable dialogue and cooperation on key issues like Ukraine, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exchanges will be flexible and scalable according to need. For example, we are working to ensure that our personnel and assets can more easily move across the European continent in times of both peace and crisis, including exploring participation in PESCO projects that bolster our NATO warfighting plans. Implementation will be overseen jointly by the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The detail of the terms and the modalities for implementation are under discussion, including any exploration of an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, UK participation in additional EU crisis management activity and attendance at working level policy and information exchanges or secondments. Any commitment– whether financial or non-financial – will provide value to the UK taxpayer and deliver the UK’s defence.

With reference to paragraph 44 of his Department's policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, what estimate he has made of the change in the UK’s participation in EU (a) training and (b) education activities.

The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) agreed with the EU will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence. It will complement our core European bilateral partnerships – particularly France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Norway. The SDP will enable dialogue and cooperation on key issues like Ukraine, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exchanges will be flexible and scalable according to need. For example, we are working to ensure that our personnel and assets can more easily move across the European continent in times of both peace and crisis, including exploring participation in PESCO projects that bolster our NATO warfighting plans. Implementation will be overseen jointly by the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The detail of the terms and the modalities for implementation are under discussion, including any exploration of an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, UK participation in additional EU crisis management activity and attendance at working level policy and information exchanges or secondments. Any commitment– whether financial or non-financial – will provide value to the UK taxpayer and deliver the UK’s defence.

With reference to paragraph 28 of his Department's policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, who will attend the regular exchanges on space security on behalf of the Government.

The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) agreed with the EU will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence. It will complement our core European bilateral partnerships – particularly France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Norway. The SDP will enable dialogue and cooperation on key issues like Ukraine, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exchanges will be flexible and scalable according to need. For example, we are working to ensure that our personnel and assets can more easily move across the European continent in times of both peace and crisis, including exploring participation in PESCO projects that bolster our NATO warfighting plans. Implementation will be overseen jointly by the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The detail of the terms and the modalities for implementation are under discussion, including any exploration of an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, UK participation in additional EU crisis management activity and attendance at working level policy and information exchanges or secondments. Any commitment– whether financial or non-financial – will provide value to the UK taxpayer and deliver the UK’s defence.

With reference to paragraph 27 of his Department's policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, what steps he is taking to establish an administrative arrangement with the European Defence Agency.

The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) agreed with the EU will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence. It will complement our core European bilateral partnerships – particularly France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Norway. The SDP will enable dialogue and cooperation on key issues like Ukraine, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exchanges will be flexible and scalable according to need. For example, we are working to ensure that our personnel and assets can more easily move across the European continent in times of both peace and crisis, including exploring participation in PESCO projects that bolster our NATO warfighting plans. Implementation will be overseen jointly by the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The detail of the terms and the modalities for implementation are under discussion, including any exploration of an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, UK participation in additional EU crisis management activity and attendance at working level policy and information exchanges or secondments. Any commitment– whether financial or non-financial – will provide value to the UK taxpayer and deliver the UK’s defence.

With reference to paragraph 28 of his Department's policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of holding regular exchanges on space security on UK space sovereign capability.

The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) agreed with the EU will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence. It will complement our core European bilateral partnerships – particularly France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Norway. The SDP will enable dialogue and cooperation on key issues like Ukraine, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exchanges will be flexible and scalable according to need. For example, we are working to ensure that our personnel and assets can more easily move across the European continent in times of both peace and crisis, including exploring participation in PESCO projects that bolster our NATO warfighting plans. Implementation will be overseen jointly by the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The detail of the terms and the modalities for implementation are under discussion, including any exploration of an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, UK participation in additional EU crisis management activity and attendance at working level policy and information exchanges or secondments. Any commitment– whether financial or non-financial – will provide value to the UK taxpayer and deliver the UK’s defence.

With reference to paragraph 44 of his Department's policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, under what circumstances the UK will facilitate the participation of the EU in UK-led training activities.

The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) agreed with the EU will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence. It will complement our core European bilateral partnerships – particularly France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Norway. The SDP will enable dialogue and cooperation on key issues like Ukraine, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exchanges will be flexible and scalable according to need. For example, we are working to ensure that our personnel and assets can more easily move across the European continent in times of both peace and crisis, including exploring participation in PESCO projects that bolster our NATO warfighting plans. Implementation will be overseen jointly by the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The detail of the terms and the modalities for implementation are under discussion, including any exploration of an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, UK participation in additional EU crisis management activity and attendance at working level policy and information exchanges or secondments. Any commitment– whether financial or non-financial – will provide value to the UK taxpayer and deliver the UK’s defence.

With reference to paragraph 35 of his Department's policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of holding regular exchanges on the resilience of critical infrastructure in Europe on national security.

The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) agreed with the EU will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence. It will complement our core European bilateral partnerships – particularly France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Norway. The SDP will enable dialogue and cooperation on key issues like Ukraine, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exchanges will be flexible and scalable according to need. For example, we are working to ensure that our personnel and assets can more easily move across the European continent in times of both peace and crisis, including exploring participation in PESCO projects that bolster our NATO warfighting plans. Implementation will be overseen jointly by the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The detail of the terms and the modalities for implementation are under discussion, including any exploration of an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, UK participation in additional EU crisis management activity and attendance at working level policy and information exchanges or secondments. Any commitment– whether financial or non-financial – will provide value to the UK taxpayer and deliver the UK’s defence.

With reference to paragraph eight of his Department's policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, when the UK plans to formally join the Permanent Structured Co-operation on security and defence (PESCO) project Military Mobility.

The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) agreed with the EU will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence. It will complement our core bilateral partnerships – particularly France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Norway. The SDP will enable dialogue and cooperation on key issues like Ukraine, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exchanges will be flexible and scalable according to need. For example, we are working to ensure that our personnel and assets can more easily move across the European continent in times of both peace and crisis, including exploring participation in PESCO projects that bolster our NATO warfighting plans. Implementation will be overseen jointly by the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The detail of the terms and the modalities for implementation are under discussion, including any exploration of an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, UK participation in additional EU crisis management activity and attendance at working level policy and information exchanges or secondments. Any commitment– whether financial or non-financial – will provide value to the UK taxpayer and deliver the UK’s defence.

With reference to paragraph 12, subsection F, of the policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, whether he plans to accept the invitation to participate in the biannual Schuman Security and Defence Forum.

The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) agreed with the EU will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence. It will complement our core bilateral partnerships – particularly France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Norway. The SDP will enable dialogue and cooperation on key issues like Ukraine, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exchanges will be flexible and scalable according to need. For example, we are working to ensure that our personnel and assets can more easily move across the European continent in times of both peace and crisis, including exploring participation in PESCO projects that bolster our NATO warfighting plans. Implementation will be overseen jointly by the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The detail of the terms and the modalities for implementation are under discussion, including any exploration of an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, UK participation in additional EU crisis management activity and attendance at working level policy and information exchanges or secondments. Any commitment– whether financial or non-financial – will provide value to the UK taxpayer and deliver the UK’s defence.

With reference to the policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on UK access to the Security Action for Europe fund.

As this is a critical moment for the security of our continent, we welcome European efforts to increase defence spending, through the ReArm initiative including the proposed Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument. The UK and the EU have agreed an ambitious new Security and Defence Partnership as part of a wider package of the UK-EU reset, which means that the UK now meets the gateway criteria for discussing participation in common procurement under SAFE. Recognising the important role that the UK’s defence industry plays already for European security, we have set out our ambition to swiftly explore the potential for enhanced cooperation through the proposed SAFE instrument, as soon as the EU’s necessary processes are complete.

With reference to paragraph 22 of the policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, how frequently will the EU and UK hold exchanges on maritime security.

The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) agreed with the EU will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence. It will complement our core bilateral partnerships – particularly France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Norway. The SDP will enable dialogue and cooperation on key issues like Ukraine, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exchanges will be flexible and scalable according to need. For example, we are working to ensure that our personnel and assets can more easily move across the European continent in times of both peace and crisis, including exploring participation in PESCO projects that bolster our NATO warfighting plans. Implementation will be overseen jointly by the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The detail of the terms and the modalities for implementation are under discussion, including any exploration of an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, UK participation in additional EU crisis management activity and attendance at working level policy and information exchanges or secondments. Any commitment– whether financial or non-financial – will provide value to the UK taxpayer and deliver the UK’s defence.

With reference to the policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, how the security and defence partnership will make the United Kingdom more secure.

The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) agreed with the EU will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence. It will complement our core bilateral partnerships – particularly France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Norway. The SDP will enable dialogue and cooperation on key issues like Ukraine, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exchanges will be flexible and scalable according to need. For example, we are working to ensure that our personnel and assets can more easily move across the European continent in times of both peace and crisis, including exploring participation in PESCO projects that bolster our NATO warfighting plans. Implementation will be overseen jointly by the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The detail of the terms and the modalities for implementation are under discussion, including any exploration of an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, UK participation in additional EU crisis management activity and attendance at working level policy and information exchanges or secondments. Any commitment– whether financial or non-financial – will provide value to the UK taxpayer and deliver the UK’s defence.